Asheville Holiday Hang with Town Mountain & The Honeycutters in the SouthEast This December

Asheville Holiday Hang with Town Mountain & The Honeycutters in the SouthEast This December

ASHEVILLE, NC — Town Mountain is teaming up with The Honeycutters, another stellar band from Asheville, for the Asheville Holiday Hang as a run of shows in the Southeast. The Asheville Holiday Hang originated as a holiday benefit in Asheville, NC and is heading into its 5th year. This year’s benefit event takes place at The Grey Eagle in Asheville on Friday, December 16th and proceeds go to MANNA FoodBank. They decided that they wanted to bring The Asheville Hang on the road and added a few other dates with the same lineup for the holidays. Other dates include December 14th at The Rabbit Hole in Charlotte, NC, December 15th at The Pour House in Charleston, SC, and December 17th at Gottrocks in Greenville, SC.

The Asheville Hang is not an isolated series; Town Mountain will be hosting Asheville Hangs in various cities throughout the year with a variety of other Asheville acts. Town Mountain’s Jesse Langlais says, “This year it has turned into a multi-city event, which originated in Asheville, over the course of a week. Thus, the concept of the Asheville Hang was born. A traveling show, representing some of the finest musical acts Western North Carolina has to offer. Expect to see the Asheville Hang branching out into a variety of other towns.”

The Asheville Holiday Hang 2016 Dates
12/14 Wed – The Rabbit Hole – Charlotte, NC
12/15 Thu –  The Pour House – Charleston, SC
12/16 Fri – MANNA FoodBank Benefit @ The Grey Eagle – Asheville, NC
12/17 Sat – Gottrocks – Greenville, SC

Town Mountain Displays Their Soulful Bluegrass/Country Swagger on Southern Crescent, Produced by Dirk Powell On LoHi Records

Raw, soulful, and with plenty of swagger, Town Mountain released their 5th studio album, Southern Crescent, on April 1, 2016 on LoHi Records. Produced and engineered by GRAMMY winner Dirk Powell, Southern Crescent was recorded in Powell’s studio The Cypress House in south-central Louisiana town of Breaux Bridge. It was mixed by Mixed by Scott Vestal at Digital Underground in Greenbrier, TN. Since it’s release the band debuted on the Grand Ole Opry and the Ryman Auditorium stages bringing their sound to new audiences. The critically acclaimed album debuted at #4 on the Billboard Bluegrass Chart and spent ten weeks on the Americana Radio Chart’s Top 40.

“The first time I heard TM I loved, respected, and enjoyed them. And I do now more than ever.” Exclaims Jim Lauderdale. “They have stuck with their deep bluegrass roots but as they have with all of their releases they have grown and expanded. They sound like Carolina, and they carry that sound farther and farther with Southern Crescent, their latest gem.”

No Depression’s Amos Perrine names Town Mountain as, “the most exciting bluegrass band to come along in a long time,” which is echoed by Music City Roots’ Craig Havighurst sentiments, “I’d put Town Mountain on my list of Five Bluegrass Bands You Must Know in 2016, because while the genre has forked and morphed in wonderful ways, these guys from Asheville have more Flatt & Scruggs and more Jimmy Martin in their sound than any young band I can think of. And when they do nod to other influences, they tend to be from parallels to the early bluegrass era, like Chuck Berry and Carl Perkins for example.”

Nominated for the 2016 Emerging Artist Award with the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) and the 2013 winners of IBMA Momentum Awards for Performance Band and Vocalist of the Year (Robert Greer), Town Mountain has earned raves for their hard-driving sound, their in-house songwriting and the honky-tonk edge that permeates their exhilarating live performances. With an insatiable musical hunger, the members of Town Mountain are Robert Greer on vocals and guitar, Jesse Langlais on banjo and vocals, Phil Barker on mandolin and vocals, Jack Devereux on fiddle, and Adam Chaffins on bass.

More information at www.TownMountain.net

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The Honeycutters Show Their Country Roots with On The Ropes, Released By Organic Records

The Honeycutters have a voice you can’t ignore; a voice of persistence, of struggle and of hope, a voice that leads the new music movement erupting out of Asheville, NC. They released their 4th studio album On The Ropes May 20, 2016 on Organic Records to much critical acclaim. Nashville’s Music City Roots’ Craig Havighurst says principal songwriter and frontwoman, Amanda Anne Platt “has a voice that’s complex, sweet and aching. Even more potently, she writes songs that folks are citing as up there with the best of the field, such as Mary Gauthier and Lucinda Williams.” On The Ropes was produced by Amanda Anne Platt and Tim Surrett and engineered and mastered by Van Atkins at Crossroads Studios in Arden, NC.

On The Ropes debuted on release day at #39 on iTunes Top 40 Country Chart and #12 on Amazon’s Hot New Releases on Folk. The album spent nineteen weeks on the Americana Radio Chart hitting #10 and remaining in the top twenty for 11 weeks. It also landed in the #1 position on the Roots Music Report Country Chart! The band recently shipped the album overseas and it stands at #11 on September’s EuroAmericana Chart.

Joining Amanda Platt to round out The Honeycutters are Rick Cooper, alternating between upright and electric bass, drummer Josh Milligan, pedal steel player Matt Smith, and Tal Taylor on mandolin.

“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.” Examiner’s Chris Griffy continues, “This is most evident on the album’s closer ‘Barmaid’s Blues’. One of the rare ballads in On the Ropes‘ fourteen songs and one of the most lyrically dense. When Platt’s world weary bartender laments that ‘All the gunslingers, got the rings on their fingers” and later that ‘I got a feeling like I been waiting on the last train home. It’s been a little slow, but it’s coming I know’, 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.”

“Forget Nashville, with their buzz-making brand of rock-roots-country, the Honeycutters are out to make Asheville, NC the brand new music city,” writes Elmore Magazine.

More information and tour dates at www.TheHoneycutters.com

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Sturgill Simpson Tours The SouthEast With New Album: High Top Mountain

Sturgill Simpson Tours the Southeast
New Album: High Top Mountain

Sturgill’s hitting some GREAT towns in the SouthEast…
Wed 9/4 – Asheville, NC – The Altamont Theatre
Thu 9/5 – Chattanooga, TN – Scenic City Roots
Fri 9/6 – Louisville, KY – The New Vintagee
Sat 9/7 – Knoxville, TN – Barley’s Knoxville
Sun 9/8 – Atlanta (Decatur), GA – Eddie’s Attic
Mon 9/9 – Athens, GA – Georgia Theatre
Wed 9/11 – Charlotte, NC – The Evening Muse
Thu 9/12 – Raleigh, NC – The Pour House Music Hall
* ***************************************************  *

Nashville sounds like Nashville again on High Top Mountain, the debut release from singer-songwriter Sturgill Simpson. From furious honky-tonk and pre-outlaw country-rocking to spellbinding bluegrass pickin’ and emotional balladry, the album serves as a one-stop guide to everything that made real country music such a force to be reckoned with. Pure and uncompromising, devoid of gloss and fakery, High Top Mountain’s dozen instant classics evoke the sound of timeless country in its many guises and brings back the lyrical forthrightness and depth that permeated the music Simpson absorbed during his Kentucky childhood.

“…this is GOOD COUNTRY. You know, the kind cut from the same mold as Waylon, Willie, and Johnny. ..outlaw, gritty, country-rock with a shot of bourbon (no ice.) …We’re glad he gave up the railroad and got back to writin’ songs. There is something here for sure. Something I think any music lover (country or not) can appreciate.” —MOKB Presents

“’The most outlaw thing that I ever done is give a good woman a ring,’ sings Simpson on ‘Life Ain’t Fair And The World Is Mean,’ off his new album, High Top Mountain, which mostly works to subvert the outlaw myth. Not that Simpson disdains outlaw’s forefathers, but High Top Mountain tells his own story. He started recording it in mid 2012, laying down tracks at Hillbilly Central and other studios in Nashville with players like ‘Pig’ Robbins on piano and Robby Turner on pedal steel. Simpson says the record is an effort to ‘capture the music my grandfathers played.’ The album is named after a cemetery where many of Simpson’s family members are buried, near his family’s home in the Appalachia coal town of Jackson, Kentucky. The town is on the Kentucky River in Breathitt County, about 50 miles south of Sandy Hook, where Keith Whitley was born, and also not far from Cordell, where Ricky Skaggs was born. ‘I love it. In my heart it will always be home,’ says Simpson” —Davis Inman, American Songwriter

For more about Sturgill Simpson and further tour dates, please visit: http://sturgillsimpson.com.

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Tara Nevins (of Donna the Buffalo) and Friends Tour the Southeast This December

Tara Nevins (of Donna the Buffalo) and Friends
Tour the Southeast This December
Performing Songs From Her Latest Solo Release ‘Wood and Stone’

Tara Nevins and Friends on Tour:
Wed 12/5  Atlanta, GA  Smith’s Olde Bar
Thur 12/6  Charlotte, NC  The Double Door Inn
Fri 12/7  Asheville, NC  The Grey Eagle
Sat 12/8  Huntsville, AL Kaffeeklatsch

“A tour de force from start to finish” –Elmore Magazine about Wood and Stone

“If heroes and heroines of rock ‘n’ roll are defined by their uniqueness, they definitely broke the mold when they made Tara Nevins.” —Wildman Steve

American roots traditionalist Tara Nevins will be touring this winter in the southeast for select shows, in between her other gigs with Donna the Buffalo. She will be performing songs from her latest solo release, Wood and Stone, on Sugar Hills Records which hit in the Top 20 on the Americana Music Chart in 2011.

Joining Nevins for this tour are Riley Baugus (Banjo), Mike Compton (Mandolin), Pete Finney (pedal steel & electric guitar), David Grier (Acoustic Guitar), Todd Phillips (bass), Mark Raudabaugh (Donna the Buffalo’s  Drummer), and Amber-Dawn Rische (harmony vocals & 2nd fiddle).

Fans of Nevins from her 21-year tenure with Donna the Buffalo are familiar with her versatile talents; she shares the vocal and songwriting responsibilities for the band and is a stellar musician on fiddle, guitar, and accordion. (She plays a mean scrubboard too.) Prior to DTB, Nevins was a founding member of the all-female, old time/Cajun band The Heartbeats.

Wood and Stone was produced by Larry Campbell at the Levon Helm Studios in Woodstock, NY and showcases Nevins’ ever-evolving repertoire as she journeys both back to her own “roots” and head-long into new territory. Featured guests on the album include Levon Helm, Jim Lauderdale, Allison Moorer, Teresa Williams, The Heartbeats, along with the core band of Larry Campbell, Justin Guip, and Byron Isaacs.

CMT says, “With the wonderful fiddle groove and vividly written lyrics, Nevins gives a glimpse into her roots. Stepping out for a rare solo record (beyond her beloved band, Donna the Buffalo), she meshes her Cajun influences, unique voice, drums and steel guitars for an intriguing look at her heritage.”

“Two surprises on the album are “Stars Fell on Alabama,” in which Nevins turns the ‘30s jazz standard into a bleak, gothic soundscape, and “Tennessee River,” an even more desolate turn recalling the best of Lucinda Williams,“ writes Lonesome Road Review.

For more visit www.TaraNevins.com

WATCH- Stars Fell on Alabama Official Music Video
WATCH – Tennessee River performance and interview

About the Players for the Tour:

Riley Baugus. Photo by Abigail Seymoure

RILEY BAUGUS
Riley Baugus represents the best of old time American banjo and song. His powerful singing voice and his expert musicianship place him squarely in the next generation of the quality American roots tradition. When not teaching or building banjos, Riley can be found out on the road performing or in the studio recording.  Riley was the acapella ballad singer for the voice of Pangle in the Academy Award-winning film “Cold Mountain”.

His banjo playing can be heard on several recordings such as Alison Kraus and Robert Plants “Raising Sand, Willie Nelsons “Country Music”, and his two acclaimed solo recordings, “Life Of Riley” and “Long Steel Rail”, to mention only a few. He’s performed with many Old Time string bands and artists such as Dirk Powell, Tim O’brien, Kirk Sutphin, and The Lonesome Sisters. Riley makes his home near Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

Photo Courtesy of Mike Compton

MIKE COMPTON
Preservationist, performer, modern-day musical pioneer, composer, and educator, Mike Compton, a musician’s musician has rightly earned a reputation as one of the best and most influential mandolin players in acoustic music today. Grammy award winner, nominated IBMA Mandolin Player of the Year, and musical US Ambassador throughout the world, Mike has entertained at Carnegie Hall, at the White House, and been honored by the Mississippi State Senate with State Resolution Number 45, a special honor commending his musical accomplishments.

Over a span of 35 years, Compton has made a career playing on recordings of others adding his signature sound. Mike has made music with such diverse notables as Ralph Stanley, Elvis Costello and the Sugarcanes, David Grier,producer T-Bone Burnett (O Brother, Where Art Thou and Down From The Mountain tours), Nashville Bluegrass Band, John Hartford to name a few, and has performed on over 100 CD’s in a variety of genres, with some of the most beloved artists of our day.

Photo Courtesy of Pete Finny

PETE FINNEY
Pete Finney is a pedal-steel guitarist (and multi-instrumentalist) who has toured and recorded with Patty Loveless for over 20 years, and also worked extensively with folks like the Dixie Chicks, Vince Gill, Pam Tillis, Jim Lauderdale, Doug Sahm as well as countless others,
and has recording credits with the likes of Justin Townes Earle, Bonnie “Prince” Billy,  Radney Foster and Beck.

Photo Courtesy of David Grier

DAVID GRIER
The most award-winning guitarist in recent memory is David Grier. For the past several years, he has been voted by the members of the International Bluegrass Music Association as Best Guitar Player of the Year. He has also appeared on two Grammy- winning recordings: “True Life Blues-A Tribute to Bill Monroe” and “The Great Dobro Sessions.” David is also included in the book, “1,000 Great Guitarists.”

In addition to touring solo, David also appears as the guitarist for Psychograss, who are currently celebrating a critically acclaimed new album, “Now Hear This”.  David makes his home in Nashville.

Photo Courtesy of Todd Phillips

TODD PHILLIPS
Todd Phillips is the bassist of choice for many of the most innovative, as well as traditional, acoustic instrumental and bluegrass recordings made since the mid-1970s.  A two-time Grammy Award winner and founding member of the original David Grisman Quintet, Phillips has made a career of consistently performing and recording with acoustic music’s finest and most creative artists.  He also played in The Tony Rice Unit and the now classic bluegrass recording group The Bluegrass Album Band.

Phillips has had the opportunity to work with a virtual “who’s who” of acoustic music’s finest, such as Vassar Clements, Ricky Skaggs, Sam Bush, John Hartford, Jerry Douglas, Alison Brown, Mike Marshall, Stuart Duncan, Tim O’Brien, Del McCoury, Darrell Scott, Larry Campbell, John Doyle, Dirk Powell, Joan Baez and many more.  Phillips has produced recordings for guitar great David Grier; “Panorama”, and two projects for mandolinist Matt Flinner; “The View From Here” and “Latitude”, which lead to the formation of the innovative instrumental trio; Phillips, Grier & Flinner and their two unique and highly acclaimed CDs; “Phillips, Grier & Flinner” and “Looking Back” (Compass Records).   Todd Phillips lives in Nashville, tours with Psychograss, Russ Barenberg & Brittany Haas, will tour Russia (w/ Bill Evans) in August 2012, reuniting with The Bluegrass Album Band (scheduled 2013) and is doing studio work in his new home town.

Mark Raudabaugh. Photo By Lori Sky Twohy.

MARK RAUDABAUGH
Atlanta based drummer, Mark Raudabaugh, is a versatile and skilled performer who is currently on the road with Donna the Buffalo. He has also toured with Papa Mali, Bobby Lee Rodgers and The CodeTalkers, Grant Green Jr., Ruby Velle and The Soulphonics, among many others.

Photo Courtesy of Amber-Dawn Rische Nicholas

AMBER-DAWN RISCHE NICHOLAS
Amber-Dawn Rische Nicholas has been performing worldwide for many years as a violinist and singer with the now disbanded Arista/Sony Nashville signed group, Jypsi. With the band, she had the opportunity to play many prestigious venues such as Bonnaroo, Austin City Limits, South By Southwest (SXSW), Stagecoach, and many more including several appearances at The Ryman and The Grand Ole Opry. She has toured/performed with major artists including, Darius Rucker, Ronnie Milsap, Hootie & the Blowfish, etc. She has also gained invaluable experience working in the studio with many of the world’s top record producers such as Don Was, Nathan Chapman, Tony Smith, and the list goes on.

Amber-Dawn presently performs with her husband Bobby Nicholas in their duo BAD Nicholas.  They have recently written and recorded their first album together “We Will Fly”.  Amber-Dawn makes her home in Nashville.

Visit TaraNevins.com and Facebook.com/TaraNevins or Facebook.com/TaraNevinsFiddle for more information about the album, a gallery of images, videos, music, and lyrics.

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Stephaniesid Tours in Support of New Album “Starfruit” with stops in TN, KY, OH, NC, SC & GA

Stephaniesid Fall Tour Dates

www.stephaniesid.com

Fri 11/11/11 – Preservation Pub- Knoxville, TN
Sat 11/12/11 – Uncle Slayton’s – Louisville, KY
Sun 11/13/11 – MOTR Pub – Cincinnati, OH
Mon 11/14/11 – Kentucky Coffeetree Cafe – Frankfort, KY
Thu 11/17/11 – The Blind Tiger – Greensboro, NC
Fri 11/18/11 – The Evening Muse – Charlotte, NC
Tue 11/22/11 – New Brookland Tavern – Columbia, SC
Sat 12/3/11 – Eighty-Five – Columbus, GA

If you are near on of these cities, call your local radio station and request to hear a song from “‘Starfruit”!

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Here is what the press is saying about the album!

“lush pop, layered vocals, rich horn parts and a certain velvety darkness” — Alli Marshall, Mountain Xpress

“Starfruit… brims with lush, sophisticated pop” — San Antonio News (TX)

“”The lyrics on the new recording derive from cinema, art and literature…intricate musical arrangements with witty and literate lyrics.” — Staunton News Leader (VA)

“This is our favorite album we’ve heard all year, hands down.” –Asheville Disclaimer‎

“[stephaniesid’s] cover of “Life in a Northern Town” brings a joyful bounce to the proceedings, adding in xylophones, horns, and whimsy aplenty.” — CoverMeSongs.com

“Their recent appearance in WNCW’s Studio-B debuted some of the danceable delights from ‘Starfruit’ and shows Stephaniesid is a forward moving force in music today.” — Dennis Jones, WNCW

“’Starfruit’ is a heck of a lot of fun and finds Stephaniesid covering both the Dream Academy’s “Life in a Northern Town” and the theme song to “Laverne & Shirley.” Seriously. Along the way are standout originals “Closer,” “I Like It,” “Starf***er,” “I Like It Too” and “So Low/A Hope.” The aforementioned Dream Academy cover is every bit as powerful as the original.” —  Jeffrey Sisk, Daily News (PA)

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Tokyo Rosenthal Tours Around New Release “Who Was That Man?” ~ Plays The Evening Muse in Charlotte Thursday 5/19

Tokyo Rosenthal’s “Who Was That Man?” was released May 1st through Rock n Sock Records. Here are what the critics are saying:

“Great CD Toke! Once again you have outdone yourself.” – Simon Barrett USA Today/BNN

“It would be a mistake and a shame to saddle Tokyo “Toke” Rosenthal with the label ‘singer/songwriter.’ Better to call him one of the most entertaining story tellers working today.” – No Depression

Pic by Vikas Nambiar at the Evening Muse

“‘These are the gritty points of life that make a song interesting and visceral. Listening to this album was like looking into the soul of the artist.” – MUZIK Reviews

“Thus I conclude that Tokyo Rosenthal is not an ordinary singer-songwriter and ‘Who Was That Man?’ is not an ordinary album. Terrific from start to finish.” – Bluesbunny Music

“Tokyo ’ s new tunes will grab Americana fans all over the World.” – Keys and Chords

“‘Who Was That Man?’ Is an addictive nice disc from an exceptionally gifted songsmith from North Carolina.” Alt Country

“Storytelling style remains strong on singer-songwriter’s latest Americana album.” – Creative Loafing Charlotte

See Toke In Charlotte This Thursday:

Tokyo Rosenthal
The Evening Muse
Thursday, May 19, 2011

7pm door, set at 8pm, $10
704.376.3737
3227 N. Davidson Street
Charlotte, NC 28205
www.theeveningmuse.com

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Acoustic Syndicate Plays The NC Music Factory in Charlotte Friday, May 6th!

Really pumped up about the Acoustic Syndicate show this Friday, May 6th at the NC Music Factory in Charlotte!

Here is a bit about what they’ve been up to from what they told Ryan Snyder in a recent interview with YES! Weekly:

As the Acoustic Syndicate family grows, a new album finally awaits:

There`s maybe no better way to sum up the outlook of Acoustic Syndicate circa 2005 than the words of Bryon McMurry on the Shelby folk-rock oufit’s song “It Was Good While It Lasted.” “Nothing lasts forever and we find out who we are,” he sang on the band’s 2000 album Tributaries, unaware then that it might be the band’s mantra in only a few years time as they entered an indeterminable furlough. The McMurrys — Bryon, Fitz and cousin Steve — knew just who they were: a close-knit group built upon rural values of sustainability and commitment to the family. When the two brothers began to experience growth in their own families, their incessant touring lifestyle of the past decade suddenly became an afterthought.

“Fitz and Brian were both having to be gone during pregnancies and the last thing we wanted to do is have our families suffer on account of what we’re doing,” said Steve. “It’s important for us to stay centered and understand what’s most important. It was the obvious thing to do at that point.”

The group was arguably going out at their peak. They had just released one of their best-received albums in 2004’s Long Way Round (Sugar Hill), and kicked off the album’s supporting tour with a return to the Bonnaroo Music Festival after performing the inaugural festival two years earlier. Steve says that show in particular was instrumental in that tour’s success.

. . .   . . .    . . .

At the urging of their booking agent Hugh Southard, the group started playing more and more shows around 2007, learning how to juggle being a working band and family men at the same time. The days of 180- 200 shows per year may be over for the band, but Steve says that being able to have their families present has engendered a new kind of creative freedom in them.

As of now, they’re not only looking to begin recording their first album in seven years, but their arrangement is growing as well. Bassist Jay Sanders invited a friend, dobro player Billy Cardine, to join the group for a performance at last year’s Asheville Earth Day Celebration, and Steve said they knew almost immediately that he was a perfect fit for the group.

The addition is progressive for the group’s sound, which Steve describes as being edgier than any other era of the band, and for the first time, they’ll be writing songs specifically to feature a certain instrument. They hope to hit Echo Mountain Recording in Asheville with the pool of 15-16 songs later in 2011, many of which Steve describes as being written from a deeper, more personal place than ever before.

“I always tried to keep songwriting away from my personal life, but there’s been a couple of things in my life with living and people dying. Some major influences that really changed my reality,” he said somewhat hesitantly. “I thought about it and thought about it, and sort of avoided writing anything about it, but something kept bugging me to do it.”

He added that the time away has allowed him and his cousins to refocus their creativity after admittedly becoming burnt out in the year before their hiatus. Reenergized as a group, Steve believes that the band is in as good of a creative place as they’ve ever been.

“When you get burnt out and you start to write songs from the gut, it’s just not good,” he said. “It’s better to be creative out of a desire to be creative and not a need to be creative.”

READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE: http://www.yesweekly.com/triad/article-11650-as-the-acoustic-syndicate-family-grows-a-new-album-finally-awaits.html

Photo by Bright Life Photography

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Cathie Ryan (Celtic) and Larry Keel & Natural Bridge (New Mountain Music) at the Evening Muse this Thursday, February 24th in Charlotte

Two amazingly talented acts will be performing at The Evening Muse this Thursday, February 24th in Charlotte, NC: Cathie Ryan and Larry Keel & Natural Bridge.

Traditional Irish vocalist Cathie Ryan (Cherish the Ladies) is suberbly talented and has receive the award of “Female Vocalist of the Decade” by liveireland.com. Cathie will be accompanied on guitar and vocals by Ireland native Patsy O’Brien whose guitar playing moves from driving rhythm to delicate and melodic finger picking. The New Haven Advocate writes, “His music is stomping and ocean breezy – sure footed and fragile …”. Cathie will also be accompanied by on fiddle by New York born Matt Mancuso, who was the star fiddle player in Lord of the Dance – performing to sell out crowds throughout the world; a founding member of the rousing ensemble The Mickey Finns, and has taken star turns in tours with Irish super-group Grada. Cathie Ryan starts the evening off at 8pm.

Alternative Bluegrass ensemble Larry Keel and Natural Bridge have a show in the late evening slot, beginning at 10:30pm.  Larry Keel is award winning flatpicker that is well known for his gravelly voice and lightning fast licks. Keel is backed by his band, Natural Bridge made up of the vastly talented Mark Schimick on mandolin and vocals, Larry’s life-long picker pal (and fishing phenom) Will Lee on soulful, blues-grass style 5-string banjo and penetrating lead vocals, and wife Jenny Keel with her impeccable timing and solid, yet imaginative bass lines as well as tenor vocal harmonies.

Cathie Ryan

Irish American singer-songwriter, Cathie Ryan, has been called a “thrilling traditional vocalist,” by the Boston Globe. Billboard Magazine says her voice is, “enchanting.” and The Irish Echo says her singing is “mature, masterful, at times magnificent.” Since her acclaimed seven year tenure as lead singer of Cherish the Ladies, Cathie has released 4 critically acclaimed CDs on Shanachie Records: Cathie Ryan, The Music of What Happens, Somewhere Along the Road, and her latest, The Farthest Wave. She is featured on more than forty compilations of Celtic Music worldwide, including the renowned A Woman’s Heart – A Decade On.

Cathie tours internationally, headlining at performing arts centers, folk festivals, and guest starring with symphony orchestras. A captivating performer, Cathie’s shows are renowned for their blend of song, story, and the virtuoso playing of her award-winning band. “Anyone wondering what constitutes excellence in Irish American singing today, need only attend a Cathie Ryan concert…” The Wall Street Journal.

“There is a powerful sweetness in Cathie Ryan’s voice, as well as a Celtic intensity that can be felt in all the songs she writes and sings–songs of place, songs of memory, poignant songs of the heart,” state Billy Collins, Former U.S. Poet Laureate.

Larry Keel and Natural Bridge

“With an unofficial title of ‘Bluegrass Legend and Master Fisherman’, Larry Keel is considered one of the best flatpickers on the planet. Steeped in the old-timey and with a gravelly voice as deep and rich as moonshine on a riverbank… Larry’s flat-picking style is as seamless as it is gymnastic and he’s a master at simulating banjo rolls, mandolin runs or even parts that you would normally hear played on a fiddle,” touts Mousike Magazine.

John Patrick Gatta from Jambands.com depicts, “It’s the approach to the material that makes all the difference here, a hybrid of bluegrass with folk, country and jazz that tweaks the arrangements in subtly, shifting ways to grab one’s attention. Keel dubs it New Mountain Music, and that’s good enough for me. It feels like sunshine peaking through a thick forest or a sunrise with the grass caked by morning dew.”

Keel has weathered the changing tides of traditional bluegrass, country, jam rock, roots reggae, and even the currently emerging indie-alt scene always honoring the pioneers that introduced Bluegrass and Mountain Music into popular culture. Throughout his career, Keel has released 13 albums and is featured on 10 others. He is an ever-evolving musical force that stands in ongoing defiance to all genre expectations. And his fierce, high-spirited energy also appeals to young rockers, jammers and alt country pickers and fans who are equally drawn to Keel’s deep rumbling voice, his earthy and imaginative song-writing, and his down-home-gritty-good-time charm.

Guitar Player Magazine states, “When bluegrass guitar greats Tony Rice, Norman Blake, and Beppe Gambeta sing your praises, you must be good.”

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Show Details:

The Evening Muse
Thursday, February 24, 2011

8pm Cathie Ryan $8 adv/ $10 dos
10:30pm Larry Keel & Natural Bridge  $12 adv/ $14 dos

704-376-3737
3227 N. Davidson Street
Charlotte, NC

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Big Daddy Bluegrass Band “The Next Generation” Live at The Visulite in Charlotte on Feb 11th & Pisgah Brewing in Black Mtn on Feb 12th

Steve “Big Daddy” McMurry from Acoustic Syndicate has put together a new version of the Big Daddy Bluegrass Band with a host of several hot pickers from the Asheville area including Jason Flournoy on banjo, Billy Cardine on dobro, Jay Sanders on bass, and Robert Greer harmonizing vocals and on guitar… They will debut this February on the 11th at the Visulite in Charlotte and the 12th at Pisgah Brewing in Black Mountain!

Tim Jackson with the Laurel of Asheville did an interview with Big Daddy last week. Here is a bit of it:

Big Daddy Is Back

Tim W. Jackson: Photo by Adam Schultz

thelaurelofasheville.com

Steve “Big Daddy” McMurry is well-known in Western North Carolina as part of the bluegrass group Acoustic Syndicate. Some may remember his side project of a few years ago, the Big Daddy Bluegrass Band. Now Steve has formed a new version—”the next generation”—of the Big Daddy Bluegrass Band, most of which are Asheville-area players. . .

It’s been more than five years since any version of the Big Daddy Bluegrass Band has taken the stage, so Steve says he’s excited about performing with this new lineup.

“This is a youthful, exciting, high-energy version of the band,” Steve says. “We’ve had a ball practicing together so we’re ready to finally get out and bring this music to an audience. The caliber of these young pickers is very exciting. It gets my blood pumping, and I think it will have the same effect on the audience.”

As for the music, Steve says listeners won’t hear “your standard Flatt & Scruggs bluegrass show.” About a third of the songs will be originals mostly written by Steve. Other songs will be more obscure selections. “We don’t want to play the same songs you can hear anywhere,” Steve says.

In addition to Steve, the other band members include some names that Asheville-area music fans are sure to recognize: Billy Cardine on dobro, Jason Flourney on banjo, Robert Greer on harmonizing vocals and guitar, and Jay Sanders on bass. Cardine and Sanders, of course, are Steve’s mates in Acoustic Syndicate. Flournoy is formerly of Larry Keel & Natural Bridge, while Greer is known as the front man for Asheville-based bluegrass group Town Mountain.

. . .    . . .    . . .”If you come see us we promise a high-energy, rumpus evening with a few tender moments in between,” Steve says with a chuckle. “It’ll be a lot of fun.”

READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE: http://thelaurelofasheville.com/performing_arts/big-daddy-is-back

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Archive: Interview with Larry Keel in Durham

ATTENTION: THIS SHOW (Casbah Durham Dec 17th)HAS BEEN CANCELLED due to The Keels being snowed in in Virginia; however, we did want to post the article as an archive for you all to enjoy!

Bluegrass at the Casbah with Keel

THE HERALD-SUN, DURHAM, N.C. | DAWN BAUMGARTNER VAUGHAN | Thu, Dec 16, 6:56 PM

READ THE ORIGINAL ARTICLE HERE

Dec. 16–Longtime flatpicking guitar playing bluegrassman Larry Keel thinks just about any song could be turned into a bluegrass song.

“I believe whether a Miles Davis song or a reggae song, the bluegrass sort of creeps in there. Though your hardcore purists might say no,” said Keel in a phone interview from his home in Lexington, Va., on the side of a mountain.

Tonight he’ll be at Casbah in Durham with his band Natural Bridge, which features his wife Jenny Keel on upright bass and Mark Schimick on mandolin. Larry Keel and Natural Bridge is named for the, well, the natural bridge that’s a wonder of nature and tourist stop in southwestern Virginia. Keel lived in the community of Natural Bridge for 15 years before moving to Lexington. The group’s last record was “Backwoods.”

Over the course of Keel’s career, he’s played with several groups — Magraw Gap, the Larry Keel Experience, the Keel Brothers and Keller & the Keels.

Keller & the Keels is composed of Larry and Jenny Keel with Keller Williams . Their latest, out this year, is “Thief.” It’s filled with covers of songs that seem a natural segue to their Americana sound — like the Grateful Dead’s “Mountains of the Moon” — to songs you didn’t know could be bluegrass, like “Pepper” by the Butthole Surfers, “Bath of Fire” by Presidents of the USA and “Rehab” by Amy Winehouse.

Larry Keel said that the song choices were Williams’.

“I’m just glad to be a part of it, to put it out there to kids who might not normally hear it,” Keel said. In recent years new bluegrass bands have veered from playing only traditional tunes.

“I sort of look at it as bluegrass has to change to keep it growing. I see younger groups trying to turn their age groups on to bluegrass by playing songs they know in a bluegrass fashion, and therefore preserving bluegrass,” he said.

Keel plays a little bit of all of it — traditional, originals and covers.

“With my style of traditional bluegrass, I do a lot of writing and always try to write something new from something that inspires me — people I meet, all the places I go to,” he said. Fishing, too, is part of the experience.

“It’s a very Zen-like activity, very magical. You’re concentrating on one focused-type thing, and music is like that,” Keel said.

Keel said that as he grows older, he definitely takes his music very seriously, but not too serious.

“I try to keep an audience happy,” he said. “It’s nice to uplift them when they come out to a show, and I get back that good energy.”

Keel has his own youtube channel,http://www.youtube.com/user/Larrykeelmusic. Keel will be back in North Carolina again for a New Year’s Eve show in Charlotte with Keller & the Keels.

READ THE ORIGINAL ARTICLE HERE

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Annual Acoustic Syndicate Christmas Shows in Charlotte at the Visulite on Dec 17th & 18th!

Acoustic Syndicate is excited to announce that they will be returning to the Visulite Theater in Charlotte, NC on December 17th & 18th for their annual holiday show! Joining them will be very special guest & long time friend and collaborator, Jeremy Saunders on saxophones! That being said, the mix of the McMurry Clan, Jay Sanders on bass, Saunders on sax, and Syndicate’s newest addition to the group, Billy Cardine on dobro, along with all the new tunes… This show is going to ROCK!

Here’s a nice video featuring Saunders on Sax from the Visulite in 2007:

Now imagine that with Cardine’s blistering dobro for the first time ever and you’ve got two historical Syndicate nights!

…And to think it all began from a simple Chritmas gift in December of1977 when Joe and Fitzhugh McMurry, a couple of brothers from Cleveland County, NC got together and decided to get their kids bluegrass instruments for Christmas that year. The kids were brothers Fitz Jr. and Bryon McMurry, and their cousin Steve McMurry. Fitzie, as he was known back then, got a Gibson Hummingbird guitar. Bryon got an Eagle banjo and Steve got a fiddle from Sears & Roebuck. All were excited and happy.

Skip forward some years, lots of parties, & lots of bars later and in 1994 the band caught the attention of Steve Metcalf of the world famous Green Acres Music Hall, in Bostic, NC. He featured them at “The Acres” on a couple of big bills like David Grisman and Bela Fleck. In 1997, the Syndicate added Nashville bassist, Jay Sanders, formerly of the Snake Oil Medicine Show to their line up to complete the Syndicate core. In 2001 Syndicate added Jeremy Saunders on saxophones. The rest is a matter of record.

Acoustic Syndicate plays on with its message of peace, earth, unity and family. Come on out and celebrate the holidays with friends & family at the Visulite for 2 nights in December!

Show Details at a Glance:

ACOUSTIC SYNDICATE
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Visulite Theatre
Show starts at 9:45
Doors open at 8:00
$15 adv, $17 day of show

http://www.visulite.com/

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