Wilmington Unplugged

You’re probably thinking, “hey, this is not Wilmington.” Well, it is actually. It is a photo taken before the Revolutionary War. The film has been restored from its original state.

You can tell by New Hanover High School and Royal Castle Hotel in the foreground (left of center)…it was destroyed during the “Battle at Williston” leaving only the high school remaining. It is at this site where nearly 71 soldiers–including the entire marching band–were injured from a dynamic storm of sweet potatoes hurled by a mob of angry carnivores.

On the right side of the river, you’ll notice the community of Myrtle Beach–yes, the South Carolina border was just across the Cape Fear. It remained there until two gentlemen (Sir John Marsh and Sir Walter Lands) wagered the landholdings to an outcome of a game of backgammon. When the game ended in a stalemate, the audience pillaged the streets and planted strange seeds. The landscape was taken over by swamp and reeds–Myrtle Beach and all of its Fireworks Stands moved 47 miles south (as did the state line) leaving only two large boats docked east of the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge and a small grocery store (now Satellite Bar & Lounge) in its wake. This era in history was called The Marshlands Period by some.

Just kidding…it’s Budapest. It was the only photo that I had that would fit into the dimensions required by the site.

I am trying to get a “banner” photo to fit the heading that is relevant to Wilmington but haven’t been so lucky.

Hopefully, Leslie Koehn can help.

wm

Aloha,

This site is 2 years overdue…I can blame a hectic employment, fatherly duties, boyfriend requirements, the love of craft beer, athletics, timing and at times, procrastination. But we’ve made it.

wilmington unplugged is not an original thought–at least not by me but it has consumed me nonetheless. we started it out with showcasing local talent every first Tuesday and had some fantastic performers: Sean Thomas Gerard, Love Language, Bibis Ellison, Barnraisers, Sir Alex Hall, The Needles, Doly Toro, Charlie the Horse, Soultron, Susan Savia, Jim Ashley, Trevor Brown, Bill Donovan, Kevin Rhodes, Lincoln Morris, Tyler McKaig, Gloria Spillers, Seth Moody, CoCo Lenz Moody, Pothead, Brian Weeks, Owl Laws, Andy Herod, John Harrison, Mike Slaton, Ethan Clark, Adrian Varnam, Ted Crenshaw, Jim Phillips, Vick Wyrick, Phantom Playboys, Possum Creek, L Shape Lot, Fred Flynn, Ron Etheridge, Travis Shallow, Mr. Rayle and literally hundreds of others on our stage.

Later, I decided it was time to put these people on a stage in a listening room. It was an immediate success. The perfect balance of an attentive audience and eager storytellers–the simplest form of supply and demand. Each supplying what the other was demanding.

Now after more than thirty consecutive first tuesday “showcases” and six (for lack of a better term) “super showcases” the ball is rolling and its rolling in the right direction.

There are many people to thank for this great advancement of art within our community. The list would be endless but YOU know who YOU are. I am eternally grateful.

However, it is the artist that deserves the most credit for without them, our message would have been erased months ago. This area is loaded with extraordinary artists in all mediums and it is up to us to keep them pointed towards their art. Please continue to support when you can all of the musicians, sculptors, painters, actors, photographers, cinematographers, carpenters, metal smiths, farmers, chefs and essentially every artisan in the area. It’s the only way to keep the culture in Wilmington.

All the very best,

Billy

Welcome to the new site of Wilmington Unplugged — your site for local and homegrown entertainment.  Have a look around and please support local arts.