Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Devilish North Carolina




We're on the cusp of Halloween, so this post (found via The Atlantic Cities) seemed appropriate: A Hellish Tour of America. The so-called United States Devil Map is referenced, which notes those places with names like "Hell's Kitchen" or "Devil's Swamp" or or "Hades Canyon" or "Lucifer Falls." You get the drift.

Our fair state has its fair share of ominous-sounding names -- even if the places themselves are anything but. Off the top of my head I can think of a couple that made the Devil Map:


I had not heard of Hell Gate Creek or Hell Swamp -- but I'm sure a glimpse into the North Carolina Gazetteer would pull up all sorts of devilish places.

One place that is blatantly missing from the Devil Map? Why, the Devil's Tramping Ground, of course.  I also imagine Nancy Roberts could find some others.

Any others that didn't make the map?

Thursday, October 17, 2013

Let's get Link into the Rock Hall of Fame




Honestly, it's probably a long-shot -- particularly with artists such as Nirvana, Deep Purple, Yes, KISS and Hall & Oates on the ballot -- but Dunn native Link Wray is a finalist for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year. This is Wray's first year on the ballot.

Many credit Wray as the father of the power chord. His guitar-heavy song, "Rumble," is considered one of the best guitar songs of all time. (For what it's worth, back 2007, Wray's contemporaries, The Ventures, were inducted.)

Of course, you can help sway the inductees by voting here.

[F]or the second consecutive year, the public gets to vote alongside the artists, historians and music industry insiders of the Rock Hall voting body. From now until December 10th, fans can vote on RollingStone.com for the nominees they'd like to see inducted. The top five acts will comprise a "fan's ballot" that will count as one of the more than 600 ballots that determine the Class of 2014.


Let's get Link in the Rock HOF! I am admittedly biased, being a Dunn native myself. But, for whatever reason, that city has cranked out some creative folks, including the late Dave Matthews Band saxophonist LeRoi Moore.