30 Days Out, April 2025 #2: La Luz, Bonnie Raitt, Empire Strikes Brass, Badbadnotgood
Happy Tax Day! Go see some live music. If you please, here are a few really, really good suggestions. The Ramones sang “New York City really has it all,” but I’d argue that so too does Asheville.
Artist: La Luz
Venue: The Grey Eagle
Date: Saturday, April 19, 8 p.m.
Door: $25.86
La Luz is a pretty amazing band. On their first few albums, the Seattle-based foursome combines ethereal vocals with garage-rock textures. But on their latest, the all-female band moves beyond those styles – actually building on them – to make something even more compelling. I’m really excited about seeing them live. I interviewed leader Shana Cleveland; that feature will be online here soon.
Artist: Bonnie Raitt
Venue: Harrah’s Cherokee Center
Date: Wednesday, April 23, 7:30 p.m.
Door: $ (anybody’s guess; resale only)
It shouldn’t be remarkable that a female guitarist is still notable as such, but here we are. Bonnie Raitt has been making great albums for decades now; these days she has nothing left to prove, yet still turns out excellent work. This show is all but sold out, but tickets are available on the resale market for gawd-knows-how-much. I’m glad I saw her at AmericanaFest some years ago. (Thanks, press pass!)
Artist: Empire Strikes Brass
Venue: Highland Brewing
Date: Sunday, May 4, 7 p.m.
Door: $17.65
This beloved local outfit combines second line jazz with funk, making some exuberant and uptempo sounds in the process. The musicians in ESB are the cream of the WNC crop, and that’s saying something. I’ve interviewed the band twice (here in 2017 and here in 2022) and reviewed their 2020 album here.
Artist: Badbadnotgood
Venue: The Orange Peel
Date: Satuday, May 10, 8 p.m.
Door: $49.40
I have my adult kids to thanks for a lengthy list of things. One of them is for consistently turning me onto new music. They did just that some years ago when both insisted I join them in attending a show by Badbadnotgood. I was dazzled: the group’s very modern take on the jazz aesthetic achieves two things at once: it satisfies jazz lovers (like me), and it serves as a kind of gateway drug into the genre for people who – as the saying goes – “don’t like jazz.”
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.