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.
Get ready for a brunch experience that hits all the right notes! Appalachian Gothic is back. Sunday, November 26th, starting at 12pm, Our pals at Paloma Madre are bringing you live music from the talented Jackson Grimm and a bunch of their pals, creating a backdrop of sweet melodies for an unforgettable afternoon.
But that ain’t all – we’ve teamed up with the incredible Igor Does Brunch again to whip up an exclusive brunch menu to harmonize your taste buds and fill that post Thanksgiving void!
Savor a symphony of flavors and melodies as we bring together the finest in brunch eats and delightful tunes
Disney On Ice presents Mickey’s Search Party
Brings the Magic to Fans at Bon Secours Wellness Arena
Through Innovative Technology and Transformative Performances
Disney on Ice Presents Mickey’s Search Party is bringing the magic to guests through dynamic moments that take place on the ice and in the air. This adventure delivers compelling storytelling through multi-leveled production numbers so be prepared to join this magical search and help unlock an epic journey when Disney On Ice presents Mickey’s Search Party delivers an unforgettable experience at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena from November 22-26, 2023.
- Disney On Ice Preferred Customers can purchase advance tickets starting today to get the best seats available before tickets go on-sale to the general public on July 25th. Fans can still sign up to become a Disney On Ice Preferred Customer and get exclusive access to the pre-sale offer code.
Embark on a quest with Mickey Mouse and pals as they follow Captain Hook’s treasure map for clues to find Tinker Bell after he attempts to capture her magic. Journey across the Marigold Bridge with Miguel from Disney Pixar’s Coco into the magnificent and mystical Land of the Dead and discover a vibrantly colorful performance with skeletons atop sway poles dancing over the audience in a beautiful cultural celebration of family. Travel to the wintry world of Arendelle and sing along with Elsa as video projection creates a kaleidoscope of crystals to help build her ice palace. Witness Belle lift into the sky as the enchanted chandelier comes to life high over the ice. Demonstrate the power of teamwork when Buzz Lightyear, Woody and Jessie recruit the Green Army Men for a daring rescue in Andy’s room. Laugh hysterically as the hilarious pirates’ flip, tumble, and twist on tumble tracks, stilts and more to showcase their talents for Captain Hook. Sail away with Moana on her daring voyage across the ocean and bravely encounter the fiery wrath of Te Ka. And make memories with your whole family during Aladdin and The Little Mermaid as the search party becomes an all-out magical celebration
Sigal Music Museum’s current special exhibition, Worlds Apart: Musical Instruments from Secular to Sacred, highlights items from the JoAnn and Frank Edwinn Collection, which hails from all over the world. Showing November 2023 – May 2024, Worlds Apart uses a diverse range of historical instruments, objects, and visuals to bring together musical narratives from seemingly disparate parts of the globe.
Worlds Apart: Musical Instruments from Secular to Sacred aims to increase public access to historical instruments from around the world and improve visitors’ understanding of musical traditions at the global level. Expanding beyond the typical parameters of the Western musical canon, Worlds Apart seeks to expose audiences to musical instruments and customs that are often overlooked or exotified. The instruments and other exhibit materials will offer visitors new perspectives on global music and a chance to consider how music is used for prayer and leisure in cultures around the world. By celebrating these stories, the museum intends to further its mission to collect and preserve historical musical instruments, objects, and information, which engage and enrich people of all ages through exhibits, performances, and experiential programs.
Displaying various objects from the JoAnn and Frank Edwinn Collection, Worlds Apart: Musical Instruments from Secular to Sacred focuses on international musical instruments and cultures, celebrating rites and traditions with ancient histories and contemporary legacies. Frank Edwinn, a successful basso in the mid-20th century, studied and toured internationally, eventually settling in North Carolina, where he taught music at the University of North Carolina Asheville. Throughout his life, he purchased various objects from around the world, aiming to expose students, and himself, to the wide and wonderful world of musical instruments. This impressive collection occupies a unique position for educating audiences unfamiliar with the vast scope of global music.
And, UNCA’s Ramsey Library Special Collections is now processing the Edwinn’s papers and a few recordings that will be accessible next semester!
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
Disney On Ice presents Mickey’s Search Party
Brings the Magic to Fans at Bon Secours Wellness Arena
Through Innovative Technology and Transformative Performances
Disney on Ice Presents Mickey’s Search Party is bringing the magic to guests through dynamic moments that take place on the ice and in the air. This adventure delivers compelling storytelling through multi-leveled production numbers so be prepared to join this magical search and help unlock an epic journey when Disney On Ice presents Mickey’s Search Party delivers an unforgettable experience at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena from November 22-26, 2023.
- Disney On Ice Preferred Customers can purchase advance tickets starting today to get the best seats available before tickets go on-sale to the general public on July 25th. Fans can still sign up to become a Disney On Ice Preferred Customer and get exclusive access to the pre-sale offer code.
Embark on a quest with Mickey Mouse and pals as they follow Captain Hook’s treasure map for clues to find Tinker Bell after he attempts to capture her magic. Journey across the Marigold Bridge with Miguel from Disney Pixar’s Coco into the magnificent and mystical Land of the Dead and discover a vibrantly colorful performance with skeletons atop sway poles dancing over the audience in a beautiful cultural celebration of family. Travel to the wintry world of Arendelle and sing along with Elsa as video projection creates a kaleidoscope of crystals to help build her ice palace. Witness Belle lift into the sky as the enchanted chandelier comes to life high over the ice. Demonstrate the power of teamwork when Buzz Lightyear, Woody and Jessie recruit the Green Army Men for a daring rescue in Andy’s room. Laugh hysterically as the hilarious pirates’ flip, tumble, and twist on tumble tracks, stilts and more to showcase their talents for Captain Hook. Sail away with Moana on her daring voyage across the ocean and bravely encounter the fiery wrath of Te Ka. And make memories with your whole family during Aladdin and The Little Mermaid as the search party becomes an all-out magical celebration
The Ultimate Holiday Tradition!
MANNHEIM STEAMROLLER CHRISTMAS by Chip Davis has been America’s favorite holiday tradition for over 35 years! Grammy Award winner Chip Davis has created a show that features Mannheim Steamroller Christmas classics in the distinctive Mannheim sound. The program includes dazzling multimedia effects performed in an intimate setting. Experience the magic as the spirit of the season comes alive with the signature sound of Mannheim Steamroller.
AMERICAN AQUARIUM
– STANDING/DANCING ROOM ONLY
TIMALIKESMUSIC’S: THAT 90’S LOVE
“Yo, tonight we are all family. So, at the count of three, everyone yell out your favorite curse word.”
So starts a typical show by R&B/Funk keyboardist, vocalist and band leader TimaLikesMusic. Backed by drums, bass, trumpet, guitar, and a second keyboardist, TimaLikesMusic shows are full of James Brown-style energy and musical comedy.
“When I say ‘I like’ you say ‘Music’… I Like – Music, I Like – Music…”
Tima’s big break came during Covid when she appeared on The Kelly Clarkson Show to talk about her viral series of humorous jingles posted on Instagram’s Reels platform. Since then, Tima has composed music for companies & brands including Iliza Shlesinger’s 2022 Netflix special Hot Forever, Ralph Lauren’s short film, A Portrait of the American Dream, National Public Media podcast sponsorships, and more. Her work on a podcast created in conjunction with YouTube and National Public Media, The Upload: Rise of the Creator Economy, won Best Branded Podcast at the 2022 PR Daily Content Marketing Awards.
“Fans adore her relatable content — she’s sung about everything from the awkwardness of social interactions, to how to properly wear a face mask, to the frustration of getting only one sauce packet with her fast food meal.” – NY Post
Tima’s summer 2023 EP, Love, Daddy Princess, is a nod to the smooth 80’s and 90’s R&B era. Listen carefully and you can hear the influences of Luther Vandross, Whitney Houston, and Sade.
Tima also produces and performs TimaLikesMusic Presents: That 90’s Love – old-school R&B dance parties in which she hosts and DJs, accompanied by a live drummer. Most of her live shows start with the live band set, leading into the TimaLikesMusic Presents: That 90’s Love after party.
After selling out venues in Brooklyn, NY and Washington D.C., Tima signed with Wasserman super agent Andrea Johnson. More tours have since been booked, more music has been recorded, and more plans have been made. You should probably jump on this train before it leaves you behind at the station.
The beginning piano notes of “A Thousand Miles” by Vanessa Carlton ring out. The audience roars. “You want some funk on it?” The audience becomes a crowd, and the roar grows. “We gonna put some funk on it. Ready?!”
They are
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Silent Films, Loud Music is a screening of silent short films, accompanied by local bands providing live music. This will be a night of silliness, collaboration, and expressions of queer joy! Proceeds will support Fierce Flix programs for 2024. Come listen to original music, enjoy films by awesome local filmmakers and show support trans queer and femme youth! Doors at 7:30, show at 8!
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Sigal Music Museum’s current special exhibition, Worlds Apart: Musical Instruments from Secular to Sacred, highlights items from the JoAnn and Frank Edwinn Collection, which hails from all over the world. Showing November 2023 – May 2024, Worlds Apart uses a diverse range of historical instruments, objects, and visuals to bring together musical narratives from seemingly disparate parts of the globe.
Worlds Apart: Musical Instruments from Secular to Sacred aims to increase public access to historical instruments from around the world and improve visitors’ understanding of musical traditions at the global level. Expanding beyond the typical parameters of the Western musical canon, Worlds Apart seeks to expose audiences to musical instruments and customs that are often overlooked or exotified. The instruments and other exhibit materials will offer visitors new perspectives on global music and a chance to consider how music is used for prayer and leisure in cultures around the world. By celebrating these stories, the museum intends to further its mission to collect and preserve historical musical instruments, objects, and information, which engage and enrich people of all ages through exhibits, performances, and experiential programs.
Displaying various objects from the JoAnn and Frank Edwinn Collection, Worlds Apart: Musical Instruments from Secular to Sacred focuses on international musical instruments and cultures, celebrating rites and traditions with ancient histories and contemporary legacies. Frank Edwinn, a successful basso in the mid-20th century, studied and toured internationally, eventually settling in North Carolina, where he taught music at the University of North Carolina Asheville. Throughout his life, he purchased various objects from around the world, aiming to expose students, and himself, to the wide and wonderful world of musical instruments. This impressive collection occupies a unique position for educating audiences unfamiliar with the vast scope of global music.
And, UNCA’s Ramsey Library Special Collections is now processing the Edwinn’s papers and a few recordings that will be accessible next semester!
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!
⭐ Candlelight concerts bring the magic of a live, multi-sensory musical experience to awe-inspiring locations like never seen before in Asheville. Get your tickets now to discover the music of Hans Zimmer at AyurPrana Listening Room under the gentle glow of candlelight.
General Info📍 Venue: AyurPrana Listening Room📅 Dates and times: select your dates/times directly in the ticket selector⏳ Duration: 60 minutes (doors open 45 mins prior to the start time and late entry is not permitted)👤 Age requirement: 8 years old or older. Anyone under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult♿ Accessibility: this venue is ADA compliant❓ View the FAQs for this event here🪑 Seating is assigned on a first come first served basis in each zone🕯️ If you would like to book a private concert (min 15+ people), please click here🎻 Check out all the Candlelight concerts in Asheville🎁 To treat your friends and family to a Candlelight gift card, click here
Tentative Program
“Time” from Inception“This Land” from The Lion King“Zooster’s Breakout” from Madagascar“Supermarine” from Dunkirk“Honor” from The Pacific“A Dark Knight” from The Dark KnightWonder Woman SuiteGladiator Suite“Cornfield Chase” from InterstellarDune Suite“Discombobulate” from Sherlock HolmesPirates of the Caribbean Suite
Performers
Listeso String Quartet
Reviews of Candlelight Concerts💬 Dixie L. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐: “Incredible talented and entertaining. The venue was beautiful:) so thankful for a beautiful experience.”💬 Daisha T. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐: “This was great! The talent, the ambiance, the vibe made for a really great evening.”💬 Iliana D. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐: “Great experience! I loved every single piece played.”
Renowned violinist Erin Keefe, concertmaster of the Minnesota Orchestra and Curtis faculty member, joins dynamic conductor, clarinetist, and composer Osmo Vänskä and Curtis’s extraordinary emerging professional musicians for a tour of North America. Built around the septet version of Sibelius’s evocative tone poem En Saga, this eclectic program features cherished classics by Mozart and Sibelius, alongside striking early twentieth-century works such as Dohnányi’s string trio, Serenade in C major, and Schulhoff’s fiery, folk-influenced Concertino for flute, viola, and double bass.
Auditorium seating is reserved.
“Join us for a rhythm-filled night at The Draftsman with Lyric Jones! Elevate your Tuesday nights with electrifying live music performances from local performers while sipping on our unique cocktails. Unwind, tap your feet, and indulge in a perfect blend of melodies and mixology.
People in the biz get half off select appetizers and burgers all night!”
– STANDING ROOM ONLY
Nolan Taylor is a singer-songwriter based out of Cincinnati, Ohio. His voice ranges from the soft fall of rain to a heavy crack of thunder, underlining songs of hard times, wild nights and heartbreak. The emotional impact of his sound is not only heard, but felt, in the bones and in the blood. Themes of longing, desperation, joy and sorrow ring true and genuine from his lips. When Nolan sings, it will make you feel like all of the heartbreak you have ever experienced found a voice and learned how to play guitar. His passion and his energy are contagious and will draw you into his stories.
– Hippies and Cowboys Podcast
- Whiskey Riff
– Grady Smith
Even in our futuristic age of AI chatbots and virtual realities, there is still nothing in the world that compares with the thrill of hearing classic genres of music, performed live by a group of exceptional singers and musicians that have truly mastered the ability to move an audience.
That’s the philosophy behind Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox, whose Life In The Past Lane World Tour returns to 40 US cities this Fall. The revamped show will blend modern-day earworms and iconic pop hits with the original styles that put American popular music on the map: Ragtime, Swing, Big Band, Country / Western, Doo Wop and Soul. Equal parts time-traveling musical variety show and career-launching talent platform, Postmodern Jukebox (or “PMJ”) will feature a cast of performers from their wildly popular YouTube channel, to bring the musical universe to life. Everything New is Old Again-leave the AI at home and take a road trip to experience Life in The Past Lane! Dressing in vintage attire is encouraged.
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Sigal Music Museum’s current special exhibition, Worlds Apart: Musical Instruments from Secular to Sacred, highlights items from the JoAnn and Frank Edwinn Collection, which hails from all over the world. Showing November 2023 – May 2024, Worlds Apart uses a diverse range of historical instruments, objects, and visuals to bring together musical narratives from seemingly disparate parts of the globe.
Worlds Apart: Musical Instruments from Secular to Sacred aims to increase public access to historical instruments from around the world and improve visitors’ understanding of musical traditions at the global level. Expanding beyond the typical parameters of the Western musical canon, Worlds Apart seeks to expose audiences to musical instruments and customs that are often overlooked or exotified. The instruments and other exhibit materials will offer visitors new perspectives on global music and a chance to consider how music is used for prayer and leisure in cultures around the world. By celebrating these stories, the museum intends to further its mission to collect and preserve historical musical instruments, objects, and information, which engage and enrich people of all ages through exhibits, performances, and experiential programs.
Displaying various objects from the JoAnn and Frank Edwinn Collection, Worlds Apart: Musical Instruments from Secular to Sacred focuses on international musical instruments and cultures, celebrating rites and traditions with ancient histories and contemporary legacies. Frank Edwinn, a successful basso in the mid-20th century, studied and toured internationally, eventually settling in North Carolina, where he taught music at the University of North Carolina Asheville. Throughout his life, he purchased various objects from around the world, aiming to expose students, and himself, to the wide and wonderful world of musical instruments. This impressive collection occupies a unique position for educating audiences unfamiliar with the vast scope of global music.
And, UNCA’s Ramsey Library Special Collections is now processing the Edwinn’s papers and a few recordings that will be accessible next semester!
Join us at Keynote Speechcrafters and
Discover the
Joy of
Public Speaking!
It’s natural to enjoy things you do well,
and you will get good at this.
Our members are committed to meeting each week because
steady progress
requires
steady practice.
Our motto:
When you show up
You speak
Every meeting
Every week
So come join us at the South Buncombe Library on Wednesday evenings and prepare to become a better you.
Please Click here to let us know you are coming.
Guests are always welcome. We look forward to speaking with you!
Big Freedia has partnered with PLUS1 so that $1 from every ticket sold will go to The Ally Coalition’s work to support homeless and at-risk LGBTQIA+ youth. Asheville and Knoxville are rescheduled dates and will not be participating in the PLUS1 partnership, but ticket buyers should keep an eye out for ways to work with The Ally Coalition on getting involved in local LGBTQIA+ organizations in their city!
New Orleans icon Big Freedia is dreaming of the future of bounce music. Over the past two decades, the Queen of Bounce has expanded the booming sounds of Southern rap on a string of high-energy, twerk-inducing projects, while showcasing her inimitable charisma on blockbuster hits by Drake and Beyoncé. But where some might rest on their laurels, the Queen Diva still sees plenty of opportunity to expand her empire.
“Bounce has been through many iterations—from Triggerman to Sissy to Cash Money Bounce—but my new single is something I call Bigga Bounce,” says Freedia, heralding this new chapter for the genre. “Welcome to Central City, y’all, where I pay homage to my city, my roots, hip-hop, and to the art of creating a new sound.”
The tireless mogul broke into television in 2013 with Fuse’s Big Freedia Bounces Back, released her memoir Big Freedia: God Save The Queen Diva in 2015, launched a cannabis line called Royal Bud in 2022, and is on track to open her very own Hotel Freedia in New Orleans in 2024.
In addition to promoting Central City Freestyle, and $100 Bill Ft. Ciara, the Queen Diva is gearing up to launch a new original series, Big Freedia Means Business, which will explore her prolific entrepreneurial endeavors. Visuals and even more new music are already in the works too. But in the greater scheme of things, Big Freedia hopes her voice and platform as an unapologetically authentic artist will inspire, especially at a time when the rights of LGBTQ+ people are under constant attack.
“We gotta keep pushing, and I hope this album speaks to my community and everyone who feels they don’t have a voice,” she adds. “I am living proof of why you don’t let yourself get dragged down. We keep going. We keep fighting.”
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Sigal Music Museum’s current special exhibition, Worlds Apart: Musical Instruments from Secular to Sacred, highlights items from the JoAnn and Frank Edwinn Collection, which hails from all over the world. Showing November 2023 – May 2024, Worlds Apart uses a diverse range of historical instruments, objects, and visuals to bring together musical narratives from seemingly disparate parts of the globe.
Worlds Apart: Musical Instruments from Secular to Sacred aims to increase public access to historical instruments from around the world and improve visitors’ understanding of musical traditions at the global level. Expanding beyond the typical parameters of the Western musical canon, Worlds Apart seeks to expose audiences to musical instruments and customs that are often overlooked or exotified. The instruments and other exhibit materials will offer visitors new perspectives on global music and a chance to consider how music is used for prayer and leisure in cultures around the world. By celebrating these stories, the museum intends to further its mission to collect and preserve historical musical instruments, objects, and information, which engage and enrich people of all ages through exhibits, performances, and experiential programs.
Displaying various objects from the JoAnn and Frank Edwinn Collection, Worlds Apart: Musical Instruments from Secular to Sacred focuses on international musical instruments and cultures, celebrating rites and traditions with ancient histories and contemporary legacies. Frank Edwinn, a successful basso in the mid-20th century, studied and toured internationally, eventually settling in North Carolina, where he taught music at the University of North Carolina Asheville. Throughout his life, he purchased various objects from around the world, aiming to expose students, and himself, to the wide and wonderful world of musical instruments. This impressive collection occupies a unique position for educating audiences unfamiliar with the vast scope of global music.
And, UNCA’s Ramsey Library Special Collections is now processing the Edwinn’s papers and a few recordings that will be accessible next semester!
Queer Music Exploration – Students will explore guitar, bass, drums, singing and piano with a focus on learning music by artists from the LGBTQ+ community. Students will have the chance to interact with their peers and share their experiences through music.
Steve Simon & The Kings of Jazz are Brevard’s newest and most exciting and entertaining jazz band with a sound that combines the funkiness of George Benson, the soulfulness of Ray Charles and the smoothness of Diana Krall all wrapped together in big Count Basie style arrangements of American and Latin jazz classics. If you are looking for an amazing live jazz experience then check out the hottest jazz band in the coolest city in North Carolina performing every Thursday at The DFR Lounge from 7pm to 9pm
Mannheim Steamroller Christmas
Legendary music icons, THREE DOG NIGHT, celebrating nearly 5 decades, claims some of the most astonishing statistics in popular music. In the years 1969 through 1974, no other group achieved more top 10 hits, moved more records or sold more concert tickets than THREE DOG NIGHT.
THREE DOG NIGHT hits wind through the fabric of pop culture today, whether on the radio where they are heard day in and day out, in TV commercials or in major motion pictures — songs like “Mama Told Me (Not To Come)”, “Joy to the World”, “Black and White”, “Shambala” and “One” serve to heighten our emotions and crystallize THREE DOG NIGHT’s continuing popularity.
This Grammy-nominated band is not content resting on its legacy alone. Always working to expand its audience, THREE DOG NIGHT has embraced and been embraced by 21st century music technology. New and existing fans buy THREE DOG NIGHT’s music on iTunes as well as at record stores. In fact, releases from this decade alone have sold well over a million copies.
Recently, THREE DOG NIGHT began adding new songs to its arsenal by releasing its first double-A sided single in nearly 25 years. The blistering performance of “Heart Of Blues” and the timely, beautiful a-cappella ballad “Prayer of the Children” are available online at iTunes, Amazon.com and other digital retailers as well as through the official band website (www.threedognight.com).
Now, marking nearly 50 years on the road, THREE DOG NIGHT continues to grow its fan base by keeping up a full schedule of concerts at theatres, performing arts centers, fairs, festivals, corporate events, and casinos. Since 1986, the band has performed over 2,200 shows including two Super Bowls.
THREE DOG NIGHT’s 21 Top 40 Hits:
Mama Told Me (Not To Come) #1
Joy to The World #1
Black And White #1
Shambala #3
Easy To Be Hard #4
An Old Fashioned Love Song #4
The Show Must Go On #4
One #5
Never Been To Spain #5
Liar #7
Eli’s Coming #10
The Family Of Man #12
Celebrate #15
Out In The Country #15
Sure As I’m Sittin’ Here #16
Let Me Serenade You #17
One Man Band #19
Pieces Of April #19
Try A Little Tenderness #29
Til The World Ends #32
Play Something Sweet (Brickyard
Blues) #33
The ONLY AUTHORIZED SOURCE for tickets to the Spartanburg Memorial Auditorium is TICKETMASTER. You can purchase your tickets at our box office on Monday-Friday from 9 am – 3 pm. We do not charge a service charge when you purchase from our ticket office. You can also purchase tickets through Ticketmaster online at www.ticketmaster.com, or from the official Ticketmaster app.
Please call the box office at (864) 582-8107 if you have any questions! Thank you and we look forward to seeing you at the Spartanburg Memorial Auditorium!
– PARTIALLY SEATED SHOW (please note – guaranteed seating OR standing room ticket options)
BUFFALO NICHOLS
On his second album, The Fatalist, Carl “Buffalo” Nichols does things with the blues that might catch you off guard. There’s 808 programming, chopped up Charley Patton samples, washes of synth. There’s a consideration of the fullness of the sonic stage and the atmospherics of the music that can only come with a long engagement with electronic music. But this is no gimmicky hybrid or attempt to turn the blues into 21st century music by simply dressing it with skittering hi-hats. Nichols’ vision for the blues is of a form of music that’s intimately tied to everyday life in 2023, something that’s reflected not only in the choice of instrumentation, but in the complexities of the songwriting and the gray areas his lyrics explore. This is music that comes straight from the present, and as such, it’s a reminder that the same shit that drove the first blues singers to pick up a guitar is still present behind the throbs of deep bass hits today. The Fatalist sounds unlike any blues record you’re likely to hear in 2023.
Of course, Nichols’ songwriting has always been firmly rooted in the present. He proved he could succeed on the music industry’s own blues terms on his self-titled 2021 debut, whose songs, Bandcamp Daily said, “seem to flow from some great repository of emotion and insight.” The Fatalist finds him digging deeper in search of answers to ever-more-complicated questions around responsibility and self-definition, his plainspoken lyrics both cutting and refreshing in their sincerity and refusal to accept pat solutions. Over a guitar line that blisters and pops with bright sunshine, he holds forth on the simple everyday power of love in “Love is All,” and when he shades his optimism with a clear-eyed view of “bad behavior in the canon of good men,” as he sings, his guitar line goes cloudy with the thought. He slowly walks around a broken relationship in “The Difference,” trying to find the faults. It’s a decidedly modern breakup song, one steeped in moral ambiguity. “I just don’t know the difference between love and sympathy,” he sings, before hoping his once-beloved “won’t forget the one who kept your ego fed.”
Still, Nichols rarely sounds like a blues singer. Like Leonard Cohen, he dominates these songs with his voice. His low, guttural baritone is high in the mix, and he sounds coiled, clenched tight. The slow drip of his songwriting lends The Fatalist an incredible amount of drama, which the production—at times dark and dewy and claustrophobic, at times zippy with light—further emphasizes.
Nichols produced the album himself at home, having recently returned to Milwaukee following a few years in Austin.
“Being back in Milwaukee reminded me of why I started making music in the first place. It got me away from the ‘industry-town’ mentality,” he says. “There’s definitely a certain work ethic that comes from being in a city like Milwaukee. There are no clear paths to success and not many examples of ‘making it,’ so people end up creating their own path and developing a broad skill set to sustain a career as an artist.”
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