Queen City Music Podcast

This month host Matthew Ablan speaks with members of the heavy metal band The Silencing Machine. The band discuss how they got into music, their influences, how the band came together, the appeal of heavy music, their songwriting process and more! You can find The Silencing Machine on Spotify, Facebook and Instagram.

This month host Matthew Ablan speaks with the multi-talented Emanuel Wynter best known around the Charlotte area for his amazing skills on the violin. Although you may have seen Emanuel as a sideman to a variety of local Charlotte artists, he is quickly becoming known for his own music.. In this interview Emanuel opens up about his musical path on the violin, how he "broke away" from the traditional route most violinists take, playing the sideman and much more! You can find Emanuel Wynter...

This month host Matthew Ablan speaks with Eduardo Cedeno - conductor of the Lake Norman Philharmonic. The two discuss Eduardo's music background, performance fears and the challenges of conducting an orchestra.

This month host Matthew Ablan speaks with Carolina Vibes - who mix rock and reggae with jam band flair! There new release will be coming soon, so be on the look out. You can find them on Facebook and Instagram.

This month host Matthew Ablan speaks with Fred Lee from the band Late Night Special. The discuss Fred's musical background, the bands evolution, the songwriting process and what's ahead for them in 2021. You can find the band on Facebook and listen to them on Youtube.

This month host Matthew Ablan speaks with Jonny "G" from the Charlotte based blog "Reporting from 20XX" which discusses Gaming, Music and Entertainment. Don't forget to "like" them on Facebook and Instagram for they are a new local partner!

This month host Matthew Ablan speaks with Brennan, Dillon and Joe from Pluto Gang - a six piece soul jam band. The band mans the ground between traditional southern soul and the contemporary jam band scene by fusing funk rhythms, progressive rock leads and jazz influenced textures. They talk about how the band came together, their writing and recording process and how Covid-19 has impacted them. Follow them on Facebook, Instagram and Spotify. Also check our local partners Records on the...

This month as we close out 2020 host Matthew Ablan speaks with photographer Hannah Lee - who has photographed everyone from Guns 'N' Roses to Charlotte's own Michael Tracy. The two discuss how she got into photography, musicians she has photographed, what is involved with getting to shoot big name artists and how the on-set of Covid19 has affected her photography business. You can check out Hannah's work on Facebook and at the Level 1 Studio webpage.

This month host Matthew Ablan speaks with Teddy Johnson who is the managing director of Middle C Jazz - Charlotte's premiere jazz club. Teddy discusses how the club came to be, Middle C's place in the Charlotte music scene, the artists who perform there and how they have be impacted by Covid-19. Check Middle C out on Facebook.

This month host Matthew Ablan talks with independent recording artist Michael Tracy. The two discuss Michael's late start in the music industry, his songwriting process, what it takes to be an independent artist and how artists have been dealing with on-set of Covid. You can find Michael Tracy on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

This month host Matthew Ablan speaks with Pete Lents and Cliff Stankiewicz from the Genesis tribute band ABACAB. The members discuss their music backgrounds, how the band came together and the pro's and con's of being in a tribute band. Follow them on Facebook here.

This month Matthew speaks with independent recording artist Mark Kroos. The two discuss Mark's solo career, his approach to song writing, how his career developed as well as their love of Ovation Guitars!

This month QCMP host Matthew Ablan speaks with Dave Harris founder and chief mastering engineer of Studio B Mastering. The two discuss the what is entailed in the mastering process, the history of Studio B and how Covid19 has impacted the music business. You can also follow Studio B Mastering on Facebook.

This month Matthew speaks with Jason Atkins, aka GreazyKeyz! Jason is a keyboardist and freelance musician for hire for live and studio work work, but may be most well known as the organist for the Charlotte Checkers. The two discuss his work as a freelance musician, various sessions he has done and how he came to be the organist for the Charlotte Checkers!

This month host Matthew Ablan speaks with Rahsaan Lacey, bassist for The L.A. Maybe about his online series the Quarantine Music Masterclass. The two talk about how the QMM came about, who it caters to, the topics it covers and what the future holds as the quarantine is lifted.

This month Matthew heads to Albemarle, NC to speak with musician/teacher/producer Braden Hardwood. This multi-instrumentalist is also a talented teacher, songwriter and producer. His music is straight up rock with a little southern flair thrown in for good measure. You can find Braden on Facebook and Twitter.

The Corona Files is an extra episode of the Queen City Music Podcast which focuses on how the Corona Virus and subsequent quarantine/lock-down has affected local Charlotte, NC musicians. In this 1st installment of The Corona Files host Matthew Ablan speaks with Mike Graci - drummer, small business owner and regional touring musician with the tribute band Chicago Rewired. The two talk about the implications of the virus as his band was in the middle of a tour, the impact on his business Mike...

This month Matthew speaks with the power trio Irrashional which features Payton Velligan - vocals/bass/keys, Patrick Dukes - guitar/vocals, Christian Sturt - drums/vocals. The group talk about the difficulties of being a young band, what got them into classic rock, the band's song writing process and their newest EP Beyond. Check out Irrashional on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

This month Matthew speaks with rap artist Royal City LiF. The pair discuss his new recording MORE.MAJOR, the creative process, the Hip Hop scene in Charlotte and the Royal City Collective. Follow Royal City LiF on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.

This month Matthew sits down to talk with Elizabeth Kowalski the founder and Executive Artistic Director for Charlotte New Music. The CNM promotes the creation and performance of contemporary music in Charlotte and beyond. Elizabeth discusses why she formed CNM, bringing new music to every day places, workshops and their new initiates for 2020. If you are interested in Charlotte New Music follow them on Facebook and if you'd like to volunteer or offer support you can do so here.