Twice monthly, my blog 30 Days Out spotlights upcoming music shows and events of note, shining a light into some less well-lit corners, where some fascinating artists schedule performances. I do my best to give ample advance notice so that you can adjust your budget and calendar in a way that lets you get to the show.
This time around, it’s an all-locals edition (well, three actual local artists and one honorary local).
Artist: Floating Action
Venue: The Mothlight
Date: Friday, Sept. 8, 9:30 p.m.
Door: $10 advance / $12 day of show
Listening to Floating Action can be a somewhat confusing experience. The music bears the influence of American funk and soul, and is often possessed of a feel not unlike modern/classic purveyors of that style (Lee Fields, Charles Bradley, etc.). But mixed in with all that is a modern sensibility that recalls everything from Dinosaur Jr. to (most notably) Beck. And, in the studio, it’s all the work of one man: Black Mountain-based Seth Kaufmann. For live dates, he enlists the skilled assistance of some local personalities you’re likely to recognize. Spaceface opens.
Artist: Wilson’s Hot String Band
Venue: Isis Music Hall
Date: Sunday, Aug. 20, 7:30 p.m.
Door: $15
It’s easy to lose count as to exactly how many musical outfits the indomitable Russ Wilson maintains. One thing is for sure: The prominent and tireless Wilson is a champion of all types of jazz. This particular aggregation focuses on a particular substyle of the American musical form, the so-called “hot” prewar style also sometimes known as Western Swing. Wilson leads a five-piece that also features guitarist Hank Bones. This should be a delight.
Artist: Drivin’ N Cryin’
Venue: RiverMusic
Date: Friday, Sept. 8, 5 p.m.
Door: free
Kevn Kinney and his Atlanta-based band Drivin’ N Cryin’ have been a popular fixture on Asheville’s concert calendar for quite some time. The band has been around in one form or another since the 1980s, and though it hasn’t received the commercial success the music so richly deserves, the group always gets a warm welcome here. The 2015 documentary Scarred but Smarter tells the band’s story in great detail, but it’s really about the music. And this is a free show! Also on the bill are Darrin Bradbury and Ouroboros Boys.
Artist: Jonathan Scales
Venue: Asheville Music Hall
Date: Saturday, Sept. 16, 9 p.m.
Door: $12
Scales is a singular and unique figure in music; there simply aren’t all that many steel pan players in the jazz and/or fusion genres. While, for some, the pan evokes mental images of a cruise-ship island stop, there’s no gimmickry or cliché to the music Scales makes. Selected as a cultural ambassador for the United States at a time when the USA could certainly use a bit of good publicity, he’s back in Asheville now for a hometown show.
You may also enjoy: With nearly 2500 entries and nearly 500 interviews, my Musoscribe blog features new content — features, reviews and more — every business day. A proud tradition since 2009, now in its ninth year. My first book, Reinventing Pink Floyd: From Syd Barrett to The Dark Side of the Moon, will be published by Rowman & Littlefield in 2018.
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