Music, Moves, & Melodies: A Night of Local Music

Note from LAMARKS: Our poets and artists are based all over the United States, Canada, the UK, and France, and we love exploring the local arts scenes whether we are in our home towns, traveling for a gig, or on vacation. Our blog intern Shakilya is based in Raleigh, North Carolina, and keeps her ear to the ground for what’s hot in town.

“Music, at its essence, is what gives us memories. And the longer a song has existed in our lives, the more memories we have of it.”

Stevie Wonder

As music continues to develop and adapt to an ever-changing crowd, it’s nice to get back to the roots of music through experiencing it live.

Watching an artist’s music come alive on stage from a recording can be a breath-taking experience. That atmosphere, created from the intimacy and relationship between the artist and the crowd, is why I fell in love with watching live performances in the first place. For me, it started with live house shows in college which turned into festivals, arenas, and bars as I got older.

The recent rise of unique and individual talent in Raleigh’s music scene has driven a demand for more spaces for local artists to perform. Thankfully, venues have begun providing local artists the opportunity to get their music out there to new and (potentially) bigger audiences.

Last Tuesday, I visited Tin Roof Raleigh a live music bar based out of Nashville, TN. This place has only been open for about month now but it has already gathered a massive fan base. This is mostly due to the kind of artists who perform at the venue. Tin Roof is unique, especially Raleigh’s because their musically diverse lineup gives people the option to listen to more than just the typical country/top 40 and alternative artists. While usually more well-known artists grace Tin Roof’s stage throughout the week, Tuesdays are when local talent gets their time to shine. The Rundown, as this weekly event is called, gives local and regional talent a chance to reach larger audiences and hopefully build up their fan base in the process.

The lineup was:

Marye Amanda

Sadie Rock and the Mad Ryans

People of Earth

The night started on a softer note with Marye Amanda as the opening act. Her music style is mostly acoustic with influences of pop, country/folk, and alternative. If you combined “Teardrops On My Guitar”-era Taylor Swift with Mumford & Sons, you’d have Marye Amanda’s sound.

Unfortunately, I have no pictures from her performance, but she was incredible. The low lights, her acoustic set, and the smaller crowd helped play into creating a personal connection between the crowd and Marye.

My absolute favorite performers of the night were Sadie Rock and the Mad Ryans.

Keeping with the feminine energy of the night, this band was led by female lead singer/guitarist Sadie. As the second act of the night, they did not disappoint. This band picked up the tempo of the night with their edgy alternative/pop-punk sound (very similar to artist Courtney Barnett). Their style of performing took me back to the punk house shows I used to frequent back in college. I couldn’t help but thrash my head and move my body to their music. The three words I would use to describe them would be dynamic, raw, and authentic.

The last group of the night was People of Earth. They were phenomenal and I see why they were the closing act.

Like Sadie Rock and the Mad Ryans, they also had an edgy alternative sound. What separates the two groups is that People of Earth have psychedelic and blues inspiration in their style of music. I enjoyed the fact that they were barely any lyrics to their songs because it gave me a chance to appreciate the music and how skilled each member of the group was. It honestly felt like I was listening to one of Tin Roof’s main stage lineups because they were that exceptional.

By the end of the night, I could say I’d found some new artists to add to my ever-evolving music collection.

It’s live music bars like Tin Roof that I enjoy frequenting because of their contribution to building up the music scene (and as a result the local art scene) in their cities. They give local talent a space to perform and potentially expand their fan base. Our support, as music enthusiasts, is what helps grow a city’s local art scenes. It’s these little things that contribute to a city’s identity and overall culture. Our poets who travel across the country very often get to experience this when they explore the art scenes in the city they’re visiting. Just seeing my city’s culture change due to the rise of the live music scene has been a beautiful thing to watch.

Whether it’s your own local bar, or even if you’re in a different city, support local talent when they’re playing.

Who knows? You might discover your favorite new artist.

Also, each of the artists mentioned in this article can be found on Facebook if you want to check them out!