Music
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‘Fueled By Ma’ Marks Singer/Songwriter’s Expansion, Adding Energy to Heartfelt Tunes
Ma’s March 2025 single “Gaza Sunset,” opens with plaintive coils of guitar, joined by vocals that surge like wind over water. The song’s impressionist lyrics bear a message of empowerment: “It may be dark/ But there is hope/ Although it’s hard to see/ If we’re united we can cope/ And…
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Reuben Vincent’s Homecoming Show Bookends a Tale of Return and Rebirth
Reuben Vincent was ready to come home. From just a brief glance at his history, it might seem like the young lyricist has gotten quite a lot out of his career without having to go too far. The Charlotte emcee, originally discovered by renowned producer 9th Wonder on Twitter when…
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Meet Mike Jones, the Charlotte Creative Redefining Sports Design
Mike Jones is a transformative figure in the Charlotte arts scene, but he won’t tell you as much. The designer who has created Black Excellence jerseys for three professional sports teams in the Carolinas over the last three years will instead demur, telling you that as a Raleigh native, he’s…
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Dollar Signs Bids Farewell with Slate of Milestone Shows
Despite their veteran status in Charlotte, this year has still seen firsts for pop-rockers Dollar Signs. In April, the five-piece played its initial (and only) wedding. Things did not go smoothly. The band had set up, the guests were gathered for the show, Dylan Wachman plugged his bass in and…
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DJ Spider Marks 10 Years of Digital Noir at The Milestone
At around 5 or 6 p.m. on one assigned Saturday each month, Suzann Knudsen rolls up to The Milestone Club, the west side’s most iconic music venue, and begins unloading a trunk full of trinkets and toys. From the vehicle comes Knudsen’s personal controller, mixer and laptop — normal enough…
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Giveon Brings Warmth to Season-Ending Skyla Show
The conversations among folks walking out of Skyla Credit Union Amphitheatre on Saturday following Giveon’s show were focused on one thing; is that the loudest we’d ever heard Skyla? The R&B singer from Long Beach, California, performed for a sold-out crowd during the season-ending concert at the Music Factory amphitheater,…
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The Best in Charlotte: Best in the Nest 2025
Support our work by becoming a Nerve Member Winners: Download your award graphics here The Seventh Wonder We made it this far thanks to community As we prepare to send out our 7th annual Best in the Nest issue and look back on seven years in business coming up in December, this…
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Arts & Music Readers’ Pick Winners: Best in the Nest 2025
***Best in the Nest Readers’ Picks are chosen exclusively by readers through a one-month nomination process followed by a one-month voting process. The nominations were not tampered with by Queen City Nerve staff at all. In other words, if you disagree with these ones, that’s on your fellow reader, not…
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Music Critics’ Pick Winners: Best in the Nest 2025
Every year needs a good soundtrack, and the winners below helped make that happen. Back to all categories Winners: Download your award graphics here Support our work by becoming a Nerve Member BEST MUSIC FESTIVAL/EVENT: Springadelia For the second time in two years, Snug Harbor presented Springadelia, a curated, three-day multisensory experience…
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Doechii Takes the BoPlex to School in Live From the Swamp Stop
It might feel like rapper Doechii appeared out of nowhere when she won the 2024 Grammy for Best Rap Album, but her swag is a reminder that she’s more than ready for the moment. Performing at a sold-out Bojangles Coliseum on Thursday as part of her Live From the Swamp…
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Gigi Perez Brings the Beach to The Fillmore
Currently at the end of her At the Beach, In Every Life Tour, indie pop singer Gigi Perez proved to the sold-out crowd at The Fillmore on Saturday, why her star is quickly rising. Perez is one of those performers who command attention not through a choreographed stage show or…
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Heidi Sidelinker Draws on Personal Experience to Make Gravitational Music
Heidi Sidelinker was in her second year at Appalachian State University when she finally admitted that something was wrong. Though she loved living on her own away from home and had been succeeding in school, Sidelinker felt drawn to make music. So, she loaded her 12-string guitar and her 100-pound…
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Twenty One Pilots Pulls Out All the Stops at PNC
A decade out from the release of the album Blurryface, which saw Twenty One Pilots skyrocket to fame on the backs of hits like “Stressed Out” and “Ride,” the September release of new album Breach proved that there’s still plenty of demand for the duo’s brand of alt-pop. That was…
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Mo’ Betta Thursdays’ Mix of Jazz Acts Enlivens Confluence 2025
Harvey Cummings II does not claim the annual Confluence music conference and artist showcase in Charlotte was his idea, but he did have some early input on the event when it was still in its preliminary stages that proved integral as Confluence enters its fourth year. An award-winning saxophonist, pianist…
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Alex Warren Connects with Fans at Skyla Tour Stop
Local fans of Alex Warren have had plenty of chances to see the YouTuber-turned-recording artist in Charlotte this year. For those who missed the opportunity to see the singer-songwriter during his back-to-back spring performances in the Queen City — The Underground on May 3 followed by a slot at the…
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Goose Kicks Out the Jams at PNC Music Pavilion
One of the hottest jam bands in the scene hit Charlotte’s PNC Music Pavilion on Saturday night for a night of good vibes that couldn’t be dampened by the weather. Despite lingering storms in the area, the concert went off without a hitch. Goose hit the stage around 7:45 p.m.…
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