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Celebrating 10 Years Of The Pinhook In Durham

WUNC | By Frank Stasio,
Amanda Magnus
Published November 9, 2018 at 11:47 AM EST

The Pinhook in Durham has won local awards for being the best gay bar in the Triangle, but it is not actually a gay bar. The music venue and bar is an inclusive space that prides itself on belonging to the community — and not just the LGBTQ community. Musicians Kym Register and Jesse Boutchyard share the history of the Pinhook with host Frank Stasio and play live music in the studio.

The Pinhook has been part of the downtown Durham landscape for 10 years, and the venue is celebrating with a week’s worth of donation-based shows that include free giveaways.

Owner Kym Register and longtime employee Jesse Boutchyard share the history of the Pinhook with host Frank Stasio. They also perform live music in studio. Register is working on a solo album, and Boutchyard is the singer and rhythm guitar player for Severed Fingers.

Register is performing at the Pinhook in Durham on Sunday, Nov. 18 and Boutchyard is performing with Severed Fingers there on Saturday, Nov. 17.

Jesse Boutchyard, right, with other members of Severed Fingers.
Courtesy of Jesse Boutchyard /
Jesse Boutchyard, right, with other members of Severed Fingers.
Kym Register
Courtesy of Kym Register /
Kym Register
The logo for Severed Fingers.
Courtesy of Jesse Boutchyard /
The logo for Severed Fingers.
Kym Register behind the bar at The Pinhook.
Courtesy of Kym Register /
Kym Register behind the bar at The Pinhook.

Copyright 2018 North Carolina Public Radio
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
Amanda Magnus
Amanda Magnus grew up in Maryland and went to high school in Baltimore. She became interested in radio after an elective course in the NYU journalism department. She got her start at Sirius XM Satellite Radio, but she knew public radio was for her when she interned at WNYC. She later moved to Madison, where she worked at Wisconsin Public Radio for six years. In her time there, she helped create an afternoon drive news magazine show, called Central Time. She also produced several series, including one on Native American life in Wisconsin. She spends her free time running, hiking, and roller skating. She also loves scary movies.
See stories by Amanda Magnus