Thad Cockrell giving away latest album 'To Be Loved'

Former Raleigh resident Thad Cockrell, who now spends most of his time in Nashville, TN, released his fourth solo album To Be Loved in 2009, but has now decided to give it away free to whoever will listed. The complete album is available to download via NoiseTrade.com as 256 kpbs mp3s. There is also the option of tipping the artist as little or as much as you'd like in order to show your support.

To Be Loved is well worth checking out as it combines excellent songwriting with a lush, folky soundscape to create an enjoyable listening experience.

Cockrell will perform at WUNC's free Music on the Lawn concert series in Durham at the American Tobacco Campus on Friday, Aug. 20. Check out the rest of his upcoming shows below.

Thad Cockrell draws a big crowd at Duke Gardens

Raleigh songwriter Thad Cockrell drew a big crowd last night at Duke Gardens and even managed to dodge the thunderstorms in the area. About 300 were spread about on the lawn and Cockrell even said that he was expecting much less.

"I've got some CDs for sale over there," he said midway through the set, "but I didn't bring many because I thought only 50 people would show up."

Ticket giveaway: Thad Cockrell at Duke Gardens

Duke Performances' Summer in the Gardens series is getting ready to kick into high gear and once again, we're thrilled to be able to offer a pair of tickets to the shows, starting with Thad Cockrell next Wednesday, June 3.

In order to enter, email triangle_music@hotmail.com with "Cockrell tickets" in the subject line no later than 3 p.m. on Monday, June 1 and we'll choose one winner using random.org's number generator.

UPDATE: The winner has been notified. Thanks to everyone who entered!

Tickets are on sale for $10 (or $5 for Duke employees, and free for Duke students).

Be sure to check back each of the following weeks for more giveaways!

06.10.09 - The Rosebuds
06.17.09 - Megafaun
06.24.09 - Alina Simone
07.01.09 - Dex Romweber Duo
07.15.09 - The Love Language
07.22.09 - Eric Bachman
07.29.09 - Chris Stamey & Peter Holsapple

Duke's 'Music in the Gardens' series returns with killer shows

Last year's summer concert series at Duke University's Duke Gardens was one of the best parts of the summer. It featured shows by Portastatic, Bowerbirds and Les Savy Fav among others. This year, organizer Aaron Greenwald has stepped things up for the "Music in the Gardens" series booking a slew of great performers including The Rosebuds, Thad Cockrell, The Love Language, Eric Bachmann, Peter Holsapple and Chris Stamey, Alina Simone, Megafaun and others. Check out the list of performers and dates below.

Tickets for each show will be $10 for the public $5 for Duke employees and free for Duke students and children under 12. Each show is scheduled to start at 7 pm.

Performers for 4th HopeFest announced

Organizers of Carolina HopeFest have announced the first few artists for this year's event, to be held Saturday, August 30, at Koka Booth Amphitheatre in Cary.

Colbie Caillat, Edwin McCain, Raleighite Thad Cockrell and Alli Rogers are all scheduled to perform. We'll keep you posted as additional performers are announced. Tickets are available now through Ticketmaster and the venue box office.

We've gone to this event the past couple of years and had a really good time. Not only is it a fun day full of music from both local and national acts, they put the show on for an incredibly worthy cause.

The event raises money for Beacon of Hope, a group based out of Nairobi, Kenya, that helps women and girls affected by AIDS learn skills that allow them to make money and support themselves and their families. Items made by women at Beacon of Hope, including beautiful woven handbags and rugs, are available for sale at the event.

HopeFest raises money, voices for Africa

I swear I’m not being disingenuous when I say I’ve never quite enjoyed an outdoor festival as much as I did HopeFest last weekend.

The annual event was held Sunday afternoon at Booth Amphitheatre in Cary.

HopeFest, in its third year, raises money for Beacon of Hope, a group based out of Nairobi, Kenya, that helps women and girls affected by AIDS learn skills that allow them to make money and support themselves and their families.

Last year’s HopeFest raised $25,000, enough for Beacon of Hope to build a new health clinic. I’m not sure how much this year’s festival raised, but one of the organizers told me that before gates even opened for the day, they had about $12,000 to send over to Beacon.

But of course, HopeFest isn’t just about the cause. Okay, well it is, but there’s some great music, too.

Mavuno, a group from Kenya, performed a lively set early in the evening that had most of the crowd on their feet and dancing. Local native turned Nashvillian Thad Cockrell followed, playing songs off his brand new EP, To Be Loved.

This year’s concert was headlined by Glen Phillips, someone everyone’s heard of though his past work with Toad the Wet Sprocket. Phillips played some of his bigger songs from that band (“All I Want,” “Walk on the Ocean”) but he also played some of his more recent material, including two songs (“Windmills,” “Come a Time”) off an album he recorded as the Mutual Admiration Society with Nickel Creek and two freshly-penned songs Phillips said will appear on a forthcoming album.

The crowd was small but mighty, and Phillips treated the faithful by coming out for a special encore. Standing on the steps of the stage Phillips played handful of songs as the crowd stood close and sang along. Undoubtedly the perfect ending to a perfect day.

Mat Kearney to headline Carolina HopeFest

Carolina HopeFest, a concert raising money to fight AIDS in Africa, has announced its lineup.

Mat Kearney, Marc Cohn and Glen Phillips (of Toad the Wet Sprocket) are the big names at this year's show. Other artists include local favorite Thad Cockrell, Dereck Webb, Sandra McCracken and Mavuno (from Nairobi, Kenya).

HopeFest will be Sunday, Sept. 20 at Koka Booth Amphitheatre in Cary. Tickets are $35 for reserved seats, $20 for lawn and $10 for students, and will go on sale Aug. 25 through Ticketmaster and the venue box office.