PATIO: Brad Heller & The Fustics
– ALL AGES- LIMITED PATIO SEATING IS FIRST COME, FIRST SERVEDBRAD HELLER AND THE FUSTICSWhether with his backing band, The Fustics, or performing as an acoustic artist, Brad Heller has established himself as a credible force among current songwriters. Honing his craft for over a decade and a half the Wilmington, North Carolina, transplant has built a reputation as a thoughtful songsmith who tackles a wide range of personal and social issues. Bouncing between a myriad of genres, Heller finds creative drive in honoring musical influences that inspire him, while never abandoning his own unique sound. With the forthcoming release of his sixth album, Heller continues to build his audience with constant touring and spirited live shows. Heller’s music centers on middle-class characters while exploring themes of loss, self-imposed alienation, abandonment of faith, addiction, and immigration. Voted Wilmington’s “Best Original Rock Band,” look for upcoming shows by Brad Heller & the Fustics and the Fustics acoustic duo.
Stop Light Observations
– ALL AGES- STANDING ROOM ONLY- LIMITED NUMBER OF DISCOUNTED TWO PACKS AVAILABLE (WHILE SUPPLIES LAST)STOP LIGHT OBSERVATIONSStop Light Observations is a dynamic five-piece hailing from Charleston, South Carolina. Their sound is a unique blend of rock, pop, and indie, infused with electronic beats and soulful vocals. From songs like 2Young to Trajic Majic, their music is a true reflection of their unique personalities, and their live shows are a testament to their authenticity and raw talent.The Simplicity Charleston rock outfit The Simplicity was formed by John Bias, Tommy Merritt, and Drew Lewis with the goal to conquer every stage they step foot on. Influenced by rock n’ roll titans such as The Rolling Stones, The Stooges, and The Velvet Underground, this trio favors a dynamic approach in their performances, skirting the line between fast and loose rock songs and dramatic ballads. Their sophomore record Money will be coming out early 2024 featuring their latest single Pain Reliever Fever Reducer.
OUTPOST: Matthew Curry
– ALL AGES- STANDING ROOM ONLY- RAIN OR SHINECurry is an original roots rock singer/songwriter from Bloomington, Illinois, who is well- known for his incredible guitar-playing abilities. This talent has earned him opening touring slots with The Doobie Brothers, Peter Frampton, Steve Miller Band, Journey and more. He has played at nationally-renowned places, festivals and even on a cruise, which featured rock ‘n’ roll legends, such as Gregg Allman, Marshall Tucker, America and many more. Whether he is playing at the Troubadour in LA, Maxwell’s in New Jersey, The Ride Festival in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado, or the Hogs Breath Saloon in Key West, Florida, Curry does not disappoint his audience. Fans have traveled great distances to follow and see him live. Curry’s music appeals to a broad spectrum as he has built a multi- generational audience, evident at his shows. Fans are drawn to and connect with his music and lyrics. His songs draw from personal inspirations, incorporating elements of rock, blues, southern rock, and old school country
Andrew Marlin String Band at Asheville Masonic Temple
– ALL AGES- FULLY SEATED SHOW- AT ASHEVILLE MASONIC TEMPLE (80 Broadway St) ANDREW MARLIN STRING BAND Andrew Marlin is a songwriter and multi-instrumentalist based out of Chapel Hill, NC. He’s known for his captivating songwriting, presented both lyrically with his band Watchhouse (formerly known as Mandolin Orange) and instrumentally under his own name. During the COVID-19 lockdowns of 2020, Marlin recorded two dynamic, instrumental albums, Witching Hour and Fable & Fire, which followed up 2018’s Buried in a Cape. Witching Hour, which was released February 5, 2021, is redolent of bluegrass and American roots music soundscapes; rich fiddle and mandolin weave through powerful, coursing tunes. Folk Alley said the record “showcase(s) Marlin’s ingenious ways of dwelling in a tune and turning it inside out, grounding it in tradition but carrying it out to new heights through brilliant innovation.” Fable & Fire, which was released two short weeks after Witching Hour, draws more from the sounds of Irish roots music and is reminiscent of the melodies that came over from the Emerald Isle to early Appalachia. Red Line Roots called the album a “masterpiece” and that “Andrew’s instrumental songs have a way of speaking volumes without actually having any words within them. Rich palettes of emotion, place, space and vibe that in all my years of listening to instrumental records, I am yet to find an equal to.” Each album was recorded in a different recording studio but largely had the same crew of instrumentalists, all of whom are close friends and trusted collaborators. Nashville guitarist Jordan Tice and fiddler Christian Sedelmyer have worked closely with Marlin before, as have guitarist Josh Oliver and bassist Clint Mullican, both of whom tour and record in Watchhouse. Award winning fiddler Brittany Haas joined up for a tune on Witching Hour, and Fable and Fire features cellist Nat Smith on every track. Marlin will be joined by Sedelmyer, Mullican, and Oliver on this May tour. Outside of summer festival appearances at notable events Newport Folk and Telluride Bluegrass, this tour marks the first time these songs will be performed live in the west. Marlin has produced six albums of original works of American roots music with Watchhouse and regularly contributes instrumental performances to other artists and albums. Recent work includes playing mandolin on recordings for Tyler Childers, Waxahatchee, Dead Tongues and Phil Cook. Marlin is also an in-demand producer, and has produced albums for artists including Mipso, Kate Rhudy, Rachel Baiman and Ismay. Over the last decade, he has toured with Watchhouse throughout the U.S and Europe and appeared on high profile programs such CBS This Morning’s Saturday Morning Sessions and NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert. As a band Watchhouse has headlined and sold-out notable rooms including the Ryman and Red Rocks.JOSH KIMBROUGHJosh Kimbrough is a fingerstyle guitarist and composer from Chapel Hill, NC. He learned to play guitar studying Freddie King instrumentals and Fernando Sor classical guitar pieces. His 2020 Tompkins Square Records debut, Slither, Soar & Disappear, has been called “Utterly Moving” by Record Crates United, and “A Triumph” by Folk Radio UK. On it, small ensembles of double bass, flute, strings, mandolin, banjo, and drums adorn his nylon and steel string guitar work.
Rock Academy – Hindsight Is 2023 Tour
-ALL AGES-STANDING ROOM ONLY- TICKETS AVAILABLE AT THE DOORRock Academy students perform rock songs of various genres, including blues, classic rock, hard rock, heavy metal, punk, and more.
OUTPOST: The 40, 20, 10’s
– ALL AGES- STANDING ROOM ONLY- RAIN OR SHINEThe 40,20,10sare an Americana band out of Asheville, NC. The members consist of Galen Holland, Springs Wade, Donny Brazil, and Didier Rubio and they’ve been hittin the scene 3 years strong now. They bring a mix of country, blues and rock into a spooky western sound that would fit perfectly into your favorite road trip out west. Their latest release, POLVO, is out on all the streaming platforms, along with ESCENAS, their first EP.Julia Sanders and Kevin FullerAmericana artist Julia Sanders’ new album Morning Star—produced by John James Tourville of New West Records band The Deslondes—unfolds a meticulously arranged musical landscape anchored by transfixing vocals and a compact but thoughtful narrative style that calls to mind forebearers like Gillian Welch and Emmylou Harris. On Morning Star, Sanders explores the complexities of transitions: from woman to mother, partners to parents, and freewheelin’ musician to an adult with roots and responsibilities. The album is a poetic, often dark, yet silver-lined portrait of transformation and growth. With each track, Sanders explores a different facet—a career, a partner, a child—and the range of emotions they carry with them, from joy and pleasure to struggle, loneliness and self-doubt. Unafraid to address the complexities that walk hand in hand with the bliss of having children—such as the loss of autonomy and the fracturing of identity—Morning Star provides a much-needed soundtrack to the experience of matrescence—the physical, emotional and social transition to motherhood
OUTPOST: Pocket Strange
– ALL AGES- STANDING ROOM ONLY- RAIN OR SHINE Pocket StrangeAsheville-based Pocket Strange explores the chaotic balance that lies between solace and jubilance. A half-hearted “we should start a band” conversation during a 2019 road trip became a reality with the release of their first song, Carmel by the Sea – a track recorded in Haydon Welsh’s bedroom in Charlotte when the band was existing as a long distance duo, with Porter Watson making the trip from Asheville up I-26 to finish their first track in April of 2021. Since then, Pocket Strange has focused on songwriting and comradery – with founding members Welsh (Guitar, Vocals) and Watson (Bass, Vocals) tapping into a spiritual journey to a South Carolina farm to work on new material in July of 2021. Returning with a stronger creative connection and a handful of songs, it became apparent that they needed to grow their sound. A sonic evolution came to fruition with the addition of Harrison Sytz (Guitar, Vocals) and Pierce Deason (Pedal Steel, Percussion) in early 2022, aiding in expanding the types of music they can explore, and fighting the lines drawn by the definitions of genre.Pocket Strange’s music will transport you somewhere between the tie-dyed side of southern rock and psych-rock indie… with a polite splash of spacy jamming that ties together the loose ends that exist outside the constructs of their songs. They’ve decided to be undecided on where they expect the music to land – and in that realm of the unknown, they are able to connect and float in the “Strange” space that leads the band’s exploration and development.Drew FoustA natural soul singer and blues musician, Drew Foust’s music sounds like it’s made between the bleary hours of a rock bar’s last call and a southern preacher’s early morning prayer. Hand made, self-made and arranged in dramatic structure, the music is lyrical and rhythm driven, always pushing a feeling forward. His latest release, “Good Thing,” released by Charlie Hunter’s label side hustle records, is inspired by the Memphis soul scene from the 60’s and 70’s.
OUTPOST: Wits End Brass Band
– ALL AGES- STANDING ROOM ONLY- RAIN OR SHINEWit’s End Brass Band is an expanding and contracting community of 25-ish musicians gathered and guided by multi-instrumentalist Shaye Cohn in the city of New Orleans. Originally founded in 2012 as a marching band for the underground queer festival “Endless Gaycation,” Wit’s End has spent more than a decade playing events, protests, and parades large and small. Song choices span eras across the globe ranging from contemporary covers to South American folk music, Turkish psyche, modern jazz, New Orleans originals and of course, plenty of Cumbia! They are a portable party of tradition and experimentation, skill and whimsy, love, camaraderie and music.
Laid Back Country Picker
– ALL AGES- STANDING ROOM ONLYLAID BACK COUNTRY PICKER The night Laid Back’s high school classmates went on their senior trip, he played his first professional bar gig. It was not his first show, as he had played bass in local bluegrass bands, but it opened the door to smoky bars and honky-tonk survival. Over the years he went on perform and record with many well-known artist, often uncredited, as was the Nashville way. He has played with everyone from the Georgia Satellites to the Kentucky Headhunters. Opening for Thin Lizzy and The Guess Who, recording at Johnny Cash’s studio as well as the now defunct Butcher Shoppe in Nashville (owned by John Prince and Sturgill Simpson) Laid Back has seen some things. LB served as a mentor to a young Tyler Childers, who now has Laid Back signed on his Hickman Holler label. Mr. Childers has made several films with LB and included him in his music videos, as well as having him open a CD release show in New York City and open his sets at the Ryman Auditorium and Red Rocks Amphitheater. Over the years Laid Back has honed his craft and played simply for the love of the music. His no rules approach to musical performance flies in the face of those who prefer their music to fit neatly into category. Equal parts Led Zeppelin, Waylon Jennings, Stanley Brothers, David Bowie and Motorhead, and that’s just the beginning. Laid Back is a product of the 1970s when lines were often blurred. He doesn’t care what you call it, he just wants you to feel it. Attentive to the audience and ready for conversation, a Laid Back show is an interactive lesson on music, pop culture and whatever else is on his mind that day. Whether he is playing with his full band or grinding out heavy guitar riffs with his companion Honey on drums in the White Stirpes inspired duo, you leave the concert knowing you have seen a show. There will be a meet and greet and Laid Back will stand and talk until everyone is satisfied. Because it’s not just about playing songs to an audience, it’s about a shared experience with his fellow man. Laid Back’s mantra is “playing country music and treating people right”. He strives to uphold that pledge every night.GRAYSON JENKINSGrayson Jenkins is a singer-songwriter born and raised in Muhlenberg County, KY on a small farm in the heart of coal country. Now residing in Nashville, by way of Lexington, KY, Jenkins has dedicated the past several years to the craft of songwriting and performing his brand of Country/Folk music around the U.S. and Canada. Like fellow Kentuckians, Sturgill Simpson and Keith Whitley, Grayson has carved out his own corner in country music through the release of four independent records. His releases have garnered the attention of American Songwriter, The Bluegrass Situation, and more.With a hopeful resignation and canny insight into the ways of the world, Jenkins delivers songs influenced by his own life experiences, cross-country travels, and turns of phrases found in the rich storytelling communities across Kentucky and beyond. ERIC BOLANDER Eric Bolander’s flavor of Americana/folk music offers soulful vocal tone with thoughtful melodies that have staying power. Lyrically driven by life experiences, Eric’s songs will give you a glimpse into his life and a realization that happiness can be perpetuated through pain.
HELLCRAB: Contemporary Jazz Octet
– ALL AGES- SEATED SHOW- LIMITED NUMBER OF PREMIUM SEATING TICKETS AVAILABLEHELLCRABHELLCRAB is an acronym, as well as the name of a contemporary jazz collective, composed of the initials of its members’ last names: Dylan Hannan (woodwinds), Joe Enright (drums), Connor Law (bass), Andrew Lawniczak (trumpet), Jason Chrisman (tenor sax and EWI), Johnathan Reilly (alto sax), Steven Alvarez (guitar), and Jacob Bruner (keys).The group began in Asheville in the summer of 2022 as an informal jam session by 8 like-minded musicians. Playing mostly original compositions and on the spot arrangements of jazz standards, they realized that the resulting musical interplay was too special to not share with a wider audience.Fronted by a four-piece horn section, and backed by a four-piece rhythm section, HELLCRAB is capable of running the gamut of musical expression and intensity. The group strives to push their own understanding of jazz music and anyone willing to take the journey with them is sure to be entertained.
