Melt
ALL AGESSTANDING ROOM ONLY MELT Pulsing with the energy of their hometown New York City, ‘If There’s a Heaven’ (out 9/13/24) is the debut album from indie band Melt. The band formed in 2017 and cut their teeth touring on the heels of their viral single “Sour Candy” over weekends in college. Called “one groovy superorganism” by NPR, they are known for their ecstatic live set. In 2021, Melt released their ‘West Side Highway’ EP and toured nationally, further developing their intuitive connection as players as well as cementing their status as a band to watch. ‘If There’s a Heaven’ presents Melt simultaneously at their most airtight and freewheeling – evoking the raw, communal spirit of Fleetwood Mac as well as the modern, danceable hooks of MUNA. Recorded live to tape with producer Sam Evian (Big Thief), the eleven tracks span existential, feel-good pop (“Plant the Garden”), classic love ballads (“Your Name”) and lush, soulful rockers (“Heaven”). Melt’s debut is a joyous, timeless soundtrack for coming of age and finding oneself and one’s community. As emotionally stirring as they are groovy, Melt will move listeners in every sense of the word. MARIS MARIS hitched a ride on a comet to Los Angeles in 2021, and decided to stay and become a pop music sensation. Her mission on this planet is to connect with listeners through her candid experiences as a queer and emotionally vulnerable songwriter with an ‘80s-inflected pop universe and beats you can’t help but dance along to. In 2023, MARIS released a celestial six-song EP, Gravity, and accompanying short film, Gravity: The EP: the Movie (Black House, Best Friends Music), followed by new singles, “Voicemail”, “Hot Guitar Player”, and “GOING YET!.” She supported the releases throughout the solar system, opening for acts including Anna Of The North and The Wrecks. She performed at Boston Calling and Missoula Pride this summer. Fans can catch MARIS Earth-side this fall opening for Melt on their North American tour. Best experienced live, MARIS and her music have a riveting aura that ensures all in attendance are in a safe place to be their happiest, truest, and most out-of-this-world selves. Her newest singles, “The Fight” and “Julia Roberts,” are available everywhere now!
M. Ward
ALL AGESSTANDING ROOM ONLY M. WARD For Beginners: The Best of M. Ward is a collection for M. Ward fans of any vintage. Gathering together 14 tracks from across his Merge Records discography, including the newly recorded song “Cry,” For Beginners is both a primer and a mixtape of favorites sequenced in a way that gives them new life. Beginning with “Chinese Translation” and “Poison Cup” from 2006’s Post-War, For Beginners drops in on Ward as he expands his prowess in the studio. His singular cover of David Bowie’s “Let’s Dance,” from 2003’s Transfiguration of Vincent, breaks out into the exuberant “Never Had Nobody Like You” from 2009’s Hold Time. Rather than the neat evolutionary line suggested by a chronological arrangement, what holds For Beginners together is Ward’s impeccable skill as a songwriter, which remains in focus as his sound expands from low-fi home recordings to electric, radio-ready stompers. Serendipitously timed for release during Merge Records’ 35-year anniversary, this celebration of one of the label’s most beloved artists includes “Cry”—his first new recording on Merge since 2018—a stripped-down cover of the Godley & Creme pop classic featuring Melbourne, Australia’s Folk Bitch Trio. “Cry” was recorded in a Tasmanian modern art museum called MONA. I sat at the end of a long hallway a few feet away from Anselm Kiefer’s sculpture of a 20-foot-high stack of lead books, and standing to my left and right around a single microphone were Melbourne’s Folk Bitch Trio; we rehearsed and recorded “Cry” in about 30 minutes. A pleasure to add this song to a collection of some of my favorite memories of music-making during the first decade of record-creating with my friends at Merge. The song is the perfect capstone for a collection of this nature, summing up much of Ward’s power as a musician: the richness he’s capable of achieving in sparse recordings, his knack for collaboration, and his ability to see through to the soul of a meticulously crafted pop song—as much a means of looking forward to what’s to come of his own work as it is a callback to his past. FOLK BITCH TRIO Folk Bitch Trio are a band born out of a mutual love for songwriting, rocking and the truth. Their new singles, ‘Analogue’ and ‘I Heard’ are quintessential Folk Bitch Trio, combining confessional lyricism of what it feels like to be young and crave control with unpretentious instrumentation and buttery three part harmony. A side Analogue serves as a reminder to keep on stumbling forward, employing powerful harmony and a bright sound in hand with a beat that will push your feet and heart along, while B side I Heard is an ode to the startling realisation you’re in control of your own life sung against an ominously sparse nylon-string guitar.
Magenta Sunshine
ALL AGES STANDING ROOM ONLY MAGENTA SUNSHINE Magenta Sunshine is a horn-driven, hard-hitting roots fusion band from Asheville, NC. Lacing danceable rhythms, brassy soundscapes, and poetic lyricism into genre-defying arrangements, Magenta Sunshine is an all-original, six-piece unit composed of instrumentalists from some of Asheville’s most respected ensembles. Since 2018, the band has earned a dedicated following and a valid reputation for “blistering” live performances that place the audience at the intersection of psychedelic improvisation and well-crafted songwriting.
PATIO (FREE SHOW!): Hayley Renae
– FREE SHOW!!! – ALL AGES – LIMITED SEATING IS FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED 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. FREE SHOW!! Show runs 5:30-6:45. Food and drink available from The Grey Eagle Taqueria. Family friendly show! Come fill your Monday evening with food, drink, fun and some of the best live music Asheville has to offer – all in one place.
OUTPOST: Julianna Jade with Washer Dryer & Kassidy Blount
– ALL AGES- STANDING ROOM ONLY- RAIN OR SHINE Julianna Jade: Julianna Jade, a local musician in Asheville, NC is an up-and-coming singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Her distinctive sound is inspired by life’s most profound and wistful moments, resulting in a collection of songs that are both emotional, inspiring, and passionate. Her lyrics and melodies have the power to transport you back to a special memory leaving you spellbound. With a beautiful blend of warm acoustic guitar and soulful vocals, listeners are left feeling a tug at their heartstrings and wanting more. Music is food for the soul and Julianna Jade’s music is a perfect reflection of that. Washer Dryer: Washer Dryer is a new folk-rock/psychedelia band, originally based in NYC, recently relocated to Tallahassee. The husband and wife duo are releasing their debut EP this fall on Head Bitch Records. Kassidy Blount: Kassidy Blount is a jazz vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter whose expressive music draws influence from genres such as folk, rock, and country. Known for her smooth vocals and honest lyricism, Kassidy’s soulful storytelling invites listeners to share in a captivating and vulnerable performance that is sure to appeal to music fans from all walks of life.
OUTPOST: Sari Jordan & Julie Odell
– ALL AGES- STANDING ROOM ONLY- RAIN OR SHINE Sari Jordan: Sari jordan (they/she) is a New Jersey-born, New Orleans-based vocalist, songwriter, andmusician with a voice that shines in its raw honesty and playful boldness. Fresh off the release oftheir debut ep sing to the moon, Sari continues to create in pursuit of the truth about growth.their style blends indie rock with youthful, New Orleans-inspired songbook influences, resulting inan ethereal alt-jazz that strikes at the heart. Sari has shared the stage with international indieicon Alice Phoebe Lou, as well as many local New Orleans legends such as George Porter jr.,Isaac Eady & Third Moon, and Billy Iuso at Jazz Fest, the maple leaf bar, and Tipitina’s. They will be performing in Asheville as a touring artist out of New Orleans. Julie Odell: Julie Odell is an Asheville via New Orleans based singer-songwriter. Her music is folky, dreamy, and soulful, marked by her powerful, peculiar vocals, detailed textures, and an instinct for immediate songcraft. Her songs are complex and multifaceted, in part because they don’t follow expected trajectories or settle into long stretches of even-keeled languor.
ROAMCK
ALL AGESSTANDING ROOM ONLY ROAMCK Roamck is a four piece rock band from Asheville, NC. Known for their distinctive sounds of hard hitting riffs, powerful drums and melodic baritone vocals, the band forges a dynamic force in the alternative rock landscape. Consisting of Adam Macera on lead vocals and guitar, Dane Loeffler on guitar, Maddox Collina on bass and Will Holden on drums. The band is currently writing for their third studio album and taking on NC by storm
[CANCELED] SPIRIT OF THE BEEHIVE
ALL AGESSTANDING ROOM ONLYSPIRIT OF THE BEEHIVEFor the past decade, SPIRIT OF THE BEEHIVE have honed an aesthetic like no other. They’ve chopped up samples, chewed them up, spit them back out again, baby birded it. Across four albums and a smattering of EPs, Zack Schwartz, Corey Wichlin, and Rivka Ravede have fully solidified their stance as some of rock’s weirdest and best deconstructionists. 2018’s Hypnic Jerk was a study in noise punk sampledelia. It was a breakthrough for the band. Frank Ocean became a fan, spinning “fell asleep with a vision,” on Blonded Radio. 2021’s ENTERTAINMENT DEATH, was nasty dream pop by way of K-Mart realism and hitting the channel search setting on an old TV set.The goal in making YOU’LL HAVE TO LOSE SOMETHING was to soften out some of the edges. “Less hard left turns,” says Wichlin. “We wanted to make something intentionally less antagonistic,” he jokes. In practice, this means the record has slightly fewer drastic arrangement changes, and it is more stripped down. Take “I’VE BEEN EVIL,” one of the newest songs on the record, as one such offering. It is straightforward in that its tempo is consistent, in that the song keeps us in the same place. It does not digress. It holds itself steady, with bleary-eyed guitars and hushed vocals. The song is weary, the song is a whisper. The utterance “I’ve been evil,” is like the shrug of a shoulder, a so what, ha ha.YOU’LL HAVE TO LOSE SOMETHING is a record of provocations. It wants you to think it is just normal rock ‘n’ roll music. That it is purely pleasure oriented. But beneath these intentions is a collection of songs that are as complex as ever. The Ravede-led “FOUND A BODY,” is a downtempo smoke cloud of variegated synths. “Found a body,” she sings “No one can touch me.” “SUN SWEPT THE EVENING RED,” starts out disconcertingly chipper, before breaking down into an assault of sludged out guitars, auto-tuned vocals, a flurry of strings. Like all Spirit records, It is music made by three distinct voices, written independently and then assembled together. Despite being written all over the globe, with Ravede in Portugal and Schwartz and Wichlin back in Philadelphia, the trio arrived at the same themes: that of the brutality of coming to terms with reality, that of what it means to lie to protect yourself and your heart. Schwartz says he writes songs more less in a stream of consciousness. The band listens to very little outside music when working. The result is a record that very much is its own world. Where chaos is carefully organized, where being able to ever actually chill out is totally illusory, a trick mirror.KASSIE KRUTTaking inspiration from dub, noise, UK club music, and contemporary pop, Kassie Krut is a brand new project by Eve Alpert, Kasra Kurt (both Palm) and Matt Anderegg (Mothers, Body Meat).
A Place to Bury Strangers
ALL AGESSTANDING ROOM ONLYA PLACE TO BURY STRANGERSFans all over the globe know: Oliver Ackermann always brings surprises. The singer and guitarist of New York City’s A Place To Bury Strangers has been delighting and astonishing his audience for close to two decades, combining post-punk, noise-rock, shoegaze, psychedelia, and avant-garde music in startling and unexpected ways. As the founder of Death By Audio, creator of signal-scrambling stomp boxes and visionary instrument effects, he’s exported that excitement and invention to other artists who plug into his gear and blow minds. In concert, A Place To Bury Strangers is nothing short of astounding — a shamanistic experience that bathes listeners in glorious sound, crazed left turns, transcendent vibrations, real-time experiments, brilliant breakthroughs.And just as many of his peers in the New York City underground seem to be slowing down and settling in, Ackermann’s creativity is accelerating.He’s launched a label of his own: Dedstrange, dedicated to advancing the work of sonic renegades worldwide. He’s also refreshed the group’slineup, adding bassist John Fedowitz and drummer Sandra Fedowitz, and the band has never sounded more current, or more courageous, or moreaccessibly melodic. The Hologram EP is the first release from the new lineup — and the first on Dedstrange — and it’s no overstatement to saythat the reaction has been ecstatic. Ghettoblaster wrote that the band’s racket outpaced everything to emerge from New York City in the pastdecade. Brooklyn Vegan praised Ackermann’s “terrific, emotive” singing, and lauded the group’s recent commitment to foregrounding its melodiesand lyrics. Pitchfork, Flood, AllMusic: they’ve all lined up to call Hologram an example of the best work of a tireless band with a deep discography and an unquenchable drive to create challenging, unprecedented music. A Place To bury Strangers released their highly anticipated sixth album See Through You February 4, 2022 to on their newly formed label Dedstrange to critical acclaim and have been touring incessantly since then. 2024 brings the release of ‘The Sevens’: four 7”s featuring unreleased tracks from ‘See Through You’ released monthly starting in February with Album #7 due in the fall. YHWH NAILGUN The quartet of Zack Borzone (vox), Jack Tobias (synth), Sam Pickard (drums), and Saguiv Rosenstock (guitar) display an innate ability to translate a primitive spirit into a modern form. Born during the lockdown as an experimental project between Borzone and Pickard in Philadelphia, the group expanded as the two moved to New York, adding Tobias for their debut self-titled EP, which was produced by Rosenstock, who was then integrated into the band. That first collection is one of self-discovery, of finding the tools necessary to make songs within the band’s own ecosystem. They honed in on their own world and their collaborative, close-knit writing process, discovering the essential structures and feelings that make YHWH Nailgun. LUNACY
WHY?
ALL AGESSTANDING ROOM ONLYWHY?For nearly three decades, WHY? have thrived in subverting expectations. Across seven unpredictable and adventurous studio albums, the band led by Cincinnati songwriter Yoni Wolf has stretched the fringes of psychedelic pop, hip-hop, and electronic music. No matter the genre experiments and thematic departures, their discography is remarkably consistent, anchored by Wolf’s disarming lyrical transparency. His writing is provocative, self-lacerating, and always considered, coming from a place of blunt emotional openness. The Well I Fell Into, the eighth full-length from WHY?, is Wolf at his most cohesive and poignant. An autopsy of heartbreak, the album charts the ups and downs of a devastating breakup while trading bitterness for healing. Self-released on Waterlines, Wolf’s new label that follows in the footsteps of Anticon, the trailblazing artist-run collective he co-founded, its 14 tracks stand as the band’s prettiest and most immediate work yet. “Making a WHY? album is an opportunity for me to button up a period of my life,” Wolf explains. “I’m bad at realizing how I feel or how something is affecting me in the moment. Things just sit inside me, but writing is a way to really take stock.” Though the dissolution of a years-long relationship inspired Wolf to start writing, he considers The Well I Fell Into autofiction, a chance to interrogate his grief and his journey to acceptance rather than to air out the real-life details of a painful loss or pick at emotional scabs. “This is not a bitter kiss off,” he says. “While the songwriting was cathartic, I can see my life beyond some story or mythology I’ve cornered myself into artistically. I’m not getting stuck in sentiment like I might have in my 20s.” The songs on The Well I Fell Into often feel like vignettes, jumping around time and offering glimpses into the turbulent emotions that come from personal upheaval. Songs like “Brand New” find Wolf navigating indecision over delicately plucked acoustic guitars as he sings, “Is it me / do I fight or flee? I do / But I need to be brand new.” Elsewhere, tracks like “When We Do The Dance” capture the bittersweet nostalgia of remembering better times, while the ruminating “Marigold”—which kicks off the record after the intro—ruefully embraces finality. Though most of the material was written between late 2021 and early 2023, the musical origins of grimly loping “Jump” date back at least seven years. Buoyed by a mournful piano arrangement, Wolf sings, “My nowness has waned / It takes valor to change / out of a pattern of shame / extract the air from the flame.” This is an album concerned with losing your sense of self and your attempts to recapture it. BATHS
