JAZZ IS DEAD: 25th Anniversary Tour
– ALL AGES- STANDING ROOM ONLY- FEATURING STEVE KIMOCK, ALPHONSO JOHNSON, PETE LAVEZZOLI, BOBBY LEE RODGERSJAZZ IS DEAD celebrates it’s 25th Anniversary with an all-star ensemble performing a limited run of shows to honor the 50th Anniversary of The Grateful Dead’s ‘WAKE OF THE FLOOD.’ The acclaimed All-Star instrumental ensemble, famous for interpretations of classic Grateful Dead songs with jazz influences, returns in 2023 to celebrate its 25th Anniversary. Co-founder Alphonso Johnson will be joined by Steve Kimock, Pete Lavezzoli & Bobby Lee Rodgers, performing Grateful Dead’s ‘Wake of The Flood’ marking it’s 50th Anniversary, in addition to other beloved selections. Jazz Is Dead XXV ‘reunites’ two greats! Steve Kimock & Alphonso Johnson, who together in heavyweight post-Garcia Grateful Dead offshoot The Other Ones together with Bob Weir, commanded the instrumental prowess of that band. Formed in 1998 by bassist Alphonso Johnson (Weather Report, Santana, Bobby & The Midnites, The Other Ones), drummer Billy Cobham (Miles Davis, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Bobby & The Midnites), keyboardist T Lavitz (Dixie Dregs) & guitarist Jimmy Herring (Aquarium Rescue Unit, Widespread Panic), with drummers Rod Morgenstern (Dixie Dregs) & Jeff Sipe (Leftover Salmon) replacing Cobham in 1999, and guitarist Jeff Pevar (CSN, David Crosby CPR, Phil Lesh & Friends) replacing Herring in 2000, recorded 3 acclaimed albums, the second of which ‘Laughing Water’ in 1999 was in fact an instrumental ‘Wake of The Flood’ reinterpretation – so there is precedent. That album also featured Derek Trucks, Donna Jean Godchaux & Vassar Clements. On Laughing Water, the fusion ensemble Jazz Is Dead one-ups the band that it sets out to honor. Laughing Water is a superior remake of the Grateful Dead’s rather ordinary rock album Wake of the Flood. Fortunately, you don’t have to be a Deadhead to appreciate this album. Laughing Water not only fuses jam-rock with jazz, but it possesses a country-bluesy Americana flavor. The songs on Laughing Water are long and improvisational, but they seldom grow boring. From a purely technical standpoint, each musician in Jazz Is Dead is a superior player to his counterpart in the Grateful Dead. But unlike many pop-jazz remakes of rock albums, Laughing Water manages to capture the rock ‘n roll animus of the original. The communal carefree spirit of tie-died counter culturalism lives on in this music. Not only should Deadheads come away happy, but fusion freaks and aficionados of improvisational rock should, too. – Ed Kopp, All About Jazz 1999
A Tribute to Roger Miller (hosted by Cyndi Lou and The Want To)
– ALL AGES- PARTIALLY SEATED SHOW- SEATED AND STANDING ROOM ONLY TICKETS AVAILABLEA TRIBUTE TO ROGER MILLER (HOSTED BY CYNDI LOU & THE WANT TO) A proper Asheville tribute to legendary livewire Roger Miller has been a long time comin’ but we’ll be a long time hummin’ his clever catchy classics on Sunday, Jan. 29th at the Grey Eagle! Hosted by traditional country crew CyndiLou & the Want To with special guests Drayton Aldridge (Drayton & the Dreamboats), Phil Alley (Heavenly Vipers), A. Lee Edwards, Morgan Geer (Drunken Prayer), Liliana Hudgens, Brody Hunt (Brody Hunt & the Handfulls), Josh Pierce (Shake a Leg), Jake Sessoms, Jessie Smith (Jessie & the Jinx) and more!
Hank, Pattie and The Current + Brek
– ALL AGES- FULLY SEATED SHOW- LIMITED NUMBER OF PREMIUM SEATING TICKETS AVAILABLEHANK, PATTIE AND THE CURRENT Bluegrass visionaries Hank Smith (banjo) and Pattie Hopkins Kinlaw’s (fiddle) innovative twist on traditional bluegrass music is a soulful brew flavored with classical, Motown, jazz, and pop influences. Joined by Billie Feather on guitar and Stevie Martinez on bass, this dynamic, North Carolina based group is performing in support of their fifth album, LETTERS, out now on Robust Records. BREK Brek is an acoustic band from Iceland that mainly plays original, folky music with influences from various sources. The band members focus on creating an interesting but cozy atmosphere in their playing. In addition there is a focus on the multifaceted use of the Icelandic language in the band’s lyrics. Brek released its self-titled debut album in the summer of 2021 and received the Icelandic Music Awards for Folk album of the year as well as being featured as Album of the week on Iceland National Radio – Rás 2 in early 2022.
Byrds of a Feather: A Tribute to Gene Clark and Gram Parsons
– ALL AGES- PARTIALLY SEATED SHOW- SEATED AND STANDING ROOM ONLY TICKETS AVAILABLEBYRDS OF A FEATHER After a 2-year forced hiatus, the Byrds of a Feather tribute to Gene Clack & Gram Parsons is back at the Grey Eagle celebrating its 12th annual show! This year will spotlight the 50th anniversary of Gram’s solo debut album ‘GP’ and some of the ones we missed in ’20 and ’21 like ‘Gene Clark’ (aka White Light) and the Flying Burrito Brothers’ 2nd album ‘Burrito Deluxe’. The band will feature members of Asheville’s classic country crew CyndiLou & the Want To, Claude Coleman Jr (Ween) on drums, Marty Lewis (Sons of Ralph) on guitars, John McKinney (Carpal Tullar) on keyboards, Drayton Aldridge (Drayton & the Dreamboats) on fiddle and more! Special guests include Morgan Geer (Drunken Prayer), Liliana Hudgens, Chris Mondia (The Green Fields), Claire Whall and others.
Julia Sanders Album Release Show
– w/ K.M. FULLER- ALL AGES- PARTIALLY SEATED SHOWJULIA SANDERSAmericana artist Julia Sanders’ new album Morning Star—produced by John James Tourville of The Deslondes—unfolds a meticulously arranged musical landscape anchored by transfixing vocals and a compact but thoughtful narrative style that calls to mind forebearers like Gillian Welch and Emmylou Harris. On Morning Star, Sanders explores the complexities of transitions: from woman to mother, partners to parents, and free-wheelin’ musician to an adult with roots and responsibilities. The album is a poetic, often dark, yet silver-lined portrait of transformation and growth. With each track, Sanders explores a different facet—a career, a partner, a child—and the range of emotions they carry with them, from joy and pleasure to struggle, loneliness and self-doubt. Unafraid to address the complexities that walk hand in hand with the bliss of having children—such as the loss of autonomy and the fracturing of identity—Morning Star provides a much-needed soundtrack to the experience of matrescence—the physical, emotional and social transition to motherhood.K.M. FULLER
Asheville’s All-Stars: The Last Waltz Anniversary
– ALL AGES- STANDING ROOM ONLYASHEVILLE’S ALL-STARS AND ALL ABOARD RECORDS PRESENT: THE LAST WALTZ ANNIVERSARY Asheville’s All Stars are recreating “The Last Waltz” concert and film by The Band and Martin Scorsese on Nov. 23rd at The Grey Eagle. Hosted by Eric Travers, Alex Bradley, Jonathan Lloyd, Oliver Snow, Spiro Nicolopoulos and more!!
An Evening With Martin Sexton
– ALL AGES- PARTIALLY SEATED SHOW- GUARANTEED SEATING AND STANDING ROOM TICKETS AVAILABLEMARTIN SEXTON”The real thing, people.” -BillboardMartin Sexton returns with what RollingStone calls his “soul-marinated voice,” acoustic guitar, and a suitcase full of heartfelt songs. The 2023 Tour takes Martin across North America in support of his latest ep 2020 Vision (produced by 3-time Grammy nominee John Alagia (Lukas Nelson, John Mayer, Dave Matthews) as well as reinventing his own classics for these critically-acclaimed solo performances.Still fiercely independent and headlining venues from The Fillmore to Carnegie Hall, he has influenced a generation of contemporary artists. His songs have appeared in television series such as Scrubs, Parenthood, Masters of Sex, Sprung, and in numerous films, though it’s his incendiary live show, honest lyrics, and vocal prowess that keep fans coming back for a new experience every time.
Emily Scott Robinson, Alisa Amador and Violet Bell
– ALL AGES- SEATED SHOW- LIMITED NUMBER OF PREMIUM SEATING TICKETS AVAILABLEEMILY SCOTT ROBINSON An evening of special performances from Emily Scott Robinson, Alisa Amador, and Violet Bell. Fans will hear music from each artist individually and the trio will come together to perform songs from Robinson’s latest release with Oh Boy Records, “Built on Bones.” “Built on Bones” is a collection of six original songs for the Witches of Shakespeare’s Macbeth. The recordings feature Emily Scott Robinson (writer/composer), Alisa Amador (NPR Tiny Desk Contest Winner 2022) and Lizzy Ross (of duo Violet Bell) as the three witches singing through the tragedy of Macbeth in three-part harmony.Colorado songwriter Emily Scott Robinson beckons to those who are lost, lonely, or learning the hard way with American Siren, her first album for Oh Boy Records. With hints of bluegrass, country, and folk, the eloquent collection shares her gift for storytelling through her pristine soprano and the perspective of her unconventional path into music. American Siren landed her on multiple 2021 “best-of” lists – including NPR, Rolling Stone, Sterogum, and more. Robinson’s follow up, Built on Bones (October 2022 via Oh Boy Records), is a collection of six original songs for the Witches of Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Originally commissioned as a live piece for theater by director Colin Sullivan, it features Emily Scott Robinson (writer/composer), Alisa Amador (NPR Tiny Desk Contest Winner 2022) and Lizzy Ross (of duo Violet Bell) as the three witches singing through the tragedy of Macbeth in three-part harmony.
49 Winchester
– WITH COLBY ACUFF- ALL AGES- STANDING ROOM ONLY49 WINCHESTERWith its latest album, “Fortune Favors The Bold,” Russell County, Virginia-based 49 Winchester is ready and roaring to break onto the national scene with its unique brand of tear-in-your-beer alt-country, sticky barroom floor rock-n-roll, and high-octane Appalachian folk. “As we’ve aged and matured, our sound has gone from a softer place to this grittier, edgier tone that we have now,” says lead singer/guitarist Isaac Gibson. “So, we’re trending more towards being a rock band instead of a country band. But, at the same time, I don’t think anybody’s ever known quite what to call it.” Although it’s 49 Winchester’s fourth studio album, “Fortune Favors The Bold” marks its debut for Nashville’s New West Records — one of the premier labels for Americana, indie and rock acts on the cutting edge of sound, scope and spectacle. Formed eight years ago on Winchester Street in the small mountain town of Castlewood, Virginia (population: 2,045), the band started as a rag tag bunch of neighborhood teenagers who just wanted to get together for the sake of playing together. “From day one, it’s always been a band and it will always be about being a band. This is everything, everything we love about music — we’re going for broke with this thing,” says Gibson. “And that gives us a unique perspective because it’s still the same guys. It’s still all of us from Castlewood traveling around, playing music and making this band a reality — this is a story of growth.” And it’s that sense of growth — more so, a sense of self — at the core of “Fortune Favors The Bold.” It’s not only a record that showcases the current state of 49 Winchester, it’s a melodic stake in the ground of how this group is constantly evolving and taking shape, sonically and lyrically. Reflecting on his early days as a jack-of-all-trades stone mason in Castlewood, where it was about trying to make ends meet in an effort to keep 49 Winchester rolling along, Gibson can’t help but be grateful for a well-earned notion at the core of the band’s ethos — anything worthwhile in life is built brick-by-brick. “Everything has to be built. And very few people are going to achieve success overnight,” says Gibson. “There’s going to be people you see succeed in front of you. Maybe you don’t think they deserve it as much as you, haven’t worked as hard as you, haven’t done it as long as you. But, none of that matters — they ain’t you. They’re not living your life. They’re not part of your experience.” At its essence, “Fortune Favors The Bold” is about going against all odds to bring your art into fruition and into the world. It’s about leaving your hometown and heading for the unknown horizon. And it’s about proving those wrong who snickered and waited for the day you’d give up somewhere down the line, only to circle back home with your tail between your legs. But, it’s also about looking into the rearview mirror with a genuine appreciation for where you came from and what you’re made of, those hardscrabble, salt-of-the-earth traits in your blood and character that define what it actually takes to climb that damn mountain of dreams — come hell or high water.
Tinsley Ellis: “Acoustic Songs & Stories”
– ALL AGES- FULLY SEATED SHOW- LIMITED NUMBER OF PREMIUM SEATING TICKETS AVAILABLE TINSLEY ELLIS Georgia troubadour Tinsley Ellis has been immersed in music his whole life. Born in Atlanta 1957 and raised in southern Florida, he acquired his first guitar at age seven, inspired by seeing The Beatles perform on The Ed Sullivan Show. Like many kids his age, Ellis discovered the blues through the back door of British Invasion bands like The Yardbirds, Cream and The Rolling Stones as well as Southern rockers like the Allman Brothers Band. 20 albums (and millions of miles traveled) later on record labels such as Alligator and Capricorn, Ellis has become an elder statesman of the blues world. With his new project Tinsley Ellis – Acoustic Songs And Stories, Ellis performs many of his most popular songs (plus delta blues and classics by artists like Gregg Allman, Bob Dylan and Leo Kottke) on his 1937 National Steel and 1969 Martin D-35. Ellis weaves the music together with interesting and sometimes ribald stories from over 40 years of a life spent on stages and in motels and truck stops. Ellis shows no signs of slowing down and is headed your way with his newest and perhaps most unique project.
