2010 Downtown After Five lineup

The popular — and free! — Downtown After Five street parties are back. Same time (kicking off around 5:30 p.m. on the third Friday of the month, May-September), same place (on Lexington Ave., near the I-240 overpass). Food and drink vendors, a bicycle corral thanks to Asheville on Bikes, and plenty of free music. Here’s who’s playing:

Friday, May 21
• Local pop outfit stephaniesid (pictured) with South Carolina-by-way-of-New York opener Jennie Arnau

Wristband sales on May 21 are donated to the YMCA strong kids campaign.

Friday, June 18
• Atlanta-based Southern rock band Drivin’ N Cryin’, fronted by Kevn Kinney, headlines. Local electric blues collective Velvet Truckstop (pictured) opens.

Wristband sales on June 18 are donated to Asheville on Bikes.

Friday, July 16
• The most local of these shows, this DTA5 features two in-town acts. Eclectic roots-fusion group Soulgrass Rebellion gets the evening started; roots/folk/soul/r&b/reggae artist Josh Phillips Folk Festival (pictured) headlines. 

Wristband sales on July 16 are donated to LEAF in Schools & Streets.

Friday, August 20
• Local salsa band Nuevo Montuno (pictured) warms up the dancers; continuing the Latin theme, “Miami’s hardest working” Latin funk/electronic/improv horn-driven outfit Spam Allstars headlines.

Wristband sales on August 20 are donated to Asheville Community Theatre.

Friday, September 17
• Okay, so Larry Keel & Natural Bridge (pictured — in Asheville!) aren’t strictly local. They live in Virginia. But the bluegrass band plays Asheville so regularly they almost count as a local headliner. New Orleans-based southern rocker Grayson Capps opens.

Wristband sales on September 17 are donated to The Moogseum.

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About Alli Marshall
Alli Marshall has lived in Asheville for more than 20 years and loves live music, visual art, fiction and friendly dogs. She is the winner of the 2016 Thomas Wolfe Fiction Prize and the author of the novel "How to Talk to Rockstars," published by Logosophia Books. Follow me @alli_marshall

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8 thoughts on “2010 Downtown After Five lineup

  1. boheems

    Same ole bands you can hear anytime in Asheville.
    What happened to the regional or national acts that were booked in previous years?

  2. ashevillain7

    “What happened to the regional or national acts that were booked in previous years?”

    Aren’t these regional/national?

    1. South Carolina-by-way-of-New York
    2. Atlanta-based
    3. Miami’s hardest working
    4. Virginia

  3. sb34598

    I think it’s quite nice to have the mixture of local, regional and national acts for Asheville Events. You may be able to see some of these bands throughout the area. However, it’s also a wonderful avenue for our local bands to be seen & heard by a diverse audience. Take a minute to just be grateful that we have festivities in the downtown area.

  4. sww346

    sb34598, you are very right. This is a block party for FREE why complain about the line up and where else you can see them. It’s a small, fun get together so why be so picky? Enjoy it for what it is.

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