PATIO SHOW: Jesse James Deconto (The Pinkerton Raid)
– ALL AGES- LIMITED PATIO SEATING IS FIRST COME FIRST SERVEJESSE JAMES DECONTO (THE PINKERTON RAID) Leading up to Independence Day, The Pinkerton Raid’s songwriter Jesse James DeConto will release “The Fight for Freedom was in VOGUE,” about Lee Miller, Solange D’Ayen and the Parisian artists who stood up to the Nazi occupation in the ways they knew how. “VOGUE” is among a series of narrative-driven resistance singles from his upcoming full-length album, IF YOU LOVE SOMEBODY, TELL THEM, singing his story as a dad trying to hold onto hope and imagine a future for his kids in the face of American fascism and climate catastrophe. Back home in Durham, NC, with partners like Indivisible, Jesse often leads singalongs of classic protest songs from Bob Dylan, NENA, Neil Young, 4 Non-Blondes, Crowded House and others. “The sane response to tyrants is to sing,” Jesse says on “VOGUE,” inspired by a famous quote by revolutionary painter Pablo Picasso. On Wednesday, July 1, he’ll bringing his “protest songs with Big Dad Energy” to the Grey Eagle patio in Asheville’s River Arts District.
2026 Paddling Film Festival World Tour benefiting MountainTrue
ALL AGES SEATED FIRST COME FIRST SERVE W/ ADDITIONAL STANDING ROOM DISCOUNTED TICKETS AVAILABLE FOR CHILDREN UNDER 12 PROCEEDS TO BENEFIT MOUNTAINTRUEWhat better way to celebrate than by watching the best paddling films and being in community with other clean water supporters? You’ll be inspired to explore rivers, lakes, and oceans, push extremes, embrace the paddling lifestyle, and appreciate the wild places. Nocturne: Shot entirely at night, Nocturne captures athlete Heidi Walsh and the quiet chaos and beauty of paddling under stars. Every ripple glows in the light emitted from the LED lights adorning Heidi’s equipment. It is a study in contrast, darkness and illumination, where every stroke becomes poetry in motion. Shot on the Ottawa River, Canada. Follow the Water: This short documentary follows a crew that embarks on a source-to-sea kayaking adventure. The goal was to find the source of the drinking water for Portland, Maine, then follow the water on its journey to the ocean. Along the way, the paddlers encountered many amazing people and organizations. Riverbound: Yak is a former pro guide and expert kayaker who became a paraplegic after a canyoning accident. Can packrafting give him the freedom to run rivers again? And how will he fare in the thundering Class III rapids of the Upper Buller Gorge? The film also asks whether packrafting can open the sport to an even more diverse range of people who want to run rivers. Gauley Guide: The Upper Gauley River is legendary throughout the whitewater world and the words “I’m an Upper Gauley Guide” give you instant street cred. The path to becoming a Gauley guide is not quick or easy. It takes years of flips, swims, early mornings, late nights, swiftwater training and guide ejections to get to where smooth lines through class V rapids are the norm. Gauley Guide follows Michael Anderson as he works to become an Upper Gauley guide. Part 2:Gabon uncharted: The SEND Collective is the closest thing to social media stardom the kayaking world has ever seen. The crew embarks on an unknown river deep in the jungles of Gabon. With no Wi-Fi and no turning back, they plunge into 10 days of raw whitewater, relentless jungle and uncomfortable honesty. Gabon Uncharted is a wild, unfiltered and occasionally damp exploration of what happens when online legends are dropped into offline chaos. Featuring the SEND team members: Adrian Mattern (GER), Dane Jackson (USA), Kalob Grady (CAN), Bren Orton (GBR). Presenting Sponsor: Caley Bowman and Mosaic Realty Supporting Sponsors: Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC), Second GearRAFFLE: There will be a raffle announce at this event, there are two raffle packages featuring a variety of outdoor swag. Please follow this link to enter! https://secure.everyaction.com/Ip8on2Y6T0yOcOEv1AR3DQ2
PATIO SHOW: Jane Kramer + Hannah Kaminer w/ Jackson Dulaney
– ALL AGES- LIMITED PATIO SEATING IS FIRST COME FIRST SERVEJANE KRAMER + HANNAH KAMINER w/ JACKSON DULANEY Lauded by UK music reviewer Three Chords and the Truth as sounding like she was “…born to bohemian poets and raised in the mountains by Emmylou Harris,” Asheville, North Carolina songstress Jane Kramer has garnered international recognition for the heartrending originality of her vocals and for the heavy-hitting lyrical eloquence of her songwriting. With deep roots in the musical traditions, culture and lore of her beloved Appalachia, Kramer’s songs are introspective, gracefully gritty andfiercely memorable. Her live performances are equally as poignant and engaging; artfully lifting the veil between audience and performer with bittersweet and even humorous recognition of our flawed human experience. Kramer has been touring and recording nationally and internationally for the last twelve years, playing for enchanted audiences in listening rooms, theaters, festivals, living rooms, prisons and arts councils alike. Three acclaimed solo albums later, this has gained her a loyal followingfrom the southeastern, U.S. where she calls home, to Portland, Oregon to Scotland, U.K to Florence, Italy. Kramer is set to release her fourth solo album, Moon & Mother, recorded at Echo Mountain Studios in Asheville, NC, with her band including Chris Rosser and River Guerguerian of Free Planet Radio, Matthew Smith (Amy Ray Band, The Honeycutters), Duane Simpson and Jake Wolf (Dirty Logic) in October of 2026. A mother, former social worker, domestic violence crisis counselor and avid humanitarian, Kramer continues to perform and teach about the songwriting process in prisons, shelters for the unhoused, programs for at-risk youth, hospitals and even animal rescues, sharing her message of music as a powerful tool for healing, connection and compassion. Quoted as “…an artist on the rise” by acclaimed American songwriter Mary Gauthier and “One of the purest voices in modern Americana” by Blue Ridge Outdoors, Kramer has performed with Joan Osborne, Amy Ray of the Indigo Girls, Leyla McCalla, The Steep Canyon Rangers, Sarah Siskind, Gretchen Peters, Malcolm Holcombe, Josh Goforth, Verlon Thompson and Shawn Mullins.Hannah Kaminer is an artist and singer-songwriter writing songs about love, loss, and home. Raised in small towns in Western North Carolina, she fuses echoes of Appalachian and country traditions with wistful, Americana-style songwriting. She has released three studio albums: Acre by Acre (2015), Heavy Magnolias (2018) which was co-produced with GRAMMY-winning engineer Julian Dreyer, and Heavy on the Vine (2024) which she produced with her band,The Wistfuls. In 2024, she also completed her first international tour alongside Asheville-based acts The Moon & You and Amanda Anne Platt, leading one Americana UK writer to note, “At times reminiscent of Iris Dement, full of emotional honesty and intensity… [Kaminer] is a songwriter of the highest order. Hannah Kaminer is a name we should all be hearing a lot more of.” In late 2025, Kaminer joined forces with another Asheville-based act, The Moon & You, to produce Dark Turn of Mind: A Haunted Americana Tour. The show will return stranger than ever in 2026!
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.
The Art of Paul
ALL AGES SEATED SHOW THE ART OF PAUL Benjamin Falcon (You Can Call Me Paul) and Daniel Shearin (River Whyless) present an evening of music featuring the songs of Simon and Garfunkel. The Art of Paul is an intimate review of the classic Paul Simon songs written during the early era of his career, while he was performing and recording with Art Garfunkel. The folk ballads that became part of the American songbook will transport you through the years to a nostalgic place and time. Doors at 5:30pm, show at 6:30pm.
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. Over 11 tracks, Tasjan’s new album kills sacred cows and pokes holes in the dam, while leaning hard into the idea of perseverance. In the talking-blues of “Science Friction,” he tells an abridged origin story of civilization that culminates with humankind editing itself out of its own picture. “Man made machines/putting man out of business,” he sings with a knowing wink. “Lost & Alone,” meanwhile, finds him feeling like a “stranger in this town.” It’s a compact blast of indie-rock with a sing-along chorus that underscores Tasjan’s gift for writing infectious hooks. Tasjan took pains to make sure that each song on Get Over It, Underdog was as concise and potent as it could be. Often, he’d run them by Snider for critiques, who shared stories of how the American songwriting treasure John Prine did likewise for him early in his career. The goal in writing was always to find the “emotional rock to stand on” of each song. Once Tasjan had that, he learned from Snider, he had something personal.
Brother Wallace
ALL AGESSTANDING ROOM ONLY BROTHER WALLACE A true force of nature, Brother Wallace was born to make music that ignites pure joy, even in the darkest of moments. Since getting his start playing piano in church at 11 years old, the Georgia-bred artist has followed his lifelong passion down an extraordinary path that spans from sharing the stage with gospel legend Kirk Franklin to performing at historic venues like Madison Square Garden as a background vocalist for globally adored rock band The Heavy. Over the past few years, Brother Wallace has teamed up with The Heavy guitarist Dan Taylor in dreaming up a body of work built on his electrifying brand of soul music, all while continuing his longtime job as a K-12 music teacher. Newly signed to ATO Records, Wallace is now set to release a one-of-a-kind album revealing the transcendent power and life-affirming impact of his timeless yet daring artistry.
The White Buffalo
ALL AGESSTANDING ROOM ONLY THE WHITE BUFFALO For The White Buffalo – aka singer / songwriter / guitarist Jake Smith, Oregon-born, Southern California-raised – it was time to take the less travelled path; to assemble notions for studio album Number 8, the follow-up to ‘On The Widow’s Walk’ (Snakefarm, 2020), and embark on a voyage of discovery. Out with the old, the organic, the expected, the tried; in with the new – new producer, new studio, new location, no distractions, no looking back… Enter ‘Year Of The Dark Horse’… “You think we’re a country band? A folk band? Americana? Rock? What the fuck are you gonna say now?!” laughs Jake. “With this album, I wanted something outside of what I’ve ever done. I wanted to open up. Do something dangerous. I’m hard to put into a singular genre as it is, but now I really wanted to take away any kind of preconception or pigeon-holing. “And don’t ask me, cos I don’t know what it is! It’s a genre-bending thing – there’s elements and influences from ELO, Daniel Lanois, Tom Waits, The Boss, circus, pirate music, yacht rock, and I’m driving and pushing some of these numbers in a way I’ve never done before. “At the top of the pandemic, I put the acoustic guitar on its stand, got a synthesizer and began writing on it, not really knowing how to play keys, just exploring the different sounds and landscapes. In the not knowing, it allowed me to expand my vocal melodies and compositions in ways the guitar had possibly limited.” When Jake, flanked by regular touring / recording compadres, bassist / keyboard player / guitarist Christopher Hoffee and drummer Matt Lynott, crossed the threshold of East Nashville’s Neon Cross Studio, a converted Southern Baptist Church, he wasn’t chapter an’ verse prepared, as usual. The time before recording had been a crazy one, so there were a bunch of loose ends to be tied (“I’m a perpetual procrastinator” – Jake), plus only three of the 12 songs had been completely written. Jake had maps in his head, but most were mere bones of compositions with only a few key lyrics penned. This allowed producer / studio owner Jay Joyce – plus trusted assistant, Jason Hall – the wiggle room to really get involved, to guide and explore new frontiers … He’s a Grammy Award-winning Producer of the Year (2018), has 4 CMA and 5 ACM Awards, and when it comes to making music, the Ohio native is never one to take the obvious route – perfect for an album featuring a dozen musical vignettes, individual yet constant in flow; an album loosely based around the shifting of the seasons and the shifting of a relationship; an album showing off the complete scope of Jake’s song-writing craft, from the stripped back to the fully loaded…
Kaleta and Super Yamba Band
ALL AGESSTANDING ROOM ONLY KALETA & SUPER YAMBA BAND Brooklyn’s Kaleta & Super Yamba Band are fronted by Afrobeat and Juju veteran Leon Ligan-Majek a.k.a. Kaleta. The singer/guitarist from the West African country of Benin Republic lived his adolescent life in Lagos, Nigeria where Afrobeat was born. Kaleta’s guitar chops earned him decades of touring and recording with Fela Kuti, King Sunny Ade, Lauryn Hill and more. Kaleta got his start in the late 70s performing in church and was soon after picked up by iconic Juju master and world music pioneer King Sunny Ade. A few years later Fela Kuti came calling. Kaleta would go on to tour the world playing guitar for the King of Afrobeat in his storied band Egypt 80 through the 1980s and into the 1990s. Now based in New York City, Kaleta has been leading Super Yamba Band since 2017. Their debut album ‘Mèdaho,’ which was released by California indie label Ubiquity Records, draws on the group’s shared reverence for the raw, psychedelic sounds that captivated Kaleta as a music loving kid in 1970s Benin. Mèdaho means “big brother”, “elder” or “teacher” and is dedicated to Kaleta’s late brother Ligan-Ozavino Pascal who introduced him to funk and soul music at a very early age. The album was included on Bandcamp’s “Best Albums of Summer 2019” list and two of the songs were chosen for the ABC/Hulu series High Fidelity staring Zoe Kravitz. Kaleta and his band have also erupted onto the stages and video screens of major music festivals and music publications across the US. They performed at the historic Apollo Theatre in 2019. They even prompted Action Bronson to stop his own show on VICELAND TV just so he could hear more Yamba. They also performed on Adult Swim’s Fishcenter Live show in 2019. In 2017 they rocked Paste Magazine’s Emerging Music Festival in NYC and after that performance Afropop Worldwide fell in love with Kaleta, saying “his James Brown grunts have got to be some of the best in the business!”
