Raleigh is the state capital and second largest city in North Carolina. It is located in Wake County, which is the fastest growing county in the state. Urban sprawl is what characterizes the area, with numerous small towns that have grown into large suburbs: Cary, Apex, Garner, Wake Forest, Knightdale, Holly Springs and a few other towns. City officials in Raleigh are making an effort to revive downtown with a new convention center, more housing downtown and other amenities.

Raleigh is in a geographical area known as The Triangle. The name comes from Durham's famed Research Triangle Park, which is a large source of employment in the area. In addition to Raleigh, the Triangle Region includes Durham, Chapel Hill, and Cary.

For used CDs, LPs and books, Nice Price Books is a great place. They carry world music, reggae and other genres. It has a store at 3106 Hillsborough Street in Raleigh. Phone: (919) 829-0230.

For South Asian (Indian and Pakistani) music, there are two stores in nearby Cary. One is Palika Bazaar, in Chatham Square (Cary). Address: 746 E Chatham St. (near the intersection of Maynard Road), Cary, NC 27511. Phone: (919) 463-0338. There is also Indian Music World located at 1423 S.E. Maynard Road (next to Patel Brothers), Cary, NC 27511. Phone: (919)-388-5789

Guru Guitars is a small custom shop with three in-house luthiers who build guitars by hand in Raleigh, NC. The storeincludes a selection of its own instruments for sale. It also sells guitars built by other local builders and U.S. builders.

Friends of World Music and Pine Cone sponsor or co-sponsor world music and traditional American music concerts at various venues, ranging from the North Carolina Museum of Art and the North Carolina Museum of History in Raleigh to several of the local universities and the Skylight Exchange book store in Chapel Hill.

The North Carolina Museum of Art has an amphitheater that presents American roots music, world music and Celtic concerts several times during the year.

Stewart Theatre at NCSU occasionally presents world music.

Abyssinia Restaurant, in Raleigh, has an an African-Caribbean flavor. They present world music concerts occasionally. It is located in the Mission Valley Shopping Center. Address: 2109-150 Avent Ferry Road, Raleigh, North Carolina. Phone: + 1919-664-8151.

La Fiesta del Pueblo, held in September in Raleigh, at the State Fair grounds, is the largest Hispanic music festival in the state of North Carolina. It features a wide variety of Latin styles, from Mexican grupero to salsa, Puerto Rican rap and sometimes flamenco.

WNCU 90.7 FM, in Durham, is primarily a jazz station. It has a blues show on Mondays. On weekends you can listen to Gospel, reggae and Latin music.

WSHA 88.9 FM, In Raleigh, plays jazz, blues, African music, Gospel, reggae, R&B and Latin music.

WUNC 91.5 FM public radio station in Chapel Hill can be heard in nearly half of the state. It broadcasts the syndicated Celtic music show The Thistle and Shamrock and has a locally produced show called Back Porch Music during Friday evenings and weekends. It used to include world music, but later it removed it and now it only plays American and English folk, bluegrass, Celtic music and Nordic (European) recordings.

Independent Weekly is the local alternative newspaper and entertainment guide. It merged with the Spectator, which was the rival publication.

Tangophilia provides Argentine tango classes in Raleigh and Durham. Phone: (919) 423-7681.

Old Hat Records reissues recordings of southern roots music from the early 20th century.

Triangle Taiko (Japanese drumming)

Durham, Cary, Chapel Hill, and Carrboro

Angel Romero