Tracks Music Library: From Stacks to Speakers, Meet The Curators

Stemming from collaboration between the Chapel Hill Public Library,  Chapel Hill Community Arts & Culture and — of course — our vibrant local music scene, the Tracks Music Library has continued to flourish since its launch in 2020.

“The public library isn’t just a place for books, it’s a place where people from all walks of life have access to information and culture,” said Anne-Claire, a Tracks curator and artist, in a release. “I am thrilled that my music is available as part of Tracks because it means that my work could reach different ears than if I just shared it on my social media pages. Tracks is just one more way Chapel Hill Public Library serves its community – by promoting unsigned artists and amplifying the real sounds of our area.”

Tracks Music Library is a commercial-free streaming platform consisting of entirely local music. During the open call period, which is happening now, local music artists can submit their work for consideration in the collection. Then a team of community curators rate the submissions based on quality and diversity of the work for acceptance into the platform.

Community curators are local music lovers and Tracks artists that champion the platform and ultimately, the local music scene. Let’s meet those curators who help co-create Tracks Music Library:

Anne-Claire is a singer, songwriter, and teacher with decades of performance experience and training in a wide range of genres. After spending her high school and college years in music and theater, she earned her Bachelor of Music degree in Music Voice Performance from UNC-Greensboro before continuing to study with teachers Carla LeFevre, Patrick Hansen, and Meredith Monk. In 2018 Anne-Claire released her first LP I Still Look For You, and in 2021 she partnered with local label Suah Sounds to release her single Jean Jacket. Anne-Claire has collaborated with artists like Phil Cook, Libby Rodenbough, and R.E.M.’s Mike Mills. She actively writes and performs around the Triangle.

Dasan Ahanu is an award winning poet and performance artist, cultural organizer, educator, scholar and emcee based in Durham, North Carolina. He is an Alumni Nasir Jones Fellow at Harvard’s Hip Hop Archive and Research Institute, resident artist at the St. Joseph’s Historic Foundation/Hayti Heritage Center, and visiting lecturer in the music department at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. He has performed across the country, appeared on national radio and TV, published three books of poetry, and been featured in various periodicals. In addition to two albums, Dasan has released numerous recordings with a variety of artists from North Carolina and beyond. He works with organizations and institutions to develop effective arts strategies to enhance their work in the community. Dasan is currently managing a grant funded initiative as the Rothwell Mellon Program Director for Creative Futures with Carolina Performing Arts. He swings a mean pen and represents the SOUTH.

Steve Weiss is the Curator of the Southern Folklife Collection in Wilson Special Collections Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, one of the nation’s foremost archives of Southern music, where he oversees collecting, preservation, and outreach. Steve studied at the Berklee College of Music and holds a BS in Audio Technology from American University and a Master of information and Library Studies from the University of Michigan. He is the producer of a series of recordings jointly released with YepRoc Records which includes releases by Doc Watson, Dolly Parton, and Tia Blake.

Visual artist and musician Renzo Ortega began his music career in the underground music scene of his native Lima-Perú, performing with the pioneer electronic duo “Cuerpos del Deseo” (1990-1991). In 2000 he emigrated to the United States; he lived in New York for over sixteen years; later, in 2016, he relocated to Carrboro, NC. Renzo has been performing and recording music for over 25 years, playing both political and love songs in different venues, including museums and D.I.Y. art spaces in Lima, New York, Texas, Chicago, Detroit, North Carolina, Berlin, and México City. Renzo’s New York band R-Tronika (cumbia-punk-electronic) was active for over a decade. As Ancestor Piratas, he performs selected tracks of his music catalog. Renzo has been exhibiting his artwork in galleries and museums in the U.S.A. His work is part of the Reckoning and Resilience: North Carolina Art Now exhibition at the NASHER Museum of Art. He lives and works in Carrboro, NC.

Over the past decade, Tatiana Hargreaves has been on the forefront of an up-and-coming generation of old time, bluegrass and new acoustic musicians. From placing first at the Clifftop Appalachian Fiddle Contest, to her bluegrass fiddling on Laurie Lewis’ GRAMMY-nominated album The Hazel And Alice Sessions, Hargreaves shows a musical fluency that flows between old time and bluegrass worlds with ease. She has toured with musicians such as Dave Rawlings, Gillian Welch, Laurie Lewis, Darol Anger, Bruce Molsky and Jake Blount. Her current duo with banjo extraordinaire Allison de Groot has been described as a “can’t-miss pairing” by Paste Magazine and has garnered the attention of Rolling Stones Country, the IBMA awards and the Independent Music Awards. Hargreaves has been the lecturer of bluegrass fiddle at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill since 2018.

Treee City is the electronic music project of Durham-based recording artist Patrick Phelps-McKeown. Since 2002, he has been producing dance music that draws inspiration from field recordings, pop radio, vintage technology, and 90’s rave nostalgia. Deeply rooted in North Carolina’s electronic music scene, he is a founding member of Durham’s Party Illegal crew, has released on labels Raund Haus and Maison Fauna; performed at festivals like Moogfest, Hopscotch, Brickside, Jamnesia, Summa Bumma, and Sine Wave Surfers; and shared stages with artists including Sylvan Esso, Steve Aoki, Washed Out, and Daedelus. He currently organizes #BlendsWithFriends, a biweekly DJ open decks and skill share meetup at Quarter Horse Arcade in Durham, NC, and is working on his debut full-length album.

Kat Harding is the public relations and social media manager of the North Carolina Museum of Art. Prior to that, she was the communications associate for Broadcast Music, Inc. out of Nashville, TN. She holds a bachelors of marketing and masters of communication from Auburn University. She was recently named the Raleigh Public Relations Society PR Professional of the Year. She lives in Chapel Hill, NC, where she also hosts a radio show on WHUP-LP and is a freelance journalist.

Bill Smith was one of the owners of the Cat’s Cradle from the early seventies until 1984 and was the chef at Crook’s Corner from 1993 until 2018. He is also the author of two cookbooks and numerous articles in journals and magazines.

Chapelboro.com has partnered with the Chapel Hill Community Arts & Culture to bring arts-focused content to our readers. Community Arts & Culture is a division of the Town of Chapel Hill with a mission to inspire creativity and celebrate community for a better Chapel Hill.  Experience the arts and see what’s happening at chapelhillarts.org