music

Chosen By The Bells

Rollercoaster October 20 October 22

Charlie St. Cyr – Paul is the man behind the Cast In Bronze Carillon. Some of you may remember the Carillon from the 2019 N.C. State Fair, however it takes on a new look, feel and management under Charlie. In previous years, the bells were played by Cast in Bronze creator, Frank DellaPenna. However, Frank recently announced his retirement from touring with the Carillon and chose none other than Charlie St. Cyr – Paul to carry on the inspiring tradition. Cast in Bronze was the first musical act in the world to feature the carillon in its show. Although the…

Follow the beat to find punk-rock percussion

Tractor Pull October 14 October 11

In case it wasn’t obvious there will be no shortage of things to see and do at the N.C. State Fair this year. Everywhere you turn you’ll find entertainment, some arts and culture or something educational and informational. You’ll likely pass by Dorton Arena, and amongst all the excitement you’ll find one of this year’s new free entertainment acts. Street Drum Corps will be performing on the north side of the arena. That’s the side toward the middle of the fairgrounds, away from Hillsborough Street. Street Drum Corps is sort of a punk rock version of STOMP – the well-known…

American Aquarium performance in Dorton is delayed but not denied

Candy Apple October 11 October 18

American Aquarium was set to open the 2018 N.C. State Fair, but severe threatening weather postponed the bands’ debut on the Dorton Arena stage. Jumping ahead to 2019, fairgoers can see the latest lineup of the Raleigh-based band on Thursday, Oct. 24, in Dorton Arena. The long-awaited show will feature the alternative country sound that has drawn critical praise and comparisons to Bruce Springsteen and a former Raleigh band, Whiskeytown. The following is adapted from a Deep Fried Blog post from 2018: “Tough times don’t last, but tough folks do.” BJ Barham, front man of American Aquarium, lives those words….

Tribute to musical icon will launch Dorton Arena concerts this year

Tractor Pull October 3 October 11

Gabriel Bello promises big things when he performs in Dorton Arena on the opening night of the N.C. State Fair this year. “We’ll be playing some of the best music that’s been put out in the last 50 to 100 years,” Bello recently told me. “Hopefully one of best bands people have ever heard.” Bello leads a Stevie Wonder tribute band (complete with backup singers and instrumentalists) called Natural Wonder. He obviously thinks highly of the legendary artist he emulates. However, he didn’t always think he’d be going on tour and entertaining people who love the music of Stevie Wonder….

The One-Man Band: Bandaloni makes North Carolina debut at the N.C. State Fair

Cliffhanger September 11 September 9

Paul David, the man behind the one-man band Bandaloni has traveled to many places from Alberta, Canada to Iowa performing at events and fairs. This year he will bring his singular show to the N.C. State Fair. David has performed at fairs for the past 20 years, the equivalent of spending over four full years at a fair. He was also on the very first season of “America’s Got Talent. David’s affinity for music began as a child a small village in Ontario, Canada. He grew up with three brothers and an older sister. His first musical influence was his…

RaeLynn & Bucky Covington bring a night of country to Dorton Arena

Fried Oreo September 29 September 28

Country singers RaeLynn and Bucky Covington will be making ties back to their Carolina roots as they perform at the N.C. State Fair in the Homegrown Music Fest on Monday, Oct. 15 at 7:30 p.m. at Dorton Arena. Here’s a little refresher on the artists: RaeLynn RaeLynn auditioned for the second season of The Voice, where she was given her platform and began her career as a country singer. Since her time on the Emmy-winning show, she has released numerous singles including “God Made Girls,” which was the highest debut single by a solo female upon its release in 2014,…

10 fun things you can do during your visit to the fair

Fair Flyer October 15 October 16

Here at Deep Fried, we know a thing or two about the N.C. State Fair. Our staff has more than 50 years’ experience with this annual event, so if you’re looking for directions to help you maneuver all 200 acres of the fairgrounds or the best places to eat, we can point you in the right direction. But, before you head out to try the latest deep-fried culinary delights at the fair, here are a few things you can do to build up an appetite: Visit the State Fair Ark. This is the best place to see North Carolina’s diverse…

900 miles of toilet paper and other numbers

Funhouse October 7 October 5

150. That’s how many times the N.C. State Fair has been held since 1853. Which means there has been 150 opening days, 150 times there’s been blue-ribbon winners and 150 times that folks have gathered from all over the state in Raleigh to celebrate agriculture and North Carolina. While we were thinking about the significance of 150. We began to think of some other numbers (some of them a little weird) that define the N.C. State Fair. 2,400: Supersized rolls of toilet paper (or 900 miles) 100: Carnival rides 34: Number of year’s Big Smokey has been at the…

Artist Spotlight: Casting Crowns

Bearded Lady August 19 September 13

I recently heard the name Casting Crowns for the first time. Obviously, there are many more people that have heard of the headlining act at Dorton Arena Friday, Oct. 15. After two weeks of advance sales, the concert for the Atlanta-based group has sold more than 1,800 tickets and is on its way to being our first sold-out show of 2010. I decided to see what all the excitement was about, but I wasn’t sure what to expect. I thought I might hear something similar to old gospel tunes from my grandparents’ radio, but after listening to the artist’s songs on our 2010 N.C. State Fair Pandora station, I understand…

Artist Spotlight: Mario

Cotton Candy October 15 May 8

Mixing it up between the country and Christian artists at the Fair is Mario, the R&B singing/dancing sensation that you may know of from the show Dancing with the Stars. Above is a great interview from Go! TV (a play off of his last album Go!) with the singer and behind-the-scenes footage of his dance rehearsals. Mario has been around the music scene for awhile now, as his first album came out when he was only 15 years old. (When I was 15, I was Glenda the Good Witch in our high school version of the Wizard of Oz. Needless…

Tag: music