Upcoming events and things to do in Asheville, NC. Below is a list of events for festivals, concerts, art exhibitions, group meetups and more.

Interested in adding an event to our calendar? Please click the green “Post Your Event” button below.

Sunday, April 9, 2023
Live music with our favorite Hunnilicious
Apr 9 @ 2:30 pm – 5:30 pm
Saint Paul Mountain Vineyards

Come hang with our favorite mother daughter Duo is back to perform all your favorites. Enjoy great music, great wine and food, with great friends!

Jack of the Wood : Sunday-Irish Session
Apr 9 @ 3:00 pm
Jack of the Wood

 

Jack of the Wood : Sunday-Irish Session 

Sundays

1 till who knows when?

Traditional Irish music is kept alive at Jack of the Wood with our unplugged Sunday session.

Jack of the Wood

95 Patton ave

Asheville, NC 28801

(828) 252.5445

http://www.jackofthewood.com/

Phuncle Sam at The Outpost
Apr 9 @ 4:00 pm
The Outpost

Phuncle Sam is Asheville’s own Dead-Centric “jam band”. Since their formation in 2004, Phuncle Sam has been firmly rooted in musical exploration. The band serves up inventive interpretations of Jerry Garcia, Grateful Dead, and many others. They have built up a faithful following by using an approach that respects the improvisational traditions of The Grateful Dead, while exploring what can happen when individual band members bring their unique influences and interpretations into the mix.

CATS
Apr 9 @ 6:30 pm
Peace Concert Hall

“ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER’S MEGAHIT. THIS IS THE CATS YOU KNOW AND LOVE!” – The New York Times

CATS, the record-breaking musical spectacular by Andrew Lloyd Webber that has captivated audiences in over 30 countries and 15 languages, is now on tour across North America! Audiences and critics alike are rediscovering this beloved musical with breathtaking music, including one of the most treasured songs in musical theater—”Memory.” Winner of seven Tony Awards®, including BEST MUSICAL, CATS tells the story of one magical night when an extraordinary tribe of cats gathers for its annual ball to rejoice and decide which cat will be reborn.

The original score by Andrew Lloyd Webber (The Phantom of the Opera, School of Rock, Sunset Boulevard), original scenic and costume design by John Napier (Les Misérables), all-new lighting design by Natasha Katz (Aladdin), all-new sound design by Mick Potter, new choreography by Andy Blankenbuehler (Hamilton) based on the original choreography by Gillian Lynne (Phantom) and direction by Trevor Nunn (Les Misérables) make this production a new CATS for a new generation!

Monday, April 10, 2023
SCOTT BRADLEE’S POSTMODERN JUKEBOX: LIFE IN THE PAST LANE TOUR
Apr 10 @ 7:30 pm
Peace Center

Times change and trends come and go, but – like a 1961 Jaguar XK-E – the classic sounds of the past only appreciate with age.

Postmodern Jukebox’s Life In The Past Lane Concert Tour is a celebration of the greatest 20th century musical genres, fused with the recognizable hits of our own modern era, for the perfect patina of “vintage” and “modern.” As always, we’ll be bringing the PMJ Universe to life with a cast full of today’s most exciting vocalists, instrumentalists, and tap dancers, to bring you the top-shelf entertainment experience for which PMJ is known.

Whether you’re a vinyl aficionado or a TikTok fashionista, catch a ride with us for an unforgettable trip through 100 years of timeless music.

Tuesday, April 11, 2023
Cinderella Magic Package
Apr 11 all-day
online w/ Flat Rock Playhouse

We are excited to bring this special package to you and your loved ones. It’s super easy!

  1. Pick your show date – June 14, 17, 21, 24 (Evening only)
  2. Choose 2 Adult Seats and 2 Student Seats
  3. At Checkout, discount will be applied

Bibbidi-bobbidi-boo!

Your wish is granted!

TICKETS + INFO

If you have any problems, our Box Office is happy to help!

828.693.0731

Indigenous Hip Hop and Activism: Master class with interpreters
Apr 11 @ 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
UNCA

Free + open to all

Indigenous Hip Hop Banner: woman in headdress holding microphones in each hand

UNC Asheville Cultural Events/Equity & Arts Series

April 11-14, 2023 


About the Festival

During the weeklong residency, hip-hop Indigenous artists, graffiti artists and DJs will meet on the campus of UNC Asheville (Antokiasdiyi, Cherokee territory) to share and exchange their music and language with our community. This is a unique opportunity for the university and community to engage with contemporary Native American and Indigenous musicians. The three main rappers and artists will visit from Chile, Mexico and the US. In decolonizing academia, this week will provide an alternative space to learn about Indigenous land-based ways of being both in North America and Latin America. We are partnering with the Museum of the Cherokee Indian and local hip hop artists and community leaders.

LEAF Instrument Petting Zoo
Apr 11 @ 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm
LEAF Global Arts

What is sound? How does a person hear and listen to music? Why is it one of the most powerful expressions of humanity? All that exists creates sound. The tiniest elements of everything on this planet move, vibrate, and therefore create resonance or sound. This powerful force has the ability to heal and create or confuse and destroy. Once we understand what sound truly is, we have the ability to influence our consciousness, as well as our environment. Imagine a space where people of all ages can explore sound, view and play with instruments from around the world, and experience through music the commonalties of cultures. Music influences our social, emotional, cognitive, physical, spiritual, and creative selves. People will be able to understand the science behind how they listen and enjoy discovering about brainwave states and how sound effects the mechanics and of the body. That’s exactly what you can do in the LEAF Instrument Petting Zoo!

Activating Indigenous Beats: Hip Hop Nativo Festival: Jam Session with Artists
Apr 11 @ 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm
UNCA

Free + open to all

Indigenous Hip Hop Banner: woman in headdress holding microphones in each hand

UNC Asheville Cultural Events/Equity & Arts Series

April 11-14, 2023 


About the Festival

During the weeklong residency, hip-hop Indigenous artists, graffiti artists and DJs will meet on the campus of UNC Asheville (Antokiasdiyi, Cherokee territory) to share and exchange their music and language with our community. This is a unique opportunity for the university and community to engage with contemporary Native American and Indigenous musicians. The three main rappers and artists will visit from Chile, Mexico and the US. In decolonizing academia, this week will provide an alternative space to learn about Indigenous land-based ways of being both in North America and Latin America. We are partnering with the Museum of the Cherokee Indian and local hip hop artists and community leaders.

HOT TUNA (Acoustic Duo)
Apr 11 @ 7:30 pm
Diana Wortham Theatre

The name Hot Tuna invokes as many different moods and reactions as there are Hot Tuna fans — millions of them. To some, Hot Tuna is a reminder of some wild and happy times. To others, that name will forever be linked to their own discovery of the power and depth of American blues and roots music. To newer fans, Hot Tuna is a tight, masterful duo that is on the cutting edge of great music.

All of those things are correct, and more. For more than four decades, Hot Tuna has played, toured, and recorded some of the best and most memorable acoustic and electric music ever. And Hot Tuna is still going strong — some would say stronger than ever.

Orville Peck The Bronco Tour
Apr 11 @ 8:00 pm
Thomas Wolfe Auditorium

Orville Peck is country music’s newest outlaw. His handmade, fringed masks, which obscure his features except for a pair of ice blue eyes, belie his deeply personal lyrics, while his ornate Nudie suits recall the golden age of country. Peck’s masks and theatric stage presence immediately grab audience attention, similar to the way Dolly Parton and Johnny Cash’s larger-than-life images captured him as a young man. However, it’s his voice and his songwriting, influenced by Parton, Loretta Lynn, Townes Van Zandt, and Gram Parsons, that have captivated a fan base as extensive and diverse as his musical tastes. Citing artists from Ernest Tubb (the first country artist to use an electric guitar at the Grand Ole Opry) to Kacey Musgraves, Peck says, ”Every decade or so, there comes a new batch of artists that shake up the question of ‘what is country?’ “I’m in the middle of that more often than not these days. I kind of like it, because I think I’m in good company.” Orville Peck is taking his “Bronco Tour” to cities across the U.S. in 2023.

Wednesday, April 12, 2023
IRISH MUSIC CIRCLE
Apr 12 @ 7:00 pm
White Horse Black Mountain

The traditional music of the mountains of North Carolina traces its roots back to the Celtic music of Ireland and Scotland. Traditional Celtic music is still played on the porches and in the pubs of the Celtic lands… and also throughout the southern Appalachian mountains.

In true pub fashion, White Horse Black Mountain hosts a traditional Irish style session twice a month, on the second and fourth Wednesdays, starting at 7pm….

……..and there is NO COVER CHARGE.

Sessions are in many ways the heart and soul of Irish traditional music, a place for players to share tunes and socialize. It’s not a performance, but rather an informal situation in which listeners are welcome to participate, whether offering encouragement, singing along on a chorus, or asking questions about the music and instruments. White Horse sessions regularly draws players from as far away as Waynesville, Cullowhee, Rutherfordton and even Clayton, Georgia.

The sessions are hosted by Richard and Melinda Halford.

Drop by for a beer or a cup of tea and get uplifted by some great traditional tunes and a few new songs.

Come join us in a long musical tradition spanning hundreds of years.

MOLCHAT DOMA
Apr 12 @ 8:00 pm
The Orange Peel
Vancouver Sleep Clinic
Apr 12 @ 8:00 pm
The Grey Eagle

– ALL AGES
– STANDING ROOM ONLY

VANCOUVER SLEEP CLINIC

Vancouver Sleep Clinic is the lustful, ambient guise of 26-year-old singer-songwriter and producer Tim Bettinson. Across his catalogue, elements of anthemic indie rock, intimate R&B, and sophisticated folk provide a sweeping film soundtrack for Bettinson’s gentle vocal and expansive storytelling. Emerging from his native Brisbane, Australia on the strength of a series of singles including “Someone To Stay,” “Middle of Nowhere,” “The Wire,” and the bedroom-produced viral cover of “As It Was,” Vancouver Sleep Clinic is poised to shift from under the radar success story to 2023 global headline mainstay.

GHOSTLY KISSES
Music has always been around Margaux Sauvé, born in Quebec to a family of musicians; she picked up the violin at the tender age of five. Moving on to the Conservatoire in Quebec, she quit due to“missing the fun part of it” but still loved music so started to play violin in local bands. Singing came a bit later as she thought that “to be a singer you had to have a powerful voice and be loud”, something that doesn’t come naturally to her as a quiet, thoughtful person. Alongside this, the pop music on the radio whilst growing up in Quebec wasn’t connecting with her, so it wasn’t until she started to write music whilst studying psychology at University that the creativity and desire to express revealed itself: “it just opened a completely new path for me”.

Writing music as Ghostly Kisses arrived at a moment where Margaux was in “a living situation I was not able to get out of. A toxic relationship where I had a hard time understanding what was happening.” With this knowledge, it is understandable that most of her early music has a sorrowful but exploratory mood; knowing there were things she needed to express, but not understanding quite how instinctively she was writing until years later it became apparent what she was singing about.

And now, with ‘Heaven, Wait’, her mesmeric debut album ready for release, her songwriting has developed to the point that this is the first time she has written and felt like she was part of the conversation. Able to view herself with an external eye, the album reflects transitions and rebirth – still talking about difficult situations, but with the ability to cast someone else in the lead role, giving the music a deeply personal yet starkly universal appeal. One which Margaux feels has come from “a more mature, adult way of looking at it.”

Identifying key themes of the album, Margaux frames the album artwork within the context of the songs as being “from water towards the air, there’s a lot of dark around me and I’m just going through to the light.” And that feels like the crux of the album, that nothing is perfect – there are always difficult situations, but it is about trusting the process and working hard towards something positive.

Thursday, April 13, 2023
Cinderella Magic Package
Apr 13 all-day
online w/ Flat Rock Playhouse

We are excited to bring this special package to you and your loved ones. It’s super easy!

  1. Pick your show date – June 14, 17, 21, 24 (Evening only)
  2. Choose 2 Adult Seats and 2 Student Seats
  3. At Checkout, discount will be applied

Bibbidi-bobbidi-boo!

Your wish is granted!

TICKETS + INFO

If you have any problems, our Box Office is happy to help!

828.693.0731

The Young (and not-so-young) Person’s Guide to the Orchestra with Igor Begelman
Apr 13 @ 4:00 pm
Tryon Fine Arts Center
LEAF Instrument Petting Zoo
Apr 13 @ 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm
LEAF Global Arts

What is sound? How does a person hear and listen to music? Why is it one of the most powerful expressions of humanity? All that exists creates sound. The tiniest elements of everything on this planet move, vibrate, and therefore create resonance or sound. This powerful force has the ability to heal and create or confuse and destroy. Once we understand what sound truly is, we have the ability to influence our consciousness, as well as our environment. Imagine a space where people of all ages can explore sound, view and play with instruments from around the world, and experience through music the commonalties of cultures. Music influences our social, emotional, cognitive, physical, spiritual, and creative selves. People will be able to understand the science behind how they listen and enjoy discovering about brainwave states and how sound effects the mechanics and of the body. That’s exactly what you can do in the LEAF Instrument Petting Zoo!

PATIO: Griefcat + Brittany Ann Tranbaugh
Apr 13 @ 5:00 pm
The Grey Eagle

– ALL AGES
– LIMITED PATIO SEATING IN FIRST COME FIRST SERVE

GRIEFCAT
Griefcat is an all-women musical comedy duo hailed as “local favorites” by Washington City Paper in their hometown of DC. Often referred to as “Tenacious Double D’s” due to their musicality and hilarious lyrics, their sequin studded shows have been referred to by attendees as “the most fun [we’ve] had since Lizzo.” They recently finished recording their 2nd studio album, “late stage capitalism,” with singles expected in Spring of 2023. A live clip of one of their upcoming singles, “Revolution (Poop at Work), ” recently garnered over 1M views on Instagram and counting.

BRITTANY ANN TRANBAUGH
Brittany Ann Tranbaugh is a singer songwriter hailing from Philadelphia. Her queer country song “Kiss You” won Song of the Year in the 2021 John Lennon Songwriting Contest, and she regularly tours with Carsie Blanton. In October, she recorded a 5 song EP in LA with Grammy-nominated producer Tyler Chester, and will be releasing a single every 6 weeks beginning in March.

Live Music with Aaron Lafalce
Apr 13 @ 6:00 pm
131 Main Restaurant
Every Thursday
IRIS DEMENT
Apr 13 @ 7:30 pm
Diana Wortham Theatre

On her transcendent new record, Workin’ On A World, Iris DeMent faces the modern world — as it is right now — with its climate catastrophe, pandemic illness, and epidemic of violence and social injustice — and not only asks us how we can keep working towards a better world, but implores us to love each other, despite our very different ways of seeing. Her songs are her way of healing our broken inner and outer spaces.

With an inimitable voice as John Prine described, “like you’ve heard, but not really,” and unforgettable melodies rooted in hymns, gospel, and old country music, she’s simply one of the finest singer-songwriters in America as well as one of our fiercest advocates for human rights. Her debut record Infamous Angel, which just celebrated its 30th anniversary, was recently named one of the “greatest country albums of all time” by Rolling Stone, and the two albums that followed, My Life and The Way I Should, were both nominated for GRAMMYs. From there, DeMent released three records on her own label, Flariella Records, the most recent of which, The Trackless Woods (2015), was hailed as “a quietly powerful triumph” by The Guardian. DeMent’s songs have also been featured in film (True Grit) and television (The Leftovers) and recorded by numerous artists. Fittingly, she received the Americana Music Trailblazer Award in 2017.

Workin’ On A World, her seventh album, started with the worry that woke DeMent up after the 2016 elections: how can we survive this? “Every day some new trauma was being added to the old ones that kept repeating themselves, and like everybody else, I was just trying to bear up under it all,” she recalls. She returned to a truth she had known since childhood: music is medicine. “My mom always had a way of finding the song that would prove equal to whatever situation we were facing. Throughout my life, songs have been lending me a hand. Writing songs, singing songs, putting them on records, has been a way for me to extend that hand to others.”

With grace, courage, and soul, Iris shares 13 anthems — love songs, really — to and for our broken inner and outer worlds. DeMent sets the stage for the album with the title track in which she moves from a sense of despair towards a place of promise. “Now I’m workin’ on a world I may never see / Joinin’ forces with the warriors of love / Who came before and will follow you and me.”

She summons various social justice warriors, both past and present, to deliver messages of optimism. “How Long” references Martin Luther King, while “Warriors of Love” includes John Lewis and Rachel Corrie. “Goin’ Down To Sing in Texas” is an ode not only to gun control, but also to the brave folks who speak out against tyranny and endure the consequences in an unjust world. “I kept hearing a lot of talk about the arc of history that Dr. King so famously said bends towards justice,” she recalls. “I was having my doubts. But, then it dawned on me, he never said the arc would magically bend itself. Songs, over the course of history, have proven to be pretty good arc benders.”

Bending inward, DeMent reaches agilely under the slippery surface of politics. She grapples with loss on the deeply honest “I Won’t Ask You Why,” while encouraging compassion over hate in the awe-inspiring “Say A Good Word.” Album closer

“Waycross, Georgia,” encompasses the end of the journey, thanking those along the way. As she approaches subjects of aging, loss, suicide, and service, an arc of compassion elevated to something far beyond words is transmitted. The delicate fierceness encompassed in the riveting power of her voice has somehow only grown over time.

Stalled partway through by the pandemic, the record took six years to make with the help of three friends and co-producers: Richard Bennett, Pieta Brown, and Jim Rooney. It was Pieta Brown who gave the record its final push. “Pieta asked me what had come of the recordings I’d done with Jim and Richard in 2019 and 2020. I told her I’d pretty much given up on trying to make a record. She asked would I mind if she had a listen. So, I had everything we’d done sent over to her, and not long after that I got a text, bouncing with exclamation marks: ‘You have a record and it’s called Workin’ On A World!’” With Bennett back in the studio with them, Brown and DeMent recorded several more songs and put the final touches on the record in Nashville in April of 2022.

The result is a hopeful album — shimmering with brilliant flashes of poignant humor and uplifting tenderness — that speaks the truth, “in the way that truth is always hopeful,” she explains. Reflecting on the lyrics of the song “The Sacred Now” (“see these walls/ let’s bring ‘em on down / it’s not a dream; it’s the sacred now”), DeMent is reminded of Jesus saying the Kingdom of God is within you and the Buddhist activist monk Thich Nhat Hanh saying the rose is in the compost; the compost is in the rose. On Workin’ On A World, Iris DeMent demonstrates that songs are the healing and the healing arises through song.

Date(s):

Jumping Jack Flash A Tribute to the Rolling Stones
Apr 13 @ 7:30 pm
Flat Rock Playhouse

There’s no doubt that when it comes to rock & roll, the Rolling Stones define the genre and a generation. Jumping Jack Flash is considered by many to be the best Rolling Stones tribute band and has been wowing audiences for years performing on stages all over the world. Lead singer Joey Infante perfectly captures what it is about Jagger that makes him one of rock’s all-time icons.  Join us on the Rock and witness what made the original bad boys of Rock among the greatest showmen of their time. “…Jumping Jack Flash makes you feel that you are truly at a Stones concert.” –Music Arts Monthly

Old Crow Medicine Show
Apr 13 @ 7:30 pm
Spartanburg Memorial Auditorium

Dexter and the Moonrocks
Apr 13 @ 8:00 pm
The Grey Eagle

– ALL AGES
– STANDING ROOM ONLY

DEXTER AND THE MOONROCKS
Hailing from Abilene, Texas, Dexter & The Moonrocks deliver a unique Southern Alternative fusion lovingly dubbed “Western Space Grunge” by their fans. The band released their first single “Couch” in August of 2021, taking the internet by storm. After massive success with the hit single, the band released their self-titled EP featuring a number of hits like “Where I Steer” or “Behave” and receiving overwhelmingly positive responses. Lead vocalist/rhythm guitarist James Tuffs, lead guitarist/vocal harmonizer Ryan Anderson, bassist Ty Anderson, and drummer/vocal harmonizer Fox, draw on their favorite elements of bands like Nirvana, Austin Meade, Rainbow Kitten Surprise, and Whiskey Myers in order to create the unique sound that can only be described as “Western Space Grunge.”

Friday, April 14, 2023
LEAF Visiting Teaching Artists May 2023 Catalog
Apr 14 all-day
online
Grey Eagle Patio: PATIO: Liz Hopkins (of Delta Rae) + Azul Zapata
Apr 14 @ 5:00 pm
The Grey Eagle
– ALL AGES
– LIMITED PATIO SEATING IS FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED

LIZ HOPKINS (of DELTA RAE)

Liz Hopkins has been singing since she could talk, and probably sings more than she talks–.in choirs of all kinds, musical theater productions, open jams, sitting in with all kinds of bands, and as a proud member of North Carolina born DELTA RAE. She started harmonizing with Ian Eric and Brittany Holljes during her highschool years — and they are still harmonizing today. DR has played the Eagle many times! But now, Liz is coming at you with her own distinct flavor.

As a vocalist with Delta Rae has toured all over the US, and internationally, released 4 full length albums, played music festivals including Bonnaroo, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, Austin City Limits, Lollapalooza and more- performed on National TV (Jay Leno, Conan O’Brien, Seth Meyers), and had the honor of meeting Michelle Obama, and shared the stage and had a sign off with Melissa Etheridge. She was real nervous. After 2 rounds with labels. In 2019, Delta Rae left the label they were on (again) and set out on their own and became the most funded independent band until the history of Kickstarter. It has been a wild ride and 13 years into full time musician life, she hasn’t slowed down. She remains proud to be part of Delta Rae, who just released 2 albums in 2020 and 2021  – and is back on tour this year!

When Liz is not on the road or in the studio with Delta Rae, she is singing in professional musical theater productions, leading shows of her own around North Carolina, and practicing piano, teaching kids and adults to sing and now finally starting to write her own songs and put together plans for an album of her own. We’ve only just begun…


AZUL ZAPATA

Azul is a queer Latinx musician that oscillates from tender moments of grief and love to disco dance, music numbers on betrayal and the stress of living in our modern world. Oh and sometimes it is in Spanish. She sings and plays trumpet with her best friends and her goal is connect with her listeners. After releasing her debut original EP in 2021  “The View From Here,” Azul played all over NC and opened for several nationally touring acts.

You can hear released music here. You can watch some of the performances here. And the website with everything and socials is here.
LAZOOM Tours: BAND AND BEER TOUR
Apr 14 @ 5:30 pm – 8:30 pm
LaZoom Room

Wanna hear the best local music ​and​ drink the best local beers? Hop aboard LaZoom’s Purple Bus and rock out with a local band while we take you on a journey to Asheville’s premiere local breweries.

  • Curated Live Music & Brewery Bus experience
  • 3 Hours long, includes three 30 Minute Local Brewery Stops
  • You Can Drink on the Funky Purple Bus! **Must be purchased at LaZoom or at brewery stop**
Activating Indigenous Beats: Hip Hop Nativo Festival Concert
Apr 14 @ 6:00 pm – 9:30 pm
UNC Asheville Quad

Free and Open to Everyone

David Childers + The Serpents w/ Zachary Warren
Apr 14 @ 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Bloom WNC Flower Farm

We are delighted to welcome David Childers and The Serpents to Bloom WNC’s Outdoor Concert Series!

David has been writing and performing songs for a diverse range of audiences, in many different places for the last 35 years. He plays solo and plays with a combination of ensembles generally called ‘The Serpents’.

For this Bloom WNC concert, David will be accompanied by Korey Dudley on bass, and Robert Childers on drums and both will also sing back up vocals.

Friday Night Jams with Collin Cheek at the Ridge
Apr 14 @ 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm
The Ridge at Saint Paul Mountain Farms

Our very own Keri Ann has connected with the African Christian Fellowship to embark on a Mission trip this July to Malawi, Africa.

$10 cover charge, a raffle and an opportunity to donate!

To support this wonderful cause, Saint Paul Mountain Vineyard and Appalachian Ridge will kick off Spring with a 4 week Friday Night Jam’s Fundraiser at Appalachian Ridge from 6-9pm. �We will have live Music each Friday from 6-8:30pm. There will be a $10 cover charge, a raffle and an opportunity to donate. All of these proceeds go straight to the ACFUSA to provide and support primary health care needs to 6 villages in Malawi.

Friday Night Jam’s Malawi Fundraiser will take place every other Friday; Friday, April 14th- Live Music with Collin Cheek Friday, April 28th- Live Music with Hunnilicious Friday, May 12th- TBD Friday, May 26th- TBD