30 Days Out, Jan. 2025 #1: Chuck Brodsky, Heavy Mountain Fest, Coverfest IV, Hiss Golden Messenger
This edition of 30 Days Out marks the 11-year anniversary of the twice-monthly article (which in its early years ran in our local altweekly). Doubling down on the local/regional emphasis, this time around I’m focusing on all NC artists. January is, after all, what remains of Asheville “secret season” that special time of year when the tourists – bless their hearts – aren’t here in such overwhelming numbers.
Artist: Chuck Brodsky
Venue: White Horse Black Mountain
Date: Frday, Jan. 3, 7:30 p.m.
Door: $22 (pay what you can)
With the exception of a trio of records he released in the final years of the 20th century, Chuck Brodsky has long been the model of the independent, do-it-yourself artist. It’s just that now, the music business as a whole is catching up with his approach. He crowd-funded his last three albums, the most recent of which is Them and Us. He’s a singer/songwriter who pens hart-on-sleeve songs with a social conscience, but he’s equally likely to serve up an original tune about baseball. Brodsky possesses a keen wit that sets him apart from the pack. I last interviewed Brodsky way back in 2018.
Artist: Heavy Mtn Fest
Venue: Orange Peel
Date: Saturday, Jan. 18, 2 p.m.
Door: $50 advance / $70 day of show
Rescheduled from Halloween weekend 2024 (because, y’know), the Heavy Mountain Music & Beer Fest will be a great day of heavy rock. Acts on the bill include Thou, Emma Ruth Rundle, Andy the Doorbum, Generation of Vipers, Harsh Realm, and Weight Shift. The last three of those will be celebration album releases. I wrote about an earlier Heavy Mountain Feast back in (once again) 2018.
Artist: Coverfest IV
Venue: Grey Eagle
Date: Sunday, Jan. 19, 5 p.m.
Door: $17.95
My kids both went to Asheville Middle School (albeit many years ago), and I was always struck by the dedication of the educators there. But of curse public schools are criminally underfunded, so when there’s an educational trip planned – in this case, a visit to Washington DC, the city where democracy nominally lives – there has to be a fundraiser to help make it happen for the eighth graders. It just so happens that the all-local roster for this year’s event – all original artists (many of whom I’ve interviewed) playing all covers – is really, really good. Support them, support the kids. Everybody wins.
Artist: Hiss Golden Messenger
Venue: Ayurprana Listening Room
Date: Friday, Jan. 24, 8 p.m.
Door: $40.24
MC Taylor is Hiss Golden Messenger. His music starts with the folk idiom and expands from there. A highly regarded singer-songwriter, Taylor writes music that connects emotionally with the listener. I still somehow haven’t interviewed him, but I did pen a short essay about him in 2019. Rosali opens.
Happy New Year! See you at the show!
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 for several years). The more than 5000 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 -- some 40 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: 30 Great Concept Albums is available now. Read even more about him here.