World Music Guide to Raleigh

This report was written by Angel Romero.

Raleigh is the second largest city in North Carolina and is located in Wake County, the fastest growing county in the state. Sprawl is what characterizes the area, with numerous small towns that have grown into large suburbs: Cary, Apex, Garner, Wake Forest, Knightdale, Holly Springs and a few others.

City officials in Raleigh are trying to revive downtown with a new convention center and other measures. One of the grungiest areas of the city is the one near NCSU. However, Raleigh lacks the cultural vitality and personality of its neighbors, Durham and Chapel Hill.

Record stores

For used CDs, LPs and books, Nice Price Books is a great place. They carry world, reggae and other genres. It has a store at 3106 Hillsborough Street in Raleigh, Phone: (919) 829-0230.

For South Asian (Indian and Pakistani) music, there are two stores in nearby Cary. One is Palika Bazaar, in Chatham Square (Cary). Address: 746 E Chatham St. (near the intersection of Maynard Road), Cary, NC 27511. Phone: (919) 463-0338. There is also Indian Music World located at 1423 S.E. Maynard Road (next to Patel Brothers), Cary, NC 27511. Phone: (919)-388-5789

Live music

• Friends of World Music, Pine Cone and the Triangle Folk Music Society sponsor or co-sponsor world music and traditional American music concerts at various venues, ranging from the North Carolina Museums of Art and History in Raleigh to several of the local universities and the Skylight Exchange book store in Chapel Hill.
• The North Carolina Museum of Art has an amphitheater that presents world music and Celtic concerts several times during the year.
• Abyssinia Restaurant, in Raleigh, has an an African-Caribbean flavor. They present world music concerts occasionally. It is located in the Mission Valley Shopping Center. Address: 2109-150 Avent Ferry Road, Raleigh, North Carolina. Phone: + 1919-664-8151.
• Exploris, in Raleigh, is an interactive museum that includes world music programming.

Festivals

La Fiesta del Pueblo, held in September in Raleigh, at the State Fair grounds, is the largest Hispanic music festival in the state of North Carolina. It features a wide variety of Latin styles, from Mexican grupero to salsa, Puerto Rican rap and sometimes flamenco.

Radio

• WNCU 90.7 FM, in Durham, is primarily a jazz station. It has a blues show on Mondays. On weekends you can listen to Gospel, reggae and Latin music.
• WSHA 88.9 FM, In Raleigh, plays jazz, blues, African music, Gospel, reggae, R&B and Latin music.
• WUNC 91.5 FM public radio station in Chapel Hill can be heard in nearly half of the state. It broadcasts the syndicated Celtic music show The Thistle and Shamrock and has a locally  produced show called Back Porch Music during Friday evenings and weekends. It used to include world music, but later it removed it and now it only plays American and English folk, bluegrass, Celtic music and Nordic (European) music.

Mailing list

There is an e-mail list available for people in the Triangle and nearby areas that are interested in upcoming world and Latin music shows. To Subscribe send an email to skorch@skorch.com with the following information:

• subject "subscribe"
• your name and email address
• how you heard of the World Music Email List (in this case: World Music Central)
• to which list you wish to subscribe (any world music, or Latin American only, or Celtic/English Only).

Publications

Independent Weekly is the local alternative newspaper and entertainment guide. It merged with the Spectator, which was the rival publication.

Dance

Tangophilia provides Argentine tango classes in Raleigh and Durham. Phone: (919) 423-7681.

Museums

Exploris, in Downtown Raleigh, is an exciting museum full of interactive exhibits about cultures around the world. Address: 201 E. Hargett St., Raleigh, NC 27601, USA. Phone: (919) 834-4040, ext.1008; Fax: (919) 834-3516.

Record labels

Old Hat Records reissues recordings of southern roots music from the early 20th century.

Housing

There are a lot of options if you like suburbia. Old Raleigh has charming places, but they are highly coveted and expensive. If you prefer affordable bohemian neighborhoods and a more progressive environment try Durham, Chapel Hill or Carrboro.

Last Updated 02/17/2007 08:41PM; 6,014 Hits