Dark Turn Of Mind: A Haunted Americana Show w/ Colin Cutler
Dark Turn of Mind: A Haunted Americana Tour In celebration of the dark turn of the seasons, Halloween, and the Day of the Dead, Asheville-based bands The Moon & You and Hannah Kaminer, alongside drummer Ross Montsinger, have put together a special night of live music. Dark Turn of Mind: A Haunted Americana Tour features haunting, ghostly, foreboding, and in some cases humorous songs that are part of the dark lifeblood of the folk, country, and Americana traditions. This show features favorites by Gillian Welch, Lefty Frizzell, Nina Simone, Johnny Cash, and more, along with originals by band members Ryan Furstenberg, Melissa Hyman, and Hannah Kaminer.
Sam Frazier & The Side Effects w/ Molly McGinn + Kate M.
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.
A. Lee Edwards w/ Billie Feather & The Hallway Waltz
A. Lee Edwards has spent over 30 years crafting songs that blend rich storytelling with the sounds of classic country, folk, and rock. A longtime fixture in the Americana world, he first gained recognition with Lou Ford and The Loudermilks before stepping into his solo career. His debut album, Interpreting Heart Sounds Vol. I, recorded at Asheville’s Echo Mountain and mixed by legendary producer John Wood (Nick Drake, Fairport Convention), has drawn praise from Glide Magazine, Americana Highways, and The Bluegrass Situation. With a voice that carries both warmth and grit, Edwards delivers songs that feel timeless—honest, heartfelt, and deeply human. “In a fair world, Interpreting Heart Sounds will help get A. Lee Edwards not only listened to, but recognized and respected. In a just world, they’d see him revered.” – Glide Magazine “An authentic Americana sound that brings to mind the Flying Burrito Brothers or the Dillards, had each been fronted by Townes Van Zandt.” – Goldmine Magazine Billie Feather and the Hallway Waltz is the musical home of guitarist, songwriter, and storyteller Billie Feather, a genre-blurring artist whose songs sway between Appalachian ballads, dreamy waltzes, and sharp-witted indie folk. Rooted in the traditions of American music and shaped by years of classical and jazz training, Billie’s songwriting carries the weight of old souls and the sparkle of modern insight. Joined by a rotating cast of trusted collaborators known collectively as The Hallway Waltz, Billie weaves together intimate performances that feel like paging through an old love letter — personal, textured, and full of unexpected turns. Their music is as much about quiet confessions as it is about musical curiosity — embracing folk, alt-country, and chamber-pop textures with equal parts tenderness and experimentation. Her songwriting can be heard through recordings with North Carolina based bands Hank, Pattie and The Current; The P-90’s; Professor Twang and the Honky Tonk Review; and John Howie Jr. and The Rosewood Bluff. Whether performing solo or with her band, Billie invites listeners into a world of honesty, grace, and a little bit of magic.
OFFICIAL NCFF AFTER PARTY: 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 Wilson Springs Hotel w/ Megan Jean’s Secret Family
The Wilson Springs Hotel are rooted in folk music and hail from all parts of Virginia; bringing country, folk, bluegrass, and rock together. Based in Richmond, VA TWSH brings high energy music and cohesion to their live show. Megan Jean’s Secret Family is a fresh blend of the 70’s by way of the 90’s rock, soul, country, and jam, emphasizing vocal-driven danceable original songs that bring together generations of sound. In May of 2024, the band made their national radio debut on NPR’s Mountain Stage alongside notable acts like Keller Williams and Bettye Lavette. DC Music Review called them one of their “New favorite acts” following an energitc performance at 2024’s DelFest.
RR Williams, Ryan Lockhart and Nathan James Hall
John Howie Jr. And The Rosewood Bluff w/ Ramona & The Holy Smokes
Renée Gros w/ Drew Foust
Gabe Lee w/ Graham Stone
Equal parts classic songwriter and modern-day storyteller, Gabe Lee has built his own bridge between country, folk and rock. Lee has been collecting stories for years, both onstage and off. “I used to bartend,” says the Nashville-based songwriter, “which means I was also a cheap therapist for whomever happened to be sitting on the barstool. Whether they were there to celebrate or drink away their problems, I heard about whatever they were going through. It was my job to have that face-to-face interaction —that connection. Being a full-time musician isn’t much different.”With critically-acclaimed albums like 2019’s farmland, 2020’s Honky-Tonk Hell, and 2022’s The Hometown Kid, Lee created that connection by delivering his own stories to an ever-growing audience. His fourth record, Drink the River, takes a different approach. This time, Lee isn’t offering listeners a peek into his internal world; he’s holding up a mirror to reflect their own.Storytelling has been an anchor of Lee’s music since the very beginning. Raised by Taiwanese parents in Nashville, TN, he left home during his teenage years and headed to Indiana, where he obtained college degrees in literature and journalism. Lee launched his career as a genre-bending musician after returning to Tennessee, quickly progressing from dive bar gigs to high-profile opening slots (including shows with Jason Isbell, Los Lobos, Molly Tuttle, and other artists who, like him, blurred the lines between roots-rock, country, and other forms of American folk music) to his own headlining shows. Throughout it all, he drew upon the narrative skills he’d sharpened as a student. If albums like Honky-Tonk Hell and The Hometown Kid often unfolded like autobiographical entries from his road journal, then Drink the River shows an even broader range of his storytelling abilities. Lee isn’t just writing songs about himself; he’s writing songs about all of us. And maybe, in doing so, he can bring us a little closer together.
