The Ain’t Sisters
Fun, eclectic folk rock. Fronted by the deliciously androgynous duo Arrie Bozeman and Barb Carbon, the Aints deliver high-energy performances of their wildly diverse original music. Joined by the hardest working men in rock n Roll, Richie Jones on the Boom Chick thwackita whackita, and Justin Boudreau, aka BooDreamy, masterfully holding down the rhythm section and making everybody swoon with their gorgeous licks. Think Indigo Girls meets Dream Theater but with a little Birdcloud in the mix. If ya ain’t sisters, what are ya?
The Tan and Sober Gentlemen + The Wilson Springs Hotel
Chris Acker
In a genre full of tall tales and marketable lies, New Orleans’ Chris Acker crafts candid songs – weaving his wit and woes into a body of work that exposes the stale plight of the American Songster to the honest, and sometimes hilarious, light of day. In the tradition of Guthrie and Prine, Chris lends a quavering voice to the half-rotten romance of the unremarkable and unrefined. Regardless if you’re sitting by a backyard fire on a muggy Louisiana night or standing stage-side in some far flung town, when you hear Chris Acker playing, you’re hearing the end result of countless hours of observing the masters of the craft…and the end result of repeating their mistakes. From the folk revival through the golden age of country music, deafened by punk shows and brass bands alike, Chris’s songwriting is a nod to the absurd yet muted brilliance that inhabits the molded corners of the bars he patrons and cratered street he treads, paired with a pained honesty that merits a long second look. Acker released his fourth full-length album, Famous Lunch, on Gar Hole Records in October of 2024. Famous Lunch contains some of his best work yet: laid back, country-rockers like “Wouldn’t Do For You (Buddy)” and “Shit Surprise” (which Paste Magazine called a “song of the year contender” in 2024), a few raucous, bar-ready joints like “Don’t You Know (Who I Think I Am)” and “Bunn Machine”, and tender, folky triumphs like “Stubborn Eyes” and “Eyelash”, all showcasing Chris’ gift of building “vivid scenes at an impressively low word count” (No Depression). Acker tours solo or with his band The Growing Boys — Zach Thomas (bass), Nikolai Shveitser (pedal steel), Dave Hammer (guitar, vocals), Sam Gelband (drums, vocals), and occasionally Howe Pearson (piano).
Time Sawyer w/ Drew Foust
Time Sawyer’s name reflects the pull between the past and the future. The character Tom Sawyer evokes the rural background and love of home that the band shares. Time is a muse for songwriting; it’s the thread that runs through life, bringing new experiences and giving us a sense of urgency, while still connecting us with our past. The folk-rock band has performed on the stages of some of the Southeast’s most iconic festivals, including Merlefest, Floydfest, Bristol Rhythm and Roots Reunion, Albino Skunk Music Festival, and Carolina in the Fall. They’ve shared bills with American Aquarium, John Craigie, Hiss Golden Messenger, Langhorne Slim, John Moreland, Steep Canyon Rangers, The Wood Brothers, Susto, and many more. In March 2020 the band started a variety livestream called “Sam on Sunday.” The show originated out of necessity, as the pause button was hit for live shows, but quickly, connecting with friends, family, and fans each week became just as important. As live music returned, the project transformed into “Sam on Someday,” bringing together guest artists of widely varying genres to create memorable, one-time-only collaborative experiences. Time Sawyer’s songs call out the attitudes and behaviors that lead to our divisions – the way that we show understanding to our friends and family, without thinking about how folks outside our social circle are experiencing their own problems, and are, at heart, just like us. The music does what might seem impossible. It holds listeners accountable, but at the same time, draws them in and makes them feel good about what we all have in common. One of Time Sawyer’s goals has always been for listeners to feel a sense of community and connection during the show, and then to keep it with them, long after the music ends. Written by Jody Mace
The Rough & Tumble and Flagship Romance
Two internationally touring folk/Americana duos, The Rough& Tumble and Flagship Romance combine for a night of high energy, four part harmonies, infectious hooks and a roomful of laughter. It took over 10 years and 500,000 miles of touring the indie/folk circuit and seeing each other’s posters on venue walls before the two bands met. But it only took one meeting before they’d started a text thread and concocted the idea of the Rough Romance tour. It’s a night of open-armed, deep-in-the-belly-songs that are as intimate as they are universal and as delightful as your first cup of coffee. It’s a jubilant show that has become thehighlight of the year for many people to watch these four accomplished musicians and friends share the stage. Flagship Romance is an unforgettable alternative folk duo known for their breathtaking vocal harmonies, inspired songwriting, dynamic live show, and a remarkable on and off-stage chemistry that will leave you with the feeling that you made two new best friends. Married singers-songwriters Shawn Fisher and Jordyn Jackson effortlessly fuse technical precision in their impeccably tight vocal blend with an invigorating sense of emotional abandon in their energetic live persona. Performing each show as if it could be their last, this duo will have you questioning how their larger-than-life sound can come from just two voices and an acoustic guitar. The Rough & Tumble are a hardscrabble folk/Americana duo, made up of Mallory Graham and Scott Tyler. With accordions and guitars, close-harmonies, ukuleles and oddball percussion, their commanding stage presence and engaging performances have made them a not-to-miss band when they tour through town because you won’t see the same show twice. They have been embraced by fans for their stark honesty, unique storytelling and well-crafted melodies especially after 2024’s release, Hymns For My Atheist Sister and Her Friends To Sing Along To, a collection of deeply personal, unifying and uplifting, humanist gospel songs.
An Evening with Jamie McLean Band
Jamie McLean Band creates a musical gumbo that incorporates New Orleans soul, middle Americana roots, Delta blues and New York City swagger. Jamie McLean Band is a triple threat. The group’s energetic and captivating live show is undeniable. McLean’s fiery guitar has joined the ranks of Derek Trucks, Gregg Allman, Aaron Neville, Dr. John and more on stages from from Madison Square Garden to Japan’s Fuji Rock. His blue eyed southern soul vocals ooze real emotion. And his top line songwriting chops have crafted profound, honest and heartfelt songs that will keep you singing along, dancing along and feeling like the song was written about you.Jamie McLean Band is touring behind a fantastic new album “One Step Forward” on Harmonized Records. The album was recorded at the legendary Grand Street Studios in Brooklyn NY and features the band’s strongest and most mainstream songwriting to date. It also marks the return of original JMB member Jon Solo on keyboards! “Summer of Who Knows When” is an immediate summer anthem. “Calendar Girl” and “New York Penny Lane” are musical love letters. And the band kicks into full gear on “Too Little Too Late” and “I Believe In Love”!The live show is where Jamie McLean Band excels and the band has shared the stage with the likes of Gregg Allman, Aaron Neville, Dr. John, Taj Mahal, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Trombone Shorty, Los Lobos, Blues Traveler, Marc Broussard and many more. Jamie Mclean Band has appeared at festivals such as Bonnaroo, Mountain Jam, Targhee Fest, Okeechobee Fest, Ottawa Blues Fest, Quebec City Summer Fest, and Warren Haynes’ Christmas Jam to name a few. McLean has also enjoyed the sponsorship of Gibson Guitars, Fuchs Amplifiers, D’Addario Strings, Blue Microphones, John Varvatos and Esquire Magazine.
Paul McDonald & The Mourning Doves w/ TBA
Born in Alabama and baptized in the dive bars of the southeast, Paul McDonald first made noise with the Grand Magnolias, a roots-rock outfit, before catching fire in the public eye during American Idol’s 2011 run. When the bright lights blurred and the cameras turned, the man behind the voice slipped into the shadows where he did what real artists do: He lived, he lost, and he wrote. Retreating to Nashville, that holy city of reinvention, Paul stitched himself back together with worn boots, hard songs, and a new band called The Mourning Doves. Now, in 2025, the giant has stirred the release of “So Long to the Dark Side” – a gospel tinged reckoning wrapped in cosmic Americana and lit with songs that sound like they were scribbled on the edge of a breakdown and sung back from the brink. Raised on Petty, Parsons, and pain, Paul McDonald is not chasing trends, he’s conjuring somethingolder and truer. His live performances are equal parts revival and rock séance.
Nathan James Hall, Lightnin’ Luke, and Joshua Quimby
Nathan James Hall is a North Carolina–born singer-songwriter known for his gritty voice, poetic storytelling, and raw Americana sound. Before launching his solo work, Hall toured nationally with the acclaimed band Old Heavy Hands, earning praise for his emotional intensity and blue-collar songwriting. His debut solo EP, Midnight, introduced a darker, more intimate sound—blending folk, rock, and haunted southern soul. Hall’s first full-length album is set to arrive in early 2026 on Moths Record Co, expanding his sonic range with cinematic arrangements and unflinching honesty. Whether on stage or on record, Hall delivers songs that feel lived-in, heavy with heart, and rooted in the American experience. Lightnin’ Luke’s powerful vocals, heartfelt lyrics, and wild fiddle playing have made him a versatile musical force. A towering presence in the underground folk scene, Luke maintains a relentless tour schedule alongside his impressive recording achievements. Known by many for his work as a member of The Bridge City Sinners, he’s also a frequent collaborator with Yes Ma’am, and has previously been a member of Tejon Street Corner Thieves, Clyde and the Milltailers, King Strang, and Jesco Payne & the Painkillers. His resume includes on-stage appearances with The Devil Makes Three, Amigo the Devil, The Goddamn Gallows, IV and The Strange Band, and many more. Appearing on a majority of the catalogue from Portland indie label Flail Records, Luke has become a defining pilar of the label’s unique sound. His upcoming album “Unfaithful” is set to release in December 2025. Alternative-Country music singer, songwriter, and guitar picker Joshua Quimby has one of those special voices that demands any listener’s immediate attention. His unique, bellowing rasp cuts through each song he sings, not matter the context – whether delivering a slow folk ballad, a blues-rock uptempo number, a honky tonk classic, a 90’s grunge tune, or really anything else. You’ll believe Quimby the moment he opens his mouth.
Seth Walker w/ Goodnight Moonshine
Among the most prolific artists on the Americana scene today, Seth Walker is a multi-dimensional talent whocombines a gift for melody and lyric alongside a rich, Gospel-drenched, Southern-inflected voice with a true blueknack for getting around on the guitar. With his 12th studio album Why The Worry, Walker further builds uponthis reputation.Set straight by the title’s mantra, Why The Worry finds the veteran singer-songwriter letting go of the worryabout perception, the worry of over-preparation, and the worry that seeps in constantly from the news andnoise of everyday life. Taking a page from Willie Nelson, Walker embraced the country music legend’s sagewisdom, “I’ve never seen worry accomplish anything, so I decided not to do it.” Indeed, the album was justabout finished when Hurricane Helene hit Walker where he lives in the mountains around Asheville, and as aresult, the record almost didn’t see light. As catastrophe took shape, the album’s importance wavered in hismind until the central theme came back into view. The worry wouldn’t undo any damage, and there was stillservice in song.Growing up on a commune in rural North Carolina, the son of classically trained musicians, Walker played cellolong before discovering the guitar in his 20s. When his introduction to the blues came via his Uncle LandonWalker, who was both a musician and disc jockey, hisfate wasforeversealed. Instantaneously, Seth was lookingto artists like T-Bone Walker, Snooks Eaglin, and B.B. King as a wellspring of endless inspiration. The rest is his-tory. He’s released twelve albums, broken into the Top 20 of the Americana Radio Charts, reached No. 2 on theBillboard Blues Album Chart and received praise from NPR, American Songwriter, No Depression and Relix,among others.Alongside his extensive songwriting and recording pursuits, Walker is consistently touring and performing atvenues and festivals around the world. Along with headline shows, he’s been invited to open for The Mavericks,Marc Broussard, The Wood Brothers, Raul Malo, Paul Thorn and Ruthie Foster, among others.Prior to relocating to Asheville in 2020, Walker did stints residing in Austin, New Orleans and Nashville. He’sused those experiences wisely, soaking up the sounds and absorbing the musical lineage of these varied places.With a bluesman’s respect for roots and tradition, coupled with an appreciation for—and successful meldingof—contemporary songwriting, Walkersublimely incorporates a range ofstyles with warmth and grace. PerhapsCountry Standard Time said it best: “If you subscribe to the Big Tent theory of Americana, then Seth Walker—with his blend of blues, gospel, pop, R&B, rock, and a dash country—just might be your poster boy.”
New Years Eve w/ Ranford Almond and Folkknot
