Welcome to Talking Culture, in this weekly interview series from 97.9 The Hill WCHL, you’ll hear from writers, performers, musicians and individuals involved in advancing and promoting cultural arts in our community. Talking Culture is proudly sponsored by Duke Arts. The 2024-25 Duke Arts Presents season features more than 40 programs from artists around the globe. Learn more at DukeArts.org.
Talking Culture: ‘You’re Like Christmas’ with Sadie Rock
This week, Aaron is joined by local musician Sadie Rock, who’s just released a new holiday single, “You’re Like Christmas.”
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Talking Culture: ‘The Christmas Chicken’ in Chapel Hill
Aaron chats with three of the artists behind “The Christmas Chicken,” a brand new holiday musical on stage December 14 at the Seymour Center.
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Talking Culture: ‘You Forget About Your Heart’ with Schooner’s Reid Johnson
Reid Johnson of the band Schooner plays a song to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the band’s debut album, “You Forget About Your Heart.”
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Talking Culture: ‘Lies’ with Azul
Aaron welcomes Azul (Azul Zapata), a local musician who’s just released a new single ahead of a pair of EPs due out in 2025.
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Talking Culture: ‘Sad Songs’ with Say Less The Band
Say Less The Band stops by to play a song off their self-titled debut EP and discuss their upcoming show this week in Raleigh.
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Talking Culture: ‘Changing Same’ with Mike Wiley and James Williams
Mike Wiley and James Williams discuss Wiley’s new one-man show, “Changing Same,” about the 1944 murder of a Black Army soldier in Durham.
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Talking Culture: ‘Myth America’ with Milbre Burch
Aaron welcomes Milbre Burch, a Grammy-nominated storyteller who’s bringing her one-woman show “Myth America” to town in November.
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Talking Culture: Celebrating Printmaking at the Ackland Art Museum
Aaron chats with Dana Cowen of the Ackland Art Museum about their dazzling new exhibition: “Dürer to Matisse: 400 Years of European Prints.”
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Talking Culture: Max Lane’s ‘Heart-Shaped Box’
This week, Aaron welcomes local musician Max Lane – whose new single is actually a cover, of Nirvana’s classic “Heart-Shaped Box.”
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Talking Culture: ‘Sheer Resilience’ with Beverly Scarlett
Former Judge Beverly Scarlett discusses her new book, “Sheer Resilience,” about free communities of color in 19th-century Orange County.
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Talking Culture: ‘White Fence’ with Paul Deblinger
This week, Aaron is joined by poet Paul Deblinger, co-author of the new book “White Fence: An Ekphrastic Collaboration Across Ten Images.”
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Talking Culture: ‘Hammer of the Scots’
Aaron welcomes Courtney Smith, who’s written an original play called “Hammer of the Scots” that’s being staged in Hillsborough.
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Talking Culture: Enjoying ‘The Field’ with Hank, Pattie and the Current
Aaron re-airs a live performance of “The Field” by Hank Smith and Pattie Hopkins Kinlaw of the local band Hank, Pattie & the Current.
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Talking Culture: ‘The Joy You Make’ with Steven Petrow
Aaron welcomes Piedmont Laureate Steven Petrow, whose new book is “The Joy You Make: Find the Silver Linings Even On Your Darkest Days.”
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Talking Culture: PBS Concert, Cat’s Cradle Show, ‘Stone’ and Songwriting with Jesse Fox
This week, Aaron welcomes local musician Jesse Fox, who had 97.9 The Hill’s #1 song of the year in 2023, and who just released his new album “Faster Dreams.” Fox discusses his songwriting process, promotes his September 13 show at Cat’s Cradle and a televised concert that’s airing on PBS at 9:30 p.m. on Thursday September 5th – and plays the song “Stone,” Aaron’s favorite off the new album.
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Talking Culture: ‘Something Necessary’ with Poet Paul Jones
Aaron chats with poet Paul Jones, whose new book is called “Something Necessary.” It’s out now, with public readings upcoming in September.
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Talking Culture: ‘Music in the Galleries’ with Allen Anderson
This week Aaron Keck chats with UNC music professor emeritus Allen Anderson, who’s written a new composition inspired by the Ackland Art Museum’s exhibition “Arranged: Recent Acquisitions of Modern and Contemporary Paintings.” The piece will premiere in the Ackland galleries on Sunday, August 25, from 2:00-4:30 p.m. as part of the museum’s free Music in the Galleries series.
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Talking Culture: Visiting ‘Goodlife, Mississippi’ with Local Author Eileen Saint Lauren
Local author Eileen Saint Lauren discusses her new book “My Neighbors: Goodlife, Mississippi,” about the residents of an otherworldly town.
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