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A "music audit" the City of Huntsville commissioned from London-based firm Sound Diplomacy has generated much public and private conversation regarding the state of music culture here. As well as what Huntsville music culture - and thus, the city's overall quality of life - could realistically be like in the future.

Yes, there are a few gaping holes in Huntsville's musical landscape. For example, a legit amphitheater and (more importantly) a strong 1,000-ish-capacity venue for rising touring acts, as well as the need for new concepts and platforms for live local original music to connect, be profitable and be valued. And, as Huntsville rap scene veteran Codie G stated at a recent open-forum public meeting regarding the music audit, the onus is also on local musicians to "create a demand."

But the existing musical pieces and how they could perhaps fit together in new or better ways are as interesting as the holes. With that in mind, here's a look at 30 things to know about Huntsville music, right now. Musicians. Venues. Media. Backstory. And more. This is, of course, just my take on the subject and you're welcome to your opinions as well. (If you recently moved to Huntsville, hopefully the below information can help you begin exploring music here.) The bigger picture is decision-maker-level discussions are being held to better present what Huntsville offers musically and how to sweeten the mix.

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Courtesy Kobi Childers

The Quantaphonics

The most exciting new local live act to emerge in Huntsville over the last year is a funky, nine-headed beast. Drawing inspiration from groove-oriented classics by The Meters, Al Green and Sly & Family Stone, The Quantaphonics' original material includes songs like "Good Time," "Hollywood" and "Grapefruit." Lead singer Leon Jorden wields soulful, nuanced pipes. But the whole band - which includes rhythm section, keys, horns, backing vocalists, guitar - totally brings it too.

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Snacks

Zach Jeffries of the band Snacks writes and sings jangly Dreamsicle-hued indie-rock, while drummer Helen Faulkner oozes Velvet Underground levels of cool. The Huntsville quartet has a new vinyl single, "Pink Water," out on Alabama imprint After Birth Records.

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File/Courtesy David Swanson

Women who rock

Huntsville has a growing history of cool female musicians. Rock star Jack White's drummer Carla Azar is a Grissom High grad and at the center of the storm for White's whirlwind live performances. Soul belter Carla Russell is a regular on Muscle Shoals recording sessions, including a recent one involving Aerosmith's Steven Tyler at FAME Studios, and this year she released "The Good Side of Crazy," an album featuring previously unrecorded tunes by iconic Southern songwriters. Bluegrass standout Claire Lynch spent her teenage years in the Rocket City. Huntsville native Kim Tibbs is an R&B double-threat on vocals and Hammond organ and a U.K. hitmaker. Amy McCarley's slice-of-life songs and touring work helped McCarley become a respected Americana tunesmith. Skilled and stylish drummer Katie Herron is touring with rising Nashville rockers The Dead Deads. Huntsville native and current Austin, Texas resident Caroline Salle makes evocative art-folk under the name Caroline Says, and has drawn props from Rolling Stone, NPR and other notable outlets. Singer/songwriter Alex Hendrix is organizing, in conjunction with Downtown Huntsville Inc., Downtown Huntsville Women in Music Weekend, set for Aug. 9 -12 and featuring an all-female lineup.

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Club level touring acts

Since opening last year, SideTracks Music Hall's (415 E Church St. N.W.) bookings have included rock's top young band Greta Van Fleet and Brother Cane/Black Star Riders guitarist Damon Johnson. The venue, run by supremely bearded and likable Eddie Yessick, also serves some of the town's tastiest bar food and puts on shows by local bands, vinyl DJs and hip-hop acts. Because it's better known for being a dance club, Sammy T's ( 116 Washington St. S.E.) downtown probably doesn't get its due as a music venue. But the fact is, Sammy T's is a local go-to when promoters need a larger, club-sized venue. Yelawolf, Highly Suspect, Pop Evil, Theory of a Deadman and Aaron Lewis are some of the acts that have performed there in recent years. Furniture Factory (619 Meridian St. N.) will occasionally step up and book a notable show, such as Muscle Shoals R&B icon Clarence Carter (June 29).

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Brew tunes

After the 2013 shuttering of Huntsville's "big music-club-sized venue" Crossroads, breweries like Yellowhammer (2600 Clinton Ave. W.), Straight to Ale (2610 Clinton Ave. W.) and Salty Nut (2406 Clinton Ave. W.) helped pick up the slack, booking local, regional and occasionally international artists for shows.

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Courtesy Kobi Childers

Free shows

In need of some live music but short on cash? Venues like Humphrey's Bar & Grill (103 Washington St.), Lone Goose Saloon ( 2620 Clinton Ave. W.) and Voodoo Lounge (110 South Side Square) don't charge a cover and present fun local and regional acts. If bars aren't your thing, Downtown Huntsville Inc. regularly puts on free music events, often with a clever twist, such as their Drive Thru Concerts Series, and Arts Huntsville once again is hosting its gratis Concerts in the Park shows.

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Rob Aldridge & The Proponents

Shaggy singer, songwriter and guitarist Rob Aldridge currently resides in the Shoals. But he's a Huntsville native, his band The Proponents' Tommy Stinson-ish bassist Stone Anderson lives here and they regularly perform in Rocket City bars. The Proponents' heart-on-sleeve guitar-rock is likely to appeal to fans of Tom Petty, Rolling Stones and Drive-By Truckers. Former Truckers guitarist Rob Malone's eloquent, efficient solos are a highlight of Proponents shows, which draw heavily from the band's self-titled album.

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Duo times two

Two, guy-girl musical duos with local ties of note: The Sweeplings, featuring Huntsville singer/guitarist Whitney Dean and Washington's Cami Bradley, make the kind of dramatic pop-folk The Civil Wars used to win Grammys with. At times on their 2017 self-titled LP, Rocket City based group The Retrovales' Sarah Jayne and Corey Travis, evoke an embryonic, smartphone-era version of Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham.

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Courtesy Nate Wake

Jazz jams

Downtown nightspot Amendment XXI's Jazz Jam, held 6 - 9 p.m. Sundays (at 123 North Side Square), has quietly turned into a must-do for discerning live roots music listeners. Jazz in the Park brings smooth jazz to Big Spring Park (200 Church St.), Sundays in September. After a hiatus this year, Tennessee Valley Jazz Society plans on rebooting its Jazz-N-June/Jazz on the Mountain concerts in 2019, according to the organization's website.

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The Daves

Although they'd never describe themselves this way, bluesman "Microwave" Dave Gallaher and rock musician Dave Anderson are twin towers of Huntsville live music. Both have toured the world (Gallaher's band The Nukes, a hit with European listeners; Anderson opened for the likes of Van Halen as a member of Brother Cane and now does festivals with jazzy Southern rockers Atlanta Rhythm Section). But many weeks we can hear these two talented pros (separately perform) in our own backyard, at venues including SideTracks, Humphrey's and A.M. Booth's Lumberyard ( 108 Cleveland Ave. N.W.).

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Vinyl wonderland

Vertical House Records (located at Lowe Mill, 2211 Seminole Drive) is hands-down one of the Southeast's strongest record stores. In addition to the significant and eclectic stock, Vertical House owners (and married couple) Andy and Ashley Vaughn are a key reason for the store's success. Their attitude is refreshingly non-snooty. They're just as cheerful if you buy a Ratt record or a Radiohead record.

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Bob Gathany/bgathany@al.com

Scenic sounds

Three Caves (901 Kennamer Drive SE.) and Burritt on the Mountain (3101 Burritt Drive S.E.) are picturesque outdoor settings to catch a show. Three Caves is a former limestone quarry and offers a semi-subterranean, naturalistic vibe. Burritt on the Mountain is all about skyline, sunsets, city lights and stars.

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Matt Wake/mwake@al.com

Music media

Friday nights get wonderfully weird on local public station WLRH-89.3 FM, with 7 p.m. airings of Brad Posey's "Invisible City" program, which spotlights local band as well more widely-known and often "left of the dial" groups. (The show repeats 10 p.m. Saturdays.) WLRH just launched a new all-local music show, Valley Sounds, 9 p.m. Saturdays. Microwave Dave hosts self-descriptively-titled "Talkin' the Blues" show, 6 - 8 Tuesdays on WJAB-90.9 FM and 8 - 9 p.m. Saturdays on WLRH. TV sho/podcast Know Huntsville interviews and features live studio performances from local/regional musicians, and hosts Tom Patterson and Joe Orozco are witty and entertaining. Nonprofit online venture Spice Radio transmits local tunes and Huntsville-centric podcasts. With industry-wide shifts and challenges in 21st century text-based media, music calendars Huntsville fans used to find in a certain weekly entertainment tab or alt-weekly are no more. However, upstart huntsvillemusic.com has stepped up to fill that void, in terms of maintaining a local music calendar.

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Sex Clark Five

Possibly Huntsville's best song-oriented band ever, '80s underground-rockers Sex Clark Five, are still making music and even emerge for the occasional live show. SC5's latest album, "Ghost Brigade," is surprisingly vibrant for a group that's been together for 30-plus years. The band's primary songwriters James Butler and Rick Storey continue to channel influences like The Who and T. Rex to make their own two-minute masterpieces, including early classics like "If You See Her With Me (Let Me Know)" and recent cuts such as "Raymond and Christabel."

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The Oakwood connection

Oakwood University's musical products have included a cappella Grammy magnets Take 6, former "The Sing-Off" TV show champs Committed and R&B hit-maker Bryan McKnight. The university's intriguing music history goes back much further. Virtually at the height of his career, 1950s music pioneer Little Richard quit showbiz to enroll at Oakwood to study theology, before eventually returning to rock in the mid-60s.

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Seminole Strut

Young rockers Seminole Strut recently dropped their latest and most accomplished release to date, the LP "Haint Blue." Guitar parry and thrust, howl-at-the-moon vocals, electronic accentuation - it's all in there.

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New blood

A new musical perspective, platform or approach can shake things up, often in a good way. Independent concert promoter Patrick Chesnut has brought a nuanced ear and flair for avoiding the obvious in bringing quality bookings like William Tyler, Deslondes, Steelism and others to the Huntsville area. (Next up, a July 22 Yellowhammer Brewing show featuring Rosali and Nathan Bowles.) In advance of a planned amphitheater and music hall at MidCity, that multipurpose development at the former Madison Square Mall site on University Drive has opened a charming, cozy outdoor venue called The Camp (5903 University Drive N.W.). Hi Fry, formerly known as The Palace, is putting on DIY house shows featuring an assortment of travelling and local rock 'n' roll weirdos. In one of the most radical Huntsville musician makeovers in recent memory, rockabilly singer Tony Perdue has rebranded as synth-pop crooner Tony Perdue Overdrive.

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Concerts on the Dock

If you want an example of how free live music can work well in Huntsville, Lowe Mill's outdoor series Concerts on the Dock is a good place to start. It's affordable ($5 for parking is all you pay to attend, and you can bring in food and drink). It's convenient (6-9 p.m. Fridays in spring and fall). The lineup is diverse (acts ranging from blues to electronic have graced the COD stage). And, it's in-tune with Huntsville sensibilities (it's both dog and kid-friendly while still fun for adults).

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Tangled String Studios

By booking Grammy winners, elite Americana acts and top regional bands, Tangled String, located at Lowe Mill, has quickly become one of Alabama's best listening-room style venues - even though Tangled String started as (and is primarily) a guitar shop. An example of a musical experience people are willing to pay for in Huntsville. Tangled String shows aren't always cheap - tickets often range in the $20 to $40 zone - but since they've built a rep for strong acts and fans can bring in their own libations, these shows (which have brought in the likes of Patterson Hood and Rich Robinson) often sell-out.

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Matt Wake/mwake@al.com

Dive time

Every city needs a proper dive-bar or few. Sports Page Lounge & Deli (9009 Memorial Pkwy. S.W.) and Copper Top (200 Oakwood Ave. N.E.) both fit that description and host local and regional guitar bands, including the occasional, rare show here by Daikaiju, the raucous, masked, world-touring and Huntsville-founded surf-rock ensemble.

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Monkey business

A bohemian space at Lowe Mill, Flying Monkey Arts hosts intermittent live music from rising regional acts (breakthrough bands Alabama Shakes and St. Paul and The Broken Bones played there, early in their careers). The space is now more often used for yoga, poetry, swing dancing, film screenings, indie comedy and other activities, but it retains an interesting potential for DIY-ish live music.

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Matt Wake/mwake@al.com

Instrumental instruments

Tangled String cofounder Danny Davis uses his background in rocket science to craft stunning acoustic guitars. Over at his 200 Oakwood Ave. shop, Tom Shepard builds compelling electric guitars, putting a twist on traditional designs. Quirky, imaginative, distinctive: Cigar box guitars are so Huntsville, and with the Cigar Box Guitar Festival (held at Lowe Mill) and makers here (such as John Nickel, whose shop is at Lowe Mill), these funky instruments are closely associated with the city.

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Industry pros

Huntsville is home to a pocket of behind-the-scenes music industry pros. These include touring vets like: Michael Wiesman, who spent decades on the road as a rigger and other capacities with Queen, Rolling Stones and other classic-rock titans; Charlie Sanderson, Hank Williams Jr. tour manager and formerly with Stevie Wonder; and Nick Ohl, who's worked as a tech for the likes of Eminem, John Legend and Alanis Morissette. Recording studio figures here include longtime Sound Cell owner Doug Jansen Smith, former Muscle Shoals Sound owner Noel Webster and Gus Hergert III's analog-oriented Downing Sound.

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Bob Gathany/bgathany@al.com

The classics

Since 2010, Twickenham Fest has featured more than 100 world-class classical/chamber musicians, at around 50 free concerts, for almost 9,000 fans. New York based opera star Susanna Phillips and bassoonist Matthew McDonald co-founded the event to make their style of music more accessible here. Broadway Theatre League brings in an array of musicals to Huntsville, with titles in recent ranging from "Kinky Boots" (with Cyndi Lauper-penned music and lyrics) to "American Idiot" (based on Green Day's 2004 rock opera LP of the same name). Huntsville Symphony Orchestra not only interprets Tchaikovsky, Ravel, Beethoven and other classical masters, but also digs into pop (Beach Boys), movie themes (John Williams) and even occasionally hosts acts like New Orleans faves Preservation Hall Jazz Band.

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Matt Wake/mwake@al.com

Songwriter spotlights

A former member of '60s Los Angeles garage-rockers The Kitchen Cinq, Jim Parker has hosted his Songwriters Series in Huntsville since the mid-90s. The recurring shows spotlight tunesmiths behind tracks cut by Miranda Lambert, Bonnie Raitt, Kenny Chesney, B.B. King and other well-known artists. Listen Local, often hosted by bluesy acoustic musician Alan Little, as its appellation suggests, highlights Huntsville-connected acts such as Ingrid Marie Felts, Ricky J Taylor and Mike Roberts.

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File/Courtesy Stephen Moss

Startlingly Fresh Records

Art pop (Kat Elizabeth). Alt-rock (Dawn Osborne Band, Rotobaby). Blues (Brandon Worthy). Jazz (Keith Taylor Trio). Spoken word (Duke Way). Instrumentals (John Onder). Those are just a few types of albums Huntsville label Startlingly Fresh Records has released over the last decade or so. Many of the releases are produced and/or recorded by Huntsville music fixture, bassist deluxe and rockabilly guitar ace, Jim Cavender.

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Rap pedigree

Earlier this decade, Huntsville became an unlikely hotbed of underground rap, with artists like Jackie Chain. Local label Slow Motion Soundz was "blog famous," releasing galactic productions by the Block Beattaz and even landing a track, G-Side's "Relaxin'," in smash-hit video game "Grand Theft Auto V." Who's to say a new wave of underground rappers can't take off from the Rocket City?

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Festivals: established, new, etc.

Each spring, Panoply, a visual arts festival, and WhistleStop, a barbecue competition, also feature live music. Recent performers at Arts Huntsville's Panoply have focused on Americana (Secret Sisters), folk (Indigo Girls) as well as local/regional acts. Headliners at EarlyWorks Children's Museum fundraiser WhistleStop often are nostalgically oriented, such as '90s hit-makers Spin Doctors or '80s Southern rockers Drivin' N' Cryin'. Since 2015, blues hero Microwave Dave is feted each year with Microwave Dave Day (June 24 in 2018), with an emphasis on top local bands and all-star jams. Smaller festivals getting off the ground in recent years have included Invisible Fest and Spice Fest, both local-centric. Huntsville Loud spotlights harder-edged groups like Go-Go Killers, a Huntsville combo that evokes Jerry Lee Lewis fronting The Stooges. After operating its first three years as Spring Fest at Yellowhammer Brewing, Tangled String Music Festival (yes, another Tangled String Studios offshoot) has a new name and new location (Big Spring Park) for its 2018 version (June 23), which features touring, handmade-music acts like Amanda Shires, Bloodkin and Cedric Burnside.

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Bob Gathany/bgathany@al.com

Arena and music hall

Plans for an amphitheater and new music halls have heated up in the last year. However, for now, if a big name - such as rap stars Migos, jam kings Tedeschi Trucks Band or legends like Bob Dylan, Dolly Parton, Alice Cooper or Elton John - plays Huntsville, it's at Von Braun Center (700 Monroe St.) The VBC's spaces include an arena, music hall and playhouse. Since opening in 1975, the facility has hosted countless legends, from Elvis Presley to Prince to Guns N' Roses.

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Know the past

Huntsville music fans of a certain age often pine for the days of yore and Kaffeeklatsch (the bar side), Crossroads and Tip Top Café. For good reason. Those now-defunct venues brought in the kinds of memorable shows (Townes Van Zandt, Jason Isbell, Avett Brothers, Bo Diddley, Widespread Panic, Levon Helm, etc.) that stick with you - as well as serving as hotspots young local bands aspired to play and seasoned ones relished. Large-scale, multi-day music fest Big Spring Jam may have bit the dust after 2011, as did many similar regional festivals of that nature around that time, but during its heyday the Jam gave music fans here something big to look forward to each year. It's probably futile to try to reanimate any of the above ventures. But when considering Huntsville's musical future it's helpful to understand why many people miss them.