Cybertronic Spree w/ Baby Yaga
ALL AGESSTANDING ROOM ONLY CYBERTRONIC SPREE More than meets the eye, The Cybertronic Spree are here on Earth with one critical mission: To party like it’s 1986! This band of Transformers has been brought together by the power of rock ‘n’ roll and they can’t be stopped. Hotrod, Arcee, Rumble, Unicron, Soundwave, Shockwave, Bumblebee and a Quintesson prove they’ve got the power to light your darkest hour. Known across the galaxy for having cast aside their warring factions in the search for the ultimate party, these rockstars in disguise play music from The Transformers: The Movie, hit film and anime songs, video game covers and original tunes. They blend their love for the 80’s and 80’s metal into an energon-fueled, unforgettable live show. BABY YAGA Formed in late 2018, Baby Yaga’s sound is reminiscent of 90s post-punk and has been compared by the charleston city paper to Blue Album and Pinkerton era’s weezer. The band’s sophomore ep “ i’ll ruin your life” was in the post and courier’s “the best of south carolina music 2021.” Their newest release “ssdd” touches on the absurdity of reentering the dating world after heartbreak. Producer Wolfgang zimmerman married the band’s angsty sound and anthemic hooks with a heavy hitting, no nonsense delivery.
OUTPOST: Stephen Evans & The True Grits//Nick Mac & The Noise//Carolina Drifters
– ALL AGES- STANDING ROOM ONLY- RAIN OR SHINE Stephen Evans & the True Grits After many years of vacillating between being a professional musician and building a nest in Asheville, NC, Stephen Evans decided to put music to the forefront of his life again in 2014, and formed Stephen Evans & the True Grits with Brian Shoemaker (backing vocals, bass, and lead guitar), Woodstock (mandolin), and Sam Hess (drums) “Buzz of Bees” (Dec. ‘22) is their latest collection of folk rock with some songs dipping into other styles like Americana, Latin Folk, and Vaudeville. Singles from the LP, ‘Ghost Among the Trees’ and ‘Winning the Day’ have already received consistent radioplay on local stations as well as national online radio and music podcasts. Look for Stephen Evans playing solo or with the True Grits supporting this beautiful album with shows all around the WNC area. Nick Mac & the Noise Nick Mac is a singer-songwriter born and raised in the hills on Western North Carolina. Nick grew up with high hopes of one day being a professional athlete, but like most of us that was just a dream that he eventually had to stop chasing. In 2012 he learned three chords from his grandfather before he passed away later that year. Within the next year Nick started writing songs on the 74′ Fender that his grandfather left behind. This first song he wrote was titled “Jay”, an ode to his late grandfather. Nick is quoted as saying “when the chords finally came together with the lyrics for the first time it brought me to tears and I knew this was something that I could passionately pursue”. Nick writes songs about love, life experiences, and hardships we all face in the day to day grind. It’s hard to put a label on his genre because he dives into Blues, Country, Rock, and Folk music. For the last few years Nick has been tearing up the local scene in Western North Carolina with his band, Nick Mac & The Noise. They have a reputation for being a smooth playing, good-time-chasing, high energy, rockin’ country band that brings a good mix of originals and eclectic covers to the table. Nick put out two singles as a solo artist, “Win or die” and “Heal My Soul.” He has performed at several venues in the WNC and upstate SC area such as The Grey Eagle, The Isis Music Hall and Silverados Music Park. You can often find him performing at a Songwriters-in-the-Round or playing with his band in and around the regions of NC, TN, and SC. Carolina Drifters Carolina Drifters, an Alt-Country band hailing from the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, delivers a heartfelt blend of Country and Southern Rock storytelling with a dash of Pop. With their soulful harmonies, twangy guitar riffs, and blue collar everyman lyrics, the Carolina Drifters are a sure-fire recipe for a good time that embodies the spirit of their southern roots.
Josh Joplin Group
ALL AGESSTANDING ROOM ONLY JOSH JOLPIN GROUP Josh Joplin, is not given to reminiscing much about the glory days of chasing a song around the world. Camera One notched up the charts making it the first independently released song to land #1 at Triple A Top 40 on legendary showbiz titan’s, Daniel Glass and Danny Goldberg, storied label, Artemis Records, (J. Mascis, Steve Earle, The Pretenders, Kittie, AND infamous hit makers, The BaHa Men)… Though Josh never quite “let the dogs out” with his only hit, it is featured on the cult classic, Scrubs. He followed it up in 2002 with The Future That Was produced by Rob Gal (Magnapop, Rock-a-Teens) and later the critically praised albums, Jaywalker, Among The Oak & Ash, and Devil Ship. Recently, Joplin has returned to recording music with his friends and collaborators. Their latest effort is Figure Drawing. Joplin will also soon be celebrating the 25th Anniversary of his album Useful Music (featuring “Camera One”). Figure Drawing is the eleventh full-length album of new songs that Joplin has releasedAll of Joplin’s experiences, from his early days as a Dylanesque troubadour to his mid- career success as an indierocker, are reflected in this new recording, the broadest, deepest and most balanced of his career. -Geoffrey Himes (Washington Post)
CANCELED OUTPOST: Mama & The Ruckus with Magenta Sunshine
– ALL AGES- STANDING ROOM ONLY- RAIN OR SHINE Mama & the Ruckus is led by 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 and inspiration to others and you hear that in every single note that she sings. This intergenerational Roots project features original music that they hope will ignite healing, spread joy, and shine up your soul. With dual guitars, wailing vocals, screaming harmonicas, and funky bass, keys, and drums, the Ruckus puts on a show you won’t forget. Magenta Sunshine is a horn-driven, hard-hitting roots fusion band from Asheville, NC. Lacing danceable rhythms, brassy soundscapes, and poetic lyricism into genre-defying arrangements, Magenta Sunshine is an all-original, six-piece unit composed of instrumentalists from some of Asheville’s most respected ensembles. Since 2018, the band has earned a dedicated following and a valid reputation for “blistering” live performances that place the audience at the intersection of psychedelic improvisation and well-crafted songwriting.
OUTPOST: Fee Fi PHaux fISH
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 Outpost. 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! – ALL AGES- STANDING ROOM ONLY- RAIN OR SHINE
PATIO: Doc Robinson
ALL AGES LIMITED PATIO SEATING IS FIRST COME FIRST SERVE DOC ROBINSON Fronted by the commanding tenor vocals of Jon Elliott, the soul of Doc Robinson is a swirl of song-forward sensibility, heartbreak harmonies, and feel-good vibes. Named for the two main influences of the original 2016 collaboration that spawned the band — Doctor Dog and Smokey Robinson — they have catapulted themselves beyond genre categorization into a midwestern gumbo concoction. Known for their captivating live performances, the band draws crowds in with their engaging stage presence and infectious energy. Since its inception in Columbus, Ohio, Doc Robinson has emerged as a driving force in the grassroots indie music movement. The band’s nationwide tours alongside acts like Caamp, Neal Francis, The Brook and the Bluff, and more, as well as song placements on major TV series like The Walking Dead and BoJack Horseman, have helped them reach audiences worldwide.
Etran de L’Aïr
ALL AGESSTANDING ROOM ONLY ETRAN DE L’AIR Etran de L’Aïr (or “stars of the Aïr region”) welcomes you to Agadez, the capital city of Saharan rock. Playing for over 25 years, Etran has emerged as stars of the local wedding circuit. Beloved for their dynamic repertoire of hypnotic solos and sun schlazed melodies, Etran stakes out a place for Agadez guitar music. Playing a sound that invokes the desert metropolis, “Agadez” celebrates the sounds of all the dynamism of a hometown wedding. Etran is a family band composed of brothers and cousins, all born and raised in the small neighborhood of Abalane, just in the shadow of the grand mosque. Sons of nomadic families that settled here in the 1970s fleeing the droughts, they all grew up in Agadez. The band was formed in 1995 when current band leader Moussa “Abindi” Ibra was only 9 years old. “We only had one acoustic guitar,” he explains, “and for percussion, we hit a calabash with a sandal.” Over the decades, the band painstakingly pieced together gear to form their band and built an audience by playing everywhere, for everyone. “It was difficult. We would walk to gigs by foot, lugging all our equipment, carrying a small PA and guitars on our backs, 25 kilometers into the bush, to play for free…there’s nowhere in Agadez we haven’t played.” From the days of the Trans-Saharan caravan in the 14th century to a modern-day stopover for Europe-bound migrants, Agadez is a city that stands at the crossroads, where people and ideas come together. Understandably, it’s here where one of the most ambitious Tuareg guitar has taken hold. Agadez’s style is the fastest, with frenetic electric guitar solos, staccato crash of full drum kits, and flamboyant dancing guitarists. Agadez is the place where artists come to cut their teeth in a lucrative and competitive winner-take-all scene. Guitar bands are an integral part of the social fabric, playing in weddings, baptisms, and political rallies, as well as the occasional concert. Whereas other Tuareg guitarists look to Western rock, Etran de L’Aïr play in a pan-African style that is emblematic of their hometown, citing a myriad of cultural influences, from Northern Malian blues, Hausa bar bands, to Congolese Soukous. It’s perhaps this quality that makes them so beloved in Agadez. “We play for the Tuareg, the Toubou, the Zarma, the Hausa,” Abindi explains. “When you invite us, we come and play.” Their music is rooted in celebration, and invokes the exuberance of an Agadez wedding, with an overwhelming abundance of guitars, as simultaneous solos playfully pass over one another with a restrained precision, forceful yet never overindulgent. Recorded at home in Agadez with a mobile studio, their eponymous album stays close to the band’s roots. Over a handful of takes, in a rapid-fire recording session, “Agadez” retains all the energy of a party. Their message too is always close to home. The dreamy ballad Toubouk Ine Chihoussay (“The Flower of Beauty”) dives into call and response lyrics, and solos that dance effortlessly over the frets. On other tracks like Imouwizla (“Migrants”), Etran addresses immigration with the driving march parallels the nomads’ plight with travelers crossing the desert for Europe. DAVID NANCE & MOWED SOUND
Southern Culture on the Skids w/ Laid Back Country Picker
ALL AGESSTANDING ROOM ONLY SOUTHERN CULTURE ON THE SKIDS Southern Culture On The Skids has been consistently recording and touring around the world since 1983. The band (Rick Miller – guitar and vocals, Mary Huff – bass and vocals, Dave Hartman – drums) has been playing together for over 30 years. Their musical journey has taken them from all-night North Carolina house parties to late night TV talk shows (Conan O’Brien, The Tonight Show), from performing at the base of Mt. Fuji in Japan to rockin’ out for the inmates at North Carolina correctional facilities. They’ve shared a stage with many musical luminaries including Link Wray, Loretta Lynn, Hasil Adkins and Patti Smith. Their music has been featured in movies and TV, parodied by Weird Al, and used to sell everything from diamonds to pork sausage. In 2014 the band was honored by the Southern Folklife Collection at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill with an exhibition featuring their music and cultural contributions. Their legendary live shows are a testament to the therapeutic powers of foot-stomping, butt-shaking rock and roll and what Rolling Stone dubbed “a hell raising rock and roll party.” At Home with Southern Culture on the Skids is the latest full length album from the band and was released in March of 2021. It was recorded during the stay at home period of the pandemic when the band was at home and not touring. The album consists of 11 tracks recorded and mixed in Rick Miller’s living room with some additional tracks recorded at his studio, The Kudzu Ranch. The first radio single off the album is “Run Baby Run”—a rocking number with deep garage roots. SCOTS bassist Mary Huff provides an urgent vocal while the band pulls back the throttle on a full race fuzz fest—cause she’s gotta to go fast! Run Baby Run! The other songs on the album are a combination of the band’s unique mix of musical genres: rock and roll, surf, folk and country—all a bit off-center, what Rick proudly calls “our wobbly Americana”. Rick goes on, “We put a few more acoustic guitars on this one, as you would expect if you recorded in your living room, but it still rocks like SCOTS. So put your headphones on, get in your favorite chair/sofa/recliner, put on “At Home With” and let’s hang out for a while.” LAID BACK COUNTRY PICKER The night Laid Back’s high school classmates went on their senior trip, he played his first professional bar gig. It was not his first show, as he had played bass in local bluegrass bands, but it opened the door to smoky bars and honky-tonk survival. Over the years he went on perform and record with many well-known artist, often uncredited, as was the Nashville way. He has played with everyone from the Georgia Satellites to the Kentucky Headhunters. Opening for Thin Lizzy and The Guess Who, recording at Johnny Cash’s studio as well as the now defunct Butcher Shoppe in Nashville (owned by John Prince and Sturgill Simpson) Laid Back has seen some things. LB served as a mentor to a young Tyler Childers, who now has Laid Back signed on his Hickman Holler label. Mr. Childers has made several films with LB and included him in his music videos, as well as having him open a CD release show in New York City and open his sets at the Ryman Auditorium and Red Rocks Amphitheater.
PATIO: Bayla Davis & Cary Fridley
ALL AGES LIMITED PATIO SEATING IS FIRST COME FIRST SERVEBAYLA DAVIS & CARY FRIDLEY Bayla Davis (banjo), 15, is a Traditional Appalachian vocalist and multi-instrumentalist from Leicester, North Carolina. At 6-years-old, she started in the Junior Appalachian Musicians Program (JAM) in Black Mountain, North Carolina. Bayla has been playing clawhammer banjo and singing for almost a decade and spends much of her time playing as a member in her siblings’ Old-Time band, Newfound Gap. She has played on the main stage at Bela Fleck’s Blue Ridge Banjo Camp, the Kruger Brother’s Academy Stage, the Cabin Stage at Merlefest, Woodsongs, the IBMA’S Youth Stage and Kids on Bluegrass, Appalachia Sessions, among others. She also won 1st Place in the Galax, Virginia “Old Fiddlers’ Convention” in Clawhammer Banjo, as well as Mt. Airy Fiddlers Convention, Appalachian State Fiddlers Convention, the SC Fiddlers Convention and many more. This year, she recorded tracks for the Fine-Tuned album, a mentorship and collaboration-based project aimed at professional development for emerging artists playing traditional music in Western North Carolina. For the last five years, she has been a scholarship student at the Academy for the Arts in Asheville studying with Jerry Sutton, Bryan McDowell, and Josh Goforth. She plans on attending Berklee College of Music with plans to teach and perform for future generations. Cary Fridley is an Appalachian singer, bassist, and educator from Asheville, NC. Her music has evolved to embrace all styles of traditional country, blues, folk, and jazz. She is a published songwriter, recording artist, and bandleader, singing and performing in western North Carolina since 1992. Cary Fridley is a seasoned performer with an impressive legacy spanning over 20 years, dedicated to celebrating and preserving the cultural tapestry of the Southern Appalachian Mountains. Originating from the Alleghany Highlands of Virginia, Cary’s lifelong dedication to upholding and sharing the musical traditions of the region began at an early age, shaping her into a revered figure in the realm of traditional music. Having graced stages across the United States and abroad, Cary’s expertise spans a diverse repertoire that encompasses ballads, fiddle and banjo tunes, and traditional country songs. She served as the lead vocalist and guitarist for The Freight Hoppers old-time string band during its influential period in the late 1990s for 6 years, traveling internationally and creating 3 albums with the group that left an indelible mark on the genre. Cary’s musical journey continued, collaborating with renowned musicians like Travis Stuart in the Haywood Ramblers and fronting her own band in Asheville, Down South. She has 3 solo CDs of her own, and is planning a new album to be released in 2025. Cary holds a Master’s Degree in Music Education from UNCG, and blends academic acumen with an innate understanding of old-time and traditional music. Her teaching methodology is innovative and engaging, offering students a unique learning experience.
OUTPOST: Fee Fi PHaux fISH
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 Outpost. 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! – ALL AGES- STANDING ROOM ONLY- RAIN OR SHINE
