Carrie Morrison Album Release Show
ALL AGES SEATED SHOW LIMITED NUMBER OF PREMIUM SEATING TICKETS AVAILABLE CARRIE MORRISON Carrie Morrison, a talented singer-songwriter based in Brevard, North Carolina, is celebrated for her heartfelt lyrics and melodic compositions that blend folk, pop, Americana, and Celtic influences. Known for her warm, expressive voice and intricate piano arrangements, Carrie has become a beloved figure in the Western North Carolina music scene. Her songs often explore themes of love, resilience, and the beauty of everyday life, drawing listeners into her deeply personal narratives. With several albums and EPs to her name, Carrie has performed at prominent venues and events across the region, captivating audiences with her authenticity and artistry. Her work reflects a profound connection to her Kentucky and Appalachian roots, infused with universal appeal. Carrie is also a keyboardist and vocalist in The Andrew Thelston Band, a rock/funk regional favorite This performance features new albums “Balladeer” (produced by Chris Rosser/Hollow Reed Arts) and “Crosswalk” (Clever Dog Records and Abbey Road), both released in 2025. JONLYN LINVILLE Jonlyn found her love for music at an early age and has never drifted from that love. Her main instrument is violin and she frequently performs with her husband Cody Hale. Jonlyn recently began her venture as a solo artist and performs her original songs on piano and guitar. Her original music explores different stages of her life journey.
Josh Blake’s Juke Box: A Benefit for LA Wildfires
ALL AGES STANDING ROOM ONLY 7PM DOORS / 8PM SHOW Josh Blake’s Jukebox presents: A Benefit for LA Wildfires Come out and help us raise some funds for our friends in Southern California who were recently devastated by the wildfires in the Los Angeles area. This benefit will help send funds to The Boy’s and Girl’s Club of Pasadena. Josh Blake’s Jukebox Lineup: Isaac Hadden ~ Ben Bjorlie ~ Jeff Sipe ~ Peggy Ratusz ~ Reggie Headen ~ Marcus White ~ Jonathan Lloyd ~ and Josh Blake Josh Blake’s Jukebox is a musical extravaganza that will transport you into that golden zone of live, energetic, and inspired musical performances. Led by the highly regarded local musician and producer Josh Blake, each Jukebox show represents a collaborative “All-Star” cast featuring some of Josh’s friends and favorite musical collaborators, each bringing their unique style and sound to the table. With a repertoire spanning decades and genres, Josh Blake’s Jukebox is guaranteed to blow the roof off of the building with a blend of familiar classics, stretched out improvisations, and original tunes from the cast of each performance. Get ready for the phenomenon that is Josh Blake’s Jukebox, and to step into a musical journey like no other! We’d love to see you, but if you can’t make it, this show will be live streamed on www.iamavl.com
Ballyhoo! & Tropidelic
ALL AGESSTANDING ROOM ON:Y TROPIDELIC A musical lighthouse, shining a resilient light for everyone that has had to pull themselves up by their bootstraps, Tropidelic has arrived on the national stage. Hailing from Cleveland, Ohio, a city rich in character and music history, this six-piece performance powerhouse carves their own path with an independent mentality. Front man Roads, explores feelings more than sounds, seeing where the emotional travel can take him, while valuing being comfortable and honest. There is a sense of seeing where the music can go on their 2024 new album. As an everyman-band making music to overcome life’s obstacles, the “goals” that Tropidelic made when starting the band have all been surpassed. Roads says of the band’s future, “I’m nose to the grindstone. It’s going great and I am going to keep going.” BALLYHOO! Through 25 years and eight independent albums, the last four on their own Right Coast Records, Ballyhoo! have earned the exclamation point which marks their name. Starting in the basement of their mom’s Aberdeen, MD, home, rocking out on guitar and drums respectively, practicing every day, brothers Howi and Donald Spangler formed the proto-punk band in the mold of Green Day and Nirvana, with an eye towards the emerging ska genre led by Goldfinger, Sublime, 311 and No Doubt. The group’s eighth and most recent studio album, the breezy, ska-fueled, hookfilled Message to the World, on their own Right Coast Records, finds the selfdeclared “beach-rockers,” having grown up in public, accepting the responsibilities of adulthood while still hanging on to their dreams of world domination. Stylistically, their music ranges from the hard-edged punk of 2018’s Detonate, which captured the feelings of anger and depression from dealing with personal loss and the exhaustion generated by over a decade on the road to the island reggae beats of the follow-up, Message to the World. “Whatever you want to achieve, just focus on that and work towards it,” explains Howi about the Ballyhoo! ethos. “Don’t worry about followers, views, or even money. Just keep making good stuff. One day it may be possible to finally quit that day job and live your dream full time.”Ballyhoo! is still doing just that, purveying good vibes, positivity and fun live shows meant to take you away from real life… DALE AND THE ZDUBS A fresh rock-reggae groove is flowing out of the nation’s capital, and their name is Dale and the ZDubs. A distinct reggae influence intertwined with a hard hitting rock style, DZD’s songs tell raw and oftentimes ridiculous stories. High-energy live shows feature multi-part vocal harmonies, along with thick guitar driven melodies. And sometimes Dale gets naked. DZD’s absolute obsession with performing live is the catalyst of their 150+ show dates a year all across the country. The most recent studio album, Tuna, produced by Jim Ebert (Everclear) and Jason “Jocko” Randall (John Brown’s Body), is streaming everywhere.
Three Wheels Turning
ALL AGES SEATED SHOW LIMITED NUMBER OF PREMIUM SEATING TICKETS AVAILABLE THREE WHEELS TURNING Three Wheels Turning is a female-powered folk trio based in Port Townsend, Washington that synthesizes the skills and tunes of multi-instrumentalist songwriters Micaela Kingslight, Samara Jade and Aimée Ringle. Together, these three seasoned artists create a rich and compelling braid of voices, genres, styles and insights – gleaned from their individual paths and brought to bear through their collaboration and friendship. Instrumental prowess, unexpected electric guitar rockouts and seamless blending of harmonies define their ear-catching sound, but it is their spirits, hearts, and commitment to growth, healing, and loving the earth that shine through the music, alchemizing their signature musical medicine. OMAR RUIZ-LOPEZ Omar Ruiz-Lopez – Durham, NC (Roots / Progressive Folk / Old-time / Americana) is a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and educator based in Durham, NC. Proficient in violin, viola, guitar, and mandolin, he has been a vital part of the NC Triangle music scene for over a decade. After a stint in Nashville (2023–2025), he recorded and performed with artists like GRAMMY-nominated War and Treaty, Lizzie No, and Langhorne Slim, and co-wrote with Rachel Baiman and GRAMMY-winner Melody Walker. He is currently working on an EP with Willa Frank (Paper Wings) and a full-length album with Rachel Baiman producing.
Golden Folk Sessions
ALL AGES 6PM DOORS / 7PM SHOW FULLY SEATED SHOW LIMITED NUMBER OF PREMIUM SEATING TICKETS AVAILABLE GOLDEN FOLK SESSIONS Golden Folk Sessions (formerly Open Folk AVL) offers an intimate, carefully curated listening experience that celebrates the art of original music. Each event showcases six handpicked artists, performing three-song sets in a quiet, seated environment where the music takes center stage. To add a sense of surprise and discovery, the lineup is revealed only when the show begins. Running from 7–9 PM, these early shows create the perfect evening for music lovers who value live performances and a good night’s rest. With over 100 shows hosted and extraordinary artists from around the globe gracing our stage, Golden Folk Sessions is entering an exciting new chapter. Under a new name and with a new home at The Grey Eagle—one of the Southeast’s most iconic venues—we’re thrilled to continue fostering community through music. Staying true to our values of accessibility, we aim to make music available to everyone. Presale tickets guarantee your seat and support both Golden Folk Sessions and The Grey Eagle. For those attending on the day of the show, our “pay what you can, if you can” option ensures that all are welcome to be part of this unique and meaningful experience. • $25 for Priority Seating (first three rows) • $10 General Admission (presale) • $0-$25 Day-of-Show (no minimum) We can’t wait to see y’all there
Being Dead
ALL AGESSTANDING ROOM ONLY BEING DEAD Being Dead — the Austin, TX-based duo consisting of Falcon Bitch and Shmoofy — announces its new album, EELS, out September 27th on Bayonet, lead single/video “Firefighters,” and a fall headline tour. Being Dead’s records are mosaics, technicolor incantations, each song its own self-contained little universe. And while the dreamlike EELS probes further into the depths of the duo Being Dead’s psyche, it is, most importantly, a 16-track record that is genuinely unpredictable from one track to the next. It’s a joyous and unexpected trip helmed by two true-blue freak bitch besties holed up in a lil’ house in the heart of Austin, Texas. When Horses Would Run, Being Dead’s “glorious and timeless” (Gorilla vs. Bear) debut record released in 2023, took years to release. The final product was excellent and expertly polished, at odds with the live rowdiness they’d cultivated a reputation for throughout Austin and beyond across seven years of being a band. For the next one, they knew they’d have to do things differently. They decamped to Los Angeles for two weeks to record with GRAMMY-winning producer John Congleton, writing songs for the record until days before they left. The radical shift in process was welcome – a good balance and a challenge, Congleton helping them find new ways to work and helping peel back the layers on the core of their songwriting. Being Dead has grown from a duo to a trio live, including bassist Nicole Roman-Johnston who also co-wrote and recorded bass and vocals on several album tracks. The resulting EELS is a darker record, tapped more into the devilishness within. It’s a more raucous, rougher ride sonically. There’s heartbreak, excitement, enchantment, dancing – we move through it all at a high-octane pace. Falcon Bitch and Smoofy never want to do the same thing twice on any song, and they don’t. This is never more apparent than on lead single, “Firefighters,” which might be the first of its kind told from the perspective of a Dalmatian who is overworked at their fire station. The pummeling, distorted garage rock ripper’s accompanying video by director URZULKA “came together through a group hallucination.” The band adds, “We love marbles and outdoor play and decided to get it on video for y’all. Making this was like creating an intricate handshake with all your buddies—riddled with inside jokes and giggles.” PILGRIM PARTY GIRL Abe Leonard & Hannah Eicholtz craft lo-fi experimental pop in Asheville, NC. By trading tapes using a portable Tascam, they blend warped elements with ethereal melodies. Their latest EP featuring chirping organs, warm pianos, and emotive strings, bathes the listener in a milky bath of luscious sound for night crawlers. SEISMIC SUTRA Formed and based in Asheville, NC, Seismic Sutra’s unique fusion of past and present psychedelia creates an immersive, ever- changing listening experience curated by the diverse musical and personal backgrounds of songwriters Torren Brown and Jono Cerrud. Joined by Morgan Bevis and Andrew Stevens. Seismic Sutra is a powerhouse of prog experimentation, genre fluidity, and the live experience.
Vincent Neil Emerson
ALL AGESSTANDING ROOM ONLY VINCENT NEIL EMERSON Vincent Neil Emerson has become a staple among folk and country music fans nationwide, celebrated for his honest tales of life on the road, heartbreak, and struggles of all sorts. His first LP, Fried Chicken & Evil Women, from 2019, established him as a refreshing voice in the modern country music landscape. The songs from that first album were charming and playful songs, but didn’t reveal the entirety of Emerson’s story. On his brilliant new album, The Golden Crystal Kingdom, Emerson transcends the role of a honky-tonk country singer and becomes a chronicler of his history. The album is a bold continuation of the story he tells on Vincent Neil Emerson, with songs like the title track exploring the feelings he was left with after his days spent playing in Texas honky-tonks and dancehalls, and the track “The Time of The Rambler,” inspired by the early days of living in his car and busking on the streets. Sonically, The Golden Crystal Kingdom finds Emerson expanding his scope into rock and roll territory, tapping into the storied sounds of folk music gone electric, and following in the footsteps of artists like Bob Dylan and Neil Young. On the album, Emerson retains his diamond-sharp storytelling while imbuing the work with a freewheeling rock and roll aesthetic, creating an album as fun as his live shows and as cathartic as his previous work. The Golden Crystal Kingdom also pays tribute to some of the peers Emerson cut his teeth with in the music scene. He covers the Charley Crockett song, “Time of the Cottonwood Trees,” and is quick to pay tribute to his labelmate and dear friend Colter Wall. “Those two had my back since day one. They’ve been some of my biggest supporters, and they’ve always inspired me to write better songs and encouraged me to pursue this,” Emerson reflects. “Especially at a time when I was starting out and I didn’t really have a lot of encouragement or even self-confidence to do this, they were always there for me.” LEON MAJCEN Leon Majcen is a musician whose story is one of resilience and determination. He grew up on the Gulf Coast of Florida, the son of Bosnian war refugees who had fled their homeland in search of a better life for their children. From a young age, Leon was drawn to the power of storytelling through music, particularly the work of artists like Townes Van Zandt, John Prine, Bob Dylan, and Guy Clark. Leon began playing in local bars while still in high school, honing his craft and building a loyal following. After graduating, he decided to pursue his passion for music in New York City, while attending college at New York University and playing shows around town. After a while, Leon came to the realization that the hustle and bustle of the city wasn’t where his heart was at.
The Bones of JR Jones
ALL AGESSTANDING ROOM ONLY THE BONES OF JR JONES Growing up, Jonathon Linaberry was obsessed with the radio. “I remember sitting there at night, glued to the boombox, cassette player ready to record whenever my favorite songs came on,” he recalls. “There was something so thrilling about it, something romantic that I think we’ve lost now that everything’s available at our fingertips. I wanted to find a way to get back to that place, to recapture those feelings of excitement and anticipation and possibility.” Linaberry does precisely that on Radio Waves, his sixth studio album as The Bones Of J.R. Jones. Recorded in Toronto with producer Robbie Lackritz (Feist, Bahamas), the collection is moody and hypnotic, steeped in the sonic landscape of the ’80s and ’90s as it excavates the past with equal parts nostalgia and curiosity. The arrangements are utterly entrancing here, built on the tension between acoustic instruments and retro synthesizers, and Linaberry’s performances are raw and visceral, at times aching in their vulnerability. Put it all together and you’ve got a poignant exploration of memory and longing delivered by a relentless searcher, a revelatory work of personal reflection steeped in the endless beauty, pain, and chaos of youth.“I’ve never really resonated with the idea of ‘the good old days,’” Linaberry reflects. “Your understanding of the past and your relationship with it change as you get older, and I’ve always been more interested in the evolution of those feelings than in wearing any kind of rose-colored glasses.” RUEN BROTHERS After their Rick-Rubin-produced debut album, and a self-produced second record featuring songs they’d written for an award winning Netflix film, Ruen Brothers emerged with a powerful and timeless ode to Western classics on their 2023 ‘Ten Paces’. Showcasing their mixing, mastering, writing and soundscape design talents, the British duo hit neo-noir gold on the ten song collection – their first for Yep Roc Records – with classic melodies and dulcet, soaring vocal tones, laced with western guitar motifs and reverberant production.
The Dirty Dozen Brass Band
ALL AGESSTANDING ROOM ONLY THE DIRTY DOZEN BRASS BAND Celebrating over 45 years since their founding in 1977, the GRAMMY Award-winning New Orleans-based Dirty Dozen Brass Band has taken the traditional foundation of brass band music and incorporated it into a blend of genres, including bebop jazz, funk and R&B/soul. This unique sound, described by the band as a “musical gumbo”, has allowed the Dirty Dozen to tour across five continents and more than thirty countries, record twelve studio albums and collaborate with a range of artists from Modest Mouse to Widespread Panic to Norah Jones. Forty-five plus years later, the Dirty Dozen Brass Band is a world-famous music machine whose name is synonymous with genre-bending romps and high-octane performances. THE HISTORY OF THE DIRTY DOZEN BRASS BAND: In 1977, The Dirty Dozen Social Aid and Pleasure Club in New Orleans began showcasing a traditional Crescent City brass band. It was a joining of two proud, but antiquated, traditions at the time: social aid and pleasure clubs dated back over a century to a time when black southerners could rarely afford life insurance, and the clubs would provide proper funeral arrangements. Brass bands, early predecessors of jazz as we know it, would often follow the funeral procession playing somber dirges, then once the family of the deceased was out of earshot, burst into jubilant dance tunes as casual onlookers danced in the streets. By the late ’70s, few of either existed. The Dirty Dozen Social Aid and Pleasure Club decided to assemble this group as a house band, and over the course of these early gigs, the seven-member ensemble adopted the venue’s name: The Dirty Dozen Brass Band.
ABSFest Friday FanDom Nerdlesque
ABSFest Friday FanDom NerdlesqueWe’re bringing back our Friday Nerdlesque show for our 16th year, bringing together national burlesque, sideshow and variety artists! See your favorite Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Music and Pop Culture FanDoms flying their freak flags. Hosted by the mighty powerhouse of Atlanta, Lola Le Soleil. VIPs enjoy 7 PM doors, preferential seating, VIP goodies, AND a special VIP sword-swallowing show! General Admission doors at 7:30pm. AGES 18+.
