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.
Descolada is the musical child of Asheville, North Carolina based singer-songwriter Colton Ray Nelson. Descolada’s sound treads the line between Country & Folk. The sounds of pedal steel, banjo, organ and fiddle are weaved into a bed of authentic, good ol’ Country vibes, with Colton’s sullen vocals taking listeners through a collection of heartfelt stories.
As Descolada, Colton released his debut record ‘Big Dam Foolishness’ in September 2021. It was recorded by Garrett Langebartels of Naptime Recordings in Indianapolis, Indiana. Big Dam Foolishness touches on themes of family, grief and loss, with an array of traditional instrumentation used to get his brand of melancholia across.
Born in Asheville, North Carolina, Zachary Warren, at his core, is a songwriter. As a teen, he began remedially filling journals and finding melodies to match, and now, after amble incubation, is prepared for the next step: offering.
Growing up in a home with close quarters, his music naturally settled into a place of gentleness: light finger-picking and hushed singing, so as not to disturb his sleeping family. His style began taking shape during nightly front-porch listening sessions, where he learned the power of dynamics from Sam Cooke and the almost-hypnotic effect of clever storytelling from Tom T. Hall.
Eventually, he came across songwriters like Townes Van Zandt, Blaze Foley, and Karen Dalton who taught living intentionally for song’s sake and poets like William Carlos Williams, who emphasized a grounded perception of the local.
Emerging from necessity, centered by family, propelled by restlessness, Zachary hopes his songs encapsulate sincere, relatable narratives.
Super 60s performs a free concert at Firehouse Subs in Hendersonville. 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.
Summer 2022 Concert Schedule:
May 14 | Super 60s
May 28 | 3 Cool Cats
June 11 | Super 60s
June 25 | Fine Line
July 9 | Deano & The Dreamers
July 23 | Fine Line
August 6 | Sound Investment
August 20 | Fine Line
August 27 | 3 Cool Cats
September 10 | Deano & The Dreamers
September 24 | 3 Cool Cats
October 8 | Sound Investment
October 15 | Super 60s (Halloween event)
2 Day Pass Outdoor Show
FALLING SOMEWHERE BETWEEN ROCK, JAZZ AND DYNAMIC ELECTRONIC MAYHEM WE FIND PAPADOSIO. THE ASHEVILLE, NC BASED QUINTET STRIVES TO CREATE MUSIC THAT IS STRANGELY FAMILIAR, AND CALLS ALL WALKS OF HUMANITY TO BASK IN A UNIQUE EXPERIENCE CELEBRATING THE ONE CONSTANT IN AN EVER CHANGING WORLD: MUSIC.
There’s Always a Story represents a new chapter for Midnight North. Ten stories told through song on their most polished album to date.
Reflecting on the time since their origin, Midnight North is ready to tell the world its story. A group of multi-instrumentalists with songwriting roots in Folk and Americana, Midnight North is a mainstay on the stages of the national touring circuit. Rolling Stone hailed Midnight North as the “Best New Act” in its review of 2018’s Peach Music Festival saying the band “takes the best parts of roots music and weaves them into a tapestry of rock and Americana.”
Grahame Lesh, Elliott Peck, & Connor O’Sullivan began playing together in San Francisco. In early 2012 they played their first show as Grahame Lesh & Friends. Grahame & Elliott both brought a repertoire of original music to this new project that was a perfect marriage once the band began performing in earnest. In late 2012 the band went into the studio for the first time, tracking the entirety of their debut album End of the Night in just 2 days. End of the Night (mixed & produced by Connor) was released in June 2013 as they officially debuted the name Midnight North.
The band began touring in June 2015, with the release of their second album Scarlet Skies. That began a five year run as a touring band, playing in 36 states in front of thousands of people across the country. They released Under the Lights, their most successful studio album to date, in summer 2017. “Across all of the tracks, when you think you have the band pegged for a style or a genre, all of a sudden a chorus, or a new solo or new instrument altogether, diverts the music boldly but smartly to a new sound and feel,” said The Poke Around in their review of Under the Lights. They also released two live albums including 2018’s Selections From the Great American Music Hall which featured Bob Weir & Phil Lesh of the Grateful Dead plus members of Twiddle as special guests.
A pivotal moment for the band came when Grahame met drummer Nathan Graham at a benefit show in Philadelphia in 2016. A month later Nathan sat in with the band for a show, eventually joining the band for their longest tour to date in the Spring of 2017. Bringing on the well seasoned drummer as a full-time member of the band (and learning about his banjo playing, singing, and song-writing skills) represented the next step forward as plans were made to record their fourth studio album.
In January 2020, the band went into a California studio with producer David Simon-Baker to craft their fourth studio album, There’s Always a Story, released in 2021 on Americana Vibes. As the world shut down in March and the band quarantined separately around the country, the album was finished remotely in California and Pennsylvania. As the months ticked by they let the rest of the newly written & recorded songs sink into their consciousness so that when work resumed on the album in June the entire album became even better than they could have hoped.
2022 and beyond is a new beginning, and while Midnight North longingly looks ahead, hand-in-hand with the rest of the world, There’s Always a Story will serve as a collective and reflective narrative.
Hunter Park is finding her way.
She lives with her beloved grandmother, Patricia Smith, who she calls “mom,” and great aunt Fern Tuten. They occupy a little white house in the middle of nowhere, on family land near Jacksonboro. Nearby is blind Uncle Parker Tuten, who lost an arm in a youthful accident.
“It’s very swamp-witch,” she said. “It’s my aesthetic.”
Park comes from a big Southern family, but her birth parents both are gone now. She struggled through her adolescence, attending Porter-Gaud. “It was a great education, but I hated it,” she said. She was misunderstood, rejected, the subject of patronizing talk.
But she found music and, along with it, a purpose and a safe space to express herself.
Now her band, She Returns From War, is gathering steam and attention. In just a few years, Park went from an open mic to the Spoleto Festival USA finale concert this year at Middleton Place. She’s working on a second album with some well-known local collaborators and planning a new tour.
Park calls her musical style “Cosmic Americana.” She strums an acoustic guitar and sings heartfelt, recondite lyrics, often about love and relationships, while her bandmates provide a swaying, understated, embracing sound — a simple beat, tasteful guitar licks, a rich ambiance.
Her physique belies the gentleness of the music. Park cuts a striking, self-assured, hard-to-miss figure. She’s tall, dresses exuberantly, wears her hair long and dyes the ends blonde. She came out as transgender in high school, which wasn’t easy.
“Nobody knew what that was,” she said. “They tried to be nice but in a very demeaning way.”
Park already was drawn to the stage. She appeared in theater productions and sang in the choir. Charles Carmody, a fellow Porter-Gaud student who now runs the Charleston Music Hall, taught Park how to play guitar.
Starting at about 16 years old, Park began to write songs. She spent summers during her high school years in Nashville “trying to get famous.” She posted ads, threw away some money, met some people who were not always helpful.
“But it was a good experience because I understood what was up from an early age,” she said.
When, after Porter-Gaud, she spent six months at Queens University in Charlotte, Park began to get more serious about music, and when she moved to New York City at the beginning of 2012, she spent another six months searching for opportunities — and landing one or two.
But Park is attached to her hometown and inspired by its vibrant popular music scene, so she soon returned from her northern trials and rejoined a Charleston community that provides a safe and creative niche in which she is happy to put down roots.
“I bloom more when planted,” she said.
Being transgender is a little easier now. Park hates that people still think it’s all so mysterious, or that many turn away in fear or discomfort.
“And I think they sexualize people, which I don’t think is fair,” she said. Being transgender is about identity, not sex. “There is still so much violence and fear and ignorance.” But not so much within Park’s musical and social circles. “I have a great community.”
Sometimes called “Cherokee Artisanal Tacos”, Fry Bread is both at once nothing more than fried dough, and also the representation of decades of perseverance against oppression. Fry Bread rose out of internment camps of forcibly displaced tribes in the mid-1800s. Removed from their lands and their food resources, tribes subsisted on government issued rations, including flour, salt and oil. In this hands-on workshop, Tyson Sampson & Charles Taylor of the Bigwitch Indian Wisdom Initiative and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, will share the complicated history of a food that is both delicious and comforting, while also holding within its golden exterior 150+ years of the complex narrative of indigenous tribes across the country. Attendees will learn how to make Fry Bread, and enjoy sampling this tasty dish & toppings – which can be sweet or savory (think fresh fruit or a rich stew) using fresh and foraged ingredients from the Qualla Boundary.
RiverLink is honored to be the beneficiary of the community giving program at High Five Coffee in June and July! Stop by for a beverage and add a $5 donation at the register—100% of your gift goes to RiverLink! In addition, 10% of branded merchandise sales will support our efforts to restore the French Broad. Three locations to serve you: 13 Rankin Ave., 190 Broadway St., or (our favorite) the 2000 Riverside Drive location in Woodfin, offering coffee drinks, pastries and smoothies plus outdoor seating and walking trails on the bank of the river. Now that’s a coffee stop!
Of course, you can always donate directly from this newsletter. Thank you for considering a gift today!
Enjoy limited-release honey beer at Hillman Brewery and a talk by Painters Greenhouse owner, Dana Owen and Angela Esmond, Painters assistant office and retail floor manager.
Learn how to incorporate important native and pollinator friendly plants into your gardens while maintaining a beautiful landscape of color and texture all season. You’ll also learn how to qualify and register your gardens as Certified Wildlife Habitats.
All ages.
Beer and food are not provided, but are available for purchase.
No registration required
Jazz Sunday at One World Brewing West is a modern jazz jam held every Sunday afternoon from 1-4pm. Previously known as Jazz Monday, the jam has been running non stop since July, 2018 at the West Asheville brewery and is hosted weekly by The Fully Vaccinated Jazz Trio, consisting of Ray Ring on guitar, Jason DeCristofaro on drums, piano and vibraphone, and Connor Law on bass. Jazz Sunday typically features a guest artist for a short set and then welcomes jazz musicians of all levels to sit in for the remainder of the afternoon on One World’s spacious outdoor stage.
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The lads are a four piece band doing covers and originals. The play a mix of classic rock with blues and roots music. The Lads are not one style, one format or one gender. The Lads are what you want to hear.
DRY REEF is a group dedicated to establishing a wave of high-energy, uplifting music. Their Indie Surf sound is founded upon rhythm-driven composition, powerfully lush guitar melodies, and heart-pounding, vibrant vocals. Offering an airy alternative, Dry Reef has competed successfully in indie, jam-band, and reggae markets. These mid 20’s musicians are rapidly evolving from dreamers to decision-leaders in the industry.
Dry Reef’s 2018 ‘Alright Revival EP’ started the year with six genre defying songs followed by a 30+ show tour spanning the east coast. The EP received high praise being featured on Philadelphia’s premiere radio station, Radio 104.5, as well multiple music publications. The group released their debut album, ‘Daychange’ in fall 2018, and was widely well received amongst publications including Top Shelf Music Mag and The HummingByrd.
2019 brought the band all over the nation, touring to cities from Miami to Chicago to Denver. The band prides themselves as ‘road warriors’, covering ground across the country, hitting major markets repeatedly as well as debuting in new cities every tour. After concluding a busy year of touring, Dry Reef traveled to 20+ cities in the first months of 2020, headlining shows in Charleston, SC, New Orleans, LA, and Austin, TX. 2021 marked a big year for the band, playing shows with the likes of G. Love and Little Stranger and completing an extensive east coast tour. Dry Reef also released their EP “Be Home Soon” in late 2021. With new music and performances on the horizon, the band is gearing up for a momentous new year.
All the way from Australia, Taj Farrant brings the blues to The Grey Eagle stage in Asheville NC on Sunday June 26th! ALL AGES show at 8pm.
– 7PM DOORS / 8PM SHOW
– ALL AGES
– FULLY SEATED SHOW (limited number of premium seating tickets available!)
– MEET AND GREET PACKAGES AVAILABLE
This year, June 2022, Taj Farrant will be COMING TO AMERICA.
Known for his Blues & Rock, inspired by the likes of Gary Moore, Angus Young and Stevie Ray Vaughan AND as seen on The Ellen Show & Australia’s Got Talent, Taj Farrant has also performed on stage with Rob Thomas, Carlos Santana & Orianthi not long before Covid-19 hit and lockdowns were put in place.
International travel is now open and it is time for Taj to shine on the big stage once again! This tour will be looking to do dates all around the USA over a 5 to 6 week period starting from June 1st. We will be bringing everything Taj has to give, LIVE on stage.
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Taj Farrant may be young, but his natural musical ability surpasses his age.
This down to earth Aussie kid is more than passionate about playing guitar and is clearly a natural born rocker through and through.
Taj is fortunate to have a very supportive family, helping guide and encourage his passion, with freedom and balance to enjoy playing and perfect his techniques while still enjoying kid stuff too. Taj has already picked up some huge endorsements world wide.
As a guitarist Taj has that truly genuine ‘feel’ when he plays, with technique and soul well beyond his years. With Taj’s online presence growing fast and being featured on the Ellen DeGeneres show and Australia’s Got Talent, Taj has also been blessed to share the stage with some world class artist such as Carlos Santana, Rob Thomas, Orianthi and many more, strap in and hold on … this is Taj Farrant!
GrowthCLUB 90 Day Planning is more than a quarterly event. It is an essential element to a successful enterprise that is healthy, growing, and eventually someday can run WITHOUT YOU!
Join us for a full day of learning. This is a work session with speakers who will help you get in the right mindset for setting real achievable goals and breaking them down into actionable steps.
Learn how to make more money, build better teams, and get your time back so you can remember what it was you went into business for in the first place.
GrowthCLUB is POWERFUL. It is high-level and it is effective.
Lunch will be provided.
RiverLink is honored to be the beneficiary of the community giving program at High Five Coffee in June and July! Stop by for a beverage and add a $5 donation at the register—100% of your gift goes to RiverLink! In addition, 10% of branded merchandise sales will support our efforts to restore the French Broad. Three locations to serve you: 13 Rankin Ave., 190 Broadway St., or (our favorite) the 2000 Riverside Drive location in Woodfin, offering coffee drinks, pastries and smoothies plus outdoor seating and walking trails on the bank of the river. Now that’s a coffee stop!
Of course, you can always donate directly from this newsletter. Thank you for considering a gift today!
Join us every Monday night for Singo (Musical Bingo)!
Singo will run from 7-8:15 pm.
No reservations needed, just get ready for a good time and a chance to win some Down Dog prizes!
RiverLink is honored to be the beneficiary of the community giving program at High Five Coffee in June and July! Stop by for a beverage and add a $5 donation at the register—100% of your gift goes to RiverLink! In addition, 10% of branded merchandise sales will support our efforts to restore the French Broad. Three locations to serve you: 13 Rankin Ave., 190 Broadway St., or (our favorite) the 2000 Riverside Drive location in Woodfin, offering coffee drinks, pastries and smoothies plus outdoor seating and walking trails on the bank of the river. Now that’s a coffee stop!
Of course, you can always donate directly from this newsletter. Thank you for considering a gift today!
The final block party is held in conjunction with the Brevard Police Department and Transylvania County Sheriff’s Department’s National Night Out Celebration.
Attendees can expect a lineup of live music, delicious local food and children’s activities, creating a fun community gathering for all. The June events feature LEAF Global Arts and the July and August events feature our beloved Old Time Street Dances. Block parties will be held weekly from 6-8pm on East Main Street. Many downtown retail businesses and restaurants will also be open for the block party.
HOB and LEAF Global Arts invites everyone to experience a world without borders! From dance, to drumming to arts & crafts, LEAF’s performing artists will bring a new lineup of cultural art experiences and live music to the June block parties. Each week will feature a different band and the LEAF Easel Rider, a mobile arts & crafts lab.
LEAF performances will feature an eclectic mix of music that is different each week, ranging from blues and rock toNew Orleans style jazz.
LEAF resident artist Melissa McKinney kicks off the series on June 14th. “We are so excited to bring the energy of LEAF Global to downtown Brevard,” shares McKinney, “connecting community is part of our mission and we believe downtown Brevard holds the same values. Music is the best way to bring people together.”
Old Time Street Dances, a long-time community favorite, returns to the Heart of Brevard at our July 5th block party. The dances offer free, family-friendly fun that celebrates our Appalachian heritage and is sure to move your feet.
Old Time Street Dances in downtown Brevard are an 80-year tradition. This summer, Whitewater Bluegrass Co. returns to the stage as the host band to lead the crowds in a collection of square dance and contra-style dancing. Evenings will include classic songs, a chance for clogging and traditional Appalachian-called dance. Old Time Street Dances are geared toward participation at every age and skill level.
The Tuesday Night Block Parties are free and open to the public. For more information about LEAF, Old Time Street Dances and other upcoming events, follow Heart of Brevard on Facebook and Instagram and subscribe to their newsletter here.
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Heart of Brevard 501(c)(3) is a North Carolina Main Street Community, designated by the NC Department of Commerce and Main Street & Rural Planning Center. Heart of Brevard is a recognized leading program among the national network of more than 1,200 neighborhoods and communities who share both a commitment to creating high-quality places and to building stronger communities through preservation-based economic development. All Main Street America™ programs meet a set of National Accreditation Standards of Performance as outlined by the National Main Street Center.
Join us every Tuesday night for Trivia!
Trivia will run from 7-8:15 pm. We will be capping the teams at 20 and teams will not be able to join after 7 so make sure to arrive early to secure your spot!
No reservations needed, just grab your thinking caps and get ready for a good time and a chance to win a $10, $20, or $30 gift certificate to Down Dog!
No reservations needed, just get ready for a good time and a chance to win some Down Dog prizes!
This unique project began in 2017 with a handful of concerts celebrating the 50th Anniversary of ‘The Cream’ in Australia and New Zealand.
Such was the response, the show was thereafter seen hundreds of times, by tens of thousands of fans, across North America and the U.K, many selling out! For 2022 and beyond, The Music Of Cream hit the road with a new show honouring the original band’s landmark recording of Disraeli Gears. Concerts will feature the album performed in its entirety during the first set, followed by a second with the hits and rarities from Eric Clapton, Blind Faith and Cream. The Music Of Cream continues to feature family members Kofi Baker (son of Ginger) on drums and Will Johns (Clapton’s nephew and son of Zeppelin/ Stones engineer Andy) on guitar and vocals.
Along with the legendary music, the show features storytelling, photographs and integrated videos, many of which have not been seen before, so that even the most diehard fans are guaranteed a night to remember.
KOFI BAKER – GINGER’S SON (Drums & Vocals)
Son of legendary drummer Ginger Baker, Kofi Baker is a name synonymous with drumming excellence; he not only continues, but extends the family legacy. The DNA is unmistakable!
Kofi’s first live performance was with his father on the cult UK tv music show “The Old Grey Whistle Test” – at just six years of age he proved he had inherited more than just his father’s name.
It’s no wonder he has forged his own long and distinguished career working with legends like Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood, Roger Waters, Nile Rogers, Tom Jones, Jack Bruce, Steve Marriott, Uli Jon Roth, Rick Derringer, Glenn Hughes, Robben Ford and many more.
His own albums include Lost City and Abstract Logic, with Jonas Hellborg and Shawn Lane.
More info at: www.kofibaker.com
WILL JOHNS – ERIC’S NEPHEW (Guitar & Vocals)
Eric Clapton encouraged his nephew to play the guitar from an early age. This provided an auspicious start for Will, who is also the son of legendary recording engineer & producer Andy Johns (The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix), and nephew of fellow producer Glyn Johns, (The Who, Eric Clapton, The Eagles).
Will can also count Mick Fleetwood and the late, great, George Harrison, as uncles. He has performed onstage with Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce, Steve Winwood, Nile Rogers, Ronnie Wood, Mick Taylor and Bill Wyman, to name but a few!
The outstanding blues guitarist has released four solo albums. His latest release, 2021’s “BLUESDADDY”, shot to the top of numerous high ranking blues charts, worldwide.
More info at: www.willjohns.com
RiverLink is honored to be the beneficiary of the community giving program at High Five Coffee in June and July! Stop by for a beverage and add a $5 donation at the register—100% of your gift goes to RiverLink! In addition, 10% of branded merchandise sales will support our efforts to restore the French Broad. Three locations to serve you: 13 Rankin Ave., 190 Broadway St., or (our favorite) the 2000 Riverside Drive location in Woodfin, offering coffee drinks, pastries and smoothies plus outdoor seating and walking trails on the bank of the river. Now that’s a coffee stop!
Of course, you can always donate directly from this newsletter. Thank you for considering a gift today!
Enjoy a $6 glass of wine and 1/2 off bottles every Wednesday night!
Join us for a weekly mountain music JAM with players in a round, where the session is focused on regional fiddle tunes and songs! You are welcome to come and listen or to learn and join in. This event supports the Henderson County Junior Appalachian Musician (JAM) Kids Program. Free but donations are accepted. Weekly event takes place at Oklawaha Brewing Company.
It’s time again for EYLA to host our ever popular Game Night! We are proud and excited to have Hi-Wire Brewing RAD, in its newest location, to host our group.
Please bring your favorite games to share and your competitive spirit to make it a fun and exciting evening of game play.
Please be aware that this and all future Game Nights will be held at the River Arts District location. Please Venmo Norque Smith for fees (1.00) or pay in person Cash to the host.
Celebrate Pride with us at this concert featuring The Alex Krug Combo, Tina & Her Pony, Liz and Elizabeth, and special guests. Register to vote and connect with the Jasmine for Congress campaign as we organize across WNC this summer.
Pride month is a time to celebrate, remember, and mobilize the LGBTQ+ community. Join Team Jasmine for this Pride Concert and help elect North Carolina’s first out US Representative: Jasmine Beach-Ferrara! All are welcome for this all ages show!
Stand-Up Comedy Open Mic in downtown Asheville
Comedy Open Mic at Asheville Music Hall in downtown Asheville. Every Weds. 8pm. Doors and comic sign up at 7pm. Free
RiverLink is honored to be the beneficiary of the community giving program at High Five Coffee in June and July! Stop by for a beverage and add a $5 donation at the register—100% of your gift goes to RiverLink! In addition, 10% of branded merchandise sales will support our efforts to restore the French Broad. Three locations to serve you: 13 Rankin Ave., 190 Broadway St., or (our favorite) the 2000 Riverside Drive location in Woodfin, offering coffee drinks, pastries and smoothies plus outdoor seating and walking trails on the bank of the river. Now that’s a coffee stop!
Of course, you can always donate directly from this newsletter. Thank you for considering a gift today!