Behind the Music

Carolina Pine Music Series spotlights local bands
Lori Wilson, ,

While celebrating the local assortment of creative delights, a new multimedia project blends film, music, and business to grow fans.

Carolina Pine Music Series (CPMS) showcases Wilmington artists online. Owner and director Anna Mann, who studies film at Cape Fear Community College, advanced the idea after a casual conversation with longtime friend Will Daube, the series producer.

“Will was really trying to take off with his music,” Mann says, “and I wanted to learn how to make music videos.”

So the project began, carefully designed with local endeavors in mind. Defined neither as a business nor nonprofit organization, CPMS is so unique, it’s almost difficult to describe. Each month, volunteers film two videos – three songs, then a live interview – of each band at different   independent business location (when available).

CPMS’ first off-site recording profiled local group The Highlands playing tunes while surrounded by surfboards in Wrightsville Beach’s South End Surf Shop. Other featured bands include Coy, D&D Sluggers, Stray Local, The Able, Chasing Opal, and Bootleg Dynasty in businesses such as Memory Lane Comics, Lady Pilot Letterpress, and the Art Factory.

“Our idea was that if each band has twenty fans, and we get enough bands, all of those bands will be in one space on the Internet. Then they might have forty fans.” Mann says. “It’s all about free promotion for local artists in general – they might have a really awesome sound, but no one knows about them.”

CPMS organizers seek out bands by attending area shows, or interested musicians can request an application. They’ve expanded their monthly agenda, now filming one live song by a solo artist, dubbed the Carolina Pine Solo Series. In this platform, they hope to add readings by local poets.

Since the project’s conception in January, volunteer interest has grown. Now, twelve film and music enthusiasts donate both time and equipment.

The group is a young one.

All of the current volunteers are under the age of twenty-five, and like Mann, many are students. Through the project series, students gain hands-on entertainment experience such as how to set up lighting or troubleshoot sound issues.

“It’s not hard to find people who are excited about it,” Mann says. “I think a big part of it is learning without having to pay. Everyone is credited. Whoever works on it gets a credit in the video – crew, talent, and the business.”

The collective involvement drives Mann and the CPMS ambition. In the future, they’d like to broaden the project by planning concert jam sessions.

“Musicians can come together,” she says. “That way, it’s not all on the Internet – people actually making connections.”

The Carolina Pine Music Series interviews and performances can be found on its YouTube channel. Group info also is online at facebook.com/CarolinaPineMusicSeries.

 

To view more of photographer Kristen Corley's work, go to www.kristencorley.com