The 2nd Annual Jam in The Trees Announced Initial Lineup: Acoustic Syndicate, Peter Rowan, Larry Keel, Tim O’Brien,
Jim Lauderdale, Underhill Rose, Ken Tizzard Fri-Sat Aug 25-26, 2017 at Pisgah Brewing Company in Black Mountain, NC
150 Eastside Drive, Black Mountain, NC 28711 | Phone 828.669.0190 Tickets: www.eventbrite.com/e/jam-in-the-trees-tickets-29283448583
ASHEVILLE, NC — The 2nd Annual Jam In The Trees is thrilled to welcome Acoustic Syndicate, Peter Rowan, Larry Keel, Tim O’Brien, Jim Lauderdale, Underhill Rose, Ken Tizzard to the stage for the 2017 event taking place Friday and Saturday, August 25-26th at Pisgah Brewing Company in Black Mountain, NC. More artists TBA!
Early Bird Tickets available while supplies last. VIP tickets are available for $100 and include Meet & Greets with the bands, a guided brewery tour and tasting, preferred parking, a commemorative event poster and more! Doors open at 7pm on Friday for shows on the indoor stage. Gates open Saturday at 12pm, with music starting at 1pm throughout the day until 11pm on the beautiful Pisgah Brewing Outdoor Stage, followed by an “After Hours Jam” on the indoor stage. Hotel and shuttle information coming soon. Stay tuned to the festival’s new website www.jaminthetrees.com for more information and updates.
JITT is a benefit for Wild Forests & Fauna(WildFF) and last year’s inaugural event raised $5000 to protect, restore and support threatened forests and wildlife in Western North Carolina. Relive some of the wonderful moments of 2016 through photos of the event by David Simchock Photography at www.frontrowfocus.com.
“At WildFF, our Big Tree Project that leverages outreach education and reforestation to protect forests in Western North Carolina and around the globe,” WildFF’s Executive Director Benjamin Colvin says, “Since JITT, the Big Tree Project has grown and has even sparked a relationship with ABTech and local company ArborZen to restore a razed site with over 500 native trees. We are thrilled to be a part of this and can not wait for Jam in the Trees 2017!”
“Jam in the Trees fit like a glove in our beautiful amphitheater, and we couldn’t be more excited to partner with this organization again in support of our most precious forests and natural resources in 2017. It’s a real win-win!” says Benton Wharton, Events/PR Director for Pisgah Brewing.
JITT is now accepting art vendor applications for Jam In The Trees 2017. JITT is booking non-food vendors only; if you are a food vendor interested in being a part of JITT, please contact Pisgah Brewing directly. Here is the link to the Art Vendor Application:http://bit.ly/JITT_ArtVendorApp_2017.
“We are incredibly excited to be working in 2017 in support of our mission of philanthropy, music, and community as we bring Jam In The Trees back to Pisgah Brewing with a portion of the event proceeds once again going to Wild Forests and Fauna.” Lifelong resident of Asheville and President of Jam In The Trees, LLC, Laurel York, continues, “We hope the ‘jamsters’ will come out again in 2017 for an even better event than last year and show their support for their great cause!”
Jam in The Trees 2017 Initial Lineup: Acoustic Syndicate
Peter Rowan
Larry Keel
Tim O’Brien
Jim Lauderdale
Underhill Rose
Ken Tizzard
Donna the Buffalo On Tour In Their New Bus Throughout Eastern States Distinctive, Groove-heavy, and Danceable,
Donna the Buffalo Is A Band For The People
ASHEVILLE, NC — Donna the Buffalo’s old school purple tour bus was well known to The Herd across the country. After over a decade of service and after delivering the band safely to thousands of gigs, they decided it is time to retire their beloved purple Eagle tour bus and they just successfully funded a new tour bus through GoFundMe raising over $85,000 in just a few weeks! Being on the road since 1989, the band spends nearly half the year on the bus and they put 1 million miles on the original engine traveling from coast to coast; from their home in Trumansburg on down to Suwannee, from MerleFest to Mcdowell Mountain, from Blue Heron to Grand Targhee, and every fine venue in between. Over mountains, through valleys, across plains, and desert, their bus enables Donna the Buffalo to share their music with you all. “We thank you all for your continued support, love, and friendship. It means the world to us. We can’t do this without you and we can’t thank you enough. Peace and Love Always,” says Donna the Buffalo.
With their new bus equipped for the road, they are about to embark on winter tour and also have announced a handful of shows in the spring. They will celebrate the New Year’s with a run of shows in Florida before heading up to Atlanta (with Butch Trucks of The Allman Brothers who also performs at the show in Ponte Vedra) and then loop their way through the Southeast through Charleston, Columbia, Saxapahaw, and Asheville.
In mid-January they travel to Jamaica for Dark Star Orchestra’s Jam In The Sand at Jewel Paradise Cove Resort with Los Lobos. They close out the month returning to New York, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut before looping back down through Charlottesville and Charlotte. Rising singer-songwriter Bess Greenberg will join them for a handful of shows in the north mid-February. DtB returns to Florida for the end of the month for shows in Stuart and Orlando as they head down to Virginia Key for GrassRoots Live.
Donna the Buffalo will embark the Sounds of the Sea Cruise with Max Creek and Adam Ezra Group at the end of March and a handful of May shows have been announced in the midwest. Stay tuned for more tour dates.
Known as one of the most dynamic and determined bands continuously touring America for over 25 years, Donna the Buffalo has created a community environment at their shows through their distinctive, groove-heavy, and danceable music. Donna the Buffalo is a band for the people that is accessible, positive, and memorable. With roots in old time fiddle music that evolved into a soulful electric American mix infused with elements of cajun/ zydeco, rock, folk, reggae, and country, Donna’s music often contains social and moral responsibility as core beliefs, and they are just simply fun to get out and celebrate life with.
Donna the Buffalo is Jeb Puryear (vocals, electric guitar) and Tara Nevins (vocals, guitar, fiddle, accordion, scrubboard) joined by David McCracken (Hammond organ, Hohner Clavinet & piano), Kyle Spark (bass) and Mark Raudabaugh (drums). “It’s been really fun with this lineup,” Puryear says. “You get to the point where you’re playing on a really high level, things are clicking and it’s like turning on the key to a really good car. It just goes.”
Donna the Buffalo On Tour 12/29 Thu – Ponte Verdra Concert Hall – Ponte Vedra Beach, FL *w/ Butch Trucks & The Freight Train Band
12/30 Fri – Skipper’s Smokehouse – Tampa, FL *w/ Verlon Thompson
12/31 Sat – Skipper’s Smokehouse – Tampa, FL *w/ Ralph Roddenberry 1/1 Sun – The Funky Biscuit – Boca Raton, FL
1/3 Tue – City Winery – Atlanta, GA *w/ Butch Trucks & The Freight Train Band
1/4 Wed – Pour House – Charleston, SC
1/5 Thu – New Brookland Tavern – West Columbia, SC
1/6 Fri – Haw River Ballroom – Saxapahaw, NC
1/7 Sat – The Orange Peel – Asheville, NC 1/19-22/17 Thu-Sun – Jam In The Sand at Jewel Paradise Cove Resort – Runaway Bay, Jamaica * w/ Dark Star Orchestra, Los Lobos
1/27 Fri – Towne Crier Cafe – Beacon, NY 1/28 Sat – The Mauch Chunk Opera House – Jim Thorpe, PA
1/29 Sun – Infinity Hall – Norfolk, CT
2/2 Thu – The Ardmore Music Hall – Ardmore, PA
2/3 Fri – Jefferson Theater – Charlottesville, VA
2/4 Sat – Neighborhood Theater – Charlotte, NC
2/8 Wed – The Waterhole – Saranac Lake, NY *w/ Bess Greenberg
2/9 Thu – Buffalo Iron Works – Buffalo NY *w/ Bess Greenberg
2/10 Fri – G.A.R. Hall – Peninsula, OH *w/ Bess Greenberg
2/11 Sat – The Rex Theater – Pittsburgh, PA *w/ Bess Greenberg
2/24 Fri – Terra Fermata – Stuart, FL
2/25 Sat – The Social – Orlando, FL
2/26 Grassroots Live – Virginia Key, Florida
3/25-4/1 Sat-Sat – Sounds of the Sea Cruise *w/ Max Creek, Adam Ezra Group 5/4-7 Thu-Sun – Shakori Hills GrassRoots Festival – Silk Hope, NC
5/12 Fri – Gateway City Arts – Holyoke, MA
5/13 Sat – City Winery – New York, NY
5/18 Thu – Edinboro Music & Arts Fest – Edinboro, PA
5/19 Fri – City Winery – Chicago, IL
5/20 Sat – Bell’s Eccentric Cafe – Kalamazoo, MI
5/21 Sun – Edinboro Music & Arts Fest – Edinboro, PA
Country Roots Act, The Honeycutters, Sign With The WNS Group, 2017 Album & European Summer Tour In The Works
ASHEVILLE, NC — The Honeycuttersare excited to announce they will be back in the studio in January to record their 5th studio album to be released later in the year as the band’s third release on Organic Records. Nashville’s Music City Roots’ Craig Havighurst says of principal songwriter and frontwoman Amanda Anne Platt, “She’s soothing (even in the hurtin’ songs) and sobering (except for the drinkin’ songs) and nuanced in a way that I think tops even those rather famous ladies of the moment named Margo and Kacey… I’d be hard pressed to find a finer string of recordings from any band working in the classic country/mountain tradition in these last five years.” Along with Platt, The Honeycutters are Rick Cooper (electric and upright bass), Josh Milligan (drums and vocal harmonies), Matt Smith (pedal steel and electric guitar), and Tal Taylor (mandolin).
They have been touring with their latest album On The Ropes which came in at #35 on the Top 100 Albums played on Americana Radio in 2016, spending nineteen weeks on the Americana Radio Chart peaking at #10 and remaining in the top twenty for 11 weeks. The album debuted at #39 on iTunes Top 40 Country Chart on Release day, #12 on Amazon’s Hot New Releases on Folk, #11 on the EuroAmericana Chart and landed in the #1 position on the Roots Music Report Country Chart.
Helping to carry them into the new year, The Honeycutters have signed on with The WNS Group, a music management, promotion and publishing company headed by 50 year industry veteran Brad Hunt. The management division proudly represents Steve Forbert, Sonny Landreth, Tim O’Brien, Martha Scanlan and now The Honeycutters.
Amanda Anne Platt. Photo by Jeff Fasano
“I’ve been thinking it might be time for us to hire a manager for a little while now, and when our paths crossed with Brad we were all just in the right place at the right time.” Amanda Platt says, “I knew that he had been helpful to other artists that I admire, I think he’s a good fit for us. He understands the business of music but also the people.”
Brad Hunt explains, “I was in Grimey’s Basement during AmericanaFest and was entranced by a true force of nature performance by Amanda Plant and The Honeycutters and after consulting with a mutual friend, Martin Anderson of WNCW, decided I had to work with them. Amanda placed the first call to me and now we are ready to spread the word worldwide about this songwriting machine and extraordinary singer!”
In 2017, the band plans to tour extensively in US and will travel to Europe for the first time in the summer. 2016 featured The Honeycutters on NPR’s World Cafe’s Sense of Place (recorded in the band’s hometown of Asheville in a sold out show), NPR’s Mountain Stage, Nashville’s Music City Roots. They opened for Tedeschi Trucks at the Warner Theatre in Washington DC, and made notable appearances at Taos Mesa Brewing’s Music on the Mesa, in New Mexico, Beartrap Summer Festival in Wyoming, Rhythm and Roots Festival in Rhode Island, AmericanaFest in Nashville, Suwannee Roots Revival in Florida, among others. Stay tuned to their revamped website www.TheHoneycutters.com for more news.
Watch The Honeycutters “The Only Eyes” Liveon Music City Roots
What Folks Are Saying About The Honeycutters And On The Ropes:
“Their songwriting is first rate, their arrangements and instrumental ability in top form and with a front woman as assertive and impressive as singer Amanda Anne Platt… clearly, Platt and her colleagues… have every contingency covered.”
—No Depression, Lee Zimmerman
“This album damn near beats anything coming out of Nashville’s country mainstream these days. The real-life lyrics and the subtle playing of the Honeycutters will insinuate themselves into your psyche like the whispered reassurances of an old friend, touching your heart and opening your eyes to the bittersweet joys and sorrows of everyday life… Spit out that modern country-pop diet soda and pour yourself some of the real stuff. Bottoms up!” —Alan Cackett (UK)
“12 original songs and probably the best version of ‘Hallelujah’ you’ll ever hear – make this NC-based band a must-hear… From the first moments of the lead-off track On The Ropes you’ll find yourself hooked – and the music won’t let you go”
—Amazon, Steve Ramm, 5 Star Review
“An album that shines like a good deed in a naughty world.”
—3rd Coast Music, Johnny Conquest
“Platt is a gifted songwriter and vocalist. Here, as on the fine previous release, Me Oh My, she is clearly the leader. She has an authoritative, confident voice that can be sweet, aching, and joyous, sometimes even in the same song. Platt’s voice and the interplay of the guitar and mandolin give this band their unique complex sound – a clear-sounding mash-up of Americana, bluegrass, folk, and honky-tonk.” —Elmore Magazine, Jim Hynes “‘Blue Besides’ is a superb song. If it was recorded by Miranda Lambert, it would go to number one. It will remain an album track because that’s the way of the world. They are dominant in their field. Underground Americana that seems to be gravitating towards Asheville in North Carolina which happens to be The Honeycutters’ home town.” –Your Life in A Song (UK), Top 10 Country Albums Of 2016
“Platt’s voice is fair magical. Clearly annunciated, every word is infused with poetic loveliness, made all the more appealing for the slight twang that causes syllables to rise and fall at the end of lines. Like Joy Lynn White once upon a time and Zoe Muth more recently, Platt can sing of desperation and despair while retaining pride of steel… throughout On the Ropes Platt delivers personal devastation that touches universally.” –Lonesome Road Review, Donald Teplyske
“Her songs are poignant, funny in an everyday sort of way, heartfelt, and authentic. The Honeycutters’ On The Ropes is a good friend when you need one the most.”
— Americana Music Show’s Calvin Powers Listed On The Ropes as
#1 in the Best of Albums in 2016
“Like all great songwriters, Platt’s characters are alive, with enough nuance to convince the listener that they have entire lives outside the glimpse they get from the songs… there’s a delicate balance of melancholy and hope that takes a deft hand to pull off without sounding cliched. Platt’s hand is that deft.”
—Examiner, Chris Griffy
“While her country-flavored songs almost always tell a story, The Honeycutters’ musical approach adds a dimension to the tunes that only widens their appeal.”
—Mountain Xpress, Bill Kopp
“Forget Nashville, with their buzz-making brand of rock-roots-country, the Honeycutters are out to make Asheville, NC the brand new music city.”
—Elmore Magazine
“All of those sad little pop singers need to get off country radio and let the Honeycutters take it from here. When I heard this album I felt the same way I felt when I first heard Emmylou Harris and the Hot Band.” —Western Free Press, Skyler Miller
Js3 Announces Plans to Record Next Full Length Album, Produced by Dave King (The Bad Plus) at Echo Mountain Studios in Asheville NC after Successful Kickstarter Campaign
ASHEVILLE — On the tail of their critically acclaimed 2015 album, Lost at Last, Jon Stickley Trio independently releases a brand new 5-song EP, Triangular, on December 2,2016. With roots in gypsy jazz, bluegrass, and hip-hop in an “exhilarating all-acoustic swirl” (Acoustic Guitar Magazine), Jon Stickley Trio combines Jon Stickley’s rapid-fire flatpicking guitar with the sultry and wild, yet refined, melodies of Lyndsay Pruett on violin set over the deep groove of Patrick Armitage on drums.
“In a time when a lot of instrumental music feels more like math than art, Jon Stickley Trio’s Triangular reminds us of the pure joy that can be created and shared through music,” says Greensky Bluegrass’ Anders Beck.
Jon Stickley Trio is on tour this winter with shows in the southeast this December in Knoxville, Kingsport and Charlotte. Jon also has a couple of shows booked with Andy Thorn (Leftover Salmon) and Travis Book (The Infamous Stringdusters) in North Carolina mid-month. On December 30th, the Trio pops up north to Richmond, Virginia to open for The Infamous Stringdusters before heading home to Asheville for a special New Year’s Eve Celebration with The Honeycutters on Dec 31st. In early January, Jon Stickley travels to Denver to play two nights as a part of the Bluegrass Generals featuring members of The Infamous Stringdusters, Greensky Bluegrass, and more. The Trio joins up again in Wray, Colorado on the 21st with some surprise mystery dates out west TBA. There’s a scattering of other dates announced including WinterWonderGrass in California in the spring and FloydFest in the summer in Virginia. More to come!
The EP, Triangular, was recorded at Blue Sprocket Sound in Harrisonburg, VA this summer and was sent early to anyone that donated $10 or more to their recent successful Kickstarter Campaign to help them head back into Echo Mountain Recording Studio this winter with Producer Dave King (Of The Bad Plus) to record a yet un-named new full length album due out in 2017. The band surpassed their goal and reached $29,120 and is currently in studio recording..
“I like to think of music as a two way street, a reciprocal experience between musician and audience,” says Lyndsay Pruett. “The Kickstarter campaign really affirms my view on that. And it truly becomes about more than the money. Money is the thing we all know we need to make the world go around, but this process allows people to have an extra level of personal involvement. We have conversations with people we’ve met at shows from all over the country, and they become involved in the next record. Then when we go back to those places to play the music for them the experience is more substantial, and more fun, of course.”
Triangular features five songs leading out with with “Blackburn Brothers”, of which Beck says, “While the opening notes remind the listener of Tony Rice’s Manzanita (one of the greatest acoustic guitar albums of all time), one is suddenly catapulted into Jackson 5 territory a few minutes later in the same song. Sure, comparisons to previous musicians are a good way to explain a new artist to the masses, but to do so is to cheat Stickley of what he really is: a damn genius, a musical mastermind, and one of the most unique, creative, and inventive guitar players I’ve ever heard.”
“Plain Sight” was penned by Jon after the mass shooting at a concert in Paris. ”It’s as much an angry response to the perpetrators as it is a mournful tribute to the victims,” says Stickley. The music features Lyndsay’s delicate pizzicato violin plucking, Patrick’s breakbeat drum vibes, and Stickley’s signature high speed shredding. The third phase of the tune breaks down to a gentle trading of melodic lines by Jon and Lyndsay.
“Palm Tree” is a tropically themed dance tune has become a staple of the band’s live shows. It changes time signatures between 5/4 and 6/8, but remains danceable and accessible. The purpose of “Palm Tree” is to jam out and have fun, and that’s what the Trio does on this track. You can hear Jon and Lyndsay pushing each other while Patrick “cooks” underneath, heating up the skillet till its HOT.
“Echolocation”’ is a tribute to whales and the beautiful songs they sing underwater. The most evocative of the songs on the record, it features the cello-like longbows of Lyndsay’s violin that mimic the whales’ songs. Patrick’s epic drum solo over Lyndsay and Jon’s unison arpeggios is a climactic moment that is one of the band’s most dazzling recorded moments to date.
“Manzanita” is a classic composition by Jon’s hero, guitarist Tony Rice, is arguably one of the most important pieces of music in Newgrass history. The Trio recorded this song as a tribute to those who came before and took musical risks that changes the history of music.
“Since bluegrass players started delving into jazz, they’ve been composing progressive acoustic music, but so much of it has lacked the comfort in its own skin that Stickley’s songs possess.” Anders Beck says of Stickley’s style,“I could go on and on about how amazing it is that his twisty and turny songs don’t feel forced, and always bob and weave at the right time; or how Stickley’s guitar playing shares as much in common with the flow of the greatest rappers of all time as it does with his flatpicking heroes... I think you get my point. Stop reading this and go listen to his new EP.”
With the success of Lost At Last making it into rotation on radio stations both nationally and internationally, the Trio has traveled over 50,000 miles, performing at over 100 festivals and venues across the country in 2016 (Including the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC), attracted attention of thousands of new fans, and teamed up with a national booking agency. Jon Stickley Trio heads into the studio in early December to record the yet unnamed full length album with Dave King, who also produced Lost At Last which garnered praise from The New York Times,NPR’s Heavy Rotation, NPR’s World Cafe, Premier Guitar Magazine, Acoustic Guitar Magazine, and many others.
Jon Stickley Trio has evolved into a fully formed, musical identity that was just beginning to take shape on the first record. Stickley realizes, “Our musicality has matured individually, and collectively to the extent that we can read each other, and respond to each other in a completely intuitive and natural way. We can’t wait to take our matured sound back into Echo Mountain with our mentor and producer, Dave King.”
All of this interlocks, and is propelling the band into the future. Music City Roots’ Craig Havighurst says “A new generation of bluegrass-reared instrumental explorers is coming into its own, and the Stickley Trio is in the vanguard.” While the group does their thing in the studio, they are happy to share Triangular with the world now!
Jon Stickley On Tour 12/7 Wed – Knoxville, TN – WDVX Tennessee Shines @ Boyd’s Jig & Reel 12/8 Thu – Kingsport, TN – Sleepy Owl Brewery 12/10 Sat – Charlotte, NC – The Rabbit Hole *co-Bill with Billy Strings 12/15-16 Thu-Fri – Asheville, NC – Isis Music Hall *Stickley / Thorn / Book support for Travelin’ McCourys 12/17 Sat – Morganton, NC – Winter Music Fest *Stickley / Thorn / Book 12/30 Fri – Richmond, VA – The National *support for The Infamous Stringdusters12/31/16 Sat – Asheville, NC – Isis Music Hall *w/ The Honeycutters
1/6-7/17 Fri-Sat – Denver, CO – Cervantes *Jon Stickley as a part of the Bluegrass Generals feat. members of The Infamous Stringdusters, Greensky Bluegrass, etc. 1/20 Fri – Abilene, KS – Great Plains Theatre 1/21 Sat – Wray, CO – 4th and Main Grille 3/30 Thu – San Francisco, CA – Neck of the Woods 3/31 Fri – Squaw Valley, CA – WinterWonderGrass 7/26-30 – Floyd, VA – FloydFest
* All dates are Jon Stickley Trio unless otherwise noted.
WATCH Jon Stickley Trio Perform ‘Echolocation’ on Music City Roots →
Donna the Buffalo On Tour In Their New Bus Throughout Eastern States
“I like to think of music as a two way street, a reciprocal experience between musician and audience,” says Lyndsay Pruett. “The Kickstarter campaign really affirms my view on that. And it truly becomes about more than the money. Money is the thing we all know we need to make the world go around, but this process allows people to have an extra level of personal involvement. We have conversations with people we’ve met at shows from all over the country, and they become involved in the next record. Then when we go back to those places to play the music for them the experience is more substantial, and more fun, of course.”
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