Bit Brigade Performs “Super Mario World” + “F-Zero” LIVE
ALL AGESSTANDING ROOM ONLY BIT BRIGADE Bit Brigade performs rock covers of full NES game soundtracks as their gamer speedruns the game live on stage. “When was the last time you attended a live music performance with a genuine element of risk involved? And no, going to a Gwar show with a white t-shirt on doesn’t count. When Bit Brigade takes the stage your mind will frantically oscillate between “Oh! Agh!! Please don’t die!!” and “YES! He’s doing it!!”Combining the dread and daring of a live video game speed run with the spot-on technique of a live band covering the musical accompaniment to everything you’re seeing on-screen in real time, Bit Brigade will have you swinging between the two mediums. From thrashing about to live renditions of your favorite stage themes, fingers yearning to the sky in a rock ‘n roll parody of sea anemones seeming to silently plead, “Please, feed us more fretboard pyrotechnics!,” to being locked in stock-still rapture as the infallible maestro of the d-pad, Noah McCarthy, takes on the final boss and risks his video game life under the threat of intense peer scorn (or the reward of night-long glory and a credits score). No matter the outcome, Bit Brigade must play on until the deed is done – which it always is – on the first (and last) try. Once Noah’s NES buzzes on, there’s no turning back.” – Metalhead Mike of The Shizz, summer 2011
PATIO: We Have Ignition
– ALL AGES- LIMITED PATIO SEATING IS FIRST COME FIRST SERVE WE HAVE IGNITION We Have Ignition draws upon inspiration from artists such as Man or Astro-Man?, Dick Dale, Queens of the Stone Age, and Ennio Morricone to create an all instrumental sound falling in the realm of high energy Surf Rock originals. The band consists of JC Mears(drums), Jeff Manson (bass), and Robert Lloyd Martin (guitar).
PATIO: Paint Rock
– ALL AGES- LIMITED PATIO SEATING IS FIRST COME FIRST SERVE PAINT ROCK Paint Rock is a rock and roll band that embodies an old and wild spirit. Their sound is one of loud driving rhythms and raw vocals. With intensity and authenticity, Paint Rock weaves old rock, mountain ballads, and punk to create a powerful noise. Their music explores struggle and resilience, as well as joy and recovery. In the shadows of the Bald Mountains and in the wake of Hurricane Helene, Paint Rock roars loudly and unapologetically.
The Heavy Heavy
ALL AGESSTANDING ROOM ONLY THE HEAVY HEAVY With the arrival of their debut EP Life and Life Only, The Heavy Heavy immediately filled a longtime void in the musical landscape, delivering a soulful breed of rock & roll untouched by modern artifice. As audiences across the globe grew enchanted with their era-bending sound, the UK-based band began selling out headline shows in major cities like New York and Chicago, opening for the likes of Black Pumas and Band of Horses, and earning critical comparisons to Jefferson Airplane, The Band, The Mamas & The Papas, and more—all with only a handful of songs to their name, including the AAA radio top five singles “Miles and Miles” and “Go Down River.” After spending the past two years on the road and in the studio, The Heavy Heavy now draw listeners even deeper into their dreamworld with their long-awaited debut album One Of A Kind. Written entirely by co-founders Georgie Fuller and William Turner and mostly recorded at Turner’s studio in Brighton, One Of A Kind maintains the self-contained approach of Life and Life Only—a seven-song project acclaimed by outlets like NME (who named them an essential emerging artist for 2023) and The Guardian (who noted that The Heavy Heavy “write and play music with that lick of madness that makes early Fleetwood Mac and peak Stones so thrilling”). To that end, Turner produced, engineered, and mixed every track and handled most of the LP’s lavish instrumentation (including guitar, bass, piano, organ, Mellotron, and more), with The Heavy Heavy’s live band lending their explosive energy to the album. But in a departure from the EP, One Of A Kind leans away from Laurel Canyon-esque folk-rock and fully embraces their British roots, finding a particularly crucial inspiration in the gritty and groove-heavy hedonism of the Rolling Stones’ Goats Head Soup. “A lot of our EP was very bright and pretty, so we wanted to smash the door down like we do in the live show,” says Turner. “Because we were creating an entire album, there was so much more space to explore and expand,” Fuller adds. “It’s still undoubtedly that Heavy Heavy sound, but now we have all these other rooms to play around in.” FonteynUK native Fonteyn spent her formative years pursuing Musical Theatre and acting in England, but it wasn’t until she started making music that she felt able to express herself authentically. Writing songs provided a home for her idiosyncrasies to coexist. Bewitched by the sound of the 70’s, Fonteyn draws from her musical idols, Carole King, Todd Rundgren and Paul McCartney, to name a few. Her debut album “Trip the light Fantastic” offers music centered around rainbow chords and melody. The songs are playful, sentimental, and offer a sense of the theatrical. Fonteyn wants to take you by the hand and sweep you into another time and place. “Trip the light Fantastic” is an introduction to Fonteyn’s songwriting and musical soundscape. Drawing from a rainbow of influences in 1970’s pop, the album is a hedonistic exploration of melody with each song in pursuit of a particular musical feeling.
Pile
ALL AGESSTANDING ROOM ONLY PILE Sunshine and Balance Beams, Pile’s ninth album, alchemizes metaphors with its title. The first: finding happiness in nature and oneself. Second: the woozy posture one must strike to stay afloat in commercial society. These concepts seem antithetical—“But they might actually be the same thing,” hints guitarist, songwriter and singer Rick Maguire. On its newest record, Pile weaves a Sisyphean fable concerned with labor and living. “The fulfillment I receive from pursuing art has been a guiding force for me,” says Maguire. “But it can be damaging when that pursuit teases capitalist expectations of where you might be able to go, and then doesn’t square with the reality that follows.” Pile presents this parable with jagged guitars, sputtering drum bombast, eerie synths and aqueous strings, with panoramic production and loud-quiet dynamism matching the emotionality of the band’s thunderous performances. Pile formed in 2007 as Maguire’s solo outlet, soon joined by time-warping drummer Kris Kuss (in 2009) and fuzzed-yet-melodic bassist Matt Connery (in 2010), among other friends; with its explosively intricate take on heavy music, the band found devoted fans amid Boston’s bustling punk scene. Since then, Pile’s released eight acclaimed albums, each showcasing different facets of its members’ talents. Dripping, the post-hardcore 2012 breakthrough, encapsulated the frenetic power of epic basement gigs. 2017’s A Hairshirt of Purpose twisted Pile’s angularities for greater clarity, incorporating strings without losing menace. Connery’s temporary departure after this record brought respected engineer and peer Alex Molini in on bass; the electronic experimentalism of All Fiction (2023) deepened the production relationship between Maguire and Molini, proving the band’s exploratory commitment as lifelong. That doesn’t scratch Pile’s dozen other releases, including B-side compilations, outtake EPs, demo cassettes, and live reworkings. They’ve earned a reputation as workhorses, crafting thought-provoking riffs while maintaining a tour schedule of international headlining, festival slots, and support for legendary and likeminded artists like Jesus Lizard and Cursive. NNAMDÏ Musician / Artist / Performer / Label Owner
THE MOUNTAIN GOATS at Hatch Amphitheater
THIS EVENT WILL TAKE PLACE AT HATCH AMPHITHEATER, LOCATED AT 45 SOUTH FRENCH BROAD AVE IN DOWNTOWN ASHEVILLE ALL AGES STANDING ROOM ONLY AN EVENING WITH…. THE MOUNTAIN GOATS Jenny from Thebes began its life as many albums by the Mountain Goats do, with John Darnielle playing the piano until a lyric emerged. That lyric, “Jenny was a warrior / Jenny was a thief / Jenny hit the corner clinic begging for relief,” became “Jenny III,” a song which laid down a challenge he’d never taken up before: writing a sequel to one of his most beloved albums. The Mountain Goats’ catalog is thick with recurring characters—Jenny, who originally appears in the All Hail West Texas track bearing her name, as well as in “Straight Six” from Jam Eater Blues and Transcendental Youth side two jam “Night Light,” is one of these, someone who enters a song unexpectedly, pricking up the ears of fans who are keen on continuing the various narrative threads running through the Mountain Goats’ discography before vanishing into the mist. In these songs, Jenny is largely defined by her absence, and she is given that definition by other characters. She is running from something. These features are beguiling, both to the characters who’ve told her story so far and to the listener. They invite certain questions: Who is Jenny, really? What is she running from? Well, she’s a warrior and a thief, and, this being an album by the Mountain Goats, it’s a safe bet whatever she’s fleeing is something bad. Something catastrophically bad. Jenny from Thebes is the story of Jenny, her southwestern ranch style house, the people for whom that house is a place of safety, and the west Texas town that is uncomfortable with its existence. It is a story about the individual and society, about safety and shelter and those who choose to provide care when nobody else will. This is what a follow-up to All Hail West Texas entails. But if you think about the Mountain Goats as they were in 2001, when Darnielle wrote and recorded that album on his own, mostly into his Panasonic RX-FT500 boombox, and how they are now as the recording and touring outfit of Darnielle, Peter Hughes, Matt Douglas, and Jon Wurster, you may find yourself asking how. That occurred to Darnielle, too. Lifted by Matt Douglas’ horn and string arrangements, the dreamy guitar of Bully leader (and Bleed Out producer) Alicia Bognanno, and backing vocals from Kathy Valentine of The Go-Go’s (“Only One Way,” “Same as Cash,” “Going to Dallas”) and Matt Nathanson (“Fresh Tattoo”), Jenny from Thebes is a widescreen musical in scope, a melodrama of richly detailed characters and sweeping emotions. The west Texas the Mountain Goats conjure for Jenny is huge and already crumbling to the ground when we meet her in lead single “Clean Slate,” where a new arrival to the safehouse finds it nearly full, his host beyond exhaustion. Her burdens are heavy, and the measures they cause her to take have consequences that scale well beyond anything she could have anticipated when she decided to open her home to others. Such gestures are noble and doomed.
Wheatus (Acoustic)
ALL AGES SEATED SHOW LIMITED NUMBER OF PREMIUM SEATING TICKETS AVAILABLE WHEATUS (ACOUSTIC) Born and bred on an island as densely populated as Montreal just without any of the culture, Brendan B Brown did what Andrew Carnegie did, he beat the odds. Taking the unprecedented decision of forming a band in New York City at the age of 22, Brendan took his father’s nickname of “wedus” and his mother’s penchant for rare fabrics and formed Wheatus. Wheatus became known in some circles as the greatest band to play the Mercury Lounge and eventually signed to Columbia Records who released the first two Wheatus records, kinda. After the major label life and the success of Wheatus’s debut single “Teenage Dirtbag,” Brown continued Wheatus and released five more records before the band’s renaissance would take place after “Teenage Dirtbag” was covered by One Direction. Since then, Wheatus, still led by Brown, has enjoyed a renewed interest with their songs covered by the likes of Phoebe Bridgers, Sza, Jax, Ruston Kelly and touring with such acts as Dashboard Confessional, Living Colour, Everclear, and many more. Brendan B Brown has taken the success in stride and wants you to join the ride. Get in. Join the Dirtbag. GABRIELLE STERBENZ Americana singer-songwriter (and longtime member of Wheatus), Gabrielle Sterbenz, was born into a house filled with Patsy Cline. At school, she sang in a Gospel Choir, hoping to sound like Aretha Franklin. In the evenings, Gabrielle would come home and drown her sorrows in Ella Fitzgerald. When this could sustain her no longer, she hatched a plan to graduate early, headed to New York City, and began working as a backing vocalist on late night television, for Robbie Dupree, Mike Doughty, Lorde, and most notably, Wheatus (of Teenage Dirtbag fame), a band she’s been a member of since 2011. Last year, Gabrielle performed her own music in every state in the lower 48, as direct support on Wheatus’ US acoustic tour, while also serving double-duty in the band. She is currently releasing music from her second record of original music.
Bones Owens
ALL AGESSTANDING ROOM ONLY 7PM DOORS / 8PM SHOW BONES OWENS Bones Owens is a genre bending artist who cut his teeth playing guitar in bands before stepping into the spotlight with his own raw, blues-infused sound. Raised in rural Missouri, he honed his craft in dive bars and clubs, blending gritty Southern rock with alternative and garage-style energy. His music is built on fuzzed-out riffs, driving rhythms, and anthemic hooks that feel equally at home on a backroad or a festival stage.
PATIO: Free State of Mind
– ALL AGES- LIMITED PATIO SEATING IS FIRST COME FIRST SERVE FREE STATE OF MIND Saturating in the fats of southern and classic rock vinyls, Barrett Davis, Eric Henninger, and Jt Linville abide. Having bathed in the musk of sweaty shirts and holy jeans, these three renegades have drawn first blood with their new title, Free State of Mind. Barrett Davis leads this outfit with his songwriting and passion for roots music. Davis is currently branching out from his previous folk record, The Ballad of Aesop Fin, featuring artist Woody Platt. Gratefully so, Davis has recently received the opportunity to lend his original song “Toe The Line” towards Woody’s breakout solo record, “Far Away With You.” Davis continues to carry his weight and hopes to make a difference in the world through music by bringing joy to people’s hearts and sparking fond memories of days gone past.
The Stews
ALL AGESSTANDING ROOM ONLY THE STEWS After releasing their debut album, What Was, in April of 2022, The Stews have been a non-stop touring machine. Playing hundreds of shows a year has allowed them to hone in their musical and songwriting skills alike. With 2023 summer tour sellouts ranging from Washington DC’s 9:30 Club, Charleston’s Windjammer, New York City’s Bowery Ballroom, and countless more, The Stews have proven that they are a musical force to be reckoned with. The summer tour even featured a venue record-breaking 800+ day-of-show tickets sold at Avondale Brewing in Birmingham, AL. In addition to the aforementioned legendary venues, The Stews played to packed out, ravenous crowds at Bonnaroo, Sweetwater 420Fest, and Roosterwalk. The band drove straight from their summer tour finale at Appleton, Wisconsin’s Mile of Music to meet up with Moon Taxi to support their fall tour. After months on the roading supporting Moon Taxi, the band returned home to Charleston, SC to finish up their second studio album. With thousands of tickets sold across a three night NYE run in Charlotte, Savannah, and Atlanta, the band capped off a record breaking year. In July of 2024, The Stews released their second full-length LP, “Chicken Fight”. The album is a daring body of work that can’t be confined to one genre, as fans will find songs reminiscent of The Allman Brothers, Audioslave, Pink Floyd, and Rainbow Kitten Surprise to name a few.
