Shinyribs w/ Patrick Sweany
– ALL AGES- STANDING ROOM ONLYSHINYRIBSShinyribs defies genres as a sonic melting pot of Texas Blues, New Orleans R&B funk, horndriven Memphis Soul, country twang, border music, big band swing, and roots-rock. The Austin based nine-piece (sometimes 10-piece) supergroup is led by Kevin Russell, the charismatic frontman with colorful suits and extravagant shoes who continuously swaps out an electric guitar for a ukulele and never falls short of creating a cinematic experience with on-stage antics that often include him donning a light-up cloak or leading a conga line through the crowd. Shinyribs’ new record – Transit Damage (July 2023 on Blue Elan / Hardcharger Records) is, in Russell’s words, “the record I’ve been trying to make for most of my career. This is a collection of songs that relate to each other in a myriad of ways: musically, lyrically, emotionally. It’s a real throwback to the era of complete albums, and draws from songs I’ve written throughout my life. I hope listeners can take the time to fully immerse themselves in the whole thing.”To help him flesh this collection out, Russell picked producer and longtime friend Steve Berlin (from Los Lobos) to help him arrange and record Transit Damage. Together they chose to work at another auspicious location, The Finishing School studios in Austin. The Finishing School is housed in the former home of Austin legend George Reiff (The Chicks, Bruce Robison, Ray Wylie Hubbard) who engineered and produced Shinyribs’ debut Well After Awhile back in 2010. Reiff, a close personal friend of Russell’s, tragically passed away from cancer in 2017, yet his legacy lives on. His home studio was refurbished by Band of Heathens’ Gordy Quist, and reopened a couple years ago with acclaimed engineer Jim Vollentine. Berlin helped source a number of auxiliary players around town to help expand the Shinyribs sound, and realize Russell’s bigger vision. Shinyribs’ bassist Mason Hankamer also lent some producing skills, helping arrange many of the songs.Shinyribs was named Best Austin Band at the Austin Chronicle’s Austin Music Awards (2017, 2018), awarded Album of the Year for I Got Your Medicine (2017), and Best 2020-Themed Song for “Stay Home” (2020). Russell’s Shinyribs have recorded seven previous albums: 2010’s Well After Awhile; Gulf Coast Museum (2013); Okra Candy (2015); 2017’s award-winning I Got Your Medicine; a compilation of holiday standards and new compositionsThe Kringle Tingle (2018); and the group’s latest soulful release, Fog & Bling (2019); and Late Night TV Gold, (2021). PATRICK SWEANY Patrick Sweany lives for the Grooves. Whether it’s the ones he records on his albums, the ones he lays down with his band on the stage, or the ones that define his days writing songs and living life in his E. Nashville neighborhood, the Grooves are what have propelled Sweany through 20+ years of performing and recording across 8 studio albums and dozens of countries around the world. Being in the Groove is Sweany’s recipe for success.To say 2020 has disrupted these Grooves, is a severe understatement. The cancellation of live music in the U.S. for the past several months initially ground Sweany’s Groove to a halt. However, it hasn’t all been bad. The time away from the road and away from the studio has forced some introspection and reflection.
Pierce Edens Album Release Show
– ALL AGES- STANDING ROOM ONLYPIERCE EDENS A Life In Trade, the fifth studio album from Asheville-based Pierce Edens, is due September 15, 2023. Come help us celebrate with his Album Release Party, here at the Grey Eagle! Edens’ artistic nature spans multiple disciplines. A veteran touring musician, he has alternated seamlessly between a breakneck life on the road and long stints at his idyllic family homestead for the better part of a decade. In 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic halted almost all aspects of daily life, Edens embraced solitary living on his multi-acre property, tending religiously to the land before an enthusiastic digital audience. For months on end, Edens would share raw, unprompted videos of solo porch-picking sessions, farm tours, and heartfelt sit-down conversations with his social media fans. Through his relatability, he colored beautifully those things that were difficult to find at the time – a sense of belonging and purpose, humor, and normalcy. Despite the abysmal nature of the time, creative inspiration was in generous supply. The therapeutic act of shepherding his land not only rewarded Edens in harvest, it uncovered a rich garden bed of imagination, sprouting seeds for new song ideas and rogue lyrics that would eventually make up A Life In Trade. Honoring the magic of collaboration, the title A Life in Trade harkens back to a business deal that Edens made with Mike Savino of the bands Tall Tall Trees and Kishi Bashi. Savino, in search of a carpenter to help him build a recording studio, called on Edens, whom he knew had the skills and experience to bring his vision to life. In lieu of payment, the musicians traded time for time: building for recording; trim for tracking; flooring for mixing; soundproofing for sound making. The byproducts of such an agreement reached further than either one of them could predict. Memorializing a unique chapter of uncertainty and estrangement in our global fabric, the 40-minute listen underwrites the beauty and long-lasting impact of connection in spite of the hurdles such an era presents. With acceptance and appreciation for the cards dealt before him, Edens offers his contribution to the tapestry of today, sewing heirloom seeds to be enjoyed by future generations. A Life in Trade will be available for streaming, download, and purchase on September 15, 2023. Listen to the first single, “I Don’t Want to Live on the Moon” now wherever you hear music. For more information on Pierce Edens, visit pierceedens.com/. MOSES ATWOOD
PATIO: Will Overman (solo)
– ALL AGES- LIMITED PATIO SEATING IS FIRST COME, FIRST SERVEDWILL OVERMAN Making a living in music isn’t easy, especially when it seems like listeners’ tastes change with the wind and algorithms are updated constantly, teasing artists with catching the elusive dollar. Central VA based singer-songwriter Will Overman however; has found a way to thrive in a seemingly constant state of transition. Will Overman’s music can be best described as Country-Americana, but it’s not your typical Country-Americana sound. Sonically it is restless by nature, always searching for something new, and with Will’s heart-worn lyrics and dynamic vocal delivery, it makes for a memorable mixture that is hard to place but easy to love. Born and raised in Virginia Beach, Will began writing songs after picking up the guitar in high school. He quickly built a regional following, and despite taking time to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail and move to Vermont for a semester of college, he capitalized on his move back to Virginia the following spring by forming the Will Overman Band. The Southern Rock ‘n Roll influenced Americana project released two EPs and an LP, playing bar gigs and festival slots (Merlefest, Appaloosa Music Festival, Rooster Walk) up and down the East Coast until in the spring of 2017, when Will graduated from UVA and the band decided to go their separate ways.Although he was unsure what to do next, Will began working on his first solo release – 2017’s Crossroads EP with a studio band of some nationally known musicians (Johnny Stubblefield – Parachute, Sam Wilson – Sons of Bill) and good friends from the central VA music scene. Though proud of the final product, following its release, Will took a step back from music for over a year as he re-evaluated whether he could build a sustainable career as a writer and touring musician. Even while putting distance between himself and music, Will couldn’t keep himselffrom writing new songs, and following a return to Virginia in mid-2019, Will went back into the studio to record the songs that would form his debut LP The Winemaker’s Daughter.Following the successful and well-received release of the debut single “Something to Hold” from The Winemaker’s Daughter on February 14, 2020, Will hit the road on his first major solo tour two weeks later – just as the pandemic started shutting down the world. Canceled and indefinitely postponed gigs quickly piled up, but rather than stop making or releasing music Will continued on, dropping singles from the album while garnering international media attention and radio play. Since breaking the ice on his own return to live shows in April 2021 to celebrate the release of The Winemaker’s Daughter in February 2021 (almost a year to the day after the release of the initial single), Will has put tens of thousands of miles on his van while traveling from shows anywhere from Savannah to Minneapolis to Boston and everywhere in between. Armed with a powerful voice and powerful convictions, Will Overman is slowly but surely building a name for himself performing throughout the east coast at venues and festivals such as (The Jefferson Theater, Fall for Greenville, The Basement) and supporting artists like (Joe Pug, Christian Lopez, Dead Horses, Grady Spencer & the Work, etc.). Regardless of whether you get a first listen of Will at the next show or song on shuffle, you can be sure that it won’t be long before you know his songs by heart.
OUTPOST: Rooster
– ALL AGES- STANDING ROOM ONLY- RAIN OR SHINEAsheville band Rooster is Annie Myers and Erin Kinard and was formed in 2016 around a campfire, but the two had performed separately for many years prior. Since then, they have performed throughout Western North Carolina, creating new songs and arrangements of beloved Americana. They perform an energetic combination of folk-country and classic Americana, driven by their powerful vocal harmony and soulful drum/guitar instrumentation. Rooster’s debut album ‘Bloodroot’ was recorded in Swannanoa in 2019, released in March of 2020 and made it on WNCW’s top 100 albums of that year. Their orchestrations are clean and uncluttered but with a raw, gritty edge. They seem right at home in a coffee house, wine bar, brew pub, honky-tonk or at a backyard barbecue.
Tyler Ramsey at Asheville Masonic Temple
– ALL AGES- SEATED SHOW- AT ASHEVILLE MASONIC TEMPLE (80 BROADWAY ST) TYLER RAMSEY Praised by NPR, Stereogum, WNYC and The Huffington Post, Tyler Ramsey is a multi-instrumentalist equally at home playing guitar, piano, keyboards, bass and percussion, but is best known as a talented finger-style guitarist and singer-songwriter. In addition to having released three acclaimed solo albums, Ramsey is perhaps most immediately recognizable, until his recent departure, as the guitarist and a co-writer in Band Of Horses, having played with them since 2007, prior to the release of their breakthrough album, “Cease To Begin.” A well-established and acclaimed guitar player and singer in the burgeoning western North Carolina music scene, where he calls home, he first learned to play music on piano before moving to the guitar. Ramsey grew up listening to and studying country-blues guitar players like Mance Lipscomb and Mississippi John Hurt, and American finger pickers like John Fahey and Leo Kottke, absorbing their sound and making it all his own.
Cole Ritter & The Night Owls + Vaden Landers
– ALL AGES- STANDING ROOM ONLYCOLE RITTER AND THE NIGHT OWLSFounded in 2019, Cole Ritter and The Night Owls have since been pioneering new sonic spaces and finding their very own home-grown sound that is completely new, yet nostalgic. This award-winning band is helmed by Cole Ritter, a Nashville Native who has devoted his life to music. Cole was featured on Season 20 of American Idol and was chosen as Hunter Girl’s duet partner. Ritter’s songwriting draws inspiration from many genres including country, rock, folk, and the blues.The Allstar backing band, The Night Owls, features a lineup of some of Nashville’s best and brightest up-and-coming instrumentalists and musicians. The Night Owls are made up of Alex Barcic on Pedal Steel Guitar, Tom Davis on Upright Bass, Christian Starrett on Guitar, and Matt Martirano on drums. Cole Ritter and The Night Owls were chosen as the winner of Belmont’s University’s “Country Showcase” in 2020. Cole Ritter and The Night Owls are quickly rising and can’t wait to share their music with the world!VADEN LANDERSVaden Landers is a 27 year old multi-instrumentalist from Eastern TN. As a teen he set out traveling the American highways and railways, learning the ways of a travelermusician, and gaining hard-won life experience along the way. Vaden continued to hone his songwriting, singing, yodeling and picking skills while busking and touring from Alaska to Florida, turning heads as an exciting new player in the revival of the traditional country music scene and finetuning his original songs, which harken back to the golden days of country music. Blending influences from honky tonk, rockabilly, folk, blues, ragtime, jazz, western swing and old-time Appalachian, Vaden Landers brings new fire to a classic sound!
Buffalo Nichols
– ALL AGES- PARTIALLY SEATED SHOW (please note – guaranteed seating OR standing room ticket options)BUFFALO NICHOLSOn his second album, The Fatalist, Carl “Buffalo” Nichols does things with the blues that might catch you off guard. There’s 808 programming, chopped up Charley Patton samples, washes of synth. There’s a consideration of the fullness of the sonic stage and the atmospherics of the music that can only come with a long engagement with electronic music. But this is no gimmicky hybrid or attempt to turn the blues into 21st century music by simply dressing it with skittering hi-hats. Nichols’ vision for the blues is of a form of music that’s intimately tied to everyday life in 2023, something that’s reflected not only in the choice of instrumentation, but in the complexities of the songwriting and the gray areas his lyrics explore. This is music that comes straight from the present, and as such, it’s a reminder that the same shit that drove the first blues singers to pick up a guitar is still present behind the throbs of deep bass hits today. The Fatalist sounds unlike any blues record you’re likely to hear in 2023.Of course, Nichols’ songwriting has always been firmly rooted in the present. He proved he could succeed on the music industry’s own blues terms on his self-titled 2021 debut, whose songs, Bandcamp Daily said, “seem to flow from some great repository of emotion and insight.” The Fatalist finds him digging deeper in search of answers to ever-more-complicated questions around responsibility and self-definition, his plainspoken lyrics both cutting and refreshing in their sincerity and refusal to accept pat solutions. Over a guitar line that blisters and pops with bright sunshine, he holds forth on the simple everyday power of love in “Love is All,” and when he shades his optimism with a clear-eyed view of “bad behavior in the canon of good men,” as he sings, his guitar line goes cloudy with the thought. He slowly walks around a broken relationship in “The Difference,” trying to find the faults. It’s a decidedly modern breakup song, one steeped in moral ambiguity. “I just don’t know the difference between love and sympathy,” he sings, before hoping his once-beloved “won’t forget the one who kept your ego fed.”Still, Nichols rarely sounds like a blues singer. Like Leonard Cohen, he dominates these songs with his voice. His low, guttural baritone is high in the mix, and he sounds coiled, clenched tight. The slow drip of his songwriting lends The Fatalist an incredible amount of drama, which the production—at times dark and dewy and claustrophobic, at times zippy with light—further emphasizes. Nichols produced the album himself at home, having recently returned to Milwaukee following a few years in Austin.“Being back in Milwaukee reminded me of why I started making music in the first place. It got me away from the ‘industry-town’ mentality,” he says. “There’s definitely a certain work ethic that comes from being in a city like Milwaukee. There are no clear paths to success and not many examples of ‘making it,’ so people end up creating their own path and developing a broad skill set to sustain a career as an artist.”CROW BILLIKEN
OUTPOST: Sufi Brothers
– ALL AGES- STANDING ROOM ONLY- RAIN OR SHINEThe Sufi Brothers are Aaron “Woody” Wood on vocals and guitar and Jason Krekel on vocals, mandolin, guitar, and fiddle. We represent over 15 years of Americana from Asheville – as true locals that have played a diverse collection of venues from revivals to dive bars. The Sufi Brothers play an improvised set that starts with a tribute to country roots, blues, gospel, and folk, then travels a path unknown guided by an openness and sensitivity to each other and the universe. Like our namesake the Sufis – we let love and a higher power determine the course the music takes.
Chris McGinnis and Mamaw’s Angels
– ALL AGES- STANDING ROOM ONLYCHRIS McGINNIS AND MAMAW’S ANGELS North Carolina musician Chris McGinnis writes songs that exist somewhere in between a hiccup and a heartache. His last EP, 2019’s Songs For You, touches on the absurdity of your hometown morphing beyond recognition. It tells a story of two Baby Boomers drifting together from across the US into the Golden Gate City, then drifting apart, and then together again. It is about connection and disconnection alike. With his debut full-length album, Mamaw’s Angel, Chris veers deeper into these familiar themes. “I think this album is largely about manic loneliness. These songs are ultimately about people who are afraid of losing their relationships. They refuse to accept that they may have already lost these relationships, and they refuse to accept that they are to blame.” The manic aspect of the “manic loneliness” manifests itself in the album’s refusal to rest in one genre. “What If We Went to the Moon?” is what Chris describes as “a cosmic country song with a countrypolitan foundation.” Heartland rocker “Home Away From Home” has all the stomp and 12-string firepower to park a Wilbury. Other tracks like “Mailman’s Son” and “Old Chestnut” teeter between lo-fi indie folk and roots freak out. Tying all of these styles together are the lyrics and the characters at the center of them. Overbearing grandparents and stubborn grandchildren, washed-up fraternity brothers yearning for the New Year’s Eve parties of yesteryear, a missing Winnebago, a tree that just won’t quit, and other wild personalities run throughout the ten tracks found on Mamaw’s Angel. More than just a few are inspired by people and stories Chris had met and heard back towards his home in Western NC’s Linville Gorge Wilderness area. Mamaw’s Angel is a collection of sensationally-delivered tales about characters struggling on the sidelines of their own realities. “The characters in these songs are all incredibly flawed. I wanted to write songs that expressed truly ugly emotions. Loneliness, anger, denial, regret. The characters are all being eaten away by these feelings, and it motivates their words and actions. But I also think that that is how some of the absurdity is palatable.” Mamaw’s Angel was recorded at Clubmen Studio in Blairsville, GA, and produced by Atlanta-based artist Jacob Davis Martin. Among the musicians heard throughout the album are Asheville, NC’s Carly Taich, members of Asheville’s Jack Marion & the Pearl Snap Prophets, Atlanta-based strings trio Me Me Me, and Will Easter of Boone, NC.BOAT COMMANDBoat command consists of four main components: bass, keys, guitar, and drums. Occasionally accompanied by horns and/or vocals. Described by some as ‘post-lofi yacht hop’ the sound is founded in jazz and fusion roots yet sustained by the methodologies of more modern genres such as hip hop and electronic music. The philosophy is expressiveness through low volume and allowing space to be a fundamental piece of our delivery. The message is to embrace what boating can do for you.
OUTPOST: 54 Bicycles
– ALL AGES- STANDING ROOM ONLY- RAIN OR SHINE54 BicyclesA Charleston, SC based band of lifelong Widespread Panic fans and musicians aiming to capture the spirit, energy and intention of Mikey-Era panic shows in intimate venues.
