ABSFest Brunch Church of Decadence
ABSFest Brunch Church of Decadence The brunch show is BACK and hosted by the incredible Phoebe Nyx! Join us for a breakfast buffet of empowered debauchery with burlesque, sideshow, and creativity galore. Guaranteed to be uplifting, sexy AF, and more fun than your usual churchgoing experience. Feel free to wear your Sunday best, party hats, or your pajamas. Raffle benefits Sister Kitten animal rescue. Doors open 12pm for the ages 18+ show at 12:30pm.
Ian Noe
ALL AGES SEATED SHOW LIMITED NUMBER OF PREMIUM SEATING TICKETS AVAILABLE IAN NOE Ian Noe draws on the day-to-day life of Eastern Kentucky on his debut album, Between the Country. Recorded in Nashville with unhurried production by Dave Cobb, these 10 original songs introduce a number of complicated characters, diverse in their own downfalls but bound together by Noe’s singular voice. “I’ve always thought that Eastern Kentucky had a certain kind of sound, and I can’t really explain it any better than that,” he says. “What I was trying todo was write songs that sounded like where I was living.” The lead track, “Irene (Ravin’ Bomb),” sets the tone for the album, telling the story of an alcoholic woman who fails to conceal her addiction from her family. Throughout the remaining tracks, family relationships are tested, bad decisions areinevitable, and more than a few people meet an untimely end. Titles like “Junk Town,” “Dead on the River (Rolling Down)” and “Meth Head” capture thedramatic situations faced by people in the region. Noe says, “There’s a silence about Eastern Kentucky. It’s quiet, at least where I was raised. There are a lot of places you can go and write and listen to music and not be bothered.” All through his childhood, his great aunt often asked Noe if he’d written any songs yet. By 15 or 16, he decided to try. A family friend, who was also a manager at the Dairy Queen where Noe worked in high school, offered to help him book a few shows and get some songs recorded. Although Noe considers them just bedroom recordings now, the discs gave him something to sell when he started playing coffee shops and other small stages around Winchester and Lexington, Kentucky, and a little bit in Ohio. Although touring is imminent, Between the Country serves as a potent snapshot of home. The black and-white cover photo alludes to a lyric in the title track but Noe believes it also illustrates the album as a whole. It’s the same approach that Lucinda Williams employed on her landmark 1998 album,Car Wheels on a Gravel Road, which Noe cites as one of his all-time favorites. “If you have a collection of songs where the subject matter is pretty much the same, and it’s coming from the same place, I think it’s important to have some kind of picture that reflects that. I’ve always felt that way,” he says. Noe now lives in Bowling Green, Kentucky, about an hour north of Nashville, where his bandmates are based. After years of writing songs alone and playing solo acoustic sets, he now prefers touring with a band, making it possible to carry the overall mood of Between the Country out on the road aswell. After all, he and Cobb recorded the album live on the floor, completing the sessions in two days. Amid these uncluttered arrangements and a relaxed vibe, Noe’s evocative voice truly stands out. “I wanted a warm sound – that analog sound,” Noe says. “When we were getting the rough mixes going, that’s how it sounded, and that’s the direction it went in. You want people to be able to hear what you’re saying and what you’re singing about, and I think analog makes a good song stand the test of time.” CHRIS McGINNIS
[CANCELED] CARNIVALE MACABRE: Cults, Cryptids, and Conspiracy?
ALL GREY EAGLE SHOWS THIS WEEK HAVE BEEN CANCELED DUE TO THE IMPACT OF HURRICANE HELENE. REFUNDS WILL BE ISSUED AS SOON AS WE ARE ABLE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE AND GRACE DURING THIS UNPRECEDENTED TIME. AGES 18+ – PARTIALLY SEATED SHOW – LIMITED NUMBER OF PREMIUM SEATING TICKETS AVAILABLE Carnivale Macabre: Cults, Cryptids, and Conspiracy? Join us October 3rd for a night of burlesque, comedy, magic, live music, Freakshow acts, and solving the world’s greatest mysteries! Set in the year 2024, our host, an unhinged truther podcaster by the name of Cherry Truthbomb, guides the audience through an immersive experience of unfurling your biases towards a more rational view: MAYHEM, DOOM, and BIGFOOTS!! This show is from the long running series CARNIVALE MACABRE and boasts their signature theatrical chaos featuring local acts and a live band illustrating the story with epic jams. See you there hollow earthlings!!
[CANCELED] Gemma Laurence, Alice Bradley, and Night Walks (Maddie Shuler)
THIS SHOW HAS BEEN CANCELED DUE TO THE IMPACT OF HURRICANE HELENE. REFUNDS WILL BE ISSUED AS SOON AS WE ARE ABLE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE AND GRACE DURING THIS UNPRECEDENTED TIME. ALL AGES SEATED SHOW LIMITED NUMBER OF PREMIUM SEATING TICKETS AVAILABLE GEMMA LAURENCE Gemma Laurence is a Brooklyn-based indie folk singer-songwriter from the coast of Maine. Categorizing herself as “Sapphic folk,” Laurence has been named an “up-and-comer” in the queer music scene by NPR Music and starred on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Having grown up on the coast of Maine and the hills of Oxfordshire, Laurence’s time on both sides of the Atlantic influenced her unique sound: a fusion of foot-stomping Americana with a hint of English folk. Crafting a lush soundscape of rich acoustic textures, dreamy harmonies, and found sounds, Laurence’s timeless tracks call her listeners home to the people and places left behind for new beginnings. Her album Lavender is out now on Better Company Records. ALICE BRADLEY Alice Bradley is an Asheville-based singer-songwriter and musician whose original songs weave together imagery from the natural world and potent storytelling to evoke life’s wild twists and turns. Alice sees songwriting a way to grow words past the point of logic into catharsis. Her songs often pair a meandering storyline or musing with imagery and sensations that arise from memories or the subconscious. While Alice’s original songs are mostly written on guitar, she also plays the banjo and is inspired by old-time fiddle tunes. She is thrilled to be releasing her second album, Whistle on the Breeze, in September 2024. NIGHT WALKS Night Walks is the solo project of Maddie Shuler, a multi-instrumentalist and songwriter based out of Asheville, NC. While being primarily employed as a hired player in touring bands- Maddie views Night Walks as an opportunity to re-explore where it all began, serving as a reminder of the importance of creating just to create.
Reasonably Priced Babies
ALL AGESSEATED SHOWLIMITED NUMBER OF PREMIUM SEATING TICKETS AVAILABLEREASONABLY PRICED BABIES You can’t have Babies without a little “labor” – so plan to spend some of your Labor Day Weekend with Reasonably Priced Babies (RPB)! RPB are Asheville’s Premier improv troupe having performed together for over 13 years and 140+ years of combined improv experience! Short bursts of inspiration (think “Whose Line Is It Anyway?”) form the backbone of an evening of short attention-span theatre through improvised sketches, musical improv and general hilarity! The troupe includes Mondy Carter (whose former credits include LaZoom Comedy Tours and the groundbreaking Dead Alewives improvisational comedy troupe of Milwaukee), Karen Stobbe (Executive Director beinginthemoment.org, Second City Improv, Comedy Sportz), local comedian and radio personality Tom Chalmers (The Groundlings New York, Second City, Improv Olympic), actor/musician/educator Josh Batenhorst (Acoustic Light Brigade among others), comedian and singer/songwriter Kim Richardson (hear her music here) and long time local musician Aaron Price (Collapsible Studios, Aaron Price Music).
CARNIVALE MACABRE: Thunderdome
– AGES 18+- PARTIALLY SEATED SHOW- LIMITED NUMBER OF PREMIUM SEATING TICKETS AVAILABLE Carnivale Macabre: Thunderdome Take an epic journey to the desolate sands of the future where a band of villainous warboys and their pet cannibal put on a dystopian variety show featuring Drag, Comedy, Burlesque, Magic, games and prizes, and specialty freak show acts paired with live music all night by the Carnivale Macabre house band Renounced Heroes! Come dressed in your best dystopian wasteland attire for a chance to win prizes for your costume and immerse yourself in this futuristic hell scape.
Reasonably Priced Babies Birthday Bash!
ALL AGESSEATED SHOWLIMITED NUMBER OF PREMIUM SEATING TICKETS AVAILABLEREASONABLY PRICED BABIES Celebrate 13 years of making it up as we go along! Asheville’s premier improv group – Reasonably Priced Babies (RPB) – are turning 13 this year and these troubled teenagers want to celebrate with YOU! About RPB: Reasonably Priced Babies have been building improvised comedy to Asheville stages for 13 years now, but they are no toddlers to the art of improv. With over 140 years of combined experience the Babies are no strangers to bringing laughter to audiences both in Asheville and around the world! The Babies include Tom Chalmers (formerly Gotham City Improv, Second City, Improv Olympic), Mondy Carter (Dead Ale Wives, LaZoom), Karen Stobbe (Executive Director- In the Moment, Comedy Sportz), Kim Richardson (award-winning Singer/Songwriter), Josh Batenhorst (former CEO Bright Star Touring Theatre) and the musical stylings of Aaron Price (formerly of oCollapsible Records,Wham Bam Bowie Band, etc.). What to Expect: RPB will bring 2 hours of improvised entertainment (with a brief intermission). Combining short form “games,” medium length scenes and musical improv – RPB can’t wait to celebrate their birthday with YOU. Come early and grab some food from the Taqueria and be sure to grab a libation from the fully stocked Grey Eagle bar! Tacos + beer + laughter = Asheville’s Favorite Choking hazard! (Don’t worry, we know the Heimlich). Bring your appetite for food, drink and comedy and be sure to wear your birthday bash best (not just your birthday suit – *pro tip* there just may be prizes!).
ABSFest Brunch: Church of Decadence
FULLY SEATED SHOW (GA)The brunch show is back! Join us for a breakfast buffet of empowered debauchery with burlesque, contortion, and creativity galore. Guaranteed to be uplifting, sexy as heck, and more fun than your usual churchgoing experience. Feel free to wear your Sunday best, party hats, or your pajamas. Raffle benefits Sister Kitten animal rescue.
ABSFest & Charming Disaster’s Journey Through the Underworld
FULLY SEATED SHOWLIMITED NUMBER OF VIP TICKETS AVAILABLE – VIPS enjoy preferential seating, VIP Underworld Survival kits, and a special VIP show with doors at 7pm.Join us for an epic evening of immersive burlesque, variety arts, and live music as goth folk geniuses Charming Disaster weave an otherworldly tale of magic, myth and monsters. General Admission doors open at 7:30pm.
TJ & Dave
– ALL AGES- SEATED SHOW- LIMITED NUMBER OF PREMIUM SEATING TICKETS AVAILABLETJ & DAVE TJ Jagodowski and Dave Pasquesi bring their award winning show to Asheville. A miraculously improvised one-hour play at every performance. Get ready to be entertained by the incredible wit and spontaneity of these two talented performers. It’s the perfect opportunity to experience something like you’ve never seen before. Enjoy some great food and drinks, and have a fantastic time with friends. Don’t miss out on this hilarious and one-of-a-kind experience! ‘One of these guys is the best improviser in the world. And the other one is better.’ – Stephen Colbert ‘The comics TJ Jagodowski and David Pasquesi miraculously improvise a one-hour play at every performance. This is an impressive feat of mental athletics, but the results are also observant, complex and frequently enormously funny.’ – The New York Times “BRILLIANT, HEARTBREAKING, MIND-BLOWING, INSPIRING! The best 50 minutes of improv comedy that we’ve ever seen. But we wouldn’t want to insult their effusive skills by speaking so simplistically. Also, it’s funny. Drink their Kool-Aid.” – Time Out New York “TJ Jagodowski and Dave Pasquesi, two of the world’s finest practitioners of the art of long-form improv, create an hour long one-act play. They’re both great actors and have amazing improv chops, but it’s always hard to notice these kinds of things when you’re peeing your pants laughing.” – Time Out Chicago LEARN MORE ABOUT SPEAKEASY IMPROV HERE!
