The Rant

Friends of The Rant | Katie Basden and Newspaper Taxis

Carolina Indie Fest returns to Hugger Mugger Brewing in downtown Sanford on May 10 and 11, and the Friends of the Rant podcast is back to interview the performers. This week, we talk with Nashville-based Durham native Katie Basden, who melds a diverse array of influences into a soulful take on southern Americana, and Raleigh’s Newspaper Taxis, a rock act who bring to mind a mix of British Invasion hooks, post punk energy, and power pop vibes.

Friends of The Rant | Kara Grainger and Farewell Friend

The final entry in the fall 2023 Carolina Indie Fest/Friends of the Rant podcast series features Australia-born and Nashville-based blues rocker Kara Grainger and Farewell Friend, a Greensboro-based Farewell Friend, an indie–folk-rock band “known for their unique instrumentation and poetic songwriting.”
Farewell Friend takes the Carolina Indie Fest stage behind Hugger Mugger Brewing in downtown Sanford at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 30. Grainger follows Farewell Friend at 6:45 p.m.

Friends of The Rant | Gooseberry Jam and Jeremiah McKinley

The Friends of the Rant podcast is joined this week by two Carolina Indie Fest acts, Gooseberry Jam and Jeremiah McKinley, both hailing from the Triad area.
Gooseberry Jam, who bring “a Southern fried taste of soul, set to a backdrop of raw rock and roll,” play at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 29. Jeremiah McKinley, “a band of two brothers telling stories through a mix of folk and newer rock and roll” kick the festival off at 5 p.m. on Friday.

Friends of The Rant | Heat Preacher and Shirlette Ammons

This week, Friends of the Rant is joined by Chapel Hill band Heat Preacher, who combine alternative rock, soul, and indie sounds to create their own brand of modern pop rock music, as well as Durham's Shirlette Ammons, a poet and storyteller who uses a wide variety of genres as tools for her work.
Heat Preacher plays Carolina Indie Fest on Friday, Sept. 29 at 6:15, and Ammons takes the stage Saturday, Sept. 30 at 4:15 p.m."

Friends of The Rant | Oort Patrol

What happens when a Friend of The Rant is an actual member of The Rant? Possibly nothing. Possibly an implosion of the space-time continuum. 
The Rant’s Gordon Anderson sits on the other side of the mic as he talks to Patty Kempton about his band Oort Patrol, their music and their upcoming appearance at Carolina Indie Fest at Hugger Mugger Brewing on Sept. 30.

Friends of The Rant | Skyler Gudasz | Indie Fest ‘23

Durham based singer/songwriter Skylar Gudasz has been called "the Joni Mitchell the south never had." She's headlining day two of Carolina Indie Fest on Sept. 30, and joined the Friends of the Rant podcast recently to talk about her work.
 

Friends of The Rant | Indie Fest 2023 - Reese McHenry, Cliff Wheeler Band

Ahead of the annual Carolina Indie Fest at Hugger Mugger Brewing (Sept. 29-30), The Rant’s Gordon Anderson interviews artists Reese McHenry, a garage rocker with a monster of a voice from the Triangle, and Lee County's own Cliff and Garret Wheeler of the Cliff Wheeler band.

Friends of The Rant | Indie Fest bands Hustle Souls, Regence and Rhinestone Pickup Truck

Three bands from the upcoming Carolina Indie Fest — Hustle Souls, Regence and Rhinestone Pickup Truck — take the time to talk to us and become official "Friends of The Rant."