Americana Archive
18 Sep 2021
30 Days Out, September 2021 #2: Schizophonics , Side Pony, Dirty Logic, Thievery Corporation
Lots of cool choices for live music in and around Asheville in the coming thirty days. By now, you know the drill: Most venues are requiring proof of vaccination or results of a legit test within 72 hours prior to entrance. These venues want to stay in business, and they want their patrons to stay
29 Aug 2021
Album Review: The Gun Club — Fire of Love
Blixa Sounds released an expanded reissue of the Gun Club’s Miami in 2000, and now their similar treatment of the Los Angeles punk band’s debut album, Fire of Love, is getting similar treatment. Oddly – at least to these ears – it’s more accessible than the second LP. Yes, Jeffrey Lee Pierce’s open relationship with
16 Aug 2021
30 Days Out August 2021 #2: Jason Ringenberg, Magic City Hippies, Bill Frisell, Steve Earle, Los Lobos
Ohhh…kayyyy… Here we go again. There are some great live music shows scheduled over the next 30 days in and around Asheville. But scheduled isn’t the same thing as “guaranteed to happen.” Your unvaccinated friends and neighbors may put the kibosh on things. Check with the venue as close as possible to show times. And
01 Aug 2021
30 Days Out, August 2021 #2: Peter Holsapple, Jamie Laval, Pop Evil, Free Radio
Asheville is in the process of reasserting its place as a go-to market for intriguing, compelling musical artists. Full-scale national touring is gradually coming back, but for now – with some notable exceptions – regional and local acts tend to dominate the events calendars of our music venues. This edition of 30 Days Out takes
15 Jul 2021
30 Days Out, July 2021 #2: Jameron, The Honeycutters, Carly Taich, Marbin
Lots of choices for live music in the next 30 days in and around Asheville. Go see some. Here’s a quick look at four solid choices: Two local bands, two touring acts. Support live music! Artist: Jameron Venue: The One Stop Date: Saturday, July 17, 8 p.m. Door: tip jar The name suggest a jam
03 Jul 2021
Sam Lewis: Don’t Fence Him In
Sam Lewis is nominally an Americana artist. But a listen to any of his albums – most notably 2018’s Loversity and his aptly-titled 2020 release Solo – reveals a songwriter, musician and singer whose work transcends genre. His popular song “One and the Same” has as much to do with soulful blues like Boz Scaggs’
13 Jun 2021
The JackTown Ramblers: Blue Notes and Bluegrass
To most listeners, the musical connection between jazz manouche (also known as “gypsy jazz”) and Appalachian bluegrass isn’t immediately obvious. But Western North Carolina sextet The JackTown Ramblers explore the region on the Venn Diagram where those styles intersect. The members of the group are well positioned to understand and explain the relationship between those
12 Jun 2021
Vagabond Crowe: Balancing Roots and a New Direction
Hendersonville, N.C. band Vagabond Crowe began as an alternative American/folk band, and recently recorded and released its debut album, Fortune Teller. But as co-leader, songwriter Mitch Stewart explains, creativity often means change, and today the group looks and sounds different from before. Your website says that the songs on Fortune Teller were “written in the
29 May 2021
Pretty Little Goat’s Music of the Mountains
Pretty Little Goat bridges the gap between old time and contemporary music. Loosely defined as a string band, the Brevard-based quartet draws much of its inspiration from the music of the mountains, says mandolinist Josh Carter. “The hills are always calling,” he says. But although Pretty Little Goat has its roots in tradition, the group
26 May 2021
Stringduster Travis Book, At Your Service
This interview appeared previously in Bold Life Magazine. Launched in 2006, jamgrass sensations The Infamous Stringdusters would go on to build their reputation on the strength of live shows. Temporarily sidelined by the pandemic, in December the band released its first holiday album, Dust the Halls. Several band members also began offering personalized music instruction