Christie Lenée & Crys Matthews
– ALL AGES- SEATED SHOW- LIMITED NUMBER OF PREMIUM SEATING TICKETS AVAILABLE Christie LenéeFrom crystalline picking to angelic songcraft, singer/songwriter Christie Lenée’s forthcoming new album reminds devout listeners and recently converted fans of her spiritual and sublime songwriting, featuring inspired lyrics and, of course, sensational guitar playing.A Tampa native and North Carolina resident, Lenée took First Place at the International Fingerstyle Guitar Championship in 2017, was voted Acoustic Guitarist of the Year by England’s MusicRadar in 2019, and was named Named “Best Acoustic Guitarists in the World Right Now” by Guitar World in 2020.Coming Alive, with its iconic guitar hooks and powerhouse vocal performances, is a giant leap forward. This time out, she decided to make everything bigger, brighter, and more electric. The first line of the first song, the title track (“I’ve got a feeling deep inside”), tells you everything you need to know: Lenée’s sixth album is a chronicle of joy and hope, of self-confidence and empowerment, of renewal and light. Crys MatthewsAlready being hailed as “the next Woody Guthrie,” Crys Matthews is among the brightest stars of the new generation of social justice music-makers. A powerful lyricist whose songs of compassionate dissent reflect her lived experience as what she lightheartedly calls “the poster-child for intersectionality,” Justin Hiltner of Bluegrass Situation called Matthews’s gift “a reminder of what beauty can occur when we bridge those divides.” She is made for these times and, with the release of her new, hope-fueled, love-filled social justice album Changemakers, Matthews hopes to take her place alongside some of her heroes in the world of social-justice music like Sweet Honey in the Rock and Holly Near. “I believe in hope,” Matthews said. “As a social-justice songwriter, it is my duty to keep breathing that hope and encouragement into the people who listen to my music.” And, from the title track to the last track, Changemakers does just that all while tackling some heavy topics like immigration, the opioid crisis, Black Lives Matter, and gun safety to name a few.“ Ani DiFranco said, “People used to make records as in a record of an event,” said Matthews, “so I hope that these songs will serve as a time capsule, a record of the events of the last four years and what it was like to live through them.” Crys Matthews’s thoughtful, realistic and emotional songs speak to the voice of our generation and remind us why music indeed soothes the soul. “I believe in hope,” Matthews said. “As a social-justice songwriter, it is my duty to keep breathing that hope and encouragement into the people who listen to my music.”
Michelle Malone Duo
– ALL AGES- SEATED SHOW- LIMITED NUMBER OF PREMIUM SEATING TICKETS AVAILABLE MICHELLE MALONEA mainstay of American roots music for more than 30 years, Michelle Malone has built an award-winning career as a songwriter, road warrior, and modern-day guitar hero. Her music is ingrained in the sounds of the south, mixing the rebellious stomp of roadhouse rock & roll with the raw grit of blues, the holy-rolling rasp of gospel, the slow-motion swagger of country-soul, and the organic warmth of folk music. Proudly based in Atlanta, Georgia, she’s always worn her influences on her sleeve — but her music is unmistakably her own. “A wealth of alluring and enticing songs – 1977 could be Malone’s masterpiece. 4/5 stars.” (AMERICAN SONGWRITER) “Malone’s songs unfold cinematically and capture moments of human vulnerability, and her warm, inviting vocals tell stories of the exquisite intimacy of our daily lives.” (NO DEPRESSION) “Michelle Malone has one of the most remarkable voices I’ve ever heard, uniquely able to blow the roof off the place and then whisper a soft song that will break your damn heart.” (PASTE MAGAZINE)Mike KinnebrewSinger-songwriter Mike Kinnebrew’s innovatively soulful, indie-inflected take on the folk and Americana sound has earned him the hearts of a diverse and growing fanbase across the world over 25 years and counting. After spending most of 2023 in the studio, Mike is preparing for a big year ahead with a full-length album release slated for spring 2024, in collaboration with Nashville Grammy winners Charlie Lowell and Matt Odmark.
Logan Halstead & Willy Tea Taylor
– ALL AGES- SEATED SHOW- LIMITED NUMBER OF PREMIUM SEATING TICKETS AVAILABLELOGAN HALSTEAD Age is just a number, and Logan Halstead constantly reminds us of that. At just 15 years old, he wrote his first song, “Dark Black Coal,” a powerful, haunting song that depicts the struggles of a life of working in the coal mines, a lifestyle Logan witnessed many of his friends, family, and community members endure. Logan Halstead, 19 years old, is a country/folk/Americana singer-songwriter who grew up in Comfort, West Virginia. Logan pulls most of the inspiration for his music from the struggle and hardship of his own life and of the lives of those around him. Small-town living isn’t intensely stimulating, socially or economically, but spiritually, there is always a yearning for something more. Born in Kentucky and raised in West Virginia, it’s no surprise that Logan draws influence from Tyler Childers and Sturgill Simpson, but he has also found a lot of inspiration from the work of Nicholas Jamerson and Cole Chaney. “All these folks mentioned have laid a path and shown that it’s okay to be from these parts; we’re not so looked down on anymore…” says Logan. It’s given him the ability to be proud of who he is, and it has led him to be a driving force in the scene of young artists from the Appalachian region. Logan doesn’t like to put himself in a box sonically or stylistically. Still, many would characterize his work as Appalachian/Americana music. Above all, his songs are raw and honest, and the writing is wrapped in wisdom one might only think could be conjured by someone two decades older. While the masses clamored for more content, Logan took his time and found the right partners for his debut album. He decided to cut his project at the famous Sound Emporium Studios in Nashville, Tennessee. He was accompanied in production by the one and only Lawrence Rothman (Amanda Shires, Margo Price, Angel Olson, and many more). WILLY TEA TAYLOR There is no question that Willy Tea Taylor’s life as a singer/songwriter was predetermined – his role realized the moment he wrote his first song. His inspirations drawn from two separate wells; Living the life of a cattleman’s kid and experiencing true visionaries music like Greg Brown, John Hartford, and Guy Clark. The image of Guy Clark and friends sitting around the kitchen table loaded with ashtrays full of butts, half-smoked cigarettes, food, and booze on one Christmas Eve in 1975 burned into Taylor’s soul. Those guys, swapping songs without pretense, lit Willy Tea’s fire. And ever since, its led purpose with passion – finding a hang by curating relationships through musical friendships that get him closer to his own Clark style kitchen table. From his early days co-fronting The Good Luck Thrift Store Outfit, to singing solo in countless cowboy bars, to pitching countless wiffle ball games, Willy Tea has never lost the vision. Now Willy Tea Taylor has taken his vision of the “hero hang” on the road. and his talented traveling band The Fellership is made up of his fantastically talented buds who play Willy’s songs with a brand of reckless abandon and utter humility that spits in the face of pretense. The way The Fellership plays Will’s songs is the way they demand to be played and, in their short time together, they have been awe-ing every audience lucky enough to see them.
Sarah Shook & The Disarmers
ALL AGESSTANDING ROOM ONLYSARAH SHOOK & THE DISARMERSIt’s obvious listening to Sarah Shook and the Disarmers’ clear-eyed, biting, and unafraid songs that integrity is the most important thing to the Chapel Hill, North Carolina, country-punk outfit. “A lot of artists are in this industry for fame, recognition, and money but those things don’t mean anything to me,” says bandleader River Shook. “Songwriting is it for me. It’s the only real healthy coping mechanism I’ve ever had. It’s life-saving. I don’t care about any superficial things when I’m making a record.” On their resonant fourth album Revelations, produced by Shook and out March 29 via Thirty Tigers, these raw and resilient tracks come first. Throughout, Shook’s deft storytelling documents regular people getting by and keeping on, all presented without filter or pretension.JACK MARION & THE PEARL SNAP PROPHETS Jack Marion and The Pearl Snap Prophets bring a youthful-exuberance and high-country swagger to the doorsteps of modern country music. The North Carolina-based band has spent the past 4 years in honky-tonks, bars, and mountain roadhouses, collecting fodder for songs along the way. There are songs about living; written in the shadows of the Blue Ridge Mountains. They are straight-from-the-hip and straight-from-the heart. No bull-honky. All truth. But they are just as catchy as any songwriting-factory-formed mega hit that will ever curse your ear. “If young country-based bands like Jack Marion and The Pearl Snap Prophets keep raising the standards of what songs can be, maybe we can turn the tides.”- NC Music Magazine
BIRDTALKER
ALL AGES STANDING ROOM ONLY BIRDTALKER Birdtalker released their debut album One in 2018 which met critical acclaim, featuring their breakout single “Heavy,” which has now amassed over 90 million streams on Spotify alone. With their self-titled sophomore album in 2021 and subsequent releases, they have come into their own with their most confident and unrestrained songs to date. Fronted by Zack and Dani Green along with Brian Seligman (guitar) and Chris Wilson (drums/percussion), Birdtalker explore how to navigate the unknown, embrace uncertainty, and learn to let go. In 2024, Birdtalker will be releasing an EP and their 3rd full length record, touring the country to support the new music. FIELD GUIDE Field Guide (aka Dylan MacDonald) is a weaver of worlds. Built around his inviting voice and wrapped in warm textures, his self-titled sophomore full-length builds his most engaging world yet. It lives in a place between darkness and hopefulness with unshakeable melodies at its heart. “Melody is what makes words fall out of my mouth. It’s disarming. When I find a melody that represents my internal world, I drop my guard. I allow the words to appear out of thin air without judgement. A lot of these songs came to life that way. I wasn’t trying to make anything, but the songs became a home for words that I wasn’t yet ready to write on the page,” MacDonald says. The past few years haven’t allowed for much escape from our interior worlds. There’s been a lot to move through, and many things can be true at once. This album lives at the sometimes-tense intersection of those truths – loving someone dearly while being pulled toward something new, feeling joy in the melancholy, a gratitude for deep friendship and an uncertainty of one’s place in it. The album is also alive with the people and places that surrounded its creation. Vocals and acoustic guitars were recorded near Riding Mountain National Park in a woodstove-heated cabin during one of Manitoba’s coldest winters in years. Bass and drums were tracked at Breakglass Studios in Montreal, a room that already felt familiar from falling in love with the records of tour-mate Leif Vollebekk. Final overdubbing took place at Monarch Studios in Vancouver surrounded by trusted engineers and friends. And constant inspiration was found in his circle of Winnipeg creators working away on their own projects. Like The Big Pink house – Boy Golden, Slow Spirit, Roman Clarke, Kris Ulrich and others dropped in on each other to share demos and often lend their sounds to each other’s albums. Beyond his hometown, Field Guide has had the opportunity to meet some heroes and new friends. He’s supported Leif Vollebekk, Bahamas, SYML, Wild Rivers, JP Saxe and Penny & Sparrow on their tours this year. He’s built a legion of fans online and on the road. So, while this is a solo album that invites the listener inside Field Guide’s inner monologue world, it really is meant to be lived in together. “These are the truest, rawest songs that I’ve ever written. I’ve never felt so sure about something I’ve made before. And now, it’s yours.”
Cole Chaney: Legends and Verses Tour 2024
– ALL AGES- STANDING ROOM ONLYCOLE CHANEY “Originally from Boyd County, KY, Chaney has since relocated to Lexington and is sure to be the next big thing coming out of Kentucky. At only 21 years old, Chaney’s catalog may be small, but he already boasts an absolute masterpiece of an album in which he proves wise beyond his years. Mercy, his debut album released in 2021, is a 12-song showcase of Eastern Kentucky, blue collar anthems highlighted by Chaney’s deft lyricism and storytelling. An unknown musician prior to the album’s release, Chaney has since experienced a meteoric rise in popularity and has quickly amassed a growing and dedicated fan base, already thirsty for new music.” -Whiskey Riff Abby Hamilton Born and raised in Nicholasville, KY, artist-to-watch Abby Hamilton is in the midst of a breakout year following the release of her acclaimed debut album, #1 Zookeeper (of the San Diego Zoo). Released this past fall via Blue Gown Records — a new imprint run by WhizzBangBAM’s Ian Thornton (Tyler Childers) in partnership with Virgin Music — the album was produced by Justin Craig and Duane Lundy and further establishes Hamilton as one of music’s most intriguing new voices. Of the record, American Songwriter praises, “infectious… introducing the acclaimed songsmith’s captivating blend of folk and indie rock,” while Holler declares, “one of the most refreshingly out of step voices in country music has made one of the year’s most genuinely brilliant and beautiful records” and Wide Open Country proclaims, “channels a universal relatability that will aid anyone’s journey of self-discovery and healing.” In just the past few years, Hamilton has garnered a reputation as an engaging live performer and musician and recently made her television debut performing on CBS Mornings’ “Saturday Sessions” series. She has also opened for artists such as Tyler Childers, Deer Tick, Shakey Graves, Wynonna Judd, Blackberry Smoke, Kelsey Waldon and The Mountain Goats and performed at several major festivals including Bonnaroo, AmericanaFest, Railbird, Luck Reunion and more.
Alexa Rose
– ALL AGES- SEATED SHOW- LIMITED NUMBER OF PREMIUM SEATING TICKETS AVAILABLEALEXA ROSE Headwaters are the source of a river. The furthest point from where water merges with something else. They are not mighty. Just a network of small tributaries, like a creek, not necessarily picturesque, but they’re the most important part of the river. Water is fluid and inconsistent and sacred and indifferent. You can be miles down a river, but you’re still at the origin. And in that way, water feels like it has transcended time. That’s how these songs found me—the way memories find you, in that slivering, elusive water. As quickly as you come across them, you bend in another direction. Headwaters is the sophomore album from Virginian indie folk singer Alexa Rose. A series of minutely-observed vignettes that feel intimate and expansive at the same time. It captures the sweetness of life without avoiding any of the pain, with songs about time and its constraints, peppered with precise details pulled from Rose’s own life that make universal themes seem personal, inviting the listener to make each song their own. A series of rivers, Headwaters is centered on the fluidity of time. After a year where time has seemed to ebb and flow inconsistently and all routine has been dismantled, I found myself writing in the medium of water, says Rose. When I was sitting alone in my room in the southern summer heat, windows open, humidity fuming, a song called Human poured out of me. It was August, and all summer there had been such a tremendous sense of humanity, revolution, justice coming up against division, misinformation, fear. Like most regular, feeling people, I had such a strange mixture of emotions: grief, excitement; solidarity with the ways people across the world were showing up to love and support one another. I wanted so badly to run outside and be a part of it all, right then and there in that moment. But I was stuck at home. And in that strange swelling of simultaneous loss and the richness of witnessing so much kindness, I remember laying on the bed with the guitar, staring at the ceiling, and just singing “I wanna go downtown and look some stranger in the face.” I would be happy to see anyone. I just really want to hug someone. To jump into some icy swimming hole. To feel the surge of aliveness. And I felt so imperfect and raw, but I knew so did everyone else. I feel like this record is the first time I’ve ever let my whole self into the room, says Rose. The parts of me that are angry and wanting to stand up and the parts that want to be quiet. The parts that remember being a kid. Letting myself release all of that in the studio and having all these people back me up and make it work was a tremendous gift.AMANDA NEILL Originally from Nashville, Amanda Neill moved to NYC in her late 20s, regularly taking the stage at staple venues such as Rockwood Music Hall, The Bell House, and Joe’s Pub at The Public, most notably with Jamey Hamm and Ivy Beck & Neill. Amanda and her husband also owned and operated a small coffee shop in Brooklyn, which stood as a thriving hub for local musicians, artists, writers, and poets. Shortly after moving to Marshall, NC, in 2019, Amanda co-founded The Greybirds, quickly making a splash in and around the Asheville area.
On Tour With Kolton Moore & The Clever Few
ALL AGES- STANDING ROOM ONLYKOLTON MOORE & THE CLEVER FEW Kolton Moore & the Clever Few have been paying tribute to country rock’s timeless traditions since 2012, lending rootsy textures to songs about love and hard living. Their songs have collected more than 50 million streams on Spotify since 2016, “What Brings Life Also Kills” was introduced to the world by 2021 American Idol winner Chayce Beckham, and “Peace in the Pines” was featured as the closing song in the season 4 finale of the hit TV show Yellowstone. JORDAN NIX
Sunny Sweeney
– ALL AGES- STANDING ROOM ONLYSUNNY SWEENEY Sunny Sweeney, a genre-bending, songwriting spitfire who has spent equal time in the rich musical traditions of Texas and Tennessee, returns with Married Alone, the celebrated singer-songwriter’s fifth studio album and the follow-up to 2017’s critically acclaimed Trophy. Co-produced by beloved Texas musician and larger-than-life personality Paul Cauthen and the Texas Gentlemen’s multi-hyphenate Beau Bedford, Married Alone is Sweeney’s finest work yet, bringing together confessional songwriting, image-rich narratives and no shortage of sonic surprises for a loosely conceptual album about loss and healing. Married Alone began as most of Sweeney’s projects do: with a visit to her deep vault of unreleased songs. Since debuting with Heartbreaker’s Hall of Fame in 2006, Sweeney has been a prolific writer, writing whatever is on her heart rather than with a particular project in mind. That habit afforded her a rich well of material for Married Alone, some of which is over a decade old. Cauthen joins Sweeney on “A Song Can’t Fix Everything,” one of the album’s rawer moments. “That song can’t bring my mother back to life,” Sweeney sings at the song’s start, before recounting the many ways that music may be able to transport us to the past but can never fix it. “Want You to Miss Me” is an honest take on the complexities of a difficult breakup, with Sweeney’s nimble vocal wavering between defiance and doubt. “Easy as Hello” is Sweeney’s writing at its finest, channeling the heartache that comes with the end of a treasured relationship, for a track that recalls — vocally and lyrically — the work of Stevie Nicks. The full potential of the album really revealed itself, though, when a friend sent Sweeney a demo of what would become its title track, “Married Alone.” Though she wasn’t a co-writer on the track, Sweeney felt her own story reflected in its lyrics. The song, which features a particularly emotional guest vocal from living country legend Vince Gill, charts the painful moments sometimes experienced in marriages that have run their course. “There may be rings on our fingers, but we’re married alone,” she and Gill sing, over weeping pedal steel and reverbed guitar. “My jaw hit the floor when I heard that song, because I had just gone through my second divorce, which is also cliche of a country singer,” Sweeney says, with a laugh. “I was still pretty raw about my divorce, but also very candid and trying to find levity in the situation. You have to be able to laugh at yourself at some point and not let it just totally get you down.” A few months after securing the song and mining her own vault for a track list, Sweeney traveled to Dallas, TX, to record — alongside Cauthen and Bedford — what would become Married Alone. In addition to releasing Married Alone, Sweeney is marking a new chapter in her professional life with a brand-new team by her side, most of whom are women. While it wasn’t a conscious choice, Sweeney says, she feels like she’s surrounded by the right group of people, who just happen to be “badass women.” Like the narrator of “Someday You’ll Call My Name,” Sweeney is not the kind of artist you come across then forget. With Married Alone, she further cements her status as one of country music’s finest storytellers.
Tanner Usrey: The Crossing Lines Tour w/ JD Clayton
– ALL AGES- STANDING ROOM ONLYTANNER USREY Guitar in hand and mic turned up loud, the tunes do the talking for Tanner Usrey. The Texas-born singer, songwriter, and guitarist pairs straight shooting storytelling with country grit, rock ‘n’ roll energy, and Americana eloquence. As such, he channels a classic spirit from a personal perspective. After piling up tens of millions of streams, packing hundreds of shows, and landing syncs on the likes of Yellowstone, he bares it all on a series of 2023 singles for Atlantic Records and much more to come. “I let the songs be what they’re going to be, and I pride myself on that,” he notes. “Musically, it ranges from southern rock to country to Americana. When it comes to songwriting, I want to focus on what’s real – I don’t shy away from saying the hard things.” Growing up in the small town of Prosper, TX, he gravitated towards music as a little kid. By five-years-old, he constantly belted out Alan Jackson songs around the house much to his family’s chagrin. “Everyone used to tell me to shut up,” he laughs. “I was the kid who sang all the time.” Inspired by everyone from George Strait, Tom Petty, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Rolling Stones to his favorite band Whiskey Myers, he wrote countless songs and cut his teeth at gigs anywhere with a stage. In between holding down a job as a skip tracer, he carefully honed his signature style. Quitting his job in 2019, he unveiled the Medicine Man EP. “Come Back Down” generated 19.1 million Spotify streams followed by “Beautiful Lies” with 18 million Spotify streams. During 2021, he tirelessly gigged in between releasing the SÕL Sessions EP. “The Light” also notably soundtracked the finale of Yellowstone Season 4. Along the way, he cemented himself as an electrifying and energetic live presence with over 180 shows in 2022. “When we’re on stage, our goal is to have the audience clinging to the edge of their seats,” he shares. “I get to play with a bunch of badasses, and I don’t take it for granted. We pounded the pavement and put at least 100K miles on the van in a year-and-a-half.” Signing to Atlantic Records, he kickstarted 2023 with “Take Me Home,” cracking 10 million streams and counting. On its heels, the single “Give It Some Time” threads together dusty acoustic guitar and unfiltered lyrics as he pleads, “Give me something to believe in, baby, because I’ve been losing my mind.” Against an organ-laden beat, it builds towards an emotionally charged guitar solo that’s as scorching as his delivery is. Ultimately, Tanner’s music might just say everything you need. “I hope you hear what you want to hear, enjoy it, resonate with it, and know it’s real,” he leaves off. “It’s been a wild ride. I’ve busted my ass. I started off doing all of this on my own, so it’s crazy to see how this and the team around me have grown. People are going after real music right now, and that’s great. I’m looking forward to seeing where it goes next.” JD CLAYTON
