30 Days Out, May 2022 #2: Albert Cummings, Jason Isbell, Gov’t Mule, Destroy Boys
In the next 30 days, there’s all manner of live music to be experienced in Asheville. This roundup focuses a bit more on c&w, but there’s something for every taste on the stages of Western N.C.
Artist: Albert Cummings
Venue: Isis Music Hall
Date: Wednesday, June 1, 7:30 p.m.
Door: $23 advance, $28 day of show
Blues guitarist Cummings’ recording career began with 200’s The Long Way; on average he has released a new album every other year since then. His blues bonafides are considerable, having worked with Buddy Guy, B.B. King and Johnny Winter. All that said, his latest release, 10, finds the guitarist changing direction; the album leans decidedly toward country and western.
Artist: Gov’t Mule
Venue: Salvage Station
Date: Friday, June 3, 6:30 p.m.
Door: $
Warren Haynes is Asheville’s favorite son; he doesn’t live here any more, but his long-running Christmas Jam has brought him plus a dazzling array of his high-profile friends to local stages. The Jam went on hiatus (or ended for good) after the 2018 event, so this is a now even-more-rare local opportunity to see Haynes with his always-powerful band. I’ve interviewed Haynes at least three times to date: links to those are here.
Artist: Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit
Venue: Rabbit Rabbit
Date: Saturday, June 4, 6:30 p.m.
Door: $55+
Jason Isbell is one of music’s most articulate and outspoken artists. He’s also a helluva musician, one whose work effortlessly transcends the genre in which he’s chosen to work. Put another way, he’s the kind of Americana/country artist whose work can appeal to those who don’t especially dig those styles. Musoscribe hosts two features based on my conversations with him. Here’s one, and here’s the other.
Artist: Destroy Boys
Venue: The Grey Eagle
Date: Thursday, June 9, 8 p.m.
Door: $16
As I wrote for the title of my 2021 interview with Vilet Mayugba and Alexia Roditis of Destroy Boys, for the band, the personal is political. And their no-nonsense, take-no-b.s. approach extends to their music. A powerful and passionate trio, Destroy Boys are proof that there’s plenty of life left in the rock idiom. Scowl opens.
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 since 2018). The 4500-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 taught 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: Great Concept Albums will be published in 2024. Read even more about him here.