An Evening With Fireside Collective (Album release tour)
Asheville, NC – October 14, 2025 – Acclaimed roots-driven ensemble Fireside Collective returns with their boldest and most introspective album yet: “The Seven”, a collection of original songs written by three core members of the band. Drawing from the deep well of myth, mysticism, and symbolic tradition, the new record explores the sacred number seven as both inspiration and guiding structure. In nearly every culture, the number seven carries ancient weight—it’s the number of creation, transformation, and initiation. From the seven celestial bodies of classical astronomy to the seven chakras, the seven seals, and the seven trials of mythic heroes, the album taps into this symbolic resonance. “The Seven” is a sonic pilgrimage through emotional and spiritual terrain, carried by the Collective’s signature blend of fiery instrumental work, soulful vocals, and boundary-pushing songwriting. The title “The Seven” refers not to quantity, but to essence—a symbolic framework that binds the music together. Each song becomes a kind of gate or mirror: a reflection of the internal and external landscapes we pass through as artists, friends, and humans. Musically, “The Seven” builds on Fireside Collective’s reputation for blending the timeless and the progressive. Elements of bluegrass, Americana, rock, and folk intermingle in songs that speak of transformation, longing, resilience, and wonder. The result is an album that feels at once grounded and otherworldly—a fire circle beneath the stars. “The Seven” invites listeners not just to hear—but to journey. To pass through sound as though through seven veils, seven stars, seven steps toward something both ancient and new.
Abigail Dowd – Saints & Warriors Silent Disco Album Release Show
Celebrate the release of Saints & Warriors, the new album from North Carolina singer-songwriter AbigailDowd, with a special Silent Disco Album Release Showat The Flatiron, followed by an intimate concert with Abigail. Guests will receive wireless headphones for an immersive listening experience — part concert, part gathering of kindred spirits. With songs rooted in folk, blues, and the mystic heart of the South, Dowd’s music creates space for connection, reflection, and joy. Produced by Grammy-nominated engineer Jason Richmond (Rising Appalachia, Joe Henry, The Avett Brothers), the album features Alex Bingham (Hiss Golden Messenger), George Sluppick (Alexa Rose, Elizabeth King), Joe MacPhail (Blue Cactus, Emily Scott Robinson), Scott Sawyer, Tamisha Waden (The Foreign Exchange), and Shana Tucker (Cello & Vocals). About Abigail Dowd is a singer-songwriter and guitarist whose music weaves together the rich tapestry of her Southern roots, personal experiences, and a deep connection to the natural world. Raised beneath the longleaf pines of North Carolina’s Sandhills region, Dowd’s upbringing instilled in her an appreciation for storytelling and the healing power of music. Dowd’s music is distinguished by her soulful voice, intricate fingerstyle guitar, and an ability to translate lived experience into songs that are both intimate and expansive. Whether performing live or recording, her music connects on a personal level, and calls attention to the extraordinary in the ordinary and the sacred in the everyday.
Amelia Day
Amelia Day is a musical jack-of-all-trades. Standing at the intersection of folk, rock, and pop, Day blends heartfelt storytelling, raw delivery, and unforgettable melodies into music that feels both fresh and familiar — like rediscovering an old favorite. A self-described writer before anything else, her perceptive lyricism extends far beyond her 23 years, with lines reminiscent of songwriting greats like Joni Mitchell and Paul Simon. As the Spokesman-Review notes, Day has a signature style that features “wordplay, double-meanings and rhythmic variations,” with themes ranging from journeying into adulthood to climate change. Many of Day’s songs are also shaped by her intimate relationships, where her queerness and candor take center stage. Day’s upcoming EP EGO TRIP is her most personal project yet. Lead single “Lady Los Angeles” traces the sting of betrayal after discovering infidelity, while the rest of the EP takes listeners on an intimate journey through her grieving process. “The character of ‘Lady Los Angeles’ is representative of my ex’s obsession with attention and fame at all costs and my own fear of being seduced by those same temptations,” Day explains. “It felt like she was having an affair, not only with another person, but with the often-self-aggrandizing culture of Los Angeles itself.”
DANCE FROM ABOVE FT. UYMAMI W/ ALVIN SHAVERS + RAHL
Spencer Lajoye
Spencer LaJoye (luh-JOY) is a coast-to-coast singer/songwriter from the Midwest making queer indie folk music for everyone. The 2021 Kerrville Songwriting Competition winner and 2024 Songwriter Serenade winner spins crystalline vocals through a loop pedal while strumming an acoustic guitar in charming, banter-heavy performances that keep audiences laughing one moment and weeping the next.
HR & The Human Rights Movement w/ The Spirit Of Hamlet
Colin Cutler and Hot Pepper Jam + Dashawn and Wendy Hickman
Colin Cutler and Hot Pepper JamFolk? Country? Blues? Rock and Roll? Sugar, vinegar, or spice? When Colin Cutler and Hot Pepper Jam show up, it’s all on the table.”…a juke joint energy coursing through it and a humidity that seems to sweat out the sins and the booze that these characters are often soaked in.” ~Paste”Wickedly funny.” ~Susquehanna Folk Music Society”Devastating.” ~Americana Highways”One magnificent tapestry of roots music.” ~No DepressionColin Cutler and Hot Pepper Jam’s music stretches across the American roots music world, from acoustic oldtime and alt country to electric blues and rock’n’roll, with touches of bluegrass and jam band energy.The last couple years have seen them playing at Merlefest, Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival, the North Carolina Folk Festival, the Susquehanna Folk Festival, Antlers and Acorns Songwriters Festival, and the Carolina Bible Camp Bluegrass Festival, while touring for shows from Georgia to Canada, Virginia to Texas, and everywhere in between. Dashawn Hickman presents Sacred SteelWendy and DaShawn Hickman are a married couple of sweetheart musicians, rooted in gospel roots and soulful tradition. They share a home in Mt. Airy, North Carolina.DaShawn is one of today’s foremost players of Sacred Steel, a blues-gospel tradition started in the Pentecostal-Holiness churches of the 1930s. He grew up hearing the pedal steel in the tiny House of God church his family attended in Mt. Airy, and listening to his mother play lap steel at home. Hickman picked up the instrument at the age of five, and in his teens, formed a group with three of his cousins that found fame as The Allen Boys, North Carolina’s only touring Sacred Steel band. In August 2023 DaShawn was inducted into the Sacred Steel Hall of Fame, and he recently appeared on America’s Got Talent with Steve Ray LadsonChanneled by artists like Anita Baker and India Arie, Wendy’s voice shines with a splash of Tina Turner’s “raspiness” and reminds DaShawn of his most esteemed musical influence: his mother, Alice Hickman. “I grew up hearing a variety of styles and took from a lot of them and put my spin on it,” he explained. “But my mother is the one single individual that really influenced me. She’s the one that got me started playing Steel Guitar. She played lap steel, and one day she put it in my hands and I’ve been doing it ever since.”
Everything Yes
Everything Yes is an American jazz fusion band spearheaded by the drummer Zack Graybeal, known famously as ZackGrooves on his platforms, Sean Reeser, prolific composer, producer and tenor sax master & Cole Sipe, composer, sound engineer and magistral bassist. This powerhouse of a band brings a fresh take on the style while staying true to the roots. Let’s meet the members! Zack Graybeal (DRUMS) : Born in Atlanta GA, there was no question that this man was destined for greatness. His unstoppable determination and discipline are a force to be reckoned with. He spent his entire education at East Carolina University in the top bands at the school. He is exactly as he presents himself on YouTube. There is no filter or mask that could ever cover his unique and raw personality. Sean Reeser (MAIN COMPOSER & TENOR SAX) : From York PA, this genius producer and tenor saxophone master first met Zack at East Carolina when they were both given the same audition slot. This was the beginning of Everything Yes. Just like Zack, Sean spent his time at ECU in all the top bands. Their styles and discipline heavily influenced each other during this crucial time. His vast knowledge of theory and composition are an integral part of the unique sound Everything Yes brings. Cole Sipe (BASS): Also from York PA, Cole and Sean have been playing together since they were fifteen. Having both attended the Inspire Studio of the Arts, an excellent school in York directed by Cole’s father Curt, they bring over a decade of musical kinship to Everything Yes that most bands would kill to have. Cole’s moves and grooves bring life to the room. His style and finesse on the bass is the perfect fit and a staple of the EY sound. Nathan Graybeal (ALTO SAX): A young artist from North Carolina, most well-known for his YouTube persona “Saxologic”. Originally an avid artist then animator, he has transferred his love for art to saxophone. He spreads his infectious passion to inspire others to find the joy of improving in music. Nathan obtained a bachelor’s degree in both jazz and classical saxophone performance from East Carolina University. He attended the Frost School of Music at University of Miami for his Masters and currently attends University of Memphis for his DMA.
When We’re Sober, General Purpose, and Watch Party
Abigail Dowd w/ Barry Gray and Carrie Morgan
Barry Gray – Barry Gray’s family band, Graymatter, is a Triad and Triangle, NC favorite, performing 60s and 70s covers in four-part harmony. Barry is also a member of the Wes Collins band (among other distinctions, Wes is a winner of Kerrville’s prestigious Grassy Hills New Folk Competition for Emerging Songwriters). In 2018, Barry was awarded a North Carolina Arts Council Artist Fellowship in Songwriting, which led him to record his debut album, Footsteps. https://barryandisabel.com Carrie Morgan – Carrie Morgan was born in northeastern North Carolina, where, with beauty and blues all around, a girl can’t help but write. And then she picked up a guitar. One thing led to another and, having studied songwriting in Nashville and then classical and jazz voice in Chicago before settling in Greensboro, she has been writing songs for over two decades about finding home, love and *herself* in a world full of wonder and loss, and using every genre at her disposal to express it. She’s settled mostly into a folksy singer-songwriter path, but you’ll easily find blues, jazz and country influences between the lines. https://www.carriemorganmusic.com Abigail Dowd Our fearless host who still enjoys music most when it’s embedded in real life, sitting around a fire, singing harmonies around an old family piano, or every third Tuesday night at the Flat Iron. Each month Abigail invites musician friends to fall into space with her and the audience for what she describes as an evening in her adopted living room. They collaborate, share new songs, play old favorites, make things up, make you cry, make you laugh and most of all make you glad you came.
