Genre: Concerts

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.

Music of Grateful Dead for Kids + More

ALL AGES STANDING ROOM ONLY KIDS UNDER 1 FREE The Rock and Roll Playhouse, a family concert series hosted at historic music venues across the country, allows kids to “move, play and sing while listening to works from the classic-rock canon” (NY Times). Performing songs created by the most iconic musicians in rock history, The Rock and Roll Playhouse band offers its core audience of families with children age ten and under games, movement, stories and an opportunity to rock out in an effort to educate children and explore their creativity. The Rock and Roll Playhouse is an early and often first introduction to a child’s lifelong journey with live music and rock and roll. See you at the show! This concert for kids and families shares the music of the artist named above with a new generation of music lovers, but is not associated with or endorsed by the artist. All children must be accompanied by a parent or adult caregiver.  The Rock and Roll Playhouse knows that little ears are sensitive, so we turn down the volume at our shows.  However, all kids experience music differently and you may find that your child is more comfortable wearing hearing protection earmuffs, such as Baby Banz, which are available for purchase here. By attending this event, I consent to my image (with or without my voice) being included in photographs and/or film and videotape of the event, and give BBNY, The Rock and Roll Playhouse and their respective licensees and assigns the absolute and irrevocable right and permission to use and publish such content in any and all media, whether now known or hereafter developed. 

Music of The Beatles for Kids + More

ALL AGES STANDING ROOM ONLY KIDS UNDER 1 FREE The Rock and Roll Playhouse, a family concert series hosted at historic music venues across the country, allows kids to “move, play and sing while listening to works from the classic-rock canon” (NY Times). Performing songs created by the most iconic musicians in rock history, The Rock and Roll Playhouse band offers its core audience of families with children age ten and under games, movement, stories and an opportunity to rock out in an effort to educate children and explore their creativity. The Rock and Roll Playhouse is an early and often first introduction to a child’s lifelong journey with live music and rock and roll. See you at the show! This concert for kids and families shares the music of the artist named above with a new generation of music lovers, but is not associated with or endorsed by the artist. All children must be accompanied by a parent or adult caregiver.  The Rock and Roll Playhouse knows that little ears are sensitive, so we turn down the volume at our shows.  However, all kids experience music differently and you may find that your child is more comfortable wearing hearing protection earmuffs, such as Baby Banz, which are available for purchase here. By attending this event, I consent to my image (with or without my voice) being included in photographs and/or film and videotape of the event, and give BBNY, The Rock and Roll Playhouse and their respective licensees and assigns the absolute and irrevocable right and permission to use and publish such content in any and all media, whether now known or hereafter developed. 

Will Sheff / Okkervil River

– WITH mmeadows- ALL AGES- STANDING ROOM ONLYWILL SHEFF / OKKERVIL RIVER After nine critically acclaimed albums, after twenty bandmates, after countless bars and clubs and theaters and festivals, after two full decades, Will Sheff is letting Okkervil River drift out to sea with Nothing Special, a rich and cinematic collection that marks the acclaimed indie songwriter’s first release under his own name. Written through a period of painful loss and deep transformation and recorded with a mix of old friends and new collaborators (including singer/songwriter Christian Lee Hutson, Dawes drummer Griffin Goldsmith, and Death Cab For Cutie pianist Zac Rae), the record represents more than just a change in name; it’s an act of liberation and self-determination, an emotionally raw reckoning with grief, identity, and hope that blurs the lines between fiction and autobiography, surrealism and humor, stoicism and a deepening spirituality. Formed in Austin, TX, Okkervil River embraced both frenetic rock and cerebral complexity as bandmates came and went over its twenty year run, but the group’s north star always remained firmly fixed in Sheff’s emotional vocals and striking lyrics, which could turn even the most seemingly mundane observations into profound philosophical revelations. NPR hailed the New Hampshire native’s “dazzling” way with words, while Pitchfork declared him “one of indie rock’s most ambitious thinkers,” and The New York Times raved that he “writes like a novelist.” With Nothing Special, Sheff begins his next and most compelling chapter yet.mmeadowsFor musicians Kristin Slipp and Cole Kamen-Green, mmeadows is a means of survival, an outlet to anchor themselves from the currents of life. Fluid and rhythmic, organic and electronic, their singular alt-pop songcraft is the synthesis of complementary talents, mutual trust, and years of partnership.  Each brings a distinct background to the sound: Slipp is a current member of Dirty Projectors, with writing and performance credits on their 2020 release 5 EPs. She grew up in Maine, devoting herself to the choir and a true New England-kind of work ethic which has since flourished in New York City’s music community. Kamen-Green has worked with Beyonce, writing and performing horns on Beyonce and Four, as well as projects with Diana Ross, Harry Styles, Laurie Anderson, Meshell Ndegeocello, and Taylor Swift. He came up as a ‘90s kid in lower Manhattan, immersed in the cultures of hip-hop, dance music, and jazz (his uncle is the avant-garde drummer Joey Baron). All the varying hues oftheir influences now filter into Light Moves Around You, the duo’s full-length debut, a dynamic and deeply-honed collection of pop songs that silence chaos and celebrate the tender acts of making space and taking care.

Red Clay Strays: Way Too Long Tour

– ALL AGES- STANDING ROOM ONLYRED CLAY STRAYS With a sound as classic as the crackling of a Sun Records vinyl still spinning somewhere in Memphis, yet as fresh as the musical stylings of the 21st century, The Red Clay Strays are busy making waves with their spellbinding and genre-bending brand of tunes. Reminiscent of the vibrant heyday of southern music, the band finds their origins in the styles of classic country, rockabilly, and gospel-fed soul all the while ushering in a new era of rock-and-roll that is as distinctive as the men who form it. Born and bred in the red dirt clay of south Alabama, Brandon Coleman (lead vocals/guitar), Drew Nix (vocals/electric guitar/harmonica), Zach Rishel (electric guitar), Andrew Bishop (bass) and John Hall (drums), blended their unique individualities and influences together to create a band with a rare sincerity that is not often seen in today’s industry. They have spent the past five years cutting their teeth in the Gulf Coast music scene while simultaneously running the roads discovering who they are and where they belong in the world as they plant roots in towns big and small across the country by burning down every stage they step on—proverbially, of course. Their high-energy, emotive stage presence is as lively as their melodies, though they possess an uncanny knack for tuning into their softer side when the song warrants it. Whether the song has listeners tapping their toes and shaking their hips as in previous singles such as “Good Godly Woman” and “Doin’ Time,” or tugging on the heartstrings in ballads like “Wondering Why” and “Heavy Heart” off their upcoming debut album, the band displays their penchant for storytelling in any song they sing. For The Red Clay Strays, music is simply a way of life—they eat, sleep, live, and breathe it—which is emphasized by their passionate artistic integrity as there is evidently nowhere else they would rather be. At best, they are well on their way to being America’s next big thing, but at the heart of the matter they’re just five guys from Mobile, Alabama who want to play their music and fellowship with people while they do it.Meg McRee After attending Vanderbilt University on a full academic scholarship, Meg McRee traded her newly earned degree for the pursuit of an unpredictable dream as a songwriter. After a few years of waitressing at The Listening Room and nannying in between co-writes, McRee was validated as more than a driven idealist with the signing of her first publishing deal at Hang Your Hat, a creative joint venture with Concord Music Publishing and hit-songwriter Hillary Lindsey. Since, her musical prowess has earned her cuts with Grace Potter, Elle King, Caylee Hammack, Paul Cauthen, Carter Faith, Ben Chapman, Lauren Watkins, Harper O’Neill and more. As she proved her chops in the writing room, McRee toured singing background vocals and playing fiddle with Ben Chapman and Hailey Whitters before making the leap into her own artistic journey with the recording and release of her debut record Is It Just Me?, an album founded upon pleasantly unpredictable melodies, inquisition, and warm-hearted poetry that will make your feelings make sense.

Rooster at The Outpost

– ALL AGES- THE OUTPOST (521 AMBOY RD)- FREE / $10 SUGGESTED DONATION AT DOORROOSTERAsheville band Rooster is Annie Myers and Erin Kinard and was formed in 2016 around a campfire, but the two had performed separately for many years prior. Since then, they have performed throughout Western North Carolina, creating new songs and arrangements of beloved Americana. They perform an energetic combination of folk country and classic Americana, driven by their powerful vocal harmony and soulful drum/guitar instrumentation. Rooster’s debut album ‘Bloodroot’ was recorded in Swannanoa in 2019, released in March of 2020 and made it on WNCW’s top 100 albums of that year. Their orchestrations are clean and uncluttered, but with a raw, gritty edge. They seem right at home in a coffee house, wine bar, brew pub, honky-tonk or at a backyard barbecue.

Dave Desmelik at The Outpost

– ALL AGES- THE OUTPOST (521 AMBOY RD)- FREE / $10 SUGGESTED DONATION AT DOORDAVE DESMELIK  “A superb example of all that is good in Roots/Americana music today.” -lonesomehighway.com Dave Desmelik is a singer-songwriter and instrumentalist whose musical focus is on original compositions. What attracts listeners to Desmelik’s tunes, old and new, is the element of authenticity incorporated in them. There is no sugar coating involved. His songs are not wrapped in false smiles, rather they are stark and open and tend to settle on the pulse of everyday life. An unclosed and evolving journal of thoughts set to music and melodies in prose and instrumental performance. If you listen to Dave Desmelik’s songs, whether lyrical or instrumental, you may become pleasantly fixed in the simplistic realness of them and if you hear Desmelik in a live setting you may realize that there are no tricks, just a genuine venture into the highs and lows of life.  

Alex Krug Combo: Alex’s Bday and the combo’s single release party at The Outpost

– ALL AGES- THE OUTPOST (521 AMBOY RD)- FREE / $10 SUGGESTED DONATION AT DOORALEX KRUG COMBO Life is at its very core about exploring. We can remain stagnant and rooted in place, or we can take a page out of Alex Krug Combo’s playbook and dive headfirst. The thrill of adventure looms ahead of this band.  Their Psychedelic Smoky Mountain Americana strikes a stunningly evocative chord about life, being an outsider and the kind of heartache and healing that transforms your soul.