Exceptionally versatile singer-songwriter Maggie Rose released her highly anticipated album, Change The Whole Thing, September 21, 2018. The album was named by Rolling Stone as one of the “Best Albums of 2018”. Stamped with her affinity for finely crafted melodies and intricate storytelling, the project encompasses a blend of American music melding Rock, Soul, Rhythm and Blues, Country and Gospel. Recorded entirely live at the famed Starstruck Studios in Nashville, TN and released to overwhelming critical-acclaim, Rose marked major milestones with first-time performances on NBC’s “Today Show,” Southwest’s Live at 35, a debut at AmericanaFest with a show-stopping performance as part of WMOT/NPR’s Wired In series, AOL Build, Paste Sessions and more.

Implementing an impressively demanding method highlighting an artist in complete command of her ever-evolving creative process: live with her 13-piece “family band” in one take, no overdubs, no bullshit and a sound that is best described by the following quote from Rolling Stone:

“Maggie Rose has come into her own with this current earth-conscious, trippy country-soul stage of her ever-evolving musical persona…Rose’s performances showed her embracing her inner soul diva, belting with fire on ‘It’s You’ and the pulverizing ‘Pull You Through.’ Just to drive the point home, Rose and her band even stretched out on a swinging cover of ‘The Letter,’ doing a more-than-respectable impression of the funky Mad Dogs & Englishmen arrangement originally sung by Joe Cocker.”

Rose’s ability to embrace her creative freedom in the studio as an independent artist and capture the synergy of her live performances continued to open the floodgates. Critics raved about her live performances including Rolling Stone who named her in their list of 20 Must See Acts (out of 700), USA Today who named her in their list of “…performers who’ll go above and beyond, define a moment…,” and The Nashville Scene who called her performance, “…visually striking, full-sounding, and highly entertaining…” The Washington Post shared, “…louder, looser, more spontaneous…her voice, which has always threatened to incinerate the eyebrows of anyone sitting in the front row…” and Columbus Alive added that her voice “…could run circles around most of the singers on country and pop radio today…

In addition to her head-turning live performances, critics applauded Rose’s independent rise, after nearly a decade at various labels, both independent and major, and her ability to transcend genres performing with a range of artists. This past year, she toured nationwide on her headlining Change The Whole Thing tour, and made first-time festival appearances aboard the Cayamo Cruise, Peach Music Festival, and opened select tour stops with Rock icons Heart and Joan Jett and The Blackhearts, and pop superstar Kelly Clarkson.

*Tickets only available packaged with the Arena 54 NYE show on Friday, December 31 at Harrah’s Cherokee Center – ExploreAsheville.com Arena

Hailed as “musical explorers” by Rolling Stone, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong first took flight roughly a decade ago at the University of Maryland, and the pysch-funk trailblazers have since gone on to play more than a thousand shows across 44 states. In just the past two years alone, the band has co-billed at Red Rocks, played halftime at Madison Square Garden, performed on Adult Swim’s FishCenter Live, celebrated the tenth anniversary of their beloved music festival, Domefest, and even earned their first headlining arena show. The Baltimore quartet’s latest album, ‘Presto,’ is their most sophisticated and joyful collection to date, drawing on everything from funk to rock to electronic music as it builds off the group’s unparalleled live energy and hits new heights of emotional and technical maturity. At a time when America seems to grow more divided by the day, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong still believes in the power of music to bring people together, and ‘Presto’ is a big, bold album all about celebrating the present and sharing it with the ones we love most.

Join Citizen Vinyl for a Holiday Pop Up shop with local vendors including:

@loomimports (home goods/decor)
@hummingbirdcandles (candles)
@twindenimco (apparel)
@jennypickens616 (art)
@codaavl (vinyl records + art)
+ more!

Food and beverages from @sessionavl

Come get your dance on — let’s ring in the New Year together with a fully conscious, alcohol-free, playful and pleasurable evening together.

Hosted at Making Whole by SeekHealing. Evening will begin at 7pm with a meal and facilitated Connection Practice meeting focused on setting intentions for the new year.

Dancing begins at 9:30pm; mixture of live DJ sets and playlists: electronica, hip-hop, house, glitch-hop, and vapor-twitch.

In addition to the evening meal, SeekHealing will be providing a classy mocktails bar and also serving a variety of delicious, infused water.

Darko Butorac, conductor

General Admission Tickets :: This is a standing/dancing show.  Limited Seating is available in the balcony is first come, first serve.

Dinner reservations are available for the front dining room prior to the show.

Masks are Required

The multi-platinum, Grammy Award Winning group Arrested Development delivers onstage energy to thirsty audiences looking to quench their soul! It’s been more than twenty years since a new group called Arrested Development slammed the gangsta-dominated world of hip hop with defiant lyrics of hope. The world was ready for the change as AD became the first-ever hip-hop artist to receive the “best new artist” Grammy, (a distinction it still maintains today in that category). In addition, the group also received a Grammy award for “best rap single” for their anthemic prayer-like hit song, Tennessee. The song has gone on to be named as one of the 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and in the top 100 Greatest Songs of the ’90s by VH1.

Money came in but not for precious stones and big cars. Instead, these pioneers of the conscious rap game took one big step for mankind by giving back and becoming the first African American artists to donate money to Nelson Mandela and the ANC. They used their voices and their status to the benefit of many underprivileged brothers and sisters around the world. With the success of the single Mr. Wendal, Arrested Development brought the issue of homelessness to the forefront. The group donated half of the royalty earnings from Mr. Wendal to the National Coalition of the Homeless. Awards, chart success, and accolades continued to follow. One of the highlights was being asked to write a song for Spike Lee’s movie about minister and human rights activist, Malcolm X. The movie, X, went on to become one of Spike Lee’s most highly acclaimed works. The Arrested Development song, Revolution, would forever be associated with one of the most important movies in black culture. (Eighteen years later, the response that comes whenever the group performs this song is inspiring. Their album, 3 years, 5 months, and 2 days In The Life of…, sold over 4 million units, with singles from that maiden voyage playing like a soundtrack in the lives of so many people worldwide Their sophomore release Zingalamaduni was a critics’ favorite. Although the album was well received and garnered another Grammy nomination, it failed to reach the same heights as the previous album. Nonetheless, it reached sales of over 500,000 copies.

Just as it seemed that positive hip hop had found a way of being embraced by the mainstream, a new wave of negative hip hop artists, demeaning women, glorifying drugs and promoting criminality, came along and energized the base at the corporate record companies, prompting record executives to inject more and more money to get these negative stereotypes into the minds and hearts of young people, of whom many, were desperately searching for their path and identity in life. The move proved to be an enormous success for these artists while making corporations billions of dollars. With the pressures of the music industry weighing heavily, and inner turmoil striking within the group, it was time for Arrested Development to take a break and redefine its individual and collective purpose. For some members, it was time to take a hiatus from the industry, for a few, it was time to start a family, while other members delved into new musical projects and collaborations.

In the year 2000, Arrested Development re-emerged with a new lineup and a new album called “Heroes of the harvest” This time the inner turmoil was replaced by inner peace, the pressures of the industry were lifted, and one of hip hop’s best, was back rocking stages. For the last twenty years, Arrested Development has performed sold-out concerts in literally every part of the world. In September 2019, the band was given an award at the Black Music Honors Awards. This award acknowledges Artists who have made a significant contribution to African American Music. The band continues to release new music and find new success in different corners of the globe. Their shows are a celebration of life. Experiencing an Arrested Development concert is an uplifting and spiritual event wrapped into one big party. They continue to release new music (Craft & Optics) and Speech has released two documentaries. “The Nigga Factory” (mini-doc) featuring Chuck D, David Banner, Dr. Umar Johnson, and more! “The N Factory” is hailed as a MUST SEE by Boyce Watkins (Your Black World) and the powerful full-length doc “16 Bars” where Speech goes into jail for 10 days to write music with inmates has won numerous film festival awards!

Ring in 2022 with ill.Gates, Kirby Bright, Zeplinn, & a very special secret guest at The Orange Peel Friday, December 31st! Originally scheduled to take place at the Sly Grog, the venue experienced a tragic fire on December 1st. The show is moving to The Orange Peel and proceeds will help to support Sly Grog’s staff and their reopening efforts.

Yo Mama’s Big Fat Booty Band is a seasoned group of musicians, who have taken their high energy, Funk filled live stage show back and forth across the country, performing in 49 of the 50 US states since they first hit the scene, back in 2002. The band was conceived in Boone, NC and quickly gained a cult following for their wildly entertaining and “over the top” stage antics. In 2006, Booty Band, as fans affectionately nicknamed the group, moved to Asheville, North Carolina, and have since become the poster child for the Asheville Music scene. The band has released 4 studio albums, 2 live albums and 1 remix album over the span of their career and recently received the honor of being featured artists on a Grammy Winning Album “Infinity Plus One” from “Kid-Hop” artist Secret Agent 23 Skidoo. These road warriors have stripped layers of varnish off many dance floors, laid down immeasurable amounts of rubber on the pavement and have left fans all over the country with memories that will last a lifetime.

REBEKAH TODD & THE ODYSSEY

Growing up in the small town of Benson, North Carolina, Rebekah Todd has been surrounded by music for as long as she can remember. At the young age of 11, Rebekah’s father (a musician himself) gave her a black acoustic Washburn guitar and taught her to play. Flooding the house with sounds of classic rock and folk, her father played everything from Pink Floyd to the Righteous Brothers, leading Rebekah to instantly find her musical niche somewhere between melodic soul and alternative folk rock. Growing into her soulful voice and musical style, the singer-songwriter started to pull inspiration from a wide range of musical genres, citing passionate singer/songwriters like Lauryn Hill and Susan Tedeschi as the inspirations that shape the music she writes and performs today. After receiving her bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts from East Carolina University in 2012, Rebekah has been devoting her life to writing and touring.

Currently based in Murphy, North Carolina, Rebekah is a gifted performer with a natural, soulful and powerful voice. She has three releases under her belt; her debut EP Forget Me Not (2011), her first LP Roots Bury Deep (2014) and most recent LP Crooked Lines (2017). Todd has received countless awards and recognition including 2013 Carolina Music Awards “Best Female Musician,” 2016 winner of Floyd Fest “On The Rise” Competition, 2017 Wilma Magazine’s Women to Watch, 2018 Encore Magazine’s “Best Female Musician” and much more. Todd is currently recording a new album set to be released and toured with her full band in 2022.

Join Citizen Vinyl for a Holiday Pop Up shop with local vendors including:

@loomimports (home goods/decor)
@hummingbirdcandles (candles)
@twindenimco (apparel)
@jennypickens616 (art)
@codaavl (vinyl records + art)
+ more!

Food and beverages from @sessionavl

Dance in the New Year! Zydeco Ya Ya – Red-hot rhythms fire up your feet with hard-driving two-steps & waltzes. “Laissez les bon temps rouler!” It’s always a zydeco party with the Ya Yas in the house – 8:00
$8.00 cover at the door.
Vaccine Proof (or negative Covid test within 72 hours) and mask required.

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/

SAMARA JADE

Inspired deeply by the brave spelunking into the depths of the human psyche and appreciating the wonders of the natural world, Samara’s music comes from the place where her soul meets the soul of the earth. Bird language, fermentation, natural burials, heart-break – who can broach such a vast array of quirky yet relevant subjects wrapped in a bundle of personal narrative and musical expertise but Samara Jade? Leave it to Samara to slyly pick up a thread of an interesting conversation and come back an hour later saying “I have a song” – and likely it’s one that gets you dancing, laughing, crying, singing along – perhaps all at the same time!

Originally from the Hudson Valley of New York, Samara studied guitar on scholarship at Berklee College of Music for a year before heeding the call of the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina and pursuing a more earth-based path. Though she studied environmental education and worked organic farming gigs for many years, nothing could keep this bird from singing, and by a decade later she had released three albums and become a fixture in the Asheville music scene. Upon turning 30 and perhaps hitting a ⅓-life crisis, Samara moved into her van and toured out to the west coast. Utterly wooed by the forests and mountains of the Olympic Peninsula, she’s been loosely anchored there amidst touring up and down the coast and questioning the concept of “home.” The Covid-19 lockdown found her quarantining at an artist residency in Arcata, California, where she self-recorded her fourth album, “Zero,” released November 2020.

Straight from the source of flowing rivers, old growth trees and mountain peaks, and delivered with an emotive voice, intricately groovy guitar riffs, catchy melodies and a clever intellect, Samara’s songs are grounding medicine for these wild and shifting times. Thanks to the neural networks of community singing and song sharing, as well as the 2019 release of her meticulously orchestrated folk epic “Wave of Birdsong” by California record label Jumpsuit Records, many of Samara’s songs have spread far and wide (much like the airborne helicopter seeds of maple trees – not coincidentally, called “samaras”), and she is honored to follow in their footsteps.

Call it “musical comedy heaven” (Rolling Stone). Call it “the most uproarious new musical in years!” (The Hollywood Reporter). Call it Tootsie!

This laugh-out-loud love letter to the theater tells the story of Michael Dorsey, a talented but difficult actor who struggles to find work until one show-stopping act of desperation lands him the role of a lifetime. Featuring a hilarious Tony^®-winning book by Robert Horn and an outrageously clever score by 2018 Tony winner David Yazbek (The Band’s Visit, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels), this New York Times Critic’s Pick is “a joyful delight” (The Washington Post) that’s “so packed with punchlines, it should be called a jokebox musical!” (Bloomberg). “In these turbulent times, when the world seems out of balance, we need a place to let the good times roll,” raves Rolling Stone. “Tootsie is it!”

Official Website

Call it “musical comedy heaven” (Rolling Stone). Call it “the most uproarious new musical in years!” (The Hollywood Reporter). Call it Tootsie!

This laugh-out-loud love letter to the theater tells the story of Michael Dorsey, a talented but difficult actor who struggles to find work until one show-stopping act of desperation lands him the role of a lifetime. Featuring a hilarious Tony^®-winning book by Robert Horn and an outrageously clever score by 2018 Tony winner David Yazbek (The Band’s Visit, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels), this New York Times Critic’s Pick is “a joyful delight” (The Washington Post) that’s “so packed with punchlines, it should be called a jokebox musical!” (Bloomberg). “In these turbulent times, when the world seems out of balance, we need a place to let the good times roll,” raves Rolling Stone. “Tootsie is it!”

Official Website

Call it “musical comedy heaven” (Rolling Stone). Call it “the most uproarious new musical in years!” (The Hollywood Reporter). Call it Tootsie!

This laugh-out-loud love letter to the theater tells the story of Michael Dorsey, a talented but difficult actor who struggles to find work until one show-stopping act of desperation lands him the role of a lifetime. Featuring a hilarious Tony^®-winning book by Robert Horn and an outrageously clever score by 2018 Tony winner David Yazbek (The Band’s Visit, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels), this New York Times Critic’s Pick is “a joyful delight” (The Washington Post) that’s “so packed with punchlines, it should be called a jokebox musical!” (Bloomberg). “In these turbulent times, when the world seems out of balance, we need a place to let the good times roll,” raves Rolling Stone. “Tootsie is it!”

Official Website

Southern rock meets jam band meets Americana with The Late Shifters, a necessity-born, passion-driven, local band, playing back holler, Asheville rock.

The Late Shifters have found a way to express their love for the Appalachian region and its rich environment and culture through amplified and electric sound. They are motivated and influenced by bands such as the Drive by Truckers, Neil Young and Crazy Horse, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and the Grateful Dead, as well as songwriters like Jason Isbell and John Prine. These guys can put a stylistic spin on a classic rock cover and also entertain with one of their many, crowd-pleasing originals.

Recently, the band has been focusing their energy into the development and production of more original songs and into fine-tuning their unique, yet familiar sound. They have drawn enthusiastic crowds at venues around town and are excited for a time when enjoying live music can once again be a regular part of life. With studio recordings in the works, these five, hardworking, hard-playing family men have brought together their individual talents from both southern corners of Buncombe County. The Late Shifters have been playing around the corner and around the campfire for years, and chances are, you probably know at least one of them. Bring your families and boogie shoes for a soul-warming, bootie shaking, rocking good time.