Culture Watch

“Black Sedan” Vies For CMT Prize

Country Music Television recently accepted a video by local bluegrass band Buncombe Turnpike for its “Music City Madness” contest. Buncombe Turnpike’s video for their song “Black Sedan” was selected out of 600 entries and will compete with 64 finalists. Should they win the multi-round elimination contest, the band will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to CMT’s Nashville studio to record an episode of Studio 330 Sessions, an online performance series. And, even if they don’t take home the big prize, at least they can feel proud to have kept an all-local feel to their video: “Black Sedan” was created by Mars Hill-based production company Legacy Films. For more information, visit buncombeturnpike.com, and to cast your vote, visit madness.cmt.com.

The Return Of Wilson The Rocker

In 2003, a novelty demo called Brief Songs for Important Occasions was released by an artist billing himself as Wilson the Rocker. Brief Songs wasn’t a musical masterpiece, but it was quite clever, compiling five well-crafted ditties into a span of five minutes. The songs were catchy—like commercial jingles, hard not to like. A number of people, myself included, were hoping that Wilson would soon release a full-length of the same quality. Now, four years on, that long-awaited album may be on the verge of release. Wilson the Rocker recently announced the upcoming debut of Teenage Messiah, available in April. A few tracks have been posted on his MySpace page, and a casual listen reveals that he hasn’t forgotten how to craft a memorable pop tune. Expect live performances by Wilson and his band to begin in March. For more information, visit myspace.com/wilsontherocker.

Place Your Bets On Benson

Speaking of soon-to-be-released albums, local acoustic rockers Betting For Benson are ready to drop a new, yet-to-be-named EP. The college-aged quintet recorded part of the album over their Christmas break as a follow up to their 2006 debut Forever Tomorrow. The band expects the EP to be finalized in the next few weeks; tracks should be available for download at bettingforbenson.com.

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