For Raleigh, North Carolina, chef Ashley Christensen music and food don't lie. They cut to the quick of life, say things you can't, conjure sentiments you think you've forgotten.

It’s a gloomy day here in Charleston, so we’ve decided to turn the volume up on some Christmas tunes. We polled everyone here at the G&G office for their favorite Christmas songs and this is what we got—a little bit funk, a little bit instrumental, and some Southern classics, naturally. What would Christmas be without Alabama’s "Christmas in Dixie?" Sing along, everybody and let us know your favorites, below.

This winter, bluegrass fans will board the Norwegian Sky for a four-day musical cruise, Mountain Song at Sea, with over 26 performances from 15 bluegrass bands, including Steep Canyon Rangers, David Grisman Sextet, Del McCoury Band, Tim O’Brien and Bryan Sutton, and the Punch Brothers

Seven years ago, local New Orleans musicians Alex McMurray of the band Tin Men and his buddy Chaz Leary were lamenting the difficulty of securing a place on stage at the city’s annual Jazz Fest. So, motivated by a mix of frustration and inspiration, they decided to throw their own musical gathering, dubbed ChazFest. Held last week on May 2, the backyard Bywater event drew music enthusiasts from around America. For seven hours, grassroots acts of all sorts rocked the two small stages, playing to packed crowds.