CARRBORO, N.C. – The upcoming concert of the Music Maker Foundation’s Freight Train Blues series is set for 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Friday, May 31, at Carrboro Town Commons, 301 W. Main Street.
The series is a collaboration among the Music Maker Foundation; the Town of Carrboro; WUNC 91.5 FM; and The Forests at Duke. Funding for this year’s series was also provided by Spark the Arts.
Bring your picnic, lawn chairs and blankets for a free evening of live music on the lawn. Beer and food will be available for purchase at the events.
The concert will feature Charly Lowry, a musical powerhouse from Pembroke, NC. Lowry is proud to be an Indigenous woman belonging to the Lumbee/Tuscarora Tribes and is passionate about raising awareness around issues that plague underdeveloped and under-served communities. Since her teenage years, Charly has established a career as a professional singer-songwriter with unique passion and voice. In addition to performing solo, for 10+ years Charly has been the front-woman for the multi award-winning band, “DARK WATER RISING."
Among her community, Native women are traditionally barred from the hand-drum and relegated to singing behind the men’s drum and/or dancing instead. Lowry defies that norm, following in the footsteps of her mentor, an artist and heir to the Tuscarora Indian Nation, Pura Fé; choosing to battle with her songs, hand drum, and guitar to deliver songs that not only tell the plight of her people but all humankind that face oppression. Robeson County, her home, is one of the most diverse counties in the U.S., and Charly celebrates that diversity in all aspects of her life. While she may be familiar to some from her success as a semi-finalist on AMERICAN IDOL, she has maintained close ties to her Native American roots and culture.
Also performing are gifted songwriters and multi-instrumentalists, Viv & Riley. Vivian Leva and Riley Calcagno’s first album under the name Viv & Riley is a subtle masterpiece of thought and reflection. The album brings a reflectiveness to summertime jams that speak of uninhibited joy and creative camaraderie. Coming on the heels of their acclaimed earlier albums that showed preternaturally talented songwriting from such young artists, now the songs have caught up with their lives. Now in their mid-20s, the two are building a life together, creating a supportive community, and looking back on everything they’ve been through. Based out of Durham, North Carolina, they’ve tapped into the area’s eclectic and collaborative music scene, recruiting Alex Bingham of Hiss Golden Messenger to produce the album.
About Freight Train Blues Concert Series
Celebrating its 10th year anniversary, this Carrboro event honors GRAMMY-winning folk and blues artist and North Carolina Music Hall of Famer Elizabeth “Libba” Cotten, born in Carrboro, N.C. in 1893. Cotten’s soulful voice and unique guitar style have rendered her a legend in the world of blues, leading her to receive National Heritage Fellowship in 1984 and a GRAMMY award in 1985. She lived to be 104 years old and died in 1987. Her songs, like the iconic “Freight Train,” have been reimagined by artists like The Grateful Dead and Bob Dylan. In 2022, she was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Music Maker Foundation honors Cotten’s legacy in the world of roots music by emphasizing the cultural diversity, complexity, and vitality of her music and the music of many other artists local to her community and all over the country.
