30 Days Out, July 2023 #1: Airpark, Led Zeppelin 2, Victor Wooten, The Nth Power
There’s a panoply, a surfeit, a veritable cornucopia of live music on offer over the next 30 days here in beautiful Asheville NC. Go enjoy some! Here are four recommendations.
Artist: Airpark
Venue: Outpost
Date: Saturday, July 15, 7 p.m.
Door: $10
Once upon a time there was a band called Apache Relay; their sound combined Phil Spector wall-of-sound texture to Americana. The result was pretty original, and – to my thinking – filled with potential. But the band folded, and by 2017 two of its members, brothers Michael and Ben Ford set out on their own as a duo called Airpark. I interviewed the group that year. Seven years later they’re still at it.
Artist: Led Zeppelin 2
Venue: Salvage Station
Date: Thursday, July 20, 8 p.m.
Door: $20 advance / $25 day of show
Way back in 2015 I traveled to Charlotte to take in a concert featuring a pair of tribute bands. The headliner was the Australian Pink Floyd, and they were quite good. But every bit their creative equal was a Chicago outfit calling itself Led Zeppelin 2. They got the details right, managing to deliver the excitement of Zep live but without the self-indulgent tendencies that sometimes made that band a bit…much. (27 minutes of “Dazed and Confused”? Ugh.) Guitarist Paul Kamp is quite handy with the violin bow, too, and he knows how much is just right. I interviewed him in ‘15.
Artist: Victor Wooten
Venue: Ayurprana Listening Room
Date: Saturday, July 22, 7 p.m.
Door: $55
Ask serious musicians to name today’s top bassists and the name Victor Wooten is all but sure to come up. He’s one of those rare artists whose approach to music effortlessly (or so it would seem) transcends genre. And reinforcing the idea that Wooten is a Renaissance Man, he authored an intriguing work of (I believe) fiction, The Spirit of Music.
Artist: The Nth Power
Venue: The Grey Eagle
Date: Thursday, July 27, 8 p.m.
Door: $17
Hotshot musicians with a sound that leans toward Dave Matthews Band jam territory, The Nth Power draw a dedicated fan base to their high energy shows. As skilled as its members are in the studio context, it’s live onstage where the group seems most in its element. I wrote in more detail about the group in 2017.
Support live music!
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 4500-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 taught 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: Great Concept Albums will be published in 2024. Read even more about him here.