Unscripted Hotel is offering music fans the chance to see some of Durham’s best musical acts for free.
Unscripted is wrapping up its nearly two-month long Sounds of the Studio concert series with performances on Oct. 26 and Nov. 2. Alexandra Valladares and Viajeros Melodiosos will be performing at the Oct. 26 show, while The Wiley Fosters and Jazz Harp Trio will play the Nov. 2 show. Each show begins at 5:30 p.m. in The Studio at Unscripted.
Matthew Whiteheart, general manager of Unscripted Durham, said that the hotel wanted to give guests and locals alike a chance to experience Durham’s music scene.
“Durham offers so many different types of musicians and so many different genres of music, so having that opportunity to reach out to a lot of different people that do different types of music and have the opportunity to showcase those at our place,” Whiteheart said. “It's a great, awesome event to be a part of and something that our local clientele and community have embraced. It's grown and grown every time we have done it. It's impressive to see how many people really enjoy the experience.”
William Dawson, a musician who plays in all three groups that are part of Sounds of the Studio, helped to curate the series. He said he has been impressed by Unscripted’s support of the local music scene.
"If you can give local musicians a reasonably sized room and invest in them and pay them what they deserve to be paid — they really have the chance to be at the center of the music scene if they continue this way,” Dawson said. “I was very impressed that Unscripted was willing to invest in the music scene, and I really think it has already paid off and will continue to pay off.”
Dawson said it was important to schedule acts that play diverse styles of music, leading him to book a jazz group, a Latin group and a hip-hop group.
“If you mix up this music, you're going to get fresh and more interesting music," he said, "and that's why I think diversity is important."
Valladares, who sings with The Wiley Fosters and leads her own group, said the musical diversity is what makes Sounds of the Studio special.
