Season 4, Episode 7
On this episode of the Life in the Carolinas podcast, Carl sits down with country singer Alex Key. Claiming that he learned to sing before he could talk, the young artist speaks to us about how he developed his distinctive country baritone and found early fame in 2019 doing gigs at Myrtle Beach. Alex dives deep into the process behind his latest song, We Want You Back. The song is a celebration of simpler times as well as that “small town” sound that many Americans are aching for today.
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Season 4, Episode 6
On this episode of the Life in the Carolinas podcast, Carl sits down with automotive service business owner John Nobles. Born and raised in Marietta, Georgia, John spent much of his adult life in Tampa, Florida where he raised his daughter and two sons. He tells us that he and his wife Kim were eventually compelled to make the move to Wilkesboro, NC in their search for a community of folks who were more in line with their faith and values.
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Season 4, Episode 5
On this episode of the Life in the Carolinas podcast, Carl sits down with Mike Unruh and Ron Lewis of Foundation Forward, a nonprofit educational project that builds Your Charters of Freedom Settings in local communities across the country.
Mike is the Resources and Communications Director of Foundation Forward and handles fundraising, press releases, and raises community awareness after Ron, the organization’s facilitator, has completed the initial meeting with the county commissioners.
Mike and Ron reflect on their journey together with Charters of Freedom founders Vance and Mary Jo. Mike refers to the couple as true patriots who were inspired to bring the Charters of Freedom all over the country after witnessing them for the first time in 2013.
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Season 4, Episode 4
On this episode of the Life in the Carolinas podcast, Carl sits down with librarian Suzanne Moore. The two met at a local farmer's market when Suzanne was playing the banjo (she refers to herself as an "amateur plucker") to promote the new Seed Library over at Wilkes County Public Library. Carl quickly realized that Suzanne was no "ordinary" librarian. Suzanne refers to the library as "the people's university." Not only is there no tuition, but there is also a level of freedom in navigating a library that is not found in adhering to a strict curriculum and paying for assigned textbooks.
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Season 4, Episode 3
On this episode of the Life in the Carolinas podcast, Carl sits down with Jeffrey Elmore who has, since 2013, served in the North Carolina House of Representatives from the 94th district which is made up of the population centers of Wilkes County and Alexander County.
“The arts are a reflection of the human experience.”
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Season 4, Episode 2
Carl sits down with Jennifer Furr, Director of the Wilkes Heritage Museum. The museum tells a story of how the community has evolved through the wonderful artifacts that it displays within its historic buildings. Among the reasons people typically visit the museum include experiencing the community’s history of moonshine, how the company known today as NASCAR came to be, and hearing the story of Tom Dooley.
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Season 4, Episode 1
On this episode of the Life in the Carolinas podcast, Carl sits down with Charlotte-based pianist and composer Chad Lawson. Ironically, Chad did not grow up in a family that listened to music, much less played instruments. What actually sparked his interest in taking piano lessons was a TV show he grew up on, Sha Na Na, and the rest is history.
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