30 Days Out, June 2025 #1: Peter Hook, Beach Boys, Sugar Bomb, Adrian Younge
Wowzers. I have a lot to say about the four spotlight acts that dominate the Asheville music calendar in the coming 30 days. Off we go!
Artist: Peter Hook & the Light
Venue: The Orange Peel
Date: Tuesday, June 3, 8 p.m.
Door: $41.35
It’s a remarkable achievement to be in a group that earns critical and commercial success. It’s far rarer still to manage that feat a second time. But that’s the curriculum vitae of bassist and singer Peter Hook. He was a founding member of both Joy Division and New Order, two of the most important acts in the postpunk musical movement of the ‘70s and ‘80s. Today he leads Peter Hook & the Light, a primarily (though not exclusively) live project in which the group performs music from his old bands.
Artist: Beach Boys
Venue: Harrah’s Casino, Cherokee
Date: Friday, June 6, 7:30 p.m.
Door: $60.60
What can one say about The Beach Boys that hasn’t been said (and said many times)? Suffice to say that founding member Mike Love and long-long-longtime member Bruce Johnston co-lead a group of younger player-singers who certainly get the details right. I interviewed Love not long ago, and also spoke extensively with one of the group’s newest members, the supremely talented John Wedemeyer. You can read the in-depth feature based on those interviews right here.
Artist: Sugar Bomb
Venue: Eulogy
Date: Friday, June 13, 8 p.m.
Door: $21.49
Eli Kahn first came to my attention via 2023’s Music for Cats, an amazing jazz album that I named among my favorite releases of that year. Clearly one immensely creative project isn’t enough to satisfy his musical inclinations; hence the existence of Sugar Bomb. The name might suggest to some a kind of pop-leaning endeavor; alas, Sugar Bomb is an improvisational trio featuring Kahn plus Jacob Bruner (who locals will know from two other highly-regarded and eclectic outfits, Black Sea Beat Society and Empire Strikes Brass) and Mood Ring’s Joe Enright. The band’s debut EP (Sweet) is set for release June 13; its followup, Explosive comes out in July. At this show, however, they’ll sell copies of a vinyl EP that includes both. Snarky Puppy’s Chris Bullock and E’lon (from Jonathan Scales Fourchestra) are also on this mightily impressive bill.
Artist: Adrian Younge
Venue: The Grey Eagle
Date: Monday, June 23, 8 p.m.
Door: $30.75
Adrian Younge is one of the most talented and creative artists working in music today. An autodidact, he’s self-taught on myriad instruments, and on studio production and engineering. None of that would amount to nearly as much if didn’t also have top-level skills in composition and arrangement. His work combines jazz, hip hop, soundtrack scoring and more. He made a landmark concept album with Ghostface Killah; that story forms a chapter in my upcoming book. I also have a story on him in the next print issue of Spin, and another feature coming soon to Mountain Xpress.
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.