– ALL AGES
– STANDING ROOM ONLY

CAITLIN ROSE
Nashville-based Caitlin Rose’s new album CAZIMI finds itself released into the world at the exact right time. We’re not quite post-pandemic but we’re certainly post-vibe shift. Things are falling apart, systems are failing in front of us; chaos and danger await us the moment we step out our front doors. The perpetual mood is that of a constant hum of anxiety as we try to cope, with varying degrees of success, with the collective trauma that has consumed us unrelentingly for the past few years.

THE KERNAL

It all started with a red polyester suit. The western-style outfit belonged to Joe Garner’s father Charlie, who played bass on the Grand Ole Opry for thirty years, famously backing ‘doodle-doo-doo’ star Del Reeves. After his dad passed, Joe went into the attic of his family home, looking for a keepsake. What he found was an alter ego and the beginning of a rich, cathartic ten-year musical journey that culminates with his latest release, Listen to the Blood.

“I thought, I’m going to put this old suit on and I’m going to be my own version of some of these country guys, like my dad and Del,” says Garner.  “That’s how the project began. I thought of the name The Kernal in terms of ‘kerning,’ as in getting the letters straight in a design. Aligning myself is kind of the idea behind the name. I obviously had the love of country music that I got from my dad. But there were definitely some loose ends in our relationship that weren’t tied before he died. That part of it drove me to put myself into this world and try to iron out some demons. Listen to the Blood is the last of a three-album arc, which has been about me trying to prove myself worthy in some ways in a game that my dad had ostensibly mastered.”

With a storyteller’s eye and sly sense of humor that echoes not only his “honorary uncle” Del Reeves, but Tom T. Hall and Roger Miller, Garner delves deep into everything from family dysfunction to road trips to matters of the heart. The music, which he describes with a laugh as “diet country,” embodies the spirit of that genre without any of the slavishness or self-seriousness of much modern Americana. Rolling Stone has called his style “sweetly subversive, intellectual and addictive,” while Lo-Down said “the songs have an air of nostalgia but they sound far from old – modern, yet timeless. ”

“I think a lot of people can probably relate to the ideas I’ve been exploring,” Garner says. “Even if you come from a good family, you inherit these negative qualities that your parents hand down to you And then they die, and here you are, left dealing with them. I’ve enjoyed The Kernal project, because it reminds me of the good things in my family and the ways that I’m able to conquer some of the negative aspects. That part is sometimes hard to communicate, and I’m not even sure people are interested in that. Otherwise, the album can be appreciated in a pretty straightforward way – let’s play some music and have a good time.”

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!

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 SERVED

QUICKCHESTER

Steve Weams & The Caribbean Cowboys Band have been entertaining audiences for over 30 years. We play primarily in Western North Carolina but have traveled from Key West, Florida to New York City & through the British Virgin Islands. We provide a wide variety of music & complete our shows in a respectable, professional manner. We are highly respected in the entertainment industry in WNC & beyond. The CCB will provide you with a wide variety of music from Jimmy Buffett to other troubadours such as Peter Mayer, Scott Kirby, Jesse Winchester, Fingers Taylor & the best of Classic & Southern Rock, Rhythm & Blues, Reggae, Beach Tunes, Country & last but not least…a few classics such as Frank Sinatra & Elvis along with the Caribbean Cowboys Band originals!

The beats of the Friday Night Drum Circle have been rocking Pritchard Park for decades and the circle has become so popular that it is featured in magazines and TV commercials.

Lillian Chase and Friends- Fiddle

The Weaverville Music Study Club is now organized under the direction of a Board with a niece of the late Mrs. Clark, Harriet Holcombe Burnette serving as President. The Music Study Club along with area businesses and organizations sponsor music programs throughout the year. Offerings received at these programs provide scholarships for area high school students who wish to pursue music studies.

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

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

– ALL AGES
– STANDING ROOM ONLY
– RAIN OR SHINE

Liam Purcell & Cane Mill Road
Rapidly rising on the bluegrass scene, Billboard-charting artists Liam Purcell & Cane Mill Road perform internationally and stateside winning both industry awards and the hearts of fans who turn out to see them at some of the industry’s most iconic venues.

Growing up just down the road from Doc Watson, Liam Purcell leads Cane Mill Road as they rock the traditional bluegrass standards they were raised on, yet boldly write original music with roots in the fertile grounds of bluegrass, old-time, and Americana. Their powerful arrangements and dynamic stage presence have landed them main stage slots at legendary festivals across the country.

Named Momentum Band of the Year by IBMA in 2019, Liam Purcell & Cane Mill Road have been recognized as one of the fastest growing bands in the industry. Their latest release “Roots” debuted at #6 on the Billboard Bluegrass Album Charts, joining their three previous albums for a total of 12 weeks in the Top 10.

In 2022, bandleader Liam Purcell turned heads by sweeping the Rockygrass Instrumental Championships on Guitar, Mandolin, and Banjo, becoming the first person in history to do so.

Join us for a powerful program of piano trios with Asheville natives Taya Ricker, violin, and Franklin Keel, cello, who will join forces with pianist/Artistic Director Daniel Weiser.  Ricker is the daughter of cellist Frances Duff, who has been a cellist with the Asheville Symphony for many years while Keel is currently Associate Principal Cello in the Asheville Symphony.  Ricker now lives and free-lances in New York City, but has returned for this thrilling program that includes Felix Mendelssohn’s epic C Minor Piano Trio, a colorful work by contemporary composer Jennifer Higdon, and a little-played Trio by Claude Debussy that he wrote just when he finished his schooling.

Join us once again at one of the finest places to hear a concert anywhere in the country!   Dan and Jerry have a fabulous house in the Hendersonville area with panoramic views of mountains, an amazing acoustical space, an incredible interior setting, and two fantastic grand pianos!    Jerry also always provides some delicious food and they have plenty of wine as well.   Seating will be limited so please sign up as soon as you can.  Light food, desserts, and wine are included in the $35 price.    Experience chamber music the way it was meant to be heard—in a true chamber.  Enjoy the intimate setting and the Salon atmosphere.

The Band of Oz was formed in 1967 as a part-time band playing fraternity parties and high school proms all over the South. In 1977 the band went on the road full time. Since that time the band has made an exceptional name for itself throughout the Southeast by playing the top clubs and corporate parties, and getting excellent reviews along the way. For several years the group has been a guest on most of the major beach concerts in the Carolinas, Virginia, and Georgia.

The Band of Oz is one of the most successful groups in the Southeast, and continues to get the very best reviews from the top people in the entertainment business. The band now features a full horn section to total a dynamic eight-member group. They still perform well over two-hundred shows per year for corporate events, festivals, concerts, wedding receptions, and many other public and private events.

In Stravinsky’s colorful ballet score we meet three puppets who magically come to life at the annual Shrove-tide Fair. Petrushka, the Ballerina, and the Moor are all imbued with human feelings and emotions, but are cruelly reliant on their master, the Magician. Petrushka falls in love with the Ballerina, who only has eyes for the Moor. Drama and tragedy follow, before Petrushka gets the last laugh in the end. Rune Bergmann leads the Brevard Sinfonia in this performance of the 1947 version.

PERFORMANCE & ARTIST DETAILS
Brevard Sinfonia
Rune Bergmann, conductor

IGOR STRAVINSKY Petrushka (1947)

Auditorium seating is reserved.  Lawn seating is general admission.

Book by Chris D’Arienzo
Arrangements and Orchestrations by Ethan Popp
Presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals
www.concordtheatricals.com

Director: Victoria Lamberth

This five-time Tony Award-nominated musical tells the story of a small-town girl, a city boy, and a rock ‘n’ roll romance on the Sunset Strip. But when the bar where rock reigns supreme is set to be demolished, it’s up to these wannabe rockers and their band of friends to save the day – and the music. Rock of Ages takes you back to the time of big bands with big egos playing big guitar solos and sporting even bigger hair! This jukebox musical features all of your favorite ‘80s rock anthems and power ballads from bands including Styx, Journey, Bon Jovi, Whitesnake, Night Ranger, REO Speedwagon, Pat Benatar, Twisted Sister and more.

Approximate Run Time: 2 hours, 15 minutes

Rating: PG-13 due to adult content, alcohol use, and language.

Thomas Rhett: Home Team Tour

with Cole Swindell & Nate Smith

The “One Singular Sensation,” A Chorus Line, is coming to Flat Rock Playhouse for the first time and we are thrilled to share this award-winning musical with everyone! A Chorus Line is a celebration of those unsung heroes of the American Musical Theatre: the chorus dancers. The show follows 17 would-be dancers in their quest to make the cut for a new Broadway Musical. One by one, the dancers come forward to share the stories of their lives, giving it their all and putting themselves on the line to make the cut. Only eight will remain. Capturing the spirit, tension, and hope of an audition, A Chorus Line is the musical for everyone who’s ever had a dream and put it all out there to make it come true!

A Chorus Line once held the record as the longest running show on Broadway with over 6000 performances, and heralds nine Tony® Awards including Best Musical, Best Director and Best Choreographer, as well as the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Conceived and Originally Directed and Choreographed by Michael Bennett. Book by James Kirkwood & Nicholas Dante, Music by Marvin Hamlisch, Lyrics by Edward Kleban. Co-Choreographed by Bob Avian. Original Broadway production produced by the New York Shakespeare Festival, Joseph Papp, Producer, in association with Plum Productions, Inc.

The Swingbillies are a newly founded eclectic acoustic band based out of Boone, NC. They play improvised music through a repertoire of traditional and classical styles from around the world.

The group is centred around award winning, conservatory trained musicians, Meade Richter and Savash Altuntas on fiddle and guitar and regularly features guests on bass and percussion.

Guitarist, Savash Altuntas, grew up singing and playing Flamenco style guitar in his homeland of Turkey and moved to the US to study French horn at Oberman School of Music at the age of 18. Fiddle player, Meade Richter, started playing Old-Time fiddle as a child and quickly made a name for himself in NC as a contest fiddle player. He became one of the first people to earn a 4-year-degree in Bluegrass Music Studies and went on to earn a Masters in Jazz Violin at the prestigious Norwegian Academy of Music.

The two have teamed up in an effort to guide audiences through a musical trip around the world focused on traditional styles and classic composers, with an emphasis on improvisation and personal expression. The Swingbillies transport listeners to distinct settings through their instruments and voices while creating something new and unique.

CLICK HERE to visit the MEAD RICHTER website

CLICK HERE to listen to MEAD RICHTER

CLICK HERE to hear more of the versatile and eclectic MEAD RICHTER

.: MOVIE SCHEDULE :.
📽️
📽️
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📽️ August 11 – Little Giants, begins around 8:10pm
👉 Asheville Parks & Recreation Rec n Roll Fun Zone activities start an hour before showtime with games, giveaways, and other activities for kids and teens.

.: MAKE A PLAN :.
📍 All movies are free and begin at dusk in Pack Square Park on 80 Court Plaza in downtown Asheville. Approximate showtimes are listed, but plan to arrive at least 15 minutes prior. Bring blankets and folding chairs for comfort.
📍 Asheville Parks & Recreation Rec n Roll Fun Zone activities start an hour before showtime.
📍 Bring money for food and treats from local vendors. Smokee’s Pizza is scheduled for opening night on May 12 while Tin Can Pizzeria is scheduled for the remaining dates. Kona Ice of Asheville and Kernel Mike’s World Famous Kettle Corn will be available at all dates.
📍 Free parking is available in marked spaces on city streets and in city-owned lots on Marjorie Street after 6pm.
📍 Pets, smoking, and alcohol are prohibited.
📍 Have fun! Dress up as your favorite characters, invite friends, and celebrate cool summer nights.

Movies in the Park allows people to enjoy blockbusters on the big screen with a spectacular backdrop – Asheville City Hall’s art decor exterior flanked by the rising mountains and a night sky full of stars. As Asheville’s town square, Pack Square Park’s central location allows community members in nearby neighborhoods including East End, Montford, South French Broad, and Southside to easily walk, bike, or ride to the show. Free parking in downtown after 6pm makes it a low-cost night out for those traveling from further away.

This is a family-friendly weekend that will include live music, urban foraging, yoga, movement, herbalism, mural art, a speaker series, local crafts & merchandise, a vintage clothing shop, boutique food & beverages, and a robust lineup of amazing musicians and educators.

Featuring two distinct sets by Rising Appalachia, and performances by Valerie June, DirtWire, Starling Arrow, The Reminders with Aja Black, Branden J. Lewis of Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Sierra Hollister, Hawah Kasat and many more.

Saturday Workshop Schedule:

Workshop Doors: 11:00 AM

Workshops Start: 12:00 PM

Saturday Concert Schedule:

Concert Doors: 5:00 PM

Concert Starts: 6:00 PM

Saturday Music Lineup: Rising Appalachia, Dirtwire, The Reminders, Branden Lewis of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Castanea

Purchase full and partial passes now, all ticket tiers are available. Each day will have a distinct line up!

Featured Performers

Taya Ricker, violin

Franklin Keel, cello

Dr. Daniel Weiser , Concert Pianist and Founding Director of AmiciMusic

“TREMENDOUS TRIOS”

GREAT WORKS BY MENDELSSOHN, DEBUSSY, AND HIGDON

Join us for a powerful program of piano trios with Asheville natives Taya Ricker, violin, and Franklin Keel, cello, who will join forces with pianist/Artistic Director Daniel Weiser. Ricker is the daughter of cellist Frances Duff, who has been a cellist with the Asheville Symphony for many years while Keel is currently Associate Principal Cello in the Asheville Symphony. Ricker now lives and free-lances in New York City, but has returned for this thrilling program that includes Felix Mendelssohn’s epic C Minor Piano Trio, a colorful work by contemporary composer Jennifer Higdon, and a little-played Trio by Claude Debussy that he wrote just when he finished his schooling.

Taya Ricker, violin, is an avid chamber, orchestral, and jazz musician who has performed in the U.S., Canada, and Europe. As an orchestral musician Ms. Ricker has been a member of the Winston-Salem Symphony Orchestra and also served as Associate Concertmaster in the Western Piedmont Symphony. She has also performed in the violin sections of the Asheville, Richmond (Virginia) Symphony, and the Wintergreen Summer Festival Orchestras. She appears on the Grammy nominated recording of ‘Children of Adam’, a work commissioned by the Richmond Symphony Orchestra for their 60th anniversary, by Mason Bates.  Taya enjoys collaborating with musicians in all genres and has performed with many artists including Look Homeward, Falls, Jacob Whitesides, Molly Ringwald, PJ Morton. She can be found on albums by Between the Buried and Me, Anne-Claire and the Wild Mystics, and Buffalo Rose, and has been a regular guest performer with the UNCG Jazz Ensembles I and II.  ​She currently is a tenured member of the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra, an associate musician in the Columbus Symphony (Ohio), a core member of the Pittsburgh-based contemporary music ensemble Alia Musica, and performs with Cellist and conductor Amit Peled and his Mount Vernon Virtuosi.  During the 2022/2023 season she has appeared as guest concertmaster with the Spartanburg Philharmonic, guest assistant concertmaster with the Asheville Symphony, and principal second violinist with the Mount Vernon Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra.  n 2010, Taya, along with Pianist John Salmon, began a concert series in Greensboro North Carolina in collaboration with the MacKay Foundation for Cancer Research with all proceeds going to Wake Forest University School of Medicine section on Hematology and Oncology. The MacKay Foundation concerts continue to bring together notable jazz and classical musicians who have donated their time, energy, and talent.   ​Taya Ricker is a high school graduate of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. She holds her Bachelor of Music and a Master of Music in Violin Performance from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro under the instruction of Dr. Fabian Lopez. She also holds a Post Baccalaureate Certificate in Jazz Studies from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro under the instruction of Professor Chad Eby. In May of 2019 Taya completed an Advanced Music Studies Certificate at Carnegie Mellon University under the instruction of the great Maestro and Violinist Andrés Cárdenes.  Taya is currently based in New York City where she freelances and maintains a private teaching studio. For more on Taya, please visit https://www.tayaricker.com/

Franklin Keel, cello, began studying violin when he was three years old before he discovered the cello at the age of six.  He earned scholarships to the Eastman School of Music, the Brevard Music Center (where he was a finalist in the Jan & Beattie Wood Concerto Competition), and the Icicle Creek Chamber Music Festival.  He has appeared as a soloist with the Asheville Symphony Orchestra, the Hendersonville Symphony Orchestra, the Brevard Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Blue Ridge Orchestra.  He has shared the concert stage with Emmanuel Ax, Warren Haynes, Bright Eyes, Ben Sollee, Free Planet Radio, Stephanie’s Id, the Get Right Band, the Jon Stickley Trio, and Yo Mama’s Big Fat Booty Band.  He has recorded with Amy Ray of the Indigo Girls, Secret Agent 23 Skidoo, the Jonathan Scales Fourchestra, Ben Lovette, Jane Kramer,  the Secret B-Sides, and Holiday Childress, as well as full-length albums for Ben Phantom, Free Planet Radio, and Sirius.B.  He is now Associate Principal Cello with the Asheville Symphony Orchestra, and he performs in many locally and regionally acclaimed projects such as the Opal String Quartet, Ben Phantom, Upland Drive, and Sirius.B.  As an avid chamber musician, he has collaborated regularly with Pan Harmonia, Amici Music, and the musicians of the Asheville Symphony.  Also a passionate educator, Mr. Keel taught orchestra and chorus for Henderson County Public Schools, served as a conductor for the Hendersonville Symphony Youth Orchestra program as well as interim conductor for the Asheville Symphony Youth Orchestra.  Alongside his colleagues in the Opal String Quartet, he continues to give clinics and classes to young string players across Western North Carolina.  He currently teaches string orchestra at Asheville Middle and High Schools and is the strings coach for the Asheville Symphony Youth Orchestra.

Daniel Weiser, piano, has a Doctorate in Piano/Chamber Music from the Peabody Conservatory, where he studied with Samuel Sanders and Robert MacDonald and won the Richard Franko Goldman prize for outstanding contribution to musical and education life. He has performed on many great stages, including the Weill Recital Hall of Carnegie Hall, the National Gallery of Art in D.C., and on the Dame Myra Hess Concert Series in Chicago.

He has also concertized around the world, including Israel, Thailand, Holland, and France and was the 1996 U.S. Artistic Ambassador Abroad, for which he performed on an eleven-country tour of the Middle East and Asia. He has been on the music faculty of Dartmouth College and the prestigious St. Paul’s School in Concord, NH.

Besides founding AmiciMusic, he co-founded and still serves as Artistic Director for Classicopia, a similar type of chamber music organization based in New Hampshire. He was also a founding member of the Adirondack Ensemble, which won a Chamber Music America award for inventive programming and outreach. He has participated in the New Hampshire Music Festival, Musicorda, and the Apple Hill Chamber Music Festival and has been the Music Director of the Da Corneta Opera Ensemble, the Opera North Young Artist program, and Opera New England.

A phi beta kappa graduate of Columbia University with a degree in American History, he also spent a year at Harvard Law School and was a classmate of President Obama. A native of Buffalo, NY, he currently lives in Baltimore, MD with his wife, Dr. Kisha Weiser and their fifteen-year old twin daughters, Rose and Sophie.

AmiciMusic is a chamber music organization based in Asheville, NC and Baltimore, MD, dedicated to performing the highest quality chamber music in intimate venues and non-traditional spaces. We are committed to breaking down barriers between performers and audiences by setting up a more relaxed and informal atmosphere at concerts and through informative talks about each composer’s life before each piece is played.

The “One Singular Sensation,” A Chorus Line, is coming to Flat Rock Playhouse for the first time and we are thrilled to share this award-winning musical with everyone! A Chorus Line is a celebration of those unsung heroes of the American Musical Theatre: the chorus dancers. The show follows 17 would-be dancers in their quest to make the cut for a new Broadway Musical. One by one, the dancers come forward to share the stories of their lives, giving it their all and putting themselves on the line to make the cut. Only eight will remain. Capturing the spirit, tension, and hope of an audition, A Chorus Line is the musical for everyone who’s ever had a dream and put it all out there to make it come true!

A Chorus Line once held the record as the longest running show on Broadway with over 6000 performances, and heralds nine Tony® Awards including Best Musical, Best Director and Best Choreographer, as well as the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Conceived and Originally Directed and Choreographed by Michael Bennett. Book by James Kirkwood & Nicholas Dante, Music by Marvin Hamlisch, Lyrics by Edward Kleban. Co-Choreographed by Bob Avian. Original Broadway production produced by the New York Shakespeare Festival, Joseph Papp, Producer, in association with Plum Productions, Inc.