Getting to know the Bele Chere bands

Posted on by Alli Marshall

• Beta Radio makes the trek from Wilmington. The acoustic folk duo (Ben Mabry and Brent Holloman on vocals, guitar, glockenspiel, harmonium, banjo and piano) claims inspiration from Iron & Wine, Sufjan Stevens, Avett Brothers, Nick Drake, Bon Iver and Fleet Foxes. Their new album is Seven Sisters.

• Also from Wilmington: Onward Soldiers. The folk rock quartet describes their sound as “a pestal and mortar blend of Laurel Canyon song craft, Athens Ga. pop, and North Carolina heart and soul; a true American sound.” Their debut album is Ghosts In This Town.

• How to describe Nashville-based The Protomen? A mind-boggling mix of rock opera, Sci-Fi, glam, theatrics and costumes. Members go by stage names like The Nightwalker, Turbo Lover, Reanimator and The Gunslinger. Their music is inspired by the Mega Man video game series. In a 2009 interview, Panther said, “We noticed a void in rock and roll. A hole that could only really be filled with grown men and women painting up like robots and playing some fierce and furious rock music based on a 1980s video game. …You can thank us later.”

 

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About Alli Marshall
Alli Marshall has lived in Asheville for more than 20 years and loves live music, visual art, fiction and friendly dogs. She is the winner of the 2016 Thomas Wolfe Fiction Prize and the author of the novel "How to Talk to Rockstars," published by Logosophia Books. Follow me @alli_marshall
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