OUTPOST: Panic Stricken
– ALL AGES- STANDING ROOM ONLY- RAIN OR SHINE Spirit moves in all things, but especially through great music. When music delivers you like that of legendary performance masters, and grandaddies of all live tour bands, the Grateful Dead, you stay delivered, for the rest of your life. Luckily for those of us who love this music, among us are a very small but highly talented few, who have become inspired to lovingly and meticulously perform the music in a way that honors the originators, and even more so sets out to reignite the magic of being there as it is fashioned out of the energy of an audience that loves it for how it moves them, how it connects them with others, and how it soothes if not heals them in a profound and singular way. Credit goes to Dark Star Orchestra as one of first groups to take on that tradition without the slightest bit of hesitation or reservation about their calling, to pay tribute and to meticulously give their talents to performing music that so many of us love as much as they do. The result has been thousands of days with thousands of joyful gatherings across the land, as so many people who never got to hear the Grateful Dead in person now get to hear seriously talented and devoted artists bringing it back to life with every bit of the energy and purity as anyone could hope to get from any band playing any kind of music. Great music inevitably gets reproduced and replayed and recreated, and great musicians will inevitably have many progeny to carry on their work. Widespread Panic is among these greats and now their Musical tradition, their sound, the experience they forged and the spirit it brings have inspired their musical progeny in the Austin-based band called Panic Stricken. And what an appropriate name because it is clear that this merry band of brothers, all talented musicians and highly skilled performers, are stricken with genuine love for everything that Widespread Panic brought to the world, including and especially the unbelievably brilliant, yet sadly cut short, musical genius and singular sound of Michael Houser, the late Widespread Panic guitarist lovingly known to all as the ‘lingering lead.’ Haters need not apply, Panic Stricken is a band for those who truly love the music and the spirit of Widespread Panic… and can never get enough of it. Panic Stricken, Austin, Texas, shares the music of Widespread Panic through faithful renditions and improvisational jams. Founded in 2014, the band quickly gained attention following a memorable fill-in performance at Empire Control Room and Garage in 2021. The group’s performances continue to captivate audiences across various cities by blending live shows with streaming sessions in 2023. Here’s to many more years of celebrating Widespread Panic’s music!
Melt
ALL AGESSTANDING ROOM ONLY MELT Pulsing with the energy of their hometown New York City, ‘If There’s a Heaven’ (out 9/13/24) is the debut album from indie band Melt. The band formed in 2017 and cut their teeth touring on the heels of their viral single “Sour Candy” over weekends in college. Called “one groovy superorganism” by NPR, they are known for their ecstatic live set. In 2021, Melt released their ‘West Side Highway’ EP and toured nationally, further developing their intuitive connection as players as well as cementing their status as a band to watch. ‘If There’s a Heaven’ presents Melt simultaneously at their most airtight and freewheeling – evoking the raw, communal spirit of Fleetwood Mac as well as the modern, danceable hooks of MUNA. Recorded live to tape with producer Sam Evian (Big Thief), the eleven tracks span existential, feel-good pop (“Plant the Garden”), classic love ballads (“Your Name”) and lush, soulful rockers (“Heaven”). Melt’s debut is a joyous, timeless soundtrack for coming of age and finding oneself and one’s community. As emotionally stirring as they are groovy, Melt will move listeners in every sense of the word. MARIS MARIS hitched a ride on a comet to Los Angeles in 2021, and decided to stay and become a pop music sensation. Her mission on this planet is to connect with listeners through her candid experiences as a queer and emotionally vulnerable songwriter with an ‘80s-inflected pop universe and beats you can’t help but dance along to. In 2023, MARIS released a celestial six-song EP, Gravity, and accompanying short film, Gravity: The EP: the Movie (Black House, Best Friends Music), followed by new singles, “Voicemail”, “Hot Guitar Player”, and “GOING YET!.” She supported the releases throughout the solar system, opening for acts including Anna Of The North and The Wrecks. She performed at Boston Calling and Missoula Pride this summer. Fans can catch MARIS Earth-side this fall opening for Melt on their North American tour. Best experienced live, MARIS and her music have a riveting aura that ensures all in attendance are in a safe place to be their happiest, truest, and most out-of-this-world selves. Her newest singles, “The Fight” and “Julia Roberts,” are available everywhere now!
M. Ward
ALL AGESSTANDING ROOM ONLY M. WARD For Beginners: The Best of M. Ward is a collection for M. Ward fans of any vintage. Gathering together 14 tracks from across his Merge Records discography, including the newly recorded song “Cry,” For Beginners is both a primer and a mixtape of favorites sequenced in a way that gives them new life. Beginning with “Chinese Translation” and “Poison Cup” from 2006’s Post-War, For Beginners drops in on Ward as he expands his prowess in the studio. His singular cover of David Bowie’s “Let’s Dance,” from 2003’s Transfiguration of Vincent, breaks out into the exuberant “Never Had Nobody Like You” from 2009’s Hold Time. Rather than the neat evolutionary line suggested by a chronological arrangement, what holds For Beginners together is Ward’s impeccable skill as a songwriter, which remains in focus as his sound expands from low-fi home recordings to electric, radio-ready stompers. Serendipitously timed for release during Merge Records’ 35-year anniversary, this celebration of one of the label’s most beloved artists includes “Cry”—his first new recording on Merge since 2018—a stripped-down cover of the Godley & Creme pop classic featuring Melbourne, Australia’s Folk Bitch Trio. “Cry” was recorded in a Tasmanian modern art museum called MONA. I sat at the end of a long hallway a few feet away from Anselm Kiefer’s sculpture of a 20-foot-high stack of lead books, and standing to my left and right around a single microphone were Melbourne’s Folk Bitch Trio; we rehearsed and recorded “Cry” in about 30 minutes. A pleasure to add this song to a collection of some of my favorite memories of music-making during the first decade of record-creating with my friends at Merge. The song is the perfect capstone for a collection of this nature, summing up much of Ward’s power as a musician: the richness he’s capable of achieving in sparse recordings, his knack for collaboration, and his ability to see through to the soul of a meticulously crafted pop song—as much a means of looking forward to what’s to come of his own work as it is a callback to his past. FOLK BITCH TRIO Folk Bitch Trio are a band born out of a mutual love for songwriting, rocking and the truth. Their new singles, ‘Analogue’ and ‘I Heard’ are quintessential Folk Bitch Trio, combining confessional lyricism of what it feels like to be young and crave control with unpretentious instrumentation and buttery three part harmony. A side Analogue serves as a reminder to keep on stumbling forward, employing powerful harmony and a bright sound in hand with a beat that will push your feet and heart along, while B side I Heard is an ode to the startling realisation you’re in control of your own life sung against an ominously sparse nylon-string guitar.
Nick Shoulders and The Okay Crawdad: “All Empires Fall Tour”
ALL AGESSTANDING ROOM ONLY NICK SHOULDERS AND THE OKAY CRAWDAD All Bad, the latest album from Nick Shoulders, ultimately encapsulates everything that makes Shoulders’ inimitable form of country music so vital: a heady balance of dazzling musicianship and punk defiance, coupled with gritty eccentricity and a generational connection to the roots of the genre. With a singing style inherited from his family’s vocal lineage, Nick’s songs achieve the rare feat of imparting difficult truths while inciting a certain joyful abandon, balancing a sound forged by years of hard travel with a heartfelt reverence for the origins of country music. In the spirit of Hazel Dickens and Jimmy Driftwood, the incisive yet wildly jubilant All Bad vocally objects to the reckless destruction of the natural landscape and development run rampant, while still offering plenty of joy and dance-ready rhythms. Spanning a variety of early country styles, the album’s infectious harmonies shine alongside everything from jangling cajun waltzes to surf-rock infused bluesy ballads–all tied together by a voice seemingly out of place in this century, yet ever ready to speak up about its problems. Released via Gar Hole Records (a label founded and co-owned by Shoulders), All Bad marks the first LP made with his longtime band, the Okay Crawdad, since 2019’s premier full-length Okay, Crawdad and their subsequent pandemic-imposed hiatus. After writing most of the album from the front seat of a tour van, the Fayetteville, AR-based musician and bandmates Grant D’Aubin (harmonies/bass), Cheech Moosekian (drums) and Jack Studer (lead guitar) recorded the album in a home studio on the banks of the Mississippi River with New Orleans collaborators Ross Farbe and Sam Doores. JACK STUDER Jack Studer is your neighbor. He’s your buddy sitting on the porch picking tunes with a smile on his face, flipping over an old bucket for you to pull up a seat. Jack’s music is as welcoming as the man himself, but don’t let its easy-going nature fool you. He has been honing his singular voice for over a decade, and after traveling endless miles and countless stages, he still makes time to sing a song all his own. Jack’s prowess as a guitar player has earned him a place as the newest member of Nick Shoulders and The Okay Crawdad and he continues touring with his long time friends the West King String Band. HEARTS GONE SOUTH Hearts Gone South plays original, old style country and honky tonk full of heart and soul, laced with wit and woe. Bringing fire and feeling to the age old stories of love, loss, heartache, and victory for the underdog. Entertaining audiences from Asheville to Alaska, Hearts Gone South has a “vintage sound with modern production values” Their catalog is a range of barn burners with smoking leads, to tear soaked ballads, and everything in between.Hearts Gone South is JP Parsons – tele, acoustic guitar, and harmonies, Ian Wade – electric bass, upright bass, and harmonies, Scott Thomas- Drums, Silas Hamilton – pedal steel, Tricia Tripp – lead vocalist and song writer. The band is based in Asheville, with members living in Asheville, Bristol and Shelby. They ride back and forth across the mountain range to bring their absolute best to the stage.
Magenta Sunshine
ALL AGES STANDING ROOM ONLY MAGENTA SUNSHINE Magenta Sunshine is a horn-driven, hard-hitting roots fusion band from Asheville, NC. Lacing danceable rhythms, brassy soundscapes, and poetic lyricism into genre-defying arrangements, Magenta Sunshine is an all-original, six-piece unit composed of instrumentalists from some of Asheville’s most respected ensembles. Since 2018, the band has earned a dedicated following and a valid reputation for “blistering” live performances that place the audience at the intersection of psychedelic improvisation and well-crafted songwriting.
JD Clayton
ALL AGESSTANDING ROOM ONLY JD CLAYTON The Fort Smith Arkansas native, JD Clayton, released his debut album Long Way From Home, early last year which has received overwhelming critical acclaim. There’s no artifice surrounding the Arkansas-born singer and songwriter. No glitz. No pretension or mythology. JD Clayton’s sound, and where he chooses to make it—Arkansas, the most western of the southern states—is a bridge between the southern rock on which he was raised, and the truth telling tradition from the 70s era of country music that he most favors. As a result, the songs on his thrilling new album Blue Sky Sundays, feel both lived in and completely free. Like any great songwriter, Clayton is both leader and follower, telling his own story but reveling in how it unfolds in live time and relates to listeners individually. “The album is about clarity. It’s about leaving the things that let us down behind,” Clayton says. “It’s about love and family and joy. It took me about four months of being sober to have a clear enough head to process this. I think I finally understand that piece of the puzzle at least.” 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. He returned home to Florida and took a job at a commercial fishing dock, filleting and packing fish while he planned his next move. And that move was to Nashville, where Leon hoped to make his mark as a singer-songwriter. Since arriving in Nashville, Leon has continued to develop his unique blend of Americana, folk, and country music, drawing on his experiences and his love of the outdoors to craft songs that are both poignant and powerful. With his heartfelt lyrics, soulful voice, and deft guitar work, Leon has built a strong following in Music City and beyond. He is currently set to release three new singles starting on June 2nd, leading up to a full-length album in the Fall, as well as embark on a tour across the United States, playing shows and searching for the next great fishing spot along the way.
OUTPOST: Ash Taylor w/ Fancy & The Gentlemen & Andrew Wooten
– ALL AGES- STANDING ROOM ONLY- RAIN OR SHINE Ash Taylor: It Has Been Said By Many That Ash Taylor Is The Most Hardworking, Down To Earth Girl You Will Ever Meet. Growing Up In Her Hometown Of Bakersfield, California She Was Heavily Influenced By Artists Like Buck Owens, Loretta Lynn, Brandy Clark, And Gretchen Wilson. After Her Growing Interest In The Music Industry Led To A Friendship With Hit Songwriter Clay Mills (“Don’t Think I Don’t Think About It” By Darius Rucker), She Made A Difficult And Life-Changing Decision To Sell Everything She Owned, Jump On A Plane, And Move Across The Country To Nashville, Tennessee To Pursue Her Dreams. From Sleeping On Couches And Even In Her Car To Long Nights Playing In The Honky Tonks Of Nashville’s Lower Broadway Or Touring The Country Playing Bars She Began To Craft Her Career One Stage And One Fan At A Time. Since The Beginning Of This Journey, She Has Been Working Consistently In The Writing Rooms On Music Row. As A Result, She Has Had Songs Recorded By Multiple Artists Including A&E TV Star & Average Joe’s Recording Artist Big Smo, Warner Chapel Recording Artist Ryan Larkins, Country Artist Noah Smith, Guitar Legend Johnny Hiland & More. Ash Released Her Debut Ep, Titled Bakersfield, In January Of 2019. This Project Rose To #60 On The ITunes Top 100 Country Albums Chart And Was Met With Positive Reviews From Critics And Fans Alike. Ash Has Also Been Honored By The Bakersfield Country Music Awards For Her Achievements And Contributions To The Famous Bakersfield Sound. She Was Named “One To Watch” By The Nashville Songwriters Association International And Won An International Songwriting Award In 2021. In May Of 2023, Ash Released A 3 Song Acoustic Ep Titled, The Acoustic Sessions. The Project Quickly Became A Fan Favorite And Received High Praise From The Music Industry. As An Entertainer Of Many Talents, You Can Even See Ash Appear In Several Episodes Of The Hit Television Series “Nashville” On CMT Network. Andrew Wooten: Andrew Wooten is an artist blended with a country sound, southern rock, and a hint of Appalachia. Andrew has been playing music for over 10 years now with some of his biggest influences coming from Stevie Ray Vaughan, Benjamin Tod, Green Day, Tyler Childers, and Metallica. Born and raised in Joanna, S.C., where you could catch him singing in church, being in the choir, and listening to some of his grandparent’s recordings on vinyl. The music of Andrew Wooten & Caroline’s Roost is the vocal representation of a moonshine still covered by pines on a foggy mountainside somewhere in the Carolinas. Writing from the heart he seamlessly blends his eye-catching vocals and genuine lyrics into a song that will leave you wanting more. This past year in music has been great for AW from being featured in a few newspaper articles, signing with Roadside Music Management, nominated for 2 Upstate Music Awards in S.C.and performing live on Charlotte Today T.V. show. Fancy & The Gentlemen: BASED OUT OF ASHEVILLE, NC, FANCY AND THE GENTLEMEN BRINGS AN ECLECTIC MIX OF HONKY TONK, BLUES, SOUTHERN GOTHIC, ROCK, AND CLASSICAL ROOTS TO THIS AMERICANA BAND. SENSITIVE AND RICH HARMONIES WEAVE THROUGH THE TAPESTRY OF ORIGINAL COMPOSITIONS AND CAREFULLY CURATED COVERS THAT CELEBRATE THE ROOTS OF AMERICAN SOUTHERN MUSIC. THE CREW ENJOY PERFORMING AS A FULL GROOVE-INFUSED BAND, WHILE STAYING TRUE TO THE CORE ARTISTRY THAT IS THE SONGWRITING TRIO.
OUTPOST: Erika Lewis & Liliana Hudgens
– ALL AGES- STANDING ROOM ONLY- RAIN OR SHINE Erika Lewis: Known for her lengthy tenure touring and busking with beloved New Orleans jazz band Tuba Skinny, prolific songwriter and singer Erika Lewis has been churning out American originals all her own for the past several years and now makes her home in the mountains of WNC. From classic country to cosmic Americana to dreamy indie folk, Lewis continues to dip her toes more deeply into an ever-expanding pool of roots music styles. Her latest album, A Walk Around the Sun brings Lewis’ solo work out from the wings to center stage, beneath a spotlight nearly impossible to ignore. Liliana Hudgens: The Appalachian region is spilling over with terrific up-and-coming musicians these days, many clustered around the beautiful artists’ haven of Asheville, North Carolina. That includes Liliana Hudgens, a singer-songwriter whose new seven-song EP Last Line explores the blurry boundaries between country, folk and a retro brand of pop rock descended from The Everly Brothers whose “So Sad” is covered here. Meanwhile, Hudgens’s originals demonstrate both her knack for writing memorable melodies and her considerable vocal capabilities. Few can flutter around a prolonged note like her.
PATIO (FREE SHOW!): Country Brunch w/ Kate Leigh Bryant
– FREE SHOW!!! – ALL AGES – LIMITED SEATING IS FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED Country Brunch at The Grey Eagle – a music series for early birds. Country Brunch showcases a goldmine of local country bands that can usually only be found playing late nights in local and regional venues, and brings them out into the light of day for lovers of an early matinee show. The series runs monthly with a different band each month. Fall/Winter Lineup: AUG 25 – Conrad Moore / Southern Cities SEP 8 – Momma Molasses OCT 13 – Nordmoe and the Rodeo NOV 10 – Fancy and the Gentleman DEC 8 – Kate Leigh Bryant FREE SHOW!! Show runs 11am-2pm. Food and drink available from The Grey Eagle Taqueria. Family friendly show! Come fill your Sunday day with food, drink, fun and some of the best live music Asheville has to offer – all in one place.
PATIO (FREE SHOW!): Country Brunch w/ Fancy and the Gentleman
– FREE SHOW!!! – ALL AGES – LIMITED SEATING IS FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED Country Brunch at The Grey Eagle – a music series for early birds. Country Brunch showcases a goldmine of local country bands that can usually only be found playing late nights in local and regional venues, and brings them out into the light of day for lovers of an early matinee show. The series runs monthly with a different band each month. Fall/Winter Lineup: AUG 25 – Conrad Moore / Southern Cities SEP 8 – Momma Molasses OCT 13 – Nordmoe and the Rodeo NOV 10 – Fancy and the Gentleman DEC 8 – Kate Leigh Bryan FREE SHOW!! Show runs 11am-2pm. Food and drink available from The Grey Eagle Taqueria. Family friendly show! Come fill your Sunday day with food, drink, fun and some of the best live music Asheville has to offer – all in one place.
