Americana Archive
25 May 2025
Album Review: Yahtzee Brown – You Got This
I get lots of music in my mailbox. And I’m not complaining; helpful artists, labels and publicists send me a steady stream of sounds, and it’s not uncommon to discover […]
15 May 2025
30 Days Out, May 2025 #2: After Ours, Takaat, David Lowery, Larkin Poe
A local act that released one of my favorite albums in recent memory, a band consisting of sidemen who play with one of the most fascinating guitarists working today, and […]
15 Apr 2025
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 […]
01 Apr 2025
30 Days Out, April 2025 #2: Ripe, Mystery Lights, Consider the Source, Rhiannon Giddens
You can’t keep a great city down. Big things are happening in Asheville. It was just six months ago that we sustained devastating and deadly damage from Tropical Storm Helene; […]
15 Mar 2025
30 Days Out, March 2025 #2: Jane Monheit, Eleanor Underhill, Ska City, Ana Popovic
This go-round features two local artists and two touring ones. All four are well worth seeing and hearing. Artist: Jane Monheit Venue: Wortham Center Date: Saturday, March 15, 8 p.m. […]
15 Feb 2025
30 Days Out, Feb. 2025 #2: Fireside Collective, Piper & the Hard Times, Asheville Jazz Orchestra, Joe Bonamassa
Americana, blues, jazz and… more blues are among the highlights of Asheville (and Cherokee) live music in the coming thirty days. Off we go! Artist: Fireside Collective Venue: Asheville Music […]
14 Feb 2025
Larkin Poe Go Their Own Way
This feature first appeared in SPIN. The success of Larkin Poe’s 2024 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album could have been a double-edged sword, painting the rootsy duo of […]
06 Feb 2025
Book Review: Down on the Corner: Adventures in Busking & Street Music
Busking has a long, storied and often proud history. The practice of performing music in public spaces – ostensibly for free, presumably for tips – has been part of the […]
15 Jan 2025
30 Days Out, Jan. 2024 #2: Angela Easterling, Alice Cooper, Al Stewart, Hub New Music
A typically eclectic assortment of music highlights the remainder of January and the first half of February here in Western North Carolina. Here we go! Artist: Angela Easterling Venue: Highland […]
01 Jan 2025
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, […]