Joshua Ray Walker
ALL AGESSTANDING ROOM ONLY JOSHUA RAY WALKER Joshua Ray Walker is a Dallas-born Country/Americana songwriter known for vivid, character-driven storytelling and a rich tenor that blends classic Texas tradition with a modern emotional edge. Since his 2019 debut, he has built a catalog defined by sharp writing, dark humor, and deep empathy for complicated people, earning national television appearances, multiple Grand Ole Opry performances, and more than 2,000 shows across the U.S. and Europe. His sixth studio album, Ain’t Dead Yet, marks his most personal chapter to date. Recorded before, during, and after cancer treatment, (including sessions the day before lung surgery that could have permanently altered his voice), the record wrestles with mortality, gratitude, memory, and transformation. Sonically rooted in pedal steel, fiddle, and Walker’s signature guitar picking, it captures an artist confronting uncertainty with defiance , clarity, and hard-won joy. Across every release, from early character portraits to ambitious concept records, Walker’s through-line remains the same: songs that tell the truth, even when it’s uncomfortable. On Ain’t Dead Yet, he expands that hallmark into his most personal chapter yet, documenting a profound period of change and a hard-won second chance.
PATIO SHOW: Swift Silver
– ALL AGES- LIMITED PATIO SEATING IS FIRST COME FIRST SERVESWIFT SILVER Swift Silver is the musical partnership of Anna Kline and John Looney. For 15 years, they’ve cultivated a sound drawn from the well of Southern soul, blues, and Appalachian roots music. Anchored by Anna’s vivid lyrics and John’s masterful arrangements, Swift Silver’s songcraft stays true to the place that made them. As artists in the Kentucky Arts Council Performing Arts Directory, the duo shares their Southern sound widely, including international appearances such as Your Roots Are Showing in Killarney, Ireland. Swift Silver has appeared at major festivals across the region and abroad, performing at MerleFest, Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion, Master Musicians Festival, Suwannee Springfest, Sleeping in the Woods Songwriter Festival, and CountryFest in Belgium. Their music has also been featured on the Travel Channel’s Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern and ESPN’s True South (Season 5). Both artists remain deeply connected to the Appalachian music community, regularly collaborating with musicians across the region in songwriting, touring, and studio work. Anna’ssongs and poetry were featured in the 2025 Women of Appalachia Project anthology, and she co-wrote “Last Mule in the Holler” with Montana Hobbs of The Local Honeys. John has toured and recorded with artists including John R. Miller, The Local Honeys, Wayne Graham, and Carla Gover. Swift Silver is a torchbearer of Kentucky’s musical legacy and a powerful voice in Appalachia’s musical evolution. They are preparing to release a new album in 2026.
FREE PATIO SHOW: Stella Hansen
– FREE SHOW – ALL AGES- LIMITED PATIO SEATING IS FIRST COME FIRST SERVE STELLA HANSENStella Hansen, a Nashville native, embodies the sound of her hometown. Starting when she was just 4 years old, she would accompany her dad on his lunch break to the classic honky tonk, Robert’s Western World. This is one of the places she first fell in love with music. Stella grew up surrounded by the sweet sounds of traditional country music and old time alike. She often attended the square dances in her neighborhood and became entranced by the vibrant sound of the fiddles and banjos. Although let it be noted as a mandolin maker’s daughter, the mandolin will always be near and dear to her heart. This musical foundation pulled her towards the local two step dance halls in Nashville, where as a young adult, her passion was reignited. Stella Hansen’s long-awaited debut EP, Going to Portland, out now, captures the raw emotions of leaving home for the first time. It’s a snapshot, written when Stella was just 18, offering a rare glimpse into the earliest stages of adulthood and self-discovery. The track list follows the order in which the songs were written, allowing listeners to grieve, contemplate loneliness, and find closure alongside Stella. Spanning a full year of writing but distilled into just 20 minutes, the EP takes the listener on an intimate journey.
PATIO SHOW: Sunnyside Duo
– ALL AGES- LIMITED PATIO SEATING IS FIRST COME FIRST SERVESUNNYSIDE DUOSunnyside is a musical enchantment hosted by singer-songwriter Sunnie Rae. This Florida-born songstress is making her new home in the musical mountains and heart of Appalachia of Asheville, NC. Feel the depths of every song with Sunnie Rae’s intrinsic voice that will take you on a timeless journey as she weaves through the rhythms of old souls and stories with a new light. Infusing genres of Americana, Blues, Folk-Grass, Country and Indie in her sound to harness a swampy distinctive tone of her very own. Sunnie Rae gathers inspirations from artists such as Gillian Welch, Molly Tuttle, Sierra Ferrell, Sierra Hull, Peter Rowan, Doc Watson, John Prine, Janis Joplin, Patsy Cline, New Riders of The Purple Sage, Old In The Way, The Grateful Dead and many more. This so called ‘Spirit of Suwannee’ has shared stages and bills with many of her heroes including Keller Williams, Larry Keel, Sam Bush, Peter Rowan, Yonder Mountain Stringband, Railroad Earth, Donna The Buffalo, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, The Grass Is Dead, John Kadlecik, and many more while touring the festival circuit with her former band Free Range Strange. As she nestles into the Appalachia, she now intertwines her original songs of old and new with a breath of fresh mountain air performing solo, duo or with her up and coming band Sunnyside Stringband. Featuring Jackson Weldon in this intimate Duo, while Sunnie sings her heart out, Jackson sings with his strings. With roots in south Mississippi and a home base in Asheville, Jackson Weldon has built a career as a versatile sideman and multi-instrumentalist. For over 15 years, he has performed on mandolin, pedal steel, lap steel, dobro, guitar, and banjo with bands throughout the Southeast. His musicianship is defined by adaptability, collaboration, and a love for live performance.
Squirrel Nut Zippers: Celebrating 30 Years of “Hot”
ALL AGESSTANDING ROOM ONLY SQUIREL NUT ZIPPERS When Hot first hit the airwaves in 1996, it didn’t just ignite excitement — it sparked a cultural bonfire. With its infectious blend of swing, jazz, Delta blues, and Southern storytelling, Hot rocketed Squirrel Nut Zippers from the underground scene of Chapel Hill, NC, to the national stage, going Platinum and defining a generation’s rediscovery of vintage Americana. The band’s breakout sophomore album captured lightning in a bottle. Recorded at the famed Kingsway Studio in New Orleans (owned by Daneil Lanois), the record radiated with authenticity. Featuring a warm, analog sound, paired with wry, vivid storytelling, the album topped the Billboard 200 charts for an impressive 51 weeks and included such standout tracks as “Put a Lid On It,” “Blue Angel,” and its biggest hit to-date “Hell.” “Hell,” which at the time, was considered an unlikely radio single, topped the Alternative Airplay charts at #13 and has become a pivotal piece of pop culture as it continues to heat up the radio and TV airwaves, appearing on alt rock and Americana stations and in such prominent television shows as Wednesday (2025) and Lucifer (2021). Now, 30 years later, the Zippers are celebrating the ever-lasting magic of Hot with the “In The Afterlife” tour, where the band will play the record in its entirety. The 30th celebration of Hot is not just a look back — it’s a salute to resilience, innovation, and the enduring power of a band that never stopped evolving. Formed in 1993 by Jimbo Mathus, Katharine Whalen, and a tight-knit group of musical misfits, Squirrel Nut Zippers defied genre from the start. Their sound — an intoxicating mix of prohibition-era jazz, big band bravado, and punk-rock irreverence — invited listeners into a world where vaudeville met voodoo and speakeasy swagger met Southern soul. Led by Mathus, and managed by original drummer Chris Phillips, the modern-day Zippers continue to honor that legacy while breathing new life into their beloved catalog. As the Squirrel Nut Zippers bring Hot back to the stage, fans old and new are rediscovering what made the album — and the band — so unforgettable. Music that swings, sings, and sizzles with soul.
PATIO SHOW: Blue Cactus
– ALL AGES- LIMITED PATIO SEATING IS FIRST COME FIRST SERVEBLUE CACTUS Rooted in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Blue Cactus got their start among the active honky-tonk circuit, developing an electrified twang that now branches out effortlessly into folk, alt-country, and psychedelic-tinged rock. Having released three records to critical acclaim, they have grown a cult following in the South and beyond, their introspective lyricism and blistering guitar techniques making the band potent in the studio and on stage. Their 2025 album Believer was hailed in Bandcamp’s Best New Country list and earned them slots on SXSW, Hopscotch Fest’s main stage opening for Geese and My Morning Jacket, and PBS’ new original series, Shaped By Sound. Blue Cactus have toured throughout the US, developing a dedicated cult following. From intimate clubs to major festival stages, Blue Cactus is known for connecting deeply with audiences wherever they go.
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.
Woody Wood & Abe Reid (of The Blue Rags)
ALL AGES PARTIALLY SEATED SHOW WOODY WOOD & ABE REID (of The Blue Rags) The Blue Rags were a revivalist, ragtime boogie-woogie band from Asheville. Woody and Abe are going to reignite that magic fire! Aaron “Woody” Wood is an old soul as authentic as the foothills from which he emerged. When pressed on it, he calls his music “Cosmic Appalachian Soul.” He is steeped in the old Delta blues and the folk music from these mountains while fearlessly leaning into rock, soul and funk. It’s common to look around in the audience for his local shows and see lots of other musicians in the room just soaking in what Woody does. (from Where Y’at?) Abe Reid is a North Carolina blues musician and one of the modern keepers of the Piedmont blues tradition. Reid won the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, one of the most respected competitions in blues music.
FREE PATIO SHOW: Canon Tyler
– ALL AGES- FREE SHOW- LIMITED PATIO SEATING IS FIRST COME FIRST SERVECANON TYLER Canon Tyler is a singer-songwriter & guitarist from the hills of North Georgia. With sonic elements of Bluegrass and Contemporary Acoustic Music, Tyler’s lyrics blend the story telling aspects of traditional American folk and Laurel Canyon era singer-songwriters. Together this creates a sound that is both fresh and familiar to fans of roots music. Tyler’s latest album, “Thickets & Brambles” is an homage to the rich heritage of North Georgia. Consisting of 10 tracks, “Thickets” delves into the heart of the region’s musical legacy. Through introspective lyrics and narrative storytelling, Tyler invites listeners on a personal journey of life in the foothills. Sonically, the album is a tapestry of Bluegrass, Appalachian Folk music, and Folk-Country, creating a sound that echoes the landscapes of North Georgia. The inclusion of banjo, fiddle, and Tyler’s own flatpicked guitar adds layers of depth and authenticity to each track. “Thickets & Brambles” is a musical exploration that captures the spirit of North Georgia while offering a heartfelt reflection on coming of age in the modern world.
FREE PATIO SHOW: Woody Wood
– ALL AGES- FREE SHOW- LIMITED PATIO SEATING IS FIRST COME FIRST SERVEWOODY WOODCosmic appalachian soul.
