Calendar of Events

tickets at the door

On holiday break from a 100-city world tour, Justin Ray is home in Asheville for the release of his first big band recording. Join us for this live performance from Justin & his 18-piece orchestra!

The Justin Ray Big Band plays original music deeply rooted in the swing of Ellington and Basie, with lyrical themes that are both current and timeless.

Justin Ray started his musical career as a bebop trumpet player, performing in venues all over the country. In 2003, he began to tour the world with the Michael Bublé band as the trumpet soloist. While with Bublé, Justin was given the opportunity to perform the works of some of the great composers/arrangers of the big band genre (Nelson Riddle, Quincy Jones, etc.), and he began working for Bublé in that capacity as well, becoming the primary orchestrator for the band in 2008. In 2015, Justin founded Elephant Sword Studios. The studio’s initial focus was to produce and record original big band arrangements of the standard American songbook repertoire, but that focus changed in 2017. Elephant Sword is now dedicated to original music for big band. Style and swing are still at the center, but no musical or lyrical influence is out of bounds. This is big band music for the millennium.

Tickets at the door.

Disclaimer Stand-up Lounge is the longest running comedy open mic in Asheville happening every Wednesday night. The show starts at 9:00, and there is no cover. Anyone wanting to perform needs to sign up by 9pm, and will get five minutes on stage. Local and not-so-local, professional and not-so-professional comics perform or just anyone wanting to get up in front of people and try to make them laugh. Always fun. Always free.

Patrick Davis is a Tennessee-born, South Carolina-raised, Nashville-based singer-songwriter who has had quite the musical run over the past decade. His musical prowess grew from modest beginnings inside his father’s Camden, SC, guitar shop to establishing a name for himself on Nashville’s Music Row. A prolific and versatile songwriter, Davis has penned songs recorded by an array of major artists including Lady Antebellum, Jimmy Buffett, Guy Clark, Jewel, Imelda May, Robert Randolph, Darius Rucker, and many others. After a decade of writing for other voices, he found his own sound and style with the 11-piece band he formed and dubbed his Midnight Choir. The group is currently recording a debut album and will be on the road in 2020 bringing their musical message to the masses.

Davis is also the founder of Songwriters In Paradise, a uniquely crafted singer-songwriter festival designed to bring together the world’s top songwriting and performing talent in the world’s most exclusive and awe-inspiring destinations. Additionally, he is a co-founder of Whiskey Jam Whiskey with South Carolina’s world-renowned Firefly Distillery.

Thursday night Jan. 9th
Slice of Life Comedy Open Mic!
Hosted by Cody Hughes
Doors 8:30p/9:00p show
$7
Professional and Newbi comics
Comics get in free (+free membership)
Free snacks/drink specials

[Comics sign up at door or email [email protected]
New comics to venue get 3-5m
Regular comics get as much time as available. Look for light]

Contact Michele at [email protected] for more info/sign up early or request a feature (paid 20m)

 For Americana godfather David Bromberg, it all began with the blues.

His incredible journey spans five-and-a-half decades, and includes – but is not limited to – adventures with Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Jerry Garcia, and music and life lessons from seminal blues guitarist Reverend Gary Davis, who claimed the young Bromberg as a son. A musician’s musician, Bromberg’s mastery of several stringed instruments (guitar, fiddle, Dobro, mandolin), and multiple styles is legendary, leading Dr. John to declare him an American icon. In producing John Hartford’s hugely influential Aereo-Plain LP, Bromberg even co-invented a genre: Newgrass.

A Tribute To Rage Against The Machine

Barber: “Summer Music”
Copland: Two Threnodies
Gould: Duo for Clarinet and Bass
Dvorak: String Quartet No. 12
Florence Price: Selections from “Five Folksongs in Counterpoint”

An eclectic cornucopia of music as diverse as the changing seasons awaits at our mid-winter offering.

You loved Beatles music when you were a kid. Now YOUR kids have a chance to experience the magic of the Beatles LIVE in concert.

Abbey Road LIVE! is well known in the Southeast for their energetic concerts at clubs, theaters and festivals. This time, the focus will be on the kids. Expect fun classics such as “Octopus’ Garden”, “Yellow Submarine”, and “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds”. Does your child have a a favorite Beatles tune? Abbey Road LIVE! loves to take requests, and has often been known to invite kids on stage to sing along.

This rare event will be big fun for the whole family!

We are thrilled to bring a preview of the 18th annual Asheville Fringe Arts Festival to Fleetwood’s in West Asheville on Saturday, January 11th, 7 to 9 pm (free). Get a taste of Fringe dance, installation and music from the edges, and grab one of the freshly printed festival guides! One week ahead of the festival, you’ll get a chance to talk to artists and organizers, and plan which of the 100+ shows, 55+ artists and 15+ venues you will visit. We recommend fully immersing yourself! It’s a community, an international movement, an adventure!

Do you take this performance art to be your love-fully wedded Fringe favorite? Site-specific dance troupe The Accidentals will be performing a fun, wedding-themed interactive piece.

After the wedding, enter the “Womb”, a one-on-one shadow puppetry experience with live music, created by Geneva Bierce Wilson. You are invited to be reborn in this empowering and intimate performance.

Outside Fleetwood’s you can explore the Asheville Zed “Emerge n See”, a mobile museum constructed in a converted ambulance. 20+ artists have created dioramas, interactive sculptures, multimedia projections and instagramable moments in every nook and cranny.

This awesome free event is co-hosted by Asheville FM!  AshevilleFM’s DJ Avel Veeta, of Flytrap, will be spinning energized tunes from across the universe, while Fleetwood’s friendly bartender offers refreshments. Come get Fringey with us!

oin us for this energetic duo from Black Mountain! Danger Hatt consists of Randy Sarton on acoustic finger style guitar and vocals, and Bill Hattori on his booming cajon drum and various other percussion assaults. So as to the unusual name, Bill often describes Randy as dangerous on guitar, and while they do wear hats, the two T’s signify Bill Hattori’s last name. Danger Hatt is known for a style of music rooted in folk, blues, and rock. In one moment, you may be touched by the emotional tone, the next moment you are up foot stomping and fist pumping. You might say their highs and lows mirror the scenic mountain foothills where we live.

Be dangerous!

There will be a suggested donation.

Barber: “Summer Music”
Copland: Two Threnodies
Gould: Duo for Clarinet and Bass
Dvorak: String Quartet No. 12
Florence Price: Selections from “Five Folksongs in Counterpoint”

An eclectic cornucopia of music as diverse as the changing seasons awaits at our mid-winter offering.

A night of sketch comedy starring Cameron Davis, Carin Metzger, Jared Eriksen, Jessica Barlow, Joe Carroll, and George Awad

Tickets $10 advance, $12 day of
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/pancake-apocalypse-a-night-of-sketch-comedy-tickets-85835649739

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

http://www.jackofthewood.com/

Asheville’s monthly all Queer stand up comedy showcase!
Our Jan. headliner is Dwayne Duke

Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, Dwayne Duke has honed his craft at venues across the nation. Dwayne’s act is not a leap into debauchery, more a gentle nudge into the profane. He’s been part of multiple comedy festivals including Cleveland Comedy, Broken Record, Burning Bridges, and Whiskey Bear. His second album “Shame Flashbacks” (2018) is available now. Dwayne is also the founder/ executive Producer of the Midwest Queer Comedy Festival.

Tickets $7 advance, $10 day of
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/queer-comedy-party-ft-dwayne-duke-tickets-84686516651

The phenomenon known as Sublime, arguably the most energetic, original and uniquely eclectic band to emerge from any scene, anywhere, ended with the untimely death of lead singer, guitarist and songwriter Brad Nowell in May of 1996. But encompassing the sense of place and purpose long associated with Sublime’s music, Badfish, a Tribute to Sublime continues to channel the spirit of Sublime with a fury not felt for some time. What separates Badfish from other tribute bands is that they have replicated Sublime’s essence, developing a scene and dedicated following most commonly reserved for label-driven, mainstream acts. Badfish make their mark on the audience by playing with the spirit of Sublime. They perform not as Sublime would have, or did, but as Badfish does!

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The Branford Marsalis Quartet, first formed in 1986, remains Marsalis’ primary means of expression. In its virtually uninterrupted three-plus decades of existence, the quartet has established a rare breadth of stylistic range and a continuity of personnel. The Secret Between the Shadow and the Soul, recorded in the spring of 2018, contains the mix of challenging original and classic compositions, and the range of moods from the tender to the explosive that has defined the group. With its focus on melodic strength and extrasensory interaction, the album confirms that the Branford Marsalis Quartet remains a paragon of uncompromising jazz excellence.

“I want to take people to places they haven’t been.” Jesse Cook, Juno winning master guitarist, known for his intoxicating fusion of world music, has travelled the globe looking for sounds that resonate with him. “I like finding common ground for different music traditions, a space where music from around the world can come together,” Cook explains. “A place where modern sounds can mix with ancient timbres.”

He was born in Paris, to Canadian parents. After moving back to Canada, Cook started guitar lessons. “My teacher played flamenco. Then, when I’d visit my dad in France, he was living next door to Nicolas Reyes, the singer of the Gipsy Kings. I saw gipsy kids on the corner playing that way too.” It was as if the world conspired to get me interested in this style and I was hooked.” It was when he heard the Paco de Lucia, Al Di Meola, John McLaughlin album, Friday Night in San Francisco that the die was cast. “I was captivated by the sheer virtuosity and freedom, that people could play whatever they wanted, creating in that space between jazz and flamenco.”

Disclaimer Stand-up Lounge is the longest running comedy open mic in Asheville happening every Wednesday night. The show starts at 9:00, and there is no cover. Anyone wanting to perform needs to sign up by 9pm, and will get five minutes on stage. Local and not-so-local, professional and not-so-professional comics perform or just anyone wanting to get up in front of people and try to make them laugh. Always fun. Always free.

Celebrate the new year with live bluegrass music at the library.

Free