It started with silence. The kind of silence that hums with curiosity and anticipation. Then—boom—the bass dropped. Heads started nodding. Feet tapped. A few eyebrows lifted.Just like that, creativity had a new rhythm at Moncure School and Chatham Early College, where artists Suzi Analogue and REM from Blackspace turned ordinary classrooms into music studios for a week of beatmaking magic.
Go See This: Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival featuring Blackspace and Chatham Middle School
This year’s headliners include the legendary Mavis Staples, GRAMMY award-winning reggae star Kabaka Pyramid, widely-followed Donna the Buffalo, and genre-defying Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country. The four-day festival is packed with musical talent to light up multiple stages.

