Americana Archive
03 Apr 2022
A Chat with Chatham Rabbits
Chatham Rabbits is the wife-and-husband duo of Sarah and Austin McCombie. Sarah came up in music as a member of old-time group The South Carolina Broadcasters, and Austin has played everything from “today’s modern country” to beach music to electronica. But together as Chatham Rabbits, the couple makes rootsy music with the flavor of their
15 Mar 2022
30 Days Out, March 2022 #2: All Them Witches, La Luz, Anya Hinkle, Tame Impala
Two big touring acts, a bublbing-under trio and a beloved regional artist building a breakout solo career: those are the highlights of Asheville music in the coming 30 days. Artist: All Them Witches Venue: The Orange Peel Date: Wednesday, March 16, 8 p.m. Door: $25 The group — like many before and since — doesn’t
01 Mar 2022
30 Days Out, March 2022 #1: Floyd Philharmonic, Chatham Rabbits, Uncle Acid, Greyboy Allstars
In this edition: One local, one regional, two nationally touring acts. All four are excellent onstage. Welcome back to live music. Artist: Floyd Philharmonic Venue: Isis Music Hall Date: Thursday, March 3, 8:30 p.m. Door: $15 Though the band’s lineup has seen some changes, this tribute band certainly delivers the sound and style of Pink
18 Feb 2022
Album Review: Lilli Lewis — Americana
Americana is the seventh album from Athens, Georgia based Lilli Lewis. While the album title might suggest a specific kind of music, there’s something deeper going on here. As Lewis uses the term, Americana represents a kind of music featuring lyrical themes connected to the American experience. The music itself has at least as much
01 Jan 2022
30 Days Out, January 2022 #1: Ska City, Nordista Freeze, James McMurtry, Caravan Palace
Happy New Year! And today also marks another, more personal celebration: This is the seven-year anniversary of “30 Days Out.” Through the years, its mission has never changed: twice a month, letting readers know about upcoming notable live music performances in and around Asheville, North Carolina. With a focus on both local and nationally-touring artists,
26 Dec 2021
Album Review: Billy Bragg — The Million Things That Never Happened
Let nearly 40 years pass, and some things are almost certain to change. If your exposure to Billy Bragg commenced with his 1983 debut Life’s a Riot with Spy vs Spy and its standout track “A New England” – and then you didn’t hear anything from him again until now, you’d be in for a
14 Dec 2021
30 Days Out, December 2021 #2: Drunken Prayer, Empire Strikes Brass, Andrew Scotchie and the River Rats, Arrested Development, Adam Ezra Group
This installment of “30 Days Out” marks two years since the twice-monthly bulletin has been published here on Musoscribe. Before that, starting in January 2014(!), 30DO was a twice-monthly feature of Mountain Xpress, the Asheville-based altweekly that (in those days) provided robust coverage of the local arts and music scenes. As we close the books
12 Dec 2021
Album Review: NRBQ — Dragnet
NRBQ is an American treasure. Founded in the mid ‘60s, the band has always transcended – smashed, even – genre boundaries. They’re as likely to be inspired by Sun Ra as they are to draw from rockabilly. The band has endured countless lineup changes, so many in fact that there’s a contingent that asserts that
04 Dec 2021
The Barbershop Harmony Tradition Lives on in Western N.C.
Barbershop harmony is a quintessentially American musical form. Though its heyday was nearly a century ago, its popularity endures. Today there are at least 30 quartets in the Carolinas District of the Barbershop Harmony Society. Those groups perform far and wide, and there’s also a competitive element. This year’s Fall Festival took place November 11-13
03 Dec 2021
Hundred-word Reviews December 2021 #2
Welcome back for another round of capsule commentaries concerning current creations. Onetwothree – (untitled) What might happen if Trio (“Da Da Da”), Nina Hagen and Neu! got together for a giggle? Well, it might sound a bit like this supremely wonderful pop confection. An all-female group from Switzerland, Onetwothree sounds like Gang of Four in