OUTPOST: Bearly Dead
– ALL AGES- STANDING ROOM ONLY- RAIN OR SHINEBearly Dead is an all-star cast of players with deep roots in the New England jam & festival scene. While the band plays all of the Grateful Dead classics, they also dive into an extended catalog, which may include any song that any member of the Dead ever performed. With over 230 songs in rotation and new material being added all the time, Bearly Dead performs wildly different setlists every night and ensures that each show is a unique experience. With no designated “Jerry” or “Bobby”, this band is able to breathe new life into songs with their fresh, high-energy approach to them. Bearly Dead is a setlist-nerd’s dream! Founded during an intense snowstorm in April 2015, Bearly Dead played its first show at Church of Boston, marking the beginning of its hallowed Wednesday Night Residency. In September of that year, Church was sold and the band found a new home on Wednesday nights at Thunder Road in Somerville. During their 5 years at Thunder Road, Bearly Dead was nominated twice for the Boston Music Award’s “Live Music Residency of the Year,” and burst onto the scene as New England’s premier Grateful Dead tribute band. The phrase “Never Miss A Wednesday Show” became ubiquitous around Boston…and you really never knew what might happen! Bearly Dead’s Wednesday Night Residency at Thunder Road continued unabated every week since its inception in September 2015 until the club’s closing in 2020. Thunder Road was a beacon to all musicians on Wednesday nights to join in the fun, with notable appearances by Mike Campbell (Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers), Paul Wolstencroft (Slightly Stoopid), Steve Molitz (Particle/Phil Lesh & Friends), Kebbi Williams (Tedeschi Trucks Band), Rob Compa (Dopapod), Hayley Jane (Hayley Jane & The Primates), Johnny Trama (Dub Apocalypse), and Gary Backstrom (Gary Backstrom Band); and a surprise appearance by Jerry Garcia’s “Wolf” guitar in 2018 on Jerry Garcia’s birthday! The Wednesday Night Residency was briefly revived in 2021 at The Burren and Sonia before officially ending in May 2022.
Amy Steinberg: Album Release Show
– ALL AGES- SEATED SHOW- LIMITED NUMBER OF PREMIUM SEATING TICKETS AVAILABLEAMY STEINBERG (ALBUM RELEASE SHOW) “Singular” is the word that best describes Amy Steinberg. Uplifting, enlightening and hilarious with a voice that can burn the house down, Amy Steinberg is singer, songwriter and storyteller like none other. She plays the piano with her own swingy rhythmic bounce, injecting shades of jazz, rock, hip hop, and poetry, all with a theatrical flair. Deeply soulful, with her power belt, she sings of self-love, open-mindedness, and the holiness of everything. Amy is the Creatrix of House of Love & Light, an online spiritual community that began at the beginning of quarantine. Deeply involved with the New Thought and Positive Music world, as well as the LGBTQ+ community, she plays at conferences, Spiritual Centers, venues and festivals all over the country. Amy’s new recording is her 12th independent CD, “Big Bang Breaks” a powerful collection of uplifting gems.
PATIO: Clay Johnson and the Hard Promises
– ALL AGES- LIMITED PATIO SEATING IS FIRST COME FIRST SERVECLAY JOHNSON AND THE HARD PROMISESClay Johnson & the Hard Promises, From Spartanburg, SC, were formed in the midst of 2020 as the backing band for solo musician Clay Johnson. Tying together the classic traditions of southern folk music along with modern takes on Country/Americana; the band brings together sounds across multiple American genres with an earnest southern flavor.
Miami Gold
– ALL AGES- LIMITED PATIO SEATING IS FIRST COME FIRST SERVEMIAMI GOLD Miami Gold is based in Asheville, NC. It is known for playing tight, energetic, and convicted rock n roll; an ability to musically style-shift while remaining true to its core rock sound; and a deep musical chemistry featuring lead guitar and a hard hitting rhythm section. The power trio have played with respected musicians and producers in a variety of live settings and recording studios. Miami Gold is led by Joel Schantz, a guitarist, singer, and songwriter who fuses smart phrasing and intensity to create an emotionally and sonically engaging guitar style. As a frontman, Joel’s conversational musings and deadpan humor quickly establish a rapport with audiences. Joel has played with some of the luminaries of the rock world, as well as recorded 2 albums under the tutelage of legendary producer Tom Dowd (Allman Bros, Eric Clapton, Eagles, Otis Redding, Aretha Franklin, Thelonious Monk, etc.) Joel’s brother, Ari, is the band’s drummer. His thunderous drive, skillful technique, keen sense of song construction, and attuned ear are a rare combination among rock drummers. Didier Rubio, the band’s bass player, writes heavy riffs that focus the band and lay a solid foundation for its guitar-centric sound.
PATIO: The Old Futures
– ALL AGES- LIMITED PATIO SEATING IS FIRST COME FIRST SERVETHE OLD FUTURESThe Old Futures are an indie rock band based in Asheville, NC that started as a recording project in 2019 between longtime friends Matt Cremeens (drums, vocals) and Danny Rangel (guitar, vocals, keys). They are largely influenced by classic rock and blues rock, but also have ties to Americana stylings. They released their first self produced album in the summer of 2020, followed by a few singles and another album in 2022, and are constantly recording. The Old Futures have added members, Michael Clem (bass) and Nick Pirtle (guitar) to contribute to an ever evolving sound.
[CANCELED] PATIO: Western Carolina Writers
– ALL AGES- LIMITED PATIO SEATING IS FIRST COME FIRST SERVEWESTERN CAROLINA WRITERS Western Carolina Writers was established in 2019 by Nick McMahon, along with Jesse Frizsell and Thomas Yon, as a traveling “Songwriters-In-The-Round” style show. The idea was to take turns performing original songs with fun moments of collaboration at venues all over Western North Carolina. After about a dozen increasingly successful shows, McMahon started inviting other area songwriters to participate. And now after around 150 shows featuring close to 80 different local artists, the concept has become even more popular, fun and diverse. Last year, Mcmahon and current project partner, Stephen Evans, decided to take this show into the listening rooms and out of the noisy bars and breweries so the songs could really be heard and appreciated. With three recent magical, well attended songwriter showcases at The Grey Eagle and Isis Music Hall in Asheville, NC, this decision has proven to be the right move. This particular Patio Show at The Grey Eagle will feature 3 amazing area singer-songwriters with the lineup to be announced soon!
PATIO: The Krickets
– ALL AGES- LIMITED PATIO SEATING IS FIRST COME, FIRST SERVEDTHE KRICKETS What happens when the world turns upside down and a quarantine benches a band’s tour? Something magical. They learn to write and record remotely, self-produce some music and then….release it – bells and whistles be damned. With new single, These Games, The Krickets offer a raw, Americana harmony bath with a retro feel. Described as “powerful and emotive” by American Songwriter, the release is a small part of a big message from a beloved musical community that nothing’s gonna stop the music. The Krickets are a female Americana group from the gulf coast who’s music is what Paste Magazine called a “a truly stunning, one-of-a-kind sound.” Two-time winner of a 2016 and 2019 Independent Music Award for Song of the Year in both Folk and Alt Country categories, the band’s music is a genre-bending Americana cocktail steeped in their signature folk harmony. Muscles Shaols producer Ben Tanner of Single Lock Records helped them find this sound on their 2016 debut Spanish Moss Sirens and Nashville’s Sam Ashworth (Joy Williams, Lone Bellow), helped them dive further into it on their 2018 sophomore LP, Redbird. New single, These Games, is a true first for them, fully self-produced and dropped June 5th, 2020. A portion of proceeds from every album sale benefits the Sacred heart Hospital Guild’s “Cricket Fund” in honor of Cricket Russell (namesake of the band) providing screenings to the uninsured in rural north Florida. The “K” was interchanged to give space to Buddy Holly’s fabulous Crickets. “The Krickets send chills down your spine and lift you sky high…” No Depression
An Evening With The Church
– ALL AGES- STANDING ROOM ONLY- VIP MEET & GREET PACKAGES AVAILABLE INCLUDING: Access to soundcheck performance Exclusive Meet & Greet with The Church Merchandise shopping before doors open to the general public VIP Merch Package inc: Tote Bag, Signed Copy of New Album ‘Hypnogogue’ on CD, Commemorative tour laminate, and more…. Very Limited availability THE CHURCH Few bands enter their fifth decade of making music with all the fierce creative energy of their early years. Few bands are like The Church. The Australian psych-guitar masters are deep into recording the band’s 25th studio album over 40 years after their formation. The 2021 epic line-up is bassist, vocalist and founder Steve Kilbey; with longtime collaborator timEbandit Powles drummer and producer across 17 albums since ’94; guitarist Ian Haug who joined the band in 2013 and Jeffrey Cain, touring multi-instrumentalist who is now a full-time member of The Church since the departure of Peter Koppes in early 2020. The band have also recently recruited one of Australia’s finest and most respected guitarists Ashley Naylor (Even, The Grapes). Ashley and Steve have collaborated on many different projects over the years and now was the perfect time to bring Ashley into the band. Kilbey says: “A band is like a family and over 40 years it is only natural that families will change. It’s too big a body of work not to keep exploring it.” That body of work stretches back in a continuous line to classic early albums ‘Of Skins and Heart’ and ‘The Blurred Crusade’, which revealed a distinctive soundscape of sharp pop hooks and towering guitars complementing Kilbey’s lyrics and vocal tones. The more intricate arrangements of ‘Heyday’ gave way to the wide-open atmosphere of ‘Starfish’ the 1988 album which broke into the mainstream and gave them the international hit ‘Under the Milky Way’. The hit single has been regarded as one of the most influential and recognisable Australian rock anthems of all time. Starfish also gave us ‘Reptile’, a song that never seems to date, and is a live favourite around the world. In 2010 The Church were inducted into the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Hall of Fame and reaffirmed their status as one of the world’s great live bands with the ‘Future Past Perfect’ tour, performing their Untitled #23, Priest=Aura and Starfish albums to rapturous audiences in the US and Australia. The five-year gap after the release of Untitled #23 became the most extended break between new albums in the band’s career. Haug, formerly of Australian rock icons Powderfinger, joined after the departure of Marty Willson-Piper, sparking a renaissance with Further/Deeper (2014) and Man Woman Life Death Infinity (2017) and introducing new anthems like Miami to the set. In 2018 the band played the Meltdown Festival in London at the invitation of curator Robert Smith of The Cure. The Church went on to play sold-out shows in the UK, US, Canada and Australia celebrating the 30th anniversary of the release of Starfish.
James McMurtry
– ALL AGES- STANDING ROOM ONLYJAMES McMURTRY In James McMurtry’s new effort, The Horses and the Hounds, the acclaimed songwriter backs personal narratives with effortless elegance (“Canola Fields”) and endless energy (“If It Don’t Bleed”). This first collection in seven years, out August 20, 2021 on New West Records, spotlights a seasoned tunesmith in peak form as he turns toward reflection (“Vaquero”) and revelation ( closer “Blackberry Winter”). Familiar foundations guide the journey. “There’s a definite Los Angeles vibe to this record,” McMurtry says. “The ghost of Warren Zevon seems to be stomping around among the guitar tracks. Don’t know how he got in there. He never signed on for work for hire.” The Horses and the Hounds is a reunion of sorts. McMurtry recorded the new album with legendary producer Ross Hogarth (John Fogerty, Van Halen, Keb’ Mo’) at Jackson Browne’s Groovemaster’s in Santa Monica, California, a world class studio that has housed such legends as Bob Dylan (2012’s Tempest) and David Crosby (2016’s Lighthouse) as well as Browne himself for I’m Alive (1993) and New Found Glory, Coming Home (2006). McMurtry and Hogarth first worked together 30 years ago, when Hogarth was a recording engineer in the employ of John Mellencamp at Mellencamp’s own Belmont Studios near Bloomington, Indiana. Hogarth recorded McMurtry’s first two albums, Too Long in the Wasteland and Candyland, for Columbia Records and later mixed McMurtry’s first self-produced album, Saint Mary of the Woods, for Sugar Hill Records. Another veteran of those three releases, guitarist David Grissom (Joe Ely, John Mellencamp, Dixie Chicks), returns with some of his finest work. Accordingly, the new collection marks another upward trajectory: The Horses and the Hounds will be McMurtry’s debut album on genre-defining Americana record label New West Records (Steve Earle, Rodney Crowell, Lucinda Williams, John Hiatt, Aaron Lee Tasjan, Buddy Miller, dozens more). BETTYSOOBettySoo’s vocal prowess is a thing of wonder. A world-class instrument of deft phrasing and purity, a voice that knows when to hold back and when to dive in. At her own live shows, taking a verse onstage with friends or singing harmonies in sessions with Austin’s finest, BettySoo sings with consummate loveliness and self-assurance. A voice that knows the roots of American music inside and out; coming from a most unexpected place – a diminutive Korean-American with a deceptively girl-next-door demeanor. Touring the unforgiving circuit of listening rooms, clubs and festivals, BettySoo has mastered the art of performance. A funny anecdote sets up a song of heartbreak and need; a witty rejoinder belies the dark truths that underpin much of her work.
OUTPOST: Garcia Peoples & Chris Forsyth
– ALL AGES- STANDING ROOM ONLY- RAIN OR SHINEGARCIA PEOPLES Formed in New Jersey by guitarists Tom Malach and Danny Arakaki, the band took a few years to find their flying shape, solidifying into a lineup with Danny’s brother Cesar on drums and Derek Spaldo on bass by mid-2016. Ramping up their acceleration around the time of their 2018 Cosmic Cash debut on Beyond Beyond Is Beyond Records, they’ve blasted through residencies and new songs and sessions and collaborations, relocating to New York, picking up two new members in keyboardist/multi-instrumentalist Pat Gubler and bassist Andy Cush, and leaving a trail of live tapes in their wake. This year, they’ve delivered not one but two new albums for BBiB: the sleek and song-oriented Natural Facts and the sprawling improvisatory opus of One Step Behind. 2019 also saw the first performances by the full Garcia Peoples lineup, a six-person behemoth with Spaldo on third guitar. With a stash of live recordings accumulating at the Live Music Archive, Garcia Peoples’ music is very much a living entity. Since the release of their previous two albums, songs have started to expand, jam suites have grown, and experiments have been undertaken. The first part of 2019 has seen Garcia Peoples back Philadelphia guitarist Chris Forsyth (an expanded Solar Peoples Band has hit double-drummer overdrive several times now), and joined with guitarist Ryley Walker. They’ve improvised on WFMU, and jammed with the sounds of ocean waves and falling rain at strange late night happenings. Probably something else new and wonderful and weird has happened in the Garciaverse since I wrote this. Whether or not you thought you knew Garcia Peoples’ music, One Step Behind is something new and beautiful, for new heads and old. No matter where you stand–behind, beyond, or another plane altogether–One Step Behind is ready. For those about to get on the Bus, we salute you. Chris ForsythChris Forsyth connects the dots between between anthemic art rock, chiming atmospherics, and motorik precision in taut compositions and mercurial improvisations that have earned the Philadelphia-based guitarist a unique reputation as a leading guitar stylist for jam and non-jam band fans alike.
