30 Days Out, February 2023 #1: Mike Dillon, G. Love, Ron Sexsmith, Dandy Warhols
Critical success doesn’t pay the bills; commercial success can.Each of the artists featured below – all of whom are visiting Asheville in the next 30 days – has earned the former. Help ‘em out with some of the latter by buying a ticket or two to their shows. Do that and everybody wins!
Artist: Mike Dillon and Punkadelic
Venue: Asheville Music Hall
Date: Friday, Feb. 3, 9 p.m.
Door: $10 advance / $15 day of show
Dillon’s not from (or based in) Asheville, but you’d be forgiven for assuming he is; he plays in and around Western North Carolina with regularity. That’s all to the good: Dillon’s punk jazz (or whatever he decides to call it) demonstrates that there’s a place for vibraphone outside the world of straight jazz. Thrilling, visceral stuff.
Artist: G. Love and Special Sauce
Venue: Salvage Station
Date: Wednesday, Feb. 8, 8 p.m.
Door: $35 advance / $40 day of show
This Philly-based outfit has been delivering its brand of loose-limbed rock (with flavors of soul and hip-hop blended in) for nearly three decades. Mainstay Garrett “G. Love” Dutton and drummer Jeffrey Clemens have been permanent fixtures in the group, and founding/longtime bassist Jim Prescott returned to the fold in 2014 after a five-year absence. Longtime friend and labelmate of the band Donavon Frankenreiter opens.
Artist: Ron Sexsmith
Venue: The Grey Eagle
Date: Wednesday, Feb.22, 8 p.m.
Door: $30
A songwriter’s songwriter, Canadian artist Ron Sexsmith has seen his original songs covered by artists of great stature; Elvis Costello, Nick Lowe and Emmylou Harris don’t need any help in the songwriting department, but each has recorded at least one Sexsmith tune. That alone should tell you something about the quality of his work. And there’s lots of it: to date he has released nearly 20 albums.
Artist: Dandy Warhols
Venue: The Orange Peel
Date: Sunday, Feb. 28, 8 p.m.
Door: $27
It was nearly two decades ago that Ondi Timoner’s fascinating if deeply flawed and problematic documentary Dig! appeared on the silver screen. Against odds, the twin subjects of that film – the Brian Jones Massacre and Dandy Warhols – both remain active as musical forces in 2023. Perhaps even more surprisingly, members of the latter group are still talking about Dig! in interviews. Best, though, to focus on the music, a kind of ‘90s rethink of psychedelia.
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About the Author
Bill Kopp
With a background in marketing and advertising, Bill Kopp got his professional start writing for Trouser Press. After a stint as Editor-in-chief for a national music magazine, Bill launched Musoscribe in 2009, and has published new content every business day since then (and every single day since 2018). The 4000-plus interviews, essays, and reviews on Musoscribe reflect Bill's keen interest in American musical forms, most notably rock, jazz, and soul. His work features a special emphasis on reissues and vinyl. Bill's work also appears in many other outlets both online and in print. He regularly hosts lecture/discussions on artists and albums of historical importance (including monthly events Music to Your Ears and Music Movie Mondays), and is a frequent guest on music-focused radio programs and podcasts. In Spring 2023 he is co-teaching a history of Rock 'n' Roll at UNC Asheville's College for Seniors. He also researches and authors liner notes for album reissues -- more than 30 to date -- and co-produced a reissue of jazz legend Julian "Cannonball" Adderley's final album. His first book, Reinventing Pink Floyd: From Syd Barrett to The Dark Side of the Moon was published by Rowman & Littlefield in 2018, and in paperback in 2019. His second book, Disturbing the Peace: 415 Records and the Rise of New Wave, was published in 2021 by HoZac Books. His third book, What's the Big Idea: 40 Great Concept Albums will be published in 2024. Read even more about him here.