Virginia Man and Tyler Meacham
Virginia ManComing off of the release of their debut LP, “Sad but True”, the boys have been out on the road! This show has become the favorite amongst members and audiences alike, with a sonic rollercoaster, akin to the plot of a great American classic, with gripping performances and storytelling, and celebratory beverages following. Jacob Sommerio, guitar/engineer, Stephen Amoruso, bass/vocals, and Kristian Lietzan, singer/songwriter, configure the emotional folk-and-roll band, Virginia Man. With poetic lyrics bellowing over the sounds of middle Appalachia, these gentlemen champion the sound of their homeland: a strange suspension between the cardinal directions, musical genres, and the changing of seasons.Tyler MeachamWhether dance floors are open or closed, pop music retains its power to move us, distilling complex emotional experiences into art that resonates the moment it hits our ears. That immediacy is a hallmark of songs by indie-pop singer and songwriter Tyler Meacham.“It’s pop but it’s not,” says Meacham in regards to her debut LP Into The Fray. “I don’t really like to align myself with a genre… I lean towards what’s right [for a song], more than just what fits in a box, if that makes sense.” The Richmond, Virginia based artist doesn’t shy away from sharing her deepest vulnerabilities in her music, which spans from fully-produced to more stripped-back sonic affairs where her resonant voice is at the forefront. On Into The Fray, Meacham explores the many layers of love, vulnerability, self-awareness, and self-worth that surface in relationships. Produced with partner & bassist Chip Hale, Into The Fray draws inspiration from their shared appreciation for pop giants like Jack Antonoff/Bleachers, OneRepublic, and Maggie Rogers, as well as the self-revelatory intimacy of songwriters like Sara Bareilles, Blake Mills, and Theo Katzman. The result is a 10-song amalgamation of synth pop, indie rock, and a pinch of folk. Into the Fray is available on CD, Vinyl, and everywhere music is streamed. ~Davy Jones & Elaine Rhodes
Anand Wilder with Sam Logan
Singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Anand Wilder is best known as co-founder of shape-shifting experimental indie rockers Yeasayer . He honed his songwriting craft for fourteen years with Yeasayer before their split in 2019, fronting career defining favorites such as O.N.E. , Wait For The Summer , Madder Red , Don’t Come Close , and Silly Me . In 2014, Wilder released a rock opera entitled Break Line The Musical , which featured an eclectic cast of guest vocalists and players he had met over the years of touring with Yeasayer , including members of MGMT, Suckers, Vampire Weekend, Dirty Projectors , Dragons Of Zynth Man Man , What Cheer? Brigade and singers Caroline Polachek and Cameron Hull.
Writers In The Round with Rod Abernethy, Stephen Murray, and Chris McGinnis
A writers in the round featuring Stephen Murray, Chris McGinnis, and Rod Abernethy. Hosted by Rod Abernethy.
Eric Johanson
Eric Johanson is a multiple Top 10 Billboard-charting guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter whose original music stretches beyond traditional genre lines of blues, rock, and progressive Americana, all while feeding off the groove and history of his home in New Orleans. His four most recent solo releases – Live at DBA: New Orleans Bootleg, Covered Tracks: Vol. 1, Covered Tracks: Vol. 2, and Below Sea Level – all reached top-ten positions on the Billboard blues charts, and Guitar Player Magazine recently listed him as one of 25 Top New Blues Guitarists (Jan 2023 issue). As a touring performer, Johanson’s solo festival appearances include the Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise, Las Vegas Big Blues Bender, New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, Crescent City Blues Fest, and others. He and his band have appeared in more than 100 cities across the United States. As a guitarist, Johanson has been a special guest to artists such as Cyril Neville, Anders Osborne, the Neville Brothers, Samantha Fish, Tab Benoit, JJ Grey, Eric Lindell, and a host of other torch bearers of modern roots music.
Royal Jelly with The Mobb
Royal Jelly Royal F’n Jelly Goes all night long. The grassroots Greensboro psychedelic funk act has been cutting their own path with their energetic blend of dance grooves and head bangers. Quickly becoming the sweatiest band in showbiz, Royal Jelly creates an atmosphere of creativity, inclusion and interaction with the goal to help you unfurl your freak flag and get it flying. Expect the unexpected, to see is to know, so get your booty on the dance floor. The Mobb This ain’t your Mi-maw’s funk band…or is it? The Mobb’s raucous mix of Funk, Psychedelics, Rock n Roll & debauchery makes for a whirlwind experience you’re not soon to forget. Hailing from North Carolina The Mobb puts a bold, aggressive spin on some rare gems, and old favs, amongst some inspired originals!The party is eternal The Getdown is forever.Long live The Mobb.
Nightblooms with Jessie Dunks
LOVE SONGS FOR THE APOCALYPSEGreensboro, NCOne of the hardest parts about having a band is describing what you sound like. It’s often easier just to reference other bands people might actually know (Elliott Smith, Weyes Blood, George Harrison, Grizzly Bear, The War on Drugs, fwiw) than to come up with overused adjectives and round-about metaphors. I guess I could tell you that Nightblooms sounds a little like Lilac Shadows but filtered through acoustic guitars, pianos, and a lot less volume. That might help, but you also might be like, “I don’t know what Lilac Shadows is.” I could say we use lots of synthesizers or that lyrically our songs are anxious as hell but pretty fun musically. But like Saul Bellow (maybe?) once said, “I’m the bird — you’re the ornithologist.” So just listen and see what comes to mind. It’ll probably be more evocative than I can write here anyway. Whatever we sound like to you, I just hope you enjoy it.
Chessa Rich With Kill The Buddha
Chessa Rich swallowed sound at an early age, solidifying music as her internal compass. After a post-college job in Spain, she returned to North Carolina to hone the keyboard, flute and vocals that would form the bedrock of her equally jagged and ethereal style. Tracing her lines of influence from her parents’ community jazz band to the moment she encountered Radiohead in her youth, Rich has emerged as a versatile songwriter and collaborator, recording and performing with Hiss Golden Messenger and Tift Merritt, as well as putting out a 2018 EP produced by Nick Sanborn of Sylvan Esso.
Pony Bradshaw
North Georgia Rounder is strongly related to Pony Bradshaw’s last album (Calico Jim) but also stretches its legs into different territory. Place/region/localism/history has been a focus of Bradshaw’s over the past few years and he has continued that focus with North Georgia Rounder. But as the album title (Rounder) suggests, it’s also about life on the road: in taverns, in vans, sleeping on floors, meeting good folks, etc. Bradshaw notes how he longs for a well-ordered life and acknowledges the struggle to reconcile that instinct with spending half of it on the road. “But stories need to be told,” he said, “and somehow I’ve finagled my way into a position to tell a few.”
Dear Darling with TBA
Among the leaves, this trio creates music together. Seasoned musicians Casey Lipka (bass and voice), Hannah Jane Kile (guitar and voice), and Natalie Hagwood (cello and voice) are getting into new sonic territory. Folk infused with Jazz influences, expect harmonies tight enough that these three could be sisters. From tender to brassy, Dear Darling’s compositions touch on themes such as self empowerment, unconditional love, and following your dreams.
Condado + Monsoon + Housewife
Condado is a DIY rock band from central North Carolina. The band’s members include Alberto “Birdie” Velazquez (guitar/vocals), Joshua Reid (guitar/vocals), Javan Trinidad (bass/vocals), and Anunt Singh (drums). Naming the band “Condado” (the Spanish word for county) is a reminder of the rural/suburban locations in which the members grew up – places usually lacking a supportive music scene and/or diversity. It’s a reminder that pursuing their individual and collective dreams of making music is possible regardless of where they’re from or who they are. The band pulls influence from many artists, specifically the northeast emo and punk scenes of recent years, providing its take on the sound through a distinct rhythmic focus/playfulness, punchy and driving percussion, thick guitar riffs, roaring bass lines, and melodies made to sing your heart out to. This is the part where I have to tell you about the band and pretend an outside source wrote something really flattering in the passage below. Unfortunately no one ever said anything nice about us, so here I go. “Monsoon is a really good two piece indie rock band from Athens, Ga.” -Sienna Chandler Don’t worry, it’s not the kind of indie where the reverb pedal stays on as I stare blankly at the fret board of my unscathed turquoise jaguar. If we’ve got anything, it’s that Joey and I spent 5 years creating Ghost Party and wanted to make our live show as attractive as we think our album is.
