Billy Strings Pregame with Fee Fi PHaux fISH
ALL AGES STANDING ROOM ONLY Billy Strings Pregame with Fee Fi PHaux fISH After four years in the musical nursery of their weekly residency in Downtown Asheville, these phish are swimming out, and you can catch them at The Grey Eagle before Billy Strings! Alex Bazemore on Guitar, Hannah Ramsey on Keyboards, Ryan Crabtree on bass, and Benjamin Falcon on drums. Playing the music of Phish and other artist’s material they have covered, the band focuses on performing in their style. Fee Fi PHaux fISH recreates an experience like a live Phish show. Come share in the groove!
Billy Strings Pregame with Josh Blake’s Acoustic Band
ALL AGES STANDING ROOM ONLY Billy Strings Pregame with Josh Blake’s Acoustic Band Josh Blake is a Grammy nominated musician, producer, and engineer with over 30 years of experience. Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Josh now calls Asheville, North Carolina his home since setting roots there in 1997. As a musician and producer, Josh uses whatever toys are available, but on stage a guitar is his instrument of choice. He has recorded with and performed in a wide variety of bands over the past 30 years, whose styles include hip-hop, funk, reggae, bluegrass, acoustic and rock. In late 90’s and early aughts Josh toured the country from coast to coast playing 120+ shows a year with live hip-hop collective GFE. As a guitarist he has become a hired gun, playing with numerous projects both on the stage and in the studio when not playing with his passion project JBOT. Josh is also the guitar player in the house band for Asheville’s most notable and longest running weekly, The Tuesday Night Funk Jam. Having earned the respect of the city of Asheville for his musical efforts, He was selected by the city’s Downtown Association to organize and orchestrate an “Asheville All Stars” band for it’s annual summer concert series Downtown After Five. As a performer, Josh has has played clubs, theaters and festivals coast to coast, sharing the stage and playing with artists such as George Clinton and The P-Funk All Stars, Warren Haynes, STS9, Kevin Kinney, Marcus King, Lettuce, George Porter Jr., and Mike Gordon to name a few. His discography includes contributions from many notable musicians, such as Sharon Jones, Marcus King, Eric Krasno, Billy Cardine, and Grammy winner Secret Agent 23 Skidoo to name a few. In addition to performing, producing, and recording music, Josh is currently working to expand his business, Independent Arts and Music of Asheville. Based out of Echo Mountain Studios, IamAVL is a community web based channel focused on music and video production and live concert streaming, with an emphasis on promoting the vibrant music and arts community in Asheville as well as it’s musicians. Through that project, he has produced and engineered the iamavl original in studio concert series Echo Sessions. The show is also syndicated for rebroadcast on PBS. Through iamavl Josh has also produced video production for may large events, for clients like Widespread Panic, NPR, and The Warren Haynes Christmas Jam. As the company’s CEO Josh is not only a music industry visionary, but also continues to refine his craft as a recording and production specialist in this cutting edge platform for independent artists, and the community that supports them.
Sam Holt Band presents Remembering Mikey & Todd
ALL AGESSTANDING ROOM ONLY SAM HOLT BAND PRESENTS REMEMBERING MIKEY & TODD Michael Houser was the founding guitarist and Nance the founding drummer for Widespread Panic. Houser succumbed to pancreatic cancer in August, 2002. Todd Nance passed away in August of 2020 at age 57. Sam Holt was Houser’s guitar tech and friend. Holt performed with Widespread Panic many times after Michael’s departure and went on to form the band Outformation. Holt also played with Todd Nance in several bands from 2014 – 2018. The show will feature tunes from Houser’s posthumous album Sandbox, as well as classic songs he and Nance wrote for Widespread Panic. Sam Holt Band will perform original material that was inspired by and written for the late Michael Houser. Sharing the stage with Holt is Adam Grace, keyboardist for Truth & Salvage Co., Ross Parker on bass, and Jeremy Ward on drums. “These shows will be a unique experience for Panic fans. I am a huge fan of Widespread Panic and Michael Houser’s music. It is an honor to be a part of this Celebration. He had one of the greatest musical minds of our time.” – Adam Grace “I think about Mike & Todd all the time. Playing these shows is my way to feel close to them.” – Sam Holt ——- Sweet, lowdown, and introspective, Sam Holt writes rock songs that are heartfelt and poignant expressions of life experiences that reflect his southern roots. Holt is well known for his guitar tech skills for the late Michael Houser of Widespread Panic, and for his own national touring band Outformation. Sam Holt put his own name front and center with the newly assembled Sam Holt Band, which is anchored by Holt’s distinguished guitar technique – no pick, all thumb! Sam Holt Band brings a hypnotic amalgam of outlaw twang, southern power pop, and face-melting hard rock riff-age. “I really just write from my heart. The music is out there, if I can get out of my own way it’s easier for a song to form,” says Sam. Born in Nashville, TN, Holt spent his youth surrounded by southern rock. The first bands Sam remembers liking were The Charlie Daniels Band and Elvis Presley. Once his mom brought home KISS Alive II, he knew music would be a major part of his life. Graduating from Middle Tennessee State University with a degree in recording engineering Sam went to work at Soundcheck in Nashville. In 2000, Holt became the guitar tech for Michael Houser of the wildly popular Athens, GA band Widespread Panic. Houser was impressed with Sam’s skills and told him should be playing his own music. Sadly, Houser passed away in August of 2002 after a courageous struggle with pancreatic cancer. Sam continued to tech for Widespread Panic, and made frequent onstage appearances playing lead guitar on the Summer 2006 tour. These shows were highly valued by Panic’s die-hard fan base. Armed with that experience and Mike’s encouraging words, Sam started the Atlanta, GA based band Outformation with Lee Schwartz on drums and Grady Upchurch on bass. Outformation toured for five years and recorded three albums: Tennessee Before Daylight (2005), Traveler’s Rest (2007) and Fastburn (2009).
Live Dead & Brothers: An All-Star Celebration of Grateful Dead & Allman Brothers
ALL AGESSTANDING ROOM ONLY LIVE DEAD AND BROTHERS: An All-Star Celebration of Grateful Dead & Allman Brothers Prepare to embark on a mesmerizing journey through the golden era of psychedelic blues and the seeds of the ‘jam band’ scene as Live Dead & Brothers takes the stage. Comprised of actual and legacy members from the extended Grateful Dead and Allman Brothers families, this exceptional ensemble is set to revive the timeless magic of the late 1960s and early 1970s, bringing fans an experience like no other. The line-up is pedigree and generational featuring Berry Duane Oakley from The Allman Betts Band, Mark Karan from Bob Weir & Rat Dog, Scott Guberman from Phil Lesh & Friends, Pete Lavezzoli from Oteil & Friends and very special guest, slide guitarist, Steve Kimock. Together, these accomplished musicians skillfully recreate the magic of the Grateful Dead and Allman Brothers Band’s co-billed concerts during the period of 1969 to1973. Their performances capture the raw energy, improvisational prowess, and soul-stirring melodies that defined an era of musical innovation. Live Dead & Brothers invites fans, both old and new, to come together and relive the vibrant, transformative spirit of the 60s and 70s. Whether you’re a lifelong devotee of the Grateful Dead and Allman Brothers or discovering their magic for the first time, this is a live music experience that transcends generations.
An Evening with Jerry’s Dead
ALL AGES STANDING ROOM ONLY JERRY’S DEAD A tribute to Jerry Garcia featuring songs from The Grateful Dead and Jerry Garcia Band.
54 Bicycles: Widespread Panic Preservation
AGES 18+ STANDING ROOM ONLY 54 BICYCLES The current version of Widespread Panic is fantastic, but the tone and energy of a Mikey / Todd show was different. We play set lists and bring an intention of sound and energy closer to the original band. We see the work as preservation and archiving in a real world sense, while we have a hell of a lot of fun.
Jerry’s Dead: Benefit for IamAvl’s Music Relief Fund
ALL AGESSTANDING ROOM ONLY JERRY’S DEAD Join us as we raise money for the Music Relief Fund through IAMAVL. Jerry’s Dead plays 100% Jerry from GD and JGB.
Shed Bugs w/ Dirty Bird
ALL AGESSTANDING ROOM ONLY SHED BUGS Conceived in a shed outside of Asheville, NC, the Shed Bugs create an improvisational blend of blues, funk, and psychedelic rock. Striving to never play the same show twice, they make each and every show a unique experience. DIRTY BIRD Pop Fusion Quartet of Multi-instrumentalists who play original music and a wide variety of covers.
The Keith Allen Circus
ALL AGESSTANDING ROOM ONLY THE KEITH ALLEN CIRCUS The Keith Allen Circus is exactly what it sounds like. A high flying, death defying, trapeze act of sound led by multi-instrumentalist, vocalist and ringmaster, Keith Allen, with Kevin Purcell (Drums/Keyboards), Jonathon Sale (Bass), and Bradley Turner (Guitar). The original music blends styles of dark rock and jam (Pink Floyd & Widespread Panic), and catchy psychedelic electro-pop (Gorillaz & Tame Impala) with Keith’s own unique compositional and improvisational style, developed from 20 years playing with The Mantras.
PATIO (FREE SHOW!): Dirty Dawg
– FREE SHOW!!! – ALL AGES – LIMITED SEATING IS FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED Members of Dirty Dead play stripped down acoustic Grateful Dead and much more! FREE SHOW!! Show runs 2:30 PM-4:00 PM. 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.