WS Chronicle

Arts Council of Winston-Salem & Forsyth County announces their next phase of programming that puts community artists in the spotlight: Amplify, a monthly local music series. This concert series, curated by guest artist Spencer Aubrey (known onstage as p.s. edekot), provides a professional platform for musicians to share their work with new audiences. Each installment in the monthly series will feature a unique line-up of emerging and established musicians and performance artists of various genres.

The concert series commenced with a “soft launch” last month, and kicks off publicly on Thursday, Nov. 17 at 7 p.m. in Reynolds Place Theatre, located in the Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts. Performers in this month’s line-up include distinguished jazz saxophonist Michael Kinchen, emerging folk duo Discount Rothko (Not Your Average Folk Contest finalist, NC Folk Festival 2022), and spoken word poet Tamika Wells.

“As a City of Arts and Innovation, Winston-Salem has surprisingly few venues for emerging musicians to play professional shows,” says Corinne Bass, Arts Council’s director of theatre operations and programming. “Beloved former venues like The Garage, The Werehouse/PS211, Ziggy’s, and Elliot’s Revue that laid the foundation for Winston’s prolific music scene are no longer around. Current venues do a wonderful job of bringing in national and regional talent, and we see an opportunity to help bridge the gap for local acts. With Amplify, Arts Council provides a signal boost for community musicians – helping them reach new ears and professional opportunities and bringing audiences more frequent and accessible ways to experience the diverse flavors of our local music scene.”

Amplify’s guest curator, Spencer Aubrey, is a creative connector. Born in Arizona, he earned his bachelor of general studies degree from Arizona State University and his master of arts in poetry from Wilkes University. He moved to North Carolina in 2019, and currently resides with his wife Emily in the historic Boston neighborhood of Winston-Salem. Spencer spends his waking hours as a DJ, freelance poet and vocalist, pursuing depth and authenticity in his faith, and with his friends and family. He is a creative storyteller and poet for the Happy Hill Gardens’ Open-Documentary Project (Renew Forsyth), has been featured as a poet and interviewee in a Wake Forest University documentary about the Boston neighborhood, and has published poetry (North Carolina Bards) and articles (North Carolina News Daily, Barista Magazine). 

“We are providing a platform for local musicians and artists they wouldn’t otherwise have, giving rise to the emergence of new music,” Aubrey says. “Some of these bands are recently formed or young, some artists have projects they are taking in new directions, and some are sharing things that have never been played for live audiences before. By creating a paid opportunity for them to play in a setting with professional sound and lighting, to develop their skill sets, explore new projects, and reach new audiences, we’re giving artists room to rise to the occasion and keep pace with the way our city is growing.”