Acoustic Syndicate: Annual Thanksgiving Homecoming
– ALL AGES- STANDING ROOM ONLYACOUSTIC SYNDICATE Acoustic Syndicate is a musical institution. Since 1994, their unique blend of bluegrass instruments, rock sensibilities, and conscious songwriting has inspired a generation of musicians. Through 8 albums, thousands of performances, and tens-of-thousands of miles, Acoustic Syndicate has long been heralded as one of the important influences on the modern roots-music revival. Always a family affair, the band is fronted by Steve McMurry on guitar and vocals, and his cousin Bryon McMurry on banjo, guitar, and vocals. Their signature three-part blood harmony is rounded out by Bryon’s brother Fitz on drums and vocals. Multi-instrumentalist Jay Sanders holds down the bass with deep pocket and style. “Their modern take on traditional bluegrass and rock values culminates in a glimmering, driving sound rich with acoustic textures and glowing vocals,” said Paul Kerr, of JamBase. If there was ever a band that could capture the universal truths of life from the roots up, it’s Acoustic Syndicate.
Skegss
– ALL AGES- STANDING ROOM ONLYSKEGSS In the six years since their inception, Skegss (singer/guitarist Ben Reed, bassist/guitarist/vocalist Toby Cregan, and drummer Jonny Lani) emerged from their laid-back, Australian small town roots as unlikely anti-heroes of the country’s vibrant rock scene.They’ve even topped the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) singles charts numerous times and, more recently, their debut LP My Own Mess reached number two on the album charts and earned an ARIA Award nomination for ‘Best Rock Album.’ Australia’s coastal sensation never lost their underdog flair despite their achievements, and it’s that same spirit that defines their second studio album, Rehearsal—a 13-track thrill ride through modern disillusioned youth. Released late March 2021 via Loma Vista Recordings Rehearsal debuted at #1 on Australia’s ARIA Album and Vinyl sales chart with first week sales and was the triple j feature record. In addition- Rehearsal earned the trio of Toby, Ben Reed (vocals, guitar), and Jonny Lani (drums) their first cover story at NME Australia, while its singles collectively earned early praise and support from Consequence, DIY, Rolling Stone Australia (‘Song You Need to Know’) and had 2 tracks place in the triple j Hottest 100 voted singles of the year. (‘Under the Thunder’ (#27) and ‘Fantasising’ (#66)) Rehearsal was recorded at The Grove Studios with Grammy-award winning producer Catherine Marks (Foals, Wolf Alice), who added a veteran’s finesse and expanded upon the rustic charm of demos the band tracked at The Music Farm using vintage gear from the ‘60s and ‘70s. From Reed’s self-made lyrical philosophies inspired by his favorite stand-up comedians to Toby Cregan’s reflections on life and his dog, Rehearsal is the most candid and electrifying snapshot we’ve seen of Skegss yet.ADAM NEWLING Raised in Cronulla born to first-generation Greek mother and Aussie father, Adam Newling is an alternative artist who utilises country sensibilities and eclectic knowledge of sound in his music to unprecedented effect. With big dreams of one day performing in the heart of Nashville, he has arrived to light up our hearts, guitar in hand.FLYING MACHINE
The Arcadian Wild
– ALL AGES- SEATED SHOW- LIMITED NUMBER OF PREMIUM SEATING TICKETS AVAILABLETHE ARCADIAN WILDLed by songwriters Isaac Horn and Lincoln Mick, Nashville-based acoustic quartet The Arcadian Wild confidently inhabits and explores an intersection of genre, blending the traditional with the contemporary in order to create a unique acoustic sound that is simultaneously unified and diverse. Combining elements of progressive bluegrass, folk, and formal vocal music, The Arcadian Wild offer up songs of invitation; calls to comeand see, to find refuge and rest, or to journey and wonder.
Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives at The Outpost
– THE OUTPOST (521 AMBOY RD)- PARTIALLY SEATED SHOW – VIP & PREMIUM SEATING OPTIONS- $1 PER TICKET GOES TO BENEFIT CONGRESS OF COUNTRY MUSIC MARTY STUARTMarty Stuart is a five-time GRAMMY-winner, platinum recording artist, AMA Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, Grand Ole Opry star, country music archivist, photographer, musician and songwriter. Since starting out singing gospel as a child, Stuart has spent over four decades celebrating American roots music. His teenage years on tour with bluegrass legend Lester Flatt in the ’70s were followed by six years in Johnny Cash’s band in the ’80s and a chart-topping tenure as a solo artist in the ’90s. Stuart hosts a Late Night Jam at The Ryman each year to kick off the CMA Music Festival. Recent guests include Dolly Parton, Jerry Lee Lewis, Neko Case, Eric Church, Chris Stapleton, Maren Morris, Dan Auerbach and many more.TAYLOR MARTIN AND SONG DOGS Taylor Martin brings you music with a beating heart. His raspy, emotion filled voice is instantly recognizable and his lyrics have an unflinching sincerity. His band Song Dogs features Lyndsay Pruett on fiddle, Matt Dufon on bass, Phil Alley on guitar, and Atlanta’s drummer Richie Jones. The Song Dogs carry one of Asheville’s most respected songwriters through a mosaic of Americana music. “THE BIG CHIEF SPECIAL” VIP PACKAGE:*One (1) Premium Seat, with admission to a private pre-show event at venue featuring a two-song performance by Marty And His Superlatives, along with a Q&A storytelling session with Marty and Band *One (1) VIP Laminate and Lanyard *Crowd Free Merchandise Shopping *One (1) 8X10 Personalized Photo This event is rain or shine. Please follow social media for weather alerts, delays or updates. CLEAR BAG POLICY :: Bags must be clear plastic, vinyl or PVC and can not exceed 12” x 6” x 12” in size. Also allowed are small purses or clutches that are no larger than 4.5” x 6.5”. Parenting bags, and medical bags are permitted. All bags are subject to search. PARKING & DIRECTIONS :: Parking/shuttle will run from Sun Heating Supply (223 Amboy Rd). Please park all the way at the top of the hill. This parking area is just a short walk to the venue, but there will also be a shuttle operating to help get everyone to the venue. BIKING & RIDE SHARE :: We strongly encourage ticket holders to carpool, bike or use a rideshare service (i.e Uber, Lyft). Racks will be available or those biking in. FOOD & BEVERAGE :: Food and beverages (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) will be available for purchase on-site. Underage drinking will not be tolerated. Drink responsibly and have a designated driver.
Drivin N Cryin
– ALL AGES- STANDING ROOM ONLYDRIVIN N CRYIN Celebrating their 35th Anniversary together, Atlanta-based folk rock act, Drivin N Cryin, have spent most of their career on tour. In October 1985 Drivin N Cryin played their first show at Atlanta’s famed 688 Club. The band quickly gained attention for their blistering live shows, and amassed a rabid fanbase in the fertile soil of the late-1980s Southeast music scene. Now, 35 years later, and after releasing four full length albums on Island Records and one on Geffen Records, founding members Kevn Kinney and Tim Nielsen find themselves enjoying a milestone anniversary for the band, having survived the pressures of fame, a shifting musical landscape, multiple lineup changes, and miles of back roads and highways to arrive here. After a gold record, 9 full-length albums, and a handful of EPs to their credit, the band still refuses to rest. In 2012, a documentary about the band, entitled Scarred but Smarter: Life n Times of Drivin’ N’ Cryin’, was produced. In 2015, a collection of 10 choice cuts from the band’s 4-EP “Songs” series, entitled Best of Songs, was released on Nashville’s Plowboy Records. Additionally, the band was inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame the same year. The following year, Drivin N Cryin released a vinyl-only album, entitled Archives Vol One, with a collection of basement recordings from the years 1988 to 1990. With Dave V. Johnson on drums, and the band’s newest member, Laur Joamets, (originally Sturgill Simpson) added to the lineup, Drivin N Cryin continues to tour the U.S. to great acclaim. Island Records re-released their highly recognized Mystery Road album through Universal Music Group (2017) & Darius Rucker cut Straight to Hell on his new album, When Was the Last Time, released October 2017 with guest vocal appearances by Luke Bryan, Charles Kelley, and Jason Aldean. Mystery Road was named one of “The 50 Best Southern Rock Albums of All Time” by Paste Magazine that year as well. In 2018, New West Records re-released their self-titled 1997 album with a new name, Too Late To Turn Back Now!. In addition, the band recently celebrated the release of their 9th studio album, ‘Live the Love Beautiful’. Produced by Nashville’s, and former band member, Aaron Lee Tasjan, the album was released on Drivin N Cryin Records to much praise. A quote from the band’s lead singer, Kevn Kinney, gives a little insight into what Drivin N Cryin is all about: “We are a band that’s like your record collection.” Drawing influence from a wide array of musical elements, Drivin N Cryin has developed a unique sound over the years. Their name derives from the eclectic nature of this sound: a little drivin’ rock n roll and a little country twang. Comfortable with their past and confident in their future, the band has an arsenal of songs, a full tank of gas, and no plans of stopping any time soon.
Jump Little Children: The Farewell Tour
– ALL AGES- PARTIALLY SEATED SHOWJUMP LITTLE CHILDRENJump, Little Children celebrates 30 years of music on their “Farewell Tour” by coming to town one last time. The grassroots phenomenon will perform crowd favorites from their entire catalog including songs like “Cathedrals”, “Mexico”, and “Hand On My Heartache” as well as songs off of their final album “Foundering” which will be released in September of this year. The original lineup has changed with Matt and Evan Bivins bowing out for this last run, so the band will be joined by some very special guests to fill in on drums, vocals, and other instrumentation.FRANCES CONERolling Stone “With the ethereal flutterings of Bon Iver, the title track smolders through stripped-down verses before reaching the billowing harmonies of the chorus.” Consequence of Sound “…each song feels complete, fully realized as a coherent effort from an artist who appreciates the value in taking your time to reach the finish line.” NPR’s All Songs Considered “…a keenly balanced mix of sweetness, urgency, inventiveness and all-around charm” NPR Artists To Watch at SXSW 2017 “The band doesn’t stay in one place for long, as slow burns make way for soaring catharsis.” Billboard “Leave Without You” Exclusive Premiere “The desert rock-twinged track employs the band’s signature slow build before exploding with synth and drums into the song’s chorus.” AXS Frances Cone Delivers a Soulful Take on Indie-Pop “Ready to make their mark on the world, Frances Cone’s single “Arizona” has already accumulated over six million streams on Spotify.” Stereogum “Arizona” track premiere “’Arizona’ is carried by Cone’s melodic vocals, rich harmonies, and an electrifying guitar sound. As the song builds up to the repetition of ‘I’m so sorry you couldn’t speak,’ it is impossible to ignore the genuine emotion in Cone’s voice.” Noisey “Wait Right Here” premiere “Think Fleetwood Mac meets Dirty Projectors…”
The Weight Band (ft members of The Band and Levon Helm Band)
– ALL AGES- PARTIALLY SEATED SHOWTHE WEIGHT BAND Performing original songs as well as classics of The Band, The Weight Band is led by Jim Weider, a 15-year former member of The Band and the Levon Helm Band. The Weight Band originated in 2013 inside the famed Woodstock barn of Levon Helm. Weider was inspired by Helm to carry on the musical legacy of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame group. On their new album, Shines Like Gold, The Weight Band presents a dynamic set of classic Americana that draws upon roadhouse rock, funky swamp pop, blues, country soul and folk music. Composed of band leader, renowned guitarist Jim Weider (The Band, Levon Helm’s Midnight Ramble Band, Jim Weider Band), keyboardist Brian Mitchell (Levon Helm’s Midnight Ramble Band), bassist Albert Rogers (Jim Weider Band, Jimmy Vivino), drummer Michael Bram (Jason Mraz) and keyboardist Matt Zeiner (Dickey Betts), the veteran quintet shares a deep appreciation and knowledge for this music, which Weider describes as the “Woodstock Sound.” The Weight Band continues to serve as its torchbearer, with Shines Like Gold representing a sublime example of these masterful roots musicians at work. The Weight Band recorded Shine Like Gold live at Clubhouse Studios in Rhinebeck, NY, over four days – with minimal rehearsal during the height of the pandemic in 2020. Producer Colin Linden, an award-winning musician and Weider’s longtime collaborator and co-writer on several of the album tracks, was in Nashville. The arrangement, however, worked out perfectly, according to Weider. “He had a big hand and footprint on this record. Weider added, “We go back, so there is a comfortableness working with him.” In 2017, The Weight Band performed on the PBS series Infinity Hall Live. The following year, their self-produced debut, World Gone Mad, was released to strong reviews. Billboard called it “excellent” while Goldmine Magazine hailed World Gone Mad as one of the year’s best indie albums. Most recently, the Weight Band put out Acoustic Live in 2021. This 11-track album features five songs recorded at the Big Pink on October 25, 2019, and six songs recorded the following night in Levon Helm’s barn/studio. Performances include memorable versions of “World Gone Mad,” Dylan’s “Highway 61 Revisited,” Jerry Garcia’s “Deal,” and several Band covers. The Weight Band’s origins are tied to Woodstock and some of its most famous inhabitants, The Band. Weider, a Woodstock native, served as The Band’s lead guitarist from 1985-2000, following Robbie Robertson’s departure. In the late 00s, he replaced Jimmy Vivino in the Levon Helm Band, which already included Mitchell. The connections extend further, as Rogers shared the stage with Helm and Hudson while in The Jim Weider Band and Bram drummed in the Chris O’Leary Band, an off-shoot of Helm’s band The Barnburners. Following Helm’s death in 2012, Weider performed a few “Songs of The Band” concerts, which included Vivino, Byron Isaacs, Randy Ciarlante and Garth Hudson. The shows were so well received that Weider started the first version of The Weight Band with Ciarlante, Isaacs, Mitchell, and keyboardist Marty Grebb. Over the next several years, the group shifted from playing mainly Band songs to their originals. Along the way, band membership shifted too. When Isaacs left for the Lumineers, Rogers came aboard. Bram joined the group after Ciarlante’s departure. Following World Gone Mad’s release, Grebb bowed out and Zeiner stepped in.
Ceremony
– ALL AGES- STANDING ROOM ONLYCEREMONY Ceremony’s lead guitarist Anthony Anzaldo doesn’t want to talk about the fact that his band has been around for over ten years. Or that they’ve drifted away from the hardcore genre that made them, or that they jumped ship from their long-time label, Matador Records, to join Relapse Records instead. Or that their sixth album will mark four years since the iconic punk band has released any new material. These things aren’t really important. What matters is that In the Spirit World Now is Ceremony’s most driving, intelligent collection of songs to date. “We knew this had to be the best thing we have ever done,” admits Anzaldo. “We couldn’t come back after four years with a record that only had a few good songs.” Produced by Will Yip (Title Fight, Circa Survive, Turnover) and mixed by engineer Ben Greenberg (The Men, Pharmakon, Hank Wood And The Hammerheads), In the Spirit World Now grows with each listen, balancing Yip’s pop sensibilities with Greenberg’s noise-punk influence through dramatic, shining synthesizer hooks and a mature vocal strategy. Drummer Jake Casarotti and bassist Justin Davis power through the 11-tracks as a strong yet sparse backbone that interlocks with guitarists Andy Nelson and Anzaldo to create a pop-centric, post-punk canvas for frontman Ross Farrar to expel the most vulnerable parts of himself. (And, thankfully, there are many.) Farrar, who has been studying and teaching at the Syracuse University MFA Poetry Program for the past three years, has found himself as a vocalist on Spirit World, not only sounding more confident and in the pocket than he ever has before, but exploring amorphous lyrical territory about arrested development, botched relationships, and the never-ending hamster wheel of self-destruction so many creatives fall into. “I’ve been very interested in will, as in a person’s faculty of consciousness and how we navigate actions and self-control,” Farrar says. “I’ve been worried for a long time that my lack of self-control will inevitably destroy me, so any paranoia on that matter is focused on this record.” Spirit World is a carefully composed punk record by a band who is so in tune with one another as players that their physical separation didn’t affect the music when it came time to get together and work. Despite living in opposite ends of the country, they met up, rehearsed the new material, and demoed it out in Anaheim at a friend’s studio. After two weeks, the tracks were loose with Farrar only mumbling melody ideas on top of the band. A few months later, they linked up with producer Will Yip and he flushed out the demos, helping develop the structure as the songs took shape in the studio. To add some grit to their slew of polished post-punk hits, Anzaldo called on Greenberg to help develop melodies and interject synthesizers and keyboards into the songs before he mixed the record. “We really took it song by song on this album,” says Anzaldo. “We pushed ourselves more than any other record. We didn’t have a lot of time together, so the time we did have was precious, and we were hyper-focused on making the best songs possible.”support bands:GELSRSQTONGUES OF FIRE
Bonny Light Horseman at Asheville Masonic Temple
– ALL AGES- SEATED SHOW- AT ASHEVILLE MASONIC TEMPLEBONNY LIGHT HORSEMAN By the time Anaïs Mitchell, Josh Kaufman, and Eric D. Johnson first convened as Bonny Light Horseman in 2018, each member already had the kind of career about which they once only dreamed. Mitchell, for instance, had made a string of fetching albums at the vanguard of modern folk songcraft, even before her musical Hadestown became a Broadway runaway. As a producer and multi-instrumentalist, Kaufman had worked with a dazzling array of heroes and peers, from Bob Weir and The National to The War on Drugs and Josh Ritter. And for nearly a quarter-century, Johnson had penned intricate indie pop as Fruit Bats. But Mitchell had never been in any band that wasn’t playing only her songs. Johnson had long been focused only on his band (assorted collaborations like The Shins notwithstanding), its sole constant member. And Kaufman largely worked to enhance the visions and hopes of others’ bands. Bonny Light Horseman the band, then, offered that very rare adult opportunity—to learn something new with new friends, with a safety net waiting beneath as needed. No net, of course, would prove necessary: Bonny Light Horseman’s self-titled 2020 debut was a modern folk masterclass, with the trio reimagining centuries-old transatlantic standards with effortless grace and endless wonder. Perfect timing for the trio or perfect chemistry among its members? Who’s to say, really? Yes? Either way, those GRAMMY-nominated, list-topping recordings not only suggested renewed possibilities for aging songbooks but also marked the arrival of a trio fully capable of reorienting the wider folk landscape. Still, if Bonny Light Horseman felt at all like the work of some short-lived supergroup or a one-off diversion (it never was), Rolling Golden Holy rebuffs the notion with preternatural beauty, charm, and imagination. These 11 songs—all originals, written and realized by the trio as a whole—follow the paths of the traditional tunes the band cherishes to new musical and lyrical frontiers, and give the sounds and situations of history the gravity and shape of now. Rolling Golden Holy confirms that Bonny Light Horseman is not a project but a band, and one presently working at the forefront of modern American folk. JOAN SHELLEYJoan Shelley is a songwriter and singer who lives near Louisville, Ky., not far from where she grew up. She draws inspiration from traditional and traditionally-minded performers from her native Kentucky, as well as those from Ireland, Scotland, and England, but she’s not a folksinger. Her disposition aligns more closely with that of, say, Roger Miller, Dolly Parton, or her fellow Kentuckian Tom T. Hall, who once explained—simply, succinctly, in a song—“I Witness Life.” Shelley has crossed the country and toured Europe several times as a headlining artist, typically with guitarist Nathan Salsburg, and sharing shows with the likes of Jake Xerxes Fussell, Bonnie “Prince” Billy, The Other Years, and Michael Hurley. She has opened for Wilco, Chris Smither, Patty Griffin, Andrew Bird and Richard Thompson and has appeared as a guest on WTF with Marc Maron, Fresh Air and Later… with Jools Holland. Her new album The Spur was released in June 2022.
W.I.T.C.H. w/ PAINT
– ALL AGES- STANDING ROOM ONLYW.I.T.C.H. W.I.T.C.H. (We Intend To Cause Havoc) were the biggest rock band in Zambia in the 1970s and spearheaded a new genre dubbed Zamrock, fusing influences that ranged from the Rolling Stones to Black Sabbath and James Brown and mixing them with traditional African rhythms and bush village songs. At t the peak of their popularity, the band often needed police to keep fans at bay while their lead singer Jagari – whose name is an Africanisation of Mick Jagger’s – riled up crowds by stage diving from balconies and dancing manically as the WITCH’s blend of psychedelic rock and African rhythms permeated the surrounding atmosphere. Jagari is the charismatic sole surviving original member of the band. As Zambia’s economy stagnated and the country buckled under the AIDS crisis, WITCH fell apart. Jagari retreated to a life of quasi-anonymity as a university music professor before being wrongfully arrested during Zambia’s toughest hour. Now a man in his 60s, he spends his time mining gemstones hoping to strike it rich, until very recently the band being just a nostalgic memory of his youth. Largely unknown outside of their home country, WITCH finally got the exposure they deserved when Now Again Records reissued their entire discography in 2012. This allowed Jagari to play outside Africa for the first time and for a new generation of fans to discover his music. In 2016 he began a collaboration with Dutch musicians Jacco Gardner and Nic Mauskoviç, and together with them, in September 2017 WITCH headed out on its extremely successful first-ever European Tour. In the Fall of 2019, WITCH embarked on their first North American tour, including a well-received performance at Desert Daze. The band will be returning to the U.S. & Canada, Spring 2022. Look out for the award winning documentary, which will be released in North America on July 13th. PAINTHaving first made his mark as a songwriter and guitarist for Los Angeles’ Allah-Las, Pedrum Siadatian has etched out a place of his own with his solo work as PAINT. What started as modest 4-track experiments quickly took on a life of their own as Pedrum began distilling his musical and lyrical inspirations into something both timeless and new. His miniature menagerie of light-psych and proto-punk gems had outgrown their cassette cage and were now ready to be heard.PAINT’s eponymous debut (Mexican Summer, 2018) appeared out of the ether, fully formed. It was praised for its originality and drew favorable comparisons to the likes of Kevin Ayers, Lou Reed and Julian Cope. The mess was the message and the decidedly mid-fi production found Siadatian both honoring and eschewing tradition. The album was accompanied by videos for the singles “Daily Gazette” and “Moldy Man,” both directed by Sam Kristofski (Connan Mockasin, Pond), with select performances in North America, UK, and Europe.This year sees PAINT returning with the release of the ambitious Spiritual Vegas. While Ray Davies-smirks and Kevin Ayers-wit abound, Siadatian’s singular touch is unmistakable. Joined once again by producer / engineer Frank Maston at the helm, Spiritual Vegas features a rogue’s gallery of players with performances by Jackson Macintosh (TOPS, Sheer Agony) on bass and guitar, Nick Murray (White Fence, Oh Sees) on drums, and brothers-in-Las Spencer Dunham and Matt Correia on bass and percussion respectively.
