Nefesh Mountain Album Release w/ Thunder and Rain and Maia Kamil
The latest album from Nefesh Mountain, Beacons emerged from a bold and wholehearted attemptto transform the world around them. Soon after wrapping up a whirlwind tour booked with themission of spreading their newfound message of radical love, co-founders Doni Zasloff and EricLindberg immersed themselves in the feverish writing of songs that turned their frustrations andfears into irrepressible hope, all while reaching far beyond their bluegrass roots and forging a fiercelyjoyful sound unbound by genre convention. By the time they’d completed that process of musicalalchemy, the New York-based husband-and-wife duo had profoundly refined the band’s vision andvoice and arrived at the unfettered radiance of Beacons: an epic double album affirming NefeshMountain as a singular musical force—one whose deeply impassioned songwriting awakens us tonew ways of navigating an endlessly troubled world.Self-produced and mainly recorded at Sound Emporium Studios in Nashville, Beacons expands onthe soulful intentionality Nefesh Mountain has brought to their music since forming a decade ago.“We live in such strange and divided times, and while we wanted this album to be a full-oncelebration of American music, one of our main goals was to bring love, hope, and positivity into aworld that sorely needs it,” says Lindberg. “In the end we made a choice: instead of getting angry,we just made music.” Although much of the album stemmed from their rumination on the political landscape (political polarization and division throughout the U.S., the Israel–Hamas War, and Russo-Ukrainian Wars), its spirit of purposeful optimism is made all the more potent by Nefesh Mountain’s willingness to speak about their most intimate struggles and triumphs, including the birth of theirnow-three-year-old “miracle baby” Willow, and Zasloff ’s journey with sobriety. “This is definitelythe most revealing and personal album we’ve ever made, which was a big leap for us,” says Zasloff.“At some point it became obvious that if we’re going to really open our hearts, we need to talkabout things we’ve never shared before, with the hope that it will end up helping others.” The result:a selection of lived-in and truly revelatory songs, each providing a beacon-like transmission of upliftand light.The follow-up to Songs for the Sparrows—a 2021 LP praised by Rolling Stone as a “master class in string music”—Nefesh Mountain’s fourth full-lengtheffort, encompasses two distinct discs, the first of which blurs the lines between Americana, blues, country, and psych-folk, offering up an electrified sound created with the help of their longtime live band and guest musicians like pedal-steel guitarist Greg Leisz (Beck, Joni Mitchell, Ray LaMontagne,Willie Nelson). Meanwhile, the second disc to Beacons finds the duo working again with legendary roots musicians Jerry Douglas (on Dobro), SamBush (mandolin), Rob McCoury (banjo), Cody Kilby (guitar), Mark Schatz (bass), and Stuart Duncan (fiddle), and serving up an all-acoustic lineup ofsongs spotlighting their boundary-pushing form of bluegrass. “Bluegrass has an energy that’s so intense and invigorating, and for this album we wanted to take that even further,” says Zasloff.
An Evening With Arkansauce
Arkansauce calls forth melodies of the Ozark Mountains’rolling hills and raging rivers with theirdistinct blend of newgrass. This progressive string quartet features Tom Andersen on bass, guitarist ZacArchuleta, Ethan Bush on mandolin, and Adams Collins on banjo. Their music features improvisationalstring leads matched with complex melodies, intriguing rhythms, and deep thumping bass grooves. Eachmember sings lead and harmony parts as well as contributes to the lyrics, which offer authentic,intelligent songwriting with hard-hitting hooks.Music Mecca’s Spencer Nachman calls them a“fiery, finger-picking string band… What is apparent at anyArkansauce show is their positivity and desire to upli the audience’s spirit, no matter the circumstance.”They are a band inspired not only from their home state of Arkansas, but also throughout their travels.“We are a band that spends most of our time in the back of a van hurtling toward long nights, good times,and a destiny unknown,”says Ethan.“Our inspiration is gathered by events unfolding in our ownadventures in real time. These days, the desire to create, inspire, and redefine within our scene seems tobe the main driving force behind our music. From a young age we were huge fans of live music and wereintroduced to a lot of great music by our families.”
Damn The Banjos
The Kind Thieves w/ Lucid Evolution
Hailing from the heart of Appalachia, The Kind Thieves are a musical tour de force that is far greater than simply the sum of its parts. With members originating from all over the Southern West Virginia region, the Thieves pull influences from musical genres spanning from classic rock to funk to bluegrass, wrapped up in a jam-band bow that promises a 100% original and mind-blowing live experience every time they perform. But jam-band isn’t even a box you can put the Thieves into, with heart-wrenching melodies, jaw-dropping harmonies, and songwriting capability far beyond their years, there is no way of knowing which direction they’ll go next, and no musical stone they’ll leave unturned. The Kind Thieves debut record ‘Many A Thief’ was released in 2017 and continues to win new fans with it’s unforgettable hooks and sweet storytelling sensibilities. Lucid Evolution is an embodiment of the unearthly synergy within the band: the commanding vocals, lyrical prowess, theremin and keyboard sorcery of frontwoman Lynne Holloman, the psychedelic wizardry of guitarist Cam Harrahy, the funk-infused rock rhythms of bassist Sammy Stiles, and the soulful percussion artistry of Brian Holloman. Lucid Evolution’s compositions resonate deeply, stirring profound emotional chords. Their lyrics, melodies, and spontaneous improvisations serve as a soothing elixir for the soul, endeavoring to fill the cosmic void with sonic psychedelic healing.
The Kind Thieves w/ Hypnotic Conquest
Hailing from the heart of Appalachia, The Kind Thieves are a musical tour de force that is far greater than simply the sum of its parts. With members originating from all over the Southern West Virginia region, the Thieves pull influences from musical genres spanning from classic rock to funk to bluegrass, wrapped up in a jam-band bow that promises a 100% original and mind-blowing live experience every time they perform. But jam-band isn’t even a box you can put the Thieves into, with heart-wrenching melodies, jaw-dropping harmonies, and songwriting capability far beyond their years, there is no way of knowing which direction they’ll go next, and no musical stone they’ll leave unturned. The Kind Thieves debut record ‘Many A Thief’ was released in 2017 and continues to win new fans with it’s unforgettable hooks and sweet storytelling sensibilities. w/ The Hypnotic Conquest
Turpentine Shine
Jammy Blue-Eyed Soulgrass from the Piedmont of NC.
Into The Fog (Billy Strings After Party)
Charlotte Bluegrass Allstars
Charlotte Bluegrass Allstars, led by Steven Davidson, Chad Andrew Harris, Dennis Contreras, and Jake Joines, are a dynamic ensemble delivering the sheer delight of bluegrass to their devoted fans. Melding tradition with innovation, their music combines the genre’s rich heritage with fresh elements of newgrass and jamgrass styles. With electrifying performances, they captivate audiences with infectious rhythms, soul-stirring vocals, and virtuosic instrumentals… & their stage presence ignites an energetic fervor that sets toes tapping and feet dancing in rhythm!
Into The Fog: Fog Tuesday Series
Join us for our monthly residency with our friends from Into The Fog! Winners of the 2021 MerleFest Band Competition, Into The Fog is a genre-jumping string band located in Raleigh, North Carolina. With its members having various backgrounds ranging from bluegrass, country, punk to funk, Into The Fog creates a musical melting pot of sounds in an acoustic/newgrass setting. The band is made up of Brian Stephenson on Vocals and Guitar, Winston Mitchell on Vocals and Mandolin, Derek Lane on Vocals and Bass, and Connor Kozlosky on electric guitar.
Into The Fog (Fog Tuesday)
Winners of the 2021 MerleFest Band Competition, Into The Fog is a genre-jumping string band located in Raleigh, North Carolina. With its members having various backgrounds ranging from bluegrass, country, punk to funk, Into The Fog creates a musical melting pot of sounds in an acoustic/newgrass setting. The band is made up of Brian Stephenson on Vocals and Guitar, Winston Mitchell on Vocals and Mandolin, Derek Lane on Vocals and Bass, and Connor Kozlosky on electric guitar.
