Songwriter series with Abigail Dowd ft: Roberta Lea and Acisse Jay
Roberta Lea – American Songwriter Magazine describes Roberta Lea as “a compelling artist” while The Nashville Scene praises her ability to “score hits with her catchy, textured and beautifully sung originals.” The award-winning singer/songwriter released her debut album “Too Much of a Woman” to critical acclaim and punctuated her presence in the industry with a coast to coast tour. Described as “country-neo-pop” with a “delicious, folky flare”, the Virginia native is known as a powerful songwriter and engaging storyteller. Listeners turned fans describe her style as one that fits comfortably between Shania Twain’s fun and catchy pop-country singles and Tracy Chapman’s heavy weight, cinematic chokeholds. As a touring member of The Black Opry, one of CMT’s Next Women of Country Class of 2023 and a voting member of The Recording Academy, Lea is steadily building a successful, sustainable artist career that will be etched in Virginia’s history and beyond. Acisse Jay – Acisse Jay (äkēsā jā) is a captivating rock/blues/Americana singer-songwriter from Norfolk, VA, known for her electrifying performances and soulful, genre-blending songwriting. Her sound—a fusion of rock, blues, country, gospel, and Americana—has earned her the moniker “the soul of rock,” bringing a fresh voice to classic styles. In 2024, she recorded her second EP, Experimental Phase Vol. 2 – The Evolution of A Thang, live at Live At Ted’s in Wilmington, NC. This EP captures her artistic growth and live energy, promising fans yet another thrilling chapter in her musical journey. Acisse Jay is pushing the boundaries of what it means to be a formidable force in today’s music world. From stages big and small, she continues to redefine her craft and is undoubtedly an artist to watch in the coming years. 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
Woody Woodworth & The Piners w/ Nathan James Hall
Woody Woodworth & The Piners hail from Richmond, VA. Established in 2016, the Piners are named for the bygone expression to Pine – a deep longing for something or someone. Influenced by Virginia’s deep musical history and Appalachian culture, Woody Woodworth & The Piners fuse country, bluegrass, and rock and roll with traditional storytelling to create a powerful and timeless sound. One part Waylon, another part Springsteen, Woodworth’s honest vocals are backed by a no-holds-bar orchestration of sawing fiddles, electric guitars, and driving rhythm. Woody Woodworth released his first full length solo LP in 2018 titled Virginia. Two singles in 2020, Cherokee Maggie and Long Way Down, and a live record titled live at Richmond Music Hall. Woody Woodworth & The Piners most recent releases include two full-length LPs titled Outlaws & Saints (2023) & Rebels & Dreamers (2024). Woody Woodworth & The Piners have supported and shared the stage with major artists such as Patterson Hood (Drive By Truckers), 49 Winchester, Red Clay Strays, Town Mountain, Lost Dog Street Band, Matt Heckler, Sarah Shook & The Disarmers, Model Citizen, JD McPherson, Melissa Carper, William Elliot Whitmore and Many others.
PAEZOR, PSYWARFARE, FUNERAL DANCER, SAVAGE MYSTIC
Juneteenth at Flat Iron ft. Leroy Pridgen IV
Hailing from the soulful southern state of North Carolina, Leroy Pridgen IV is a rising trombonist, arranger, composer, and bandleader. leroypmusic.com
Cyril Lance Collective
Cyril Lance brings together a crew of incredibly talented musicians, long time soul-mates and co-conspirators for another night of energetic, spontaneous Americana, roots music and blues featuring North Carolina greats Dan Davis (drums), Scott Warren (bass) and Rob Cantrell (congas). Special guests feature the incredible piano player, singer Adrian Duke from Charlottesville, VA and Greensboro’s own David McCracken who is luckily free from his regular duty with Donna the Buffalo. Other local musicians will likely show up to join in the fun. This group shares a decades old history and chemistry with a joy and comradery that always creates a special evening – another adventure into the Outskirts… ‘Lance has masterminded one of the best contemporary blues albums of the year. His virtuosity on guitar and lap steel is undeniable, and his songwriting makes him an instant item in bluesville.” Billboard Magazine” “Lance stretches out with a combination of nuance, intensity and precision rare among modern blues pickers, and his deep musical vocabulary favors purpose and passion over flash-in-the-pan histrionics. As such, Live from the Outskirts is largely an ensemble experience; as often as not Lance defers the spotlight to the playing of a band so tight they seem cojoined…” Winston-Salem Journal
Cordovas w/ Time Sawyer (solo) and Dave Brewer
The story of Cordovas is one of rock ’n’ roll seekers, hammering away in search not just for a platonic ideal of their freewheeling sound, but also for some greater truth about our experience as humans. The band is fueled by the long strange trip of frontman Joe Firstman, who had a circuitous path through his young adulthood — spat out from the major label system, a stint as a bandleader on Last Call With Carson Daly, and finally finding his way back to himself, a mystic classicist who has guided Cordovas through their own series of twists and turns. That includes their new record The Rose of Aces, which finds them returning with their finest collection of music yet. Cordovas’ origins go all the way back the early ‘10s, when Firstman decided he was best with a band around him. After releasing a self-titled debut and undergoing various iterations, things really started cooking when guitarist Lucca Soria joined the fold. Soon the band’s vision cohered further, and they signed to ATO, releasing the quick one-two of That Santa Fe Channel in 2018 and Destiny Hotel in 2020. Cordovas is a state of constant flow: Firstman, Soria, and their various co-conspirators gathering in their twin outposts — a farm in Nashville, and a hideout in the artist community of the Baja California town Todos Santos. Before the dust remotely began to settle on Destiny Hotel, Cordovas were already back in the shop, working up a trove of songs from which The Rose of Aces would emerge.
Lou Hazel
Lou Hazel grew up along the Allegheny River, where New York meets Pennsylvania andNorthern Appalachia slips into quiet obscurity. In a landscape of cold towns, blue-collar fatigue,and early brushes with hardship, music wasn’t inherited—it was uncovered. There were novenues, no mentors, no real sense of a scene… only what you could scrape together withcuriosity and a cassette deck.That absence—of direction, of mentors, of art—shaped Lou’s songs as much as any influence.His music echoes the loneliness of those forgotten towns and the strange resilience it takes tocreate something where nothing was planted. Blending folk, indie, and an eye for the overlooked,Lou writes like someone who’s learned to pay attention. His songs are spare, vivid, andweathered with warmth. After years of solo touring and home recording, Lou found grounding in Durham, NorthCarolina, where a vibrant music scene and chosen community have helped shape his recentwork. His latest record, Riot of the Red, captures the urge to get away from all of it—the news,the noise, the weight of a world gone sideways—and find stillness in the simplest things: a longdrive, a bare sky, a familiar chord. Lou Hazel makes music for those who had to teachthemselves how to listen.
Ranford Almond x Frute
Jameson Tank w/ Slanted Ceilings
Jameson Tank Bio Album Tour 2025 With their electrifying arena rock sound and explosive stage presence, Jameson Tank has cemented itself as one of the most exciting rock bands to emerge from Athens, GA, this decade. Formed in 2021, the band embraced the mission statement of Athens legends such as R.E.M. before them: “Tour, Tour, Tour.” Fueled by a relentless drive, they hit the road, honing their sound while selling out iconic venues like Georgia Theatre and Smith’s Olde Bar along the way. In 2024, Jameson Tank stepped into Chase Park Transduction(home to R.E.M., Queens of the Stone Age, and Drive-By Truckers) to record their debut album, The Business, set for release in 2025. Produced by Ryan Engelberger (Reptar), the album is a collection of tracks the band proudly considers their strongest material to date, featuring full songwriting contributions from Conner Ankerich (Drums/Synths), Bryce Burnette (Guitars), Javier Solorzano (Bass/Backing Vocals), and Jameson Tankersley (Lead Vocals/Guitars). With 300+ shows under their belt, a powerhouse debut album on the way, and a U.S. tour on the horizon, Jameson Tank is rock ’n’ roll stock worth investing in.
Live Comedy w/ Luke Severeid
LUKE SEVEREID is a Hill-Hiking, Metal-Music-Loving, Chrome-Dome-Having Stand-UP Comedian from Seattle, WA. Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest with the plaids and IPA-fueled husk to prove it, LUKE’s comedic style has been described as insightfully idiotic, aggressively absurd, and most accurately, unmedicated ADHD in action. Besides looking identical to your favorite bouncer and or bass player, Luke was also recently in the Big Sky Comedy Festival, a semifinalist in both the Seattle and San Francisco International Comedy Competition, and a winner of Best Comedy Film at HUMP! Film Festival.He also just got back from a sold out Australian tour as a part of the Heavy Metal Music Festival KNOTFEST. Millions have enjoyed his stand-up videos online and we’re sure he’ll be able to get a giggle or two out of you.
