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.
A fresh take on a timeless classic, perfect for the whole family. With great warmth and more than a touch of hilarity, the hearts of children and adults alike still soar when the slipper fits. Inspired by the acclaimed teleplay starring Whitney Houston and Brandy, this version of the magical fairy tale is reborn with the Rodgers & Hammerstein hallmarks of originality, charm and elegance.
Please join us for MoonieFest! There will be Live Music & a Karaoke Contest by Thunderstruck Entertainment. Live music includes Misdemeanor, Jeremy Whiteside and Joe Roads. This is a free event that also includes a raffle and cornhole. There will be a food truck, ice cream and drinks available on the premises at cost. MoonieFest is a fundraising event to benefit Stage 4 No More: Search for a Cure. Help Jennifer in her fight to find healing from stage 4 cancer. Donations appreciated.Want to know why it is called “MoonieFest”? Well, come join us and find out. Thank you.
Other ways to help:
https://gofund.me/57aec302
https://givesendgo.com/G9QUV?utm_source=sharelink&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_campai
Join us for our summer music series “History of WNC/Appalachian Music.” We’ll be featuring musicians and special guests to take you on musical trips around Western North Carolina with a splash of history mixed in! Join us for an hour of music along with 30 minutes of historical tidbits, photos, and fun facts from archivists and librarians during set breaks.
The Asheville Dulcimer Orchestra will be playing a range of Southern Appalachian to classical music and is led by Mack Johnston. What is a Dulcimer? Due in large part to its popularity during the folk music revival, the mountain dulcimer, also called lap dulcimer, is one of the instruments most readily associated with Southern Appalachia. Millions were introduced to the instrument’s gentle sound by Jean Ritchie and Frank Proffitt of Watauga County, North Carolina. The mountain dulcimer is usually played across one’s lap, noting or chording with the left hand and strumming the three or four strings with the right.
To hear what it sounds like and see what it looks like, join us for this free program! The program takes place in our library community room at Enka and is in partnership with Buncombe County Special Collections.
Next month in the Appalachian music series, the library will host Honky Tonk Family Social Night featuring Hearts Gone South bringing us classic-style county music. Stay tuned for more details!
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
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.
– ALL AGES
– LIMITED PATIO SEATING IS FIRST COME FIRST SERVE
HIGHLAND REVERIE
Influenced by the rich musical heritage of Appalachia, Luke and Madison Morris’ sound is rooted in the folk traditions they grew up in. Nonetheless, they use folk tradition as a jumping-off point into new sonic landscapes and imaginative songwriting. After crossing paths at bluegrass festival, the duo began playing together regularly in 2018. Highland Reverie just released their self-titled debut album back in January. Their lead singles, “Real World” and “Father Time” were featured on Spotify’s editorial playlists, “Indie Bluegrass” and “Grassroots.”
The first part of their name “Highland” simply refers to the area they call home. Old-time and bluegrass music from the Appalachian highlands is the foundation for everything they create. The second part of their name “Reverie” is a noun that describes a daydream or a trance. It is used in a musical context to describe music that provokes a dream-like, meditative state. Their lyrics and smooth harmonies take the front seat while soft arrangements help to tell the story of each song. Together, Luke and Madison Morris bring a modern take on tradition that continues to evolve while remaining rooted in the music of Appalachia.
We will have a will-call list at the Admission Cabana, the purchaser will be the name on the ticket. If you buy multiple tickets the tickets will be under the same name. Please check in together if possible! When you check out you will see “FARM STORE PICKUP” please ignore for admission purchases.
It’s time to kick off your shoes and dance in the Big Barn here at Hickory Nut Gap Farm in gorgeous Fairview, NC! Come out from 6pm-9pm to see TOWNES COUNCIL a great band featuring local Fairview talent, including fiddler Townes Ellum who grew up just right down the road! There will be dances called at this gathering, but feel free to just sit back and tap your feet while you eat.
Hungry? How about you eat good grub for a good cause? HOLY COW FOOD TRUCK of Haywood Pathways Center, will be there serving HNG meats and putting all of their proceeds towards their mission to “Unite Neighbors and Nurture All”. Learn more about Holy Cow Food Truck here.
Hickory Nut Gap will have a bar serving local beers, ciders, seltzers and non-alcoholic beverages to slake your thirst between jigs. We cannot wait to dust off our good boots and dance again with y’all.
PARKING: Please park in the lower parking lot, reserve the upper lot for limited mobility and handicapped customers and attendees.
PET POLICY: While we normally allow leashed pets on the grounds, we ask you leave your furry friends at home for the Barn Dances.
ADMISSION:
5 years and under free!
6 years and older $10/each
We will have a will-call list at the Admission Cabana, the purchaser will be the name on the ticket. If you buy multiple tickets or a Family Pack, the tickets will be under the same name. Please check in together if possible!
featuring Flashback
$10 kids under 10
$20 adult day of show
GHOST COMEDY BUS TOUR
Grab a local beer, crucifix and a rubber chicken* —You might survive this hour long hilarious haunted ghost tour of Asheville.
- Guided comedy bus tour of Haunted Asheville
- 60 minutes; tours run nightly after dark
- $33 per person (Ages 17+ only)
- Departs from 76 Biltmore Avenue
*Legal Note: Crucifix not required to board the bus; we do not condone exorcisms, chickens, rubber, or any combination of the three.
A Summer Solstice Special Event!
2 nights only! Don your fairy finery, and come belly laugh, sing along, and feel the magic of Midsummer at this concert reading (and singing) of a NEW, ORIGINAL MUSICAL COMEDY by local theatre artists, Laura Depta Peal and Stan Peal.
It is Midsummer night in the magical court of Titania, Queen of the Fairies, and her motley bunch of forest fey are busy preparing for the night’s festivities. Oberon, her wayward consort, is late again, but when he arrives this time he’s not alone! A young human woman has followed him into the fairy realm, and now she can’t get home. Led by the mischievous Puck and a very dusty ghost of Shakespeare, the goofy forest denizens hilariously hatch a plan to get the lost girl back where she belongs. Mixed up Shakespearean shenanigans and Midsummer magic collide in this delightful musical celebration of summer!
Presented by Solstice Theatre – solsticetheatre.com – [email protected]
Friday & Saturday, June 23-24, 7:30pm
At the Tryon Fine Arts Center Amphitheater
34 Melrose Ave, Tryon, NC 28782
828.859.8322
Tickets: $10 at tryonarts.org/partner-series
Note: A concert reading is different from a full production of a play. At a reading such as this, the actors will be standing on stage or seated in chairs and will have their scripts in front of them on music stands. There will be minimal set, blocking, props, and costumes. Scene descriptions and stage directions will be read aloud to set the stage for the audience. Even with such a pared down production, you will be amazed at how much the story, the characters, the music, and the comedy will come alive for you!
Legendary Artist Patti LuPone, a true Broadway legend and three-time Tony Award winner, performs in this special BMC Presents concert. Ms. LuPone explores her lifelong love affair with Broadway through indelible interpretations of classic Broadway show tunes.
Auditorium seating is reserved. Lawn seating is general admission.
Hendersonville Theatre proudly presents The Maggie Valley Band as June’s intimate Hometown Sound concert. Hailing from the beautiful mountains of Maggie Valley, The Maggie Valley Band brings sister-sister harmonies to a mix of indie and folk rock, intertwined with a heavy sixties influence, producing a sound affectionately referred to as “Dark Appalachian.” What began in a small town has taken them all over the United States and Canada. The band released their album “The Hardest Thing” in 2018 under the direction of Grammy and Emmy nominated producer, David Mayfield. In 2020, TMVB released the EP “Something New” under the production of Jantzen Wray. In 2022, TMVB released the EP “Breakdown” under the production of Matt Langston of EleventySeven and Rock Candy Recordings. TMVB’s career has taken them as far as Canada and they have partnered with acts such as: Sarah Shook + the disarmers, Jason Isbell, Infamous Stringdusters, Robert Randolph & the Family Band, Black Lillies, Indigo Girls, Brent Cobb, Donna & the Buffalo Lonesome Riverband and many more.
A fresh take on a timeless classic, perfect for the whole family. With great warmth and more than a touch of hilarity, the hearts of children and adults alike still soar when the slipper fits. Inspired by the acclaimed teleplay starring Whitney Houston and Brandy, this version of the magical fairy tale is reborn with the Rodgers & Hammerstein hallmarks of originality, charm and elegance.
“Gareth is fast becoming one of the worlds most renowned instrumental guitarists”
Adam Walton (BBC Radio Wales)
“I really respect Gareth’s abilities. He’s a great young man and a great ambassador for the acoustic guitar”
Tommy Emmanuel
Gareth Pearson is referred to as “The Welsh Tornado” which is particularly appropriate, seeing as this special talent combines fingerstyle pyrotechnics, with explosive lead runs making Pearson one of the most exciting acoustic musicians gigging today.
Gareth has a distinctive style that can be heard through his creative and innovative arrangements which cover a wide spectrum of genres, including country/folk/classical/pop/rock/jazz/swing and bluegrass music, along with his own beautiful and often intricate original compositions.
Drawing his playing style initially from influences such as Chet Atkins, Merle Travis, Jerry Reed and Tommy Emmanuel, he has developed a style that is both inspiring and entertaining.
Within a year of taking up the guitar, Gareth was opening for Tommy Emmanuel on his 2005 UK tour. It was in Cardiff where Tommy invited Gareth to play at the CAAS convention (Chet Atkins Appreciation Society) in Nashville Tennessee.
Later that year, Gareth was performing and touring alongside Ray Davies (The Kinks), John Renbourne, and Southside Johnny and the Ashbury Jukes. During the Southside Johnny tour, Gareth was invited by Southside to be flown over to the USA to open for his annual New Years Eve concert at the Count Basie Theatre in New Jersey.
The following year Gareth was invited by Tommy Emmanuel to be the support act for his UK tour, following extensive UK supports to Jan Akkerman, Andy McKee and appearing at numerous Folk Festivals and Guitar workshops including the Montreal Jazz Festival.
With appearances throughout Europe and a growing reputation, Gareth was invited to perform at the 2008 Canadian Guitar Festival where he came to the attention of Candyrat Records. This lay the seed for Gareth to be the first UK guitarist to be signed by the label. On its release, Gareth’s debut album “Urban Echoes Vol 1” was selected by Acoustic Guitar editors and frequent contributors as one of the “Essential Acoustic Albums of 2010”.
https://www.garethpearson.com/
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“Jacob rocks!”
-Tommy Emmanuel
“Brilliantly done!! Wow!
– John Popper (Blues Traveler)
Part virtuoso and part storyteller, you might say that Jacob Johnson does with a guitar what Gene Kelly did with dance. Although his songwriting has won awards and his guitar-playing has put him on stage with Tommy Emmanuel and Phil Keaggy, his ability as an entertainer is what has won fans throughout the southeast. He refers to himself as “a ham that just wants to be on stage” but he is much more than that. Jacob is an amazingly talented guitarist and songwriter which, combined with a bit of a personality, makes for a wildly impressive stage performance
To watch Jacob Johnson play guitar is to watch someone do what he was born to do. Johnson glides up and down the fretboard with total confidence in a way that reminds one of Leo Kottke, barely looking at the instrument as he weaves delicate, dazzling melody lines with the occasional percussive thump on the strings. His sense of melody is a strong as his virtuosic playing, and his songwriting reveals a modestly bemused look at the world.
Johnson began playing when he was 10 years old, thanks primarily to his grandmother. She played with pickup bands back in the 40s he says. When country acts would tour, they would just book a band in whatever city they were playing in. So she played with Ernest Tubb and Hank Snow and a lot of people like that. She taught me the first three or four chords I ever learned and said, ˜Jacob, if all you ever learn on the guitar is these three or four chords, you will always be able to pick up a guitar and play songs for people.”
After that initial introduction, Johnson says he progressed quickly through his teen years. There was a period of a couple of years where I went from zero to 60. I started out listening to Johnny Cash and then got into the old rockabilly like Carl Perkins and Gene Vincent, then it was the blues and Stevie Ray Vaughan, Clapton, and Hendrix. I guess by the time I was 18 or 19 I’d started getting into Phil Keaggy and Michael Hedges, who I consider the Jimi Hendrix of the acoustic guitar.
He was one of the first players who got into two-handed tapping, alternate tuning, that kind of stuff. At a certain point I decided to focus on the acoustic guitar because there was just something about it. It seemed like this was the instrument that was going to give me my voice; that would allow me to develop my singing and songwriting in a way that my electric playing did.
Since dropping out of college in 2007, Jacob has traveled the country in (so far) six mini-vans, honing his craft, and making friends and fans along the way. Most of these were friendly now-forgotten faces that offered a warm meal and a couch to sleep on, but some were able to offer more. Such was the case with Grammy-nominated Australian guitar legend Tommy Emmanuel. Emmanuel put Jacob, as his opening act, on such notable stages as The Birchmere in Virginia, The State Theater in Maine, and The Newberry Opera House in South Carolina.
– ALL AGES
– FULLY SEATED SHOW
– LIMITED NUMBER OF PREMIUM SEATING TICKETS AVAILABLE
THE ARCADIAN WILD
The Arcadian Wild is a four-piece indie folk/pop group from Nashville, TN. Led by songwriters Isaac Horn and Lincoln Mick and Bailey Warren on fiddle, The Arcadian Wild confidently inhabits and explores an intersection of genre, blending the traditional with the contemporary. Combining elements of progressive bluegrass, folk, and formal vocal music, The Arcadian Wild offer up songs of invitation; calls to come and see, to find refuge and rest, to journey and wonder, to laugh and cry, to share joy and community and sing along.
Near the summer solstice each year, over 1,000 people convene from around the world for The Firefly Gathering. Here, folks come together to connect and share skills with the common goal of expanding our capacity to live well with one another and our beloved Earth.
Days are filled with a wide variety of classes focused on deepening our relationship with the wisdom and rhythms of nature, dipping into the deep wells of ancestral knowledge, and integrating these skills into our daily lives and communities.
Evenings are filled with live music, dancing under the moon and stars, opportunities to connect with each other, and of course–the fireflies–who dazzle us with their beautiful display of light as they communicate in the darkness! A variety of nature connection programs guide children and teens to engage through learning and play.
For many, coming to The Firefly Gathering is a life-changing experience that they return to year after year.
LEAF SUMMER CAMPS
IN FULL SWING!LEAF Schools & Streets invites your students to join us at LEAF Global Arts for summer camp. We are offering multiple camps which will run 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at LEAF Global Arts at 19 Eagle Street in Downtown Asheville.
Scholarships are available! Qualifications include:
- Students who qualify for free or reduced lunch
- Two of more siblings attending the same week of camp
- Students registering for 4+ LEAF Summer Camps in 2023 (must pay in full)
To inquire about scholarships, email [email protected].
Snacks will be provided, and students should bring a peanut free bagged lunch and a water bottle to camp each day, and wear clothes and shoes they can move in.
In addition to the main focus of the camp, each week will explore elements of theater art, music, and dance from around the world.
Cost: $230 per week. Extended Day: $60 per week.
• July 10th – 14th: Hip-Hop (FULL)
• July 24th – 28th: A LEAF International Experience
• August 7th – 11th: Songwriting & Recording
• August 14th – 18th: West African Drumming (ALMOST FULL)
• August 21st – 25th: Songs for Peace
Register for Summer Camps
Day camp is one of the joys of summer — a chance to learn new skills while making new friends in a fun and supportive atmosphere. LEAF Global Arts Summer Camp registration is live on our website. The week-long camps take place Monday-Friday, June 12-Aug. 25.
This summer, students will dive into music, art, theatre, and dance from around the world and in our community. Camp themes include celebrating diversity, songs for peace, black history, hip-hop culture, West African drumming, and more. Each camp will culminate in a Friday performance for friends and families, in addition to original recordings made in our ONEmic studio! LEAF’s ONEmic studio is funded by the Bed Gradison Memorial Fund and generous support of LEAF members
Learn Asheville’s history, discover hidden gems, and laugh at LaZoom’s quirky sense of adventure.
- Guided comedy tour bus of historical Asheville
- 90-Minutes – tours run daily
- 15-minute break at Green Man Brewing
- $39 per person (ages 13+ only)
A fresh take on a timeless classic, perfect for the whole family. With great warmth and more than a touch of hilarity, the hearts of children and adults alike still soar when the slipper fits. Inspired by the acclaimed teleplay starring Whitney Houston and Brandy, this version of the magical fairy tale is reborn with the Rodgers & Hammerstein hallmarks of originality, charm and elegance.
Jack of the Wood : Sunday-Irish Session
Sundays
1 till who knows when?
Traditional Irish music is kept alive at Jack of the Wood with our unplugged Sunday session.
Jack of the Wood
95 Patton ave
Asheville, NC 28801
(828) 252.5445
Join our College Division students in their opening concert of the season. Tchaikovsky’s soulful “Pathétique” Symphony will be performed by the Brevard Sinfonia with Maestra JoAnn Falletta. Virtuoso violinist Simone Porter makes her Brevard debut in Bruch’s soaring Scottish Fantasy.
PERFORMANCE & ARTIST DETAILS
Brevard Sinfonia
JoAnn Falletta, conductor
Simone Porter, violin
LIBBY LARSEN Deep Summer Music
MAX BRUCH Scottish Fantasy
PYOTR ILYICH TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No. 6, “Pathétique”
Auditorium seating is reserved. Lawn seating is general admission.
– ALL AGES
– STANDING ROOM ONLY
– RAIN OR SHINEDrip a Silver
Jerry enthusiasts, Drip A Silver, render the catalog from a place of merry reverence.
BE A PART OF THE MUSICAL JOURNEY FOR LOCAL EMERGING MUSICIANS
Join us on a one-of-a-kind musical journey as we watch emerging talent grow and refine their gifts in our newest project, Fine Tuned. The Blue Ridge Music Trails is excited to reveal a new initiative that connects seasoned musicians with a select group of emerging artists in Western North Carolina for mentor/mentee projects. Go behind the scenes and witness as fresh talent is shaped and new music created!
Sunday, June 25
5:30 doors/food/drinks 6:30 music
Citizen Vinyl, 14 O’Henry Avenue, Asheville
The Café String Quartet + Jorge Fuentes, percussion
Music with roots deep in the Americas, by Piazzolla, Gardel, Jobim, Joplin, Foster, Dvorak, and Bennett, plus à la carte food + wine pairings from the Session Cafe and Bar.
Tickets $20
50% of ticket sales will support Hola Carolina
The Asheville-based Café String Quartet has performed for public and private events for over 15 years. Multi-year winners of the Wedding Wire Couple’s Choice awards, they have performed and recorded on series including Bach to Bluegrass, Smoky Mountain Performing Arts Center, the Hendersonville Symphony’s Up Close and Personal series and have self-produced twelve annual community benefits.
– LIMITED PATIO SEATING IS FIRST COME FIRST SERVE
THE OLD FUTURES
The Old Futures are an indie rock band based in Asheville, NC that started as a recording project in 2019 between longtime friends Matt Cremeens (drums, vocals) and Danny Rangel (guitar, vocals, keys). They are largely influenced by classic rock and blues rock, but also have ties to Americana stylings. They released their first self produced album in the summer of 2020, followed by a few singles and another album in 2022, and are constantly recording. The Old Futures have added members, Michael Clem (bass) and Nick Pirtle (guitar) to contribute to an ever evolving sound.
Every Sunday evening Modelface Comedy brings you the best comedians from all over the country
Cortney Warner was born in Seoul, South Korea; raised in Mantua, Ohio; and now calls Nashville, Tennessee her home. Cortney performs stand up around the country and is known for her honest, diuretic material combined with unique observations about the world and society. Cortney recently released her first comedy special, Pointy Boys, on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Music under Bedfire Label.
Cortney runs a weekly showcase and mic at The Bowery Vault, and has shows at Third Man Records and The 5 Spot. Cortney has satire published on Points In Case, Flexx Mag, Hey! Young Writer, and Humor Darling. She is also a founding member of the improvised true crime podcast, Murder She Joked, available on Project-Nerd.
Featuring TBA
ages 21+
doors at 6pm, show at 6:30pm
We have another great standup comedy show coming up at Asheville Pizza and Brewing Company on Sunday June 25, 6:30 pm. Show is 18+. An always crazy fun comedy open mic with the area’s best comics (performing comics get free pizza & entry)!! Featuring Moira Goree, Ryan Gordan & Ben Atkins
Hosted by Morgan Bost. Morgan is an Asheville based comic capturing the playful and often painful parallels between adolescence and “almost-adulthood.” Vibrant yet vulnerable; her high-energy storytelling is influenced by her background as an improviser. She co-hosts a weekly comedy open mic called “The Hot Seat,” and writes a monthly humor column, “Best Medicine with Morgan Bost,” for the Mountain Xpress. She’s opened for Rob Delaney, Beth Stelling, and has appeared in several breweries and discount grocery stores across Western North Carolina.
Come get delicious food & drinks while laughing the night away! Contact [email protected] for more information!
Tickets at:
https://www.ashevillebrewing.com/movies/
FULLY SEATED SHOW
Leaving Dublin, Ireland where he was born and raised until the age of 22, David got drunk on travel and never quite hit sobriety of it. He has lived and worked in twelve countries and visited over seventy. His shows draw on his wide travels, cultural observations, attempts at language study, (occasional)international drinking session(s) and being a mildly confused immigrant. David is the winner of the prestigious annual San Francisco Comedy Competition, (previous finalists include Robin Williams, Ellen DeGeneres and Dana Carvey) and runner up in the Moth’s largest US Grandslam storytelling competition. He recorded his debut special for Dry Bar Comedy in 2019 and has been featured onTED.com, Amazon Prime Video, The Irish Independent, Inc, Sirius XM, NPR, Ireland AM, and the Huffington Post among others. A festival favourite David’s videos have also gone viral many times over with over 300 million views and a social following of over one million people. More: davidnihill.com
GHOST COMEDY BUS TOUR
Grab a local beer, crucifix and a rubber chicken* —You might survive this hour long hilarious haunted ghost tour of Asheville.
- Guided comedy bus tour of Haunted Asheville
- 60 minutes; tours run nightly after dark
- $33 per person (Ages 17+ only)
- Departs from 76 Biltmore Avenue
*Legal Note: Crucifix not required to board the bus; we do not condone exorcisms, chickens, rubber, or any combination of the three.
– ALL AGES
– FULLY SEATED SHOW
– LIMITED NUMBER OF PREMIUM SEATING TICKETS AVAILABLE
Malcolm Holcombe is a survivor. Most recently, a cancer survivor, so it’s a real gift to have this, his 18th album of brilliant vignettes and expressive musicianship. Shortly after his diagnosis in 2022, he and Jared Tyler decided to get these songs recorded, just the two of them, not knowing what the future held in store for them. To musicians, giving life to new songs can feel as critical as life’s most basic needs. If a completed album can come from it, all the better.
He’s a survivor of other struggles, too: ones that claim the lives of folks half his age. There are the self-inflicted ones, and the ones inflicted upon us by, well, the unpredictable world that he describes, unfiltered. Greed, hatred, inexplicable injustice… Malcolm helps us wrestle with them, as he has done for maybe a few lifetimes now. As he sings in “Fill These Shoes”, “People get murdered for no reason / Some give up their lives so others keep breathin’.” Through it all, we are blessed to have him among us.
Jared Tyler is, as RB Morris has called him, the musical shadow of Malcolm: able to anticipate his next moves, predict what’s needed when, and provide just the right embellishment and backbone on harmonies, guitars, mandola, dobro, banjo, etc. (As I write this, the music world is reflecting upon the recent passing of David Lindley, who provided the kind of support to Jackson Browne and others that Jared has done for Malcolm since 1999. Let this be a reminder, to all of us, to appreciate and support those who excel so well at backing up our favorite headliners, yet rarely receive the credit they deserve.) Jared also produced this album, along with Brian Brinkerhoff. No one can fully get inside the musical mind of the great Malcolm Holcombe, but Jared comes as close as anyone ever could.
Let me repeat part of that again: no one can fully get inside the musical mind of the great Malcolm Holcombe. You can memorize his lyrics, you can witness the awe and power and transcendent experience of his live performances, but you still won’t be absolutely certain that you see exactly what he’s seeing. And that’s but one of his many attributes. One that has perhaps made contemporaries like Emmylou Harris, Lucinda Williams, Steve & Justin Townes Earle, and Iris DeMent fans of his.
Malcolm Holcombe: singer, songwriter, survivor. He survives thanks in part to the fire and passion and conscience that you witness in his craft. “I will not hide from the words of justice / I will not join the cries of liars / I will not keep my heart from climbing from the dust I swallowed behind. …Great spirit lift me from despair / to your bosom sweet and fair” (“Conscience of Man”)
Martin Anderson
WNCW FM
Music director, host
ED SNODDERLY
Recalling the modern, esoteric lyricism of Guy Clark and Billy Joe Shaver and the Southern traditions of old-time music and bluegrass, veteran Americana singer- songwriter-guitar player Ed Snodderly’s new album Chimney Smoke, (his 10th), is a hypnotic, slow-burning masterpiece of expert songcraft and storytelling.