Abe Partridge w/ David Childers
American Songwriter Magazine said that, “Abe Partridge has established himself as one of the most respected songwriters and visual folk artists in the southeast.” Partridge released his second full-length release, Cotton Fields and Blood For Days, in January 2018 to rave reviews and substantial airplay on Americana radio. It landed Partridge a lengthy feature in The Bitter Southerner and the album was chosen to be one of their top 30 albums of 2018. Ranging from the earthy to the surreal, from the spiritual light to the depths of depression, Partridge draws listeners in with a combination of southern gothic storytelling, dark humor and gripping intensity. Savannah Morning News said, “The singer/songwriter has emerged in the last two years as a tour-de-force of a live act, with the DNA of folk heroes named Townes, Bob and John, combined with his own unique perspective of rock ‘n’ roll and his Southern homeland.” Partridge made his debut at The Bluebird Café in Nashville, July 2018 and brought the house down with his passionate performance. He toured the UK and Ireland October 2019 in support of David Ford. He also toured the Netherlands and Belgium November of 2018 and 2019. He performed at the prestigious 30A Songwriter Festival in Santa Rosa, Florida, in January of 2019 and 2020 along with performers such as John Prine, Tanya Tucker, Jason Isbell, Steve Earle, Shawn Mullins, and many more.w/ David Childers: Singer-songwriter David Childers is the proverbial study in contradictions. A resident of Mount Holly, North Carolina, he’s a former high-school football player with the aw-shucks demeanor of a good ol’ Southern boy. But he’s also a well-read poet and painter who cites Chaucer and Kerouac as influences, fell in love with folk as a teen, listens to jazz and opera, and fed his family by practicing law before turning in his license to concentrate on his creative passions. The legal profession’s loss is certainly the music world’s gain. Childers’ new album, Run Skeleton Run, releasing May 5, 2017 on Ramseur Records, is filled with the kinds of songs that have made him a favorite of fans and fellow artists including neighbors the Avett Brothers. Scott Avett contributes to four tracks, and Avetts bassist Bob Crawford co-executive-produced the effort with label head Dolph Ramseur. (Crawford and Childers, both history buffs, have recorded and performed together in the Overmountain Men). Crawford has also called Childers “a great friend, a great thinker and a great man … a true North Carolina treasure.” But let’s take out “North Carolina,” because Childers is the kind of treasure who can spread joy wherever people love listening to great songs. In other words, just about anywhere. Or everywhere.
The Pinkerton Raid w/ Sam Foster
The Pinkerton Raid’s songs travel through forest legends and foreign lands, blackjack games and French bistros, photo albums and feminist awakenings, all backdrops for human drama of the genuine kind. 2022’s THE HIGHWAY MOVES THE WORLD begins two decades ago in Jesse James DeConto’s childhood basement, where he learned The Beatles and first turned a songwriter’s eye on his own rich and complicated family life. “Radiant,” says AMERICAN SONGWRITER. “Poignant,” says ROLLING STONE. Since the lockdowns, Jesse is back on the road with a totally new lineup, but, as always, a gang of friends with a full-band sound. The Durham, NC-based band has played at festivals from Georgia to Ohio, sharing stages with Liz Cooper, The Bones of JR Jones and The Nude Party. “A sound for dreamers around a campfire,” says GHETTOBLASTER.w/ Sam Foster: While drawing much inspiration from legends of country music past and present, Foster’s sound can be more broadly described as rock. His roots run deep into the vein of American music, and he’s continually inspired by folk, soul, rock, and rhythm and blues. With three albums under his belt (two solo, and one with alt-country outfit Whiskey Foxtrot) and backed by his new band “The Obsolete,” Foster released his fourth solo offering “Heatwaves” in 2022. “Heatwaves” retains Foster’s roots in country and Americana, but forges ahead into new territory for the leadman. Sam Foster has shared the stage with national touring acts such as American Aquarium, Joshua Ray Walker, Margo Cilker, Seth Walker, Adam Hood, and Trapper Schoepp.
Wyatt Easterling and the Modern Day Drifters w/ Chris Myers
Finalist for the 2023 Rocky Mountain Songwriter Festival Finalist for the 2022 IAMA Song of the Year for Americana/Folk From Where I Stand: #8 Contemporary Folk Chart for 2022 Roots Music Report What folks are saying about Wyatt’s new release: From Where I Stand “Wyatt’s New Project From Where I Stand is a fine example of his world class singing and songwriting chops. He plays these songs with a lot of heart and soul. It’ s a great album, so check it out”- Paul Thorn “Another collection of thoughtfully crafted, honest songs from the heart of Wyatt Easterling”- Robby Hecht, Nashville” An album of searing honesty and lithe beauty whose songs amplify the emotions and experiences of so many of us—reassessed relationships, self-reflection, and the ultimate search for hope. Its intentions are pure, as are those of Wyatt on this set of ten tunes of loss, resilience and devotion, with determination in the lyrics and buoyancy in the music.” – Alan Cackett , UK “Easterling’s vocal is heartfelt and intimate, the songs are thoughtful and compelling “- Americana UK
Drew Foust’s Wheelhouse with Brady Heck (Of Holy Roller)
A natural soul singer and blues musician, Drew Foust’s music sounds like it’s made between the bleary hours of a rock bar’s last call and a southern preacher’s early morning prayer. Hand made, self-made and arranged in dramatic structure, the music is lyrical and rhythm driven, always pushing a feeling forward. His latest release, “Good Thing,” is inspired by the Memphis soul music from the 60’s and 70’s. Richmond, VA based Holy Roller is hitting the scene with their self titled, debut album. With roots dug deep in rock, americana, soul, and country, Holy Roller brings a sound that’s as much new as it is a welcome home after too long spent away. Beautiful harmonies that seem to cry out like the rivers they were written for are paired with honest songs of love, loss, home, and heartache. Holy Roller is an absolutely compelling live performance and their recordings are both intimate and exciting, from the homesick, “Oh, Virginia”, to the R&B steamroller, “Muscle Up.” By way of the stage or by way of their debut album, this a group that wants to take you back to the front porch they grew up on. Holy Roller is a drinking buddy and an arm around your shoulder. Debut single, Muscle Up, out now! Debut album out February 16th!
Melissa Carper
After the success of her critically-acclaimed 2021 release Daddy’ s Country Gold, Melissa Carper, dubbed “HillBillie Holiday” by friend and collaborator Chris Scruggs, was eager to get back in the studio. With co-producers Andrija Tokic (St. Paul & The Broken Bones, Hurray For The Riff Raff) and Dennis Crouch (The Time Jumpers) behind the boards again at Tokic’s analog paradise The Bomb Shelter in Nashville, Carper assembled that same crew of magical music makers – plus a few more – to embark on her newest effort, Ramblin’ Soul, out on November 18th via Thirty Tigers. “Carper finds power in using decades-old styles as a backdrop for narratives and melodies that feel more contemporary.” – Rolling Stone “ Carper’s relentless creativity spins our grandparents’ music into something immediate and familiar.” – No Depression ” Melissa Carper and her cohorts have crafted an exquisite work of audio goodness that mesmerizes with its wayback sound and style, stealing you to a simpler era in music when everything made more sense, and the very foundations of American music were set.” – Saving Country Music “Not unlike Loretta Lynn, Melissa Carper is giving us scenes and stories and vignettes that kind of play out between home and the honky-tonk.” — NPR “Listeners will break out in grins when pushing play and hearing the swinging sounds of the title track.” – American Songwriter “Melissa Carper writes simple, profound songs with a distinctly vintage sound palette.” – GRAMMY.com
Pony Bradshaw
North Georgia Rounder is strongly related to Pony Bradshaw’s last album (Calico Jim) but also stretches its legs into different territory. Place/region/localism/history has been a focus of Bradshaw’s over the past few years and he has continued that focus with North Georgia Rounder. But as the album title (Rounder) suggests, it’s also about life on the road: in taverns, in vans, sleeping on floors, meeting good folks, etc. Bradshaw notes how he longs for a well-ordered life and acknowledges the struggle to reconcile that instinct with spending half of it on the road. “But stories need to be told,” he said, “and somehow I’ve finagled my way into a position to tell a few.”
URBAN SOIL
Hailing from North Carolina, Urban Soil weaves Americana, rock and soul into their explosive live shows and polished recordings. Their studio albums reflect the uncompromising energy that Urban Soil consistently delivers live, and are a stimulating representation of the band’s skillful-yet–visceral sound. Urban Soil has the unique ability of capturing the energy of their live shows and translating it to their studio recordings, resulting in an electrifying experience with every listen.Influenced by early roots elements, Urban Soil uniquely fuses those sounds with a fresh take, delivering a blend of raw, nostalgic sounds with a modern and glistening slant. Sarah Reinke fronts the band on vocals, guitar and percussion including an occasional electrified washboard. Guitarist and vocalist, Eric Chesson, delivers forceful and driving components with every lick, and offers steadfast vocals. Greg Meckley’s skillful violin, vocals and percussion playing blends tight layers and bright sounds that solidify the band smoothly against driving guitars. Holding down the rhythm section, Jonathan Wilson and Leo Kishore provide a concrete foundation on drums and bass respectively.
Sam Frazier And The Side Effects
Sam Frazier and The Side Effectsdoors at 7pmshow at 8pm$10
Abigail Dowd, Laurelyn Dossett, & Caroline Cotter
Abigail Dowd is known for her storytelling and command of an audience. Her soulful voice and unique classical guitar style combined with the edgy bass of Jason Duff caught the attention of Acoustic Guitar Magazine, which described their latest album Not What I Seem as having “the guitar-driven introspective folk of the 1970s [as] a touchstone, but so are blues and roots rock ’n’ roll…Here, Dowd steps outside her own experiences to inhabit characters, and catapults past the personal to the universal.” Currently, the North Carolina-based duo are working on their third album, this time with Grammy nominated mixer/producer/engineer Jason Richmond (Steep Canyon Rangers, Dom Flemons).***Singer/songwriter Laurelyn Dossett lives and writes in the piedmont of North Carolina, and her songs tend to reflect the stories of the region, both traditional and contemporary. One of the most sought-after voices in creative collaborations, she co-founded Polecat Creek with singing partner Kari Sickenberger in 1997. Laurelyn is a frequent performer at regional music festivals such as Merlefest and has been a guest on the radio show Prairie Home Companion. She has toured with folk legend Alice Gerrard and songwriter Diana Jones, and premiered composer Kenneth Frazelle’s song cycle, “Songs in the Rear View Mirror,” in 2010, and has toured with the North Carolina Symphony in 2009 and 2011 and 2013.***With a captivating soprano voice and award winning songwriting, Caroline Cotter’s travel inspired songs take listeners all over the world and into the depths of the human heart. Since her debut album, “Dreaming as I Do”, released and reached #5 on the Folk DJ Charts in 2015, Caroline has performed over 500 shows in 43 states and 12 countries. Currently touring to support her second major release, “Home on The River”, No Depression calls it “sweet and smooth, and downright refreshing… raising spirits with one song, calming them with another.” Tom Wilk of Icon Magazine writes, “Her well-constructed songs bring to mind the early work of Mary Chapin Carpenter.” “Today’s folk scene has a new champion, one who encapsulates the sweetness, serenity and sophistication that has always made the genre so affecting in such a timeless manner. In that regard, ‘Home on the River’ is an absolutely essential record.” (Lee Zimmerman/Country Standard Time)
Holler Choir w/ Wes Collins Band
Artist from Western North Carolina Holler Choir out now!Relying heavily on vocal performance, stringed instrumentation and the use of Appalachian tonalities, Holler Choir was produced by Mike Ashworth of the Grammy Award Winning Steep Canyon Rangers. “I see this EP as a shift towards my strengths, which is the human voice and mountain music,” says Roberts. His experiences and influences from growing up in Western North Carolina near the Pisgah Forest bleeds into every track on Holler Choir. “The instruments played are ‘old familiar friends’ to me and I know how to arrange them in a way that is authentic.”
