The Finns
With roots in the colorful and ever-evolving North Carolina music scene, The Finns epitomize a fun-loving, live rock’n’roll party experience with a comforting dash of Southern charm. This band of musical brothers share a love for the craft of performing timeless music which they combine with a keen attention to detail and seasoned professionalism. Accessible, approachable, and offering a song repertoire that ranges from The Beatles to Bruno Mars, The Finns offer a fun musical dynamic that makes special events uniquely memorable. Each member of The Finns has impressive musical credentials that include major label recording, international touring, and performance experience at thousands of concerts and parties around the country. This unique perspective as a party band allows the The Finns to play to their strengths, showcasing an original spirit, an organic vibe and exceptional musicality. Three-part harmonies resound as band leader and guitarist Mark Kano shares the vocal spotlight with his counterparts on the six-string, Jordan Powers and Josh King. The singing range of this threesome impresses audiences and allows the group to explore creative and harmonic landscapes, much like some of popular music’s most accomplished bands such The Eagles, U2 and Mumford & Sons. Bassist Andy Ware and drummer Eddie Walker keep a solid, funky backbeat that builds up the rhythm of every party and keeps the dance floor packed. Live music feeds the soul, excites the heart and connects people in a unique and powerful way. The Finns exemplify the collective energy of a concert experience with a charming approach and undeniable musical talent to make sure every event is truly unforgettable.
Abe Partridge w/ David Childers
American Songwriter Magazine said that, “Abe Partridge has established himself as one of the most respected songwriters and visual folk artists in the southeast.” Partridge released his second full-length release, Cotton Fields and Blood For Days, in January 2018 to rave reviews and substantial airplay on Americana radio. It landed Partridge a lengthy feature in The Bitter Southerner and the album was chosen to be one of their top 30 albums of 2018. Ranging from the earthy to the surreal, from the spiritual light to the depths of depression, Partridge draws listeners in with a combination of southern gothic storytelling, dark humor and gripping intensity. Savannah Morning News said, “The singer/songwriter has emerged in the last two years as a tour-de-force of a live act, with the DNA of folk heroes named Townes, Bob and John, combined with his own unique perspective of rock ‘n’ roll and his Southern homeland.” Partridge made his debut at The Bluebird Café in Nashville, July 2018 and brought the house down with his passionate performance. He toured the UK and Ireland October 2019 in support of David Ford. He also toured the Netherlands and Belgium November of 2018 and 2019. He performed at the prestigious 30A Songwriter Festival in Santa Rosa, Florida, in January of 2019 and 2020 along with performers such as John Prine, Tanya Tucker, Jason Isbell, Steve Earle, Shawn Mullins, and many more.w/ David Childers: Singer-songwriter David Childers is the proverbial study in contradictions. A resident of Mount Holly, North Carolina, he’s a former high-school football player with the aw-shucks demeanor of a good ol’ Southern boy. But he’s also a well-read poet and painter who cites Chaucer and Kerouac as influences, fell in love with folk as a teen, listens to jazz and opera, and fed his family by practicing law before turning in his license to concentrate on his creative passions. The legal profession’s loss is certainly the music world’s gain. Childers’ new album, Run Skeleton Run, releasing May 5, 2017 on Ramseur Records, is filled with the kinds of songs that have made him a favorite of fans and fellow artists including neighbors the Avett Brothers. Scott Avett contributes to four tracks, and Avetts bassist Bob Crawford co-executive-produced the effort with label head Dolph Ramseur. (Crawford and Childers, both history buffs, have recorded and performed together in the Overmountain Men). Crawford has also called Childers “a great friend, a great thinker and a great man … a true North Carolina treasure.” But let’s take out “North Carolina,” because Childers is the kind of treasure who can spread joy wherever people love listening to great songs. In other words, just about anywhere. Or everywhere.
That Other Band
That Other Band is an instrumental experiment led by bassist/composer Wood Robinson of Mipso, featuring guitar by Mario Arnez (Blue Cactus), keyboards by Charles Cleaver, percussion by Yan Westerlund (Quetico), trombone by Danny Grewen, and woodwinds by Danny Abrams.This concert will be performed as a trio, featuring Robinson on bass, Cleaver on keys, and Westerlund on drums.
Shame Gang
SHAME GANG w/ Antion Scales, Damion Rashad, Denzel, DaVaun, ILLPO, Vanessa FergusonLive at Flat IronMay 26, 2023Doors 7pm//Show 8pm$15 adv//$20 day of It’s been seven years since Shame Gang relocated from the D.C. area to Raleigh; In those years, he’s made a name for himself within North Carolina’s local hip-hop scene. He’s performed and headlined local festivals, opened up for a number of hip-hop heavyweights, including Wu-Tang Clan, formed his own rap collective (KULTURE GANG) and curated his own series of hip-hop shows and beat battles (Shame Sundays and sounds of the Culture Beat Battle).His inspirations come from artists such as Q-Tip, A Tribe Called Quest, Tupac, Outkast, Bone Thugs & Harmony, and Nas. Like many of these artists, Shame got his start to fame by competing in rap battles and distributing his music through local college radio stations. To make sure he’s building a rap career that’s profitable 10 or 20 years from now, Shame Gang has shifted his energy to winning over listeners across the East Coast, and according to 2021 Spotify wrapped stats, he has close to 30,000 listeners. His second album, No Safe Haven, was released to rave reviews and landed him a distribution deal.
The Pinkerton Raid w/ Sam Foster
The Pinkerton Raid’s songs travel through forest legends and foreign lands, blackjack games and French bistros, photo albums and feminist awakenings, all backdrops for human drama of the genuine kind. 2022’s THE HIGHWAY MOVES THE WORLD begins two decades ago in Jesse James DeConto’s childhood basement, where he learned The Beatles and first turned a songwriter’s eye on his own rich and complicated family life. “Radiant,” says AMERICAN SONGWRITER. “Poignant,” says ROLLING STONE. Since the lockdowns, Jesse is back on the road with a totally new lineup, but, as always, a gang of friends with a full-band sound. The Durham, NC-based band has played at festivals from Georgia to Ohio, sharing stages with Liz Cooper, The Bones of JR Jones and The Nude Party. “A sound for dreamers around a campfire,” says GHETTOBLASTER.w/ Sam Foster: While drawing much inspiration from legends of country music past and present, Foster’s sound can be more broadly described as rock. His roots run deep into the vein of American music, and he’s continually inspired by folk, soul, rock, and rhythm and blues. With three albums under his belt (two solo, and one with alt-country outfit Whiskey Foxtrot) and backed by his new band “The Obsolete,” Foster released his fourth solo offering “Heatwaves” in 2022. “Heatwaves” retains Foster’s roots in country and Americana, but forges ahead into new territory for the leadman. Sam Foster has shared the stage with national touring acts such as American Aquarium, Joshua Ray Walker, Margo Cilker, Seth Walker, Adam Hood, and Trapper Schoepp.
Wyatt Easterling and the Modern Day Drifters w/ Chris Myers
Finalist for the 2023 Rocky Mountain Songwriter Festival Finalist for the 2022 IAMA Song of the Year for Americana/Folk From Where I Stand: #8 Contemporary Folk Chart for 2022 Roots Music Report What folks are saying about Wyatt’s new release: From Where I Stand “Wyatt’s New Project From Where I Stand is a fine example of his world class singing and songwriting chops. He plays these songs with a lot of heart and soul. It’ s a great album, so check it out”- Paul Thorn “Another collection of thoughtfully crafted, honest songs from the heart of Wyatt Easterling”- Robby Hecht, Nashville” An album of searing honesty and lithe beauty whose songs amplify the emotions and experiences of so many of us—reassessed relationships, self-reflection, and the ultimate search for hope. Its intentions are pure, as are those of Wyatt on this set of ten tunes of loss, resilience and devotion, with determination in the lyrics and buoyancy in the music.” – Alan Cackett , UK “Easterling’s vocal is heartfelt and intimate, the songs are thoughtful and compelling “- Americana UK
Sunny Sweeney With Carri Smithey
Sunny Sweeney, a genre-bending, songwriting spitfire who has spent equal time in the rich musical traditions of Texas and Tennessee, returns with Married Alone, the celebrated singer-songwriter’s fifth studio album and the follow-up to 2017’s critically acclaimedTrophy. Co-produced by beloved Texas musician and larger-than-life personality Paul Cauthen and the Texas Gentlemen’s multi-hyphenate Beau Bedford, Married Alone is Sweeney’s finest work yet, bringing together confessional songwriting, image-rich narratives and no shortage of sonic surprises for a loosely conceptual album about loss and healing.
Step Friends w/ Gentle Junior
Based in Chapel Hill, NC, Step Friends spins together a range of sonic influences—Big Thief, Mikal Cronin, Bright Eyes—into their own form of ragged-yet-pretty garage folk. Pitching between downtempo ballads, scruffy garage pop, and manic noise breakdowns, their songs at every turn feel just as liable to fall apart as hum and bloom into something new—into something unexpected. Gentle Junior is a four-piece indie alt rock band from Greensboro. Their sound incorporates midwest emo and shoegaze elements with the occasional folk tinge.
An Evening With Darrell Scott
Multi-Instrumentalist and Singer-Songwriter Darrell Scott mines and cultivates the everyday moment, taking the rote, menial, mundane, and allowing it to be surreal, ever poignant, and candidly honest, lilting, blooming, and resonating. The words he fosters allow us to make sense of the world, what is at stake here, and our place in it. And ultimately, Darrell knows the sole truth of life is that love is all that matters, that we don’t always get it right, but that’s the instinctive and requisite circuitous allure of things, why we forever chase it, and why it is held sacred. Darrell Scott comes from a musical family with a father who had him smitten with guitars by the age of 4, alongside a brother who played Jerry Reed style as well. From there, things only ramped up with literature and poetry endeavors while a student at Tufts University, along with playing his way through life. This would never change. After recently touring with Robert Plant and the Zac Brown Band (2 years with each), and producing albums for Malcolm Holcomb and Guy Clark and being named “songwriter of the year” for both ASCAP and NSAI, these days find him roaming his Tennessee wilderness acreage hiking along the small river, creating delicious meals with food raised on his property and playing music. He often leads songwriting workshops to help people tell their own truths with their stories, and is as busy as always writing, producing, performing, and just plain fully immersing himself in life.
John Papa Gros
New Orleans native John “Papa” Gros (pronounced grow) has spent more than a quarter-century championing the music of the Crescent City. He is a bedrock New Orleans artist, a keyboardist, singer/songwriter who draws on funk, rhythm & blues and Americana songcraft; he also knows his way around the Mardi Gras music repertoire about as well as anyone. With River’s on Fire, “Papa” turns over a new leaf with his second solo CD.. It’s a record that mixes the sounds of rock & roll, funk and rootsy Americana into a genre-bending gumbo that carries on the tradition of New Orleans, both honoring its past and helping to shape its future. River’s on Fire is John’s first release since his former band, Papa Grows Funk, disbanded in 2013. River’s On Fire finds Gros showcasing his talent on the keys while furthering his well-deserved reputation as one of New Orleans’ notable songwriters. Each song has its own distinct personality, be it party songs, melancholy numbers, funk-fueled tunes or upbeat rockers, with the influence of Allen Toussaint serving as the common denominator. River’s on Fire is one life-long Big Easy troubadour and composer paying tribute to another.Throughout his career, John “Papa” Gros has been a bandleader. A sideman. A singer. An instrumentalist. With River’s on Fire, he is a solo artist once again. His role is different, but the goal remains the same: to honor the music he’s been living his whole life, and to add his own page to the New Orleans history book.
