Austin Meade
– ALL AGES- STANDING ROOM ONLYAUSTIN MEADE On Black Sheep, Austin Meade delivers songs and stories that, like the young singer/guitarist himself, are contradictory yet cohesive. His influences—musical and otherwise—are as varied and rich as the small-town Texas soil that nurtured his talent, yielding 12 stellar songs ranging from the insinuating multi-layered musicality and storytelling of “Déjà Vu” to the dark alt-pop of “Happier Alone,” and on further to the new-age, Sabbath-inspired “Dopamine Drop.” Thanks to his metal- and classic-rock loving dad, Meade got to see bands like Judas Priest and worshipped Whitesnake. In junior high he related to the intense emo-rock of Paramore and Fall Out Boy, and the power of songwriters like John Mayer. Yet, thanks to plainspoken but deep heartland songwriters like Tom Petty, and cutting his teeth touring in the Texas and Oklahoma Red Dirt scene, Meade’s music overflows with wide-open soulfulness. He was a drummer for years, even teaching to pay the bills, but Meade found his true voice when he began playing guitar as a teen in his pastor-father’s church. Those experiences lend both a gravitas and rebelliousness to Meade’s songs and self. The songs on Black Sheep, produced by Taylor Kimball (Koe Wetzel, Read Southall, Kody West) are instantly memorable, but far from simplistic. Meade challenges the status quo, both musically and lyrically. “I like to question those standard math formulas,” he explains. “What if we just add two more lines and make somebody feel uncomfortable here,’ because the song itself is about being uncomfortable?” And within a song—and video—like “Déjà Vu,” Meade explores the cyclical, Groundhog Day-like nature of a month—or lifetime—of Sundays. Throughout school, “I was one of the weird kids who actually liked writing class. I would describe ridiculous stuff, and in elementary school I was a Harry Potter nerd. I’d get lost in those books,” he remembers. Soon, though, records became his new sanctuary. “I started to hear songwriters that were telling stories in three to five minutes; concepts and ideas that were not only spanning just that one song. One of my favorite lyricists is Alex Turner of Arctic Monkeys; the way he describes things, you can almost touch it or smell it.” Likewise, on Black Sheep, Meade’s vivid descriptions are palpable and immersive. They paint a picture the listener can step into, like taking a journey through “two-lane highways and speed-trap towns” that Meade traverses in “Déjà Vu.” “That’s my goal,” he explains. “To make people feel like they’re in the room with the stories in my songs; they’re within that experience.” Meade’s carefully crafted songs manage to be profound and provocative, sonically suited for both dive bars and arenas. From the seismic guitars and painfully honest lyrics of a song like “Dopamine Drop” to the mournful, lilting nostalgia and hard reality of “Settle Down” and on through the fantasy of “handwritten letters, candle-wax seal, Midwest American feel” in “Cave In,” it is clear Meade’s ambitions and dreams are weighty.THE JARED STOUT BAND
Clem Snide
– ALL AGES- SEATED SHOW- LIMITED NUMBER OF PREMIUM SEATING TICKETS AVAILABLECLEM SNIDE“The last ten years have been a rollercoaster of deep despair and amazing opportunities that somehow present themselves at the last possible second,” says Eef Barzelay. “That this record even exists, as far as I’m concerned, is a genuine miracle.”Indeed, the road to ‘Forever Just Beyond,’ Barzelay’s stunning new album under the Clem Snide moniker, was an unlikely one, to say the least. Produced by Scott Avett of The Avett Brothers, the record is a work of exquisite beauty and profound questioning, a reckoning with faith and reality that rushes headlong into the unknown and the unknowable. The songs here grapple with hope and depression, identity and perception, God and the afterlife, all captured through Barzelay’s uniquely off-kilter lens and rendered with an intimate, understated air that suggests the tender comfort of a late-night conversation between old friends. Avett’s production is similarly warm and inviting, and the careful, spacious arrangement of gentle guitars and spare percussion carves a wide path for Barzelay’s insightful lyrics and idiosyncratic delivery. Listening to the album now, Avett and Barzelay sound like an obvious pairing, but the truth is that there was nothing obvious about the survival of Clem Snide, and the series of cosmic coincidences that led to ‘Forever Just Beyond’ remains inexplicable even to Barzelay himself. “About ten years ago, everything just seemed to fall apart,” he explains. “The band bottomed out, I lost my house, and I had to declare bankruptcy. That started this process of ego death for me, where I realized the only way to survive would be to transcend myself and to try to find some kind of deeper, spiritual relationship with life and with being. Once I committed myself to that, miraculous things started to happen.” Some miracles were financial (a superfan in Spain, for instance, sent Barzelay an unsolicited thank-you-for-the-music donation that covered the exact amount he desperately owed his bankruptcy lawyer); other miracles were more intangible. Roughly four or five years ago, as Barzelay struggled with how and if to carry on, a fan sent him a video of Scott Avett singing a Clem Snide song in front of a massive audience. Shortly after that, another fan sent an interview in which Avett raved about Clem Snide’s music. It seemed like a sign from the universe. “I had just hit this low point where I realized I couldn’t do it alone anymore,” says Barzelay. “I passed along a little message and a new song I wrote to The Avett Brothers’ manager, and Scott wrote me right back to say what a fan he was.”Avett was far from alone in his love for Clem Snide. Named for a William S. Borroughs character, the project first emerged from Boston as a three-piece in the early 1990’s and would go on to become a cult and critical favorite, picking up high profile fans from Bon Iver to Ben Folds over the course of three decades and more than a dozen albums. NPR highlighted the Israeli-born Barzelay as “the most underrated songwriter in the business today, with a sneakily firm grasp on poignancy and humor,” while Rolling Stone hailed his songwriting as “soulful and incisive,” and The New Yorker praised the music’s “soothing melodies and candid wit.”
OUTPOST: Peggy Ratusz
– ALL AGES- STANDING ROOM ONLY- RAIN OR SHINEPeggy RatuszAustin, Texas transplant, Peggy Ratusz has been pulling from the cream of the Asheville music crop since moving here in 2002. This “ruby throated” chanteuse and her band won their way regionally to compete in the prestigious International Blues Challenge held in Memphis each year in 2008, 2010 and 2016. Voted “Best in Blues” for 9 of the past 12 years, in 2016, she won in 2 additional categories: Best Vocalist and Local Artist Who Gives Back. She’s opened for Tedeschi-Trucks Band, Geoff Atchison, Danielle Nicole Band, Karen Lovely, Taj Mahal and the Beach Boys. The dynamite configuration she’ll have with her for this show includes the superlative skills of Kelly Jones on guitar and vocals, James Kylen on drums, Taylor Pierson on keys and Zack Page on bass. From Traditional Blues and Swing to Rockin’ Blues and originals they set the stage on fire from slow ember to full alarm! Playin’ it forward is her motto as evidenced by her many collaborative and philanthropic productions over the past 20 years, benefitting local musicians and charities.
Mighty Poplar
– ALL AGES- STANDING ROOM ONLYMIGHTY POPLAR At its heart, bluegrass music is about what happens when you commit to the moment. The joy of improvisation keeps the music fresh, and the fun of crafting ideas on the fly keeps the musicians on their toes. This true spirit of bluegrass infuses the self-titled record from Mighty Poplar, a new all-star roots project featuring Andrew Marlin of Watchhouse, Noam Pikelny and Chris Eldridge of Punch Brothers, bassist Greg Garrison (Leftover Salmon) and fiddler Alex Hargreaves (Billy Strings) coming March 31, 2023 on Free Dirt Records. Regarded as some of the finest players of their generation, the playing is never showy and always in service of the song. Though Pikelny, Eldridge, Garrison all knew each other from their early work with Punch Brothers, impromptu backstage jams with Marlin at festivals across the country were the key that unlocked the project. A lifelong song collector, Marlin selected and sang lead on most of the songs here, bringing classics as well as deep cuts from greats like Hazel Dickens & Alice Gerrard, John Hartford, Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, and Norman Blake. Throughout, the songs and tunes are as immediate and emotionally impactful as the playing is tasteful. Gathered knee-to-knee in a rural studio outside Nashville, the collaborative 10-track album emerged organically over a few days. “It felt so special and effortless; it didn’t take work,” says Eldridge, “other than the work and effort we’ve put in the rest of our lives.” With their debut album, Mighty Poplar has captured the fierce and playful energy of an all-night jam between old friends who just happen to be grandmasters of the music.
Tony Furtado
– ALL AGES- SEATED SHOW- LIMITED NUMBER OF PREMIUM SEATING TICKETS AVAILABLETONY FURTADO Americana Roots via a multi-instrumentalist with a dizzying musical toolbox… Tony is an evocative and soulful singer, a wide-ranging songwriter and a virtuoso multi-instrumentalist adept on banjo, cello-banjo, slide guitar and baritone ukulele who mixes and matches sounds and styles with the flair of a master chef (he’s also an accomplished sculptor, but that’s another story). “…true talent doesn’t need categories.”-Relix Magazine “…a major musical force without doubt. He has his black belt in voice, bottleneck guitar and his banjo playing scares the crap out of me.”-David Lindley
Cruz Contreras (of The Black Lillies) Album Release Show
– ALL AGES- SEATED SHOW- LIMITED NUMBER OF PREMIUM SEATING TICKETS AVAILABLECRUZ CONTRERASMulti-instrumentalist, vocalist, songwriter, and producer Cruz Contreras has roots in Tennessee and Michigan, but has impacted Americana music worldwide.The frontman, founder, and driving force behind The Black Lillies’ raw and rootsy sound also co-founded Robinella and the CCstringband, and has collaborated with musicians ranging from John Oates to Langhorne Slim. His projects have topped both the Billboard and Americana radio charts, won Independent Music Awards, and earned him a nomination for the Americana Music Association’s Emerging Artist of the Year award. After over a decade touring and five studio albums as The Black Lillies, Contreras wrapped up the band in 2019 and is performing under his own name.Over the years, Cruz has appeared on nationally broadcasted television including Late Night with Conan O’Brien, CMT, VH-1, and more. His music has been lauded by outlets as diverse as American Songwriter Magazine, Rolling Stone, NPR’s Morning Edition and Vanity Fair, among others.As an independent artist, Cruz has played Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry 40 times over the years. Contreras is currently at work on his debut solo album, ‘Cosmico’.SAMUEL QUINN’S CARTWRIGHT BROTHERS”somewhere between an endlessly, inaudible sigh and the blurred fingers of a years-long morning, samuel quinn fell in love with music again. it was all around, moving, speaking, exciting and regretfully inescapable. the cartwright brothers took shape both backwardly and without an urgency, giving sonic foundation and contour to this chapter of quinn’s songwriting. quiet but ugly. pretty and too loud. honest while joking. personal yet selfishly universal. “it is difficult to say what it is i do, but if you are into it, you might also like this,” quinn explicates.”
PATIO: Peggy Ratusz & Kelly Jones
– ALL AGES- LIMITED PATIO SEATING IS FIRST COME, FIRST SERVEDPEGGY RATUSZ & KELLY JONES Local faves Kelly Jones (guitar & vocals), praised as one of the best and most versatile players on the scene and 10 times best in Blues award winner Peggy Ratusz (singer songwriter & percussionist), combine their exceptional talents for an intimate early evening 2-set showcase of their favorite acoustic Blues, Classic Country and Pop Rock covers and originals. Expect to hear a heaping helping of Bonnie Raitt’s early classics as well as scaled down and evocative arrangements from the superb library of the late, great Piedmont guitarist and songwriter, Sean Costello. They call themselves Downtown Duo Delux, and together they’ve been seducing new and faithful fans for nearly two years. You’ll not want to miss a chance to hear them in this cozy and rustic setting out on the Grey Eagle patio stage.
PATIO: Brad Heller & The Fustics
– ALL AGES- LIMITED PATIO SEATING IS FIRST COME, FIRST SERVEDBRAD HELLER AND THE FUSTICSWhether with his backing band, The Fustics, or performing as an acoustic artist, Brad Heller has established himself as a credible force among current songwriters. Honing his craft for over a decade and a half the Wilmington, North Carolina, transplant has built a reputation as a thoughtful songsmith who tackles a wide range of personal and social issues. Bouncing between a myriad of genres, Heller finds creative drive in honoring musical influences that inspire him, while never abandoning his own unique sound. With the forthcoming release of his sixth album, Heller continues to build his audience with constant touring and spirited live shows. Heller’s music centers on middle-class characters while exploring themes of loss, self-imposed alienation, abandonment of faith, addiction, and immigration. Voted Wilmington’s “Best Original Rock Band,” look for upcoming shows by Brad Heller & the Fustics and the Fustics acoustic duo.
Stop Light Observations
– ALL AGES- STANDING ROOM ONLY- LIMITED NUMBER OF DISCOUNTED TWO PACKS AVAILABLE (WHILE SUPPLIES LAST)STOP LIGHT OBSERVATIONSStop Light Observations is a dynamic five-piece hailing from Charleston, South Carolina. Their sound is a unique blend of rock, pop, and indie, infused with electronic beats and soulful vocals. From songs like 2Young to Trajic Majic, their music is a true reflection of their unique personalities, and their live shows are a testament to their authenticity and raw talent.The Simplicity Charleston rock outfit The Simplicity was formed by John Bias, Tommy Merritt, and Drew Lewis with the goal to conquer every stage they step foot on. Influenced by rock n’ roll titans such as The Rolling Stones, The Stooges, and The Velvet Underground, this trio favors a dynamic approach in their performances, skirting the line between fast and loose rock songs and dramatic ballads. Their sophomore record Money will be coming out early 2024 featuring their latest single Pain Reliever Fever Reducer.
OUTPOST: Matthew Curry
– ALL AGES- STANDING ROOM ONLY- RAIN OR SHINECurry is an original roots rock singer/songwriter from Bloomington, Illinois, who is well- known for his incredible guitar-playing abilities. This talent has earned him opening touring slots with The Doobie Brothers, Peter Frampton, Steve Miller Band, Journey and more. He has played at nationally-renowned places, festivals and even on a cruise, which featured rock ‘n’ roll legends, such as Gregg Allman, Marshall Tucker, America and many more. Whether he is playing at the Troubadour in LA, Maxwell’s in New Jersey, The Ride Festival in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado, or the Hogs Breath Saloon in Key West, Florida, Curry does not disappoint his audience. Fans have traveled great distances to follow and see him live. Curry’s music appeals to a broad spectrum as he has built a multi- generational audience, evident at his shows. Fans are drawn to and connect with his music and lyrics. His songs draw from personal inspirations, incorporating elements of rock, blues, southern rock, and old school country
