Scott H. Biram
ALL AGES STANDING ROOM ONLY SCOTT H. BIRAM Scott H. Biram, a proud Texan raised on the outskirts of Austin, is a maverick in the tradition of Doug Sahm, Roky Erickson (13th Floor Elevators) and Gibby Haines (Butthole Surfers). Shortly after releasing his third record (2003’s Lo-Fi Mojo), the 28-year-old’s life was nearly cut short after a near-fatal head-on collision with a big rig semi. He was still bedridden when he made his Rehabilitation Blues EP, the predecessor to his 2005 debut for Bloodshot Records, The Dirty Old One Man Band. Flash forward to 2022. After almost thirty years of tirelessly writing, recording and touring the front and backroads of America as a solo bluesman, collecting a wide array of critical accolades, Biram found himself suddenly stopped cold by the pandemic. Once again, unwilling to allow outsized forces slow him down, he took advantage of the shutdown to write, record and produce nine new songs and two traditional covers for his new album, The One & Only Scott H. Biram, his 13th overall and 9th for Bloodshot Records. The music on The One and Only Scott H. Biram has the down home, in-your-face feel that Biram is noted for. “No Man’s Land” opens with a blues turnaround played on a twanging electric guitar, backed by a stomping bass and drum backbeat. Biram growls out a lyric, describing the hazards of growing up poor in a small Texas town, breathing the fumes from oil wells and brush fires. “I was remembering a bumper sticker I saw as a kid that said, ‘Oil Field Trash and Proud of It!’” “My music has a lot of aggression to it. I express myself without holding back. If you mixed Muddy Waters, Bill Monroe, Jerry Reed, and Black Flag, you’d have a good idea of my sound. It’s punk, blues, country, metal, bluegrass and dirty.” ABE PARTRIDGE Abe Partridge is a heralded musician, singer/songwriter, visual artist, and podcaster based in Mobile, Alabama. His 2018 debut, Cotton Fields and Blood For Days earned him rave reviews, with Tony Paris saying in The Bitter Southerner: “He plays guitar the same way he writes lyrics, bashing the strings with abandon until they are just about to come loose, then beautifully picking the notes until every last word falls into place. More to the point, Partridge writes to make you sit up and think. He wants to jar your reality. Sometimes, his lyrics are sly and subtle. Sometimes they come at you with a roar and thunder, as if the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse were approaching, and the heavens were opening up to herald a warning.” Since the release of his debut, Partridge has toured relentlessly, including several tours of the Netherlands and the U.K. developing a reputation for moving, passionate, and sometimes comedic, performances at prestigious songwriter festivals such as 30A Songwriters Festival, Frank Brown Songwriters Festival, and Americanafest. He is a regular at the Bluebird Café in Nashville and Eddie’s Attic in Decatur. He has performed on the syndicated radio programs, Mountain Stage and Woodsongs Old Time Radio Hour. He has shared the stage with Morgan Wade, Paul Thorn, Steve Poltz, Dan Bern, Jerry Joseph, Glen Phillips (Toad The Wet Sprocket), Tommy Stinson, Shawn Mullins, John Fullbright, and more.
Dead Poet Society
– ALL AGES- STANDING ROOM ONLYDEAD POET SOCIETY Asked what it is he wants audiences to take away from “FISSION”, the forthcoming second album from Dead Poet Society, Jack Underkofler offers eight small but powerful words: “We want to leave them with the truth.” The affable and engaging 30-year-old delivers these words with the forthrightness that marks his discussions about the band he fronts, completed by Jack Collins (guitar), Will Goodroad (drums) and Dylan Brenner (bass), and the art this collective of college friends have exhaustively dedicated themselves moulding, too often to their own detriment. It’s an answer that epitomizes the dedication with which the quartet approach their craft, and the search for its purest, most meaningful form. “It’s not as simple as saying we want our music to leave people with a positive outlook,” Underkofler explains. “You want music to speak to wherever you find yourself. We want to leave people feeling that whatever they are experiencing is valid, no matter what place they are at in their lives.” After a decade defining, redefining and perfecting their art, where Dead Poet Society find themselves on the eve of their sophomore release is much clearer. Make no mistake: Dead Poet Society are a uniquely captivating group, rock’s next great breakout act, with “FISSION” set to capture the hearts and challenge the minds of fans old and new on the journey ahead. Following on the heels of their acclaimed debut full-length “–!–“ (2021), “FISSION” seeks to unpack the personal journey its creators have been on during that ride to date. “FISSION”, as its title hints, is a 13-track study of personal change and the turbulence of growth that, as Underkofler attests, takes “a microscopic and broad look at the events that changed who we are.” To that end, there are deep rakings over the coals of relationship breakdowns, examinations of addiction in all its guises, ruminations on the responsibilities and challenges of adulthood, and struggles with the evolution, loss and continual search for self. “In a lot of ways this album is about unpacking those emotional pains that come with being an adult,” Underkofler says. To some extent, through “FISSION”’s creation Dead Poet Society have become a different band, too. A more attuned one; more accomplished, certainly. “We were really trying to define our sound more on this record,” Collins nods. “We worked a lot more on guitar tones, bass tones and drum sounds, and paid close attention to melody. The aim was to make our sound bigger – we wanted a more dynamic record, where you could hear the best representation of us live. I feel like the evolution is us maturing a little bit, and wanting to create a sound that was less an obvious reflection of our influences – Muse, Queens Of The Stone Age, Nothing But Thieves, Royal Blood – and more definitively our own. We don’t control where the inspiration comes from. We just had to obey the songs and what they were telling us to do next.” ANDRES
The Get Right Band: Summer in the Winter Beach Bash w/ Rockstead
ALL AGES- STANDING ROOM ONLY THE GET RIGHT BAND The Get Right Band is a psychedelic indie rock band committed to relentlessly following their muses to honest self-expression, to whatever excites them and pushes them into unexplored territory, to capturing some version of truth. American Songwriter writes that the Asheville, NC based group, “filters 60’s/70’s psychedelia and 90’s alternative rock through a modern lens–as if Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, and Nirvana co-wrote an album produced by Danger Mouse and Dan Auerbach.” The Get Right Band formed in 2011, built around the musical brotherhood that guitarist/singer/songwriter Silas Durocher and bassist Jesse Gentry have formed playing music together since middle school. Durocher, who is a trained composer and has been commissioned to write for symphonies and chamber groups, has guitar chops that can soothe or rage, with a charismatic swagger as frontman and singer. Gentry’s virtuosic bass playing “catapults from elastic to nasty” (The Mountain Xpress). Completing the team is drummer extraordinaire, Jaze Uries, who is also a singer, songwriter, producer, photographer, and DJ. Over the years, GRB has defined their sound through constant evolution, building to the hook-driven, synth-heavy pop/rock/psych band they are today. The Huffington Post writes, “their songs are infectious and take you immediately to a place. The lyrics are smart and bear weight.” The Get Right Band has shared the stage with Dr. Dog, Everclear, Cracker, UB40, Rusted Root, Smash Mouth, and Lifehouse; been featured on NPR’s World Cafe, Paste Studio, and WTF with Marc Maron; and performed at major venues and festivals including The Fillmore, Brooklyn Bowl, Theatre of the Living Arts, The Orange Peel, FloydFest, Bristol Rhythm & Roots, and Riverbend Fest. They have released four studio albums and a live album, and their latest LP, iTopia, dropped on April 7, 2023. The Get Right Band has been compared to other modern indie rock bands with a psychedelic bent such as The Black Keys, My MorningJacket, Gorillaz, Tame Impala, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, and MGMT. ROCKSTEAD The Get Right Band is back with their annual “Summer in the Winter Beach Bash” at The Grey Eagle on Saturday, Feb 17th with special guests Rockstead. This show is the perfect ticket to make you shed any Winter blues away. Beachy/tropical attire is encouraged! We’ll have tropical decorations, a themed drink special, and more!
Mama and the Ruckus (Album Release Show)
– ALL AGES- SEATED SHOWMAMA AND THE RUCKUS The Ruckus is led by powerful vocalist, Melissa McKinney who writes songs about the trauma and pain that every person inevitably experiences in their lives. She sings these songs as a cry for hope, healing, and inspiration to others. This intergenerational Roots Rock/Blues project features original music that they hope will ignite healing, spread joy, and shine up your soul. Melissa McKinney is a resident artist at LEAF Global, the co-founder of WTF Music Festival, a board member of AVL FEST, as well as a small business owner. Her drive and passion are evident in her songwriting and her performance. With dual guitars, wailing vocals, screaming harmonicas, and some funky bass, keys, and drums, the Ruckus hopes to shake you up, make you dance, and cry at least one tear. On January 5th Melissa’s daughter McKinney will open the night with a short set of brand new original music. McKinney is a funky bass player and incredible vocalist with a spirit and artistry that will move you. McKINNEYK McKinney is a 22 year old bass player, singer/songwriter living in Asheville, NC. Since moving to AVL in 2018, McKinney has been mentored by a plethora of Asheville’s finest. McKinney is a resident artist with LEAF Global Arts and has a been a regular performer at the LEAF festivals for the past 6 years. She grew up touring with an empowerment concert tour that educates youth about mental health resources. K continues to infuse her shows with a genuine vibe the lifts her audience and truly makes them feel seen and heard. She released her debut solo album in 2021 entitled “Stay,” produced by Josh Blake at Echo Mountain. With McKinney on bass and vocal, Thommy Knowles of the Fritz on keys, Derrick Johnson from Yo Mama’s Big Fat Booty Band on trombone, Alex Bradley of Empire Strikes Brass on trumpet, Isaac Hadden of IHP on guitar and backing vocals, and K’s drummer of 13 years Aryan Graham on drums, you can feel the desire she has to create new music that reaches into your soul and feels like an old friend. With new music, coming early 2023 produced by Ted Marks & Thommy Knowles, this young woman is ready to take her place as the next powerhouse female coming out of Asheville.
That 1 Guy
– ALL AGES- STANDING ROOM ONLYTHAT 1 GUYWith an extensive and amazing track record of unique and imaginative performances featuring his curious instrument and copious amounts of originality, Mike Silverman, a/k/a That1Guy, has set himself apart as a true one-of-a-kind talent that rivals any other artist currently in the entertainment industry. Averaging 150-200 shows a year all over North America and Canada, he has been a consistent favorite at such festivals as: Wakarusa, Electric Forest, Big Day out, All Good Music Festival, Bella, High Sierra Music Festival, Summer Meltdown, Montreal Jazz Festival, and many more. He was also the ʻTap Water Award’ winner at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival for best musical act. His legendary collaboration and multiple tours with Buckethead performing as The Frankenstein Brothers has further cemented his virtuoso story as a creative visionary. Silverman’s back-story is similar to many musicians that have come before him. He grew up a self-proclaimed music geek, soaked in the influence of his jazz musician father, and enrolled in San Francisco Conservatory of Music before joining the local jazz scene himself as a sought-after percussive bassist. This is where the similarities end though and where That1Guy truly began. “In my case, being a bass player, I just felt very restricted by the instrument itself,” he says. “I’ve always wanted to sound different and have my own sound. I was headed that way on the bass, but for me to fully realize what I was hearing in my head sonically I was going to have to do it my way”. His influential and innovative double bass style eventually evolved into what we see today as That1Guy and The Magic Pipe. As his story continues to develop, Billboard has famously noted, “In the case of Mike Silverman’s slamming, futuristic funk act… the normal rules of biology just don’t apply.” In addition, Silverman also has new music and videos in the works for 2015 that will further validate his status as an industry trailblazer. “I like being my own person”, he says. “I didn’t set out to be a weirdo, but I’m starting to embrace it”. Ultimately, his motivation can be encapsulated as this: “Human beings do our best work when we’re challenged and pushed up against the wall”. That1Guy goes on to further explain, “By nature, we’re hunters and gatherers, spending each day looking for their next meal. It’s easy to be lazy when you don’t have to come up with something creative right away.”
Blonde Redhead
– ALL AGES- STANDING ROOM ONLYBLONDE REDHEAD“Life changes fast,” Joan Didion once wrote. “Life changes in the instant. You sit down to dinner and life as you know it ends.” In the spring of 2020, Blonde Redhead singer and multi-instrumentalist Kazu Makino encountered this passage from Didion’s 2005 memoir of grief, The Year of Magical Thinking, in which the author reflected on the devastating experience of witnessing her husband’s sudden death at the dinner table. Amid the profound uncertainty of those early pandemic months, Makino was thinking of her own parents far away in Japan; the then-lost ritual of congregating for dinner with family; and the heavy, omnipresent feeling that life could change in the instant for any of us. With plainspoken language and incandescent melodies, Makino narrated these feelings on a pair of songs, “Sit Down for Dinner Pt I” and “Sit Down for Dinner Pt II,” which helped title the tenth full-length from Blonde Redhead. “Sit Down to Dinner Pt II” thematically transcends time: “It’s sort of about death, but the music is so alive and groovy,” Makino says. Yet, the title Sit Down for Dinner has a separate resonance for the Italian members of Blonde Redhead, the Milan-born twin brothers Amedeo Pace (singer / multi-instrumentalist) and Simone Pace (drummer). “Culturally, dinner is important to us,” Simone says of the nonnegotiable family ritual. “It’s a moment for us to sit down and have time with each other. We grew up that way. I know a lot of people eat and run, eat in front of their TV, or don’t care about it too much—and that’s OK—but we really do.” Dinner has long been a sacred ritual for Blonde Redhead as a band as well; when they’re on tour or rehearsing, they always share a meal, no matter what. Releasing Sit Down for Dinner in its 30th year, Blonde Redhead’s perseverance partially came in realizing that the process of making the record should necessarily be fun. “Usually I agonize and it’s painful for me to write music, but on this one, I didn’t suffer as much,” says Makino. “I wanted to put my foot down and say: we can have a nice time together. The record sounds quite optimistic.” Amedeo adds, “We do really respond to each other. We depend on each other for inspiration. Kazu completes what I start; Simone completes both with rhythm.”BIBI CLUB Like a song through an open window, it feels like we’ve been waiting a long time for Le soleil et la mer. The debut release by Bibi Club, aka real-life lovers Adèle Trottier-Rivard and Nicolas Basque, is sun-kissed and wave-washed, shimmering and chic, a bilingual party overdue after two years that have felt (to everyone!) like winter. The pair named themselves “Bibi Club” for the discothèque in their living-room, where the couple’s bibis—their loved-ones—come and dance. With kids at home, Nico and Adèle had to sneak away to make music: five minutes here, two hours there. Accordingly, their songs imagine that a family’s everyday enchantments might be loaned to the dancefloor, to the nighttime, to a place that’s still thumping as the day breaks. Bibi Club’s debut album is out August 26 via Secret City Records.
PAKT featuring Percy Jones, Alex Skolnick, Kenny Grohowski, Tim Motzer
– ALL AGES- SEATED SHOW- LIMITED NUMBER OF PREMIUM SEATING TICKETS AVAILABLEPAKT (featuring Percy Jones, Alex Skolnick, Kenny Grohowski, Tim Motzer) It’s the PAKT time with four extraordinary musicians: Percy Jones (Brand X, Brian Eno, David Sylvian, Suzanne Vega), Alex Skolnick (Testament, Alex Skolnick Trio, Metal Allegiance, Trans-Siberian Orchestra), Kenny Grohowski (John Zorn, Brand X, Imperial Triumphant, Hipster Assassins), Tim Motzer (Bandit65, Jaki Liebezeit, David Sylvian, Jamaaladeen Tacuma, ORION TANGO). PAKT recalls the fearless attitude and daring approach that originally defined progressive music: where the magic of the moment always triumphed over preconception. Templates be damned … this music blazes its own path! This is truly exquisite fare, serving as a reminder to aficionados of what initially drew them to this most creative, visionary of genres. Double live album PAKT was recorded live in August of 2020 during the lockdown, at the ShapeShifter Lab in Brooklyn, NYC, on August 15, 2020. It was released on MoonJune Records, July 22, 2021. The new studio album ‘No Step Left To Trace’ will be released on MoonJune Records in January 2024
Hannah Wicklund
– ALL AGES- STANDING ROOM ONLYHANNAH WICKLUND Hannah Wicklund has been traveling fast and far, playing big cities and small towns around the world since starting her band at 8 years old. With her new album, Produced by Sam Kiszka, she is now arriving somewhere completely unexpected. Ethereal texturing, smokey falsetto vocals, string section surprises and guitar solos that carry equal parts pain and joy are woven tastefully into what Wicklund says is , “A record that just sounds like me”. Much like Hannah’s paintings she has become known for, each song is intricately entrancing and honored with two things seemingly lost in today’s world….patience and time. With Sam Kiszka on bass/keys/organ and Danny Wagner on drums, both of Greta Van Fleet, the songs serve as a rock ’n’ roll roadmap to a crossroads that Wicklund has been unknowingly gravitating towards for well over a decade. X marks the spot where the weary girl speeding towards the woman she will become meet in a fiery head-on collision. On this album, we hear from the woman rising from that wreckage. The woman who’s scarred but smarter, holds compassion for the girl who carried her here, and with wide-open clear eyes, unflinchingly stares down the future. Indeed, The Prize is a beautiful representation of what raw feminine power and determination look, feel and sound like. Carved with pain during the most wounded and fragile point in our young heroine’s life, this record is for anyone that has ever had to look inward to move onward. “This album was so radically healing for me, and I hope it can inspire and perhaps play a role in someone else’s story” says Wicklund. “I want us all to remember, it can be lonely and is never easy ‘doing the work’, but we are each worthy of our own love, time, and dedication.”THE HIGH DIVERS The High Divers have seen some things. There are scars adorning each member that serve as constant reminders that the traveling rock n’ roll lifestyle is not for the faint of heart. After narrowly surviving a bloody scene with a semi on an Arizona Highway in 2017, and a stage silencing pandemic, the band has proved its resilience and dedication to crafting albums that they can continue to be proud of. With the release of their newest record, “Should I be Worried” due out April 2023, the band is breathing a sigh of relief in finally getting the Sadler Vaden produced album out into the hands of their fans. “The return to live shows with all of the excitement and energy behind these new songs is going to be really healing for everyone involved”, says guitarist and singer, Luke Mitchell, “We’ve held onto some of these songs for almost three years now, and it’s felt like an absolute eternity!” Recorded in Nashville at BattleTapes and Marshall, NC at The High Divers’ own Out There Studios, this record serves as a patchwork of where the band has been and where they are going, with great care taken in curating nuanced and eclectic songs that weave into a colorful psychedelic sonic tapestry. “When you have this long to compile songs and really live with them, there are certain ones that just jump out and continue to have that sheen that keeps us all excited” says Mary Alice, whose song “Pieces” is a sparse and hauntingly beautiful look into the past “We were young, we were stupid, we were free, we were broken”.
Princess Goes
ALL AGES – STANDING ROOM ONLY PRINCESS GOES Michael C. Hall: Vocals Matt Katz-Bohen: Keyboards Peter Yanowitz: Drums “We’re a weird band,” states Princess Goes drummer Peter Yanowitz. He’s not wrong. But weird like David Bowie, Bjork and Brian Wilson’s Smile might be termed “weird.” In other words: unconventional and quite possibly irresistible. Princess Goes’ second full-length album, the 12-song Come of Age, is the trio’s most accessible work to date, yet it’s still chock-full of innovative songs that traverse a thrilling and often surprising sonic and lyrical landscape. The first single, “Shimmer,” highlights Michael C. Hall’s powerful, ethereal vocals atop quietly propulsive rhythm lines, and features Stephen Trask (Hedwig and the Angry Inch) as guest guitarist. “Shimmer”’s equally stunning and expansive video was directed by Tim Richardson (Elton John, Billie Eilish, Givenchy). “Take Me Home” serves up a soaring emotive trippiness that morphs into headbanging moments worthy of the heaviest metaller or your favorite Zeppelin album, while the haunting “Jetpack” showcase Hall’s poignant lyrics and penetrative voice, at once bell-clear and diaphanous, as the song builds to a wild and harrowing conclusion. The 12 songs on Come of Age are by turns foreboding, mystical and danceable, Ray Bradbury- meets-the-Jetsons in its galactic aural scope. The ominous semi-drone beginning of “Blur” morphs into synthwave spectacularness, the song’s dynamics suiting Hall’s lyrics about “an illicit formative encounter.” Some of Hall’s most pointed writing is on the title track, “Come of Age,” the irresistibly bouncy musicality cut by the singer’s trenchant words: “Godzilla goggles seeing nothing but King Kong makes it hard to get along,” he sings, before deadpanning, “did you really mean it when you told me I was good / or are you just a devil spitting Hollywood.” “Come of Age,” explains Hall, is neither a command that the audience come of age, nor a suggestion that Princess Goes has reached some adulting milestone. As with much of what the trio does, it just intuitively felt right. It was likewise an easy decision to include a remixed version of a previously released song, the fan favorite “Let It Go.” Princess Goes felt the cut, as originally written, was sort of an outlier. It started with Yanowitz. Katz-Bohen took it home, sped it up and it became a little more EDM, but also fun, poppy, and anthemic. The LP’s mixer and frequent collaborator Brandon Bost (HAIM, Miley Cyrus, Lady Gaga) worked on the song with the Princess Goes (and also plays some bass and keys to the album), and now the band can hardly wait to play the new, slightly more expeditious incarnation of “Let it Go” live. Hall, Katz-Bohen and Yanowitz are seasoned performers forging new creative ground together in PG: Hall is best known for playing moralistic serial killer Dexter Morgan from Showtime hit Dexter as well as David Fisher from HBO’s revered Six Feet Under. Katz-Bohen has played with Blondie since 2008, while Yanowitz is a veteran of the Wallflowers and his own group, Morningwood. Exclamation Pony
The Record Company
– ALL AGES- STANDING ROOM ONLYTHE RECORD COMPANY At 2pm on December 19, 2022 — the dreaded final day of the year in the music business — The Record Company got a telephone call from the, um, record company. It was the head of the label, who’d been sitting on their new demos for months, while the band sat in limbo. It was a scene out of a movie about the bad luck bands sometimes have with big record labels: a pleasant “hello” led to a Charlie Brown’s teacher murmur that amounted to “you’re dropped from the label, Happy Christmas, fellas.” Apparently, the label was going “in a different direction” — Hollywood code for “The Record Company’s many radio hits and Grammy nomination are no guarantee that you’re going to push further into their idea of mainstream, or that you’re great at TikTok.” “It was tough to swallow,” says bassist Alex Stiff, “because we had already set out to write the most stripped-back and raw record we’d done in years, and they had demos of this new music, and ultimately dropped us. Combine that with some new economic realities, a canceled tour, and we really felt like everything was crashing down at once.” On The 4th Album, The Record Company see that rejection as a rite of renewal, a way to cleanse themselves, to start over. They head back to their roots: creating the raw, self-produced, blues-based music that in past years earned them multiple Billboard #1 AAA songs, a Grammy nomination, and brought them from playing small clubs to arena tours supporting John Mayer and Bob Seger. These “roots” would include half-working dumpster guitars, no-name drum sets from garage sales, no click tracks or studio tricks, all recorded in the bass player’s living room. “Almost every band you love at some point tends to drift away from that raw spark that made them unique in the first place,” says drummer Marc Cazorla. “They search for bigger sounds, bigger budgets, more expensive instruments, producers, mixers, etc. We’ve been subject to that as well, but now we’ve come back full circle to what matters most: making raw, honest music that moves peoples’ souls.” The band titled the new collection “The 4th Album” to signify the start of a new chapter. When the needle drops, we hear TRC lead singer Chris Vos spit out an offhanded quip: “I ain’t ever givin’ up,” an impromptu line that is an instant touchstone for anyone who’s ever seen their dreams fading, and then been able to regain hope. That line quickly became a call-to-arms for the band and a rock-solid theme for this album. The 4th Album finds the band at peace with themselves operating as outsiders in an ever- changing musical landscape. “You’re not going to find us posting goofy videos, salad recipes, or telling the internet what every song is about,” says Chris. “We’ve had some ups and downs, but we’ve managed to find a way through it, and put it all back into the music.” JESSE AHERN When Jesse Ahern walks onstage, he looks like a regular guy-albeit one with a six string strapped across his body and an anchor tattoo under his right eye. As he tears through his set, easily rousing brand new crowds to shout his choruses back in his face, it’s clear Jesse could be everybody’s friend.
