Mark Kemp

2 weeks ago | ourstate.com | Mark Kemp

North Carolina, Noted: Tune in as Senior Editor Mark Kemp immerses readers and listeners in the roots and rhythms of North Carolina, discovering how gospel choirs and radio shows, beach music and bluegrass, mariachi and marching bands all contribute to the soundtrack of our state. Click here to read the story from our July 2025 issue. Click below to hear Mark read his column aloud. Our Storytellers podcast brings the pages of the magazine to life, featuring the voices of six Our State writers.

2 weeks ago | ourstate.com | Mark Kemp

Listen as the pages of the magazine come to life in the Storytellers podcast featuring the voices of Our State writers. Each podcast episode features a writer reading their column aloud, allowing each distinct voice to shine. Click below to listen to Senior Editor Mark Kemp read his column aloud. It was the one that got away: Guitar No. 17, the 17th instrument that Yancey County luthier Richie Crowder ever built. He’d completed it on February 17 of 2017, and on June 17, he took it to the Wayne C.

1 month ago | ourstate.com | Mark Kemp

Listen as the pages of the magazine come to life in the Storytellers podcast featuring the voices of Our State writers. Each podcast episode features a writer reading their column aloud, allowing each distinct voice to shine. Click below to listen to Senior Editor Mark Kemp read his column aloud.

1 month ago | ourstate.com | Mark Kemp

North Carolina, Noted: Tune in as Senior Editor Mark Kemp immerses readers and listeners in the roots and rhythms of North Carolina, discovering how gospel choirs and radio shows, beach music and bluegrass, mariachi and marching bands all contribute to the soundtrack of our state. Click here to read the story from our June 2025 issue. Click below to hear Mark read his column aloud. Our Storytellers podcast brings the pages of the magazine to life, featuring the voices of six Our State writers.

2 months ago | ourstate.com | Mark Kemp

You’re a guitar, banjo, or mandolin picker looking for the perfect plectrum to pluck your instrument. But you don’t want just any old piece of plastic. You want something special. Hello, Honey Picks!Made in Taylorsville by brothers Rick and Andrew Calhoun, Honey Picks come in a variety of eye-popping colors: turquoise, green, purple, golden translucent. Some have shiny surfaces; others are rough and textured. Some are almost paper thin; others are thick as a credit card.