Amelia Day w/ Maia Kamil
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.” Singer-songwriter Maia Kamil has a deep commitment to the lineage that shaped her and a desire to imagine and represent a new world. Rooted in the lineage of 1970s storytellers-Joni Mitchell, Bonnie Raitt, Crosby, Stills & Nash, and other folk greats-her songs unfold like narratives, each with distinct scenes that move naturally from one to the next. Her warm vocals and lyrical clarity evoke that era’s intimate honesty, creating small, vivid worlds for listeners to slip into. Her debut record, Good Life, captures these worlds-transporting listeners to the trees of the blue ridge, the salt of the seas she’s floated in, and the table where ancestors gather, while still carrying the intimacy of singing around a campfire with friends. Maia is currently in collaboration with guitarist and producer Charlie Hunter on a new full-length record, set for release in 2026. Together, they are shaping a sound that expands her folk foundations while exploring new textures and emotional landscapes. Her recent EP, You’re Not Here You’re Everywhere, explores grief and transformation after the loss of her grandmother. According to Atwood Magazine, the work “…pulls us, gently, into an abyss, and then guides us back to the ground,” In both her writing and performance, Maia invites community, connection, and a shared sense of human truth.
DANCE FROM ABOVE FT. UYMAMI W/ ALVIN SHAVERS + RAHL
CANCELLED: 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 + Victor Furtado
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.
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.
Fingers Woven Together, Sesame, Emily Grimm, and Harvester
Haunted Like Human + Couldn’t Be Happiers
Mythology evokes images of gods, titans, demons, and beasts of every kind. Yet, it’s the spark of humanity that keeps us telling and retelling myths. It’s these stories of seduction, inheritance, and hubris that Nashville-based folk duo Haunted Like Human rekindle in the 14 songs on their third album American Mythology. Since the release of 2021’s Tall Tales & Fables, Dale Chapman and Cody Clark have been refining their sound rather than departing from it. With a background in poetry and prose, Dale Chapman’s granular focus on language is simpatico with Cody Clark’s background in classical guitar, where each note carries its own weight. The result is a shapely set of songs that borrow from universal lore in order to reveal intimate truths. The pair prove they write songs like novelists write their books, using careful detail and well-shaped characters to tell even the heaviest of stories. Whatever the topic, the songs shine with restrained arrangements and entwined harmonies. This duo tells stories so well that there’s no need to cloak them with heavy-handed production or vocal processing. Instead, Haunted Like Human lets the humanity shine through.
