The Crossroads Concert Series is returning to the Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art, and we've got interviews and music from both acts on the bill. Solo guitarist William Tyler cut his teeth as a sideman in Nashville, Tennessee, before setting out on his widescreen guitar journey. He's in Winston-Salem on Saturday night, and he'll be filling SECCA with exploratory & scenic instrumental guitar work, with notes that ring louder than words. But if lyrics are your thing you're in luck – co-headlining the concert is Hiss Golden Messenger, the vehicle for the searing songs of MC Taylor. He stopped by WFDD with guitar in hand and sat down for a conversation and intimate performance. While you're at SECCA, if you happen pass an old cigarette machine and do a double take, then you've encountered an Art-o-mat.  The machines are filled with affordable handmade art, and founder Clark Whittington is here to talk creativity and commerce. And when it comes to The Emmys, streaming is king, so we're going Behind the Scenes with Mary Dalton to take a look at two Netflix shows that have lots of nominations in common, but when it comes to character, they couldn't be more different. 

William Tyler

  “What I like about writing instrumental music is that its not immediate, but it does allow a lot of space for the listener to conjure up different ideas, images, and associations that would not exist there with the tyranny of lyricism, and being told a story by somebody.”

Growing up in Nashville Tennessee, William Tyler was raised by a father who wrote songs for the likes of Eddie Rabbit, and a mother who called Alex Chilton of Big Star a friend. 

He spent his early 20s playing as a sideman with the band Lambchop, and along the way he also strummed alongside Bonnie Prince Billy and Silver Jews.

As a solo guitarist, William Tyler uses the instrument as a wide angle lens. His music evokes images of America's panoramic past, and the unsettling path taken from the 1950s to the present. His guitar playing is nimble, but not showy. His use of effects is a component, but never a crutch. He uses open tunings and infuses elements of drone, psychedelia and pure experimentalism, but his music remains wholly accessible.

When Eddie spoke with William he was sitting on a porch in Durham, North Carolina, a day before he took the stage at Baldwin Auditorium, to kick off a series of concerts celebrating 25 years of Merge Records.

You can see William perform live on Saturday, July 26th at 7pm, at SECCA. It's the 10th installment of the Crossroads Concert series, and he'll be co-headlining with Hiss Golden Messenger. 

http://youtu.be/UH4G6YWYJjU

Clark Whittington and Art-o-mat

  Most art is housed in and sold from a museum, a gallery, or studio, found on the walls of a restaurant or displayed in a garden or public space. So one place you might not expect to find it is being dispensed from a refurbished cigarette vending machine.  The concept is called Art-o-mat, and with $5.00 and a sense of curiosity, a piece from an Art-o-mat can be yours.  

From wearable art to wood block landscapes, Polaroid photos, handmade miniatures, even a mini robot made from capacitors - the possibilities for the art you can find in an Art-o-mat are endless (as long as they fit into a 3x2 inch box).  Art-o-mat and the artists behind it aim to produce progressive art that's both personal and accessible.  Winston-Salem based Clark Whittington is the man behind the Art-o-mat and he stopped by WFDD to tell Bethany Chafin more.  

 Art-o-mat inventor Clark Whittington has said, "the world is invited to participate," and this weekend artists and interested parties will be meeting at the Mid-Atlantic regional Swap Meet at the Luce Foundation Center at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington D.C.  The event runs from 1:00 - 4:30 and is free and open to the public.  Curious to know where Art-o-mats are located?  Click here.  And what type of art you might find in a machine?  Check it out.   

Behind the Scenes with Mary Dalton

  Next we go Behind The Scenes with Wake Forest University Professor of Communication, Film Studies, and Women's and Gender Studies, Mary Dalton.

  Live in Studio A with Hiss Golden Messenger

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