Liz Hopkins + Azul Zapata
Liz Hopkins has been singing since she could talk, and probably sings more than she talks–.in choirs of all kinds, musical theater productions, open jams, sitting in with all kinds of bands, and as a proud member of North Carolina-born DELTA RAE. She started harmonizing with Ian Eric and Brittany Holljes during her high school years — and they are still harmonizing today. But now, Liz is coming at you with her own distinct flavor. As a vocalist with Delta Rae has toured all over the US, and internationally, released 4 full-length albums, played music festivals including Bonnaroo, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, Austin City Limits, Lollapalooza, and more- performed on National TV (Jay Leno, Conan O’Brien, Seth Meyers), and had the honor of meeting Michelle Obama, and shared the stage and had a sign off with Melissa Etheridge. She was really nervous. After 2 rounds with labels. In 2019, Delta Rae left the label they were on (again) and set out on their own and became the most-funded independent band in the history of Kickstarter. It has been a wild ride and 13 years into full-time musician life, she hasn’t slowed down. She remains proud to be part of Delta Rae, who just released 2 albums in 2020 and 2021 – and is back on tour this year!When Liz is not on the road or in the studio with Delta Rae, she is singing in professional musical theater productions, leading shows of her own around North Carolina, practicing piano, teaching kids and adults to sing, and now finally starting to write her own songs and put together plans for an album of her own. We’ve only just begun… + Azul Zapata: AZUL’s sound is as multicultural as her background. Her music is enriched by her Argentinian roots, travel, and global studies degree, while influenced by jazz, broadway, soul, gospel, blues, disco, Latin folk and Latin rock. She is emotional, empathetic, and empowered. She is driven to amplify opportunities for femme/queer/POC individuals in her band and on stage. After releasing her debut original EP in 2021 “The View From Here,” Azul has played all over NC and opened for several nationally touring acts. The INDY Week said about her debut single, “Magic,” “Magic” feels like a true pop song—lush, catchy, persuasive, and full of the kind of pent-up drama that makes the quest for greater belief and optimism feel fresh. Zapata’s voice is bold and reaching; this is a single with the thrill of a big beginning.” For AZUL when mental health, trust, government, and her relationships fail, AZUL’s music speaks; loudly. The authentic aspiration that overcomes her life is for you to listen; (and for her to be heard).
Virginia Man and Tyler Meacham
Virginia ManComing off of the release of their debut LP, “Sad but True”, the boys have been out on the road! This show has become the favorite amongst members and audiences alike, with a sonic rollercoaster, akin to the plot of a great American classic, with gripping performances and storytelling, and celebratory beverages following. Jacob Sommerio, guitar/engineer, Stephen Amoruso, bass/vocals, and Kristian Lietzan, singer/songwriter, configure the emotional folk-and-roll band, Virginia Man. With poetic lyrics bellowing over the sounds of middle Appalachia, these gentlemen champion the sound of their homeland: a strange suspension between the cardinal directions, musical genres, and the changing of seasons.Tyler MeachamWhether dance floors are open or closed, pop music retains its power to move us, distilling complex emotional experiences into art that resonates the moment it hits our ears. That immediacy is a hallmark of songs by indie-pop singer and songwriter Tyler Meacham.“It’s pop but it’s not,” says Meacham in regards to her debut LP Into The Fray. “I don’t really like to align myself with a genre… I lean towards what’s right [for a song], more than just what fits in a box, if that makes sense.” The Richmond, Virginia based artist doesn’t shy away from sharing her deepest vulnerabilities in her music, which spans from fully-produced to more stripped-back sonic affairs where her resonant voice is at the forefront. On Into The Fray, Meacham explores the many layers of love, vulnerability, self-awareness, and self-worth that surface in relationships. Produced with partner & bassist Chip Hale, Into The Fray draws inspiration from their shared appreciation for pop giants like Jack Antonoff/Bleachers, OneRepublic, and Maggie Rogers, as well as the self-revelatory intimacy of songwriters like Sara Bareilles, Blake Mills, and Theo Katzman. The result is a 10-song amalgamation of synth pop, indie rock, and a pinch of folk. Into the Fray is available on CD, Vinyl, and everywhere music is streamed. ~Davy Jones & Elaine Rhodes
Anand Wilder with Sam Logan
Singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Anand Wilder is best known as co-founder of shape-shifting experimental indie rockers Yeasayer . He honed his songwriting craft for fourteen years with Yeasayer before their split in 2019, fronting career defining favorites such as O.N.E. , Wait For The Summer , Madder Red , Don’t Come Close , and Silly Me . In 2014, Wilder released a rock opera entitled Break Line The Musical , which featured an eclectic cast of guest vocalists and players he had met over the years of touring with Yeasayer , including members of MGMT, Suckers, Vampire Weekend, Dirty Projectors , Dragons Of Zynth Man Man , What Cheer? Brigade and singers Caroline Polachek and Cameron Hull.
Nightblooms with Jessie Dunks
LOVE SONGS FOR THE APOCALYPSEGreensboro, NCOne of the hardest parts about having a band is describing what you sound like. It’s often easier just to reference other bands people might actually know (Elliott Smith, Weyes Blood, George Harrison, Grizzly Bear, The War on Drugs, fwiw) than to come up with overused adjectives and round-about metaphors. I guess I could tell you that Nightblooms sounds a little like Lilac Shadows but filtered through acoustic guitars, pianos, and a lot less volume. That might help, but you also might be like, “I don’t know what Lilac Shadows is.” I could say we use lots of synthesizers or that lyrically our songs are anxious as hell but pretty fun musically. But like Saul Bellow (maybe?) once said, “I’m the bird — you’re the ornithologist.” So just listen and see what comes to mind. It’ll probably be more evocative than I can write here anyway. Whatever we sound like to you, I just hope you enjoy it.
Chessa Rich With Kill The Buddha
Chessa Rich swallowed sound at an early age, solidifying music as her internal compass. After a post-college job in Spain, she returned to North Carolina to hone the keyboard, flute and vocals that would form the bedrock of her equally jagged and ethereal style. Tracing her lines of influence from her parents’ community jazz band to the moment she encountered Radiohead in her youth, Rich has emerged as a versatile songwriter and collaborator, recording and performing with Hiss Golden Messenger and Tift Merritt, as well as putting out a 2018 EP produced by Nick Sanborn of Sylvan Esso.
Condado + Monsoon + Housewife
Condado is a DIY rock band from central North Carolina. The band’s members include Alberto “Birdie” Velazquez (guitar/vocals), Joshua Reid (guitar/vocals), Javan Trinidad (bass/vocals), and Anunt Singh (drums). Naming the band “Condado” (the Spanish word for county) is a reminder of the rural/suburban locations in which the members grew up – places usually lacking a supportive music scene and/or diversity. It’s a reminder that pursuing their individual and collective dreams of making music is possible regardless of where they’re from or who they are. The band pulls influence from many artists, specifically the northeast emo and punk scenes of recent years, providing its take on the sound through a distinct rhythmic focus/playfulness, punchy and driving percussion, thick guitar riffs, roaring bass lines, and melodies made to sing your heart out to. This is the part where I have to tell you about the band and pretend an outside source wrote something really flattering in the passage below. Unfortunately no one ever said anything nice about us, so here I go. “Monsoon is a really good two piece indie rock band from Athens, Ga.” -Sienna Chandler Don’t worry, it’s not the kind of indie where the reverb pedal stays on as I stare blankly at the fret board of my unscathed turquoise jaguar. If we’ve got anything, it’s that Joey and I spent 5 years creating Ghost Party and wanted to make our live show as attractive as we think our album is.
Jack The Radio With Crenshaw Pentecostal
Raleigh, North Carolina roots-rockers Jack the Radio blend rock and blues sensibility with Americana, folk, and country to create a tapestry of swampy southern-tinged sounds on their latest album release, Creatures. All of the songs on the album were written by singer George Hage with a common thread that weaves its way through telling us to stand strong as we ride out the highs and lows of what life throws at us. Over the years, Jack The Radio has shared the stage with The Avett Brothers, Robert Randolph and the Family Band, George Thorogood, Cold War Kids, Rayland Baxter, and American Aquarium to name a few. Their music has been featured in countless commercial, film, and TV projects including Modern Family, Boardwalk Empire, Graceland, Beverly Hills 90210 as well as in sports programming for NASCAR, NFL, PGA among others.
Eliot Bronson w/ Elonzo Wesley
Over the course of five albums, indie folksinger Eliot Bronson has created his own brand of acclaimed Americana. He’s an award winner. A road warrior. An internationally-renowned musician with a voice that swoons and sweeps, making fans out of everyone from his hometown newspaper, The Baltimore Sun — who championed Bronson from the very start, hailing him as “a folk singing wunderkind” back when he was still playing local coffeeshops — to Grammy-winning producer Dave Cobb, whose work on 2014’s Eliot Bronson and 2017’s James placed Bronson on the same client roster as Jason Isbell, Chris Stapleton, and other heartfelt songwriters. Look forward to a new release in 2023.w/ opener Elonzo Wesley: Elonzo Wesley began in January 2015, shortly after the breakup of Charlotte NC’s Elonzo. After moving from Atlanta in the mid 2000’s, singer-songwriter Jeremy Davis (Elonzo Wesley) formed the indie rock band, naming it after his father. The band self-released three full length records and two EP’s, touring the Carolina’s and Southeast. By December of 2014, after slowly disbanding for some time, another chapter in this story began. With 3 full length albums, hundreds of shows, and a few years under his belt, Jeremy Davis will continue to carry his father’s name as a moniker and guide. Elonzo Wesley, at it’s best is; the musical truth of the moment, combined with the beauty and sadness of what has passed. Currently, EW is performing as a solo artist and also with a string band.
SLOW TEETH + NO ONE MIND
Hailing from the NC Triangle, Slow Teeth Is Robert Chamberlain, Justin Ellis, and Jeremy Haire making original cinematic music inspired by Radiohead/The Smile, Pink Floyd, Sigur Ros, and many more. The band first started playing live in March 2022 and has since extensively toured all over the East Coast. Slow Teeth has shared the stage with such acts as Xiu Xiu, Holy Fawn, Camp St. Helene, and Merci. Notable venues and events played include Berlin (NYC), Pie Shop (Washington DC), The Cat’s Cradle (Carrboro NC), The Pinhook (Durham NC), Asbury Park Yacht Club (Asbury Park NJ), the North Carolina State Fair and the Carrboro Music Festival. 2023 will see Slow Teeth release music recorded with Sumner James Phillips (Bombadil, David Wax Museum) and more touring.
Rodes Baby w/ Canine Heart Sounds
Rodes Baby w/ Canine Heart SoundsLive at Flat IronThursday March 30, 20238pm$10Rodes Baby is a North Carolina based songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Blending folk influences with 90s-esque indie rock, Rodes Baby crafts powerful yet vulnerable music full of earworm hooks and gut-punch phrases, painting a picture of the raw and visceral experience of young adulthood. Their debut full-length album All Of My Friends is produced by Alex Bingham (Hiss Golden Messenger, The Dead Tongues) and features collaborations with Skylar Gudasz, members of American Aquarium, and Mipso. All Of My Friends strikes a chord deep in the heart, creating reverberations that resonate long after the first listen. Their vision is tear-blurred, but absolute, and as colorful as the tenacious kind of imagination that makes it out of childhood alive.Canine Heart Sounds are a Durham North Carolina music quartet, originally formed in Duluth Minnesota in 2007. The group draws heavily upon influences of progressive rock, jazz, soul & experimental new music. For example, only one of their members actually likes Phish, & two of them went to college, but all of them like Keith Jarrett. Okay, A typical live performance often finds the group AB-SO-LUTE-LY shambling from improvisational instrumental pieces to traditional song-forms with multi-part vocal harmonies. Canine Heart Sounds released their third full length album, Sun Size Guitar in 2022 & are preparing to record an album of original instrumental music at Betty’s Studio in 2023.
