JD Blog

Collage from the Brian Fallon and Tim Barry show in Carrboro, NC: Brian Fallon on stage with an acoustic guitar, a railroad-track selfie, the Cat's Cradle setlist, and a guitar shop photo

Never Know Who You Might Run Into at The Guitar Store – Brian Fallon & Tim Barry Cat’s Cradle 10.10.2026

JD Blog / By / , , , , , ,

Justin DriscollHello, my name is Justin Driscoll and I call the wonderful state of North Carolina home. I might have taken your photo at some point or met you at a Rock N Roll show? However, I also have many other facets of my life I am passionate about. I started this site to talk about some of those things. Whether it be guitars, guitar gear, Harley’s, Jeep stuff, photography, vinyl or travels, I’ll be

Never Know Who You Might Run Into at The Guitar Store – Brian Fallon & Tim Barry Cat’s Cradle 10.10.2026 Read More »

Two kids holding up Haywire I Don’t Wanna Say Goodbye posters in front of a wall of framed hardcore show memorabilia

I Don’t Want to Say Goodbye – Will Hardcore Become The New Grunge?

JD Blog / By / , , , ,

I came here to brag on the new Haywire release, I Don’t Want to Say Goodbye, and got completely sidetracked… And I know why. As I write this, the timing feels appropriate. Turnstile just took the Saturday Night Live stage, bringing their particular brand of shoegazey hardcore into the mainstream. I remember watching something similar happen in real time with Nirvana and Green Day—watching an obscure, unknown, non-household-riffraff genre suddenly get shoved into the living

I Don’t Want to Say Goodbye – Will Hardcore Become The New Grunge? Read More »

YAMALOKA performing live at Snug Harbor in Charlotte, NC with vocalist at the front of the stage

YAMALOKA – Snug Harbor – Charlotte, NC – 09.21.26

JD Blog / By / , , , ,

Justin DriscollHello, my name is Justin Driscoll and I call the wonderful state of North Carolina home. I might have taken your photo at some point or met you at a Rock N Roll show? However, I also have many other facets of my life I am passionate about. I started this site to talk about some of those things. Whether it be guitars, guitar gear, Harley’s, Jeep stuff, photography, vinyl or travels, I’ll be

YAMALOKA – Snug Harbor – Charlotte, NC – 09.21.26 Read More »

Andy Williams of Every Time I Die performing live on guitar

Andy Williams – The Teddy Bear of Hardcore

JD Blog / By / , , , ,

Justin DriscollHello, my name is Justin Driscoll and I call the wonderful state of North Carolina home. I might have taken your photo at some point or met you at a Rock N Roll show? However, I also have many other facets of my life I am passionate about. I started this site to talk about some of those things. Whether it be guitars, guitar gear, Harley’s, Jeep stuff, photography, vinyl or travels, I’ll be

Andy Williams – The Teddy Bear of Hardcore Read More »

Shari Robins of Sharigato preparing Wafu Pasta in Charlotte, NC

Shari Robins’ Wafu Pasta – Sharigato

JD Blog / By / , , , , ,

Justin DriscollHello, my name is Justin Driscoll and I call the wonderful state of North Carolina home. I might have taken your photo at some point or met you at a Rock N Roll show? However, I also have many other facets of my life I am passionate about. I started this site to talk about some of those things. Whether it be guitars, guitar gear, Harley’s, Jeep stuff, photography, vinyl or travels, I’ll be

Shari Robins’ Wafu Pasta – Sharigato Read More »

Penélope Paul – a ‘Classic Custom’

JD Blog / By / , , , , ,

This would be Penélope Paul—the guitar, not the cat. I stumbled across this somewhat overlooked and relatively limited-run model a few months ago. Built around 2012, this isn’t a Gibson Custom Shop instrument, but rather one of Gibson USA’s Les Paul Classic Custom models. At first glance, most players would be hard-pressed to spot the difference. Visually, it checks nearly all the same boxes as a traditional Les Paul Custom: multi-ply binding, ebony-style aesthetics, block

Penélope Paul – a ‘Classic Custom’ Read More »

Tremont Music Hall – Staff & Family Reunion

JD Blog / By / , , ,

I paid my rock ’n’ roll dues in that building. Trying to write about Tremont Music Hall is somewhat of a daunting task for me. The stories and memories are literally endless, and I could go on for hours. I believe that’s largely due to the fact I spent 20 years of my life in those hallowed halls, much of it during my adolescent, formative years. I paid my rock ’n’ roll dues in that

Tremont Music Hall – Staff & Family Reunion Read More »

No Snow Days in Hardcore: Inside YAMALOKA’s Blizzard-Born Studio Sessions

JD Blog / By / , , , , , , , , ,

“There are NO snow days in hardcore music.” – I wholeheartedly meant it when I typed it in the group chat on day three of tracking our debut EP, Sermons Of The Damned. At that point, it wasn’t just a statement—it was the reality we were living in. Snow was dumping outside, roads were getting worse by the hour, and somehow, that only made us push harder. I play guitar in YAMALOKA, a five-piece, no-frills hardcore

No Snow Days in Hardcore: Inside YAMALOKA’s Blizzard-Born Studio Sessions Read More »

Sala, a cocktail bar – Brought to you by Moffett Restaurant Group

JD Blog / By / , , , ,

There was little fanfare in September when Charlotte chef and restaurateur Bruce Moffett quietly opened Sala, a European-style cocktail lounge next to his stalwart Italian restaurant, Stagioni. The opening was, however, an homage to Blanche Morgan Reynolds-Gourmajenko, the Charlotte socialite and legendary hostess who built the Tuscan-style villa in the 1920s at the spot where Stagioni and Sala now reside. Sala is the newest addition to Moffett Restaurant Group’s portfolio, which also includes Barrington’s, Good Food on Montford, and

Sala, a cocktail bar – Brought to you by Moffett Restaurant Group Read More »

Scroll to Top