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. Duke Arts Presents “Music NEAR the Gardens, The Pinhook Edition,” a special edition of Duke’s long running summer concert series, Music in the Gardens. This five concert series celebrating The Pinhook’s legacy in the local music scene, runs every Wednesday at 7:00 PM from May 28th to June 25th at Duke’s East Campus. Full schedule at DukeArts.org.

This week, Aaron welcomes local musician Brandon Dawson, who performs his new song “Forever Gold” in the studio.

Follow Brandon Dawson on Instagram.

Though Dawson has had an extensive career in music, he hadn’t put out any new songs since relocating to the Triangle during the pandemic – but that changed in 2025, with the release of singles “Hide and Seek” and “Forever Gold.” Dawson says he’s planning to release more singles periodically throughout the year – and he’s getting back on stage as well, with a show at the Cave on Sunday, June 8 along with Chris Chism.

Visit Brandon Dawson’s page on Bandcamp to listen to his music and purchase downloads.

97.9 The Hill WCHL and Chapelboro.com are your headquarters for local news and local voices in Chapel Hill-Carrboro. Every weekday morning, 97.9 The Hill’s Aaron Keck chats with government officials, UNC scholars, business and nonprofit leaders, area musicians, and others in our community as they share their thoughts, their experience, and their expertise on the central issues of today. Click here to listen back to all of Aaron’s conversations – and tune in to “This Morning with Aaron Keck” at 7:30 a.m. on 97.9 The Hill to hear those conversations live.

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