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.

Wednesday, May 8, 2024
Karaoke Night
May 8 @ 7:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Hickory Tavern

Karaoke Night at Hickory Tavern

PRIMUS
May 8 @ 7:00 pm
Rabbit Rabbit

Gates open at 5:30pm
All Ages – not recommended for children under 4
RAIN OR SHINE
CLEAR BAGS ONLY

 

 

MRS. DOUBTFIRE
May 8 @ 7:30 pm
Peace Concert Hall

Everyone’s favorite Scottish nanny is headed to Greenville! Rob McClure will reprise his Tony-nominated Broadway performance on tour alongside co-star (and real wife!) Maggie Lakis in this internationally acclaimed hit musical critics call “wonderful, heart-warming, and laugh-out-loud funny” (Manchester Evening News) and “a feel-good, family-friendly comedy that delivers” (The Hollywood Reporter). Based on the beloved film and directed by four-time Tony Award® winner Jerry Zaks, MRS. DOUBTFIRE tells the hysterical and heartfelt story of an out-of-work actor who will do anything for his kids. It’s “the lovable, big-hearted musical comedy we need right now,” raves the Chicago Tribune – one that proves we’re better together.

Official Website

The Book of Mormon
May 8 @ 7:30 pm
Spartanburg Memorial Auditorium

The New York Times calls it “the best musical of this century.” The Washington Post says, “It is the kind of evening that restores your faith in musicals.” And Entertainment Weekly says, “Grade A: the funniest musical of all time.” Jimmy Fallon of The Tonight Show calls it “Genius. Brilliant. Phenomenal.” It’s THE BOOK OF MORMON, the nine-time Tony Award®-winning Best Musical. For more information, visit TheBookOfMormonTour.com

Note: The Book Of Mormon is a COMEDY musical that includes explicit language and adult content and is not recommended to those who may find such content offensive.

Civic Center Commission Meeting
May 8 @ 8:00 pm
Harrah's Cherokee Center- Asheville

Sleep Token: The ‘Teeth of God’ Tour

PERIPHERY THE WILDFIRE TOUR ‘24
May 8 @ 8:00 pm
The Orange Peel

PERIPHERY THE WILDFIRE TOUR ‘24

Ages 18+
Thursday, May 9, 2024
Asheville Performing Arts Academy Summer Musical Theatre Camps: Registration Open
May 9 all-day
Asheville Performing Arts Academy

We’re offering TWO grade levels this summer for our workshops:

  • Younger Ages (Rising 1st – 3rd Grade)
  • Older Ages (Rising 4th – 10th Grade)

Camps run Monday-Friday, 9am-3pm

Finding Nemo Workshop

June 17-21, 2024

July 8-12, 2024

July 29- Aug 2, 2024

Moana Workshop

June 24-28, 2024

July 15-19, 2024

August 5-9, 2024

Pirate Palooza Workshop

July 1-5, 2024

The Little Mermaid Workshop

July 22-26, 2024

Our Musical Theatre Workshop camps center around favorite stage musicals, where students will learn musical numbers and perform a shortened production at the end of each week. Campers will not only perform in many dance numbers and scenes but will work on the technical aspects that all productions need, like sets, props, and costumes.

Registration Open: Summer Camps at the Wortham Center
May 9 all-day
Diana Wortham Theatre

Imaginative kids can createexplore, and play in Summer Camps at the Wortham Center! With high-energy, low-pressure programs for rising 1st-5th grade campers, week-long camps expand minds, build life skills, and create meaningful friendships through the arts.

Register now online or by calling the Box Office at 828-257-4530. Space is limited.

A limited number of full and partial need-based scholarships are available upon application through Arts for All Kids. Families who qualify for free or reduced lunch are welcome to apply.

Questions? Email Director of Education Anna Kimmell at [email protected].

2024 Creative Arts Summer Camps

CREATIVE ARTS CAMP
Rising 1st-2nd Grades
JUNE 24-28, 2024
 • 9 a.m.-1 p.m.  

Little kids with BIG imaginations can dance, sing, act, create, and collaborate in this high-energy, low-pressure arts camp! With engaging activities rooted in creative play, kids will have so much fun expressing themselves through the arts, they won’t even notice they’re also building confidence, improving physical and emotional awareness, honing listening and focus skills, and learning to work within a group. At the end of the week, campers will celebrate what they’ve learned in an informal sharing for friends and family.

$185 in February ($205 after March 1)

PERFORMING ARTS CAMP
Rising 1st-2nd Grades

JULY 15-19, 2024 • 9 a.m.-1 p.m.  

In this week-long, half-day summer arts camp, students will have fun exploring the fundamentals of acting, music, and movement. Through engaging activities rooted in creative play, kids will make friends, explore the performing arts, discover new tools for expression, and share what they’ve learned in a short performance presented at the end of the week for friends and family.

$185 in February ($205 after March 1)


CREATIVE ARTS CAMP
Rising 3rd-5th Grades

JULY 8-12, 2024 • 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

Kids will have fun exercising their imaginations in this week-long camp exploring the creative arts! With daily activities in acting, dance, music, design, technical theatre, and more, this high-energy, low-pressure camp builds life skills, confidence, and friendships through the arts. Kids will leave feeling empowered to take creative risks on stage and off.

$290 in February ($310 after March 1)


PERFORMING ARTS CAMPS
Rising 3rd-5th Grades

JULY 22-26, 2024 • 9 a.m.-3 p.m.  

Kids can connect with other creative thinkers as they write, develop, and perform in their own original show! With an emphasis on self-expression, collaboration, and the creative process, kids will have fun exploring daily activities in acting, movement, creative writing, and improvisation in a low-pressure, supportive environment. At the end of the week, young artists will share their newfound skills in an informal performance for family and friends. No prior performing arts experience is necessary, only an open mind.

$290 in February ($310 after March 1)

Eric Slick w/ Scott McMicken
May 9 @ 5:30 pm
The Grey Eagle
Doors Open: 7:00 PM
ALL AGES
– STANDING ROOM ONLY
Eric Slick is a singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist from Nashville, TN. He’s performed and recorded with Dr. Dog, Taylor Swift, The War On Drugs, Waxahatchee, Kevin Morby, Ruston Kelly, Adrian Belew, Ween, and many more. Eric has several studio albums, including 2020’s acclaimed Wiseacre.

SCOTT McMICKEN
Scott McMicken has always thrived on switching things up. As a founding member of Philadelphia rock mainstays Dr. Dog, McMicken and his bandmates consistently explored new sounds and new ways of writing songs across 10 gleefully eclectic albums before their 2021 hiatus. While McMicken has quietly released solo projects via cassette and vinyl on his own label Press On Records, for his latest effort, he’s done something he’s only done once before: started a band. With Shabang, out March 31, 2023, via ANTI-, comes the debut album from Scott McMicken and THE EVER-EXPANDING, and he’s made some of his freest and most adventurous music yet: a wonderfully collaborative collection of songs that feel lived in and true.

Part Basement Tapes and Paul Simon, and part a globetrotting foray into progressive sounds, Shabang is some of the most exploratory music of McMicken’s career. There are elements of jazz, dub reggae, country, and bossa nova throughout these 13 tracks, each exuding the excitement of being in a room with several other curious musicians. Opener “What About Now” originally started as a folk-rock dirge but when McMicken decided to add some bounce to the rhythm, the whole thing opened up. Even songs that dig deep into personal conflict like “Reconcile” radiate with a joy that’s tangible and rocking.

“I’m constantly trying at all costs to avoid feeling like a singer-songwriter,” says McMicken. “I would like to create a welcoming place that we can share rather than trying to yank you into my inner world.”

PATIO: POLLY PANIC
May 9 @ 5:30 pm
The Grey Eagle
Doors Open: 5:00 PM
ALL AGES
LIMITED PATIO SEATING IS FIRST COME FIRST SERVE

POLLY PANIC
Jenette Mackie is creator and frontwoman of cello shredding rock duo Polly Panic. Built on the back of distorted and often looped cello, drums, and powerful vocals, Mackie and drummer/backing vocalist Chris Medrano are not to be missed in this era of cellos coming to the front. Polly Panic is one of the longest standing cello Art rock forces out there…

“References abound, P J Harvey’s bleak and angsty soundscapes, Tori Amos dark dreaming, Apocalyptica’s classical-rock attitudes, Tom Waits belligerence, but whilst you catch fleeting sights of those past glories, Polly Panic creates something totally her own, something wonderfully unique, where classical grunge meets baroque ’n’roll!” (Dave Franklin, Dancing About Architecture, on Losing Form)

Peeled Back: Benjamin Tod + Ashley Mae
May 9 @ 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Citizen Vinyl

The Orange Peel + Citizen Vinyl Present Peeled Back: Featuring Benjamin Tod & Ashley Mae Join us on Thursday, May 9th for Peeled Back, a collaboration between The Orange Peel and Citizen Vinyl, featuring Benjamin Tod and Ashley Mae, one night before the much anticipated sold out Lost Dog Street Band’s show on May 10th. Show at 6 p.m., doors at 5 p.m. $20 advance / $25 at the door. Peeled Back aims to offer a unique connection with an artist through curated interviews and a stripped-down intimate set. Benjamin Tod and Ashley Mae will sit down with Garret Woodward, Arts and Entertainment Editor of the Smoky Mountain News and contributing writer to Rolling Stone, for an informal chat before performing a few songs.

Pop-up Concert with Ash Devine + Jane Fallon
May 9 @ 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Flood Gallery Fine Art Center

Doors open at 6pm for performer signups, followed by our regular True Home Open Mic from 6:30-7:30. Then a pop-up concert 7:30-9pm featuring true folk troubadour Ash Devine with special guest and 40-time award-winning FL-based songwriter Jane Fallon! A blend of originals with old country, traditional Appalachian, Carter family songs, old timey country blues, and folk revival tunes.

Americana Amphitheater Concert: The Krickets
May 9 @ 6:30 pm
Tryon Fine Arts Center

Americana Amphitheater Concert Lineup

Thursdays in May @ 6:30 pm

Season Pass is $45 (plus fees + taxes), or you can purchase individual tickets in advance for $10 (plus fees + taxes) or $12 at the door on the day of show.

May 9     The Krickets

 

The Krickets are a trio from the Gulf Coast region whose music is genre-bending Americana steeped in their signature folk harmony. Their music has been described as emotive and powerful, whose harmonies send chills down the spine, and can lift your spirits higher than a live oak draped in Spanish moss. With voices sweeter than Tupelo honey, these sirens are sure to enchant the Foothills with their unique sound.

May 16    Dirty Blanket
May 23    Ever More Nest
May 30    Alice Wallace Band

 

Buy the whole series for one processing fee and taxes! Individual tickets also available on the website, at the box office or you can buy them at the door on the day of the show.
Beer, wine and beverages will be available. We are finalizing Food Trucks for each event so you can come to the show, catch a bite to eat for dinner, and enjoy the music, as well as the stunning beauty of the amphitheater at sunset and under the lights! It’s no wonder we pack it in on Thursdays in May!
BLUEGRASS JAM Hosted by Drew Matulich
May 9 @ 7:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Jack of the Wood

BLUEGRASS JAM

Hosted by Drew Matulich


Don’t miss your chance to check out some of the best pickers from all over WNC at our amazing Bluegrass Jam curated by the talented Drew Matulich — every Thursday starting at 7:00 pm! A real show-stopping performance only at Jack of the Wood! Open jam starts at 9:30 pm.

Lonely Parrots :FREE outdoors show in the gardens
May 9 @ 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm
Asheville Salt Cave | Massage & Salt Spa Therapy
Make a fun night out and join us for a session before the show starts! Bring a camping chair and/or a blanket to cozy up on under the stars for this magical evening in our Peace Gardens. You are welcome to bring snacks and drinks.
Lonely Parrots info:
One part Michael Martinez & one part Max Embers, the two singer-songwriters have been
making music and performing professionally for the past 8 years. Notable collaborations include the likes of Kelly Clarkson, John Legend, Ryan Tedder, Naika & John Oates (to name a few).
They met in Boston at Berklee College of Music nearly a decade ago but only realized their
creative chemistry in the fall of 2022. What started as a sunset jam on the beach turned out to be the first of many songs, the heart of which revolves around human connection, the highs and lows of friendship and love, as well as our beautiful planet and its incredible, delicate nature.
Moving seamlessly from haunting unison to soulful harmonies, their sound often leaves
audiences unsure of who is even singing which part. Unique and wonderful as their voices are on their own, an entirely new and third voice is created when these songbirds sing together as Lonely Parrots – think Simon & Garfunkel, but with a modern Coldplay twist!
After a successful tour through the Pacific Northwest last year the duo is excited to start
releasing music this year!
Michael & Max are also founders of the MORF initiative (Music On Regenerative Farms) which aims to bring concerts to sustainable farms and projects, giving earth-conscious artists an opportunity to share their music in breathtaking outdoor settings and to raise awareness about the regenerative movement!
Be sure to bring a camping chair and/or a blanket to cozy up on under the stars for this magical evening in our Peace Gardens. You are welcome to bring snacks and drinks as well.
Thursday May 9th 7:30 – 9:30
This is a FREE show with a suggested donation $20
MRS. DOUBTFIRE
May 9 @ 7:30 pm
Peace Concert Hall

Everyone’s favorite Scottish nanny is headed to Greenville! Rob McClure will reprise his Tony-nominated Broadway performance on tour alongside co-star (and real wife!) Maggie Lakis in this internationally acclaimed hit musical critics call “wonderful, heart-warming, and laugh-out-loud funny” (Manchester Evening News) and “a feel-good, family-friendly comedy that delivers” (The Hollywood Reporter). Based on the beloved film and directed by four-time Tony Award® winner Jerry Zaks, MRS. DOUBTFIRE tells the hysterical and heartfelt story of an out-of-work actor who will do anything for his kids. It’s “the lovable, big-hearted musical comedy we need right now,” raves the Chicago Tribune – one that proves we’re better together.

Official Website

OUTPOST: The Plate Scrapers
May 9 @ 7:30 pm
The Outpost
Doors Open: 6:30 PM
– ALL AGES
– STANDING ROOM ONLY
– RAIN OR SHINE
 
The Plate Scrapers
Born from the tradition of Bluegrass jams and potlucks, The Plate Scrapers — Derek Kretzer (banjo), Andrew Jordan (guitar), Robbie Mann (fiddle), Jody Mosser (dobro), and Kevin Johnson (bass) — have been putting in the work and showcasing their love for the genre since 2014. They have since released 3 studio albums, 3 live albums, and have toured relentlessly up and down the east coast and into the midwest. In 2019, they won the Podunk Bluegrass Telefunken Band Contest. They have been featured on WAMU Bluegrass Country Radio, performed as an IBMA Official Showcase artist, and their latest release, Destination Horizon (2020) debuted at #9 on the Bluegrass Album Billboard charts with rave reviews from Bluegrass Today.

Jackson Grimm & the Bull Moose Party
Jackson Grimm is an accomplished and respected multi-instrumentalist and teacher in the Asheville music community. His songs marry folk pop melodies with the lonesome sound of traditional Appalachian music.
In a region with a strong music culture, it is no surprise that Grimm’s songwriting is representative of his musical birthplace: Asheville, NC. Grimm studied Traditional Music at Warren Wilson College under the tutelage of great players like Wayne Erbsen and Kevin Kehrberg. Grimm lives in Asheville, North Carolina, and can be found playing solo or around Western North Carolina with bluegrass band, The Bull Moose Party. Audience members can expect a tight and dynamic unit replete with fast picking, harmony singing, and modern stringband swagger.
Blending modern original folk music, traditional stringboard music, and bluegrass covers that you’ll sing along with, Jackson Grimm & the Bull Moose Party are esteemed members of Asheville’s traditional music scene. Jackson Grimm stands out as a artist who stays true to his roots while pushing the boundaries of the genre in the ever-evolving world of country, bluegrass and old-time music
Helmet
May 9 @ 8:00 pm
The Orange Peel
Ages 18+

 

Stewart/Owen Dance
May 9 @ 8:00 pm
Wortham Center for the Performing Arts

Stunning audiences last season with imaginative and impassioned performances, Wortham’s resident dance company returns to share their latest creation, which draws on themes of passion, intimacy and playfulness. With an exciting collection of contemporary choreography that’s as “sensual” (Washington Post) as it is “humorous, elegant and wild” (Seattle Dances), this award-winning company, founded by a husband-and-wife duo, crafts intricate movements that offer a glimpse into the depths of the human spirit.

Tep No: Bigger Than God Tour
May 9 @ 8:00 pm
The Grey Eagle
Doors Open: 7:00 PM
ALL AGES
STANDING ROOM ONLY

TEP NO
Tep No is a chill pop artist based in Hamilton, Canada. Straight from his debut in 2014, Tep No established himself in the chill electronic pop lane with his tasteful production and unique vocals. In 2015 he released his breakthrough hits, “The Last Ones Standing” and “Pacing” which catapulted him to millions of listeners across the world and led him to signing with Ultra Records. From there he continued to release chill pop hits such as “The Best Crew,” “Toluca Lake,” and “Breathe, Be Happy.” Over the course of his career he has accumulated nearly 500 million streams on Spotify and only more recently has started to bring his live set to fans across North America with sold out shows in 2022 and 2023 in Denver and Los Angeles respectively.

His music can be heard in yoga studios, coffee shops, beach side restaurants, trendy hotel lobby’s, and many other places. His debut North America tour kicked off in July 2023 to massive success, with shows across the US, Canada, and even one stop in London UK. At the end of 2023 and beginning of 2024 he supported BoomBox on their tour across the US. In January he released his 5th studio album, Do Ya, and announced his Bigger Than God US Tour..

Friday, May 10, 2024
Registration Open: Summer Camps at the Wortham Center
May 10 all-day
Diana Wortham Theatre

Imaginative kids can createexplore, and play in Summer Camps at the Wortham Center! With high-energy, low-pressure programs for rising 1st-5th grade campers, week-long camps expand minds, build life skills, and create meaningful friendships through the arts.

Register now online or by calling the Box Office at 828-257-4530. Space is limited.

A limited number of full and partial need-based scholarships are available upon application through Arts for All Kids. Families who qualify for free or reduced lunch are welcome to apply.

Questions? Email Director of Education Anna Kimmell at [email protected].

2024 Creative Arts Summer Camps

CREATIVE ARTS CAMP
Rising 1st-2nd Grades
JUNE 24-28, 2024
 • 9 a.m.-1 p.m.  

Little kids with BIG imaginations can dance, sing, act, create, and collaborate in this high-energy, low-pressure arts camp! With engaging activities rooted in creative play, kids will have so much fun expressing themselves through the arts, they won’t even notice they’re also building confidence, improving physical and emotional awareness, honing listening and focus skills, and learning to work within a group. At the end of the week, campers will celebrate what they’ve learned in an informal sharing for friends and family.

$185 in February ($205 after March 1)

PERFORMING ARTS CAMP
Rising 1st-2nd Grades

JULY 15-19, 2024 • 9 a.m.-1 p.m.  

In this week-long, half-day summer arts camp, students will have fun exploring the fundamentals of acting, music, and movement. Through engaging activities rooted in creative play, kids will make friends, explore the performing arts, discover new tools for expression, and share what they’ve learned in a short performance presented at the end of the week for friends and family.

$185 in February ($205 after March 1)


CREATIVE ARTS CAMP
Rising 3rd-5th Grades

JULY 8-12, 2024 • 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

Kids will have fun exercising their imaginations in this week-long camp exploring the creative arts! With daily activities in acting, dance, music, design, technical theatre, and more, this high-energy, low-pressure camp builds life skills, confidence, and friendships through the arts. Kids will leave feeling empowered to take creative risks on stage and off.

$290 in February ($310 after March 1)


PERFORMING ARTS CAMPS
Rising 3rd-5th Grades

JULY 22-26, 2024 • 9 a.m.-3 p.m.  

Kids can connect with other creative thinkers as they write, develop, and perform in their own original show! With an emphasis on self-expression, collaboration, and the creative process, kids will have fun exploring daily activities in acting, movement, creative writing, and improvisation in a low-pressure, supportive environment. At the end of the week, young artists will share their newfound skills in an informal performance for family and friends. No prior performing arts experience is necessary, only an open mind.

$290 in February ($310 after March 1)

Acoustic Jam Session
May 10 @ 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Sideways Farm & Brewery

Plan to collaborate with other musicians at Sideways Farm & Brewery in Etowah. Bring your instruments and voices and enjoy making music and networking with other artists, while enjoying the beautiful scenery. Food truck is on site and beverages available for purchase from Sideways (small
batch craft beers, hard jun, ciders, wine, and non alcoholic drinks). Family, fans, friends, and leashed dogs are all welcome!
During winter months enjoy playing under the covered, sheltered, heated porch! And during the summer months enjoy
collaborating in the fields, on the stage, or under the patio

Orville Peck – Stampede Tour
May 10 @ 6:00 pm
Rabbit Rabbit
All Ages – not recommended for children under 4

Popcorn Falls By James Hindman
May 10 @ 7:00 pm
Black Mountain Center for the Arts

The sleepy town of Popcorn Falls is forced into bankruptcy when a neighboring town threatens to turn them into a sewage treatment plant. Their only hope – open a theater! Two actors play over twenty roles in a world of farce, love, and desperation, proving once and for all that art can save the world.

Seating is general admission, first come first served. Door opens 30 minutes prior to showtime. Online ticket sales end 1 hour prior to showtime. There may still be tickets available for purchase in the office after online sales have ended. Contact BMCA for more information at 828-669-0930.

Tim Easton + Tommy Scifres + Hannah Kaminer
May 10 @ 7:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Citizen Vinyl
An evening of stellar singer-songwriters! Friday, May 10, doors at 6 p.m. and show at 7 p.m. $15 advance / $18 at the door.
TIM EASTON: Raised in Akron, OH, singer/songwriter Tim Easton was influenced by a combination of pop icons and bluegrass/folk legends. After college, Easton found himself busking in the streets of Paris, London, Dublin, Amsterdam, Madrid, and Prague, on and off for seven years, at one time alongside Anti-Folk hero Beck Hansen. His new album “Find Your Way ” will be released on May 15. TOMMY SCIFRES: After touring with North Carolina artists Caleb Caudle, House of Fools and Roseland, Tommy Scifres moved to Nashville in 2014. Tommy has toured and recorded with the likes of Aaron Lee Tasjan, Tim Easton and Brian Wright. In 2021 Scifres completed and released his first solo album “Last Legs.” He has been touring, full-time with recent Grammy winner, Lainey Wilson and has appeared on several late night talk shows, award shows and hit series Yellowstone. HANNAH KAMINER: Hannah Kaminer is an artist and singer-songwriter writing songs about love, loss, and home. Raised in small towns in Western North Carolina, she fuses echoes of Appalachian and country traditions with wistful, Americana-style songwriting. Her latest released, Heavy on the Vine (2024), was produced with her band, The Wistfuls.
Canellakis-Brown Duo
May 10 @ 7:30 pm
UU Congregation of Asheville

Program includes:

Claude Debussy: Beau Soir

Lukas Foss: Capriccio

Camille Saint-Saens: Romance, Op. 36

Michael Stephen Brown: Prelude and Dance (2017)

Nicholas CanellakisRomance a GF (2022)

Jersey Boys The Story of Frankie Valli + The Four Seasons
May 10 @ 7:30 pm
Flat Rock Playhouse

“The Four Seasons story still hits all the high notes!” Experience the Unforgettable Music and Untold Story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons with Jersey Boys. This Tony Award-winning musical, filled with chart-topping hits, captivating storytelling, and electrifying performances, will have audiences singing and dancing in their seats. Featuring iconic songs like “Sherry,” “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” “Walk Like a Man,” and “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You,” this musical is a celebration of the timeless music that defined a generation. Don’t miss your chance to experience the magic, the music, the story of Jersey Boys.

BENJAMIN TOD + LOST DOG STREET BAND
May 10 @ 8:00 pm
The Orange Peel

Returning to the stripped-back, string band sound of their busking years, Lost Dog Street Band’s new album Glory is a searing testament to recovery, redemption and resolve. Fronted by songwriter Benjamin Tod and his wife, fiddler Ashley Mae, the DIY band began out of desperation on the sidewalks of Nashville roughly a decade ago, but now sustains a significant national audience that’s drawn to their authentic songwriting, old-time instrumentation, and hard-won independence.

“I wanted to make an album with the specific intention of being raw but full at the same time and to get back to our roots,” Benjamin Tod says. “Everyone on this album has been a busker. Douglas Francisco, who plays slide guitar — I met him on the streets busking. Jeff Loops, our bassist, was in a busking band, too. That flavor was important to me, just getting back to the root of things.”

By centering the songs of Glory around acoustic arrangements, without the drums or steel guitar of prior albums, these harrowing personal stories become even more graphic. It’s a feeling that Benjamin Tod himself describes as “a logical glimpse of climbing out of hell.” He observes, “Something that was shocking to me was realizing that as soon as I got sober, that was really the beginning of the journey. Choosing to get sober was barely even a milestone.”

Leading the album, “Until I Recoup (Glory I)” vengefully demands justice and describes the fight for glory after it’s been unjustly taken away. The lyrics read like a mission statement of redemption.

Similar to Steve Earle’s influential Train a Comin’ album from 1999, Glory conveys the hard work that goes into getting clean, particularly in tracks like “Fighting Like Hell to Be Free,” “Beautiful Curse” and “Jalisco Bloom.” Calling to mind the skillful writing of Guy Clark or Townes Van Zandt, “What Keeps Me Up Now” views that phrase from multiple angles, from sleepless nights to a suicide attempt, where “the belt was a noose when I came to on the ground.” It’s one example of the “dark country” description that the band occasionally uses to describe their sound. In contrast, “End With You” finds Benjamin Tod feeling damn glad that he’s found a relationship that’s sustained him for a decade, through the achievements as well as the obstacles.

Raised in Sumner County, just outside of Nashville, Benjamin Tod was primarily raised by his grandmother and grandfather. However, at age 7, his mother surprised him with a cheap electric guitar — then his competing father bought him a pawnshop classical guitar. With nobody to show him how to play, they were little more than toys. However, at 14, he and a friend each received a Fullerton parlor guitar from his friend’s father. The boys started getting interested in folk music and protest songs, which led Benjamin to the streets of Nashville to busk.

Meanwhile, Ashley Mae was spending more and more time in Nashville, where her mother worked the overnight shift at rock station WKDF. She’d already tapped into the small punk scene in Rapid City, South Dakota, where she grew up, but found an even deeper community in Music City. At 20, she taught herself to play fiddle, shedding as much of her classical violin training as she could. When she met Benjamin Tod at a punk show, introduced by a mutual friend, they bonded immediately.

At 17, they left Nashville together for a life of street performance, hopping trains, and scraping by on less than $300 a month. After four years of terrible gigs and almost no traction, Benjamin Tod decided in 2016 to abandon the band. “I’d been a hardly functioning drug addict and alcoholic for over a decade. I was sick of the lifestyle and it seemed like it was going nowhere,” he admits.

An invitation from the band Devil Makes Three came out of the blue in 2016. Benjamin Tod found out about it in a train-yard, about to hop a train from Asheville, North Carolina, to Knoxville, Tennessee. “Without that, Lost Dog never would have moved forward from that point,” he says.

Lost Dog Street Band gained traction through that tour, but when Benjamin Tod and Ashley Mae separated for a year and a half, the momentum evaporated. Instead of going back on the road, they filmed performance videos of songs from Benjamin Tod’s solo album, I Will Rise, and posted them to YouTube without much expectation other than promotional use. However, that decision proved to be the turning point, as curious listeners discovered the band and their ticket sales skyrocketed.

Those early fans especially will embrace the spare but spirited sound of Glory, applied to tracks like “Cost of the High,” which directly addresses the fallout of addiction, as well as “Hayden’s Lament,” where the choice is given between “getting dead or getting tough.” Right after the plaintive country ballad, “Losing Again,” Benjamin Tod brings out the banjo for “I Believe (Glory II),” which basks in the emotion of finally finding that glory.

Without touring in 2020, Benjamin Tod and Ashley Mae settled on a parcel of land in rural Kentucky that they bulldozed themselves, building a cabin with well water and solar panels. Every week, even now, Benjamin Tod says he takes account of his situation as a recovering addict.

“In society as a whole, there’s a real lack in examples of actual recovery,” he says. “There’s not a brutally honest take on how painful the process is, but how rewarding it is at the same time. Every step that you make helps encourage you to meet the next milestone. It’s like a punch in the face and the kiss on the cheek every day. It’s very personal for me, the concept of digging out of hell, because I had to do that in order to gain my own dignity back. Everything follows after that. You have to earn your own respect of yourself before you earn it from anybody else.”

MRS. DOUBTFIRE
May 10 @ 8:00 pm
Peace Concert Hall

Everyone’s favorite Scottish nanny is headed to Greenville! Rob McClure will reprise his Tony-nominated Broadway performance on tour alongside co-star (and real wife!) Maggie Lakis in this internationally acclaimed hit musical critics call “wonderful, heart-warming, and laugh-out-loud funny” (Manchester Evening News) and “a feel-good, family-friendly comedy that delivers” (The Hollywood Reporter). Based on the beloved film and directed by four-time Tony Award® winner Jerry Zaks, MRS. DOUBTFIRE tells the hysterical and heartfelt story of an out-of-work actor who will do anything for his kids. It’s “the lovable, big-hearted musical comedy we need right now,” raves the Chicago Tribune – one that proves we’re better together.

Official Website

OUTPOST: Tan + Sober Gentlemen
May 10 @ 8:00 pm
The Outpost
Doors Open: 7:00 PM
– ALL AGES
– STANDING ROOM ONLY
– RAIN OR SHINE
 
Tan & Sober Gentlemen
Born and raised in North Carolina, the Tan and Sober Gentlemen began taking the songs, stories, and tunes that make up their beloved state’s musical tradition before they could talk. The music of the Carolinas, (and Appalachia in general) stems from the marriage of the Irish fiddle and the African banjo, which first met in the American South before the Revolution. The Tan and Sober Gentlemen aim to bring these traditions full circle. They play Irish tunes, ballads, and pub songs right next to the Appalachian fiddle tunes of their youth, melding the two into what they call “Irish-American hillbilly music.” Meanwhile, they have earned a reputation as one of the South’s hardest-hitting live acts, playing at blazing tempos, and putting every last bit of energy they possess into the show. The result is a raucous celebration of the Carolinas’ Irish heritage, with drinking, dancing, and merriment galore.

Ashley Heath and Her Heathens
With a voice once described as “velvet soul,” Asheville songwriter Ashley Heath has been winning over the hearts of Americana music lovers since she gave up her barista apron in the spring of 2015. Heath released her third album “Something to Believe” on October 14th, 2022 under Organic Records in Asheville, NC. 

She is now playing solo shows, as well touring with her full band “Ashley Heath and Her Heathens,” in support of her new album, and set to deliver her signature sultriness to clubs and festivals around the country. Often compared to her influences, Bonnie Raitt and Norah Jones, Heath easily manages to find a voice all her own. She has been recognized across Greater Appalachia for her strong songwriting and vocal abilities, having made the WNCW Top 100 list and Mountain Xpress “Best Of” awards several years in a row.