Samantha Crain

ALL AGES SEATED SHOW LIMITED NUMBER OF PREMIUM SEATING TICKETS AVAILABLE SAMANTHA CRAIN Samantha Crain is a Choctaw-American singer, songwriter, film composer, and producer from Oklahoma. A two-time winner of the Native American Music Award, Samantha defies categorisation, marrying folk music with the sounds of country rock and college indie. Samantha’s latest album, A Small Death (2020), was released on Communion’s Real Kind Records. The album received universal acclaim with tracks finding themselves in constant rotation on 6music.Samantha has toured extensively over the past decade nationally and internationally, presenting ambitious orchestrated shows with her band as well as intimate folk leaning solo performances. She has toured with First Aid Kit, Neutral Milk Hotel, Lucy Rose, The Avett Brothers, The Mountain Goats, and many others. JESSE NOLAN “Do your art. Generally, a thing cannot freeze if it is moving. So, move. Keep moving,” said poet and psychoanalyst Clarissa Pinkola Estés. These were words artist Jess Nolan lived by over the course of the last three years. As everything in the world came to a halt, she kept her creative mind in motion – writing, drawing, singing, and painting her way through the unknown, pursuits Nolan has always relied on to help alchemize her surroundings. The seeds of her sophomore LP ’93, out this fall via Righteous Babe Records, sprouted in the height of 2020. Nolan, a member of Jenny Lewis’ all female touring band, is an in-demand co-writer, vocalist, and touring musician for artists like Katie Pruitt, Joy Oladokun, Lydia Luce, and more. In the midst of the initially involuntary stillness, she planted a backyard vegetable garden, moved her involvement in mentoring young female songwriters online, and traveled back to her New Jersey hometown to stay with family for weeks at a time. In the face of uncertainty, strong, deeply-rooted feelings came pouring out, resulting in 10 poignant reflections on rebirth, reconnection, and mindfulness. With an intention for listeners to feel grounded from its first moment, ‘93 is meant to be a meditation, bringing a sense of rootedness in its execution. “The process of recording this was relaxed,” Nolan recalls. “It’s the safest I’ve ever felt while creating something.” In an age of autotune and click tracks, Nolan and her co-producers, Will Honaker and Ross McReynolds, pursued a much more collaborative, organic approach. In December 2021, the trio, along with the help of musicians Calvin Knowles and Zachariah Witcher, set about building the tracks together live in their two-room studio, Camp Senia. The sessions were spread over the course of half a year, bringing in more dear friends who lent their talents to the process. During sessions, Nolan’s friend, Rebecca Wood, would pull up her catering mobile halfway through the day to provide a fresh and nourishing meal. The atmosphere of the album came from an open and spiritually full place.

PATIO: Chris McGinnis + Nick Shanahan

ALL AGES LIMITED PATIO SEATING IS FIRST COME FIRST SERVE CHRIS McGINNIS 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.” 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. NICK SHANAHAN With a career spanning over 15 years, Nick Shanahan has established himself as a distinctive voice in the indie-country music scene. As a songwriter, vocalist, and guitarist based in Black Mountain, NC, his unique blend of storytelling and melody infuses his songs with the ethos of Cosmic American Music championed by Gram Parsons. Shanahan’s modern sound, deeply rooted in tradition, offers a fresh perspective to the country genre. His music resonates on various levels—tightly constructed, emotionally charged, and melodically rich, yet revealing layers of subtlety and thematic complexity on closer listening.

Freedy Johnston

ALL AGES SEATED SHOW LIMITED NUMBER OF PREMIUM SEATING TICKETS AVAILABLE FREEDY JOHNSTON Freedy Johnston is one of those rare singer-songwriters who counts critics among his biggest fans — and whose heroes consider him a peer. Not bad for a self-proclaimed “geek in glasses who never left his room.” On September 9th, Forty Below Records will release Johnston’s 9th album, Back on the Road to You. It’s a record steeped in wit, humor, pathos, love, and friendship drenched with memorable, infectious melodies. Johnston recorded the album in Los Angeles with producer Eric Corne after setting up house in nearby Joshua Tree. The new surroundings have imbued the album’s mood and instrumentation with echoes of The Byrds, Jackson Browne, Joni Mitchell, and Neil Young. Joining Johnston in the studio were Aimee Mann, Susanna Hoffs of The Bangles, and long time collaborator, Susan Cowsill, along with an all-star roots music band, including Doug Pettibone (Lucinda Williams), Dusty Wakeman (Jim Lauderdale), Dave Raven (Shelby Lynn) and Sasha Smith (Priscilla Ahn). In 1994 Rolling Stone named Johnston the ‘Songwriter of the Year’, describing him as “A master storyteller, (who) sketches out full-blown tragedies in a few taut poetic lines.” Adding, “He joins that elite cadre of songwriters—Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Elvis Costello—whose brilliant pop compositions turn magical with the addition of a defiantly idiosyncratic singing voice.” Freedy Johnston has taken an unpredictable path throughout his 30-year career. It’s a true underdog story. He has a wicked gift for turning a melodic phrase with equal parts’ heart on his sleeve’ troubadour and weaver of mysteries. The Kansas native released his first two records with the widely respected indie label Bar/None. Can You Fly made many ‘Best of the Year’ lists, including, The New York Times, Billboard, and Spin Magazine, to name a few. Robert Christgau for The Village Voice called it “a perfect album,” and Playboy declared it “the best album by a new male singer-songwriter in at least a decade.” Can You Fly was also cited in music critic Tom Moon’s book, 1,000 Recordings To Hear Before You Die. Back on the Road to You is a return to grace for this gifted songwriter. It embodies the sound of an American original, reminding us that he is still considered one of the best songwriters of his generation. TIN ROOF ECHO Since his 2014 debut, The Original Plan, six studio albums have been released under the Tin Roof Echo moniker-each demonstrating the DIY recording style that ultimately allows his uniquely introspective songwriting & production to be highlighted along with his varied influences. In 2021 he released Mornings Are For Singing an exceptionally unique live album captured in various stairwells at his day job. Hooten has recently released his seventh studio album, Flowers Falling.

Mike Farris

– ALL AGES- SEATED SHOW- LIMITED NUMBER OF PREMIUM SEATING TICKETS AVAILABLE MIKE FARRIS Grammy winner Mike Farris is an artist’s artist, a musician’s musician, celebrated and revered by his fellow performers. It’s no wonder. He’s the one who brings everything to his music and to every live performance, every time. An amalgamation of the spiritual and the earthly, of gospel and rock ‘n’ roll, of faith and fire, Mike Farris will bring what Rolling Stone Country describes as a “supersized voice filled with the electricity of Saturday night and the godly grace of Sunday mornings.”

The Dancing Fleas

ALL AGES SEATED SHOW LIMITED NUMBER OF PREMIUM SEATING TICKETS AVAILABLE THE DANCING FLEAS The Dancing Fleas, aka America’s Premier Ukulele Party Band, are a ten piece combo, heavy on the ukes but light on the attitude. Their uplifting originals and covers have been known to make even the most jaded hipsters smile unselfconsciously. The Fleas bring their high energy, big fun approach to a genre-bending set of tunes with styles ranging from classic country to sassy funky. Expect dueling ukuleles, blistering pedal steel licks, and big harmonies from the band’s six vocalists. The band’s debut album, The Dancing Fleas Play the Music of Don Gibson, is now available on all streaming platforms along with a handful of original singles. Once you’ve seen them live, you’ll join the ranks of the #fleabitten!

Bill Kirchen’s Honky Tonk Holiday Show

ALL AGES SEATED SHOW LIMITED NUMBER OF PREMIUM SEATING TICKETS AVAILABLE Honky Tonk Holiday Show! Bill Kirchen and his Turtle Doves will make a stop on their annual Honky Tonk Holiday Tour at The Grey Eagle on Tue 12/17. Featured is a sleigh-full of rarely heard holiday numbers from the blues, rock ‘n’ roll and honky tonk bags: “Silent Surfin’ Night,” “Truckin’ Trees for Christmas,” “Santa Claus Wants Some Lovin,” and more. But be ye not afraid, there’ll be so much more than holiday songs of questionable taste; you can count on a truckload of dieselbilly classics, rockers, and country weepers to take the edge off the holiday fuss. So mark your calendars and check ’em twice – Santa Claus is back in town! Kirchen is touring with his all-star Texas guys – Jack Saunders on bass and Rick Richards on drums. BILL KIRCHEN Bill Kirchen is one of the fortunate few who can step on any stage, play those trademark guitar licks which he created for the seminal Commander Cody classic, “Hot Rod Lincoln,” and elicit immediate recognition. As a founding father of the proto-Americana group Commander Cody and his Lost Planet Airmen, Kirchen wrought a diesel-fueled guitar hook that drove their Hot Rod Lincoln into the Top 10 nationwide. Kirchen went on to the Grammys where he was nominated for Best Country Instrumental in 2001. He has recorded with Elvis Costello, Nick Lowe, Dan Hicks, Maria Muldaur, Hoyt Axton, Hazel Dickens, Gene Vincent and Link Wray, and has toured the world as guitarist with Cody, Nick Lowe, Hoyt Axton and Emmylou Harris. Bill Kirchen was inducted into the Hall Of Fame of the Washington DC Wammie Music Awards in 2001, alongside Dave Grohl and John Phillip Sousa. He joined a remarkable list of prior inductees including Bo Diddly, Duke Ellington, Ruth Brown, Marvin Gaye, Patsy Cline, Shirley Horn, Emmylou Harris, Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Casady. His recent disc, Transatlanticana, entered the Americana Radio Chart Top 10 in 2018, joining his extensive catalogue of over 2 dozen albums, from the Commander Cody discs on through his current 12 releases on the Proper and Last Music Company labels. Bill’s latest releases are Back from the Ozone, a Lost Planet Airmen reunion CD out in October 2023 and, from 2021, the LPs Waxworks and Tombstone Every Mile, along with The Proper Years and Tombstone on CD and in all digital formats, all on the Last Music Company label. Washington Post: “Seldom has traveling across the rock and country landscape been this much fun” Guitar Player Magazine: “The Titan of the Telecaster…cuts loose with some of the fattest, gnarliest low-down twang imaginable”

Grayson Capps w/ special guest Corky Hughes

– ALL AGES- SEATED SHOW- LIMITED NUMBER OF PREMIUM SEATING TICKETS AVAILABLE GRAYSON CAPPS Heartbreak, Misery & Death is the seventh studio album by beloved Alabama-based troubadour Grayson Capps. For this latest effort, Capps turned his attention to 16 long-lost folk songs and traditionals performed by artists ranging from Doc Watson and Jerry Jeff Walker to Randy Newman and Gordon Lightfoot. Introduced to these timeless touchstones as a child by his father, they’d catalyze Capps’ love for music at a young age, while informing the Southern Gothic vernacular that he’s gone onto so eloquently explore and reimagine in his own body of work. As Capps explains in his own words: I grew up with music, whether hearing Fred Stokes, Bobby Long and my dad, Ronnie Capps, singing around the house on Fridays and Saturdays, or listening to vinyl records in the den, my youth seemed to always be surrounded with music. One of the first artists I gravitated toward was Doc Watson. I first found my own voice by emulating him singing “Wake Up Little Maggie.” We had The Essential Doc Watson and Doc Watson Memories, and I wore those records out. “Columbus Stockade Blues” was one of the first songs I learned to play on the guitar.

Buffalo Rose

– ALL AGES- SEATED SHOW- LIMITED NUMBER OF PREMIUM SEATING TICKETS AVAILABLE BUFFALO ROSE Buffalo Rose is a charismatic six-piece modern folk/Americana band from Pittsburgh, PA. They take the singer-songwriter tradition to a new level by crafting original songs which are emotive, meticulously arranged, and inspired by a world of idiosyncratic influences that never let a dull or predictable moment creep in. This combination of artistry and enthusiasm makes Buffalo Rose one of the most vital and important groups working today. Rather than play the folk music of the past, the band gleefully combines genres and ideas together to move acoustic music forward to a new, contemporary place without ever losing sight of its roots. Fans of Lake Street Dive, Nickel Creek, and Punch Brothers will find much to like in this crew. Anyone seeking compelling new acoustic music needs to join Buffalo Rose in the future right now.

SWEET RELIEF CONCERT SERIES (PATIO): Magenta Sunshine

FREE SHOW!! DONATIONS ENCOURAGED!! ALL AGES PATIO SEATING IS FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED 1pm – 4pm DAILY The Grey Eagle is proud to be the new home of the Sweet Relief Concert Series offering FREE MUSIC for the people of Asheville on our outdoor patio stage EVERYDAY from 1-4pm. The Grey Eagle Taqueria and bar will be open, and the full schedule for the upcoming week is below. MON 10/28: The Brian Felix Quartet + BoogiTherapi TUE 10/29: Mike Martinez + East Coast Dirt WED 10/30: LEAF Artists THU 10/31: Magenta Sunshine

Genre: Americana