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.
Rod Picott has released thirteen albums over the last twenty years and at the age of fifty-seven his engine is still running strong. Picott, a former construction worker, traded his hammer for a guitar and never looked into the rear view. Picott has written two poetry collections God in His Slippers and Murmuration (Mezcalita Press). His book of short stories titled Out Past the Wires is published by Working Title Farm. Rod Picott was born in New Hampshire, raised in Maine, and has lived in Nashville Tennessee for twenty-five years. He is unnaturally prolific and released four albums in the last three years to rave reviews.
Although they’re based in Nashville, Wild Ponies have always looked to Southwest Virginia — where bandmates Doug and Telisha Williams were both born and raised — for inspiration. There, in mountain towns like Galax, old-time American music continues to thrive, supported by a community of fiddlers, flat-pickers, and fans.
Wild Ponies pay tribute to that powerful music and rugged landscape with their most recent release, Galax, a stripped-back album that nods to the band’s history while still pushing forward. Doug and Telisha took some of their favorite musicians from Nashville (Fats Kaplin, Will Kimbrough, Neilson Hubbard and Audrey Spillman) and met up with revered Old-Time players from Galax, Virginia (Snake Smith, Kyle Dean Smith, and Kilby Spencer). Recorded in the shed behind Doug’s old family farm in the Appalachians (steps away from the site where Doug and Telisha were married), it returns Wild Ponies to their musical and geographic roots.
Come enjoy an evening of live music, food and drinks at Isis Music Hall. Advanced Reservations are highly recommended.
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.
General Admission Tickets are available for the main stage balcony only. Seating in the balcony is first come, first serve. Dinner service is NOT currently being offered for general admission tickets.; drink service is available at the downstairs bar on the main floor.
You must call the venue at 828-575-2737 for Reserve Seat Tickets and to make dinner reservations.
Pease Leave us a message with your daytime phone number and the # in your party, your call will be returned in the order it was received.
All ticket sales are final.
Multi Grammy winner and multi instrumentalist Tim O’Brien has traveled the world and delighted audiences since 1975 with his warm vocals, string wizardry, and heartfelt original songs. His latest recording “He Walked On” maps a pathway through today’s world. In duet with his wife Jan Fabricius on mandolin and vocals, you can expect rootsy acoustic instrumentation and sweet harmony singing, interspersed with O’Brien’s self deprecating humor.
PAUL BURCH
Paul Burch’s thoroughly modern yet instantly classic songs have attracted fans and collaborators from Rock to Bluegrass inspiring Pop Matters to call him “one of the finest contemporary roots performers, not to mention one of the best damn songwriters, operating today.” Over a career of a dozen albums, Burch’s wide vision of American music has drawn together what for other artists would seem contradictory colleagues. Whether it’s taking part in First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move program with Doug E. Fresh at the White House or writing a one-of-a-kind opera inspired by Jimmie Rodgers (Meridian Rising), Burch’s work reveals a punk rock ethic for dismantling orthodoxy while forging deep connections everywhere.
Original banjo music at the intersection of bluegrass and jazz
Ben Krakauer is a banjo player and composer rooted in bluegrass, jazz, and new acoustic music. He has toured and recorded with David Grisman, was a founding member of Old School Freight Train, and has won awards at Merlefest, RockyGrass, and Telluride. His debut solo album, Heart Lake, features twelve original tunes with playful, interactive, and unusual textures. Ben is a professor of music at Warren Wilson College, where he teaches ethnomusicology, music theory, bluegrass, and banjo.
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!
The JLloyd MashUp is paying tribute to Paul Simon with a full set of his songs from various points in his career. Ben Falcon will be leading the Vocals along with Dani Cox and Jonathan Lloyd. Expect a full set of Paul Simon songs followed by another dance set of various artists!
The JLloyd MashUp (the band that plays Mondays at One World West) explores different genres of music including Acid Jazz, Funk, Soul, Afro Beat, Reggae, Break Beat, Latin and world music. Led and curated by Jonathan Lloyd (Dubconscious/ Cadillac Jones), the band is made up of some of Asheville’s busiest and hardest working musicians on the scene. The group features special guests with different material every show.
Ben Falcon (The Lumpy Heads) – Vocals, Dani Cox (Secret Agent 23 Skidoo) – Vocals, Jonathan Lloyd (Dubconscious/Cadillac Jones) – Vocals/Trombone, Vic Stafford (Toubab Krewe/Donna The Buffalo) – Drums, Duane Simpson (Dirty Logic/Pimps of Pompe) – Guitar, Thommy Knoles (The Fritz) – Keys, Ben Bjorlie (Yo Mama’s Big Fat Booty Band) – Bass, Mikey Evan (The Fritz) – Percussion, Jonathan Cole (Dirty Logic) – Saxophone & More To Be Announced!
Adam Chase and Felix Pastorius have collaborated on a lot of great projects in Asheville, perhaps none better than their collaboration with Snarky Puppy’s Justin Stanton.
The collective approach to the performance resulted in an epic night of music that featured songs written by each member of the group along with some amazing renditions of tunes by the likes of Soundgarden, Joshua Redman, and more.
With Chris Bullock joining the group for the performance, there will undoubtedly be the extra swag that Bullock delivers in his songwriting for Snarky Puppy as well as his tunes written for his solo project, Boomtown.
ADAM CHASE
Drummer, Adam Chase, is an acclaimed music director and drummer. Adam has a knack for bringing amazing musicians together for envisioned sets of incredible music. The shows that Chase puts on are known for being legendary. From recreating James Brown’s LOVE, POWER, PEACE, Live At Olympia, Paris 1971 with Adam Deitch and co., to performing 2 hours of groundbreaking improvisation with MonoNeon, John Medeski, Scott Metzger, and Matthew Chase, there have been countless epic performances manifested through the work of Adam Chase.
Chase has worked with an uncanny amount of notable musicians including Fred Wesley, Clyde Stubblefield, John Medeski, MonoNeon, George Porter Jr. (The Meters), Adam Deitch (Lettuce), Aron Magner (Disco Biscuits), Scott Metzger (JRad), Craig Robinson, Antwaun Stanley, Jennifer Hartswick (Trey Anastasio Band), Shaun Martin (Snarky Puppy), Domi Degalle, Dennis Chambers, Marcus King, Isaiah Sharkey (John Mayer), Robert Walter (Roger Waters, Greyboy Allstars), Jeff Sipe, Claude Coleman Jr. (Ween) and hundreds of others.
FELIX PASTORIUS
Bassist, Felix Pastorius bears the name of his father, whose reputation often proceeds him. While the lineage is intriguing for most, the dedication to the mastery of the bass guitar is more notable than his last name when it comes to the musician that is Felix Pastorius.
Having toured with the YellowJackets as a teenager and traveling the world with groups including Jeff Coffin’s Mu’tet, Cindy Blackman Santana Group, and Hipster Assassins, Pastorius has continues to prove to be able to do anything imaginable on the bass guitar. From the most complex explorations to the tastiest pocket grooves. Pastorius alone is worth the cost of admission.
JUSTIN STANTON
Justin attended the prestigious University of North Texas, where he performed for two years in the One O’Clock Lab Band, recording three albums as well as performing at major festivals throughout Europe. While at North Texas, Justin joined the group Snarky Puppy that, since its humble beginnings, has gone on to earn four GRAMMY Awards. Justin has performed and recorded with the group since 2006, appearing on the majority of their numerous studio and live recordings.
In addition to Snarky Puppy, Justin maintains an active schedule performing, recording, and writing with a variety of original artists and groups, including his newest project with Becca Stevens, Gisela João, Louis Cato, and Michael League entitled Mirrors.
Justin appears on recordings with artists as diverse as David Crosby, Donald Fagen, Harry Shearer/Derek Smalls, Larry Carlton, Randy Brecker, Robert Glasper, Trombone Shorty, Musiq Soulchild, Kirk Franklin, Laura Mvula, and Salif Keita. He has also shared the stage with Joe Walsh, Michael McDonald, Toto, Derek Trucks, Terence Blanchard, Chris Potter, Eric Harland, and Fatoumata Diawara, to name a few.
CHRIS BULLOCK
Chris Bullock is a Brooklyn, NY-based saxophonist, multi-instrumentalist, and composer. He has enjoyed an expansive career performing with a variety of artists across all sorts of musical styles. Most notably, he is known for his longtime role as a saxophonist and composer in the genre-bending ensemble, Snarky Puppy. With this band, he has received four Grammy awards and is often on tour around the world performing at concert halls to music festivals to small rock rooms.
In 2018, Chris released his debut solo album, Boomtown. This music is a hybrid of sorts. On the album, Chris explored ways to combine his interests in improvisation, jazz, chamber music, electronic music, and hip hop production elements. With his Boomtown band, Chris has brought a synth-heavy, grooving sound environment on live tours across the US and Canada.
As a multi-instrumentalist, Chris has performed and recorded with a variety of artists including David Crosby, Michael McDonald, Lalah Hathaway, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Charlie Hunter, Chris Thile, Eric Harland, Metropole Orkest, Phish, and Soulive. In addition to his work as a live musician, he recently wrote and recorded his first commissioned film score.
For the last 20 years, this beloved local holiday tradition has ushered in the winter season with a world-class display of folk, drawing in more fans each year. This season, Solstice welcomes a charismatic mix of new and returning artists to perform a seasonal variety show of Celtic, American-roots and world-influenced music — a multifaceted reflection of Appalachian heritage to spread wholesome holiday cheer.
The 2022 line-up welcomes back Robin Bullock, Josh Goforth, Natalya Weinstein & John Miller as Zoe & Cloyd, Phil Jamison, E.J. Jones, and host Doug Orr. New to the celebration this season are storyteller Becky Stone and writer and singer Gina Cornejo.
GRAMMY® nominated multiple American Music Award, Billboard Music Award, and Dove Award-winning band MercyMe will take the stage at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena on November 18 with special guest Micah Tyler.
Click HERE for our standard arena policies and our most frequently asked questions. Ticket prices are always subject to change without notice. Additional fees apply.
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!
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!
Womansong celebrates the unity, diversity and empowerment of women through musical expression, as we sing for joy, social justice and community. Our concerts help fund the operation of our nonprofit organization including the choir’s New Start Program which provides scholarships and emergency funds to local women in need.
Womansong concerts are accessible to the hearing impaired through music sign language interpretation by Shiner Antiorio.
Mearns reveals himself a singular artist of extraordinary imagination…truly a next-generation phenomenon.
Stephen Aron, Oberlin Conservatory of Music
Mearns’ virtuosic recording is a thrilling adventure for the hands and ears…reminding us of how exciting the guitar can be as a solo instrument when it suggests something greater than itself.
Jonathan Leathwood, University of Denver, Editor Soundboard Scholar
If you think you’ve heard Bach on the guitar, think again!
Rene Izquierdo, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Alan Mearns was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland. He began his musical studies with the classical violin at age five, switching to the guitar at age ten. Moving to the United States in his late teens, he studied classical guitar performance with Douglas James at Appalachian State University (where he held the prestigious Fletcher Scholarship) and with Stanley Yates at Austin Peay State University.
The man in the tree has a guitar, he’s gonna sing. But the sun shining through the branches— are those rays yellow or hazy gray? What day is today? When are you not going to feel this way again?
“Hello, Hi”: welcome in to a new room to play the styles and feels that lie under Ty Segall’s fingers, easing fresh air into acoustic space with an assortment of love songs flowering in righteous unconsciousness. Plaintive and wistful, but unafraid. Like rain washing away yesterday, “Hello, Hi” pushes open the door, inviting the new to pass through all the old shades and degrees of hot and cold. Dark paths turn off abruptly into absurd darkness, then wind back through the broken rocks, ecstatic again. Absurdity again. It happens everyday.
“Hello, Hi” is expansively rendered by Ty, mostly by himself, at home. The isolation suits the songs: you’re only ever as “at home” as you are with yourself in the mirror. Ty’s acoustic and electric guitars and vocal harmonies layer self upon self, forming a spiny backbone for the album. Textures at once gentle and dissonant root the songs as they make their move: melodic arcs convulsing in doubt and bliss and rage. Busting out of the endless gridlock into open space, these spirits pass on through.
“Hello, Hi”’s flickering awakening to this trip: the opening three tracks’ train of sweet and salty reflections, before the abrupt crunch of the title track electrifies the senses. Good morning’s turned to good mourning in nothing flat, but there’s still a way up from the doldrums, to try again. Why can’t it be just as simple as “Hello, Hi”? What to do with yourself when love triggers loathing? How many more times do you have to go back there again? Pulling at the scratchy wool threads of an old sweater favored for warmth, comfort, protection, rejection, denial, blindness etc, Ty Segall dives from a clear, open sky, down through the marine layer and the shimmering waves of all the years.
Radiating from the same mind fields as Goodbye Bread and Sleeper, mixed with shard edges of contrast and contradiction from things like Freedom’s Goblin, Manipulator, and First Taste, “Hello, Hi” is Ty’s most relaxed and complete production to date, an ebb-and flow fusion of words and music offering abstraction and acceptance as it wrestles itself through a fucked-up time. Your life and what you make of it — throughout “Hello, Hi,” Ty Segall charts a passage through its enduring tangles honestly, with clarity and confusion.
Charles Moothart is an American multi-instrumentalist, singer and songwriter. He is best known for his collaborations with the garage rock musicians Ty Segall and Mikal Cronin. Moothart is the drummer for Segall’s current backing band, The Freedom Band. He was previously the guitarist for Segall’s backing band, the Ty Segall Band, and is the guitarist and vocalist in the pair’s hard rock project, Fuzz. Additionally, he is a member of Segall’s collaborative project with Ex-Cult’s Chris Shaw, GØGGS.
All-County Honor Chorus, 2-4pm, Come out to enjoy auditioned Henderson County middle and high school students led by
professional conductors for the edification of the students and the enjoyment by parents, grandparents, friends and community,
Tickets $10, produced by the Carolina Concert Choir.
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!
Womansong celebrates the unity, diversity and empowerment of women through musical expression, as we sing for joy, social justice and community. Our concerts help fund the operation of our nonprofit organization including the choir’s New Start Program which provides scholarships and emergency funds to local women in need.
Womansong concerts are accessible to the hearing impaired through music sign language interpretation by Shiner Antiorio.
Kevin Dolan is a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. After several years as a touring professional musician and session work, he moved into releasing his own original songs and directing other musical groups. Today you will find Kevin busy recording, engineering, and producing at Shake Rag Recording for musicians of all genres.
Paul Koptak has always loved the sound of slide guitar. He brings the singular sound of the dobro to all kinds of music, including bluegrass, blues, and Hawaiian styles.
Kevin and Paul perform original songs along with covers of Tom Petty, Chris Stapleton, Avett Brothers, and Jason Isbell.
Tickets are $10 for music only; $15 for music + BBQ dinner.
Call 828-926-1717 for tickets!
Cocktails, Canapes, Dinner & Dancing
music by Quentin Baxter Quintet. Live sketch by artist, Marsha Hamme
The music of Dallas Ugly is anything but what the name implies. Libby Weitnauer, Eli Broxham, and Owen Burton’s fusion of pop country and indie-folk rock is heartfelt and intimate. Dallas Ugly’s work incorporates Burton’s unique rolling electric guitar style, Weitnauer’s expert fiddle playing, and the songwriting of all three members. Plain-faced and striking vocals reflect their collective influences of old time, country, and bluegrass music, while their arrangements and songwriting point away to other genres. Dallas Ugly recorded their full length debut album in April of 2021 and is making plans for a release.
Come enjoy an evening of live music, food and drinks in the Isis Music Hall Lounge. Reservations are highly recommended.
This intimate concert showcasing 4 local, gifted songwriters taking turns telling the stories behind their songs and then performing them for the audience. This one-of-a-kind gathering will benefit Hendersonville Theatre’s projector fund to raise money to bring film to downtown Hendersonville. Featuring area songwriters: David Childers, Carson Sloan, Josh Dunkin, and Steve Durose.
The intimate gathering will feature local singers/songwriters David Childers, Carson Sloan, Josh Dunkin and Steve DuRose as they share their stories and songs through their music. The songwriters will take turns telling the stories behind their songs and then performing them for the audience.
As part of the event, Hendersonville Theatre and B2 Realty sponsored the Future Master Songwriters Competition for young aspiring songwriters in Henderson County 18-years-old and under. The winner of the competition is Emma Grace Haag of Hendersonville. Haag is the daughter of Katie Camenzind and Ian Haag, and a 3rd grader at Glenn C. Marlow Elementary. She will perform her song during the Master Songwriters in Concert accompanied by Childers, Sloan, Dunkin and DuRose.
Singer-songwriter David Childers is from Mount Holly, NC. Childers fell in love with folk music as a teen, and his tastes run from jazz and opera. Before becoming a professional musician, he was a lawyer. Childers’ album, Run Skeleton Run, has made him a favorite of fans and fellow musicians, including the Avett Brothers. Childers has played the syndicated World Café and Mountain Stage radio shows, Merlefest’s mainstage, and toured in Europe.
(Judie) Carson Sloan is part of the contemporary folk trio “Rosabelle” and is a regular at open microphone nights in Hendersonville. Her song “Real Live Winner” was included on The Pearls’ first album in 1994. Carson writes honest, sometimes irreverent songs from a woman’s point of view without much sentimentality.
Josh Dunkin started writing songs, poems, and plays in high school. In college, Dunkin won several playwriting awards and started working with his writing partner, Mike Barton. After college, the duo formed a successful sketch comedy show and group called Nashville: The Band. They founded Laughingstock: The Chicago Comedy Music Festival and worked hard to widen the appeal of comedy music. Over the years, Dunkin’s songs kept a comedic sensibility but focused more on the stories. Since moving to Hendersonville in 2015, Dunkin has expanded his subject matter to include love songs about family and coffee, murder ballads about O.J. Simpson and JonBenet Ramsey, and many other subjects.
Steve DuRose is an American songwriter living in Hendersonville. He is often compared to songwriters such as John Prine and Townes Van Zandt due to his poetic and often melancholy lyrics and traditionally inspired melodies. While mainly known for his lyric writing, he has also composed instrumental works which are incorporated into art installations in museums in both California and New Mexico
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!
BIG BAND / SWING MUSIC AT IT’S FINEST
Dedicated to advancing and preserving the big band jazz tradition, the 17-piece Asheville Jazz Orchestra is western North Carolina’s premier big band. Whether they are playing a swing dance, club date, or formal concert, the AJO is the hardest swinging band in Asheville.
Since its founding the Asheville Jazz Orchestra has been directed by Dr. David Wilken. In addition to directing the AJO, he also plays trombone and also composes much of their material. He can also be heard playing traditional New Orleans jazz with the Low-Down Sires and conducting the Land of the Sky Symphonic Band.
Darko Butorac, conductor
Cecilia Violetta López, soprano
Ben Gulley, tenor
Jeff Mattsey, baritone
Asheville Symphony Chorus
“The language of music is understood by everybody,” according to Rossini, “since it is understood with the heart.” We bring that notion to life with this program filled with operatic classics. A curated selection of operatic works (including beloved masterpieces by Italian masters Puccini and Verdi) explore the experiences and emotions that all of humankind shares through the combined power of the stage, voice, and orchestra. Featuring three fantastic guest vocal soloists and the voices of the Asheville Symphony Chorus.
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!
“Everything has to be said.” This is the conviction guiding Indigo De Souza’s sophomore album, Any Shape You Take. This dynamic record successfully creates a container for the full spectrum—pushing through and against every emotion: “I wanted this album to give a feeling of shifting with and embracing change. These songs came from a turbulent time when I was coming to self-love through many existential crises and shifts in perspective.”
Faithful to its name, Any Shape You Take changes form to match the tenor of each story it tells. “The album title is a nod to the many shapes I take musically. I don’t feel that I fully embody any particular genre—all of the music just comes from the universe that is my ever-shifting brain/heart/world,” says Indigo. This sonic range is unified by Indigo’s strikingly confessional and effortless approach to songwriting, a signature first introduced in her debut, self-released LP, I Love My Mom. Written in quick succession, Indigo sees these two records as companion pieces, both distinct but in communion with each other: “Many of the songs on these two records came from the same season in my life and a certain version of myself which I feel much further from now.”
Throughout Any Shape You Take, Indigo reflects on her relationships as she reckons with a deeper need to redefine how to fully inhabit spaces of love and connection. “It feels so important for me to see people through change. To accept people for the many shapes they take, whether those shapes fit into your life or not. This album is a reflection of that. I have undergone so much change in my life and I am so deeply grateful to the people who have seen me through it without judgment and without attachment to skins I’m shifting out of.”
Lead single “Kill Me,” written during the climax of a dysfunctional relationship, opens with the lines “Kill me slowly/ Take me with you.” This powerful plea, that begins within the quiet strum of a single electric guitar, is diffused by Indigo’s ironic apathy—a slacker rock nonchalance that refuses to take itself seriously: “I was really tired and fucked up from this relationship and simultaneously so deeply in love with that person in a special way that felt very vast and more real than anything I’d ever experienced.”
Across the table from that irreverence sits the sincerity of the single “Hold U,” a more energized, neo soul-inspired love song that substitutes apathy for a genuine expression of care. “I wrote ‘Hold U’ after I left that heavy season of my life and was learning how to love more simply and functionally. I wanted to write a love song that was painfully simple.”
Growing up in a conservative small town in the mountains of North Carolina, Indigo started playing guitar when she was nine years old. “Music was a natural occurrence in my life. My dad is a bossa nova guitarist and singer from Brazil and so I think I just had it in my blood from birth.” It wasn’t until moving to Asheville, NC that Indigo began to move into her current sound, developing a writing practice that feeds from the currents that surround her: “Sometimes it feels like I am soaking up the energies of people around me and making art from a space that is more a collective body than just my own.”
“Real Pain,” one of the most experimental tracks on the record, is Indigo’s attempt to make that phenomena more intentionally collaborative. Starting soft before dropping down into a cavernous pit of layered screams and cries, “Real Pain” collages the voices of strangers—audio bites Indigo received after posting online asking for “screams, yells and anything else.” “Hearing these voices join together and move with my own was really powerful. The whole record was a release for me. And I hope it can be that for others.”
At the forefront of all De Souza’s projects is her magnetism—her unique quality of spirit that is both buoyant and wise. While her backing band has undergone shifts between releases, her sound has stayed tethered to her vision. Any Shape You Take is the first full-length album that Indigo produced herself. Teaming up with executive producer Brad Cook (Bon Iver, Waxahatchee, The War on Drugs) and engineers/producers Alex Farrar and Adam McDaniel, Indigo recorded the album at Betty’s, Sylvan Esso’s studio in Chapel Hill, NC and finished it with additional production and mixing at Drop of Sun Studios in Asheville. Moving past the limitations of a home studio, Indigo could finally embody the full reach of her sound: “It felt really exciting to lean into my pop tendencies more than I have in the past and to trust my intuition to take the songs where I felt they should go. I had the tools to do it and collaborators who were willing to
go there with me.”
“I feel very much like a shape-shifter with my music, I’m always trying to embody a balance between the existential weight and the overflowing sense of love I feel in the world.” It is exactly this balance that Indigo strikes in her Saddle Creek debut, Any Shape You Take. A listening experience that gives back, as you shed and shape-shift along with her.