Carrboro Music Festival

I just attended a wonderful event today -- one that should get more media coverage than it does -- the Carrboro Music Festival. It's an annual one-day free event celebrating local musicians. There were over 20 music venues across the compact town center, with hundreds of music acts, which were each given either 30 or 60 minutes to play.

I was struck by the musical breadth -- from jazz to rock to hip-hop to folk -- and the generally high quality level. But then perhaps I shouldn't be surprised -- it's just that I don't often get a chance to listen to local music, considering very little of it makes its way onto local radio, and I don't frequent night clubs.

Perhaps the best part of the event was how well integrated it was into Carrboro, and what a delight it was to wander through streets shut-down to auto traffic, and to catch a different band playing basically on every block. Most of the stages were outdoors, but they also effectively used indoor venues such as the ArtCenter of Carrboro. It was great to have a beer while listening to a folk artist at the "beer garden" near the railroad track crossing, or just wander a short distance and discover a great rock band around the corner.

And there's one more very important aspect of the event -- the town itself. I was trying to picture what it would be like in downtown Raleigh, and I couldn't picture it. At least, it wouldn't resemble the Carrboro event very much. Is it perhaps the quaintness of the town? The way commercial and residential features are mixed in a way that invites pedestrian and bicycle travel? Perhaps it is because the town itself has a presence and size that doesn't overwhelm a person, but is inviting and pedestrian-friendly. That's something that I miss in the anti-pedestrian cul-de-sac suburban sprawl that is North Raleigh.