Rah Digga & Sa-Roc
– ALL AGES- STANDING ROOM ONLYRAH DIGGA Rah Digga (born Rashia Fisher) is an american rapper, writer, actress, and activist. Well known as a long time member fo the Flipmode Squad, a Hip Hop group led by Busta Rhymes, she parted ways amicably with the group in 2007 and continued to have a prosperous solo career. She has been called “one of rap’s most prominent women MC’s” by Allmusic and has been deemed “one of Hip Hop’s most skilled female MC’s” in the book How to Rap. You can catch her on the weekly podcast she hosts with Lord Jamar titled the “Yanadameen Godcast”. Rah Digga is a resident of Newark, NJ. Early on, Rah Digga was a member of the Outsidaz, a group that included Eminem. She went on to join Flipmode Squad after being handpicked by Q-Tip fro A Tribe Called Quest where he spotted her performing eight months pregnant at a Lyricist Lounge showcase. After recording a series of projects with her new crew, Rah went on to achieve success in Hollywood making movies including Joel Silver’s blockbuster sci-fi hit “Thirteen Ghosts” and MTV Hip Hopera “Carmen” starring Beyonce. After a nice stint on the west coast, she came back to Newark to pursue her true passion by combining her first and second loves, music and working with kids. SA-ROC Sa-Roc is arguably one of the most vibrant MCs in the world today. Her crisp articulation, fiery delivery, and her elevated and insightful lyricism have often placed her within the same conversation as some of Hip Hop’s most notable artists. Once dubbed by Okayplayer as “one of the most formidable microphone mavens in the game,” and recently heralded by NPR as “a modern day griot whose aura radiates calm in a world of chaos,” she is an artist for a socially conscious generation. Sa-Roc grew up in Southeast D.C. at the height of the crack era, with neighborhoods plagued by poverty and disaffection. Her early experiences shaped her understanding of the world around her, deepened her emotional sensitivity and cemented a social consciousness that would later feature heavily within her work. She was born three-months premature and didn’t make a sound during the first fourteen months of her life. This struggle to find a voice—both literally and creatively—would later be critical in shaping her lyrical expression.In 2020, Sa-Roc embarked on the national A Black Woman Created This Tour with rapper Rapsody and performed on NPR’s world-renowned Tiny Desk series, leading viewers to describe her as simply “the truth” and “the best lyricist in recent times.” Shortly thereafter, she released her newest project, The Sharecropper’s Daughter, the title of which pays homage to her father’s experience growing up sharecropping tobacco. The album is, in her own words, “a sonic reflection on the generational inheritance of trauma and triumph that shapes our humanity and influences the way we see the world.” Following a warm critical reception, Sa-Roc returned with a deluxe version of the album in 2021, featuring the addition of six powerful new songs including the sagely affirming “Wild Seeds” and the poignant closer, “The Rebirth”, a transcendent collaboration with the late MF DOOM. At a time where people all around the globe are calling for social change, Sa-Roc is an MC whose energy and conscious lyrics are poised to shake up the rap game and remind us all that Hip Hop was always about giving a voice to the people.
PATIO: The Two Tracks
– ALL AGES- LIMITED PATIO SEATING IS FIRST COME, FIRST SERVEDTHE TWO TRACKS American Songwriter has this to say about The Two Tracks: “They avoid many of the cliches and gimmicks that have grown common in the Americana world while still championing a natural, Earth-grown sound. To hear an acoustic quartet reach a level of dynamic and thematic intensity like The Two Tracks do is an immeasurably rewarding experience. It’s pure musicianship, it’s pure excellence, it’s pure Americana.” Husband and wife Julie and Dave Huebner write songs that traverse the male and female perspective with emotional and natural images of rural American life. The band cares about lyrics, story, the power of the song as much as the music itself, and every arrangement is designed to fully highlight that direct connection between the song and the listener. Hailing from the eastern side of the Bighorn Mountains in Wyoming, the band has traversed the country bringing their joyful, unique sound to stages big and small, including NewWestFest (CO), Deadwood Jam (SD), Kate Wolf Memorial Music Festival (CA), MeadowGrass (CO), Albino Skunk Music Festival (SC), Red Ants Pants Music Festival (MT), Levitt Sioux Falls (SD), LevittAMP Green Bay (WI), Ashley for the Arts (WI), Beartrap Summer Festival (WY), Sioux River Folk Festival (SD), Music on the Mothership (NM), Oystergrass (WY), and The LAWN (CO), to name a few, and opened for artists such as Orville Peck, Eilen Jewell, Kitchen Dwellers, Black Lillies, Horseshoes & Hand Grenades and more. They recently completed their first international trip, traveling to Dubai for performances at the World Expo. Julie’s driving rhythm guitar, on-stage enthusiasm and vocal prowess dance perfectly with Dave’s rich voice and unique cello playing, adding a layer of surprise to the band’s sound. This is complemented wonderfully by the four part harmonies, and rock solid groove filled out by Taylor Phillps on bass and Fernando Serna on drums. All seasoned musicians and good friends, they have knit their passions into a tight band family, and it comes across in their albums and on stage. Their latest Cheers to Solitude, was one of the last records made at The Butcher Shoppe in Nashville with Grammy winning engineer Sean Sullivan (Sturgill Simpson, Travelin’ McCourys), and was produced by Will Kimbrough (Todd Snider, Rodney Crowell) and mixed by Grammy winner Trina Shoemaker (Tanya Tucker, Sheryl Crow), spending several weeks on the Top 40 Americana Radio Chart, and the Top 10 Alt-Country Specialty Chart. “One of those consummate Americana albums…the songs just roll along with melodies dovetailing into sublime playing, wonderful harmonies and strong songwriting. There’s a direct line from the songwriters to the listeners with just the right amount of production and texture to make them dance on the surface and slide deep into the soul.” – Post to Wire
AJJ
– ALL AGES- STANDING ROOM ONLYAJJAJJ frontman Sean Bonnette can summarize the band’s new album, Good Luck Everybody, in a single sentence: “Sonically, it’s our least punk record, and lyrically, it’s our most punk record.”And indeed, Good Luck Everybody (January 17, 2020), the Arizona band’s seventh album, stands out in their already diverse catalog. While still rooted in the folk-punk sound AJJ has become known for, the album is unafraid to delve into new territories that test the limits of what the band is capable of. “I think it explores some of the weirder sides of AJJ, the more experimental leanings that we’ve had in the past,” says bassist Ben Gallaty. Good Luck Everybody draws from a wealth of sonic inspirations, from Laurel Canyon folk-rock of the 60s and 70s to avant garde artists like Suicide, as well as some orchestral pop. There is even a piano ballad, the tragic “No Justice, No Peace, No Hope.”Lyrically, Good Luck Everybody is a change of pace from the idiosyncratic songwriting style Bonnette has honed over more than 15 years fronting AJJ. It still features his wonderfully weird turns of phrase and oddball word pairings, but this time, his thematic lens is more directly focused on the inescapable atrocities of the world around him. Longtime fans will recognize the album’s social commentary as a return to their 2011 release, Knife Man, but this time it’s fueled by a more radical urgency.“I usually try for a timeless effect in songwriting, so that you can hear a song and generally not think about the context under which it was written,” says Bonnette. “But for this one, I was trying to write, and all the bad political shit just kept invading my brain and preventing me from writing that way. So I decided to fully embrace it and exorcise that demon.”Much like Woody Guthrie and Phil Ochs pulled their songs straight from newspaper headlines, Good Luck Everybody feels like a long scroll through social media feeds on a particularly volatile day.with special guests….OPEN MIKE EAGLESAD PARKFOOT OX
PATIO: Vince Junior Band
– ALL AGES- LIMITED PATIO SEATING IS FIRST COME, FIRST SERVEDVINCE JUNIOR BAND “Vince Junior Band makes music that we’d like to hear when we go out to wind down, dance, or throw a few back,” says guitarist and singer Vince Junior of Vince Junior Band. “I love that Muscle Shoals sound of bass, drums, Fender Rhodes, and a Fender guitar. Simple, soulful, and funky. We just try to make that sound our own” Vince Junior Band has been together since 2014, playing around the Asheville area. “I think we have a unique blend of genres. You’ll hear the flavors of blues, funk, Louisiana, and Soul, coupled with some unusual topics.” Indeed, at a recent Vince Junior Band show, the audience heard a surf version of a Jimi Hendrix song, an original song about a 69 Camaro, and another original tune that could double as a pasta recipe. And surprisingly, they all sound like they belong together. “I try to write about topics that I don’t hear people write about,” says Junior. “The hardships of parenting, getting older, working all day and pursuing the dream with little fuel left.” Vince Junior does have some credentials under his belt. He’s shared the stage with Robert Cray and Paul Geremia, won a Parents’ Choice award for his CD of children’s music, and was a finalist in the Cape Fear Blues Competition. With a voice that some have compared to Tom Waits and Greg Brown, Vince Junior has some pretty impressive guitar skills. “I’ve always played with my fingers, and with a Stratocaster through a tube amp, that can get a pretty sweet sound,” says Junior. “And with this new band, I’m working on bringing in some of that Steve Cropper, Cornell Dupree, and James Burton styles.” The band is rounded out by Noah Pitts on keyboards. “He can get a groove going that just makes the sound so soulful,” says Junior. “He finds these really interesting riffs that just make the song sound familiar and new at the same time. Sort of like new shoes that feel already broken in.” The rhythm section of Robert George and Wayne Kirby is tight, simple but interesting. “We work hard on getting really cohesive arrangements. This is not a band that just jams to three chords. Every measure, every note, every lyric has to serve the groove and melody of the song. We all are constantly trying to make the arrangements unique and swinging so hard you’d have to get up and dance,” says Junior.
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.
CANCELED: Damien Jurado at Asheville Masonic Temple
Unfortunately the remaining Damien Jurado tour dates from 9/15 to 9/28 have been cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances. You will be refunded at your point of purchase. Thanks so much for your support and see you down the road!- ALL AGES- FULLY SEATED SHOW- AT ASHEVILLE MASONIC TEMPLE (80 Broadway St) DAMIEN JURADO
Blue Dogs
– ALL AGES- STANDING ROOM ONLYBLUE DOGS Since 1987, South Carolina’s The Blue Dogs have been blending the genres they grew up with – bluegrass, country, rock & soul – “turning bluegrass on its ear by creating what’s now referred to as ‘Americana’ or ‘alternative country’ before those terms were commonplace” [Charlotte Observer]. More than 30 years later, The Blue Dogs continue to perform unpredictable and upbeat live shows with original songs that capture a country-rock vibe. Acoustic guitarist Bobby Houck and upright bassist Hank Futch, leaders and lead singers of the band, met in Cub Scouts and reconnected musically during their college years. Based in Charleston, their partnership with songwriter Phillip Lammonds in the 1990’s contributed significantly to The Blue Dogs’ three major studio recordings, Blue Dogs (1997), Letters from Round O (1999), & Halos and Good Buys (2004), produced respectively by world class producers John Alagia (Dave Matthews, John Mayer)), David Lowery (Cracker, Counting Crows), and Don Gehman (John Mellencamp, REM). The Blue Dogs have spent over three decades sharing the stage with a range of artists that includes Willie Nelson, Hootie & the Blowfish, Cracker, Bruce Hornsby, and Widespread Panic, and in recent years at their own annual Homecoming with guests such as Jerry Douglas, Drivin n Cryin, Radney Foster, The Connells, and many more. Along with longtime drummer Greg Walker, the band in 2022 consists of Dan Hood (guitar) and Charlie Thompson (pedal steel), often joined by a bigger lineup which includes mandolin, fiddle, keyboards, and a three-piece horn section.
Chris Pureka
– ALL AGES- SEATED SHOW- LIMITED NUMBER OF PREMIUM SEATING TICKETS AVAILABLECHRIS PUREKA It’s rare for an artist to bridge the divide between critical acclaim and dedicated fan engagement. Chris Pureka is a Portland-based singer-songwriter whose body of work has resonated deeply with these seemingly disparate milieus. Her music has straddled the folk, americana and indie rock genres over the course of her 20 year career, and over that time, her bold vulnerability in processing the intimacies of life in song has struck a chord with those listeners who crave authenticity and depth. Chris’s elegant emotionality as a vocalist and her flair as a lyricist have garnered her favorable comparisons to Chan Marshall, Bruce Springsteen, and Patty Griffin. Over many years of touring on both sides of the Atlantic, she has shared the stage with such diverse and esteemed artists as The Lumineers, Gregory Alan Isakov, The Cowboy Junkies, Haley Heynderickx, and Ani DiFranco. She has had her songs featured on such television shows as Brothers and Sisters, Covert Affairs and Shameless and well as a song featured in the Sundance featured indie film, The Royal Road. Along the way, Chris has remained truly independent, selling nearly 50,000 albums through her own label, Sad Rabbit Records.KYM REGISTER (OF MELTDOWN RODEO) Sometimes the process of mining for melody in words eviscerates the raconteur, gutting them like a tornado through a trailer park. Sometimes, “the truth” is a revival of shit rather forgotten, igniting a coward’s desire to look away. With “Meltdown Rodeo,” Kym Register foregoes such consolatory diversions for visceral scrutiny and unbroken stares. The result is a body of tunes that forages the American south, dislodging its ducked bullets from pearly white sand. According to Register, “Scottsboro,” the album’s opener, was years in the making. It recounts the little known history of “The Scottsboro Boys,” nine Black men falsely accused of raping a pair of white women in hyperpyrexic 1930’s Alabama. One accuser eventually admitted the allegations were bullshit, but, for Black men in the Jim Crow south (as it is now), any assumptions of guilt are soon proven a permanent brand. Register wails against America’s foremost refrains –jury and peers and whole truths– in lyrics hefty with reconciliation and metaphor. “A blind eye, A blind eye is all justice knows/ Of the truth of what happened in Scottsboro/ Come on now, this story’s not that old.” Contrary to Register’s demand for account, the American south knows no shame.Whether grappling with the constrictions of gender expressions on dating apps (“How Do You See Me”), evoking the semi-autobiographical loneliness of Dorothy Allison’s Carolina bastards (“Maureen”), or daring white folks to “get right with their history of compliance in racial capitalism” (“Loamlands”), Register affirms that songwriting, at its best, is a gross but necessary confrontation.Ultimately Register and Meltdown Rodeo (both the newly named band and album) have achieved in eleven songs something the south has only half-heartedly attempted – undoing generational curses by retiring “bless your heart” lip service.Damn if we can’t all benefit from a little melting down.
Emo Night Karaoke
– ALL AGES- STANDING ROOM ONLY Setlist on Spotify: https://bit.ly/emonightkaraoke6:30 PM doors & signupsSong sign ups are first come first serveEMO NIGHT KARAOKE features a live band with members of Just Surrender, Freshman 15, Southcott & Thieves and Villains playing your favorite songs from back in the day on stage live with you on lead vocals!ENK has a setlist of 75+ pop punk/emo songs + the band is also known for doing random throwback album nights. Signups are first come first serve on the iPad, and there are several TVs scrolling the lyrics to help you on stage! Link up with ENK online! http://facebook.com/emonightkaraoke and https://www.emonightkaraoke.com/ and follow instagram.com/emonightkaraoke to stay up to date with your band!
Victor Wooten & The Wooten Brothers w/ Rebirth Brass Band
– ALL AGES- STANDING ROOM ONLY – LIMITED NUMBER OF VIP TICKETS AVAILABLEVICTOR WOOTEN & THE WOOTEN BROTHERS Victor, bass guitar/vocals; Joseph, keyboards/vocals; Roy, percussion/vocals; and Regi, guitars/vocals. For over four decades the Wooten Brothers have been recognized as some of the most innovative musicians in existence and are collectively known as one of the most talented and dynamic band of brothers the world has ever known. Since they were young, the five brothers have been a musical tour-de-force redefining the limits of jazz, funk, soul, R&B, rock, and bluegrass. Sons of military parents, their early years were spent living in different states including Hawaii, California, and Virginia where they shared stages with the likes of Curtis Mayfield, The Temptations, Ramsey Lewis, Stephanie Mills, War, and other artists. In the mid 80’s, the brothers released an album as The Wootens for Clive Davis’ Arista Records. This will be the brother’s first tour together as a band since the untimely death of their saxophone-playing brother Rudy a few years ago. Victor Wooten, a five-time Grammy Award-winning artist, has graced the cover of Bass Player Magazine five times. He is a founding member of the eclectic group Bela Fleck and the Flecktones and is recognized as one of the greatest living bassist today often drawing comparisons to Jaco Pastorius, and was named one of the “Top ten bassist of all time”by Rolling Stone Magazine. He is also an award-nominated author, naturalist, and music educator and has been running his unique music/nature camps since the year 2000. Wooten’s camps are held at his own Wooten Woods, which is just outside of Nashville. In 2010, he started his own record label, Vix Records, which has released a series of acclaimed recordings over the last few years. REBIRTH BRASS BAND “just saw THE REBIRTH BRASS BAND, unbelievable. hard as hell, free as a ray of light, there is not a band on earth that is better. stunning.” – Flea, Red Hot Chili Peppers For almost 4 decades, the Grammy winning Rebirth Brass Band has been “stunning” fans with a fiery live show and a rich musical catalog. Their trademark sound pays homage to the New Orleans brass band tradition while weaving a tapestry that combines elements of jazz, funk, soul, R&B and the sounds from the streets they grew up on. From their legendary 25+ year run of Tuesday nights at the Maple Leaf to stages all over the world, Rebirth is the soundtrack of the Crescent City and her premier musical ambassador. Founded by brothers Phil and Keith Frazier over 35 years ago, Rebirth began their career playing on the sidewalks of the French Quarter, and quickly landed gigs at second line parades. Those auspicious beginnings have led to thousands of shows to music aficionados everywhere, including heads of state and royalty. The bands unique “soundtrack of New Orleans” has also garnered admiration from artists of all genres. They’ve shared the stage and collaborated with everyone from the Grateful Dead to the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Maceo Parker, Green Day, U2, James Brown, 311, G-Love, MuteMath, Juvenile, Train, Big Freedia, Ani Difranco, Galactic, Allen Touisant, Neville Brothers, Quincy Jones and Trombone Shorty.
