Turchi headed back to his roots, recording Tallahatchie, a solo record in the truest sense of the word. “The only sort of natural and right thing to do musically — personally, too — was to get back to the most basic, square-one kind of music,” he says.
For several years now, Celtic fiddler Jamie Laval has crafted a special December program for audiences. He presents “Celtic Christmas,” a family-friendly performance that showcases not only Christmas traditions, but observances of older pagan rituals centered around winter solstice.
The final roundup of 2016 includes Yo Mama’s Big Fat Booty Band, The Nth Power, The Cheeksters and Marching Church.
From the standpoint of live music, this year has been another remarkable one for Western North Carolina. In addition to some superb homegrown/local talent, Asheville remains a popular destination for some of the very best touring musical acts.
Released on Dec. 1, the digital-only Code Red is curated by Asheville musician Dave Harris (formerly the owner of Smashing Guitars) and features six local artists among the 40 musicians represented. “But the support has been far and wide,” Harris says.
British-based quartet The New Mastersounds recently released a split single with New York City-based funksters Turkuaz. Guitarist Eddie Roberts says that the shared tour is “a logical thing to do; musically, it’s such a great fit. There’s a certain amount of crossover with our audience.”
This week’s roundup includes Russ Wilson’s “Have Yourself a Swinging Little Christmas,” Amy Black’s Muscle Shoals Revue, Will Ray & the Space Cooties and a Hustle Souls New Year’s Eve show.
Since the group’s start in 2006, sisters Leah Song and Chloe Smith have positioned Rising Appalachia as both a musical project and a vehicle to express their social justice concerns, and to help foster a community with like-minded interests.
The group’s big sound invites comparisons to 1970s megastars like Queen. And two tracks were written and produced by American artist Gregg Alexander.
The group — named No. 1 Alternative Band in WNC by Xpress readers this year — has scheduled a hometown show at the Salvage Station on Saturday, Nov. 26, to celebrate the release of A Way to Survive.
This week’s roundup includes the California Guitar Trio, TAUK, Howard Jones and The O’Connor Band.
Scales is currently touring with a collective of esteemed musicians — the group held its first rehearsal at the beginning of this week. Scales’ current seven-date tour includes a performance at Isis Restaurant & Music Hall on Sunday, Nov. 20.
After years of local and regional success with groups of their own, Asheville musicians Leigh Glass and Corey Bullman have combined their musical projects into one group, Devils in Dust. Along the way, they also fell in love and got married.
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 […]
On Whiskey Drunk on Puppy Love, the Asheville foursome has taken a giant leap forward, incorporating Stax and Motown textures into the mix, creating an album of fully realized pop perfection.
“The songs lend themselves to a lot of space,” Tirey says. “I don’t apply some kind of aesthetic intention; it just happens that way.” When it’s proposed that there’s a southern-Gothic feel to his songs, he demurs a bit, suggesting instead, “just an American ethos.”
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 […]
Esperanza Spalding had, in fact, already recorded much of Emily’s D+Evolution before deciding to work with a co-producer. “I didn’t know if this record was valid, or if it was any good to anybody other than me,” Spalding says. She knew she didn’t want to work with someone intent on making her music “sound like a jazz record.”
The story of Fantastic Negrito is the stuff of Hollywood legends, but it has the distinction of being true. The man born Xavier Dphrepaulezz taught himself to play a multitude of instruments, scored a record deal, made a good album that stiffed, had a car wreck and nearly died, worked his way back to health, reinvented himself musically and got himself discovered all over again.
Laid-back jazz improvisation, rave/trance, real psychedelic rock (Japanese-style) and sleazy riff-rocking are the focus of this edition of 30 Days Out.
Though their current tour includes a show at Las Vegas’ House of Blues and the revered Mountain Stage in West Virginia, the four musicians of River Whyless are most excited about their Orange Peel date.
