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.

Friday, August 18, 2023
Downtown After 5: Asheville All-Stars with Asheville Rock Academy
Aug 18 @ 5:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Downtown After 5
Oak and Grist Distilling Co. Summer Music Series
Aug 18 @ 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Oak and Grist Distilling Co.
NEW SUMMER MUSIC DATES

We are having so much fun with our Friday nights that we’re bringing live music & food trucks to Saturday too! Every Friday & Saturday at Oak & Grist, we’re hosting live music from talented local musicians & artists. Plus, we’re hosting a rotating selection of food trucks to keep the party going just a bit longer! View our upcoming schedule below:

AUGUST 2023

FRIDAY, AUGUST 4TH: Clara New // Mother’s Pizza Pop-Up (5-8pm)

SATURDAY, AUGUST 5TH: TBA // Cactus Rainbow Gourmet Grilled Cheese (4-8pm)

FRIDAY, AUGUST 11TH: Spencer Cranfill // Grush’s Cajun Dino Grill (4-8pm)

SATURDAY, AUGUST 12TH: Billy Presnell // Trucking Delicious Food Truck (4-8pm)

FRIDAY, AUGUST 18TH: Billy Presnell // Mothers Pizza Pop-Up (5-8pm)

SATURDAY, AUGUST 19TH: TBA // TBA

FRIDAY, AUGUST 25TH: Color Machine Music // Sweet Cheesus Food Truck (4-8pm)

SATURDAY, AUGUST 26TH: Dave Desmelik // Trucking Delicious Food Truck (4-8pm)

 

Summer Sounds in the Gorge
Aug 18 @ 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Nantahala Outdoor Center

From the local favorites to new regional acts, all live from the river banks of the Nantahala. Raft, dine, then jam with us with Live Music every Friday and Saturday from 5pm-8pm between Memorial Day and Labor Day!

May 27th 5pm-8pm – Mama and the Ruckus

May 28th 5pm-8pm – The Lefties

June 2nd 5pm-8pm – Christina Chandler Trio

June 3rd 5pm-8pm – Laura Thurston

June 9th 5pm-8pm – Eddie Clayton

June 10th 1pm-4pm – Jacobs Well

June 10th 5pm-8pm – Natti Love Joys

June 16th 5pm-8pm – Rae and the Ragdolls

June 17th 5pm-8pm – Beer and Loathing

June 23rd 5pm-8pm – TBA

June 24th 5pm-8pm – Terry Haughton Trio

June 30th 5pm-8pm – Blue

July 1st 5pm-8pm – Brown Mountain Lightning Bugs

July 7th 5pm-8pm – Bayou Diesel

July 8th 5pm-8pm – Pioneer Chicken Stand

July 14th 5pm-8pm – Wyatt Espalin

July 15th 5pm-8pm – Christina Chandler Duo

July 21st 5pm-8pm – Terry Haughton

July 22nd 5pm-8pm – TG and the Stoned Rangers

July 28th 5pm-8pm – Blue

July 29th 5pm-8pm – Somebody’s Child

August 4th 5pm-8pm – Trial by Fire

August 5th 5pm-8pm – Andy Johnson

August 11th 5pm-8pm – Eddie Clayton Solo

August 12th 5pm-8pm – Eddie Clayton Band

August 18th 5pm-8pm – Big Deal Band

August 19th 1pm-4pm – Mckinney

August 19th 5pm-8pm – Funk N’ Around

August 25th 5pm-8pm – Wyatt Espalin

August 26th 5pm-8pm – Somebody’s Child

September 1st 5pm-8pm – TBA

September 2nd 5pm-8pm – Regatta 69

LAZOOM Tours: BAND AND BEER TOUR
Aug 18 @ 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**
Bloom WNC’s Outdoor Concert Series
Aug 18 @ 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Bloom WNC Flower Farm

We are delighted to welcome Cast Iron Bluegrass. They were the band that started it all two years go. You will love their high energy bluegrass.

Concerts on the Creek in Sylva
Aug 18 @ 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Bridge Park

These mountains are known as much for the music that comes out of them as they are for their picturesque vistas, cascading waterfalls and alluring trails.

Some of the world’s finest musicians have come from Western North Carolina and that rich tradition carries on today.

Here in Jackson County, the Town of Sylva, Jackson County Parks and Recreation Department and Jackson County Chamber of Commerce team up to produce the Concerts on the Creek series at the Bridge Park gazebo in Sylva every Friday from 7-9 p.m., typically from Memorial Day through Labor Day.

The 14th annual season will start on Friday, May 26 (Memorial Day weekend) and end on Friday, Sept. 1 (Labor Day weekend). That will be 15 Fridays of Concerts on the Creek, with the Fireworks Festivities and concert on Tuesday, July 4 sprinkled in for good measure.

  • Friday, July 28: Lua Flora, folk/reggae (7-9 p.m.)
  • Friday, Aug. 4: Tuxedo Junction, classic hits, (7-9 p.m.)
  • Friday, Aug. 11: TLQ+2, classic rock and pop hits, (7-9 p.m.)
  • Friday, Aug. 18: Get Right Band, psychedelic indie rock originals, (7-9 p.m.)
  • Friday, Aug. 25: Maggie Valley Band, Appalachian/Americana folk rock, (7-9 p.m.)
  • Friday, Sept. 1: PMA, roots/reggae/dub/fusion, (7-9 p.m.)

These events are free with donations encouraged. Everyone is welcome. Dogs must be on a leash. No smoking, vaping, coolers or tents allowed. Bring a chair or blanket. We will have food trucks available on select nights.

For more information, please contact the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce at 828-586-2155, visit our Facebook page, or visit us online at www.mountainlovers.com.

Dolly Roger
Aug 18 @ 7:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Appalachian Mountain Brewery

Join us for live music at Appalachian Mountain Brewery Taproom and Kitchen
Dolly Roger is an acoustic singer-songwriter duo from Charlotte, North Carolina. Their sound has been described as 70s folk-rock meets dreamy bedroom-pop with a bit of 90s influence. This combination blossoms in fun originals and hand-picked covers, offering an array of calming tones and upbeat songs for which to shake-a-leg. For the diverse music lover, Dolly Roger is an excellent way to appreciate some old favorites while discovering new sounds. “Peter” by Dolly Roger is now available on Spotify and Apple Music.

Music on Main
Aug 18 @ 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Downtown Hendersonville

The Friday Night Music series will present the familiar 50’s and 60’s
classic rock and beach music from a host of different bands. Food vendors like Babbles Ice
Cream, Blue Ridge Hospitality and Eggs Up Grill will provide a some spice. The Carolina
Mountain Car Club will participate as in years past.

Friday Night Concerts
Super 60’s June 9
Gotcha Groove June 16
It’s 5 O’Clock Somewhere June 23
Marsha Morgan June 30
Shades of Gray July 7
Thomas Brown July 14
Emporium July 21
Johnnie Blackwell Band July 28
Rock and Roll Reunion August 4
208 Army Band August 11
Night Moves Band August 18

FLACKTASTIC: A Celebration of the Life and Music of Roberta Flack
Aug 18 @ 8:00 pm
White Horse Black Mountain

Pop/Soul Icon ROBERTA FLACK was born in the Brookside community of Black Mountain and the town is proud to celebrate our native daughter and her amazing musical career. The Swannanoa Valley Museum and White Horse Black Mountain have teamed up to present unique event called FLACKTASTIC celebrating Roberta Flack and her music.

Regional favorite KAT WILLIAMS will be the featured vocalist. Kat Wiilliams is an accomplished singer of jazz, blues, rock, pop, gospel and broadway tunes and the perfect vocalist to pay tribute to Roberta Flack. Ms. Williams is known as Asheville’s Queen of Soul and has been compared to icons like Nina Simone, Ella Fitzgerald, Mavis Staples and Etta James.

White Horse owner and founder Bob Hinkle states: “Kat Williams could sing the phone book and move anybody in earshot…… Her voice and presence largely defy genre.

“KAT WILLIAMS has stirred our souls numerous times in her past appearances at White Horse. Her vocal talent is exceeded only by her huge heart and loving spirit.” says White Horse Event Coordinator, Don Talley.

It’s going to be a very special night and you are HIGHLY ENCOURAGED to purchase your tickets in advance as the show will likely sell out.

 

(Members of The Swannanoa Valley Museum and/or White Horse Black Mountain. will receive their special discount code for $5 off of ticket purchases for this event in upcoming emails and/or newsletters.)

THE BREAKFAST CLUB America’s Favorite 1980’s Tribute Band
Aug 18 @ 8:00 pm
The Orange Peel

THE BREAKFAST CLUB

America’s Favorite 1980’s Tribute Band

Ages 18+
Saturday, August 19, 2023
Harvest Records 19 Year Anniversary
Aug 19 @ 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Harvest Records

August 19th, 2023 from 10am-6pm

Harvest Records is turning *19 YEARS OLD* this Saturday and we can’t wait to celebrate with you! 🎂

Mark your calendars for Saturday 8/19! 🗓️

10am (that’s one hour early!)-6pm

19% off everything in the shop 🎧

Loads of fresh used goods hitting the floor that morning! 💿

Basement open with everything going for $1 or less!

DJs Jess Speer (@ecstaticlistening) ✨ and DJ Lil Meow Meow (@djlilmeowmeow) 🐈

Free beer 🍻 from Hi-Wire Brewing and New Belgium Brewing

Gypsy Queen food truck 🤤

Plus raffles and good times all around!

Thanks so much for 19 wonderful years. We feel incredibly lucky to be a part of this community and have your support and friendship. Long live independent record stores! 🏆

See you this Saturday!

Oak and Grist Distilling Co. Summer Music Series
Aug 19 @ 4:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Oak and Grist Distilling Company

NEW SUMMER MUSIC DATES

We are having so much fun with our Friday nights that we’re bringing live music & food trucks to Saturday too! Every Friday & Saturday at Oak & Grist, we’re hosting live music from talented local musicians & artists. Plus, we’re hosting a rotating selection of food trucks to keep the party going just a bit longer! View our upcoming schedule below:

AUGUST 2023

FRIDAY, AUGUST 4TH: Clara New // Mother’s Pizza Pop-Up (5-8pm)

SATURDAY, AUGUST 5TH: TBA // Cactus Rainbow Gourmet Grilled Cheese (4-8pm)

FRIDAY, AUGUST 11TH: Spencer Cranfill // Grush’s Cajun Dino Grill (4-8pm)

SATURDAY, AUGUST 12TH: Billy Presnell // Trucking Delicious Food Truck (4-8pm)

FRIDAY, AUGUST 18TH: Billy Presnell // Mothers Pizza Pop-Up (5-8pm)

SATURDAY, AUGUST 19TH: TBA // TBA

FRIDAY, AUGUST 25TH: Color Machine Music // Sweet Cheesus Food Truck (4-8pm)

SATURDAY, AUGUST 26TH: Dave Desmelik // Trucking Delicious Food Truck (4-8pm)

Songs and Stories from the Mountains
Aug 19 @ 4:00 pm
St. Mark's Lutheran Church

Come enjoy an afternoon of singing and storytelling! Josh Goforth grew up in Madison County, surrounded by the music and stories of his ancestors. He is a highly accomplished storyteller and old-time, bluegrass, and swing musician playing close to 20 instruments. His fiddling was featured in the movie Songcatcher, both onscreen and on the soundtrack, and he was nominated for a Grammy for his 2009 release with David Holt, entitled Cutting Loose.

Summer Sounds in the Gorge
Aug 19 @ 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Nantahala Outdoor Center

From the local favorites to new regional acts, all live from the river banks of the Nantahala. Raft, dine, then jam with us with Live Music every Friday and Saturday from 5pm-8pm between Memorial Day and Labor Day!

May 27th 5pm-8pm – Mama and the Ruckus

May 28th 5pm-8pm – The Lefties

June 2nd 5pm-8pm – Christina Chandler Trio

June 3rd 5pm-8pm – Laura Thurston

June 9th 5pm-8pm – Eddie Clayton

June 10th 1pm-4pm – Jacobs Well

June 10th 5pm-8pm – Natti Love Joys

June 16th 5pm-8pm – Rae and the Ragdolls

June 17th 5pm-8pm – Beer and Loathing

June 23rd 5pm-8pm – TBA

June 24th 5pm-8pm – Terry Haughton Trio

June 30th 5pm-8pm – Blue

July 1st 5pm-8pm – Brown Mountain Lightning Bugs

July 7th 5pm-8pm – Bayou Diesel

July 8th 5pm-8pm – Pioneer Chicken Stand

July 14th 5pm-8pm – Wyatt Espalin

July 15th 5pm-8pm – Christina Chandler Duo

July 21st 5pm-8pm – Terry Haughton

July 22nd 5pm-8pm – TG and the Stoned Rangers

July 28th 5pm-8pm – Blue

July 29th 5pm-8pm – Somebody’s Child

August 4th 5pm-8pm – Trial by Fire

August 5th 5pm-8pm – Andy Johnson

August 11th 5pm-8pm – Eddie Clayton Solo

August 12th 5pm-8pm – Eddie Clayton Band

August 18th 5pm-8pm – Big Deal Band

August 19th 1pm-4pm – Mckinney

August 19th 5pm-8pm – Funk N’ Around

August 25th 5pm-8pm – Wyatt Espalin

August 26th 5pm-8pm – Somebody’s Child

September 1st 5pm-8pm – TBA

September 2nd 5pm-8pm – Regatta 69

LAZOOM Tours: BAND AND BEER TOUR
Aug 19 @ 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**
Shindig on the Green
Aug 19 @ 7:00 pm
Pack Square Park

The 57th season of Shindig on the Green, a free event in the heart of downtown Asheville with a stage show and informal jam sessions, takes place on Saturday evenings July 1 through August 26, 2023.

Locals and visitors alike come together at downtown’s Pack Square Park “along about sundown,” or at 7:00 pm for those who wear a watch, and continues until 10:00 pm. Concessions are available! The remaining Shindig on the Green events will be held on July 1, 8, 15, 22 and August 12, 19, 26, 2023.

The stage show takes place on the Bascom Lamar Lunsford stage, named for the founder of the Mountain Dance and Folk Festival. Since the outdoor event’s inception in 1967, hundreds of thousands of individuals from across the region and throughout the world have shared and enjoyed the rich traditional music and dance heritage of the Southern Appalachian Mountains in this outdoor setting.

Shindig on the Green remains a free event due in part to net proceeds from ticket sales to the nation’s longest continually running festival, the granddaddy of all festivals, the Mountain Dance and Folk Festival.

An Evening with Marya Stark
Aug 19 @ 7:30 pm
AyurPrana Listening Room

Join us for a very special, mystical and enchanted evening with vocalist, composer, performer, and multi-instrumentalist, Marya Stark.

Marya Stark is a discoverer of archetypes, storyteller, bard, and muse. As a multi-media enchantress, she creates the way she breathes; without choice or hesitation. She is a carrier of myth, mystery, and medicine songs with which she embarks to create a ceremony of the human experience, taking her audience on lucid journey’s through the caverns of the soul. In addition to her solo work, Marya is also a member of the all female band Starling Arrow, along with Rising Appalachia, Tina Malia, and Ayle Nereo.

Tickets are $25 online, $30 day of show.

BMC PRESENTS: BELA FLECK’S BLUE RIDGE BANJO CONCERT
Aug 19 @ 7:30 pm
Whittington-Pfohl Auditorium

BMC PRESENTS: BELA FLECK’S BLUE RIDGE BANJO CONCERT
Saturday, August 19 – 7:30 PM | Whittington-Pfohl Auditorium

Curated and hosted by 15-time GRAMMY winner Béla Fleck, the Blue Ridge Banjo Concert is our celebration of “all things banjo.” Hear banjo legend Béla Fleck and more at the most beautiful outdoor concert hall in Western North Carolina.  A BMC Presents event in partnership with Mountain Song Productions.

POLLY O’KEARY AND THE RHYTHM METHOD
Aug 19 @ 8:00 pm
White Horse Black Mountain

Polly O’Keary is today’s blues woman, rooted in tradition, but informed by the 21st Century. Pulling in influences from zydeco, country, funk, jazz, rockabilly, surf, and rock and roll, she and her trio, Polly O’Keary and the Rhythm Method, bring a searing and joyful performance of today’s blues to audiences across the U.S. and Canada.

The band includes Polly on vocals and bass, Tommy Cook on drums, and David Miller on guitar.Tommy cut his teeth in blues as a drummer for the house band at Blues Central in Anchorage Alaska, where he eventually became a first-call drummer who played all over the state before moving to Seattle in 2005. Today he is endorsed by several drum equipment companies and is an instructor at the prestigious Seattle Drum School.Guitarist David Miller grew up listening to blues in Texas. At 17, then living in California, Miller met a piano player who was then working for Tommy Castro. The older musician recruited Miller to come to play at several bars and assured the young man that he could get him in, underage though he was. Miller became a regular in clubs in the Bay Area, sitting in with local and touring acts night after night.

At 25, then living in San Luis Obispo, he assembled The Dave Miller Band, and for the next 18 years, he and the group went on to become one of Southern California’s most popular blues bands, leading one reviewer to describe his “jaw-dropping guitar licks” and praise his “extraordinary mixture of inspiring virtuosity both vocally and instrumentally.Since forming as a trio in 2014, the band has been steadily building success. Every year brings another national tour (with the exception of 2020). The 2017 album Black Crow Callin’ was an International Blues Challenge finalist in the best self-produced CD category, earned high praise from critics, and spent all summer on blues radio charts.

In 2018, the band won the LA Music Critic Best Blues Band award and represented Washington at the International Blues Challenge, where they were semi-finalists. The band released As Live As It Gets” in 2019, which won the Washington Blues Society Best Blues Album award. In 2021, the year each band member turned 50, the band released the album “50,” and the single “You Better Think” debuted at #1 on the contemporary blues radio chart. That album also made the Living Blues chart and the Cashbox chart and stayed at the #1 radio position in Washington state for more than two months.

And the band has racked up an impressive haul of Washington Blues Society awards, including Drummer of the Year (3x), Guitarist of the Year (2020), Best Female Vocalist (6x), Best Songwriter (6x), Best Blues Bass (3x), Best New Band, Best Album (3x) and more

Visit the POLLY O’KEARY website

Listen to the music of POLLY O’KEARY

View Videos of POLLY O’KEARY

MAGIC CITY HIPPIES
Aug 19 @ 9:00 pm
The Orange Peel

Shades on and shirts unbuttoned, Magic City Hippies generate the kind of heat that could’ve powered a high seas yacht party in the seventies or shake a Coachella stage next summer. If the trio — Robby Hunter, Pat Howard, and John Coughlin — stepped off the screen from some long-lost Quentin Tarantino flick in slow-motion (instruments in hand), nobody would question it. Embracing everything from AM radio rock and poolside pop to nimble raps and salsa, they lock into an era-less vibe with no shortage of psychedelic funk or hooks. The three-piece deliver the kind of bangers you can play on the way to the party, during the party, and to smooth over the comedown as the sun comes up.

As the guys so eloquently describe it, they “give people a choice to enjoy this on the surface level, feel funky in their bodies, and dance…or go deeper into the music.

As legend has it, the origin of Magic City Hippies can be traced back to Robby’s days of permit-less busking in Miami. Eventually, Pat and John proved to be better accompaniment than his loop pedal, so the trio played regular bar gigs and built an audience locally. They formed as Robby Hunter Band, released the Magic City Hippies album, and adopted the title as their name. That LP gained traction in 2013 with syncs on The CW’s iZombie and Showtime’s Ray Donovan. On its heels, 2015’s Hippie Castle EP catalyzed their breakout as “Limestone” piled up over 21 million Spotify streams followed by “Fanfare” with another 20 million Spotify streams. They toured endlessly and moved crowds at BonnarooLollapaloozaHulaweenOkeechobee FestElectric Forest, and Austin City Limits, to name a few. Along the way, the band also picked up acclaim from Relix and OnesToWatch as they dropped the fan favorite Modern Animal in 2019. When the world shutdown, the boys settled in different parts of the country (Rob “doing his Johny Mayer thing” in Bozeman, MT, Pat in Los Angeles, CA, and John still in Miami). Remotely, they wrote what would become their third full-length album, Water Your Garden, out January 2022. As things opened back up, the musicians put it all together in person.

Armed with singles such as “Queen,” the falsetto-spiked “High Beams” [feat. Nafets], “Diamond,” and “Ghost On The Mend” Magic City Hippies are ready to heat up their next chapter now.

Sunday, August 20, 2023
Incendiary Performer + Piano Rocker Jesse Daniel Edwards
Aug 20 all-day
Alley Cat Social Club

High-energy, piano & guitar rock marked by virtuosic musicianship, masterful lyrics, and a performance that crosses from gritty to pretty.

Jesse Daniel Edwards is an acclaimed songwriter from the small mountain town of Cuyamaca, CA where he grew up without TV, internet, or significant exposure to the outside world. Leaving home at 16, he spent his late teens busking on street corners around the US and abroad with his brother. While singing outside of bars on Music Row in Nashville, TN Jesse struck up a friendship with Al Bunetta (John Prine). Bunetta served as a mentor to the young artist, encouraging Jesse to write and tour full-time in the years to follow. His debut came with the Steve Cropper (RCA, Otis Redding) produced opus “Saudade”. His songs- often lyrically waging war on the opioid crisis, school shootings, and environmental issues- have been featured in radio, TV, streaming movies, video games, and film- with his latest album “Violensia” (produced by Joe Chiccarelli- The Strokes) released in the summer of 2023.

Instagram:
instagram.com/jessedanieledwards

Soundcloud:

Bandcamp:
jessedanieledwards.bandcamp.com

Website:
jessedanieledwards.com

Jack of the Wood : Sunday-Irish Session
Aug 20 @ 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/

Back-to-School” Family Show with the Billy Jonas Band
Aug 20 @ 4:00 pm
The Grey Eagle

Fun for All Ages!

The Billy Jonas Band loves to engage and delight both young and adult audiences. Whether performing for adults, families, school groups, faith communities, or a mix, they strive for a musical excellence that inspires, entertains, and moves people literally and figuratively. With “wild winded word magic” (Dirty Linen Magazine), homemade “industrial re-percussion” instruments, exquisite 3 and 4 part vocal harmonies, plus guitar and bass, they love to create community through song and story. Their specialty: finding and pushing your “wonder” button.

In 2010, the Billy Jonas Band was honored with a performance at the White House!

Pisgah Sunday Jam – Hosted by Spiro + Friends
Aug 20 @ 6:30 pm – 9:00 pm
Pisgah Brewing Company

Join us for Black Mountain’s original Sunday Jam! Hosted by Spiro and Friends, this jam features original jams and favorite covers. Bring your instrument! Sign-ups at the stage starting at 6 PM!

Pisgah Beer, Gluten Free and N/A options available. Family and dog friendly venue.

The taproom is open from 2:00 to 9:00 PM with music beginning at 6:30 PM.

Billy Jonas + BJ Leiderman
Aug 20 @ 7:30 pm
The Grey Eagle

Some ask: “What is the sound of one hand clapping?” Billy Jonas asks: “What is the sound of 600 sets of keys jingling on the downbeat?”

Music enthusiasts of all ages are in for a treat as The Grey Eagle and Worthwhile Sounds join forces to bring a sensational pairing: BJ & BJ (Billy Jonas & BJ Leiderman) to Grey Eagle Music Hall on Sunday, August 20. The doors will open at 7:00 PM, and the show will begin at 7:30 PM. Additionally there’s a 4pm back-to-school “family show” with the Billy Jonas Band, bidding farewell to Sherman Hoover, The BJB bassist for 14 years.

Billy Jonas, an acclaimed performer, singer-songwriter, composer, multi-instrumentalist, and educator creates a soul-spelunking, heart healing, and joy-filled journey. With his captivating blend of voice, guitar, and “industrial re-percussion” (found, foraged, and homemade instruments), Jonas inspires audience participation and invites an atmosphere of ecstatic connectedness.

BJ Leiderman shares the evening stage, and is the award-winning composer, renowned for his unforgettable theme music on Public Radio. With his debut album “BJ,” BJ Leiderman will serenade the crowd with original songs and cherished cover tunes. His crowd-pleasing medley of beloved Public Radio themes promises to delight listeners of all ages.

Monday, August 21, 2023
AJJ
Aug 21 @ 8:00 pm
The Grey Eagle

– ALL AGES

AJJ Tickets | Asheville, NC | Grey Eagle Music Hall (etix.com)

– STANDING ROOM ONLY

AJJ
AJJ frontman Sean Bonnette can summarize the band’s new album, Good Luck Everybody, in a single sentence: “Sonically, it’s our least punk record, and lyrically, it’s our most punk record.”

And indeed, Good Luck Everybody (January 17, 2020), the Arizona band’s seventh album, stands out in their already diverse catalog. While still rooted in the folk-punk sound AJJ has become known for, the album is unafraid to delve into new territories that test the limits of what the band is capable of.

“I think it explores some of the weirder sides of AJJ, the more experimental leanings that we’ve had in the past,” says bassist Ben Gallaty. Good Luck Everybody draws from a wealth of sonic inspirations, from Laurel Canyon folk-rock of the 60s and 70s to avant garde artists like Suicide, as well as some orchestral pop. There is even a piano ballad, the tragic “No Justice, No Peace, No Hope.”

Lyrically, Good Luck Everybody is a change of pace from the idiosyncratic songwriting style Bonnette has honed over more than 15 years fronting AJJ. It still features his wonderfully weird turns of phrase and oddball word pairings, but this time, his thematic lens is more directly focused on the inescapable atrocities of the world around him. Longtime fans will recognize the album’s social commentary as a return to their 2011 release, Knife Man, but this time it’s fueled by a more radical urgency.

“I usually try for a timeless effect in songwriting, so that you can hear a song and generally not think about the context under which it was written,” says Bonnette. “But for this one, I was trying to write, and all the bad political shit just kept invading my brain and preventing me from writing that way. So I decided to fully embrace it and exorcise that demon.”

Much like Woody Guthrie and Phil Ochs pulled their songs straight from newspaper headlines, Good Luck Everybody feels like a long scroll through social media feeds on a particularly volatile day.

with special guests….

OPEN MIKE EAGLE
SAD PARK
FOOT OX

Tuesday, August 22, 2023
PARENTS LOUNGE LEAF Global Experience
Aug 22 @ 2:00 pm – 6:00 pm
LEAF Global Experience

LEAF isn’t just for kids! Join us in the Mezzanine while you wait for your youth to finish their class or just to hang out!

An Evening of Kirtan with Nina Rao and Aditi Sethi
Aug 22 @ 7:00 pm
AyurPrana Listening Room

Nina Rao and Aditi Sethi are both practitioners on the path of Bhakti Yoga where chanting of Sanskrit mantras is an expression of longing for the Divine in all hearts, and celebrating the One Love!

Nina Rao learned traditional chants from her grandfather in a village in south India when she nine years old. The chants quietly stayed with her until she rediscovered chanting with Krishna Das in New York in 1996. In 1998 she met her guru, Sri Siddhi Ma in the foothills of the Himalayas and spent time with her regularly for 19 years. For many years Nina has been Krishna Das’ business manager and accompanies him musically as well. She has released two albums Antarayaami and Anubhav and regularly leads kirtan, workshops, and retreats in her hometowns of Brooklyn & New Paltz, New York. She is also founder and chairwoman of non-profit Saving Wild Tigers which supports conservation of wild tigers and all species in their natural habitat in India. In addition, she hosts a podcast series on the Be Here Now Network exploring spirituality, practice, and conservation of wilderness and Nature. NinaRaoChant.com

As a child under the guidance of her parents and grandparents from India, Aditi began offering devotional music from the Sikh and Hindu traditions to her community. More recently, she studied Indian devotional and classical music with her teacher, Krishna Kant Shukla, who lives in Varnasi, India. She has been living in the Asheville area since 2008 and has offered kirtan to her local community with Jojo Silverman, Scott Sheerin, and others. As a hospice physician and end-of-life-doula, she values the power of mantra to focus the mind, open the heart and expand consciousness. aditimusic.com

Tickets are: $25 Advance. $30 at door

WHITE HORSE OPEN MIC
Aug 22 @ 7:00 pm
White Horse Black Mountain

We view our Open Mic as a service to the community, providing performance opportunities for musicians who rarely get to play on a nice stage. We like to provide opportunities for community members to come enjoy live music for FREE at least once a week, and sometimes more than once a week.

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.

Each performer gets 15 minutes or three songs.

Our Open Mic has been so popular that we typically have more folks wanting to perform than we’ve had room for. After consulting with some of our regular attendees and participants we want to make sure that everyone has a fair chance to perform on stage.

So we are trying out a new process and it seems to be very popular.

We’ve expanded the number of available performance slots to 10 per night.

  • Note: There are actually 12 spots on the list each night. . The host of Open Mic is spot 1, and the owner of White Horse (Bob Hinkle) is spot 3. That leaves 10 available spots to be drawn from the hat.

In place having folks lineup in advance for the signup list, we now pull names out of a hat.

We suggest that those desiring to perform on stage arrive prior to 6:30pm.

When you arrive, check in with the bartender and they will give you a piece of paper where you will write your name and drop it into “the hat”

Sometime between 6:30 and 6:45, the bartender will announce that the names are being drawn.  You must be present when the names are drawn to confirm your participation. Participants will be added to the nights performer list in the order in which they are drawn.

Any names left in the hat that do not make the performer list for the night , are automatically put first on the list for the following week. PLUS…. they get a free bottle of beer or soft drink “on the house” as a thank you for their patience and support of fellow musicians.

Wednesday, August 23, 2023
Cole Ritter + The Night Owls + Vaden Landers
Aug 23 @ 8:00 pm
The Grey Eagle

Cole Ritter & The Night Owls + Vaden Landers Tickets | Asheville, NC | Grey Eagle Music Hall (etix.com)

– ALL AGES
– STANDING ROOM ONLY

COLE RITTER AND THE NIGHT OWLS
Founded in 2019, Cole Ritter and The Night Owls have since been pioneering new sonic spaces and finding their very own home-grown sound that is completely new, yet nostalgic. This award-winning band is helmed by Cole Ritter, a Nashville Native who has devoted his life to music. Cole was featured on Season 20 of American Idol and was chosen as Hunter Girl’s duet partner. Ritter’s songwriting draws inspiration from many genres including country, rock, folk, and the blues.

The Allstar backing band, The Night Owls, features a lineup of some of Nashville’s best and brightest up-and-coming instrumentalists and musicians. The Night Owls are made up of Alex Barcic on Pedal Steel Guitar, Tom Davis on Upright Bass, Christian Starrett on Guitar, and Matt Martirano on drums. Cole Ritter and The Night Owls were chosen as the winner of Belmont’s University’s “Country Showcase” in 2020. Cole Ritter and The Night Owls are quickly rising and can’t wait to share their music with the world!

VADEN LANDERS
Vaden Landers is a 27 year old multi-instrumentalist from Eastern TN. As a teen he set out traveling the American highways and railways, learning the ways of a travelermusician, and gaining hard-won life experience along the way. Vaden continued to hone his songwriting, singing, yodeling and picking skills while busking and touring from Alaska to Florida, turning heads as an exciting new player in the revival of the traditional country music scene and finetuning his original songs, which harken back to the golden days of country music. Blending influences from honky tonk, rockabilly, folk, blues, ragtime, jazz, western swing and old-time Appalachian, Vaden Landers brings new fire to a classic sound!