30 Days Out, August 2020 #1: Robin Bullock, Cliff Eberhardt, Eleanor Underhill, Christy Lynn
Two steps forward, one (and sometimes two) back. The United States’ continued failure to contain the spread of COVID-19 is having more and more lasting effects. Beyond death and permanent health effects, countless businesses have shuttered. Here’s hoping most of those closures are temporary. Here in Asheville we’ve already lost one beloved music venue. The others deserve your support (as, of course, do the artists who play there). In the next 30 days, these are some of the highlights. All are live streams; some offer (very limited) in-person viewing. Check with the venues.
Artist: Robin Bullock
Venue: White Horse Black Mountain
Stream: White Horse Live
Date: Saturday, August 1, 8 p.m.
Even with conventional live shows being scarce, album release events continue apace. Black Mountain-based “Celtic guitar god” Robin Bullock returns with An American Guitar Album, an acoustic and primarily solo endeavor. The musician draws from the American folk tradition for this latest album.
Artist: Cliff Eberhardt
Venue: Isis Music Hall / Mountain Spirit Acoustic Series
Stream: Twitch.tv
Date: Sunday, August 2, 7 p.m.
A contemporary of fellow acoustic folkies Shawn Colvin and John Gorka, Eberhardt has carved out an esteemed solo career, with nine albums to his credit. In recent years his recorded output has been scarce, but – up until the, well, you know – he toured regularly. This live stream is part of the highly regarded Mountain Spirit Acoustic Series, a local concert schedule shepherded by Asheville’s own Louise Baker, who’s been doing this important work in one form or another for as long as I can recall.
Artist: Eleanor Underhill & Friends
Venue: The Grey Eagle
Stream: The Grey Eagle on Facebook
Date: Thursday, August 6, 8 p.m.
Tip jar: http://paypal.me/TheGreyEagle
Underhill’s second solo release, Land of the Living is easily one of the best new albums I’ve heard this year. If you know her as the banjo-playing half of Underhill Rose, forget 95% of what you think you know and check out her solo work. My feature based on an interview with her is in this week’s Mountain Xpress, but I’ve also put together two days’ worth of Musoscribe blog posts content featuring other fascinating bits from our recent conversation. Check back on Monday August 3 and Tuesday August 4 for those.
Artist: Christy Lynn Band
Venue: The Grey Eagle
Stream: The Grey Eagle on Facebook
Date: Saturday, August 22, 7 p.m.
Tip jar: http://paypal.me/TheGreyEagle
The cleverly punning title of Lynn’s debut release tells you a lot about her musical perspective. Sweetheart of the Radio strikes a balance between emotionally resonant and playful, and that’s a recipe for success in these times as well as any other. I did a brief feature/interview with Ms. Lynn back in March.
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 since 2018). The 4000-plus 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 is co-teaching a history of Rock 'n' Roll at UNC Asheville's College for Seniors. He also researches and authors liner notes for album reissues -- more than 30 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: 40 Great Concept Albums will be published in 2024. Read even more about him here.