PATIO: Moon Water
– ALL AGES- LIMITED PATIO SEATING IS FIRST COME FIRST SERVE MOON WATER The mother/daughter duo whose tight blood harmonies drive the music, came to be during the covid-19 pandemic when Jenny Bradley, a single mom, moved her two kids, Blu Belle and Bud, to The Appalachian Mountains from Manhattan, New York. Having grown up in the south, Jen got reconnected to her roots and started playing old hymns and mountain music with her kids. Without much work due to the pandemic and being free of the bustle that is NYC, Jen had time on her hands to write more music and contemplate what’s important in life. As a cancer survivor, she found new joy and appreciation for life and nature on the mountain top and began singing about it. Blu started experimenting with fiddle, lap steel and bass and Moon Water was born. Bud sits in occasionally on drums as well. Why Moon Water? A month after arriving in Western North Carolina, Blu collected rain water before the Flower Moon and then sat it out the night of the full moon. There, the water became moon water and they keep it in a mason jar as their positive energy force for musical inspiration.
Golden Folk Sessions
ALL AGES 6PM DOORS / 7PM SHOW FULLY SEATED SHOW LIMITED NUMBER OF PREMIUM SEATING TICKETS AVAILABLE GOLDEN FOLK SESSIONS Golden Folk Sessions (formerly Open Folk AVL) offers an intimate, carefully curated listening experience that celebrates the art of original music. Each event showcases six handpicked artists, performing three-song sets in a quiet, seated environment where the music takes center stage. To add a sense of surprise and discovery, the lineup is revealed only when the show begins. Running from 7–9 PM, these early shows create the perfect evening for music lovers who value live performances and a good night’s rest. With over 100 shows hosted and extraordinary artists from around the globe gracing our stage, Golden Folk Sessions is entering an exciting new chapter. Under a new name and with a new home at The Grey Eagle—one of the Southeast’s most iconic venues—we’re thrilled to continue fostering community through music. Staying true to our values of accessibility, we aim to make music available to everyone. Presale tickets guarantee your seat and support both Golden Folk Sessions and The Grey Eagle. For those attending on the day of the show, our “pay what you can, if you can” option ensures that all are welcome to be part of this unique and meaningful experience. • $25 for Priority Seating (first three rows) • $10 General Admission (presale) • $0-$25 Day-of-Show (no minimum) We can’t wait to see y’all there
Golden Folk Sessions: Valentines Special
ALL AGES 6PM DOORS / 7PM SHOW FULLY SEATED SHOW LIMITED NUMBER OF PREMIUM SEATING TICKETS AVAILABLE GOLDEN FOLK SESSIONS Golden Folk Sessions (formerly Open Folk AVL) offers an intimate, carefully curated listening experience that celebrates the art of original music. Each event showcases six handpicked artists, performing three-song sets in a quiet, seated environment where the music takes center stage. To add a sense of surprise and discovery, the lineup is revealed only when the show begins. Running from 7–9 PM, these early shows create the perfect evening for music lovers who value live performances and a good night’s rest. With over 100 shows hosted and extraordinary artists from around the globe gracing our stage, Golden Folk Sessions is entering an exciting new chapter. Under a new name and with a new home at The Grey Eagle—one of the Southeast’s most iconic venues—we’re thrilled to continue fostering community through music. Staying true to our values of accessibility, we aim to make music available to everyone. Presale tickets guarantee your seat and support both Golden Folk Sessions and The Grey Eagle. For those attending on the day of the show, our “pay what you can, if you can” option ensures that all are welcome to be part of this unique and meaningful experience. • $25 for Priority Seating (first three rows) • $10 General Admission (presale) • $0-$25 Day-of-Show (no minimum) We can’t wait to see y’all there
Golden Folk Sessions
ALL AGES 6PM DOORS / 7PM SHOW FULLY SEATED SHOW LIMITED NUMBER OF PREMIUM SEATING TICKETS AVAILABLE GOLDEN FOLK SESSIONS Golden Folk Sessions (formerly Open Folk AVL) offers an intimate, carefully curated listening experience that celebrates the art of original music. Each event showcases six handpicked artists, performing three-song sets in a quiet, seated environment where the music takes center stage. To add a sense of surprise and discovery, the lineup is revealed only when the show begins. Running from 7–9 PM, these early shows create the perfect evening for music lovers who value live performances and a good night’s rest. With over 100 shows hosted and extraordinary artists from around the globe gracing our stage, Golden Folk Sessions is entering an exciting new chapter. Under a new name and with a new home at The Grey Eagle—one of the Southeast’s most iconic venues—we’re thrilled to continue fostering community through music. Staying true to our values of accessibility, we aim to make music available to everyone. Presale tickets guarantee your seat and support both Golden Folk Sessions and The Grey Eagle. For those attending on the day of the show, our “pay what you can, if you can” option ensures that all are welcome to be part of this unique and meaningful experience. • $25 for Priority Seating (first three rows) • $10 General Admission (presale) • $0-$25 Day-of-Show (no minimum) We can’t wait to see y’all there
Golden Folk Holiday Special
ALL AGES 6PM DOORS / 7PM SHOW FULLY SEATED SHOW LIMITED NUMBER OF PREMIUM SEATING TICKETS AVAILABLE GOLDEN FOLK HOLIDAY SPECIAL Open Folk Avl has rebranded to Golden Folk! Beyond the name change and the occasional addition of non-musical performing artists, everything else remains pretty much the same. You can still expect a silent audience, great sound, hand-picked artists, a fair amount of goofin, and a whole lot of heart. One of the most beloved traditions over the past three years has been the Holiday Special, and by popular demand, we’re bringing it back! Eight artists will each perform a holiday-inspired original and a holiday classic. For this very special event, we’ll be celebrating at one of the most iconic music venues in the Southeast: The Grey Eagle. Staying true to our values of accessibility, we’re offering tickets in three pricing tiers. The first two tiers guarantee entry and are available for presale only. Day-of-show tickets will be “pay what you can if you can.” with no one turned away for lack of funds. Here’s the breakdown: • $25 for Priority Seating (first three rows) • $10 General Admission (presale) • $0-$25 Day-of-Show (no minimum) We can’t wait to see y’all there
PATIO (FREE SHOW!): RADA Stroll with Emily Martin
– FREE SHOW!!! – ALL AGES – LIMITED SEATING IS FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED Emily Martin and her band is a blend of intrepid lyrics and modern folk-mountain sound. Having a penchant for the sweet spots of arrangement and connection, their sound is filled with nostalgia and leaves a hopeful resonance. Come to the Grey Eagle during the River Arts District stroll! FREE SHOW!! Show runs 1:00pm-2:15pm. Food and drink available from The Grey Eagle Taqueria. Family friendly show! Come fill your Saturday afternoon with food, drink, fun and some of the best live music Asheville has to offer – all in one place.
PATIO (FREE SHOW!): Darby Wilcox
– FREE SHOW!!! – ALL AGES – LIMITED SEATING IS FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED Stunning. Incisive. Heartbreaking. These are words that jump to mind when describing singer-songwriter and Mayor of Babetown, Darby Wilcox, whose powerful and commanding presence leaves her audiences captivated, charmed, and fascinated. With the dual powers of her tenderness and ferocity, she makes you feel as if you have been given a gift; a precious glimpse into the deepest depths of her secret soul. Her songs are places you’ve been before. They are pain. They are joy. They are honesty. They are your story through her eyes. It is this unadulterated vulnerability and strength in honesty that leaves Darby’s audiences with the feeling that ‘this too shall pass and in the morning I will try again,’ empowered, inspired, and likely misty-eyed. You can find Darby Wilcox in a plethora of venerable listening rooms, patios, and galleries throughout the Southeast, and you can find her music on any streaming platform where music is available. FREE SHOW!! Show runs 5:30-6:45. Food and drink available from The Grey Eagle Taqueria. Family friendly show! Come fill your Friday evening with food, drink, fun and some of the best live music Asheville has to offer – all in one place.
OUTPOST: Colin Cutler, Wild Roots, & AC Sapphire
– ALL AGES- STANDING ROOM ONLY- RAIN OR SHINE Colin Cutler: Colin Cutler is a Greensboro, North Carolina-based singer-songwriter, folk musician, poet, and storyteller toting a banjo and guitar. Whether solo or with his band, Hot Pepper Jam, he is a wide-ranging performer whose musical roots draw from the breadth of American folk music—from Appalachian oldtime to blues to gospel to country to rock’n’roll—to form what No Depression has described as “one magnificent tapestry of roots music.”. While his first few albums were directly inspired by his background in oldtime music, his most recent effort was even more ambitious and electric. Tarwater was inspired by both life and the earthy characters of Georgia author Flannery O’Connor, achieving “…a juke joint energy coursing through it and a humidity that seems to sweat out the sins and the booze that these characters are often soaked in” (Paste). The 2022 Winner of the Susquehanna Folk Festival’s Emerging Artists Competition, the last couple years have seen Cutler playing across the Southeast, with appearances at Merlefest, Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival, the North Carolina Folk Festival, Antlers and Acorns Songwriters Festival, and the Carolina Bible Camp Bluegrass Festival. Wild Roots: Wild Roots is an independent, women-led band based in the AppalachianMountains of North Carolina. Headed by Julia Houghton and Olivia Moore, thegroup released their debut album, Wild Roots Rising, in 2021 and have sincecontinued to tour, playing stages and festivals across the country. Olivia andJulia have co-created music for nearly a decade and collaborate in many areasof life; in addition to being soul sisters, the two share a deep passion forsustainable living and environmental justice. While Wild Roots’ music celebratesthe joy of friendship and community, it also seeks to hold those in poweraccountable and question the status quo. Julia and Olivia harness their politicalpassions to shed light on issues of social injustice and the degradation of the natural world. AC Sapphire: Portland artist Ac Sapphire returns with the decadent new album Dec. 32nd, songs from a cycle that honors Sapphire at her best: guitar, and vocals front and center; celebrations of the songwriter, the shredder, that she is. Sapphire sits serenely among the songwriting class that is our generation’s Laurel Canyon sound. Ac’s music has a grasp on the cosmic side of Americana. She resides in Portland, but was once a desert denizen, and her southwestern exposure shows in the wide open, dusty, romantic sound of each song. She’s the winner of Relix Sonic Showdown, a finalist in the John Lennon songwriting contest. She’s shared the stage with artists like Son Little, long time friend Sunny War, and even been featured on a Shirley Manson (Garbage) song. Ac has played the Philadelphia Folk Festival, Treefort Music Fest. Even as this album is being released, she’s finishing recording another with New Song Music as the winner of their 2022 contest.
CANCELED: OUTPOST: Human Nip
– ALL AGES- STANDING ROOM ONLY- RAIN OR SHINE **THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELED*** Human Nip: Human Nip began as a group of friends getting together to jam and party in a West Asheville, NC basement. Numerous musicians entered the fray over the years influencing the Human Nip style and ability to improv when necessary. Currently, the band has evolved to be an original song based band while holding on to the concept of improvisational jamming. Their current live set includes covers from Phish, Bowie, Zappa, Talking Heads, the Doors, Zeppelin, Neil Young, and more. It’s like cat nip for people! Human Nip are: Ben White – Bass, Vocals, Harmonica Chuck Lee – Guitar, Vocals Jamie Hurlston – Drums Hayley Renae: Hayley Renae, a guitarist and singer-songwriter with a lifelong passion for music, crafts songs inspired by the Appalachian Mountains and her love for nature. Since moving to Asheville in 2021, she’s enchanted passersby with her loop station performances on the streets downtown. Her melodic tunes and uplifting lyrics encourage listeners to notice and appreciate the little things in life, especially the beauty of nature.
PATIO SHOW: The Tillers
– ALL AGES- STANDING ROOM ONLY- RAIN OR SHINE The Tillers: The Tillers got their start in August 2007 when they started thumping around with some banjos and guitars and a big wooden bass. Their earliest gigs were for coins and burritos on the city’s famous Ludlow Street in the district of Clifton. The songs they picked were mostly older than their grandparents. Some came from Woody Guthrie, some were southern blues laments, and many were anonymous relics of Appalachian woods, churches, riverboats, railroads, prairies, and coal mines.Their look didn’t fit the stereotype. They were clearly recovering punk rockers with roots in city’s west side punk rock and hardcore scene. The punk influence gave their sound a distinctive bite, setting them apart from most other folk acts- a hard-driving percussive strum and stomp that brought new pulse and vinegar to some very old songs. But their musical range soon proved itself as they floated from hard-tackle thumping to tender graceful melody, all the while topped by Oberst and Geil’s clear tenor harmonies. They began picking up weekly gigs around the city’s bar scene. It didn’t take long before their signature treatment of classic folk songs became the preferred versions of Cincinnati locals. Their audiences swelled, growing into an assortment of grey-haired mechanics, neo-hippies, farmers, punkers, professors, and random strays all stomping, clapping, singing, and belting outbursts of “John Henry!” “Darlin’ Corey!” Ever since, the band has come to each show with the same energy. They are magnetic showmen, mature musicians, and colorful storytellers. Opening sets by The Montvales, and Frances Eliza Frances Eliza: Asheville-based singer/songwriter and guitarist Frances Eliza blends her love of songwriting with her passion for jazz, folk, and pop music. Performing around NC and SC for over a decade, Frances has been described as “An intimate storyteller who invites the listener into her private life as she shares and explores experiences of love, loss, and pain.” Influenced by artists like Joni Mitchell, The Cranberries and Taylor Swift, Frances has performed solo and with many talented musicians at hundreds of venues over the past decade, and has released 2 original EPs thus far.