Mason Adams
Mason Adams writes from the Blue Ridge Mountains, where he's covered business, politics and culture since 2001.
How the Destruction of Appalachia Inspired Its Black Metal Scene
Stream the new LP from Pittsburgh's Slaves BC, and explore how Appalachian black metal artists find inspiration from beauty and destruction.
A Massive Strike Is Actually Working
A weeklong holdout over teacher pay that seemed to end after the Republican governor made major salary promises dragged into Thursday. It could resonate in November and beyond.
Roanoke's Gay Bar Scene Will Never Be the Same
It's the end of an era for a bar culture that survived a mass shooting and 35 years of social change.
Don't Call Appalachia 'Trump Country' Just Yet
The famously downtrodden, heavily white region fell hard for Donald Trump. Will he deliver?
Inside the Burger Restaurant Where Hank Williams Uttered His Last Words
Country music legend has it that Hank Williams died outside of—or shortly after leaving—the Burger Bar in Bristol, Virginia. And ever since then, the restaurant has capitalized on the hazy story surrounding Williams' fatal overdose.
How Cannibal Corpse's 'Tomb of the Mutilated' Got Me into Young Thug
Why it's worth sticking with difficult art.
Frying All the Way to the Bank: Inside the Battle for Bigger, Badder State Fair Food
The vendors behind such creations as funnel-fried bacon on a stick and hot beef sundaes hustle in the offseason to invent—or steal—the next headline-generating fair food, all in service of generating buzz and a bump in their profit margin.
How Ralph Stanley Overcame Tragedy and the Persistence of Time to Change Country Music
A look back at the Virginia legend, whose influence on country and bluegrass will continue for generations.
The Strange and Enduring Afterlife of Spazz, Powerviolence, and Slap a Ham Records
Sweat to the oldies with two reissued classics from the seminal Bay Area powerviolence band.
The Syrian-Lebanese Cuisine of the Appalachian City Whose Mayor Doesn't Want Refugees
In November, Roanoke mayor David Bowers cited Japanese internment camps as a reason why the city shouldn’t accept Syrian refugees, completely disregarding the culinary contributions of the many Syrians who migrated here over the past century.
666 Pennsylvania Avenue: How Will Your Vote Affect the Future of Metal?
We predicted each candidate's probable effects on popular music, from a Rubio hip-hop explosion to a Clinton anarcho-punk wave.
How Hip-Hop and Country Music Helped Aung San Suu Kyi Win Myanmar's Historic Democratic Election
Never underestimate the power of a catchy campaign track.