The 2025 Christmas Yarn Ball
ALL AGESSTANDING ROOM ONLY YARN You might expect a band that calls itself Yarn to, naturally, tend to spin a yarn or two. “That’s what we do, we tell stories, live and in the studio, truth and fiction”,singer/songwriter Blake Christiana insists. “We don’t always opt for consistency. There’s a different vibe onstage from what comes through in our recordings. There’s a difference in every show as well, you never know what you’re going to get.” Yarn’s ability to persevere ought to come as no great surprise, especially for a band that spent two years honing their chops during a Monday night residency at the famed Kenny’s Castaway in New York’s Greenwich Village. In effect, it allowed them to rehearse onstage, mostly in front of audiences that often ranged in size from five to a hundred people on any given night. 10 studio albums followed — Yarn (2007), Empty Pockets (2008), Leftovers Part One (2009), Come On In (2010), Leftovers Part 2 (2011), Almost Home (2012), Shine the Light On (2013), This Is The Year (2016), and Lucky 13 parts 1 & 2 (2019). The band then took to the road, playing upwards of 170 shows a year and sharing stages with such superstars as Dwight Yoakam, Charlie Daniels, Railroad Earth, Marty Stuart, Allison Krauss, Leon Russell, Jim Lauderdale, Leftover Salmon, Amos Lee, The Lumineers and many more. They’ve driven nonstop, made countless radio station appearances, driven broken-down RVs and watched as their van caught fire. They’ve paid their dues and then some, looking forward even as they were forced to glance behind. Indeed, the accolades piled up quickly along the way. They have landed on the Grammy ballot 4 times, garnered nods from the Americana Music Association, placed top five on both Radio and Records and the AMA album charts, garnered airplay on Sirius XM, iTunes, Pandora, CNN, and CMT, been streamed millions of times on Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon, and also accorded the “Download of the Day” from Rolling Stone. Shine the Light On found shared songwriting credits with John Oates (the Oates of Hall & Oates fame), and when audiences expressed their admiration, it brought the band a populist cult following of diehard devotees, popularly known as “the Yarmy.” It’s proof positive that the Brooklyn and Raleigh based band have made their mark, and in dealing with their emotions, scars and circumstances, they find themselves in a position to share those experiences with others who have juggled similar sentiments The beginning of the journey to these 2 albums began around April of 2022 when Blake booked a solo show at The Down Home in Johnson City, TN (a nod to Townes Van Zandt’s 1986 live show there and ultimate release) with the intention of making a live record. But he wanted it to be songs none of the fans and attendees had ever heard before. The problem was he hadn’t written most of them yet. He was at his crossroads, uninspired, bored, exhausted and fairly insecure about his entire career up to that point. But he got to work, and got more inspired with each new song he wrote. These songs all tell a story individually but they also tell a story as a whole, a songwriter and musician ready to dive deeper into the music and the art for a greater result that he believes most anyone can appreciate, relate to and enjoy.
HARMONIES FOR HOMES: A Benefit for Homeward Bound of WNC
ALL AGESSTANDING ROOM ONLY HARMONIES FOR HOMES Join us on Sunday, October 26th at The Grey Eagle from 3 to 10 PM for Harmonies for Homes, a special evening of music and community in support of Homeward Bound of WNC and their mission to end homelessness in Asheville. This family-friendly fundraiser brings together some of the region’s most dynamic bands, including Coconut Cake, Las Montañitas, Rahm Squad, Eleanor & Friends, King Garbage, After Ours, Hype Machine, and Dr. Funky Squirrel. With genres spanning funk, jazz, soul, Latin, and beyond, it’s a celebration of the diverse sounds that make Asheville’s music scene special. In addition to an incredible lineup, guests can take part in a silent auction featuring unique items and experiences generously donated by local businesses, with all proceeds directly supporting Homeward Bound’s vital housing programs. Food and drinks will be available from The Grey Eagle’s renowned taqueria, making it a perfect night out for families, friends, and music lovers alike. Harmonies for Homes is made possible through the support of our presenting sponsors: Fred Anderson Subaru, McKibbon Hospitality, Moxy Hotel, Aloft Hotel, Infinity Wealth Management, and Town Mountain Realty. Come enjoy great music, bid on great local items, and help create lasting solutions to homelessness in our community.
PATIO: Nature Boys
– ALL AGES – LIMITED PATIO SEATING IS FIRST COME FIRST SERVE NATURE BOYS Nature Boys is a trio of longtime Asheville musicians, featuring some from Town Mountain—Jesse Langlais, Jack Devereux, and Nick DiSebastian. Their sound is rooted in bluegrass among other things. Come enjoy this new Asheville trio!
FREE SHOW – PATIO: Dave Desmelik
– FREE SHOW – ALL AGES- LIMITED PATIO SEATING IS FIRST COME FIRST SERVE DAVE DESMELIK “Desmelik delivers. He is reliable. He is tenacious, steadfast, and solid. His music is earthy and elemental, unpretentious and observational, and when he’s performing, his head is in the song he is playing for you and the rest of the audience.” -ashevillestages.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.
Bywater Call
ALL AGESSTANDING ROOM ONLY BYWATER CALL Bywater Call, is a powerhouse seven-piece Southern soul, roots rock band from Toronto, Canada, made up of Meghan Parnell (vocals), Dave Barnes (guitar), Bruce McCarthy on drums, Mike Meusel on Bass, newest member, John Kervin on Keys, Stephen Dyte on Trumpet and Julian Nalli on Tenor Sax. Bywater Call has received multiple Independent Blues and Maple Blues Award nominations including Entertainer, Electric Act and Best Female Vocalist for the 2024 Awards Season. They have toured extensively in Europe where shows have been praised by Dutch, German and UK media, with references to Meghan as one of the best female voices in blues and roots today. In August 2023, the band participated in Joe Bonamassa’s third Keeping the Blues Alive at Sea Mediterranean Cruise alongside headliners Blackberry Smoke and Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, and were invited to perform at the All-Star Jam on the mainstage with Bonamassa himself. Guitarist Dave Barnes was also asked to join legendary blues artist Jimmy Vivino (Conan O’Brien’s Basic Cable Band) on stage. Bywater Call have commanded festival stages in Canada and around the world, often referred to as the “find of the fest”. In May of 2023, they opened for Canadian Award-winning band White Horse at the inaugural Smokestack Music Festival in Hamilton, Ontario. In July, Meghan joined renowned pedal-steel guitarist Robert Randolph on stage at his request, at the Briggs Farm Festival in Nescopeck, PA. On October 24, 2023, Bywater performed a live stream performance for the famed German TV show and festival Rockpalast. In 2023 alone, the band played a total of 96 shows in 10 countries, 89 Cities, 19 US States and 3 Canadian Provinces. This is not including a month long duo tour in Europe and the UK where Meghan and Dave opened for Southern California rockers Robert Jon & The Wreck, who have recently partnered with Joe Bonamassa’s Journeyman Records. The band’s music is an exploration of life’s highs and lows. From intimate ballads that lay bare the complexities of human emotion to electrifying anthems that demand to be played at full volume, their catalogue is a journey through the human experience, incorporating influences from the likes of The Band, The Wood Brothers, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Otis Redding, Little Feat, Sly and the Family Stone, among others.
PATIO: Scout Speer
– ALL AGES – LIMITED PATIO SEATING IS FIRST COME FIRST SERVE SCOUT SPEER Scout Speer’s passion for music was kindled in a home on the Tennessee-Alabama line, where her grandaddy’s guitar playing introduced her to the harmonies that bind a family. Raised amid the sounds of country greats and the rustic farming life, outdoor adventures became as much a part of her as her music. At eight, motivated by a promise from her grandaddy to pass down the family guitar, Scout learned to play, earning herself the cherished instrument. Though her early ambitions were swayed by a successful athletic career in soccer, including a state championship and playing through college, music remained her true calling. Ultimately, Scout set aside her athletic achievements to follow her dream of country music artistry, a testament to the enduring influence of her grandaddy’s introduction to music, and impact of her rural upbringing. With her distinctly warm vocal tone and genuine, heartfelt lyrics, Scout Speer will be moving from the great outdoors to the Grand Ole Opry in no time.
NewSong Music Performance & Songwriting Competition
ALL AGES 6PM DOORS / 7PM SHOW FULLY SEATED SHOW LIMITED NUMBER OF PREMIUM SEATING TICKETS AVAILABLE In celebration of its 24th anniversary, the NewSong Music Performance & Songwriting Competition — presented by Citizen Vinyl — will welcome eight finalists from across North America to Asheville for an evening of songs and connection The event takes place at The Grey Eagle on Thursday, December 11. The internationally recognized event, previously held at the prestigious Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City, has since found a home in the mountains of Western North Carolina. The finalists (TBA in early October), selected from advance online submissions, will bring their musical chops to Asheville to perform, compete, and connect with one another. A panel of music industry judges will select one grand prize winner who will receive a fully funded six-song EP, recorded and mixed at Citizen Studios, and a music vinyl package pressed at Citizen Vinyl.Citizen Vinyl, established by NewSong Music director and co-founder Gar Ragland, is North Carolina’s first vinyl pressing facility, and boasts a variety of amenities including a full-scale recording studio, high quality vinyl pressing and cassette duplication, direct-to-customer fulfillment, and more. Now in its 24th year, the NewSong Music Performance & Songwriting Competition is one of North America’s premier showcases of emerging performers and songwriters today. This crowd-sourced effort seeks to identify the truly exceptional artists within our communities and to work closely with them to develop their careers and introduce their music to a broader, international audience while building a supportive community of performers and songwriters across all genres of music and levels of skill.
Jordan Tice & Joseph Terrell
ALL AGES SEATED SHOW LIMITED NUMBER OF PREMUIM SEATING TICKETS AVAILABLE JORDAN TICE Jordan Tice is a musical seeker of the most dedicated sort. Growing up in Annapolis Maryland, as a teenage rocker and student of jazz and music composition at Towson University, he has become among the most innovative acoustic guitarists of the modern age. Surrounded by a family of bluegrass musicians and opening for American music luminaries such as David Bromberg and Tony Rice at an early age, Tice found his musical center, one which he now channels into a refreshing approach to songcraft. Speaking to the components that fuel the progressivism intrinsic to some of his closest heroes, Jordan says, “Artists like John Hartford or Norman Blake chose to look beyond the idiomatic elements of the music and tap into where those things came from. They learned from literal examples, but they were working more off abstractions that they absorbed into their own work, creating something entirely new.” JOSEPH TERRELL Joseph grew up in a big Quaker family in the North Carolina Piedmont. He’s spent the last ten years writing and singing with folk band Mipso. “To call a howl “good for nothing” is a compliment. all of the best howls are. i got a howl stuck in my head a few years ago when i started noticing the trees. somehow they’d escaped my imagination since i was a kid in the woods. i welcomed them back. sycamores in particular captured my attention. their bark is a cousin to skin. i learned there are sixty-two types of oaks in north carolina. the water oak is my favorite. its waxy teardrops droop over creeks. i thought a good bit about hackberry and greenbriar, too, and when summer ended i fell in love with goldenrod. it felt good to pay attention. they had been there all along. i was moving around a lot at the time. i crashed with barry and susan, spent a while in alex and caroline’s basement. i quit trying to write all together, quit playing for a while too. then at the beginning of spring i started dragging a chair under a tree in the yard. wherever i was i would try to spend the morning outside with a guitar. i found a lot of songs that way, like they were already there, waiting for me to sing them out loud. i hope that sounds as strange as it felt.
The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band
ALL AGESSTANDING ROOM ONLY THE REVEREND PEYTON’S BIG DAMN BAND Three time BMA nominee’s The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band are “the greatest front-porch blues band in the world”. They are led by Reverend Peyton, who most consider to be the premier finger picker playing today. He has earned a reputation as both a singularly compelling performer and a persuasive evangelist for the rootsy, country blues styles that captured his imagination early in life and inspired him and his band to make pilgrimages to Clarksdale, Mississippi to study under such blues masters as T-Model Ford, Robert Belfour and David “Honeyboy” Edwards. Their last record Dance Songs For Hard Times went #1 on the Billboard, iTunes and Sirius XM Blues Charts and was produced by Grammy winner Vance Powell. The record was critically acclaimed by Rolling Stone, Relix, Popmatters, Guitar World, American Songwriter, No Depression, Glide, Wide Open Country, Paste, American Blues Scene and many more! Their new record, Honeysuckle was produced and recorded by Reverend Peyton and mixed by six-time Grammy winner Vance Powell (Chris Stapleton, Jack White). The record features many special guests, including gospel music group The McCrary Sisters on the song “Manger,” Blues Music Hall of Famer and Grammy-nominated harmonica player Billy Branch who plays on the Blind Lemon Jefferson song “Nell (Prison Cell Blues),” Grammy award-winning and IBMA’s 10-time Fiddle Player of the Year Michael Cleveland plays on “Freeborn Man” and Colton Crawford from The Dead South plays banjo on “The Good Die Young.”
Bombargo
ALL AGESSTANDING ROOM ONLY BOMBARGO Bombargo is a Canadian based international touring band that drops a vibrant splash of soul over their distinctive ‘vintage-pop’ sound. Well known for bringing unrivaled energy to the stage with sing-along anthems, double-brother harmonies, and a powerful message that combined make for one of the most captivating live shows ever! Frontman Nathan Thoen’s passionate conviction and ‘Jagger-like’ dance moves even impressed billionaire and music industry icon Sir Richard Branson, quoting “I haven’t seen this type of energy since The Rolling Stones!” – and he would know, having personally signed The Rolling Stones to Virgin Records. The band began with lead singer Nathan Thoen and guitarist Spencer Chilliak after the two spontaneously met and drove 16 hours to attend Sasquatch Music Festival where they became inspired to start a band. The duo wrote their debut single “Let It Grow” during their very first writing session and as part of Bombargo’s debut EP Back on Main which would go on to be included in “The Top 10 Best Saskatchewan Albums of 2015” by SaskMusic. This further inspired them to continue writing, touring, and release their first full-length album titled We Are Bombargo. The group has since evolved into a 7-piece touring band adding Nathan’s brother Anthony Thoen on guitar, additional brothers Matt and Sammy Folkersen on keys and bass respectively, Connor Newton on saxophone, and Niall Cubbon on drums. Bombargo went on to receive massive acclaim when pop star icon Taylor Swift added their 2018 single “Mr. No Good” to her Spotify Playlist titled “Songs Taylor Loves” alongside mega artists including Ed Sheeran, Camilla Cabello, and Kendrick Lamar. Being the only unsigned band on this star-studded playlist saw Bombargo featured on CBC’s the Q, NME, Exclaim, Fashion, Noisey, People, and Billboard. This success was followed up by the release of their most successful single to date – “Oxygen” which pushed Bombargo into the Canadian Hot AC Top 40 Charts for the first time in the fall of 2019. The band also made its US touring debut in late 2019 with their 33 date “North American Dream Tour” which kicked off with Bombargo playing the sold-out Roughriders Labour Day Classic Half-Time Show to over 33,000 people. The band’s highly anticipated US debut at Hotel Cafe in Hollywood, CA gained heavy press coverage including a raving article in Billboard Magazine.Bombargo has opened for legendary acts including John Butler Trio, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Joel Plaskett and most recently performed on the Okeechobee festival main stage in Florida with over 40,000 in attendance. They have surpassed 4.5 million streams on Spotify, received over 715,000 views on YouTube, and were nominated for the Saskatchewan Music Awards “Pop/Rock Artists of the Year” in both 2018 and 2019. In August of 2020 the band landed a ‘most excellent’ cameo in the hollywood blockbuster “Bill & Ted 3: Face The Music”. There’s no doubt Bombargo will continue spreading The Goodtime Guarantee™ long into the future with the release of their new album ‘nubula.’ (released in May of 2022), and upcoming “Goodtime Guarantee Tour” this coming fall.
