Here We Rest: The first motto of Jason Isbell's home state got changed in the early part of last century to a Latin phrase that translates to "we dare defend our rights". What starts out as peaceful idyll descends into a defensive posture with the threat of bellicosity just beneath the surface. That's what tough times will do to a people.
Jason Isbell's home is northern Alabama, a region that has been hit especially hard in the recent economic downturn. "The mood here has darkened considerably," says Jason. "There is a real culture around Muscle Shoals, Florence and Sheffield of family, of people taking care of their own. When people lose their ability to do that, their sense of self dissolves. It has a devastating effect on personal relationships, and mine were not immune."
with Shovels & Rope; Saturday, September 3, 2011. 9pm. $12 advance / $15 day of show. Advance tickets available online and at our local outlets.
On June 7, 2011, the Appleseed Cast introduced its latest offering, the Middle States EP via Graveface Records. Since forming in 1997, the Appleseed Cast has morphed from one of the definitive bands of the emo era into a group that has continued to open up the possibilities of rock music. Whether cloaked in delicate melodies, atmospherics and instrumental experimentation, or stripped down to the band’s spin on the basics of rock ‘n’ roll, with each new recording fans around the world have learned to expect the unexpected.
Middle States seems an appropriate title for the band’s latest release. It could be read as signifying the band’s home town of Lawrence, Kansas (a “middle” state if there ever was one), the EP’s place in the trajectory of the band’s career, a piece that alludes to its progress between its gripping seventh album, Sagargatha (2009) and it’s already eagerly-anticipated eighth record (due out on Graveface in early 2012). Or, as the title track suggests, the middle stages and transitional periods of life. Heard through the lush, brightly textured harmonies led by singer and co-founder Chris Crisci, change is a pretty alright thing.
Sunday, August 28, 2011. 8:30pm. $10 advance / $12 day of show. Advance tickets available online and at our local outlets.
Brian McGee - Southwind from Live & Breathing on Vimeo.
Having spent his musical adolescence in Pennsylvania playing in punk rock bands, Brian McGee is not the most natural figurehead for a movement of new Americana rock. But after living in Western North Carolina for the last ten years and absorbing the sounds and culture of the region, McGee has milled a new angle into his songwriting palette and taken to fusing his punk rock heritage to raw country sounds. Once it became obvious to him that Iggy Pop and The Carter Family played the same three chords, McGee was off and running.
Come bid fare thee well to one of Asheville's best and beloved. Saturday, August 20, 2011. 9pm. $8 advance / $10 day of show. Advance tickets available online and at our local outlets.
9pm. $12 advance / $14 day of show. Advance tickets are available online and at our local outlets. Thursday, August 11, 2011
