Zach Smith performing with Town Mountain at The Met in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Submitted Image/Zach Smith. Zach Smith is the stand-up bass player for the Asheville-based bluegrass band Town Mountain. He turned 25 recently and had planned on continuing his tradition of enjoying a “nice, juicy steak” with friends and family. Instead, he continued to shelter in place. His birthday celebration is not the only casualty of the coronavirus. Town Mountain’s next 22 shows have bee

Artwork for the children's music series, Adventures with Arthur. Photo/Sarah Busman. Flute teacher Sarah Busman and her husband, Dr. Joshua Busman, have partnered with the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra to produce a music series using videos to teach children about music during the pandemic. The series is called “Adventures with Arthur.” Sarah’s inspiration to produce this series was her desire to help musicians who had live performances canceled because of COVID-19. Sarah s

Last Tuesday, students gathered in Moore Hall to watch three Jazz combos perform their second concert of the semester. “It was my first Jazz concert and I enjoyed the upbeat melodies that were performed by a lot of the artists that are being discussed in our Jazz class,” said Jordan Williams, English major. The "Day Combo," directed by Derek Day, started the evening with a smooth rendition of Roy Hargrove’s “Soppin’ the Biscuit.” Ryan Godwin performed his venture as both the

On Tuesday, Jan. 30, the UNCP faculty jazz ensemble held a concert in Moore Hall. The auditorium was loosely packed. Dr. Aaron Vandermeer on trumpet, Dr. Arnold on bass, Mr. Day on guitar and Mr. Walker on drums were the faculty included in the ensemble. The audience was delighted to seven predetermined jazz songs ranging from funeral tunes to up-beat New Orleans party music. At the end, an encore not on the program was played: “Four” by Miles Davis. Photo by Willis Glassgow

Hip Hop is more than a genre; it’s a culture. Its beginnings come from African American inner-city struggles of the 1970s and 1980s, and has since evolved into a representation of black urban culture in America. Before hip-hop was a coined term, it was all about the aesthetic and the experience. Beats and turntables were one aspect, but the art of lyricism, the hip and urban street fashion, the nasty dance moves, and the all-around party vibes made a culture out of the music.

In an interview with the Breakfast Club, rapper and entrepreneur, Rick Ross explained why he hasn’t signed a female to his record label, Maybach Music Group. “You know, I never did it because I always thought that, like, I would end up f**king the female rapper [and then] f**king the business up. I’m so focused on my business. I gotta be honest with you. You know, she looking good and I’m spending so much money on the photoshoots...I gotta f**k a couple times.” The Breakfast

The singing quartet, Well-Strung, made their first southern stop at UNCP on Jan. 23 at the Givens Performing Arts Center. Edmund Bagnell, Chris Marchant, Daniel Shevlin and Trevor Wadleigh amused the audience with facts about classical music with a twist of comedy. Bagnell was first violin, Marchant was second violin, Shevlin played the cello and Trevor Wadleigh played the viola. The band prides themselves on their unique style of what they call, “POPssicals,” a term they cre

On Jan. 9, Derik Nelson and Family staged an amazing performance at UNC Pembroke in the Givens Performing Arts Center. This was the folk and pop group’s first time performing in North Carolina. Derik Nelson and Family are a sibling band consisting of Derik Nelson, the lead guitarist on “GLEE” and leader of the group, his brother Dalten, who has also starred on “GLEE,” “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” and Riana, who has starred on shows such as “Empire” and “Cinnamon Girl.”

Eight years after his passing, the King of Pop has returned--sort of. On Oct. 27, students and surrounding residents piled into GPAC to witness “Who’s Bad: A Michael Jackson Experience.” The concert, which started at 8 p.m., featured hits from the pop icon like “Jam,” “Thriller” and “Black and White.” Music played as people arrived. Young and old people were donned in some of Jackson’s famous outfits, white sparkly glove included. The crowd came to a roar as an opening video

Senior Damari Withers, better known by his stage name, DamarTheEmcee, calls his first official full length project a collection of songs rather than an album or mixtape. “Unorthodox Poetry Pieces,” or “UPP” for short, is compiled of 12 tracks and is presented by Pembroke-founded Champion Sound Recordings. A Charlotte native, Withers began his music career when he was 9-years-old with the help and inspiration from his father, who was an artist and is the founder of the Charlot