PATIO: The Tallboys
– ALL AGES- LIMITED PATIO SEATING IS FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED THE TALLBOYS The Tallboys are an Asheville, NC band that writes original songs and performs throughout the region. Their songs feature vocal harmonies and strong rhythmic play between the instruments. Each player is an experienced veteran: Bill Melanson, vocals/guitar/bass, toured throughout the country with The Billys, a duo with the great Billy Jonas. Jeff Mooney, lead guitar/vocals, toured with Electric Monkeywrench out of Birmingham, AL, a top-notch jam band. James Fisher, bass/vocals/guitar, has been in numerous Asheville bands and has roots in the DC music scene. For this show, The Tallboys will have Elzy Lindsey, veteran drummer originally from New Orleans on cajon. And Eric Ciborski will debut as our new keyboardist! The Tallboys are currently working on their debut album and continuing to write new material.
An Evening With Sam Grisman Project (presents the music of Garcia/Grisman)
– ALL AGES- STANDING ROOM ONLYSAM GRISMAN PROJECT PRESENTS THE MUSIC OF GARCIA/GRISMAN A Note From Sam– The music that my father David Grisman and his close friend, Jerry Garcia, made in the early 90s (in the house that I grew up in) is not only some of the most timeless acoustic music ever recorded, it also triggers my oldest and fondest musical memories. What I find most inspiring about this material is the way their camaraderie and their love and joy for the music, simply oozes out of each recording. It is also impressive how deeply they get beneath their favorite songs—whether they are originals, covers or traditional/old time tunes—and how expertly that material was curated. My goal in starting Sam Grisman Project is to build a platform for my friends and me to showcase our genuine passion and appreciation for the legacy of Dawg and Jerry’s music. By playing some of their beloved repertoire and sharing the original music that our own collective has to offer, we will also show the impact that this music has had on our own individual musical voices. Ultimately, there is nothing that makes me happier than playing great songs with my best friends and my hope is to share that happiness with audiences all over!”
PATIO: Laney Jones & The Spirits
– ALL AGES- LIMITED PATIO SEATING IS FIRST COME FIRST SERVELaney Jones & The Spirits Press play on Jones’ mesmerizing new album, Stories Up High, and you’ll find yourself transported there, too. Recorded at East Nashville’s famed Bomb Shelter studio with producer Andrija Tokic (Alabama Shakes, Langhorne Slim), the collection is lush and immersive, with rich, elegant arrangements that ebb and flow beneath Jones’ velveteen vocals. The performances here are graceful and timeless, evoking a faded, old Hollywood glamor full of longing and melancholy, but dig a bit beneath the surface and you’ll find that Jones is actually an optimist at heart, a believer in the relentless beauty of this mixed-up world. She wrote the album in what she describes as a “flow state,” surrendering herself to the creative process the way a monk might approach meditation, and the result is a captivating, cinematic work that’s equal parts stream-of-consciousness and careful introspection, an honest, intuitive record that hints at everything from Angel Olsen and Judy Garland to Brandi Carlile and Andy Shauf as it reckons with growth, change, and the very fabric of life itself. “Strange as it sounds, I found myself sitting there crying while I was writing some of these songs because they came with such deep realizations about myself,” Jones confesses. “The music was there for me when I needed it most.” Jones earned widespread acclaim with a string of early releases, drawing comparisons to the likes of Fleet Foxes and Bon Iver for her majestic take on organic roots music. Her 2013 debut, Golden Road, landed her a nationally televised performance at The Kennedy Center alongside Alison Krauss, Sara Bareilles, and Ben Folds, while her 2016 follow-up, Laney Jones, prompted Rolling Stone to hail her as an Artist You Need To Know and praise her “penetrating hooks” and “Seventies-era flourishes.” Tracks from the albums, meanwhile, racked up millions of streams on Spotify and turned up in films from major studios like Disney and Pixar alongside commercials for Google, Netflix, New Balance, Toyota, and Red Bull. “I’m really proud of those first couple records,” Jones explains, “but they were the result of going into the studio for a week or so and coming out with a finished product. They were these little snapshots of wherever I happened to be at the moment. This time around, though, I wanted to give myself the time and the space to go beyond that, to work without any kind of limitations.” So Jones let Stories Up High unfold at its own pace, capturing the record over the course of several years and multiple recording sessions. The new songs she found herself writing bore less of the rustic, folk-inspired imprint of her previous work and instead drew on a hazy, more abstract palette of airy indie-rock textures reminiscent of Big Thief or Sharon Van Etten. Leaning into all the radical change going on her personal life (most notably her engagement and marriage to drummer Brian Dowd), Jones embraced the new, more self-assured versions of herself that emerged each time she shed her skin and allowed them to guide her on her creative path.
OUTPOST: Mama & The Ruckus
– ALL AGES- STANDING ROOM ONLY- RAIN OR SHINEMama & The RuckusThe Ruckus is an intergenerational project with a big sound and an even bigger heart. They recently represented the Women in Blues Foundation in Memphis at the International Blues Competition. Inspired by The Allman Brothers, Janis Joplin, and Etta James, The Ruckus is led by Mama who writes songs about the trauma and pain that every person inevitably experiences in their lives. She sings these songs as a cry for hope, healing, and inspiration to others and you hear that in every note that the band plays. With soaring guitars, wailing vocals, screaming harmonicas, and funky bass, keys, and drums, the Ruckus has a sound that is undeniably unique. Options 22Option 22 is an eclectic Americana band with a revolutionary vibe. They are channels for the music, allowing it to flow through them and deliver it to whomever is present along with messages of hope, love and healing. On the fly collaborative dynamics, rhythmic muscle and thematic inventions shower you with sound that is sure to lift your vibration and unlock the doors of your heart, allowing you to groove freely and transcend. Based in Princeton, West Virginia, Lori McKinney (vocals, drums, djembe, spoken word) and Robert Blankenship (guitar, shamisen, hand-drums, didgeridoo) have been writing and playing music together since early 2004, when her passionate and angelic vocals married his smooth, steady groove. Now infusing the mix are the intricate bass lines of Brandon Dunn (bass), the rock-solid, seasoned rhythms of Ary’an Graham (drums) and the soulful guitar stylings of Jacob Brooks (lead guitar). These artists understand the power of music to heal and transform, and they use their creative gifts to make a positive impact on the world around them. They live and work within a multi-purpose creative zone which they created in downtown Princeton known as The RiffRaff Arts Collective, which is revitalizing a once dark and depressed area with color and life. They write, perform, teach and record there as well as host music nights, drum circles, art parades and more. They founded and produce Culturefest World Music & Arts Festival, now in its 19th year, a weekend long creative oasis on a magical mountaintop which promotes unity and respect for diversity. Understanding the power of music and the arts, they use these gifts to inspire and uplift. Option 22 now tours the region inspiring and empowering community transformation with their original musical, multi-media production, Create Your State. With 3 albums of new music set to release in 2022, they are ready to take on this year. Their last albums, “The Change” and “Choose The Music” are available at option22.net.
PATIO: Kathryn O’Shea (WTF Artist)
– ALL AGES- LIMITED PATIO SEATING IS FIRST COME FIRST SERVEKATHRYN O’SHEAThe Grey Eagle in partnership with WTF week (Women to the Front) presents Kathryn O’Shea! Kathryn O’Shea is an Asheville-born singer/songwriter mostly known for her unmistakable voice and soul-stirring original songs. Riding on a hypnotic current of soft electric banjo picking, O’Shea’s confessional lyricism and powerful, winding melodies collide to create something of a “country fried Florence Welch,” as Blue Ridge Outdoors magazine puts it. If you’d like to keep in touch (or you’re just in the market for a good cry), say hi @kathrynoshea on socials.
PATIO: Turkey Buzzards
– ALL AGES- LIMITED PATIO SEATING IS FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED TURKEY BUZZARDSMuch like the duo themselves, the songs range near and far. From the sticky humidity of North Carolina to the dusty cellars of the West, The Turkey Buzzards tell simplistic stories that unravel through gritty vocals and thoughtful harmonies. The carefully crafted guitar riffs set against a solid bone bass stretch out across an American landscape with enough depth to sink well beneath the skin.
Vincent Neil Emerson
– ALL AGES- STANDING ROOM ONLYVINCENT NEIL EMERSON Vincent Neil Emerson is a torchbearer of the Texas songwriter tradition. He channels the straightforward truth-telling and resonance of his songwriting heroes in Townes Van Zandt, Guy Clark, and Steve Earle into something fresh and distinctly his own. Where his 2019 debut Fried Chicken and Evil Women proved himself as one of the most reverent students of country and western musical traditions, his follow-up LP, the masterful Rodney Crowell-produced Vincent Neil Emerson, which is out June 25 via La Honda Records/Thirty Tigers, is a brave step forward that solidifies his place as one of music’s most compelling and emotionally clarifying storytellers. His songs are cathartic and bluntly honest, never mincing words or dancing around uncomfortable truths. Raised in Van Zandt County in East Texas by a single mother of Choctaw-Apache descent, Emerson’s world changed when he first heard Townes Van Zandt’s music. “To hear a guy from Fort Worth say those kinds of things and make those songs was pretty eye opening,” the now 29-year-old songwriter says. “I had never heard songwriting like that before.” He’s spent the better part of the past decade honing his songwriting and performance chops playing bars, honky-tonks, and BBQs joint across the Fort Worth area. His first album Fried Chicken and Evil Women, which he wrote in his mid-twenties and came out on La Honda Records, the label he cofounded that now includes a roster of Colter Wall, Local Honeys, and Riddy Arman, is a snapshot of his growth as a songwriter and stage-tested charm with songs like “Willie Nelson’s Wall” and “25 and Wastin’ Time” expertly combining humor and tragedy. These marathon gigs and the undeniable songs on his debut introduced Emerson to Canadian songwriter Colter Wall, who quickly became a close friend and took him on tour. With Wall’s audience and sold-out theater shows on runs with Charley Crockett, Turnpike Troubadours, and many others, Emerson found his niche. “It took a guy from Canada bringing me on tour for people to actually start paying attention,” says Emerson. “Before that it was a grind like anything else just trying to make a living.” Crockett is another staunch early supporter of Emerson’s and covered Fried Chicken highlight “7 Come 11” on his 2019 LP The Valley. Like every working musician, 2020 pulled the rug out from under Emerson. With the pandemic shuttering live music and cancelling promising tours, he processed the upheaval the only way he knew how: by writing his ass off. “At the beginning of quarantine, I was really frustrated with everything else going on,” says Emerson. “Everything was falling apart around me, and I didn’t know what to do.” He took to his writing shed and came up with the single “High On Getting By,” a gorgeous song full of self-reflection and resilience: the most autobiographical thing he’s ever written. He sings, “I got my first child on the way / And the bills are all unpaid / I should have finished high school / Got a job and learned to save / But the words keep on fallin’ / And the highway keeps on callin’ / To my pen.”VALLEY JAMES Nurtured by the golden hills of Star, Idaho, Valley James grew up riding horses through cheatgrass and sagebrush, unknowingly searching for more beyond the confines of her life. Music was in her veins, and over time, she realized that articulating her depth through song was her lifeblood.
Mason Jennings at Asheville Masonic Temple
ALL AGES – FULLY SEATED SHOW – AT ASHEVILLE MASONIC TEMPLE (80 Broadway St, Downtown Asheville) MASON JENNINGS When Mason Jennings started writing songs for his new record, Songs From When We Met, he was in a setting he had never written in before. “I was living out at a farm for a month and walking through some old woods on the property every day. There was a river. And each day an owl would come find me, and then perch above me, day or night. I saw lots of snakes. Songs just came to me there. They were coming in so fast they just about took my head off. It was unlike anything I’ve experienced before,” recalls Jennings. In Native American animal medicine snakes symbolize rebirth, owls symbolize seeing what others cannot and turning darkness into light. Both are themes throughout the album and the music has a clear hopeful feeling. Songs From When We Met pulls you in from the start, with Jennings telling the listener, “Get into my car now…let’s leave the city”. “Cursive Prayers is the first song I wrote for the album. I hadn’t written anything in a long time and any time I tried writing things I wrote were very dark. This song is so hopeful and full of love it surprised me. I think it was the beginning of things getting better in my life, like a message from another dimension.” “The last record was made in a real dark time for me. I was battling a lot of dark energy. Since then I’ve healed a lot and a lot of changes have taken place. I got divorced. I’ve been healing from agoraphobia. It’s been a rough patch but thankfully this record is about healing and hope. I fell in love and got married so it is mostly about love.” A great ambassador for the album is the slow grooving “I Know You”. The album features Mason on guitar, piano, bass and drums. He is accompanied by one of his favorite bands The Pines. “They are magic. They got inside these songs and really brought them to life. I produced an EP for them last year and it reminded me how good we worked together. It is always a pleasure working with them. They are Great humans”. The album was recorded with Grammy winning engineer Brian Joseph (Paul Simon, Bon Iver). “His studio has tons of windows. It is an old renovated barn in Eau Claire Wisconsin. He’s got tons of amazing wasp nests, bones, books, hanging lights. The walls are covered in ropes. It’s so beautiful. He’s got bees out back. The studio sits on beautiful land and lots of natural light. Very helpful”. Then the recordings went off to Los Angeles to be mixed by another Grammy winner, producer Shawn Everett (Alabama Shakes, The War On Drugs.) “He’s an amazing person and sound engineer who has mixed three of my albums. He’s another magic being. He brings out the essence of a recording and makes it hit so hard. He’s a rare guy. I’m happy for him that he’s winning Grammys now. He deserves it”. SILVIESilvie is an indie-pop artist based in Nashville, TN. Although the project began more than five years ago, her sound and story have evolved as she herself has transformed in the last few years through pain and healing. With her poetic lyrics, honest story-telling, and unique pop-rock sound, it’s hard not to feel connected to the stories she’s telling as you listen. Her latest EP, Eleven Twenty-Eight, is a deeply personal journey through Silvie’s adulthood, divorce, and identity that only leaves you wanting more of her stories.
RELIEF FOR MAUI: A Benefit Concert & Auction
– ALL AGES- STANDING ROOM ONLY- DETAILS ON AUCTION ITEMS COMING SOON! RELIEF FOR MAUI: A Benefit Concert and Auction featuring….TALL TALL TREESJULIE ODELLMIKE MARTINEZALEX KRUGOLD SAPJUAN HOLLADAYLO WOLFWELLSPRINGCLAIRE HOKETHREADBAREWILL HARTZRYAN FURSTENBURGSUGARFOOTAll proceeds go toward relief efforts on Maui.
OUTPOST: Phuncle Sam
– ALL AGES- STANDING ROOM ONLY- RAIN OR SHINE- FREE SHOWPhuncle Sam is Asheville’s own Dead-Centric “jam band”. Since their formation in 2004, Phuncle Sam has been firmly rooted in musical exploration. The band serves up inventive interpretations of Jerry Garcia, Grateful Dead, and many others. They have built up a faithful following by using an approach that respects the improvisational traditions of The Grateful Dead, while exploring what can happen when individual band members bring their unique influences and interpretations into the mix.
