Live local music begins at University Place this week, as the town of Chapel Hill hosts the Tracks Music Series!

Every Thursday for the rest of September, the Tracks Music Series will feature some of the local bands and musicians spotlighted in the town’s Tracks Music Library. Launched last year, the Tracks Music Library is a free streaming service with music from more than 100 Triangle-area artists.

The Tracks Music Series is being organized by Chapel Hill Community Arts & Culture – following a recent public survey that found residents wanting “more opportunities to hear live, local music,” according to Arts & Culture director Susan Brown.

This Thursday, September 9, the series kicks off with an evening of folk and bluegrass music, featuring Hard Drive and Honey Magpie!

Hard Drive is a hard-driving aural modern traditional old time authentic millennial bluegrass collective made up of Tatiana Hargreaves, Aaron Tacke, Sonya Badigian, and Nokosee Fields. Tatiana and Sonya first met via a blind roommate setup in Durham; after adding Nokosee and Aaron, they recorded their first album, “Random Access Mash,” in Louisiana in 2018. From brother duets to raging fiddle tunes, Hard Drive brings a sense of deep intuition and silliness to the world that encompasses old-time, country, and bluegrass.

Preview Hard Drive’s performance by listening to their album on The Tracks Music Library, “Random Access Mash.”

Honey Magpie is the collaboration of singer/songwriters Rachael Hurwitz, Pippa Hoover and Mandy Mears, with a sound that features vocal harmonies, classical inspired instrumentals, and nature-inspired lyrics. First formed in 2014, Honey Magpie won the band contest the very next year at the Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival. Their self-titled debut album came out in 2017. Last year, they released their second album “Midnight Morning,” which 97.9 The Hill’s Aaron Keck described as “the year’s best local album” – as well as a non-album single, “Undecided,” which made Aaron’s list of the top 100 local songs ever recorded.

Preview Honey Magpie’s performance by listening to their album on The Tracks Music Library, “Midnight Morning.”

Listen to Honey Magpie’s most recent live appearance on 97.9 The Hill’s “Live & Local.”

Thursday’s concert will take place from 6-8 pm on the southeast corner of the University Place parking lot, near the former Southern Season. Attendees should bring their own chairs. Beer, wine, and ice cream will be available for sale; everyone’s encouraged to pack a picnic or order takeout from a nearby restaurant. Masks are strongly encouraged.

And mark your calendars for the next three installments of the Tracks Music Series:

  • Thursday, September 16 – rock music with Heat Preacher and Jack the Radio
  • Thursday, September 23 – hip-hop with Rowdy and KAZE4LETTERS
  • Thursday, September 30 – jazz with Katharine Whalen’s Jazz Squad and Dreamroot