30 Days Out, Oct. 2025 #2: Lemonheads, Mr. Jimmy, Indigo De Souza, New Mastersounds
A Chicago bluesman who relocated to Asheville. An Asheville singer-songwriter who has gone big. An Asheville favorite closing a chapter. And a hero of ‘90s alternarock. Those are among the highlights of live music in Asheville in the coming 30 days. Off we go!
Artist: Lemonheads
Venue: The Grey Eagle
Date: Thursday, Oct. 13, 8 p.m.
Door: $35.90
The Lemonheads broke through in a big way with their cover of Simon & Garfunkel’s “Mrs. Robinson and with the title track from their fifth album, 1992’s It’s A Shame About Ray. With a slacker-meets-powerpop vibe, they represented much which was good about music of the era. Evan Dando has had his share of challenges over the years, and the group isn’t known for its stability, but on a good night, the Lemonheads are very good indeed.
Artist: Mr. Jimmy Blues Band
Venue: Wortham Center’s Tina McGuire Theatre
Date: Wednesday, Oct. 22, 7:30 p.m.
Door: $35
Mr. Jimmy (Jim Anderson to his family) is a journeyman blues artist with more than 4,000 live shows to his credit. An aficionado of the Chicago blues, Mr. Jimmy has been a mainstay of the Asheville music scene for some years. He was a major draw with his regular gig at the beloved Asheville Guitar Bar; that venue was tragically lost in the 2025 Helene flooding. But like the AGB brand/concept, Mr. Jimmy has taken things to the (local) road.
Artist: Indigo De Souza
Venue: The Orange Peel
Date: Saturday, Nov. 2, 8 p.m.
Door: $34.10
At only 28, Indigo De Souza has established a well-deserved reputation as a premier singer-songwriter. Taking that genre’s confessional tone to its extreme, her lyrics addressed topics outside the guardrails of safety and so-called propriety. A critics’ darling, she built her career as a local artist here in Asheville, but has long since become a breakout national artist. Her latest release is 2025’s Precipice.
Artist: New Mastersounds
Venue: Asheville Music Hall
Date: Tuesday, Nov. 11, 8 p.m.
Door: $40.65
The New Mastersounds breathed fresh life into the funk/boogaloo scene when they got their start in Leeds. Relocating to the U.S., the band became a treasured part of the jam band scene, even though they’ve always been far too good to earn classification as a jam band themselves. After a long and triumphant run of album releases and touring, MNS is hanging it up, with each member going his own way. But they’re embarking on a well-deserved victory lap, one that includes a date in Asheville, a city that has long loved the band and its music. I’ve written about and/or interviewed them many times.
See you at the shows!
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.