Reuben Vincent’s dream to be a rapper became a reality when he was discovered by producer 9th Wonder at the age of 13. In this conversation, the Charlotte native discusses his family’s Liberian heritage, the hip-hop renaissance in the Queen City and what it’s like to work with 9th Wonder.

Shaped by Sound

This PBS NC original series, which spotlights North Carolina’s thriving music scene, features artists from a broad range of genres, including indie rock, hip-hop, R&B, alt-country, jazz, bluegrass and folk. Each episode weaves a visually stunning live studio performance by an NC artist or band with an intimate conversation about their creative journey. Watch Thursdays, 9:30 PM on PBS NC and the free PBS app.

Fancy Gap, created by Raleigh natives Stuart McLamb and Charles Crossingham, aims to capture pop-rock bliss that’s perfect for radio and an arena. In this conversation, they discuss making a record in Crossingham’s log cabin, looking for seeds of magic in music and writing songs that feel universal.

Shaped by Sound

This PBS NC original series, which spotlights North Carolina’s thriving music scene, features artists from a broad range of genres, including indie rock, hip-hop, R&B, alt-country, jazz, bluegrass and folk. Each episode weaves a visually stunning live studio performance by an NC artist or band with an intimate conversation about their creative journey. Watch Thursdays, 9:30 PM on PBS NC and the free PBS app.

Logan Chaucer and Sam Baker love surfing, classic rock and being in a band. Together, they’re Blue Footed Boobies, a psychedelic blues-rock duo from Wilmington, North Carolina. In this conversation, they discuss their love for live performance, overcoming obstacles through writing music and their soul-searching van conversations.

Shaped by Sound

This PBS NC original series, which spotlights North Carolina’s thriving music scene, features artists from a broad range of genres, including indie rock, hip-hop, R&B, alt-country, jazz, bluegrass and folk. Each episode weaves a visually stunning live studio performance by an NC artist or band with an intimate conversation about their creative journey. Watch Thursdays, 9:30 PM on PBS NC and the free PBS app.

If you were to search for Blue Ridge bluegrass mixed with Tennessee honky-tonk, you’ll probably discover Asheville’s own Town Mountain. Members Phil Barker and Robert Greer discuss how the band’s sound has evolved over the years, its blue-collar grit and its deep love for Asheville.

Shaped by Sound

This PBS NC original series, which spotlights North Carolina’s thriving music scene, features artists from a broad range of genres, including indie rock, hip-hop, R&B, alt-country, jazz, bluegrass and folk. Each episode weaves a visually stunning live studio performance by an NC artist or band with an intimate conversation about their creative journey. Watch Thursdays, 9:30 PM on PBS NC and the free PBS app.

Shirlette Ammons, a Peabody Award-winning producer, poet and hip-hop artist based in Durham, delves into the inspirations behind her music. She shares how her work draws from her eastern NC heritage, local community and family, and how her latest album, “Spectacles,” explores sight and perception.

Shaped by Sound

This PBS NC original series, which spotlights North Carolina’s thriving music scene, features artists from a broad range of genres, including indie rock, hip-hop, R&B, alt-country, jazz, bluegrass and folk. Each episode weaves a visually stunning live studio performance by an NC artist or band with an intimate conversation about their creative journey. Watch Thursdays, 9:30 PM on PBS NC and the free PBS app.

Steph Stewart and Mario Arnez of Chapel Hill-based country outfit Blue Cactus discuss their dreamy country rock music along with their fascination with western wear, their appreciation for “Weird Al” Yankovic and why it’s important to look for silver linings.

Shaped by Sound

This PBS NC original series, which spotlights North Carolina’s thriving music scene, features artists from a broad range of genres, including indie rock, hip-hop, R&B, alt-country, jazz, bluegrass and folk. Each episode weaves a visually stunning live studio performance by an NC artist or band with an intimate conversation about their creative journey. Watch Thursdays, 9:30 PM on PBS NC and the free PBS app.

Joseph Terrell and Jacob Sharp, one half of the bluegrass and folk-rock outfit Mipso, discuss growing as musicians on the road with bandmates Libby Rodenbough and Wood Robinson, crafting their first live record and the Japanese origins of their band’s unique name.

Shaped by Sound

This PBS NC original series, which spotlights North Carolina’s thriving music scene, features artists from a broad range of genres, including indie rock, hip-hop, R&B, alt-country, jazz, bluegrass and folk. Each episode weaves a visually stunning live studio performance by an NC artist or band with an intimate conversation about their creative journey. Watch Thursdays, 9:30 PM on PBS NC and the free PBS app.

Folk music legend Alice Gerrard is one of the foremost historians and archivists of the genre. In this conversation, she discusses her love for the landmark 1952 compilation “Anthology of American Folk Music,” her career documenting and performing traditional folk music in the South and what it’s like to preserve songs for future generations.

Shaped by Sound

This PBS NC original series, which spotlights North Carolina’s thriving music scene, features artists from a broad range of genres, including indie rock, hip-hop, R&B, alt-country, jazz, bluegrass and folk. Each episode weaves a visually stunning live studio performance by an NC artist or band with an intimate conversation about their creative journey. Watch Thursdays, 9:30 PM on PBS NC and the free PBS app.