Into The Fog
Winners of the 2021 MerleFest Band Competition, Into The Fog is a genre-jumping string band based out of Raleigh, North Carolina. With its members having various backgrounds ranging from bluegrass, country, rock, 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(Acoustic guitar, Vocals), Winston Mitchell(Mandolin, Vocals), Derek Lane(Bass, Vocals) and Connor Kozlosky (Electric guitar, Vocals). Originally formed in Wilmington, NC, Into The Fog immediately hit the ground running as a band by heading across the country to compete at the 2018 Telluride Bluegrass Festival Band Competition only a few months after coming together. That cross country trip was recorded by friend of the band and videographer Mason Godwin in his documentary Band #7:The Ride to Telluride. After the Telluride trip, the band got to work playing as much as they could around North Carolina. Becoming a mainstay at over 30 different breweries around the state Into The Fog started to quickly make a name for themselves. Then in November of 2018 the band went to a cabin outside of Waynesville, NC and spent a week recording their debut album Wishin’ It Would Rain, which was released on February 22, 2019. “The trio crafts a dynamic mix of songs and sounds, from the gypsy feel of “Caawphonation” to the running-from-Johnny-Law feel of instrumental “Cedar Island Rendezvous.”- Brian Tucker(Star News) With their debut album under their belt Into The Fog started to pick up momentum exchanging brewery gigs for music venues and festivals with opportunities like playing Shakori Hills, Rooster Walk, FloydFest, MerleFest, NC Homegrown Music Festival, IBMA, and Front Porch Fest along with opening slots for national touring acts Sam Bush, Ghost of Paul Revere, Jon Stickley Trio, Keller & The Keels and Town Mountain. Into The Fog solidified their sound further with their 14 track sophomore album Runnin’ Blind and Chasin’ Time which was released in May of 2021. “While purists might label label their sound as Newgrass, those in attendance respond to the gospel they are preaching and seem perfectly content with the foggy genre, since the sound is so clear”- Donna Davis(The Daily Reflector) In February of 2023 Into The Fog released their first live album titled ‘Volume One’ and with it a raw example of the energy and passion they bring to the stage, truly defining their sound as a live band.
William Hinson
Residing at the confluence of indie-pop and singer-songwriter genres, William Hinson, an artist from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, crafts soundscapes that have earned him comparisons to The Beatles, The 1975, and Ed Sheeran. The spark for William’s musical journey was lit while watching a rerun of The Beatles’ debut on The Ed Sullivan Show. His performances have the verve and charisma of Paul McCartney intertwined with the wit and charm of comedian John Mulaney, creating a stage presence that is uniquely captivating. William’s live performance ability has seen him tour and played with artists like Jordy Searcy and The Brook and the Bluff. In 2018, William was voted one of Sofar Sounds best new artists.
Real Life Quartet
MELTDOWN RODEO + BLUE CACTUS
Kym Register + Meltdown Rodeo (FKA LOAMLANDS) is a transgressive and distorted country music outfit based in North Carolina that places queer storytelling at the forefront. Their music intimately grapples with identity, retribution, reconciliation and queer existence in both modern-day and historical (inclusive of mostly all) southern culture. According to NOISEY, our music is “written to directly address North Carolina, the people in the Durham DIY scene, and the area’s long history with LGBT communities and police violence, the themes Register… wrestle[s] with throughout—queerness, police violence, bigotry and general intolerance to those who refuse to adhere to any kind of binary—are poignant no matter where you live.” “It’s a narrative-heavy — and proudly queer — record, channeling both the South’s folksy past and the crunchy protest music of the modern Merge roster, sporting a genre-defying sound as courageous as the issues breached: institutionalized bigotry, body dysmorphia, the agonies of love and loss. ” “Even if you don’t know Register’s backstory, you can still hear that Sweet High Rise is a compelling, beautiful, and starkly political record.” -Bitch Media “…a lush guitar pop sound that pulls from the late ’70s rock and country.” – Brooklyn Vegan Blue Cactus, the North Carolina duo of Steph Stewart and Mario Arnez, make Dream Country: a blend of grit, glitz, groove, and twang that evokes a celestial soundscape of mid-century heartbreak and harkens comparisons eclectic and iconic as Bobbie Gentry, Fleetwood Mac, and David Bowie. Their sophomore album, Stranger Again, released in 2021 on Sleepy Cat Records, nabbed enthusiastic attention from tastemakers including No Depression, American Songwriter, FLOOD Magazine, Talkhouse, and INDY Week among others. Following their critically acclaimed 2017 debut and a string of singles in 2020, Stranger Again saw the band taking their sound to an ambitious new plane, where country-rock and light psychedelia mingle, vocals soaring over twangy slide guitars and propulsive basslines. The North Carolina duo have performed at several beloved festivals including Nelsonville, Red Wing Roots, Rooster Walk, Muddy Roots and Hopscotch and shared the stage as support for an array of artists from The War & Treaty, Sarah Shook & the Disarmers, and Lilly Hiatt to Town Mountain and Junior Brown among others. Between the comfort of classic country and the glamor of 70s rock, Blue Cactus resuscitate a fleeting style of honest-to-goodness country music considered valueless to a “new” country music where songwriting is officiated by financial analysts and teams of marketing plutocrats instead of woebegone troubadours. With a high lonesome twang, an Emmylou-like southern drawl, and blistering guitar techniques, Blue Cactus exercises the honky-tonk muscles to firmly bear the flag for a new generation of country music.
The Wright Ave. With special guests Eden Hill
A quintet that brushes through the genre palette and delivers wormhole funk out of Greensboro, NC, The Wright Ave. comes to take listeners on a ride.
Marcus Horth and The Mantras w/ Amycus
A special MantraBash PreParty and Reunion featuring Marcus And The Mantras live at Flat Iron with special guests, Amycus.Doors at 7pm Show at 8pm$10
Psycodelics w/ Niervash
Awarded City Paper’s 2021 Soul/R&B Act of the Year, The Psycodelics’ flavor of Black American music has blended foundations of blues, jazz and disco with fresh funk rock. With a stage presence as multifaceted and emotive as its lineup, the already-potent sound retains even greater magic to make you get up and dance.
George And(y) The Sams
Come see this super group featuring George Sluppick, Andy Ware, Sam Frazier, and Sam Fribush! Doors at 7pm and Florence Dore will kick it off at 8pm.$10
Leilani Kilgore
“The blues are in good hands as long as Leilani Kilgore is strutting her stuff.” – Classic Rock History A Nashville transplant hailing from the West Coast, Leilani Kilgore serves aggressive hard-hitting rock with a touch of meaningful blues and fearlessly honest emotional expression. Her versatile writing has earned her headlining slots in legendary clubs such as the High Watt and Smith’s Olde Bar, and placed her as the opener for renowned musical acts like Buddy Guy, and The Dead Daisies (feat. Glenn Hughes and Doug Aldrich). “Leilani Kilgore has something to say and trust me, you will be listening.” – Keyline Magazine Leilani’s music has allowed her to perform internationally in multiple countries and has grown in a well-oiled machine of a live performance. With in-your-face vocals and fearless solos, this isn’t an artist you want to miss.
Skylar Gudasz with Riggings
With her luminous voice and captivating songcraft, Skylar Gudasz has won the admiration ofsome of the most distinguished artists in music. The Durham-based singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist has shared stages with the likes of Ray Davies, Cat Power and Sharon VanEtten as part of the Big Star’s Third tribute concerts, opened for the likes of Television,Teenage Fanclub, and Mountain Goats, and appeared as a background vocalist on albums bySuperchunk and Hiss Golden Messenger, including a TV debut with the latter on Late Nightwith Seth Meyers.Gudasz released her full-length debut Oleander in 2016 at which point The Bitter Southernerdubbed her “the Joni Mitchell the South never had.” On the eve of pandemic lockdown in 2020,Gudasz delivered her sophomore album Cinema, recorded between famed April Base in EauClaire, Wisconsin and in the lush forests of the rich NC music scene. The release summonedpraise from the likes of Pitchfork, NPR’s All Songs Considered, and MOJO who described itmost concisely as "a career-making star turn.” Gudasz’s highly anticipated third album, recordedwith Ari Picker (Dante High, Lost in the Trees), is due later this year.In addition to her solo career, Gudasz is active in collaborations, including an “Ask Me Anything”tour with Kate Rhudy and Libby Rodenbough, an event at which the songwriters answeraudience questions about love and play songs in response. The trio was recently featured aspart of Southern Songbirds: The Power of Women in Country Music series at the NorthCarolina Museum of History, a collaboration with PBS and the Grammy Museum
