30 Days Out, June 2023 #2: Brothers Gillespie, Eric Gales, Pleasure Chest, Wednesday
Three locally-based acts (at least one of which looks to break out nationally at any moment) and a touring performer who’s beloved here: those are among the live music highlights in Asheville for the coming 30 days.
Artist: The Brothers Gillespie
Venue: One World Brewing West
Date: Saturday, June 17, 9 p.m.
Door: $10
There’s always an audience for Southern rock, especially when the music evokes memories of the Allman Brothers and American progenitors The Band. Based just up the road in Johnson City, Tennessee, this five-piece came together I n2018 for its debut EP, with a full-length Love & Death following the next year. After a quiet period (because, y’know) they returned last year with American Pastoral.
Artist: Eric Gales
Venue: Salvage Station
Date: Sunday, June 18, 8 p.m.
Door: $30 advance / $35 day of show
Starting from the blues and heading in other directions can be a recipe for creative and artistic success. Hey, it worked for Jimi Hendrix. And it works for guitar slinger extraordinaire Eric Gales. I interviewed him about his music in 2020, and got two features out of our chat. Here’s one, and here’s the other. Local act Datrian Johnson & the Family Tree opens.
Artist: Pleasure Chest
Venue: The Outpost
Date: Friday, June 23, 7 p.m.
Door: $10
These guys rock hard, bringing forth the spirit of early rock’n’roll, the kind of thing you’d fine on the Loud, Fast and Out of Control boxed set. No soppy balladry here. Guitarist Erich Hubner – he of the wild-looking guitars – used to be in Man… Or Astro-Man? And that should tell you something.
Artist: Wednesday
Venue: The Orange Peel
Date: Saturday, July 1, 8 p.m.
Door: $20
I recall a time when the Asheville band touted as the Next Big Thing™ was a group called Drug Money. With a name like that, it wasn’t wholly surprising that the whole thing imploded before launch. And in the years since, all manner of excellent groups have sprung up locally, though none has broken out in that spectacularly national way. All of which brings me round to Wednesday. There’s so much buzz about this group that major success seems – dare I say – inevitable. Catch ‘em before it happens.
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.