Jesse Roper
ALL AGESSTANDING ROOM ONLYJESSE ROPER Based in Victoria, BC, Jesse Roper is a blues/Americana artist with a penchant for writing modern indie-infused blues music and delivering bombastic live performances buoyed by his virtuosic guitar playing. His innate and impressive musical talent has served him well, giving him the flexibility to play with soul icon Booker T. Jones, rock veteran Colin James, blues belter Beth Hart, and Canadian legend Burton Cummings. The stage is where Roper shines. It has been his home since overcoming crippling stage fright during his early twenties. Fear is a part of Roper’s past that barely seems real today – especially when you see the in-concert image of a six-string soldier, hair matted to his face, tearing up the stage, without a hint of second-guessing. Roper’s last album ‘Horizons’ marked a sonic high point in his career thus far. Working closely with famed JUNO-nominated producer Gus van Go (Metric, The Stills, Whitehorse, Arkells, The Trews, Sam Roberts) on that new collection of songs has pushed Roper into creating some of his best work. “Recording with Gus and Werner F was on a whole new level. Roper released the first single off his upcoming LP (to be released in late 2023) “Make It All Work Out” on March 29th, 2023. The song charted on Canadian terrestrial and satellite radio throughout the spring and early summer. Now all eyes are on the next release, “Throw This Rope” produced by Gus van Go (Metric, Whitehorse, Sam Roberts Band). The song will be the second of multiple energetic, fresh, soulful and r&b inspired tracks from a forthcoming LP that harkens the voices of JJ Cale, The Teskey Brothers, Ben Harper and others – while maintaining Roper’s strong and unique expression in the genre. When asked to describe the song, Jesse remarks, “Throw This Rope is about being told how to run your life and career by folks who are currently running theirs aground. I sure don’t know everything and I never will but I’ve been given every manner of advice from folks who have no idea what they’re talking about. It’s frustrating sometimes.” Jesse is a master at connecting his personal story and experiences to his songwriting – crafting narratives that hit on life’s challenges and eccentricities – but that remain upbeat, engaging and wildly entertaining songs. Adventuresome doesn’t properly describe Roper as an artist, because when the guitar-wielding dynamo sets out to accomplish something, there’s no telling where his mind will wander, or when his energy will go. PRESSING STRINGSWhen music is given the benefit of instinct, imagination and inspiration, the results are guaranteed to be good. So it ought to come as no surprise that the critically-acclaimed Annapolis Maryland-based trio, appropriately dubbed Pressing Strings, has infused those elements within their musical mantra the beginning. The band —Jordan Sokel (Guitar/Vocals), Nick Welker (Bass, Vocals), and Justin Kruger (Drums, Vocals) can trace its origins to Sokel’s initial fascination with some iconic influences, among them, the usual suspects — Dylan, Marley, Simon, Withers, Al Green, Marvin Gaye, Led Zeppelin, etc., as well as some more under the radar artists like Taj Mahal, R.L. Burnside, Junior Kimbrough, and Nick Drake.
OUTPOST: The Grateful Family
– ALL AGES- STANDING ROOM ONLY- RAIN OR SHINE
John Mailander’s Forecast
ALL AGESSTANDING ROOM ONLYJOHN MAILANDER’S FORECASTForecast is a Nashville-based collective of visionary musicians led by multi-instrumentalist/composer John Mailander. Originally assembled for the live debut of John’s 2019 album Forecast, the group adopted the name for a series of residency shows in Nashville. John Mailander’s Forecast has since developed a dedicated following through their adventurous improvisations, singular collaborations, and genre-bending, joyful musical explorations. Forecast is: John Mailander (Fiddle/Keys/Electronics), Ethan Jodziewicz (Bass), Chris Lippincott (Steel Guitars/Keys), Mark Raudabaugh (Drums), Jake Stargel (Guitar), David Williford (Tenor Saxophone/Bass Clarinet).
Mates of State
ALL AGESSTANDING ROOM ONLYMATES OF STATE Mates of State, the iconic indie band featuring married couple Jason and Kori, today announce a 17-show tour for this summer 2024 in conjunction with going back into the studio to record all new songs. Mates garnered a rabid following beginning in 1998 and toured nearly non-stop for 15 years, performing all over the world including runs with NPR’s This American Life, The Postal Service, The Strokes, Jimmy Eat World, Santigold and Death Cab for Cutie. They’ve also been seen on David Letterman, Coachella, Lollapalooza, Conan O’Brien, and Yo Gabba Gabba. Since 2000, Mates’ have released 7 full length albums (on labels including Barsuk and Polyvinyl) while simultaneously starting a family of 3 daughters(!) who travelled the world with them on tour. The Mates’ paused touring for a minute to “give their girls a bit of an anchor through their teenage years”, while continuing to write and explore to find their next musical phase. This new direction is coming to light and Mates are hitting the road hard with 17 shows in 17 days, no days off. They also are currently recording a full-length album with long-time collaborator, producer Peter Katis, at Tarquin Studios in Bridgeport, CT. AL MENNE Al Menne has spent a lot of time driving in cars. Whether taking trips up and down the West Coast, touring in a van, or working as a delivery driver, they’ve become intimate with the possibility, at any moment, of disaster. “At the end of a very long driving shift,” Menne says, “there’s a moment when you realize, I shouldn’t be driving right now. Anything can happen. You really can’t be in control of everything that’s happening around you.” Freak Accident, their debut solo album, probes this feeling as it unfurls with the patient ease of a passing landscape while harboring the kinetic weight of life’s chaos at its core. Menne came up in the music scene as the lead singer of Seattle-based rock band Great Grandpa. In this outfit, Menne’s remarkable voice was on full display, despite not being the primary songwriter. When Great Grandpa took a break in 2019 due to various life circumstances, Menne was free to explore new musical pockets and step into their own as a songwriter, which precipitated a move from their lifelong home in Seattle to Los Angeles in 2021. There, they connected with an impressive cast of collaborators and friends that helped bring Freak Accident to life, including producer Christian Lee Hutson, engineer and mixer Melina Duterte (Jay Som), and guitarist Meg Duffy (Hand Habits). Menne’s songs are filled with clever melodies and honeyed, homespun rock arrangements that showcase their taut songwriting. They manage to collapse a maze of gnarled emotions into clear, direct, and inviting pathways, often using humor as an access point to something more profound. On lead single “Kill Me,” for instance, Menne turns the sarcastic eye-roll of the phrase “kill me now” into a heartfelt plea for love, while the acerbic refrain of the title track reshapes a faintly ominous admission into a mantra that seems to embrace all of life’s whims: “I’m a freak accident / head-on collision just waiting to happen.”
An Evening with Colicchie
-ALL AGES-STANDING ROOM ONLY COLICCHIEPittsburgh rapper Colicchie rose up from years of struggling with addiction to find success and hope in his music. A rapid decline into drug addiction in his teenage years led to troubles with the law and multiple stints in rehab in his early twenties. After getting clean at age 23, Colicchie began writing raps, turning stories from his life into confessional, unflinchingly honest songs. A video for “Drug Addiction” went viral in 2017, reaching millions of listeners, many of whom were struggling with addiction themselves and took inspiration from Colicchie’s story.
Sgt. Splendor ft Kate Vargas & Eric McFadden with Jeff Sipe
– ALL AGES- SEATED SHOW- LIMITED NUMBER OF PREMIUM SEATING TICKETS AVAILABLE SGT. SPLENDOR(Kate Vargas & Eric McFadden with Jeff Sipe) Before joining forces, the duo behind Sgt. Splendor were already formidable solo artists, Kate Vargas chalking up acclaim at outlets like NPR, SPIN, and Vice (including praise from the “Dean of American Rock Critics” Robert Christgau); and Eric McFadden amassing an impressive resume including stints on guitar with George Clinton & the P-Funk All Stars, Fishbone’s Angelo Moore, and Eric Burdon & The Animals, plus a slew of solo albums, and session work with everyone from Jackson Browne to The Clash’s Joe Strummer. Sgt. Splendor’s intoxicating chemistry has its roots not just in enduring friendships, but also in the love and connection of its creative partners, Vargas and McFadden. After circling each other’s orbits for a time, they finally met at a songwriting retreat hosted by Pat MacDonald (of Timbuk 3 / “Future’s So Bright I Gotta Wear Shades” fame) in Sturgeon Bay, WI, initially bonding over yet another parallel, a New Mexico upbringing. Their Southwestern roots come through with Sgt. Splendor—combining mysterioso desert and carnivalesque Waits-ian vibe
PATIO: Barrett Davis
ALL AGES LIMITED PATIO SEATING IS FIRST COME FIRST SERVEBARRETT DAVISFor Western North Carolina singer-songwriter/guitarist Barrett Davis, he chose the life of a ragged troubadour. It’s a whirlwind existence of stages and microphones, of anonymous faces in the crowd eager to see what you have to offer, an arduous trek along that lost highway — constantly in search of your inner truths and honest self. “I just came to this serious point in my life where I realized that if I want to make music and perform, then it’s now or never — I’ve got to make something of it,” the 29-year-old Davis says. That something is Davis’ latest album, “The Ballad of Aesop Finn,” a vibrant tapestry, meandering from modern Americana to classic country, indie-folk to the “high, lonesome sound” of bluegrass. The record itself is a kitchen sink of tones — as heard on “Quiver,” “Lazarus” and “Carolina Still” — one which ideally showcases the wide-range and unknown depths of Davis, his musical pursuits and exploits. — Garret K. Woodward
PATIO: Chris Kasper
ALL AGES LIMITED PATIO SEATING IS FIRST COME FIRST SERVECHRIS KASPERChris Kasper is an American songwriter who is currently based in the Philadelphia area. He’s been active in the local and national scene for the last 20 years. Over that time, he has released six records and toured with acts like Amos Lee and The Wood Brothers. His music traverses the americana, blues, folk and rock spectrums, blurring the lines between genres. Kasper’s evolution into a no-nonsense songwriter is heard throughout his latest album, with nods to songwriters of the 70s like Bobby Charles, Lowell George, and Neil Young.
Satsang
ALL AGESSTANDING ROOM ONLYSATSANG I just want to write and perform songs that touch the heart and help others”. Letting go of genre, expectation, and boxes, Satsang has leaned into the power of songwriting to drive their forthcoming release, Flowers From The Fray (the band’s 5th album in 6 years) due out Fall 2022. Recorded and self-produced with the help of bandmate and longtime collaborator Parker Brown, this record finds the duo tucked away in a secluded cabin in Southwest Montana digging back into the foundation on which Satsang was founded on. “These songs were all so personal to me” says Drew McManus. “Whether it was really sifting through the stage of life I had found myself in which was a kind of dark night of the soul, or leaning into the love of my wife. This record is truly me bearing my heart. I needed to seclude myself to find out where these songs wanted to go, and having Parker’s musical guidance had a big hand in that.” This record, coupled with the band’s last release All. Right. Now. is a maturing. A growing into the songwriter and musicians that the band was destined to be. A settled and firm foundation of influences and sound that brings every external aspect in and finds it internalized and distilled into “Flowers From the Fray”. TIM SNIDER Whether he’s playing alongside Trevor Hall and the Great In Between, performing his solo show, fronting his band, or jamming with the many artists he’s shared the stage with had the pleasure of sharing the stage with, Tim Snider’s passion for music always shines through. He brings his unique style and energy to the stage and has captivated the hearts and minds of audiences worldwide. Music runs deep for Tim, spanning back generations. His great-grandfather was a doctoral graduate violinist and composer from Harvard. His great-grandmother was an opera singer and his grandmother—a passionate violinist as well—prophesied that he would be the family’s next violinist while holding him on her deathbed when he was two months old. An Itzhak Perlman performance on Sesame Street became his earliest musical inspiration—at just three-and-a-half—and classical music first provided the impetus to learn his instrument. Over the years other influences have come into play: from exposure to the raw energy of rock music he picked up guitar, watching a Ben Harper concert turned him onto songwriting, and sojourns in Spain and Cuba introduced flamenco, salsa, and Afro-Cuban rhythms into his repertoire. Embracing these diverse influences, Tim’s musical odyssey took him to uncharted territories. Returning to college, he spent a year studying jazz and eventually rediscovered his love of classical music. With a career now spanning international borders, music has led Tim to tour throughout Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, Mexico, Canada, and the United States. He has written and recorded countless string arrangements for artists across the globe including hip-hop Icon Talib Kweli, Nickelodeon’s Big Time Rush, Kairo, Baby Fisher, Justine Sky, Hire, Satsang, and many more.
PATIO: Shake a Leg!
ALL AGES LIMITED PATIO SEATING IS FIRST COME FIRST SERVESHAKE A LEG! Local singer-songwriter Josh Pierce has been writing and sharing songs for 25+ years. Originally hailing from central Illinois, Josh initially made Asheville his home in 1995. Since then, his zig zag travels have included Sylva (NC), Tallahassee (FL), Weaverville (NC), Lexington (KY) and now back in good ol’ west Asheville. All the while, Josh has continued to feed his passion for live music (LIVE MUSIC IS BETTER) and songwriting. Blending elements of rock and roll, folk, blues, and country, SHAKE A LEG! aims to connect with the audience…and have a good time along the way. Songs are often improvised and/or composed in the moment depending on the audience/situation, making each performance unique and fun for all. SHAKE A LEG! includes Josh Pierce (vocals/guitar), Jody Stevenson aka “Skilly” (bass/background vocals), Patrick Thomas (drums), and other AVL music freaks depending on the show… “SHAKE A LEG! brings unique and energetic songs that come straight out of Josh’s daily life and travels.” David Boughner – local roots rock weirdo