NC Resounds: Music Experts Share Local Music Highlights Of 2017

WUNC News | By Laura Pellicer,

Published December 29, 2017 at 1:02 PM EST

North Carolina-based rapper Rapsody is up for two 2017 Grammy nominations, one for best rap song, the other for best album.

2017 was a big year for both rising stars and foundational artists with roots in the North Carolina music scene. Pop-electronic group SylvanEsso, hip-hop artistRapsody, and other North Carolina-based artists garnered Grammy nominations, and the state’s music was elevated once again to the national stage.A look back at the best of North Carolina music from 2017.

So what were the standout tracks and albums from 2017? Host Frank Stasio talks with three panelists about their picks. WUNC Morning Edition host Eric Hodge, Indy Week Music Editor Allison Hussey, and North Carolina State professor and Beats n Bars Festival organizer Kyesha Jennings share their not-to-miss music from the past year.

Laura Pellicer

Laura Pellicer is a producer with The State of Things (hyperlink), a show that explores North Carolina through conversation. Laura was born and raised in Montreal, Quebec, a city she considers arrestingly beautiful, if not a little dysfunctional. She worked as a researcher for CBC Montreal and also contributed to their programming as an investigative journalist, social media reporter, and special projects planner. Her work has been nominated for two Canadian RTDNA Awards. Laura loves looking into how cities work, pursuing stories about indigenous rights, and finding fresh voices to share with listeners. Laura is enamored with her new home in North Carolina—notably the lush forests, and the waves where she plans on moonlighting as a mediocre surfer.

See stories by Laura Pellicer

Frank Stasio

Longtime NPR correspondent Frank Stasio was named permanent host of The State of Things in June 2006. A native of Buffalo, Frank has been in radio since the age of 19. He began his public radio career at WOI in Ames, Iowa, where he was a magazine show anchor and the station's News Director.

See stories by Frank Stasio