30 Days Out, August 2025 #1: Hennies + Krause, Barrington Levy, The Remantlists, Pet Sounds Live
Wow. Unclassifiable modern music, dancehall reggae, a live concept album and a tribute to one of the greatest records ever made. Those are among the highlights in Asheville’s live music scene in the coming 30 days. Here we go!
Artist: Sarah Hennies + Tristan Kasten Krause
Venue: BMCM+AC
Date: Thursday, Aug. 7, 7 p.m.
Door: $12
Modern classical. Avant-garde. Ambient. No Wave. The collaborative music of Sarah Hennies and Tristan Kasten Krause could be described using any of those labels, plus some others. None of those words quite get to the heart of what they do. But for the listener who’s adventurous and open to something really different, challenging and unexpected, this is an event well worth considering.
Artist: Barrington Levy
Venue: Asheville Music Hall
Date: Friday, Aug. 8, 9 p.m.
Door: $45.90
Barrington Levy is a pioneering Jamaican reggae and dancehall artist, known for his distinctive vocal style and major influence upon the genres. Levy debuted on record with 1979’s Bounty Hunter. His work with famed producer Henry “Junjo” was creatively and commercially successful as well. His worldwide breakthrough came with Englishman, one of four albums he released in ‘79. That record featured the Roots Radics rhythm section. Levy has been at the forefront of combining reggae traditions with modern electronic textures. His work has been sampled by Kanye West, Notorious B.I.G., Sublime, Ol’ Dirty Bastard and many others.
Artist: The Remantlists
Venue: Eulogy
Date: Saturday, Aug. 23, 7 p.m.
Door: $14.22
Just over a year ago, Asheville multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Chris Tullar decided to give himself a challenge: write a rock opera, using the song titles of The Kinks’ classic concept album Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire) as a prompt. Nothing beyond that, through; his Not Arthur has no connection to the Kinks’ work beyond those titles. He assembled a who’s who of Asheville talent to perform it, and – you guessed it – they also staged Arthur in its entirety. The event was billed as a one-night-only enterprise. But we’re lucky that Tullar has reconvened the players for a year-later encore. I interviewed him about it in 2024. Double Love and the Trouble open.
Artist: Pet Sounds Live
Venue: The Grey Eagle
Date: Sunday, Aug. 24, 8 p.m.
Door: $22.14
Even before Brian Wilson passed away, Pet Sounds had long since taken its place as one of the most important, groundbreaking and influential albums in rock history. Hell, it even influenced The Beatles. Casual Beach Boys fans somehow tend to overlook it and its sublime brilliance, but for those who appreciate its beauty, 1966’s Pet Sounds provides among the most fulfilling half hour’s worth of music on the planet. This outfit – which may or may not still feature the incomparable Jason Brewer – recreates it live onstage.
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.