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Justin Fedor's music identity isn’t just tied to recording, performing and touring (with psych-rock outfit Ancient Cities, roots group The New Familiars or newly formed The Denim Denim) … it’s also tied to bringing the community together for a cause. Since 2013, Fedor has organized bi-annual tribute concerts to benefit the Levine Children’s Hospital, raising more than $70,000 in the process. As Fedor puts it, actions speak louder than words (or even a blaring guitar solo).

Back in the 1930s, more country music was recorded in Charlotte than in Nashville, Tennessee. Some of the Charlotte recordings from that period have become part of the essential canon of traditional country music, from "the first family of country" — the Carter Family — to the first career steps of "the father of bluegrass" Bill Monroe. So how did Charlotte become the center for country music? And why isn't it any longer?Today on the "Amplifier" podcast, we’re sharing an extra special episode: our very first live taping of "Amplifier," recorded on Sept. 4, 2019, in front of an audience of 500 people at the U.S. National Whitewater Center in Charlotte. This conversation was supported in part by a grant from the Corporation of Public Broadcasting in honor of Ken Burns’ "Country Music" documentary (premiering at 8 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 15 on PBS stations across the country). So, we sat down with country music historian Tom Hanchett and veteran country rocker Bill Noonan to discuss Charlotte’s country music past, present and future.

The third season premiere of Stranger Things (set in the ‘80s). The upcoming sequel to Wonder Woman (set in 1984). The next iteration of American Horror Story (also set in 1984). There’s just something about the ‘80s that keeps pop culture coming back for more. This also extends to Charlotte rock trio Fortune Teller, whose 80’s-tinged synth music is so stylish, it’s bringing Aqua Net and keyboard neckties back in fashion in the Queen City.

If you tuned into the 2019 Grammy Awards in February, you might have confused it for the Country Music Awards. Up-and-coming country star Kacey Musgraves took home some of the biggest awards of the night with "Best Country Album" and "Best Country Song," not to mention beating out Drake, Cardi B and Post Malone in the coveted all-genre category of "Album of the Year." And let's not forget the star-studded tribute to country legend Dolly Parton, featuring performances from Maren Morris, Miley Cyrus and Little Big Town.If one could say that the pioneering spirit of country music is bringing brought to the forefront of pop culture, one could also say that Caroline Keller is helping bring that Nashville sound to the Queen City.

Since opening shop in 2006, Ink Floyd has become a visual center for the Charlotte music scene, designing and printing up thousands of posters, shirts and stickers for regional musicians and venues. But it’s more than just promoting audio through visuals. As Ink Floyd owner Dave Collier puts it, it’s about encouraging brand awareness (and support) for bands.

Self-taught on the drums at the age of 6. Raised on a mix of A Tribe Called Quest, Chuck Berry, and Lauryn Hill. Taking meetings with Jay-Z's record label Roc Nation before her debut release even dropped in 2017. Just like her music, the stories of up-and-coming R&B star Cyanca are anything but ordinary.

The hills are alive with the sound of music: not just from Perry Fowler's mountain music band Sinners & Saints, but also from Fowler's locally-owned and operated venue Petra's.

The reports of jazz music's death have been greatly exaggerated, and world-traveling band leader Noel Freidline and acclaimed actress/vocalist Maria Howell are here to prove it.

How do you capture the thrill of first discovering your favorite song or the adrenaline rush of your first concert? For singer-songwriter Bruce Hazel, it means taking that bottle of rock 'n' roll nostalgia and sharing it with veteran musicians as leader of the Charlotte band Temperance League.

Editing. Mixing. Engineering. While they might not be the most glamorous part of the music industry, they're just as essential to crafting your favorite song as singing and songwriting. Audio production requires a mix of patience and passion and for more than two decades, audio engineer Chris Garges has brought that level of professionalism to each of his recording experiences, whether it's with R.E.M. producer Don Dixon or legendary entertainer Arthur "Guitar Boogie" Smith.

This has been a historic year for women in rap and hip-hop, all the way to the 2021 Grammy Awards when Megan Thee Stallion and Beyoncé broke records as the first pair of women to win in the best rap performance category. As NPR Music put it, “To know what tomorrow sounds like, one need only listen to the women in rap today.” And to know what the future of Charlotte hip-hop is, one need only turn to rhythmic lyricist ReeCee Raps.

SouthBound host Tommy Tomlinson talks to Anna Sale, host of the podcast "Death, Sex & Money." Sale has written a new book called "Let's Talk About Hard Things."

The name "the Queen City," the crowns on everything from street signs to trash cans — there are just some common things associated with Charlotte. We look into why these things represent Charlotte and answer questions about the city’s origins.

Thousands? Millions? It’s difficult to pin down how many pictures Daniel Coston has taken in his twenty year career as one of Charlotte’s go-to music photographers. His camera lens has some stories to tell: from being invited to snap pictures of greats (James Brown, Johnny Cash, The Monkees) to highlighting local legends-in-the-making (Hope Nicholls, Superchunk, The Spongetones, Carolina Chocolate Drops), and even seeing his work featured in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Rolling Stone, and The Avett Brothers’ HBO documentary. And that’s just a tiny part of Daniel Coston’s musical picture.

SouthBound host Tommy Tomlinson interviews Kenneth Hoffman, executive director of the Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience.

Grier Heights, a historic Black neighborhood in Charlotte, has changed throughout the years. The community is now starting a new chapter of giving back, while remembering its strong history.

In November, The Pew Research Center found that 42% of African Americans would take the COVID-19 vaccine — the lowest among any other racial and ethnic group. Davida Jackson of Charlotte wanted to know why.

For the past five years, singer-songwriter Jim Sharkey has taken the 200-year-old lilt of traditional Irish folk music and placed it in a 21st-century context (with contemporary references to Facebook, Whitney Houston and even the 2019 Women’s World Cup). On his 2019 full-length release "A Lovely Day," Sharkey sings to the theme of home: of finding home, of feeling at home with loved ones, of the nostalgia of remembering his home in Ireland and of making a new one here in North Carolina.

Alfred Sergel IV has three decades of experience as a professional jazz musician — not as a jazz singer or jazz pianist, but as a jazz drummer. Between performing with Grammy honorees and recording with Billboard-charting artists, Alfred (or, as his friends called him, Al) still finds time to create original music that merges new-age pop sensibilities with old-school jazz melodies.

“Democracy is not something that happens only at election time, and it’s not something that happens just with one event. It’s an ongoing, grassroots building process.”Long before the coronavirus pandemic, Charlotte musician Si Kahn understood the power of resilience. For the past 55 years, Kahn has dedicated his life's work to civil rights activism, chronicling the ebb and flow of progress through world-renowned labor anthems like "Aragon Mill" and "Go to Work on Monday." Over the course of 19 records, several books and a FolkVote initiative, Kahn has tapped into a passion for shared history and righteous humanity.