David Menconi

Raleigh

Contributor at Visit Raleigh

Writer at Freelance

"Legacy Verified." 2019 Piedmont Laureate, formerly at @newsobserver. Author, editor, DJ, podcast host.

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Articles

Remembering Karen Weatherman, Local Hardcore Scene Matriarch

1 month ago | indyweek.com | David Menconi

Anyone who knew Karen Weatherman, local hardcore-scene matriarch and co-proprietor of Weatherman Jewelers, will appreciate the bitter irony of her cause of death: apathetic dementia. She had a sparkle and laughed a lot, in a way youâd find flattering if it were for something you said. And whether saving aluminum cans for a down-on-their-luck friend or chaperoning kids at punk shows, she always looked for ways to help others.
“Every Bar Owner in Town Stands on Kenny’s Shoulders”: Brewery Owner Kenny Hobby Dies at 72

2 months ago | indyweek.com | David Menconi

Whether or not they’ll tell it in the interests of protecting the guilty, every Raleigh club-goer of a certain age has a Kenny Hobby story. Here’s mine, from way back in 1991, when a rumor went around that R.E.M. was playing “secret” shows under a pseudonym. Raleigh’s Brewery nightclub was supposedly on the itinerary. The night it was supposed to happen, a capacity crowd showed up and a bad scene broke out when R.E.M. did not turn up.
'The Time Is Always Now' celebrates the Black figure from the perspective of Black artists at the North Carolina Museum of Art

Mar 6, 2025 | visitraleigh.com | David Menconi

Thursday, March 06, 2025, 9am by David Menconi Note: Authored by David Menconi, this piece has been produced in partnership with Raleigh Arts.
Dead in December: 9 Bluegrass Covers of Grateful Dead Classics

Dec 17, 2024 | thebluegrasssituation.com | David Menconi |Justin Hiltner

Itâs certainly true that the Grateful Dead were never a bluegrass band, starting with the fact that their lineup had not just one drummer, but two. And yet it also canât be denied that the groupâs musical DNA has a wide streak of bluegrass deep within, both in terms of licks and improvisational flair.
Raleigh Little Theatre's 'Cinderella' Remains a Holiday Favorite 40 Years On

Nov 27, 2024 | visitraleigh.com | David Menconi

Note: Authored by David Menconi, this piece has been produced in partnership with Raleigh Arts. Menconi's latest book, "Oh, Didn't They Ramble: Rounder Records and the Transformation of American Roots Music," was published in the fall of 2023 by University of North Carolina Press. His podcast, Carolina Calling, explores the history of the Tar Heel State through music.
Triangle Musicians Remember Reese McHenry as a Beloved Force Of Nature

Nov 18, 2024 | indyweek.com | David Menconi

One of this area‚Äôs all-time greatest singing voices went silent on November 14. Reese McHenry died that morning, felled by metastatic sarcoma after years of suffering through multiple health struggles. She was just 51 years old. Officially, McHenry was survived by her mother, a brother, and her husband of 18 years, Justin. But her family was much, much broader than that. In a way, you could list the entire local music community as survivors.
For the First Time, Willie Watson Uses Original Songs to Tell His Own Stories

Sep 18, 2024 | thebluegrasssituation.com | David Menconi |Justin Hiltner

Willie Watson has been a solo act for well over a decade, since leaving Old Crow Medicine Show way back in 2011. And while he’s put out records since then, in many ways his self-titled third release marks a new beginning. A lot of that comes from the fact that it’s Watson’s first solo work with original material, following two volumes of Folk Singer albums drawing from The Great American Folk Song book.
The Plan for Public Art to Shape Dorothea Dix Park in Raleigh, N.C.

Jul 19, 2024 | visitraleigh.com | David Menconi

Friday, July 19, 2024, 9am by David Menconi Note: Authored by David Menconi, this piece has been produced in partnership with Raleigh Arts.
Artist of the Month: Our Tony Trischka Discography Deep Dive

Jul 16, 2024 | thebluegrasssituation.com | David Menconi |Justin Hiltner

Banjo master Tony Trischka is a bluegrass and roots music renaissance man whose career goes back nearly 60 years, to his early days with his first group, the Down City Ramblers. He’s been making recordings for almost as long, appearing on-record for the first time on Country Cooking’s 1971 debut for the fabled Rounder Records label. Given the width and breadth of Trischka’s career and sprawling discography, summarizing the man’s recorded legacy is not just a tall order, but a mountainous one.
Revealed: The Lineup for the 14th Annual Hopscotch Music Festival in Raleigh, N.C.

May 30, 2024 | visitraleigh.com | Ty Segall |David Menconi

Thursday, May 30, 2024, 12pm by David Menconi Note: Authored by David Menconi, this piece has been produced in partnership with Raleigh Arts.