FREE SHOW – PATIO: Dave Desmelik with Laura Blackley
– FREE SHOW – ALL AGES- LIMITED PATIO SEATING IS FIRST COME FIRST SERVE DAVE DESMELIK “Desmelik delivers. He is reliable. He is tenacious, steadfast, and solid. His music is earthy and elemental, unpretentious and observational, and when he’s performing, his head is in the song he is playing for you and the rest of the audience.” -ashevillestages.com Dave Desmelik is a singer-songwriter and instrumentalist whose musical focus is on original compositions. What attracts listeners to Desmelik’s tunes, old and new, is the element of authenticity incorporated in them. There is no sugar coating involved. His songs are not wrapped in false smiles, rather they are stark and open and tend to settle on the pulse of everyday life. An unclosed and evolving journal of thoughts set to music and melodies in prose and instrumental performance. If you listen to Dave Desmelik’s songs, whether lyrical or instrumental, you may become pleasantly fixed in the simplistic realness of them and if you hear Desmelik in a live setting you may realize that there are no tricks, just a genuine venture into the highs and lows of life. Laura Blackley Laura Blackley has been making music in Western North Carolina for several years. She’s a singer, songwriter and guitarist who specializes in country, blues and rock with an emphasis on songwriting. BPR News
FREE PATIO SHOW: East Coast Dirt
– FREE SHOW – ALL AGES- LIMITED PATIO SEATING IS FIRST COME FIRST SERVE- DONATIONS FOR THE ARTISTS ENCOURAGED! VENMO: @BRAD-BOUGHTON EAST COAST DIRTAfter a 4 year break, the core three members of East Coast Dirt have decided to reunite and play their blend of originals and covers for the first time as a trio. East Coast Dirt was founded in 2005, and its core trio solidified in 2007. For nearly a decade, primary songwriters Brad Boughton, Wilson Hawes and Will Little morphed through different lineups, playing countless shows throughout the Southeast. Now the band is returning to old haunts and new venues alike to give crowds a taste of old-school Asheville, NC with a new guitar-led sensibility. The ECD sound has been reshaped with original songs and choice covers ranging from jammy psychedelia to full-force rock. Look for East Coast Dirt’s new album, “Polarization”, now on Spotify and other streaming services.
Sean Hayes
ALL AGES SEATED SHOW LIMITED NUMBER OF PREMIUM SEATING TICKETS AVAILABLE SEAN HAYES Sean Hayes is a San Francisco Bay Area-based singer-songwriter known for a unique, gritty blend of folk, soul, and R&B-inflected roots music. His sound has been described as dusty, warm, and effortless, featuring a gravelly, soulful voice that blends intimate storytelling with danceable rhythms. Hayes has collaborated and toured with artists including Aimee Mann, Frazey Ford, Charley Crockett, Jolie Holland, The Wood Brothers, Ani DiFranco and The Cold War Kids among many more; his work has been remixed by house DJ Mark Farina and featured on NPR, NBC and HBO. Known for his raw vocals and timeless songs, Hayes has built a loyal following across the country, whether stripped-down or with a full-band, his shows are simply a night of good music.
PATIO SHOW: TOMBOYY
– ALL AGES- LIMITED PATIO SEATING IS FIRST COME FIRST SERVETOMBOYY Minneapolis based duo, TOMBOYY is a doom country garage band specializing in dynamic sound and crowd appeal. Drummer Connie Guice cut her teeth in Pittsburgh PA and has played everything from metal, punk, blues, funk. Sarah Yribar grew up in St. Paul, Minnesota. She has been singing and playing music since a toddler, finding her voice and rhythm through soul, punk and investigation ever since. They met over a pool table and started playing music fall of 2022. They have united forces to bring a sound that is unique every time you hear it.
PATIO SHOW: Hillside Ramblers
– ALL AGES- LIMITED PATIO SEATING IS FIRST COME FIRST SERVEHILLSIDE RAMBLERS The Hillside Ramblers are a multi-generational folk trio from Asheville, NC, who first met as neighbors. They craft a combination of voices and instruments rooted in New England folk, Appalachian bluegrass, and traditional jazz. Deborah Silverstein spent decades as an award-winning singer-songwriter on the Boston folk scene, writing and performing original songs that linger with the audience long after the show ends. Her songs engage honestly with the full spectrum of the human experience, inviting listeners to feel the highs and lows in equal measure. Chris Cotteta delivers vocals and plays lead guitar with an energy that moves freely between country, folk, and jazz. He adds the same thoughtful touches to songs written a hundred years ago as to ones written yesterday. Maria Raiti plays upright bass and soulfully sings covers and originals. She also leads the prominent local bluegrass/Americana band, Asheville Junction. Together they blend their eclectic backgrounds and styles into a sound tapestry of musical harmony and storytelling that feels all at once fascinating, fresh, and as familiar as your front porch.
PATIO SHOW: Pleasure Chest
– ALL AGES- LIMITED PATIO SEATING IS FIRST COME FIRST SERVE PLEASURE CHEST Pleasure Chest cement their status as Asheville’s party band. If there ever was an “Unofficial Asheville Party Band,” Pleasure Chest is just that. The outfit ripped through its set of old-school blues and soul renditions during a late-night Funkatorium set. The pinnacle came with a rousing take on Elvis Presley’s “Suspicious Minds.” Pleasure Chest is a high energy Blues, Soul, Rock and Roll band hailing from Asheville NC. With the humor of Bo Diddley and Screamin’ Jay Hawkins to the swampy, dirty grit of Slim Harpo and Elmore James they’re guaranteed to please and get your booty shaking!
FREE PATIO SHOW: Meschiya Lake
– FREE SHOW – ALL AGES- LIMITED PATIO SEATING IS FIRST COME FIRST SERVE- DONATIONS FOR THE ARTISTS ENCOURAGED! MESCHIYA LAKELooking back, it’s no surprise that when a precocious nine year-old Meschiya Lake hit the stage for a singing contest at a Rapid City, South Dakota steakhouse, she already believed that she could hold her own with the best of them. She had been singing around the house, and competing against adults who thought she was “cute” didn’t intimidate her. When she won the contest – which came with $500 prize and a weekly in-house singing gig – it made sense that – in some form or another – the groundwork for a career had been laid, even if she didn’t realise it at the time. For several more years singing for fun and joy continued to trump music as vocation for Lake, but it was only in her early twenties during her stint as a member of the Know Nothing Family Zirkus Zideshow and End of the World Circus – a ragtag traveling troupe that blended traditional circus arts with modern sideshow entertainment – that she ultimately realised exactly what she wanted to do as an adult. Now steadfastly at the helm of her own musical battleship, things moved fast and far for Ms. Lake. The year 2010 saw their debut album, Lucky Devil, and the beginning of a decade’s worth of accolades, tours, and awards. From the stages of Lincoln Center in NYC, to Brazil, Canada, Denmark, The Netherlands, Italy, Russia, the U.K., and Ireland, she’s shown people to express love of life through music and dance. This passion, seemingly tireless energy, and expert skill has garnered much praise, from NPR’s top ten albums of 2010, to First Lady of Jazz 2013, at the Sun Valley Jazz Festival. But most importantly, back at home in New Orleans, Lake was recognised as Female Performer of the Year, three years running, at the Big Easy Awards, was named Best Female Singer in Offbeat Magazine’s Best of the Beat poll in 2013 and 2014, and in 2013 the Little Big Horns were honored with the Best of The Beat’s coveted Best Trad Band award. Along the way, Meschiya’s found the time to record, write, and produce another two albums with the Big Horns, Foolers’ Gold, and Bad Kid’s Club, as well as work in the studio as a vocalist with musicians like Alec Ounsworth of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, as well as singing for a gentleman by the name of Tom Waits. Her 2019 collaboration with Soren Siegumfeldt, This is Meschiya Lake, won the Danish Music Awards category of Best Vocal Jazz, otherwise known as the “Danish Grammy.” Meschiya Lake has come a long way since her South Dakota Opry and traveling circus days, and she’s not done yet. In fact, far from it. With upcoming plans for an all original solo album, and more great music from the Little Big Horns, as well as other projects, far and wide, friends and fans are sure to be continually inspired and delighted.
PATIO SHOW: Morgan Bevis of Shed Bugs
– ALL AGES- LIMITED PATIO SEATING IS FIRST COME FIRST SERVEMORGAN BEVIS OF SHED BUGS Morgan Bevis is a guitarist and songwriter based in Asheville, NC. Having established himself locally with his jam band ‘Shed Bugs,’ Morgan’s solo repertoire takes a step back from the sonic intensity of psychedelic rock to create a raw & stripped down acoustic experience. Listeners to his live performances can always expect a heavy mix of loops and improvisation in genres ranging from folk, blues, bluegrass, and country.
PATIO SHOW: Abe Reid
– ALL AGES- LIMITED PATIO SEATING IS FIRST COME FIRST SERVE ABE REIDAbe Reid is a North Carolina musician and one of the modern keepers of the Piedmont roots music tradition. Born in Forsyth County and raised in Statesville, Reid began playing guitar at a young age, developing a deep connection to the region’s historic finger-style traditions. His musical education came directly from the source. As a young player, he spent time with legendary Carolina musicians Guitar Gabriel and Cootie Stark, learning not only guitar technique but also the storytelling and spirit behind traditional American music. In the 1990s, Reid immersed himself in the life of a working musician, busking on the streets of New Orleans before returning to North Carolina’s music scene. He later helped form the roots band The Blue Rags, known for energetic performances and traditional sounds. Reid gained international recognition when he won the International Blues Challenge in Memphis—becoming the first solo performer to win the competition. Today, Abe Reid continues to perform, teach, and share the music of the American South, passing on knowledge learned from older musicians and decades on the road.
Aaron Lee Tasjan
ALL AGESSTANDING ROOM ONLY AARON LEE TASJAN Aaron Lee Tasjan was experiencing the worst bout of imposter syndrome of his career when he sat down and wrote Todd Snider a vulnerable email asking for advice. Tasjan, despite writing and recording some of the most astute Americana rock songs of the last decade and being nominated for a Grammy, just didn’t see a future for an independent singer, songwriter, and guitarist like himself. Snider read Tasjan’s email and immediately replied: “I think I have some ideas. I’ll write you back tomorrow.” The next morning, Tasjan awoke to a signature Todd Snider missive for how to move forward as an artist. It was a novel-length email that read like the battle plans for the Invasion of Normandy. Do this, Snider wrote. Then this. But never that. The specifics don’t matter — besides, that’d be giving away the secret — but Tasjan devoured his mentor’s words and took them to heart. He began writing feverishly, unbothered by expectations and immune to any pressure to match his acclaimed albums like In the Blazes, Karma for Cheap, or his most recent, 2024’s Stellar Evolution. When he was through, Tasjan had Get Over It, Underdog, his most inspiring LP to date. Produced by Tasjan and his longtime sound engineer Mark Miller, the album is a celebration of the power of songwriting, the unbreakable bond of friendship, and the determination of the dark horse. “I went to the ultimate oasis for a singer, songwriter, and troubadour: Todd Snider. And he said, in very Todd fashion, ‘You can find your path forward by going backwards,’” Tasjan says with a laugh. “But he was right. I set aside my ego, played shows solo without my band, and wrote a lot of songs. In that process, I found my confidence again.” Tragically, however, he lost his mentor. Snider died shortly after Get Over It, Underdog, was finished, leaving a void in the folk-rock scene that will prove nearly impossible to fill. But Tasjan is committed to carrying on Snider’s unbridled spirit and lifting up underdogs everywhere. MADELEINE KELSON Madeleine Kelson is a Nashville based Americana artist. She pulls from a rich tradition of Folk, Country, and Americana, challenging its boundaries as a queer artist to represent the modern world. Madeleine spent her high school years in Chicago band, The Kelson Twins, playing venues including House of Blues and Thalia Hall, and landing a top Daytrotter Session with Paste Magazine. She later moved to Music City to pursue a solo career. Inspired by artists like Patty Griffin, Jason Isbell, andBrandi Carlile, her dynamic and down-to-earth storytelling and rich vocals are part of why NPR named her one 10 Nashville artists on the rise.
