The Brown Mountain Lightning Bugs w/ Emily Stewart + Kyle Caudle & Timberline
If Jerry Garcia and Tom Waits made an Appalachian music duo, it might sound a little like the Brown Mountain Lightning Bugs. Hailing from Winston-Salem, NC Zack and Kendra Harding blend the traditional with the trippy to create original music they like to call folk(ish). Officially formed in 2016, the two have played extensively throughout the US, as well as toured internationally. They recently returned from a tour to the UK and Ireland, and are working on completing their third album. Their unique blend of sounds and easygoing personalities have recently earned the duo slots at Mill Farm Music Party (UK), Front Porch Fest, Rockwood Music Hall, Piedmont Folkways, and more. Emily Stewart plays original tunes and familiar favorites rooted in the folk, country, and blues traditions. Kyle Caudle is a singer-songwriter from Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
Get Back! + Condado
Sam Burchfield and The Scoundrels
Sam Burchfield was raised in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains of South Carolina, where he learned to play and learned to write. His youth was steeped in the mossy creeks and deep ravines of those ancient woods, and they imbued him with the gift of song. Now in his thirties, Burchfield raises a small family in the North Georgia mountains and continues to find inspiration in the rivers and ridges of Southern Appalachia. His latest album ‘Me & My Religion’ was produced with his touring band, The Scoundrels. It is the first collaboration for the group after years of paying dues to the highway. Colin Agnew (drums), Trygve Myers (bass), and Ryan Plumley (guitar) accompanied Burchfield to Muscle Shoals, Alabama along with Nashville producer, Rachael Moore, to record the album of 7 days. “It’s certainly the most upbeat record I’ve ever released,” reflects Burchfield. “We crafted many of the songs together on countless stages, and most were then tracked live in the studio, which just felt right.” This 10 track album is almost equal parts Americana, psychedelia, indie folk, and Southern rock. All these flavors combine to support the album’s main theme. As seasoned listeners will expect, Burchfield’s lyrics are far from on the nose, as the declarative title would suggest. ‘Me & My Religion’ is an exploration of mankind’s toil for meaning in a world of vapid consumerism and commercialism – one in which we have become deaf to our own harmony with nature. Despite the weight of these ideas, the album feels like a lighthearted sojourn through the backwoods of our imagination.
Crawford And Power
Crawford & Power, a dynamic duo hailing from Southwest Virginia, are redefining the country music scene with their distinctive sound. Rooted in southern authenticity, Jake Crawford’s commanding vocals seamlessly blend with Ethan Power’s modern Dobro approach, crafting their own brand of Appalachian Red Dirt Country. Already leaving their mark, Crawford & Power have shared the stage with notable artists like The Marshall Tucker Band, Willie Nelson, Travis Tritt, and more. Their career gained momentum with the release of their debut EP, “Play a Hank Jr. Song,” propelling them to over 5 million on-demand streams. Following up with singles like “She Liked to Get High” & “Letting You Go,” the duo spent 2022/2023 in the studio with Producer Grady Saxman, unveiling their latest EP, “Bring it On Home,” as well as multiple singles in 2023. As they set their sights on 2024 and beyond, Crawford & Power are preparing new music and continued musical exploration. This duo is just getting started, poised to captivate audiences with their evolving sound.
Being Followed, Them Pants, The Eyebrows, and Heath Haynes
4 insufferably romantic nihilist heroes- singing things, plucking strings, moving 1s and 0s. Heartland Kitchen Sink Music to drive to- we strive to be the soundtrack for a movie that hasn’t been written yet. Debut album A Lifetime of Somedays released November 2022, EP Pieces released February 2024 Chris York(Palaver, Good Times, Hombre Dado, etc) Guitar/Vocal Joey Barnes (Luna Arcade, Suicide Darlings, Daughtry, etc)Bass/Vocal Quincy Mooring(Colourslide, The Five Ls, The Dickens, etc) Drums/Vocal Emily Wilcock(Being Followed) Keys/Vocal Them Pants is hard driving Indie-Rock band from Winston-Salem, NC. Made up of current and ex-members of Vetiver, Bandway, Alternative Champs, All Night, the Husbians, Rebar, the Finks, and other great North Carolina bands. Formed in 2019, the band’s debut album ‘Jeffership Starplane’ was released in December of 2022. ‘Starplane’ is full of songs with great, catchy melodies and hooks on top of interesting and creative guitar driven beds of sometimes angular music. With fantastic guitar riffs and a super-solid rhythm section, each song has a little math added to make it interesting, but no more than necessary. If you like early punk-inspired indie-garage rock with great hooks, you’ll love Them Pants. “…finally answers the age-old question about what it would it sound like if the Pixies and King Missile jammed in the B-52s’ garage.” – Magnet Magazine The Eyebrows write and perform anthemic rockers replete with chugging, sleaze-rock guitars, slashing riffs spiritually aligned with Alex Chilton, with vocals and harmonies that are tough but catchy, recalling 1970s power-pop powerhouse singer Robin Zander of Cheap Trick. The Eyebrows combine 70s punk, power pop, and a touch of shoegaze atmosphere in a manic concoction that will give you Icarus-like super wings and other, subversive advanced skills to knock down walls, burn bridges… and eventually fall gracefully into the sea. Heath Haynes is an American Power Pop artist raised on a steady diet of Cheap Trick, Cars, Rick Springfield and Paul Collins. Transplant from Nashville TN, currently residing in the heart of the Mid Atlantic territory.
Starsapien, Unheard Project GSO, and GrayScale Whale
Starsapien is a jazz-Americana recording group led by Los Angeles songwriter & producer Jay Siebold. The band has released two full-length albums, including last year’s country-western steeped Apes Scrapes and Bandages, and a handful of singles going back to 2016. The Starsapien soundscape is best defined by its punchy bass & drum interplay, bittersweet melodies, and obtuse lyrical storytelling. The band’s rotating cast of players includes North Carolina jazz virtuosos Dwayne Jordan (drums), Kevin Beardsley (bass), Logan Butler (guitar), David Siebold (guitar), and Brandon Shamar (keys). Unheard Project GSO Unheard Project GSO is a creative platform that has curated ideas and performances for some of the Piedmont Triad’s best musicians. The platform was born out of hundreds of hours of practice and gigging together in the bourgeoning Greensboro scene, and while many of the members are graduates of UNCG’s acclaimed Miles Davis Jazz Studies Program, the platform has incorporated in-demand players from diverse genres to form a powerhouse of composition, offering both original and familiar musical stylings. GrayScale Whale A body of fluid, focused sound refined from a sea of raw, relentless energy: GrayScale Whale takes its players and listeners on a sonic voyage. Seamlessly transitioning between highs and lows, the group performs energetic, eclectic, and tastefully spontaneous modern fusion.
Donnie Doolittle, Blood Ritual, and, Instant Regrets
North Carolina artist Donnie Doolittle makes distinctively moody, synth-driven anthems that hover between dark retro-pop and melancholic rock-and-roll. Over the past half-decade he’s earned a following for his playful approach to darkness, blending bright, poppy melodies into ominous soundscapes with cinematic sensibility. Called everything from “Southern New-Wave” to “Goth Americana” by the press, his genre-bending sound has drawn comparisons to singular acts like Orville Peck, Leonard Cohen, Nick Cave, and Iggy Pop, with releases accompanied by carefully-honed imagery and thematic narrative videos engaging a range of senses. “I want to provide a full experience—to use my resources to create a palpable ambiance,” he says. FFO: Nick Cave, Orville Peck, Timber Timbre, TYPE O NEGATIVE, Lee Hazelwood, Paul Cauthen, and Leonard Cohen Crossover Thrash that blends influences such as Iron Age, Bitter End, Razor, Morbid Saint and fellow Carolina boys Corrosion of conformity. All creating a sound that is uniquely North Carolina, and uniquely BloodRitual. BloodRitual live condenses all the aggression, speed, force, and comical self-loathing of 70 years of rock and roll into one 20 minute set. You ain’t seen em? You better. Do You Believe?W/ Instant Regrets
Justin Jeansonne (Full Band) with Nate Hall (solo)
Justin Jeansonne is a talented 31-year-old singer-songwriter, born in Mobile, Alabama. His passion for music was kindled after serving as part of the 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion in the United States Marine Corps. Justin is an accomplished artist who has made a name for himself in the country music scene traveling across the United States. He has an unwavering love for writing music and has written several songs that have been well-received nationally. When he is not busy performing or writing music, Justin spends his time on his ranch, where he raises horses. He enjoys the simple, rural lifestyle and finds it to be a source of inspiration for his music. Justin values his family and his hometown greatly and is committed to staying connected to them. Justin Jeansonne is a talented individual who has dedicated his life to his passion for music and his love for his family. His music is a reflection of his values, and his down-to-earth approach to life is a testament to his unwavering commitment to staying true to himself.Justin has opened up for and provided festival support for The Red Clay Strays, Chris Janson, Montgomery Gentry, Whitey Morgan & the 78’s, Whey Jennings, Taylor Hunnicutt and more.With Nate Hall (Old Heavy Hands)
Zack Brock (full band) w/ Cole Brown
Zack Brock is a Singer/Songwriter from North Carolina. With a mix of country, rock and bluegrass and his songs will take you to a place you wish you could be. With strong lyrics surrounded by a great melody you will want to hear the songs again and again
Brad Walker Quartet with Mixed Bag (ft. Geoff Clapp)
Brad Walker is one of the most active and sought-after performers in the city of New Orleans. Perhaps best known for his “soaring” (Rolling Stone), “energetic” (NPR), and “tasteful” (Relix) solos on Saturday Night Live, the Grammys, and the Tonight Show with Nashville mega-star Sturgill Simpson, Brad Walker is an active and compelling artist in his own right, with five full-length releases under his own name and a decade of music-making in the Crescent City under his belt. His 2014 debut, ‘Quintet’, received a 4-**** review in DownBeat magazine, and his playing has received praise in Variety, OffBeat Magazine, Gambit Weekly, Dig!, and many others.Since 2011 Walker has performed or recorded with such luminaries as Bernard Purdie, George Porter, Jr., Anders Osborne, Marcia Ball, Rickie Lee Jones, Valerie June, Better than Ezra, Zigaboo Modeliste and countless others, and has led the horn sections for Blues Award-winner Ana Popovic and OffBeat Award winners Eric Lindell, Johnny Sketch and the Dirty Notes, Honey Island Swamp Band, and Colin Lake. ‘Live at Snug Harbor’, recorded 2 years ago at the renowned club, represents one of the finest performances of a group that worked together steadily for over 5 years, and features virtuosic performances from local stars Oscar Rossignoli, Nathan Lambertson, and AJ Hall across a mix of the group’s original compositions and creative adaptations. It was mixed by multiple Grammy-winner David Farrell. Geoff Clapp is a drummer whose feel and style are only matched by his kind and generous spirit. He plays what he describes as a mix of the “heady New York and soulful New Orleans” drum styles. The music of Geoff Clapp and his virtuoso collaborators is a joyful and uplifting testimony. “Let the redeemed of the LORD say so.” Psalm 107:2 “ Brian Blade “Mr. Clapp has been a joy to work and tour with along the years. He also is one of the finest Brush players I’ve ever heard and a true master of his craft.” “ Ellis Marsalis Over his 37 year career, Geoff has toured, recorded and performed with some of todays modern music giants: Delfeayo Marsalis and The Uptown Jazz Orchestra, Jason Marsalis Vibes Quartet, Peter Martin Trio, Reuben Rogers, Nick Payton, Khari Allen Lee, Charlie Hunter, Christian McBride with Melissa Walker, Rale Micic, Wessell “Warm Daddy” Anderson, Dianne Reeves, The NOLA PLAYERS, Benny Green Trio, John Cowherd, Terence Blanchard, Donald Harrison, Eric Reed, Peter Bernstein, Ted Ludwig, Michael Pellera Trio, Ron Blake, Frank Wess, J@LC with Wynton Marsalis, Geoff Clapp Trio, Oscar Perez, Jeremy Davenport, Duane Eubanks, Dr. Brad Lieli, Soul Rebels Brass Band, Jamil Shariff, The Sam Fribush Organ Trio, Aaron Goldberg, LOUQUE, and Petr Cancura, James Tealy and Michael Kaeshammer as well as starring in several episodes of NCIS New Orleans as a performer and composer. He has been featuring on over 500 recordings. Currently, Mr Clapps album, REDEEMED, is now out, features Peter Martin, Reuben Rogers and Nick Payton. Geoff continues to tour and share his musical gifts to the world. “Music is the eternal inspirer and healer. I am honored and grateful to God whom gave me this journey to take, playing VIC FIRTH instruments just makes the journey that much more enjoyable.”
