28
WBM april 2012
It’s a hot summer’s
day. It’s the rushing
wind through
a topless car. It’s a
midnight stroll on the
beach. It’s a hotdog on
the boardwalk. It’s a
trip to the fishing hole.
It’s boy meets girl.
What is it, you may
ask? It is the smooth,
coastal sounds of
southeastern Carolina
beach music.
For nearly 50 years, beach music
has engaged multiple generations in
a musical tradition that was born
in the Cape Fear region. It is the
convergence of soul, rhythm and
blues, country and a little bit of rock
and roll. All of these influences are
wound up to produce a sound that is
distinctively regional and characteristic
of the fun-loving lifestyle that is
portrayed in the lyrics.
On a Thursday night in
Wilmington, N.C., Jim Quick and
Coastline take the stage at a local
music venue. The dance floor is
empty, but all of that changes once
the band plugs in. Vibrations bounce
from the instruments and speakers
off the wall and into the listeners’
ears, uniting everyone in the room.
For some, fond memories well up
from within. For others, the music
evokes the anticipation of good times
yet to be had and memories yet to be
made. Like a magnet, the music pulls
both young and old to their feet and
onto the dance floor.
“It is hard for anybody to listen
to beach music and say, ‘I don’t like
it.’ It is just happy, feel good music,”
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