Radio Free Eagle: A Night of R.E.M.
ALL AGESSTANDING ROOM ONLY RADIO FREE EAGLE On Saturday, July 11, The Grey Eagle hosts the inaugural Radio Free Eagle, a special tribute night celebrating the music and legacy of R.E.M.. Marking 45 years since the release of “Radio Free Europe,” the evening brings together a lineup of regional artists to perform short sets honoring one of the most influential bands to emerge from the American underground. With roots stretching from Athens, Georgia to North Carolina’s own recording history, the night highlights the sound and spirit that helped define college rock. Designed as a collaborative, community-driven event, Radio Free Eagle will feature a wide array of styles, genres, and musicians, each putting their own spin on R.E.M.’s catalog for what promises to be a night to remember. A portion of the proceeds will benefit a local non-profit (TBA), reinforcing the event’s connection to the community it celebrates. The show aims to establish an annual tradition at The Grey Eagle, bringing artists together to honor both the songs and the shared musical lineage that continues to connect the Southeast. Lineup TBA
Reverb of Resistance: A Night of Music and Art to Benefit LGBT+ Artists
ALL AGES PARTIALLY SEATED SHOW PAY WHAT YOU CAN MODEL DONATIONS AND TICKET PROCEEDS TO BENEFIT CAMPAIGN FOR SOUTHERN EQUALITY SOUTHERN EQUALITY STUDIOS PRESENT: REVERB OF RESISTANCE – A NIGHT OF MUSIC AND ART TO BENEFIT LGBT+ ARTISTS Southern Equality Studios is a program that explores how the arts can be a catalyst and force in achieving lived and legal LGBTQ equality across the South. Since the launch of CSE in 2011, we’ve worked at the intersections of personal narrative and political organizing, working with LGBTQ people and families to share the stories of their lives, whether through the written word, film, or photography. We’ve seen the power that storytelling has had on changing hearts and minds here in the South and nationwide, and it’s a vital tool as we continue our work to build a South where all are free and affirmed to live as their authentic selves. Art and storytelling have long played a powerful and central role in movements for social justice, and we’re honored to be a part of that long legacy in our region.
Rock Academy Showcase
-ALL AGES-LIMITED SEATING (FIRST COME FIRST SERVE) + STANDING ROOM ROCK ACADEMY Rock Academy is a Year-Round Rock Band Performance Program that take our bands out of the classrooms and into Asheville’s music scene. Students learn to perform a wide variety of musical styles and songs of various genres including blues, classic rock, hard rock, punk, surf, americana and more. Our music students grow into skilled musicians and take their band “on the road” to play in front of live audiences at some of the top venues in the area. The Asheville Rock Academy’s talented students have played some high-profile gigs, including the Main stage at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. Academy bands have also played with Cliff Williams of AC/DC and American Idol’s Caleb Johnson. Join us for this year’s “Mix Tape 2025” show!
Drivin N Cryin
ALL AGESSTANDING ROOM ONLYDRIVIN N CRYIN Drivin N Cryin is an enduring American rock band whose roots-forward sound and uncompromising spirit have made them a vital force since forming in Atlanta, Georgia in 1985. Blending Southern rock grit, folk storytelling, and hard-charging rock & roll, the band built a reputation early on as a must-see live act and a songwriter’s band with depth far beyond trends. Led by singer-songwriter Kevn Kinney and anchored by bassist Tim Nielsen and drummer Dave Johnson, Drivin N Cryin broke through nationally with a run of influential albums that helped define late-’80s and early-’90s American rock. Songs like “Fly Me Courageous,” “Honeysuckle Blue,” “Straight to Hell,” “Build a Fire,” and “Scarred But Smarter” became staples of rock and AAA radio, with Fly Me Courageous earning Gold certification and remaining a cornerstone of the band’s catalog. While they emerged during the MTV era, Drivin N Cryin never disappeared. Over four decades, they’ve remained a consistently touring, recording band — releasing new music, evolving their sound, and cultivating a loyal, multigenerational audience. Their influence extends well beyond their own recordings; “Straight to Hell” found new life through covers and collaborations that introduced the song to entirely new audiences. The band’s stature is reflected in both peer respect and formal recognition, including induction into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame, as well as Kinney’s induction into the Milwaukee Music Hall of Fame. Touring history includes shared stages with artists spanning multiple eras and genres, The Who, Hootie & The Blowfish, The Black Crowes, ZZ Top, Soul Asylum, Blackberry Smoke, The Marshall Tucker Band, Jason Isbell, along with recent appearances on destination events like Rock Boat, Outlaw Country Cruise, and Moon Crush. Their latest album, Crushing Flowers, marks a deliberate return to the band’s core. Stripped back to the original three-piece, the record favors clarity, chemistry, and feel over excess — a confident, back-to-basics statement from a band that knows exactly who it is. Rather than chasing nostalgia or novelty, Crushing Flowers reinforces what has always set Drivin N Cryin apart: honest songs, emotional weight, and the unmistakable sound of a band still fully engaged in the work. Nearly forty years in, Drivin N Cryin remains a living, breathing American rock band — not a revival act, not a footnote, but a continuing story still being written.
TJ & Dave
ALL AGES FULLY SEATED SHOW LIMITED NUMBER OF PREMIUM TICKETS AVAILABLE DOUBLE DIP PRODUCTIONS PRESENTS…. TJ & DAVE Join us for one night only as world-renowned improv comedy legends, TJ Jagodowski and Dave Pasquesi, aka TJ & Dave, bring their unique COMPLETELY IMPROVISED two-man show to the Grey Eagle stage!TJ and Dave walk out on stage without characters, dialog or plot. An hour later they leave an audience with one of the funniest nights of their lives. Described by The New York Times as “Second City-seasoned masters of long form improv”, TJ Jagodowski and David Pasquesi have become living legends in their field.Do not miss this!The comics TJ Jagodowski and Dave Pasquesi miraculously improvise a one-hour play at every performance. This is an impressive feat of mental athletics, but the results are also observant, complex and frequently enormously funny.– The New York Times“BRILLIANT, HEARTBREAKING, MIND-BLOWING, INSPIRING! The best 50 minutes of improv comedy that we’ve ever seen. But we wouldn’t want to insult their effusive skills by speaking so simplistically. Also, it’s funny. Drink their Kool-Aid.” – Time Out New York“TJ Jagodowski and Dave Pasquesi, two of the world’s finest practitioners of the art of long-form improv, create an hour long one-act play. They’re both great actors and have amazing improv chops, but it’s always hard to notice these kinds of things when you’re peeing your pants laughing.” – Time Out Chicago“The cumulative effect of their spontaneous storytelling is breathtaking…Without-a-net derring-do brand of theatre.” – nytheatre.com
J & The Causeways
ALL AGESSTANDING ROOM ONLY J & THE CAUSEWAYS New Orleans soul/rock powerhouse ensemble J & The Causeways debut album, Motions, conjures a universal theme of togetherness and compassion — melodies and lyrics cultivated with a keen understanding of reaching one another through healing and transcendence. Singer and keyboardist Jordan Anderson leads with a soaring level of octave prowess and sonic range akin to that of other renowned soul acts like St. Paul & The Broken Bones or Brittany Howard. Captured by famed musicians/producers Robert Mercurio and Ben Ellman (both members of NOLA cosmic funk outfit Galactic) at Studio in the Country and Esplanade Studios, Motions is a record soaked in the freewheelin’ ethos and sonic tones of a vibrant city that Anderson proudly calls home.
Land Of The Sky Burlesque Festival: “Geektastic Revue”
-AGES 18+-SEATED SHOW “Geektastic” is a burlesque show for NERDS! Performers pay homage to fandoms from comics, TV, film, books and more!!! The opening night of the Land of the Sky Burlesque Festival! *Weekend passes and VIP available here >>> landoftheskyburlesque.com
Land of the Sky Burlesque Festival: “Burlesque Brunch”
-AGES 18+-SEATED SHOW Welcome to the most dazzling brunch experience in Asheville! Closing out the Land of the Sky Festival weekend with tantalizing tastes and titillating performances. A feast for the senses, where laughter, glamour and allure collide. Join us afternoon of tacos and tassels!*Weekend passes and VIP available here >>> landoftheskyburlesque.com
The Deslondes
ALL AGESSTANDING ROOM ONLY THE DESLONDES When the Deslondes recorded their new covers album, they didn’t want to simply exalt their heroes and catalog their influences. They wanted to give their friends a boost as well. The poignant and powerful Don’t Let It Die Vol. 1 includes new interpretations of old songs by artists who’ve guided the band for years, including Swamp Dogg, Johnny Cash, and Clifton Chenier, alongside new songs by peers, tourmates, and collaborators, including Nick Woods, Pat Reedy, and the Kernel. “We have so many friends who are songwriters, and we just love their music so much,” says John James Tourville, who plays guitar and occasionally the fiddle. “Riley and Dan are always kicking around awesome, inspiring old songs for us to do, but for this album we really wanted to do some friend songs, too.” Don’t Let It Die maps out a community of likeminded musicians given to hopping trains, crowding tour vans, and blurring the lines between styles and scenes. “These songs are very much a close part of our lives,” says Riley Downing, who sings and usually plays guitar. “They’re all part of our circle, this big organism that keeps influencing itself. It’s mysterious, though, which musicians get heard and which ones don’t. I think we’re in a good position to tip our cap to the friends we look up to, and hopefully it will benefit our buddies. Hopefully this album will encourage people to go down those rabbit holes.”
Chris Acker and the Growing Boys w/ Creekbed Carter Hogan
ALL AGESSTANDING ROOM ONLY CHRIS ACKER & THE GROWING BOYS In a genre full of tall tales and marketable lies, New Orleans’ Chris Acker crafts candid songs – weaving his wit and woes into a body of work that exposes the stale plight of the American Songster to the honest, and sometimes hilarious, light of day. In the tradition of Guthrie and Prine, Chris lends a quavering voice to the half-rotten romance of the unremarkable and unrefined. Regardless if you’re sitting by a backyard fire on a muggy Louisiana night or standing stage-side in some far flung town, when you hear Chris Acker playing, you’re hearing the end result of countless hours of observing the masters of the craft…and the end result of repeating their mistakes. From the folk revival through the golden age of country music, deafened by punk shows and brass bands alike, Chris’s songwriting is a nod to the absurd yet muted brilliance that inhabits the molded corners of the bars he patrons and cratered street he treads, paired with a pained honesty that merits a long second look. Acker released his fourth full-length album, Famous Lunch, on Gar Hole Records in October of 2024. Famous Lunch contains some of his best work yet: laid back, country-rockers like “Wouldn’t Do For You (Buddy)” and “Shit Surprise” (which Paste Magazine called a “song of the year contender” in 2024), a few raucous, bar-ready joints like “Don’t You Know (Who I Think I Am)” and “Bunn Machine”, and tender, folky triumphs like “Stubborn Eyes” and “Eyelash”, all showcasing Chris’ gift of building “vivid scenes at an impressively low word count” (No Depression). Acker tours solo or with his band The Growing Boys — Zach Thomas (bass), Nikolai Shveitser (pedal steel), Dave Hammer (guitar, vocals), Sam Gelband (drums, vocals), and occasionally Howe Pearson (piano). CREEKBED CARTER HOGAN For trans folksinger Creekbed Carter Hogan, everything good is made from the rotten stump of something else. It’s a theme they’ve become familiar with as they’ve made a life weaving stories of growing up religious around songs that pierce the soul, tickle the funny bone, and showcase a unique blend of self-taught folk picking and queer mayhem. Creekbed Carter, out with Gar Hole Records on March 22 2024, is Hogan at their most confident. Deftly crafted with folk sensibilities, country swagger, and a power emanating from the force of their own desires, their new self-titled album is both creed and archive: a defiant declaration of survival and solidarity in an otherwise limited world.
