John Cowan Trio featuring Luke Bulla and Ethan Ballinger
ALL AGES SEATED SHOW LIMITED NUMBER OF PREMIUM SEATING TICKETS AVAILABLE JOHN COWAN AND LUKE BULLA When John Cowan and Luke Bulla perform together, their shows reflect 25 years of shared history, musical trust, and genuine friendship. Blending New Grass Revival (and more) favorites with old and new originals, they pair masterful picking, rich harmony, and stories that are heartfelt, funny, and hard-earned. Cowan calls Bulla “one of the most beautiful gifts” of his long musical life, while Bulla, inspired by Cowan since his youth, considers sharing the stage a “dream come true” and a source of “immense gratitude and honor”. Together, they deliver music rooted in gratitude, joy, and deep mutual respect. “I, unbelievably, have entered my 72nd year as a human and 58th as a professional musician. There is much to say, songs to sing that brought me here, and much musical merriment to look forward to. Unlike the proverbial rolling stone I have gathered many musical partnerships (moss?) that continue to inspire me. Luke Bulla is surely one of these. The level of his musicianship is only exceeded by the size of his heart and humility. I consider him to be one of the most beautiful gifts I’ve been given in my lifetime.” – John Cowan “A large portion of my core formative musical inspirations involve the music of John Cowan. I listened to New Grass Revival on a daily basis for years and would sing harmony and play fiddle with those records never imagining how blessed I would be to get to play and sing with John quite a lot over these last 25 years. My first gig in Nashville was touring, recording, and playing the Grand Ol’ Opry with Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder. I was 19. I was overjoyed to be hired by The John Cowan Band in 2001 and we proceeded to have a good handful of years playing the most fun, creative, wild, beautiful music I could imagine. I have since gone on to record several of my own projects that John is featured on and I’m so proud of the fact that John has recorded several of my original songs over the years. Playing and singing with John is a dream come true and I am immensely grateful and honored to share the stage with him and to bring our music to you all.” – Luke Bulla
Anna Tivel w/ Alexa Rose
ALL AGES SEATED SHOW LIMITED NUMBER OF PREMIUM SEATING TICKETS AVAILABLE ANNA TIVEL Anna Tivel is a Portland, Oregon-based, internationally touring songwriter who is forever drawn to the quiet stories of ordinary life. The characters and imagery that populate her writing are full of breath and vivid color. With six full-length albums out and a seventh on the way, Anna has been likened to a short story writer and praised by NPR, Rolling Stone, Billboard, and others for her keen observations of the human condition. In fact, Ann Powers of NPR Music had this to say, “Anna Tivel is just one of my absolute favorite living songwriters. Her writing on [Outsiders] is at the same level as Paul Simon when he wrote ‘The Boxer’ and ‘American Tune.'” ALEXA ROSE “An enchanting new Appalachian voice wraps her rambling mind around a dream; it sounds like the soul child of Bob Dylan and Dolly Parton.” – NPR Music Alexa Rose was born in the Alleghany Highlands of western Virginia, raised in the tiny railroad town of Clifton Forge. Though no one in her immediate family played or sang, she inherited a deep musical legacy. “Growing up I would hear stories of my great-grandfather Alvie who, for a time, lived and played with [bluegrass great] Lester Flatt when they were both young men,” says Rose. “Apparently, Lester tried to get him to move to Nashville and pursue a career. But my great-grandfather decided to stay in the mountains with his wife on their farm.” That sense of place and storytelling spirit became woven into Rose’s voice and songwriting. In 2019, she released her debut album Medicine For Living, the title track of which won Merlefest’s revered Chris Austin Songwriting Contest. Her 2021 follow up Headwaters garnered national attention from American Songwriter and Rolling Stone, among others. Rose wrote most of the album in the early stages of the pandemic, which she astutely characterizes as having “that weird lucid feeling of not-time.” “Headwaters are the source of a river. The furthest point from where water merges with something else. They are not mighty. Just a network of small tributaries, like a creek, not necessarily picturesque, but they’re the most important part of the river. Water is fluid and inconsistent and sacred and indifferent. You can be miles down a river, but you’re still at the origin. And in that way, water feels like it has transcended time. That’s how these songs found me—the same way memories do, in that slivering, elusive water. As quickly as you come across them, you bend in another direction.” Perhaps following in the steps of her great grandfather, Rose’s songs feel like oil paint landscapes of her own life in the mountains, often wringing out the beauty in mundanity and exploring timeless topics. Her earnest, well crafted stylings are a multi-layered merger of old country music and traditional folk songs, colored by rock and roll and mountain soul.
One More Saturday Night: A Tribute to Bob Weir
ALL AGES STANDING ROOM ONLY BOB WEIR TRIBUTE SHOW An evening of music celebrating in tribute to the Grateful Dead’s Bob Weir. Beloved by so many and essentially part of the music that makes Asheville so special, Bob Weir’s influence and inspiration will be in the spirit of the evening as folks from the community’s music scene come together to share the music we love dearly. Spiro Nicolopoulos (the Paper Crowns, Very Jerry Band), David Mulder and JD Smith and James Collins & Bill Evans (Phuncle Sam) and Lee Kram (Jerry’s Dead) come together to share the groove and the spirit of the music at The Grey Eagle.
An Evening With Vanessa Collier
– ALL AGES- SEATED SHOW- LIMITED NUMBER OF PREMIUM SEATING TICKETS AVAILABLEVANESSA COLLIER Singer/songwriter Vanessa Collier’s sixth album Do It My Own Way comes out September 13 via Phenix Fire Records. Recorded on analog gear with the musicians largely in one room, Do It My Own Way is sonically inspired by the classic Memphis soul sound of Stax and Hi Records, especially that of the Staples Singers. Talking about the album, Collier adds, “It’s a warmer and darker sounding a record, recorded intentionally to reflect a throwback to older school soul, R&B, blues, and to the days of great songs and songwriters, tube amps and analog gear.” Do It My Own Way takes listeners back to the heyday of music with Memphis soul-influenced horn arrangements, layers of vocals for color, with poignant and powerful saxophone solos that deliver a quietly powerful undercurrent to each song and the album as a whole. Minor key Americana/noir “Take Me Back” served as the first single. The album kicks off with the funk workout “Elbow Grease.” On an album full of incredible grooves, “Shoulda Known Better” stands out while “Just One More” sways to a rhumba beat. Kicking off on resonator guitar before the full band joins in, album closer “Warrior” paints the picture of a powerful woman and is both a universal message about the strength and experience of women and a tribute to Collier’s mother. The anthemic, slinky third single and title track artfully commenting on the sexism she’s encountered in life and in the music industry. Collier has encountered calls from members of the industry to dress in sexy clothes and to not rock the boat, but has successfully taken hold of her own career. Collier takes on multiple roles, writing the songs, producing the album, arranging horns and all instrumental and vocal parts, playing acoustic and electric guitars and alto and tenor saxophones, flute, as well as singing the lead and background vocals. Also on the album are legendary Hi Records organ player Rev. Charles Hodges (Al Green, Bettye LaVette, Ann Peebles, Alex Chilton, Robert Cray); and frequent Collier collaborators Blues Music Award-winning guitarist Laura Chavez (Sue Foley, Mike Ledbetter & Monster Mike Welch); bassist Scott Sutherland (Elvin Bishop); and Byron Cage (Otis Taylor). The songwriter/bandleader made her Chicago Blues Festival debut this year, in front of tens of thousands. Best known in the blues world – she’s a twelve-time Blues Music Award nominee and four-time winner, including for the monumental Contemporary Blues Female Artist of the Year, Horn Player of the Year, and B.B. King Entertainer of the Year this year – Do It My Own Way finds her influenced by soul artists like Mavis Staples, Sharon Jones, James Brown, and Aretha Franklin. Blues Blast Mag said, “Vanessa is an important part of the future of the blues.” Born in Texas, growing up in Maryland, launching her career in Philadelphia, and now residing in South Carolina, Collier grew up listening to an eclectic variety of music. After graduating from Berklee College of Music, she joined blues legend Joe Louis Walker’s band, going solo at his urging, and has become a notable artist “whose rise to the top is nothing short of meteoric” (Making a Scene). She has opened concerts for Blues Traveler. Her prior studio album, Heart On The Line, spent nine weeks in the Billboard Blues Album Chart top 15.
BERTHA: Grateful Drag
ALL AGESSTANDING ROOM ONLY BERTHA: Grateful Drag has partnered with PLUS1 so that $1 from every ticket sold will go to local organizations working to support and empower the health and wellbeing of LGBTQ+ communities. www.plus1.org AN EVENING WITH….. BERTHA: GRATEFUL DRAG The world’s first Grateful Drag band, BERTHA is an all-star collective of queer and allied East Nashville talent coming together in wigs and full face for a good cause. Fronted by a harmony trio of Berthas and backed by a rocking all-Bertha band, BERTHA has captured the heart and imagination of Deadheads everywhere, with coast-to-coast demand for their electrifying live show. Whether collaborating with local drag queens in Mexico, or playing the most prestigious festival lineups in the States, BERTHA: Grateful Drag has only begun to make her impact on the world.
Delicate Steve
ALL AGESSTANDING ROOM ONLY DELICATE STEVE Take a visit to Luke’s Garage, Delicate Steve’s latest album, and you’ll discover a place where sparks of creativity fly in all directions, where melodies splatter the walls like brightly hued paint, where no idea is too simple, too ingenuous, too full of childlike wonder. The L.A.-via-Jersey guitarist born Steve Marion, whose credits include session work for Amen Dunes, Paul Simon, and Deradoorian, had no grand plan for making it: he would simply book some time at a friend’s studio, hunker down, and play. He’s always allowed intuition to guide him, composing his jubilantly tuneful instrumentals as he records them, but this time, he felt freer than ever to “keep the seams showing, and don’t polish everything, and keep it raw, and alive, and electric-feeling,” he says. He chose the title, Luke’s Garage, as a tribute to his pal and sometime collaborator Luke Temple, but also for the anything-goes adolescent innocence it conjured: the feeling of heading over to a buddy’s house, turning up the amps, and creating your own world. In the world of Luke’s Garage, a passage of music that feels like a sketch in progress might open into a hook so finely wrought, so obviously right, that you have a hard time believing you haven’t heard it before. The two passages may in fact be one and the same. There are songs that feel destined to soundtrack memories of windows-down road trips, and those more suited to moments of hushed intimacy. A shadowy synth-pop excursion (“Light of the World”) veers into a candlelit soul ballad (“Shall Be Free”); a chugging garage-rocker (the title track, naturally) sets up an unexpected detour into slinky disco (“There Goes My Baby”). Delicate Steve’s unmistakable sensibility, his tone airy yet tactile, his lines full of poignant bends and whimsical asides, is a benevolent guide through the ever-shifting landscape, keeping a steady hand on the wheel no matter the surroundings. He has little interest in showing off, focusing instead on clarity, simplicity, and directness—more like an openhearted pop songwriter than a look-what-I-can-do shredder. Marion played every instrument on Luke’s Garage himself—guitars, drums, keys, bass—which heightens its homespun charm. The album’s sense of music as a colorful playground for exploration may remind you of Paul McCartney’s early solo work, made at a time when he was shrugging off the weight of expectation and digging into his own idiosyncrasy, tinkering alone until he found a sound that made him feel and trusting it would do the same for others. As with the McCartney, this record’s air of easy spontaneity belies serious craftsmanship and care: the exuberantly arcing melody of “We’ll Be Friends” and the quietly hopeful one of “Die With It” didn’t just come out of thin air, no matter how natural or even preordained they may seem. Luke’s Garage may seem at first like a low-key collection, and in some ways it is. Don’t let that fool you into thinking it isn’t deep. Music gets asked to be a lot of things these days: a cure for what ails you, or for society itself. Luke’s Garage is neither of those things, nor does it attempt to be. It offers a simple but powerful proposition instead: in its very looseness, its embrace of happenstance, its irrepressible groove, and its joyful refusal to be anything other than itself, it’ll leave you feeling just a little freer than you did before you pressed play. That’s more than enough.
In Memory of Bob Weir: A Tribute Show
ALL AGES STANDING ROOM ONLY BOB WEIR TRIBUTE SHOW An evening of music celebrating in tribute to the Grateful Dead’s Bob Weir. Beloved by so many and essentially part of the music that makes Asheville so special, Bob Weir’s influence and inspiration will be in the spirit of the evening as folks from the community’s music scene come together to share the music we love dearly. Spiro Nicolopoulos (the Paper Crowns, Very Jerry Band), David Mulder and JD Smith and James Collins (Phuncle Sam) and Lee Kram (Jerry’s Dead) come together to share the groove and the spirit of the music tonight at 7pm at the Grey Eagle.
West 22nd
ALL AGESSTANDING ROOM ONLY WEST 22ND West 22nd is a rock band out of Austin, TX, made up of friends who met at UT Austin and came together with one shared goal: to make music for the world and become the next great rock band. Their sound—self-described as carousel rock—spins through genre, emotion, and energy without ever losing its center. It’s a term they coined to capture the controlled chaos of their music: sometimes dizzying, sometimes grounding, always unforgettable. From a breakout EP to a debut album that pulled in over 1.5 million streams in its first month, West 22nd has made it clear they’re not here to blend in. Their lyrics are autobiographical, their shows are electric, and their ambition’s impossible to miss. They’ve already played ACL, sold out venues in cities they’d never even been to, and built a fanbase that screams every word right back at them. West 22nd isn’t a throwback or a trend—they’re what’s next. And if you’ve ever been in a crowd when the chorus hits just right, you already know.
Glen Phillips (of Toad the Wet Sprocket)
ALL AGES SEATED SHOW LIMITED NUMBER OF PREMIUM SEATING TICKETS GLEN PHILLIPS During his almost 40 years as lead singer and main songwriter of Toad the Wet Sprocket, Glen Phillips has helped create the band’s elegant folk/pop sound with honest, introspective lyrics that forged a close bond with fans. Alongside his work with Toad, Glen has released acclaimed solo albums and collaborated on projects ranging from Mutual Admiration Society (with members of Nickel Creek) to the experimental Remote Tree Children. “I’ve been playing a songwriting game with Texas folk singer Matt The Electrician for about ten years,” Glen says. “Every Friday, he sends out a title. We have a week to write a song that includes it. The process allows me to write songs I wouldn’t write on my own. I’m always surprised at what comes out.” That sense of curiosity and play continues to fuel his creative life. Coming off a very full year of music, Glen played to packed solo shows across the US, toured the Rockies with John Craigie, and hit the road with Toad the Wet Sprocket for a massive summer tour that featured openers The Jayhawks, Sixpence None the Richer, KT Tunstall, and Vertical Horizon. This fall he heads overseas to tour the UK with Colin Hay, and in October he hosts his first-ever European river cruise on the Danube, traveling from Budapest to Nuremberg. Glen has also launched a new partnership with Volume, where he’ll be live streaming at least once a month. These shows give him the chance to connect with fans when he and Toad are off the road, offering a space for community, new songs, deep cuts, and the stories behind the music. “I have a long history of livestreaming, and am excited to start a new chapter with Volume. Their format allows me not just to do livestreams, but also post new material and host online get-togethers.” Looking ahead, Glen plans to begin work on a new solo album in 2026. “I’ll be spending this year writing new material for both Toad and solo projects. There’s also an acoustic Toad album coming out, as well as a side project solo collection of songs. Between that and touring, I’ll be plenty busy.” MENDELEYEV Mendeleyev is a baritone Singer/Songwriter/ Producer based in NYC. Set to be Ben Harper’s opening act for his fall tour. Appearing on Season 17 of NBC’s The Voice on John Legend’s Team, his low booming voice got all 4 coaches to turn their chairs. Recently opening for/collaborating with Jackson Browne and Madison Cunningham, he also headlined the 4th of July at The Rose Bowl Stadium, singing for 30,000 people. Highly influenced by a variety of legends with a vocal combination of Johnny cash and Van Morrison, moving lyrical content of Bob Dylan, and the fingerpicking style of John Mayer, he has a fresh and folky yet funky take on music. Fun and full of energy, Mendeleyev is always taking the next step…
The Golden Hours (ft. David Wax Museum + Lowland Hum)
ALL AGES SEATED SHOW LIMITED NUMBER OF PREMIUM SEATING TICKETS AVAILABLE THE GOLDEN HOURS Catch the unveiling of The Golden Hours, a new Charlottesville-based band formed by the members of acclaimed indie-folk acts Lowland Hum and David Wax Museum. These musicians have been touring and recording for over 20 years, featured on CBS Saturday Morning and NPR’s Tiny Desk, and lauded by The New York Times, Washington Post, TIME and Rolling Stone, among others. The Golden Hours’ debut record Terra Nova (to be released in 2026) includes “Day Wheel,” an NPR Music Song of the Day. The forthcoming album brings together the power of these four songwriters in an artifact that is simultaneously lush and distilled, emotionally probing, and conceptually expansive. The two duos Lowland Hum and David Wax Museum will open the show.
