Calendar of Events
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.
Jazz Sunday at One World Brewing West is a modern jazz jam held every Sunday afternoon from 1-4pm. Previously known as Jazz Monday, the jam has been running non stop since July, 2018 at the West Asheville brewery and is hosted weekly by The Fully Vaccinated Jazz Trio, consisting of Ray Ring on guitar, Jason DeCristofaro on drums, piano and vibraphone, and Connor Law on bass. Jazz Sunday typically features a guest artist for a short set and then welcomes jazz musicians of all levels to sit in for the remainder of the afternoon on One World’s spacious outdoor stage.
The orchestra, composed of professional and amateur musicians from this area, will perform the perennial family favorite “Peter and the Wolf” by Prokofiev, “The Swan of Tuonela” by Sibelius, “Romance” by Amy Beach, arranged for cello and orchestra, and “The Swan” from “Carnival of the Animals” by Saint-Saens. Christine Lance Lee, cellist is the featured soloist.
The Four Seasons Chamber Orchestra presents its fall concert, “Mes Amis, Les Animaux” with a program that includes the perennial family-favorites Peter and the Wolf by Sergei Prokofiev, The Swan of Tuonela by Jean Sibelius, Romance by Amy Beach, and The Swan from Carnival of the Animals by
Camille Saint-Saens.
The Main Stage Theatre at HART
Directed by Shelia Sumpter with Kids at HART
Our story begins in a faraway kingdom long ago. A cursed, unhappy King and a terror of a Queen rule the kingdom. In an attempt to keep their young Prince Dauntless single, Queen Aggeravain has decreed that only the princess that can pass her test may marry her son. Further, no one else in the kingdom may marry until Prince Dauntless does. Luckily, Sir Harry is able to find an amazing princess, Winnifred the Woebegone who instantly catches the attention of Prince Dauntless. She must endure Queen Aggeravain’s impossible tests as well as her scorn to win the Prince and save the kingdom. Mary Rodger’s classic Once Upon A Mattress is a delightful musical that is sure to become a fan favorite with the HART audience!
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
Join us for an afternoon of live classical and contemporary chamber music! Light refreshments will be provided.
Seating is limited, so please call ahead for tickets!
King Margo is Lucciana Costa and Rachel Coats, who grew up 40 minutes apart but didn’t meet until many years later in the middle of a Kentucky field.
Lucciana grew up in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She discovered the dobro at 12 years old, aer she heard “Give It Up Or Let Me Go” by the Dixie Chicks on country radio. She became instantly enamored with the instrument, which led to her playing in several local bands throughout her teens.
Rachel also cut her teeth on the local gig scene in Toledo, Ohio with her musically inclined family. An upright bass player since middle school, Rachel continued on to play in several orchestras and earned a Music Education degree from Bowling Green State University.
Both women spent their twenties building a steady rotation of live shows, studio work and a gun-for-hire reputation as multi-instrumentalists. Rachel was selected to play with several international touring artists in the folk-pop realm on bass and vocals. Lucciana focused on songwriting and composition, spending half a decade in Los Angeles honing her cra and scoring documentaries and commercials. Eventually Lucciana and Rachel found themselves in Nashville, both hired for the same touring band where they met for the first time. They connected instantly, both musically and personally, and the seeds for what would eventually become King Margo were planted.
King Margo hit the road almost immediately, thanks to the girls’ love of travel and their inclination to book shows across the country to hang out with friends and family (and to fund several snowboarding trips). Scrappy gigs and long hours in a van helped solidify the humor and tone of their first album, Barely Gettin By, which was self-recorded and successfully crowdfunded by fans they’d picked up along their travels. Their first album was pure fun, capturing the sarcasm and liveliness honed by playing in rowdy bars deep into the night.
For their second record, King Margo has matured into a more evolved sound. The songs are more personal. The arrangements are more intricate, featuring soaring harmonies that have captured listeners across the country. “She never boarded up the windows/Grandma likes to say/She rode out every storm/Frying chicken just the same,”opens the song “Monsters,” inspired by a conversation overheard in a New Orleans coffee shop. There are songs of hurricanes, apocalyptic house parties, murderous beauties, love and heartbreak.
King Margo is ready for a beer in your town. If they’re not making music, they are rock climbing or snowboarding. They are disciples of living the good life, taking care of the people around you and being nicer to the planet. They want to see you somewhere out there soon.
Come enjoy an evening of live music, food and drinks at Isis Music Hall. Advanced Reservations are highly recommended.
Tony®-winning director Bartlett Sher and the team behind South Pacific and The King and I bring a fresh and authentic vision to this beloved theatrical masterpiece from Tony-winner Joseph Stein and Pulitzer Prize winners Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick.
The original production won ten Tony Awards, including a special Tony for becoming the longest-running Broadway musical of all time. You’ll be there when the sun rises on this new production, with stunning movement and dance from acclaimed Israeli choreographer Hofesh Shechter, based on the original staging by Jerome Robbins. A wonderful cast and a lavish orchestra tell this heartwarming story of fathers and daughters, husbands and wives, and the timeless traditions that define faith and family.
Featuring the Broadway classics “Tradition,” “If I Were a Rich Man,” “Sunrise, Sunset,” “Matchmaker, Matchmaker” and “To Life,” FIDDLER ON THE ROOF will introduce a new generation to this uplifting celebration that raises its cup to joy! To love! To life!
Five Finger Death Punch and Brantley Gilbert will join forces this fall for a massive U.S. arena tour with support from newcomer Cory Marks. Produced by Live Nation, the trek will kick off in Grand Rapids on November 9 and lay waste to 20 more cities before wrapping up in Las Vegas on December 17.
From crystalline picking to angelic songcraft, singer/songwriter Christie Lenée’s forthcoming new album reminds devout listeners and recently converted fans of her spiritual and sublime songwriting, featuring inspired lyrics and, of course, sensational guitar playing.
A Tampa native and North Carolina resident, Lenée took First Place at the International Fingerstyle Guitar Championship in 2017, was voted Acoustic Guitarist of the Year by England’s Music Radar in 2019, and was named Named “One of the Best Acoustic Guitarists in the World Right Now” by Guitar World in 2020. Even though her last release, Circle Round the Sun, was a best-of, her new record, Coming Alive, with its iconic guitar hooks and powerhouse vocal performances, feel like a giant leap forward. And that jump was made with eyes wide open.
This time out, she decided to make everything bigger, brighter, and more electric. The first line of the first song, the title track (“I’ve got a feeling deep inside”), tells you everything you need to know: Lenée’s sixth album is a chronicle of joy and hope, of self-confidence and empowerment, of renewal and light.
Coming Alive was conceived in the heart of the pandemic. “Since I was in a quiet introversion in a log cabin in the mountains of Lake Lure,” explains Lenée, “ I found that the only place I could travel was inside the journey of music. That experience of quiet and a lack of much real human connection directed me deeper within to a place of self-growth and discovery.”
The original plan for the album was to make a stripped-down acoustic/vocal record. “As we started getting into it,” Lenée says,” I realized there was absolutely no reason to compromise the vision of where I could hear these songs going.” The best studio musicians she knew were also off tour, so it was the perfect time to amplify the song arrangements with an arena rock heart. She even purchased her first American Strat electric guitar to accompany her cherished family of specialty 12 strings, acoustics, and electrics during the making of the album. That classic edge rock sound made the cut and became the lead tone for the iconic guitar solos on “Daylight Comes” and “Free World Citizen.”
This is also the first Lenée album where her voice feels like a lead instrument. Supported by a core trio of vocal coaches as she prepared to go into the studio, she made an energetic transition into allowing her vocals to carry the songs and skyrocket above the guitars. “Since I have always led with my guitar as my first instrument,” she says, “letting the vocals take the lead was a big transition for me as an artist. It was a shift of consciousness that took place while making this album, and for that reason alone, it is like nothing I have ever recorded.”
Take that title track: It began with a riff that Lenée recorded in her log cabin home in Lake Lure, NC, in July 2020. After being worked over a bit by her pal Laurence Juber (guitarist known from Paul McCartney and Wings) with some electric elements, she fleshed it out with melody and lyrics.
“Despite being alone in a log cabin while writing Coming Alive,” Lenée says, “I was generating a feeling of energy and freedom from deep in my core.” Those heightened, stimulated emotions evoked in “Coming Alive” made it a perfect title track. From there, the album documents the totality of human experience: desire, self-doubt, fear, loss, tragedy, gratitude, celebration, love, and belonging.
“Fly Away,” which dates from January 2020, was written with friends and fellow songwriters Dani Shay and Lily Mae Harrington. “The song started with the guitar riff that came to me in a dream while staying in their Hollywood home,” Lenée says. “I showed the riff to them, and they started singing, then it evolved from there. We wanted to write a song about the feeling of falling in love… invoking passion, tension, intensity, and surrender, and the anticipation that inevitably builds up before taking any great leap.”
Speaking of love, “Victory We Won,” written for her partner Laura and amplified with an exquisite soprano 12-string guitar, is a profound and gorgeous song, not to mention highlighting the happy accidents of recording: “At times I was so close to the microphone that my voice peaked the gain of the mic,” Lenée says, “I chose to leave the performance as is. For me, that slight crunch on the lead vocal brought more passion and intimacy to the song.”
Longtime fans will note the appearance of a more rockin’ “Free World Citizen.” It was recorded initially in 2018, but since it has been Lenée’s most popular live song, here is a fresh performance generating new life with a full-band and rock-inspired electric guitar solo. Christie’s live energy was really captured in this recording.
Lenée collaborated with a bevy of talented musicians on Coming Alive: Matthew Odmark (Jars of Clay) to co-produce; and her band features drummer Keith Carlock (Steely Dan, Toto, Sting, John Mayer) and Grammy Award Winning bassist Adam Nitti (Kenny Loggins, Carrie Underwood, Susan Tedeschi). It’s a dream lineup put together to create Lenée’s quintessential statement piece.
At the pinnacle of her career so far, Lenée has been voraciously praised by Guitar Player Magazine, Acoustic Guitar Magazine, and Guitar World, shared stages with exalted musicians such as Tommy Emmanuel, Tim Reynolds (Dave Matthews Band), Amy Ray (Indigo Girls), and Melissa Etheridge, and has stacked up endorsements from guitar companies like Martin, Luna, Irvin, and Veillette, alongside her signature string set via Savarez Strings. With a showcase slot at 2022’s Americanafest and a new album in hand, she’s ready to shake off the past and come alive again – right on time.
Come enjoy an evening of live music, food and drinks at the Isis Music Hall. Reservations are highly recommended.
General Admission Tickets are available on line :: Reserved Seat Tickets are available with Dinner reservations – You must call the venue at 828-575-2737 to make dinner reservations and secure those tickets.
... a roots music one-man-band from Black Mountain, North Carolina, who has been playing guitar since the age of 7 and writing songs since high school. A prolific songwriter, Jay’s performance repertoire contains more than 100 original songs, as well as hundreds of covers from a wide spectrum of genres. Jay has spent years traveling and playing around the U.S., absorbing our rich musical heritage and performing with artists such as Doc Watson, Old Crow Medicine Show, and Etta Baker. Jay has also taken multiple trips to Ghana, West Africa, where he studied and performed traditional African music with the Ghanaians.
White Horse’s legendary Open Mic takes place each and every Tuesday at 7pm.
You’ll hear a variety of wonderfully talented folks on their way up. You never know what you’ll hear… original songs, covers, guitar, piano….. and often something quite surprising.
The signup sheet is placed on the bar at 6:30 and the first ten to sign in are the performers for the evening. Each gets 15 minutes or three songs.
It’s a lot of fun… especially since it’s FREE !!!!!
– ALL AGES
– LIMITED SEATING AVAILABLE
THE DIRTY FRENCH BROADS
The Dirty French Broads are an Americana Grass band from the mountains of Western North Carolina bringing you heart-stirring ballads and lively cut-a-rugs with the energy of a thousand golden retriever puppies in their first snowfall. Lead singer Kate Thomas draws the audience with her rich, smoky timbre and leaves them laughing beer up their noses, wishing they’d worn their dancing shoes.
This lively crew plays just about everything that has strings, but usually graces the stage with a guitar, mandolin, fiddle, banjo, bass, and when the weather’s right – the occasional kazoo. Authentic and endearing with a little spice, they’re a few shades apart from the established Americana scene, and you’ll definitely want to join their book club.
BARRETT DAVIS
Barrett Davis is a Western North Carolina singer-songwriter/guitarist who chose the life of a ragged troubadour. That small, glowing ember of inspiration and creativity, which has always remained at the core of Davis, is now a burning, eternal fire — bringing forth an honest sense of self through the prism of his perceptive lyrics and heartfelt melodies. His latest album “The Ballad of Aesop Fin” is a vibrant tapestry, meandering from modern Americana to classic country, indie-folk to the “high, lonesome sound” of bluegrass
Join us for a weekly mountain music JAM with players in a round, where the session is focused on regional fiddle tunes and songs! You are welcome to come and listen or to learn and join in. This event supports the Henderson County Junior Appalachian Musician (JAM) Kids Program. Free but donations are accepted. Weekly event takes place at Oklawaha Brewing Company.
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.
Hosted by Richard and Melinda Halford
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.
Book now for the Meadowlark Annual Thanksgiving dinner 5pm Nov 24th. Turkey, Ham, Boyd’s Elk Chili and all the traditional sides as well as Joseph’s pineapple upside down cake and Barber Orchard fruit pies. Dinner is $20 for hotel guests and $30 for non guests and includes a glass of wine or a beer of your choice. Mike Ogletree will be playing Scottish and Irish folk songs. The Speakeasy will have the football games on during the day and music later that night. Last year was a special party with guests, family and friends.
Gates open at 5:30pm
All Ages – under 12 requires venue approval
RAIN OR SHINE
CLEAR BAGS ONLY
https://www.etix.com/ticket/p/3371988/david-wilcox-annual-thanksgiving-homecoming-concert-asheville-grey-eagle-music-hall
The WNC tradition continues! This show has become a Playhouse favorite with a brand new show every year. Join the merriment of sleigh bells and mistletoe, miracles and Santa Claus, and so much more. Showcasing a cast of Flat Rock favorites, the Flat Rock Playhouse Chorus, and Pat’s School of Dance, this holiday revue promises to leave you feeling merry and bright!
“Kevin Spears puts on a performance full of groove, sound and intimacy that draws you into his unique yet universal world”. -Benoit Glazer musical director Cirque Du SOLEIL
AfroPop WorldWide says: “Spears utilizes the traditional African instrument and tweaks it to create a soulful, funky sound that would make Stevie Wonder smile.”
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Hailed by many as one of the best kalimba players alive today, Kevin Spears has raised and rewritten what is possible on the traditional African instrument called kalimba. As a one-man ensemble, Spear’s mastery of the kalimba, customized musical gadgets, tiny synths and experimental percussion allow him to create live a fusion of world, jazz and folktronica that moves you’re feet and stirs your soul.
Bob Sinclair and the Big Deals is a unique ensemble in the age of “already been done” acoustic bands. Showcasing their original songs, the group merges Southern story-telling, chamber music sensibilities and jazz-influenced melodies to create an original musical sound – elegant, but feisty and unfiltered. This band definitely distinguishes itself in the crowed acoustic music scene. The Big Deals have demonstrated that they are equally comfortable on the big festival stages of Merlefest and Possumfest or the intimacy of the listening rooms and theaters of the US.
Come enjoy an evening of live music, food and drinks in the Isis Music Hall Lounge. Reservations are highly recommended.
“The Carolina Waltz” is the premier tribute to The Band’s Last Waltz in the Carolinas – and we will be returning to Salvage Station on Saturday, Nov 26!
The Band’s Last Waltz concert originally took place on Thanksgiving Day, 1976 at Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco. The Band was the core band, and special guests like Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Neil Young, and Van Morrison shined on stage throughout the night.
At The Carolina Waltz this year, Into The Fog is the core band, and special guests will be making their own stellar appearances during the show. You will see members of Abby Bryant & The Echoes, Dr. Bacon, Hustle Souls, Maj Deeka, Tumbao, Rebekah Todd, and more!
This tour also has stops in Charleston SC, Raleigh NC, and Wilmington NC.
Each city has a different set list and different special guests!
Promoter Brian Turk is the creator of The Carolina Waltz tour. Brian’s father worked for Levon Helm (drummer from The Band) and Brian got to spend a little bit of time with Levon – and hear a lot of stories from his father about Levon. We do this tribute with Levon in our hearts – and with some amazingly talented musicians from across North Carolina on the stage.
ALL AGES
– STANDING ROOM ONLY
Acoustic Syndicate is a musical institution. Since 1994, their unique blend of bluegrass instruments, rock sensibilities, and conscious songwriting has inspired a generation of musicians. Through 8 albums, thousands of performances, and tens-of-thousands of miles, Acoustic Syndicate has long been heralded as one of the important influences on the modern roots-music revival.
Always a family affair, the band is fronted by Steve McMurry on guitar and vocals, and his cousin Bryon McMurry on banjo, guitar, and vocals. Their signature three-part blood harmony is rounded out by Bryon’s brother Fitz on drums and vocals. Multi-instrumentalist Jay Sanders holds down the bass with deep pocket and style.
“Their modern take on traditional bluegrass and rock values culminates in a glimmering, driving sound rich with acoustic textures and glowing vocals,” said Paul Kerr, of JamBase.
If there was ever a band that could capture the universal truths of life from the roots up, it’s Acoustic Syndicate.
The WNC tradition continues! This show has become a Playhouse favorite with a brand new show every year. Join the merriment of sleigh bells and mistletoe, miracles and Santa Claus, and so much more. Showcasing a cast of Flat Rock favorites, the Flat Rock Playhouse Chorus, and Pat’s School of Dance, this holiday revue promises to leave you feeling merry and bright!
Legendary bluesman MAC ARNOLD returns to the White Horse stage with his band PLATE FULL O BLUES !!!
Born and raised on a sharecroppers’ farm in Pelzer, South Carolina and one of thirteen children, Arnold grew up in a world where blues music did not exist, at least to his devoutly religious parents. After his introduction to the “wireless” radio of a childhood friend, Arnold fell in love with the blues, especially the blues being broadcast from Chicago. In 1966, he joined the Muddy Waters band in Chicago, performing the electric blues that helped evolve the growing Rock and Roll movement.
Mac Arnold – bass, rhythm gas can guitar, slide gas can guitar, vocals
Plate Full O’ Blues
Austin Brashier – guitar, vocals
Max Hightower – harmonica, guitar, bass, keyboard, vocals
Rick Latham – drums
Mike Frost – bass
Mac Arnold’s first band included James Brown on piano. Mac moved to Chicago and Muddy Waters hired him on the spot. He toured and recorded with the Muddy Waters Band and recorded LPs with Otis Spann and John Lee Hooker. Mac moved to Los Angeles and produced Soul Train with his friend Don Cornelius. He even played bass on the Sanford & Son television show when he wasn’t playing bass for Otis Redding and B.B. King. He retired from show business to be an organic farmer. Mac is back with his own band and a “plate full” of CDs, building a new foundation in blues, soul and funk.
Mac Arnold must have known at an early age that his music career would read like a “Who’s who” of Blues/R&B Legends. His high school band “J Floyd & The Shamrocks” were often joined by none other than Macon, Georgia native, James Brown on piano. After deciding to pursue a professional music career, he joined the Charles Miller group until 1965 when he made the move to Chicago to work with recording artist/saxophonist A. C. Reed.
In late 1966, at age 24, came the opportunity of a lifetime to join the Muddy Waters Band and help shape the electric blues sound that inspired the rock and roll movement of the late 60’s and early 70’s. Regular guests of the band included Eric Clapton, Paul Butterfield, Mike Bloomfield, and Elvin Bishop. The Muddy Waters Band (as a unit) shared the stage with the likes of Howlin’ Wolfe, Elmore James, Jimmy Reed, Junior Wells, Big Joe Williams, and Big Mama Thornton just to name a few. During this time, Mac played on John Lee Hooker’s “live “album, Live at the Café Au Go-Go, as well as Otis Spann’s classic recording “The Blues is Where It’s At”.
After more than a year with Muddy Waters, Mac formed the Soul Invaders which backed up many artists, including The Temptations and B. B. King. In the early 70’s, he moved Los Angeles to work at ABC Television and LAFF RECORDS (Redd Foxx). This led to working on the set of Soul Train from 1971 to 1975 and then working with Bill Withers (“Lean On Me”) before moving back to South Carolina in the 80”s.
The great Muddy Waters said to me, “Always be conscientious, and treat your fellow man like you want to be treated.” And that’s what he did. He always treated us like we were part of his immediate family. So that’s what I like doing.
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TICKET PRICES:
$18 in Advance
$20 at the Door
Student Ticket: $10 (must show Student ID at the Door)