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The Daily Tar Heel

Lunchbox Series celebrates Carrboro musicians

Carrboro Recreation & Parks is bringing in local artists from the Triangle for a live performance every Thursday during January and February from noon to 1 p.m. in the Carrboro Century Center.

Rah Trost, recreation supervisor for Carrboro Recreations & Parks, picked the artists for the shows, and while the format of the concerts might be the same, the musicians vary from week to week. The lineup is comprised of local musicians from genres like bossa nova — a type of Brazilian music — and Celtic rock to bluegrass and folk.

Trost said the town is devoted to supporting the arts and creating a climate for artists of all types.

Open Eye Cafe provides free coffee during the event, which owner Scott Conary said is just one of the ways he tries to give back to the community.

“This is our town. We want it to be fun and interesting, and this is just one example of how we try to do that.”

While he said it’s not the first time Open Eye Cafe has hosted live musicians, Conary said the Lunchbox series is particularly exciting because the concerts are in the middle of the day. The cafe has been working with Trost since the beginning of the series.

“It’s just one that we really enjoy because it incorporates a bunch of things we like to do — coffee and music,” Conary said.

Not all of the artists are newcomers to the town’s art scene. Musicians like Eric Bannan, who performed on Jan. 8 in the first performance of the 2015 series, was playing in the Carrboro Music Festival in September when Trost recruited him for the series.

“I love the fact that the town of Carrboro is so supportive of the arts,” Bannan said.

Bannan has been playing music for 35 years. He is a storyteller who describes his sound as “WhoopAssFolkJazz.” Songs like “Chicken Pot Pie,” “Watch it Rain” and “Little Bit of Sugar” packed his hour performance.

“It had all the good things that go into making a good show,” he said. “When the performer’s having a good time, then the audience is having a good time.”

The crowd size for the Lunchbox concerts ranges from 50 to 75 locals of all ages. Children enjoy dancing around by the stage while parents relax to eat their lunches. Town employees stop in for their lunch break while others wander in from the streets.

“It’s not a giant space, so people can talk to the musicians, and the musicians definitely interact with the audience,” Trost said.

During the show, a free lunchbox is also raffled away. Conary said the concert breaks up the monotony of the day and gives attendees an opportunity to hangout and network.

“I think the biggest thing is that more and more people come out to enjoy it,” he said.

“We are just really excited about giving back and being a part of our really eclectic community.”

arts@dailytarheel.com

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