Tom Mackell w/ Chris Wilcox
Charleston-based singer-songwriter Tom Mackell brings with him a warm, easygoing presence everywhere he goes, and that same presence is reflected in his music. He has made a name for himself in the Southeast with his open, honest songwriting that incorporates tasteful bits of pop, rock, and Americana and leaves plenty of room for a soulful groove. Growing up in the suburbs of Philadelphia, Mackell started writing songs at a young age and before long he found himself traveling along the East Coast, playing shows in bars and making plenty of friends on the way. Soon he formed roots in Charleston, SC, where he became part of the city’s budding music community and wrote some of his early releases. In 2015 he began a stint in Nashville, and spent a few years poking around the scene there, networking and carving out his own corner of Music City that will always welcome him and the crowd he brings with open arms. Tom Mackell’s life on the road has led him to share the stage with artists such as Pat Benatar, Ryan Montbleau, Sister Hazel, Tony Lucca, Charlie Mars, SUSTO, and more. Now he is back in Charleston, with a bag full of new songs and a deeper appreciation for the people around him. His latest EP, Unplugged, includes acoustic versions of songs from last two EPs A Life I Once Knew and Hearts Wide Open as well as an unreleased song titled “Restless Heart”. Tom enters 2023 with his brand new single “Dark Star Rising” released on January 13th. Chris Wilcox is a singer songwriter based in Nashville, TN. Born and raised in Baltimore, MD and having lived five years in Charleston, SC, Chris’s musical influence has no boundaries. His unique sound blends his East Coast roots with his Southern experience as an artist. After spending a year on the road together, Chris recorded an album at Coast Records with his band “the Boys.” Made up of Aaron Utterback, Paul Chelmis, and Matt Zutell (Human Resources) and Peter Clark (from Ohio). Chris and the Boys experimented with full band live recordings to inject that energy into the album. His country influence is still prevalent, but this release paved a new path for Wilcox away from that country sound and into Rock n’ Roll territory. The release of “Old Shore Troubadour,” exemplifies that shift along with a shift in Wilcox’s life. Recorded at Echo Mountain Run Asheville (Band of Horses, Susto, Manchester Orchestra) the stellar sound of the studio is amplified by keen mixing from drummer/producer Matt Zutell, who deftly explores modern filters while still maintaining a classic Americana sound captured so thoroughly in one of America’s iconic studios. Why Struggle?
Brandon Tenney
Brandon Tenney is performing with his full band on Wednesday, April 26th! Come celebrate his 21st birthday with his full band show at Greensboro’s home for original music! He’ll be releasing a new single along with his guitarist, Codey Pollard will have a couple new songs as well.See you on Wednesday April 26th for Brandon Tenney!
America Part Two w/ Latewaves, Dull Mourning, Holy Figures
Jess Klein w/ Couldn’t Be Happiers
Over a career that spans two decades and has won her a devoted worldwide fan base, Jess Klein—who possesses what Mojo magazine calls “one of those voices you want to crawl up close to the speakers to listen to” has pursued a remarkable creative evolution that’s seen her dig ever deeper for resonant emotional insights, while continuing to refine her eloquently melodic, effortlessly accessible songcraft. Jon Pareles of The New York Times calls her “a songwriter with a voice of unblinking tenacity…who finds parables in the everyday and also finds humanity behind the archetypal”
French Cassettes w/ Mellow Swells
French Cassettes music is filled with winding melodies that pop up unexpectedly but grab hold and don’t let go… and may leave you asking “who needs hands with hooks like these?” The harmony-driven power-pop quartet’s new LP, Rolodex, was conceived beneath a stairwell in the band’s adopted hometown of San Francisco, where frontman Scott Huerta spent months staying up until 4 am, obsessing over elaborate demos that would eventually become his band’s sophomore album. “I adopted the mentality, which was probably unhealthy, that every song I wrote needed to be my favorite song,” he remembers. “I lost my mind so many times in the middle of the night.” The album was self-recorded by lead guitarist Mackenzie Bunch in just about every corner of the Bay Area, and the songs that were eventually stitched together are hook-filled and rooted in pop. But they’re also layered and intricate recordings: complex vocal harmonies and counter-harmonies, Rob Mills’ inventive percussion, Thomas’ (Scott’s brother) honey-coated basslines, and every shade of clean and fuzzy guitars stacked up like an orchestra. These uncommonly majestic, esoteric pop forms serve as the perfect delivery service for Huerta’s playful and verbose lyrics, which are often presented as semi-autobiographical puzzles. Taken together, the eight tracks and 24 minutes that make up Rolodex are an epic statement of purpose in a decidedly taut package.*************************Mellow Swells is a band from the triangle area that soar blasts funk, rock, and intense improvisation to its listeners. Their influences range from traditional music all the way to modern funk/pop. Expect to get beef blasted by some low end bass, sweaty by some deep grooves, and slapped by soulful vocals and soaring riffs.
WEEKEND EXCURSION UNPLUGGED
A special acoustic evening with Weekend Excursion!
Old Heavy Hands Night 2
OLD HEAVY HANDS NIGHT 2!An acoustic evening with our friends, Old Heavy Hands with support from John Charles Dwyer!
The Stews with Harvey St. Co.
The StewsBlending genres such as hard rock, alternative, indie and more- The Stews are a rock band that cannot be confined to just one sound. Spawned out of impromptu basement jam sessions in the Fall of 2020, the band started as a group of friends who also happened to be musicians. This chemistry is what fuels their electric (often sweaty) live shows and allows them to write the music that they love to play. The Stews consist of Preston Hall, Blake Dobbs, Bennett Baugus, and Wyatt Griffith. HARVEY STREEY CO.Indie and alternative rock vibrations crafted with love and diligence out of Raleigh, NC.
Posture
Posture is a collaborative Jazz group based out of Winston-Salem, NC. Their debut album, “Posture” features a blend of Soul music with Jazz/Classical influences. The songs are written collaboratively by Chaisaray (Drums), (John Ray) Bass, Michael Anderson (Keys/Synth), and Tori Elliot Vocals/Lyrics.
NIGHTBLOOMS w/ Blue Cactus and Gentle Junior
NIGHTBLOOMSOne 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.Blue CactusBlue Cactus, the North Carolina duo of Steph Stewart and Mario Arnez, make Dream Country: a blend of grit, glitz, groove, and twang that evokes a celestial soundscape of mid-century heartbreak. Following their critically acclaimed 2017 debut and a string of singles in 2020 their evolution is made plain on their sophomore LP, Stranger Again, released on Sleepy Cat Records. The album has received enthusiastic attention from tastemakers including No Depression, American Songwriter, FLOOD Magazine, Talkhouse and INDY Week among others.Stranger Again is a deep dive into Cosmic American music, with the band taking their sound into ambitious new planes, where country-rock meets psychedelia as the soaring vocals meet twangy slide-guitars and propulsive bass-lines. The otherworldliness of the music is a perfect contrast to their distinctly grounded, human storytelling lyrics that explore loss, longing, self-love, and reckoning with personal, political and human struggles.With a high lonesome twang, an Emmylou-like southern drawl, and blistering guitar techniques, Blue Cactus’ new record exercises the honky-tonk muscles to firmly bear the flag for a new generation of Country and Americana.They have graced festival stages and shared stages with the likes of The War and Treaty, Sarah Shook & the Disarmers, Lilly Hiatt, and Junior Brown among others–building a fanbase that cherishes their singular, but familiarly rewarding take on Country music.
