Cary Guitar Lessons

CGL co-owner/instructor Mike Krause coincidentally (or not..? 🌬️🧘‍♂️🏔️🇮🇳) just recently got back from a two week trip through the state of Tamil Nadu in India. Great story and connection to that very same place and its literary traditions right here in the Triangle!

"'Feel the Spark': Apex music producer says he's shocked his music video went viral

The “Feel the Spark” music video, produced by Apex resident Raleigh Rajan, was viewed more than 4 million times on YouTube in less than 10 days. Rajan said most of the views come from Europe, the United States, South Korea and India.

By Ashley Rowe, WRAL anchor/reporter

An Apex-based composer and music producer says he is shocked to see the viral popularity of his latest song, “Feel the Spark.”

“We were shocked, we don’t know why, what’s happening,” said Raleigh Rajan, who produced the song for the Livingtamillitfest, a Tamil literature festival scheduled for April 3-4 in New York City.

The “Feel the Spark” music video was viewed more than 4 million times on YouTube in less than 10 days. Rajan said most of the views come from Europe, the United States, South Korea and India.

“It has somehow, somewhere a global appeal,” said Rajan.

The pop tune is a sort of love letter to literature, one of Rajan’s great passions. Much of his music incorporates famous literary prose, including one of his earliest hits, “Love is Not,” which uses classic quotes from Mark Twain. That song was included in the Indian film 4 Seasons in 2025.

“Feel the Spark” aims to celebrate the achievement and impact of Tamil modern literature. Rajan says he reached out to festival organizers with the idea of creating a song to promote the event, which started the journey of producing it.

“I am taking some of the great work, some of the great names in literature to the world. So from that perspective, I feel I’m lucky,” Rajan said. “I’m able to do something to take it forward, take it to a wider audience."

The vocals of the song come from North Carolina-based Ciera Dumas, who was a contestant on “The Voice” in 2019. Rajan says he often uses North Carolina-based artists in his music, often string musicians with the Durham Symphony Orchestra, Inc. and North Carolina Symphony.

Rajan hopes his big hit “Feel the Spark” will open the door for more people to learn about Tamil modern literature – and literary greats.”

'Feel the Spark': Apex music producer says he's shocked his music video went viral The “Feel the Spark” music video, produced by Apex resident Raleigh Rajan, was viewed more than 4 million times on YouTube in less than 10 days. Rajan said most of the views come from Europe, the United States, South Korea and India.

A feature from Raleigh’s Walter WALTER Magazine on local businesses that included Cary Guitar Lessons! There are some minor errors; incorrect dates, mis-credited credits (as outlined on his website Mike Krause has done session work with the wonderful original bassist of Ben Folds Five, Robert Sledge, but has never played on their records), Blair Linthicum actually teaches all ages, not only kids, etc but, as the saying goes, any press is good press! :) Enjoy! 🙏🎼🎶🎸

https://waltermagazine.com/community/people/hitting-its-stride/

Hitting its stride by Jessie Ammons

illustrations by Emily Brooks

“Consider Cary. “Everybody thinks there’s Raleigh and then all the other towns and cities outside of it. That’s really not the case,” says the town’s downtown manager, Ted Boyd. “Cary has exponentially grown.” According to the latest statistics, he’s right: The town’s population is three-and-a-half times larger than it was 25 years ago and has grown 13 percent in the past five years alone, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

With its growth have come various “best of” accolades, many in the same vein as the Oak City’s – best place to live, number one city to get a job, top place for technology jobs. But growth and top rankings aside, Cary’s many planned suburban developments and its proximity to RTP and downtown Raleigh have long given the town the reputation as a bedroom community, a suburban traffic jam. “I thought Cary was a place to get lost,” admits Alisa Huffman, president of the Heart of Cary Association. A self-proclaimed former “Raleigh snob,” Huffman moved to Cary in 2000. To her delight, the move was a breath of fresh air. “People here are friendly and welcoming, through and through. It really is a small town.” Finally, the small town’s downtown is catching up with its growth, rising to meet the expectations of its true believers and newest fans. Chatham and South Academy Streets are in the midst of major revitalization efforts that combine the restoration of historic buildings and the construction of trendy new haunts. Here are a few highlights.

Familiar tune

Across the street from Pharmacy and The Cary is an unassuming shopping center where, if you look closely, humble signage indicates the location of Cary Guitar Lessons. It has no need to be obvious. “Our schedule has been full ever since we opened,” says Cary Guitar Lessons teacher and co-owner Mike Krause. He founded the school with business partner Blair Linthicum in 2011. The two met teaching at a now-defunct nearby instruction center and decided to strike out on their own, but both men say the positive reception has been continually humbling. “There’s no better compliment than to have our name passed along to another person, which is where a majority of our business comes from,” co-owner Linthicum says.

What sets Cary Guitar Lessons apart is a comprehensive approach. “We merge an enormous amount of practical real world experience with an academic background,” Krause says. He went to Berklee College of Music in Boston before embarking on a solo guitar career, including playing on the albums of North Carolinians Tift Merritt and Ben Folds Five. Linthicum is a lifetime musician who began playing at age 10 and today divides his time between teaching and directing contemporary youth worship at Edenton Street United Methodist Church in downtown Raleigh. His Cary students are mainly children, and Krause’s are mainly teenagers and adults.

From their Chatham Street vantage point, Krause and Linthicum have seen downtown change enormously in the past 16 years. Students used to drive in for their lesson and leave: Now, they meet friends afterward to hang out. They’re excited to plug into The Cary Theater's open-mic nights and live performance programming, and they’ll continue to welcome hopeful musicians. “We’re going to keep on keeping on,” Krause says. “There’s a thriving situation in Cary, and this teaching gig is totally great. We love it.””

Hitting its stride - WALTER Magazine by Jessie Ammons illustrations by Emily Brooks Consider Cary. “Everybody thinks there’s Raleigh and then all the other towns and cities outside of it. That’s really not the case,” says the town’s downtown manager, Ted Boyd. “Cary has exponentially grown.” According to...

Hi all, just an FYI that (after 26 years; workin' on that curve 😄) Cary Guitar Lessons (Mike Krause & Blair Linthicum) finally made an 'official' Instagram page at https://www.instagram.com/caryguitarlessons/. We're going to be promoting anything and everything guitar/bass related, special area shows and just generally musically superior stuff on it. We'd really appreciate your heading over there and following us! 🙏🎼🎶🎸

In from CGL co-owner/instructor Mike Krause; hope to see some of you there!:

"We had a blast at the 'Psychedelic Sunday' we did in August (https://www.instagram.com/reel/DM6RuK8PHac/) and looking forward to 'reduxing' tonight from 6-8pm! This shindig is fantastic shot in the arm for the local scene thanks to the Berkeley Cafe & Eye Level Events! 🎼🎶🎸🥁🎸🌬🌊🐠🏄🏽‍♂️☀️🌈🏝

From CGL co-owner/instructor Mike Krause: "Just finished up some backfill prep on an all time favorite, the John Knowles arrangement of the Chet Atkins recording of Scott Joplin's classic 'The Entertainer'. This is for my seventh grade student Olivia who's been simply crushing multiple genres; classical, fingerstyle, rock, etc. Go Olivia! 🧑🏻‍🎓👍🎼🎶🎸