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.
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
Umphrey’s McGee will be performing LIVE on the Outdoor Stage at Salvage Station for an incredible two-night run Friday, August 25th with and Saturday, August 26th! Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country will open for the Friday Show, and Butcher Brown will open Saturday!
Day of show information:
4:00PM- Salvage Station paid on-site parking lot opens
5:00PM- Satellite lots open + FREE shuttle service begins
5:00PM- Venue doors open
6:15PM- Concert starts
11:00PM- City-wide outdoor amplified music curfew
PARKING: DO NOT park along the railroad tracks, bike lanes, or at other businesses along Riverside Drive! YOU WILL BE TOWED! PAID on-site parking is first-come, first-served with a $10 cash; $12 credit card fee per car. Handicap on-site parking is available. As always, PLEASE carpool, Uber, Lyft, Taxi, or bike when you can!
FREE PARKING: will be available with complimentary shuttle service from 5PM to 11:30PM every 20 minutes (or faster, if traffic is good to us) just down the street at the Asheville Visitor Center (36 Montford Ave.)
*NO PARKING AT ZEN TUBING FOR THIS EVENT*
Brother West will perform a free concert. Classic cars will be on display from the Carolina Mountain Car Club.
Free line-dance classes from Betty Busch from 5:30-6:30pm. Concert to follow from 6:30-8:30pm. Please note: no smoking,
coolers or pets.
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.
It’s time to raise the barn roof, shake the tailfeathers and Boogi! We welcome for the first time BOOGI THERAPI to the Big Barn here at Hickory Nut Gap Farm in gorgeous Fairview, NC! Come out from 6pm-9pm to to enjoy some R&B, Funk & More from one of Asheville’s best funk party bands in the area, fronted by Ryan ‘R&B’ Barber this group of talented entertainers will keep y’all
You’re gonna need fuel to get down- we have ROOT DOWN FARM food truck! Headed by Ben Holt out of Yancey County and his family, this food truck will be slinging some truly fabulous farm-to-table fare featuring all local and seasonal delights from the area.
Hickory Nut Gap will have a bar serving local beers, ciders, seltzers and non-alcoholic beverages to slake your thirst between bumps. We cannot wait to get down and have some Boogi Therapi at the farm, it’s gonna be a booty-ful night…
PET POLICY: While we normally allow leashed pets on the grounds, we ask you leave your furry friends at home for the Barn Dances.
Learn more about the Band & their music HERE
Learn more about the Food Truck & their food HERE
Phuncle Sam is back for a Saturday night summer series!
Outdoor taproom is opens at 2PM. Music from 6-9PM.
Since their formation in October 2004, Asheville North Caroline based, Phuncle Sam has been firmly rooted in musical exploration. Phuncle Sam is Asheville’s own improv/Americana, Dead/Centric jam band. Over five years of intense jamming and rehearsing finds Phuncle Sam with an ever-expanding body of original music. The band will also serve up quintessential interpretations of Jerry Garcia, Grateful Dead, and many others.
The 57th season of Shindig on the Green, a free event in the heart of downtown Asheville with a stage show and informal jam sessions, takes place on Saturday evenings July 1 through August 26, 2023.
Locals and visitors alike come together at downtown’s Pack Square Park “along about sundown,” or at 7:00 pm for those who wear a watch, and continues until 10:00 pm. Concessions are available! The remaining Shindig on the Green events will be held on July 1, 8, 15, 22 and August 12, 19, 26, 2023.
The stage show takes place on the Bascom Lamar Lunsford stage, named for the founder of the Mountain Dance and Folk Festival. Since the outdoor event’s inception in 1967, hundreds of thousands of individuals from across the region and throughout the world have shared and enjoyed the rich traditional music and dance heritage of the Southern Appalachian Mountains in this outdoor setting.
Shindig on the Green remains a free event due in part to net proceeds from ticket sales to the nation’s longest continually running festival, the granddaddy of all festivals, the Mountain Dance and Folk Festival.
The Broken Hearts: Ultimate Tom Petty Tribute Tickets | Asheville, NC | The Orange Peel (etix.com)
The Broken Hearts were created by former Tom Petty and Mudcrutch band mate; musician/songwriter/author/bassist Charlie Souza along with singer/songwriter Shawn Scheller (Save The Radio!) as a tribute to his passing in October of 2017. Originally only intended only as a temporary project, the group of musicians including keyboardist Robin Swenson (Air Supply, Frankie Valli & Four Seasons, Chuck Negron’s 3 Dog Night), guitarist Joe Sanders, drummer Scott Lockhart, Souza and Scheller became continuously requested to return to events in Tom’s honor.
In 2018, the decision was made to become an official touring tribute project paying respect and honor to the life and music of Thomas Earl Petty (October 20, 1950 – October 2, 2017). The current touring band consists of Mateo Olivo as Mike Campbell on lead guitar, Julian Simonelli as Howie Epstein on bass guitar, Aidan Cain as Benmont Tench on Piano, Organ and keyboards, Scott Lockhart as Stan Lynch on drums and Shawn Scheller as Tom Petty on vocals and guitar.
Hendersonville Theatre proudly presents Asheville bluegrass favorites Buncombe Turnpike and Holler Choir as August’s intimate Hometown Sound concert. Come and celebrate a new downhome tradition as an established local bluegrass band takes to the stage with the newcomers who are carrying the genre’s rich musical traditions into the future.
– ALL AGES
– STANDING ROOM ONLY
Maiden Voyage is a North Carolina-based, six-piece Iron Maiden tribute band, performing material spanning Iron Maiden’s extensive catalog. We bring the look, sound, feeling, and overall authentic experience every fan expects from a true Maiden show.
Nova Omega hails from the Blue Ridge Town Of Asheville, North Carolina. Forged by a fusion of influences such as Rush, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, All that Remains, and Nevermore; Chris Townley (Lead Guitar) and JJ Townley (Rhythm Guitar) create a heavy yet melodic experience with blistering fast and technical leads. After a few line up changes, in late 2020, Adam Lunsford (Drummer) was added to the mix, bringing with him fast and technical drums influenced by the likes of Pantera. Kyle then joined (Singer, Producer), introducing a more modern rock and pop influence into the mix, being inspired by the likes of Red, Breaking Benjamin, and Flyleaf. Finally, to round out the lineup, Puck (Bassist) joined the band, bringing a creative and dynamic songwriting mindset with him.
With this foundation, Nova Omega was born… Merging different backgrounds, similar passions, and determination; the band set out to create a musical experience that is unique and of their own. With melodic guitar rhythms and technical leads played by JJ and Chris, mixed with the soothing yet strikingly gritty vocal style of Kyle, Adam’s powerful but jazz like drums, and Puck’s creativity, the band has forged a dynamic and powerful sound that is unique in the Alternative Metal genre.
A very special evening featuring The Asheville Jazz Orchestra playing a variety of Big Band, Swing, and Jazz favorites !!!!
The mission of the Asheville Jazz Orchestra is to preserve and advance the big band jazz tradition, through jazz education, performance, and composition.
The Asheville Jazz Orchestra was founded in 2006 and was headed by Dr. David Wilken (trombonist, educator, composer, and arranger) who served as the band’s musical and artistic director for 18 years. In 2023 Dr. Wilken stepped back from his position and a new staff was installed to continue the band’s mission. Although no longer serving as musical/artistic director Dr. Wilken continues to play with the band and continues to arrange and compose exciting original music for the orchestra. Long-time jazz drummer, Rick Dilling has taken the helm as new musical director.
The AJO is a proud partner of the Asheville Jazz Council, a 501c3, and through their work with the Council, the AJO has performed at many educational music festivals, including the City of the Arts Jazz Festival, Patton High School Jazz Festival, Western Carolina University Trumpet Festival, the NC NCMEA Conference, and the Our World Festival.
The AJO can be heard throughout western North Carolina performing swing dances, on stage at clubs, and in formal concert settings. The AJO’s repertoire ranges from the dance classics of the Swing Era through original charts by area composers.
Watch a Past Performance of The Asheville Jazz Orchestra at White Horse.
Ages 18+ (under 18 must be accompanied by a parent)
What!!! Rahzel from the original Roots is coming to LEAF! The Human Beatbox aka the Grammy-winning Rapper/MC from the original, world-renowned Roots lineup, has been added to the Saturday night lineup of the October Festival.
Famous for his jaw-dropping vocal percussion and beatboxing prowess, Rahzel is not just a performer, he’s an experience. Dive deep into the pulse and rhythm of hip-hop (on the 50th anniversary of the genre) with this masterful artist who blurs the line between voice and instrument. It’s more than a show: it’s musical genius live onstage.
Aaaand … there will be a Beatbox Play-Shop for all ages. Don’t miss it!
Rahzel is one of the biggest names in beatboxing today, and continues to redefine the limits of the human voice. Known as “The Godfather of Noyze,” he was growing up in Queens when hip-hop blew up. LEAF is thrilled to welcome Rahzel to the fall Festival on the 50th anniversary of hip-hop.
Rahzel’s cousin Rahiem was an original member of the Furious Five, and Rahzel recalls sneaking into their shows, “watching Grand Master Flash before I could even see over the gate.” Rahzel embraced the philosophy that “not having’ was never an excuse for ‘not doing. … To me, [beatboxing] saves lives and I’m a prime example of it. It inspires kids to be creative and motivated.”
Through both his solo work and his stint with the live-music hip-hop group The Roots, Rahzel is credited with bringing beatboxing back to the fore of hip-hop in the 1990s. Rahzel can sing a chorus and beatbox the back-up simultaneously, a skill showcased on his signature song, “If Your Mother Only Knew,” from his groundbreaking first album, Make the Music 2000. Rahzel has worked with artists from Björk to Branford Marsalis.
LEAF Global Arts is on a mission CONNECTING CULTURES and CREATING COMMUNITY through world music, arts education, preservation and experiences. The closest distance between two people is a story, a song, or a dance.
Join us at LEAF Festival October 19-22, 2023 at Lake Eden
Join us at Olivette’s Riverside Park on Sunday, August 27th for our second annual HarvestFest, presented by Olivette Community and Chatt Hills Music. Join us in celebrating farmers, community, and music while raising funds for ASAP’s Double SNAP for Fruits & Vegetables. Doors open at 3pm with family games and activities. BareFoot Movement will kick off the bluegrass beats at 4pm. Tickets are $25 (kids are free).
In honor of our local farmers and all they do to sustain our community, all farmers and their families will have free entry to the event. There will also be a VIF section (Very Important Farmers) that will pamper our farmers during the busy harvest season.
All ticket proceeds go towards the ASAP Double SNAP for Fruits and Vegetables program. Thanks to the generous support of Wicked Weed and Vidl Wine, all proceeds from the beer and wine sales will also benefit Double SNAP.
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
– STANDING ROOM ONLY
– RAIN OR SHINE
– FREE SHOW
Phuncle Sam is Asheville’s own Dead-Centric “jam band”. Since their formation in 2004, Phuncle Sam has been firmly rooted in musical exploration. The band serves up inventive interpretations of Jerry Garcia, Grateful Dead, and many others. They have built up a faithful following by using an approach that respects the improvisational traditions of The Grateful Dead, while exploring what can happen when individual band members bring their unique influences and interpretations into the mix.
Join us for an evening of “swamp soul” on the mountain with Jim Quick and Coastline at Point Lookout Vineyards!
For more information on the band, visit: https://jimquick.com/
Join us for Black Mountain’s original Sunday Jam! Hosted by Spiro and Friends, this jam features original jams and favorite covers. Bring your instrument! Sign-ups at the stage starting at 6 PM!
Pisgah Beer, Gluten Free and N/A options available. Family and dog friendly venue.
The taproom is open from 2:00 to 9:00 PM with music beginning at 6:30 PM.
Join us for our third annual Symphony in the Park pops concert featuring selections from classic movie scores by Ennio Morricone, Nino Rota, Hans Zimmer, John Williams, James Horner and more — FREE GENERAL ADMISSION —
Jenkinson & Hoskins Craft a New Genre of Performance.
An improbable, ceremonial night of words, wonder and spirit work. A Night of Grief & Mystery combines stories and observations by author/culture activist Stephen Jenkinson, drawn from his decades of work in palliative care, with original songs/sonics by recording artist Gregory Hoskins. Concerts for Turbulent Times they surely are. Not poets, maybe, but the evenings are poetic. The Nights are musical and grave and raucous and stilling, which probably means they are theatrical. Love letters to life are written and read aloud. There’s some boldness in them. They have that tone. These nights have the mark of our time upon them, and they’re timely, urgent, alert, steeped in mortal mystery. They’re quixotic. They have swagger.
Come to Fleetwood’s to be bewitched and bewildered on a night of dark and wicked Cabaret!
See amazing feats and performances from your favorite local dark artists!
Featuring:
Deviled Eggs
Toybox Theatre
Serpent Haus
Skippy Spiral
– STANDING ROOM ONLY
CHRIS McGINNIS AND MAMAW’S ANGELS
North Carolina musician Chris McGinnis writes songs that exist somewhere in between a hiccup and a heartache. His last EP, 2019’s Songs For You, touches on the absurdity of your hometown morphing beyond recognition. It tells a story of two Baby Boomers drifting together from across the US into the Golden Gate City, then drifting apart, and then together again. It is about connection and disconnection alike. With his debut full-length album, Mamaw’s Angel, Chris veers deeper into these familiar themes.
“I think this album is largely about manic loneliness. These songs are ultimately about people who are afraid of losing their relationships. They refuse to accept that they may have already lost these relationships, and they refuse to accept that they are to blame.”
The manic aspect of the “manic loneliness” manifests itself in the album’s refusal to rest in one genre. “What If We Went to the Moon?” is what Chris describes as “a cosmic country song with a countrypolitan foundation.” Heartland rocker “Home Away From Home” has all the stomp and 12-string firepower to park a Wilbury. Other tracks like “Mailman’s Son” and “Old Chestnut” teeter between lo-fi indie folk and roots freak out. Tying all of these styles together are the lyrics and the characters at the center of them.
Overbearing grandparents and stubborn grandchildren, washed-up fraternity brothers yearning for the New Year’s Eve parties of yesteryear, a missing Winnebago, a tree that just won’t quit, and other wild personalities run throughout the ten tracks found on Mamaw’s Angel. More than just a few are inspired by people and stories Chris had met and heard back towards his home in Western NC’s Linville Gorge Wilderness area. Mamaw’s Angel is a collection of sensationally-delivered tales about characters struggling on the sidelines of their own realities.
“The characters in these songs are all incredibly flawed. I wanted to write songs that expressed truly ugly emotions. Loneliness, anger, denial, regret. The characters are all being eaten away by these feelings, and it motivates their words and actions. But I also think that that is how some of the absurdity is palatable.”
Mamaw’s Angel was recorded at Clubmen Studio in Blairsville, GA, and produced by Atlanta-based artist Jacob Davis Martin. Among the musicians heard throughout the album are Asheville, NC’s Carly Taich, members of Asheville’s Jack Marion & the Pearl Snap Prophets, Atlanta-based strings trio Me Me Me, and Will Easter of Boone, NC.
BOAT COMMAND
Boat command consists of four main components: bass, keys, guitar, and drums. Occasionally accompanied by horns and/or vocals. Described by some as ‘post-lofi yacht hop’ the sound is founded in jazz and fusion roots yet sustained by the methodologies of more modern genres such as hip hop and electronic music. The philosophy is expressiveness through low volume and allowing space to be a fundamental piece of our delivery. The message is to embrace what boating can do for you.
The 4SCO (the outgrowth of the Jubilee! Summer Orchestra) returns with a program of lush and evocative orchestral music of Japan. The concert features the magical music of Joe Hisaishi from the classic Studio Ghibli animated films Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle, My Neighbor Totoro, and Kiki’s Delivery Service, as well as iconic video game music from Super Mario Brothers, The Legend of Zelda, Halo, Civilization IV, Kingdom Hearts, and much more. Concert pianist Steven Graff, who has performed all over the world, including in eight appearances with the Chicago Symphony, will join the orchestra as guest artist.
This concert will be appreciated by young people who like anime and video games, but this beautiful, dynamic, cinematic music will be enjoyed by all ages.
The concert will also kick off the Stages for Stages campaign to support treatment and care for children affected by cancer.
White Horse is excited to launch a new monthly concert series, BEER AND HYMNS.
Beer & Hymns brings people together to raise our glasses, raise our voices,
and raise funds for organizations that change the world.
The Beer and Hymns concept is simple:
Come together as a community once a month to:
- sing hymns
- drink beer (or other beverages)
- raise money for various nonprofits ( in the Swannanoa Valley in our case)
Group singing is loved and appreciated by many. For some they sing hymns every Sunday with other members of their faith community. Others may not have been inside a church for decade, but they miss the hymns and the sounds of voices joined together in song.
This event is intended for everyone in the community.
The Musical Director for tonight is AARON PRICE of Black Mountain Presbyterian Church
and the beneficiary is
THE SWANNANOA VALLEY CHRISTIAN MINISTRY
In addition to the joy of group singing, you’ll be raising money for various charitable organizations in Black Mountain and the Swannanoa Valley. Each month a different local nonprofit will be selected as the beneficiary of the monthly event.
Lift A Glass
Sing A Song
Help Others
– SEATED SHOW
– LIMITED NUMBER OF PREMIUM SEATING TICKETS AVAILABLEGREG KOCH FEATURING KOCH MARSHALL TRIO
Milwaukee native Greg Koch has forged a successful career as “a guitar player’s guitarist.” He is not only a fiercely creative player with a whole trick bag of impressive techniques, ranging from Albert Lee chicken-pickin’ to Albert King string-bending to all-out Hendrixian abandon, he is also is a clinician for Fishman Transducers and his wildly popular “guitar test drive” videos (4,000 to date) for Wildwood Guitars of Louisville, Colorado have generated 50 million views. Koch also has a signature axe which was released in 2019 by Reverend Guitars, named the Greg Koch Signature Gristlemaster. The guitar colors were given somewhat humorous names like: Kochwork Orange, and Blucifer. He is also a best-selling method book author and video instructor for music publisher Hal Leonard and a contributing columnist for a variety of guitar magazines including Guitar Player. Guitar great Steve Vai, who released Koch’s 2001 album The Grip on his own Favored Nations label, heaped praise on his fellow guitarist: “Greg Koch is one of those rare guitarists that can blend various styles with a light-hearted approach and a tremendous amount of technique. Hearing him play is inspiring to a guitar player to try to achieve greatness on the instrument.”
Dylan Koch gravitated to the drums early on in his life using kitchen utensils to play along with music as soon as he could walk. After digesting an early diet of Ginger Baker, Keith Moon, Mitch Mitchell and John Bonham, Dylan was mentored by the legendary Tom Brechtlein (Chick Corea/Robben Ford). In high school, Dylan participated in the Jazz Institute at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music and furthered his studies at the McNally Smith School of Music in the Twin Cities. While still in his teens he performed with young guitar guns Tallan Noble Latz and Jared James Nichols and has performed alongside his father with such artists as Robben Ford, Little Feat’s Paul Barrere, Jon Cleary, David Grissom, Roscoe Beck and Malford Milligan. Dylan was recently nominated for drummer of the year by the Wisconsin Area Music Awards (WAMI). Says proud papa Koch, “This is the third official recording with the kid. And what’s great about it is, you can’t teach the grease. And he gets it. He gets the filth. I guess he’s just got my filthy DNA.”
Hailing from the Twin Cities area, Toby Lee Marshall came from a musical family, playing piano for years until falling under the spell of the sound of the organ while at a baseball game at age seven. His fascination for the Hammond B3 took hold after his Dad took him to see Steve Cherewan playing with Dr. Mambo’s Combo during their legendary residency at Bunker’s in Minneapolis. Steve mentored Toby in the ways of the B3 and he hit the ground running, landing a gig with bluesman Lonnie Brooks while still a teen. He would go on to travel the world as a member of Bernard Allison’s band. Following a long hiatus from music, Toby has returned to the music scene with a vengeance in the smoking Koch Marshall Trio. “Toby had actually retired from music,” Koch explained. “He decided to stop touring for several years to help raise his two young kids. But now he’s so excited to be playing in this trio because it’s just such a perfect format for him to let his freak flag fly. It’s the perfect combination of this kind of churchy, bluesy, funky, jazzy, rock, chicken-pickin’ thing, and he fits right in.”
LEAF isn’t just for kids! Join us in the Mezzanine while you wait for your youth to finish their class or just to hang out!
We view our Open Mic as a service to the community, providing performance opportunities for musicians who rarely get to play on a nice stage. We like to provide opportunities for community members to come enjoy live music for FREE at least once a week, and sometimes more than once a week.
You’ll hear a variety of wonderfully talented folks on their way up. You never know what you’ll hear… original songs, covers, guitar, piano….. and often something quite surprising.
Each performer gets 15 minutes or three songs.
Our Open Mic has been so popular that we typically have more folks wanting to perform than we’ve had room for. After consulting with some of our regular attendees and participants we want to make sure that everyone has a fair chance to perform on stage.
So we are trying out a new process and it seems to be very popular.
We’ve expanded the number of available performance slots to 10 per night.
- Note: There are actually 12 spots on the list each night. . The host of Open Mic is spot 1, and the owner of White Horse (Bob Hinkle) is spot 3. That leaves 10 available spots to be drawn from the hat.
In place having folks lineup in advance for the signup list, we now pull names out of a hat.
We suggest that those desiring to perform on stage arrive prior to 6:30pm.
When you arrive, check in with the bartender and they will give you a piece of paper where you will write your name and drop it into “the hat”
Sometime between 6:30 and 6:45, the bartender will announce that the names are being drawn. You must be present when the names are drawn to confirm your participation. Participants will be added to the nights performer list in the order in which they are drawn.
Any names left in the hat that do not make the performer list for the night , are automatically put first on the list for the following week. PLUS…. they get a free bottle of beer or soft drink “on the house” as a thank you for their patience and support of fellow musicians.
White Horse is excited to launch a new concert series, DARK CITY SONG SWAP.
This exciting new series focuses on talented local, regional, and national songwriters who both write and sing their original compositions. Many of the participants are award winners in their field and we’re thrilled to present them on our stage.
The series is hosted and curated by Black Mountain songwriter, BETH LEE.
Her writing is heavily influenced by bluegrass and traditional country music. She is passionate about writing lyrically diverse songs – songs that are sometimes sweet, sometimes tough, sometimes swampy, but always speak truth. She seeks to present the song so it invites the listener to go on a journey, taken away by the story, reminding us of who we are, who we want to be, or who we have been. Her goal is to make a genuine connection with listeners by telling relatable stories with memorable melodies.
Beth placed first in the 2018 MerleFest Chris Austin Songwriting Contest in the Gospel Category and won first place in three categories in the 2020 Walnut Valley Festival Newsong Showcase. She has performed songwriter showcases at the Cactus Cafe in Austin, the Bluebird Cafe in Nashville, and at the IBMA Songwriter Showcase in Raleigh.
Sample’s of Beth’s artistry can be found at :
- “Hellbender”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyChKaNr3o4
- “Maria’s Dusty Shoes”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOD6vIoQNLk
This month Beth welcomes to the stage two fine songwriters:
Todd Hoke and Hannah Kaminer
——
Todd Hoke’s first public performance was at Miss Bonnie’s Elvis Shrine and Literary Salon in Baltimore, Maryland, way back in the early 90s. It was precisely as fancy as it sounds. Todd recorded his first album way back in the year 2000, with Ray Wylie Hubbard as producer. In the years since, Todd has written many songs and played many more shows – he and his wife moved to Western North Carolina in 2005 and he jumped right into the local music scene. Todd’s latest project is as ½ of “Possum Royale” – a duo with his longtime friend and side guy Richard Brock.
“My Baby”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=el0ksvoH0sI
——
Hannah Kaminer is a folk/Americana artist based in Asheville, NC. Raised in small towns in western North Carolina, she fuses echoes of Appalachian traditions with wistful, Americana-style songwriting. Kaminer’s songs have been recognized in the finals of the Chris Austin Songwriting Contest (MerleFest 2019), with a Regional Artist Project Grant by a coalition of North Carolina arts councils, and by Asheville’s Brown Bag Songwriting Competition. Kaminer has released two studio albums, Acre by Acre (2015) and Heavy Magnolias (2018), the latter of which she co-produced with award-winning engineer Julian Dreyer. In 2020, she pivoted to produce Music for Quarantine, connecting musicians to virtual gigs performed for loved ones in isolation.
Performance highlights over the last few years include opening for the Steep Canyon Rangers, serving as opener and tour nanny for Amanda Anne Platt & The Honeycutters, and playing Warren Haynes’ annual Christmas Jam by Day event. Kaminer is currently working with her band Hannah and The Wistfuls on a third studio album, to be released in 2023.
“Heavy Magnolias”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOF0PfSHGiM
– STANDING ROOM ONLY
JP HARRIS
In today’s musical culture, the word “authenticity” has pretty much lost all meaning. What used to represent something bona fide and true is now just watered-down marketing speak, stamped onto press releases without a second thought.
Born in Montgomery, Alabama in 1983, JP Harris doesn’t fancy himself so much a musician as he does a carpenter who writes country songs. After finishing the eight grade, he boarded a Greyhound in the middle of an early summer night, and scarcely looked back.
He traveled the country, often alone, hitchhiking and hopping freight trains while making his living as a farm laborer, shepherd, woodsman, and carpenter, among many other titles.
Still an in-demand carpenter to this day, Harris has been writing and performing country music for nearly a decade now, releasing his debut album, I’ll Keep Calling, in 2012. He followed that album with Home Is Where the Hurt Is in 2014, which only saw his star rise both among country fans and critics at major outlets like Rolling Stone. JP was also referenced by Eagles frontman Don Henley in a 2015 interview with Hey Reverb as making “thoughtful, authentic music.”
With his forthcoming album “Sometimes Dogs Bark at Nothing,” he’s back after a four year hiatus to remind folks what a lifetime dedicated to country music really looks and sounds like. Sure to please fans of his hardscrabble earlier work, this new release also finds the acclaimed songwriter and vocalist stretching himself musically and personally.
In just about every way, Sometimes Dogs Bark at Nothing is a recorded manifestation of Harris’ growth over the last four years. He’s become more comfortable in his singing, more confident in his artistic direction, and more adventurous in his sonic palette. He’s letting listeners in to some of his most difficult struggles and turning a compassionate eye to the struggles of others.
ELIZA THORN
Eliza Thorn is a artist from the North country who currently resides in Nashville, TN. She has travelled across the states with her guitar, collecting the rambling sounds of soul, blues, and jazz along the way. Her sultry sound will take you to a place unknown, yet warm and familiar.
What!!! Rahzel from the original Roots is coming to LEAF! The Human Beatbox aka the Grammy-winning Rapper/MC from the original, world-renowned Roots lineup, has been added to the Saturday night lineup of the October Festival.
Famous for his jaw-dropping vocal percussion and beatboxing prowess, Rahzel is not just a performer, he’s an experience. Dive deep into the pulse and rhythm of hip-hop (on the 50th anniversary of the genre) with this masterful artist who blurs the line between voice and instrument. It’s more than a show: it’s musical genius live onstage.
Aaaand … there will be a Beatbox Play-Shop for all ages. Don’t miss it!
Rahzel is one of the biggest names in beatboxing today, and continues to redefine the limits of the human voice. Known as “The Godfather of Noyze,” he was growing up in Queens when hip-hop blew up. LEAF is thrilled to welcome Rahzel to the fall Festival on the 50th anniversary of hip-hop.
Rahzel’s cousin Rahiem was an original member of the Furious Five, and Rahzel recalls sneaking into their shows, “watching Grand Master Flash before I could even see over the gate.” Rahzel embraced the philosophy that “not having’ was never an excuse for ‘not doing. … To me, [beatboxing] saves lives and I’m a prime example of it. It inspires kids to be creative and motivated.”
Through both his solo work and his stint with the live-music hip-hop group The Roots, Rahzel is credited with bringing beatboxing back to the fore of hip-hop in the 1990s. Rahzel can sing a chorus and beatbox the back-up simultaneously, a skill showcased on his signature song, “If Your Mother Only Knew,” from his groundbreaking first album, Make the Music 2000. Rahzel has worked with artists from Björk to Branford Marsalis.
LEAF Global Arts is on a mission CONNECTING CULTURES and CREATING COMMUNITY through world music, arts education, preservation and experiences. The closest distance between two people is a story, a song, or a dance.
Join us at LEAF Festival October 19-22, 2023 at Lake Eden