This month on episode 101 of the QCMP I'm sitting down with the amazing Carrie Ann. She's carved out a wonderful niche for herself as a solo cover performer, but is also a member of The Black Crowes tribute band - Hard 2 Handle and One Bar Short - which performs jump blues and good time rock 'n' roll of the 50's. She's filling us in on how she developed her unique solo show, what it's like playing in a tribute band and so much more.

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Carrie Ann

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Spotify

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Hard 2 Handle, The Black Crowes Experience

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Matthew Ablan

website

Instagram

Facebook

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Sponsors

Midwood Guitar Studio

Goldie's - Live Music & Food

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Local Partners

Charlotte New Music

Blacker the Berry Lemonade

The Evening Muse

Earshot Events

Well, here we are 100 episodes deep into the QCMP. I'm proud to have been spotlighting our local Charlotte music scene since 2017 by speaking with musicians, artisans, business owners and others who make up our music community. This month I'm speaking with Tina "The 1 Civilian" CEO of Tap In - Music & Entertainment LLC. Tap In is known for hosting local music showcases, open mics, and networking events for underground and independent artists across the Carolinas. However, they are also involved in artist management, event curation and so much more. But, I'll let The 1 Civilian tell you all about it.

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Tap In - Music and Entertainment, LLC

Website

YouTube

Instagram

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Matthew Ablan

website

Instagram

Facebook

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Sponsors

Midwood Guitar Studio

Goldie's - Live Music & Food

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Local Partners

Charlotte New Music

Blacker the Berry Lemonade

The Evening Muse

Earshot Events

If you've been listening to the QCMP over the years you know I like to speak with people from across the musical spectrum. This month is no different as my guest is Stan Cocheo, host of the internet radio show Musical Conversations. Stan has spoken to a wide range of artists from local Charlotte musicians like our friend Peyton Velligan to international stars like Ian Anderson from Jethro Tull. So this month I'm putting Stan in the hot seat and finding out how he became an interviewer.

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Stan Cocheo

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Facebook

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Matthew Ablan

website

Instagram

Facebook

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Sponsors

Midwood Guitar Studio

Goldie's - Live Music & Food

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Local Partners

Charlotte New Music

Blacker the Berry Lemonade

The Evening Muse

This month on episode 98 of the QCMP I'm talking with guitarist Mike Prescott. You may know Mike best for his amazing guitar playing with The Hawthornes - a genre bending group whose music is hard to classify. Mike's unique sound and broad range of influences make him one of Charlotte's shining voices on six strings.

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Mike Prescott

Website

The Hawthornes

Typsy Gypsy

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Matthew Ablan

website

Instagram

Facebook

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Sponsors

Midwood Guitar Studio

Goldie's - Live Music & Food

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Local Partners

Charlotte New Music

Blacker the Berry Lemonade

The Evening Muse

This month on episode 97 of the Queen City Music Podcast I'm sitting down with singer, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Payton Rose Velligan for what is the longest episode of the QCMP to date. You may recall Payton was on the podcast back in 2020 with her band mates in Irrashional - which was episode 31 to be exact. However, in the last 6 years Payton has been doing so much that I wanted to make sure we had time to talk about everything she has been up to. One of the highlights includes recently completing an epic tour as one of the newest members of the "Weird Al" Yankovic's band on the 2025 "Bigger & Weirder" tour and getting to play Madison Square Garden!

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Payton Rose Velligan

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Instagram

Facebook

Landslide - A Tribute to Fleetwood Mac

The Camera Eye - A Tribute to Rush

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Matthew Ablan

website

Instagram

Facebook

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Sponsors

Midwood Guitar Studio

Goldie's - Live Music & Food

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Local Partners

Charlotte New Music

Blacker the Berry Lemonade

The Evening Muse

This month on episode 96 of the Queen City Music Podcast. This month I'm speaking with guitarist Edward Crowther who is quickly making a name for himself on the Charlotte scene. He's a musician unafraid of wearing his influences like a badge of honor and his music reflects the true spirit of rock 'n' roll. Edward was kind enough to sit and talk about his journey as a young musician navigating the current landscape of the music business.

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Edward Crowther

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Instagram

Facebook

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Matthew Ablan

website

Instagram

Facebook

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Sponsors

Midwood Guitar Studio

Goldie's - Live Music & Food

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Local Partners

Charlotte New Music

Blacker the Berry Lemonade

The Evening Muse

2026 is off to a great start and on this episode 95 of the QCMP I'm pleased to be speaking with my friend singer/songwriter Kristi Ormand. Kristi has released several new singles recently and fronts the cover group StellaRising. I sat down with her discuss her musical history, the release of new music and who this Stella person actually is...

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Donate to the QCMP

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Kristi Ormand

Website

Instagram

Facebook

StellaRising Band

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Matthew Ablan

website

Instagram

Facebook

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Sponsors

Midwood Guitar Studio

Goldie's - Live Music & Food

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Local Partners

Charlotte New Music

Blacker the Berry Lemonade

The Evening Muse

To kick off 2026 and this episode 94 of the QCMP I'm speaking with members of Charlotte's most notable cover group - Coconut Groove Band. The group formed in the late 90's and have developed a broad repertoire of songs which spans decades as well as genres. The band's deep catalog, along with their dedication to musical excellence has earned the Coconut Groove Band an impeccable reputation in the Charlotte area as well as being a top choice for entertainment for corporate events, weddings, festivals, and venues throughout the region.

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Donate to the QCMP

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Coconut Groove Band

Website

Instagram

Facebook

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Matthew Ablan

website

Instagram

Facebook

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Sponsor

Midwood Guitar Studio

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Local Partners

Records on the Wall

Charlotte New Music

Blacker the Berry Lemonade

The Evening Muse

This month on episode 93 of the QCMP I'm speaking with local music legends The Spongetones! The group formed in 1979 from a desire to play the music of the Beatles and other artists of the 1960s they admired. Their music can best be described as "Power Pop" highlighted by jangly guitars and Beatlesque vocals. Although their lineup has slightly changed over the years - the current lineup of Jamie Hoover, Steve Stoeckel, Pat Walters and Eric Wilhelm are in the studio to talk about The Spongetones past, present and future.

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Donate to the QCMP

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The Spongetones

The Spongetones - Big Stir Records

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Steve Stoeckel - Big Stir Records

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Matthew Ablan

website

Instagram

Facebook

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Sponsor

Midwood Guitar Studio

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Local Partners

Records on the Wall

Charlotte New Music

Blacker the Berry Lemonade

The Evening Muse

This month on episode 92 of the QCMP I'm speaking with Rick Thurmond from Confluence. If you are not familiar with Confluence, it is the must-attend annual gathering for music professionals, artists, and industry leaders across the Carolinas and the Southeast. Confluence was held here in Charlotte in October from the 8th - 11th. There were guest speakers and panel discussions during the day and evening performances throughout the city at some of our most popular venues like The Evening Muse.

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Donate to the QCMP

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Confluence

website

Instagram

Facebook

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Music Everywhere CLT

website

Instagram

Facebook

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Matthew Ablan

website

Instagram

Facebook

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Sponsor

Midwood Guitar Studio

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Local Partners

Records on the Wall

Charlotte New Music

Blacker the Berry Lemonade

The Evening Muse