Paul McDonald and the Mourning Doves
Paul McDonald’s voice is immediately recognizable and impossible to ignore. Often compared to legends like Rod Stewart and Bob Dylan, the poetic story-driven narratives and deeply catchy hooks in his music are delivered by a raspy yet refined voice reminiscent of another era that demands to be heard right now. He pulls off the rare feat of being a poet, visual artist, songwriter, adamant performer, and a powerful vocalist. Paul’s hope is to spread peace, love, and unity through his music. Connection & community through song. He’s currently writing for his next album and planning to tour extensively in 2024.
The Tan And Sober Gentlemen + Driftwood
Born and raised in North Carolina, the T an and SoberGentlemen began taking the songs, stories, and tunes thatmake up their beloved state’s musical tradition before theycould talk. The music of the Carolinas, (and Appalachia ingeneral) stems from the marriage of the Irish fiddle and theAfrican banjo, which first met in the American South beforethe Revolution. The T an and Sober Gentlemen aim to bringthese traditions full circle. They play Irish tunes, ballads, andpub songs right next to the Appalachian fiddle tunes of theiryouth, melding the two into what they call “Irish-Americanhillbilly music. ” Meanwhile, they have earned a reputation asone of the South’s hardest-hitting live acts, playing at blazingtempos, and putting every last bit of energy they possessinto the show. The result is a raucous celebration of theCarolinas’ Irish heritage, with drinking, dancing, andmerriment galore. Music has guided Driftwood to hallowed ground many times since its founding members, JoeKollar and Dan Forsyth, started making music as high schoolers in Joe’s parents’ basement.Whether the Upstate New York folk rock group—which today also includes violinist Claire Byrne,bassist Joey Arcuri, and drummer Sam Fishman—are converting new fans on a hardscrabbletour across the country or playing to a devoted crowd at hero Levon Helm’s Woodstock barn,the band’s shapeshifting approach to folk music continues to break new ground. And yet inmany ways Driftwood’s latest work, the transformative December Last Call, finds the groupcoming home.Recorded in that very same basement where the Driftwood dream began, December Last Calllyrically reflects on the recent past, musing on the ways the group grew up, together and apart,through curveballs like new parenthood or pandemic shutdowns. But sonically, the band’s sixthalbum looks confidently to the future, experimenting with new sounds while staying true to thebluegrass roots that built them. Across the album’s nine tracks, the band often leans intohard-rocking electric guitars and driving percussion: On “Every Which Way But Loose,” we get afoot-tapping beat and a sweeping chorus, and on “Up All Night Blues,” the band shines with anambling, sing-along-able reflection on the challenges of new motherhood. But other tracks, likestandout closer “Stardust,” take a simpler route, allowing bare-bones vocals and acousticinstrumentals to underpin a deeper emotional message.
BJ Barham (American Aquarium Solo)
For nearly two decades, American Aquarium have pushed toward that rare form of rock-and-roll that’s revelatory in every sense. “For us the sweet spot is when you’ve got a rock band that makes you scream along to every word, and it’s not until you’re coming down at three a.m. that you realize those words are saying something real about your life,” says frontman BJ Barham. “That’s what made us fall in love with music in the first place, and that’s the goal in everything we do.”On their new album The Fear of Standing Still, the North Carolina-bred bandem body that dynamic with more intensity than ever before, endlessly matching their gritty breed of country-rock with Barham’s bravest and most incisive songwriting to date. As he reflects on matters both personal and sociocultural—e.g., the complexity of Southern identity, the intersection of generational trauma and the dismantling of reproductive rights—American Aquarium instill every moment of The Fear of Standing Still with equal parts unbridled spirit and illuminating empathy. Recorded live at the legendary Sunset Sound in Los Angeles, The Fear of Standing Still marks American Aquarium’s second outing with producer Shooter Jennings—a three-time Grammy winner who also helmed production on 2020’s critically lauded Lamentations, as well as albums from the likes of Brandi Carlile and Tanya Tucker. In a departure from the stripped-down subtlety of 2022’sChicamacomico(a largely acoustic rumination on grief), the band’s tenth studio LP piles on plenty of explosive riffs and hard-charging rhythms, bringing a visceral energy to the most nuanced and poetic of lyrics. “In our live show the band’s like a freight train that never lets up, and for this record I really wanted to showcase how big and anthemic we can be,” notes Barham, whose bandmates include guitarist Shane Boeker, pedal-steel guitarist Neil Jones, keyboardist Rhett Huffman, drummer Ryan Van Fleet, and bassist Alden Hedges. Mixed by four-time Grammy winner Trina Shoemaker (Queens of the Stone Age,Emmylou Harris),The Fear of Standing Still shares its title with one of the first songs Barham wrote for the album—a soul-baring look at how raising a family has radically altered his priorities and perspective. In the process of creating what he refers to as “a record about growing up and growing older,” Barham also found his songwriting closely informed by his ten years of sobriety, as well as his ever-deepening connection with American Aquarium’s community of fans. “Whenever someone tells me that one of our songs helped them in some way, it encourages me to be more and more open—almost like peeling a layer off an onion,” he says.“This album is a writer 18 years into his career, peeling away the next layer and seeing just how human we can make this thing.”
Evan Blackerby (full band/album release show) W/ Tyler Dodson
Into The Fog + Lua Flora
Into The Fog is a psychedelic jamgrass band from Raleigh, North Carolina that combines timeless songwriting with progressive instrumentation and tight harmonies. The group consists of Winston Mitchell (mandolin), Derek Lane (upright bass), and Connor Kozlosky (guitar), with everyone contributing on vocals. The band’s members have varied musical backgrounds that range from bluegrass to funk, which helps create Into The Fog’s genre-jumping sound. The band has released three studio albums and two live records. Their latest, Carolina Moon released in August of 2024, expands upon their latest sounds incorporating collaborative songwriting, improvised jams, and a focus on harmony. Live shows are a keystone of the Into The Fog experience, as the band expands songs to highlight their instrumental prowess and push the boundaries of the newgrass sound. Into The Fog has shared the stage with the likes of Sam Bush, Keller & The Keels, Town Mountain, Daniel Donato, Arkansauce, Shadowgrass, Big Richard, and The Grass Is Dead. No strangers to the festival scene, Into The Fog has played FloydFest, Rooster Walk, Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival, Charleston Bluegrass Festival, Earl Scruggs Music Festival, The Big What? and more. Creating in a state of constant adventure, Asheville, NC-based Lua Flora has successfully unified sounds that typically don’t go together. The electrifying passion and introspective lyrics of songwriter Evan Button, meet a mesmerizing blend of Caribbean, Eastern, and American music to create a previously undefined genre; “Beach Folk.” This cultural phenomenon lends itself to easy listening from the perfect barrels of the Pacific Ocean to the hollers of Appalachia. In three quick years, the project has gone from backyard parties to national stages across the U.S. supporting Satsang, Franc Moody, Of Good Nature, and Kendall Street Company in addition to festival appearances at Front Porch Fest, Kentucky Yoga Festival, Between the Trails, and others.
Colin Cutler and Hot Pepper Jam Birthday Jam w/ Momma Molasses and Stacey and Rob Rinaldi
Jeffrey Dean Foster & The Arrows w/ Kate Musselwhite & Molly McGinn
Jeffrey Dean Foster is a guitarist, singer, and songwriter, who is both a solo recording artist as well as a member of roots rockers the Pinetops. Foster got his start with rock music back in the ’80s with a pair of bands, the Right Profile and the Carneys, which were either signed to fruitless major-label record deals or completed albums that went unreleased. The ’90s saw Foster play shows along the East Coast as a solo performer, as he began laying down tracks for newly penned compositions with old friend/renowned producer Don Dixon (R.E.M., the Smithereens) overseeing the recording process. Soon after, Foster decided to form a band, the Pinetops (which included members John Pfiffner, drummer Will Dyar, and bassist Andy Mabe), to bring his new songs to life. The newly formed group issued their debut album, Above Ground and Vertical, in 2000, following up the release with a smattering of select tour dates (including an appearance at the South by Southwest Festival in Austin, TX). In late 1999, Foster appeared alongside William Shatner as part of an ad hoc band for Priceline.com TV commercials, and a year later issued his first solo release, the live EP The Leaves Turn Upside Down. ~ Greg Prato, Rovi
The Gone Ghosts, Crenshaw Pentecostal, and Charles Latham & The Borrowed Band
The Wes Collins Band with Jeffrey Dean Foster and Sam Frazier
Wes Collins’ songs dig deep and go to uncertain, sometimes scary places. On his new album “Jabberwockies” (available June 3) you meet a woman who fears her power over men, and eavesdrop on both a precious friendship destroyed by unrequited romantic feelings and an addict in full-fledged panic. A lyric suggesting you “look out for the people who love you” takes a nasty twist in the last verse: “You got a scar on your spirit? / Somebody who loved you was probably holding the knife.” “Wes Collins has a wonderful gift for telling stories from truly unique points of view. Every narrator in Jabberwockies reveals thoughts I’ve had, but would certainly be terrified to express. Wes is a courageous songwriter. Wes also has that magical musical sensibility that makes me hit “repeat” on his songs. He makes my favorite records and he’s one of my ultimate favorite musical artists.”Jaimee Harris “(Collins) is one of the best songwriters in the (North Carolina) Triangle’s vital Americana quadrant.Author and critic David Menconi “Wes Collins’ songs have a way of circling around my mood and elevating it. His music makes me feel better, no matter how my day is going. I congratulate him on his new record Jabberwockies, a stellar collection of new songs, beautiful vocals, and glorious harmonies by Jaimee Harris and Crystal Hariu-Damore. I can’t stop listening to it, I love it!”Mary Gauthier
Folkknot and Mild Goose Chase
