Announcing The Holiday Hang with Town Mountain and The Honeycutters – Southeast Shows!

THE ASHEVILLE HOLIDAY HANG HITS THE ROAD
SHOWS IN THE SOUTHEAST
FEATURING:
TOWN MOUNTAIN AND AMANDA ANNE PLATT & THE HONEYCUTTERS

The Holiday Hang is an event focused on highlighting talent from the Asheville music community, while raising awareness and donating partial proceeds to Feeding America food banks in each city

ASHEVILLE, NC — Town Mountain and Amanda Anne Platt & The Honeycutters, two stellar bands from Asheville, North Carolina, are teaming up for the Asheville Holiday Hang as a run of shows in the Southeast, sponsored by New Belgium Brewing Company. Ashvegas’ Caleb Calhoun calls them, “a match made in heaven.”

“Over the past few years, New Belgium and Town Mountain have forged a relationship that goes well beyond making great music and good beer. The partnership has been one that ties to both organizations philanthropic roots at a time of year where people need it the most, the holidays,” says New Belgium Brewing Employee Owner, Trey Wheeler. New Belgium Brewing Company will be running specials at each of the shows and adding to the financial donation to MANNA FoodBank.

Town Mountain says, “For us the holiday season seems like a great time to celebrate playing music with friends as well as giving back to the community that has supported us through the years.” The Asheville Holiday Hang originated as a holiday benefit in Asheville and is heading into its 6th year with the hometown Asheville show taking place at The Orange Peel for the first time. Both bands and The Orange Peel are teaming up and donating 20% of ticket sales from that show to MANNA FoodBank!

MANNA FoodBank is a private, not-for-profit service organization, that links the food industry with over 200 partner agencies in 16 counties of WNC. MANNA is an acronym and stands for Mountain Area Nutritional Needs Alliance. They are a member of Feeding America, the nation’s largest domestic hunger relief organization. For 35 years, Feeding America has responded to the hunger crisis in America by providing food to people in need through a nationwide network of food banks with the motto, “Together we can solve hunger.”

“MANNA is excited to partner with Town Mountain again for the fifth consecutive year. Their Holiday Hang show has become a ‘Must See’ holiday tradition for dozens of fans in our MANNA community.” Alisa Hixson, Director Corporate Engagement & Signature Events at MANNA FoodBank, says,”Their support has provided for over 6,000 meals in WNC and their desire to keep giving  back to their community epitomizes the mindset of the Asheville community. They’re a powerhouse of musicians harnessing their talent to help their neighbors, the perfect holiday story!”

Last year, Town Mountain paired with The Honeycutters and decided to bring the Holiday Hang on the road to other cities they both frequent and have grown friendships and fans in. The tradition continues this year and are excited to expand the scope of the Holiday Hang with a longer run of shows through the Southeast including Rocky Mount, Virginia, Greer and Charleston, South Carolina, Atlanta, Georgia, and Charlotte and Raleigh, North Carolina.

Not only is the event traveling to additional cities, but with the help of Feeding America (of which MANNA is a part of) the bands are donating partial proceeds from each show to a food bank from that area.

Town Mountain and Amanda Anne Platt & The Honeycutters Family Holiday Photo 2017

Town Mountain and The Honeycutters have long been close friends and each band has a different sound to offer The Holiday Hang. Both have their own spin on what Americana is today. You’ll be sure to hear bluegrass, country, and rock influences coming from each band. As in years past there will be a jam at the end of each night where they join together in the collaborative spirit of the Asheville music scene.

 

“On the surface, a joint tour between the bluegrass combo Town Mountain and the alt-country band The Honeycutters might seem like an odd fit. Town Mountain’s dizzying all-acoustic instrumental skills and tight vocal harmonies recall the great early bluegrass groups like The Stanley Brothers or Bill Monroe’s Bluegrass Boys, while The Honeycutters’ rougher brand of twangy heartbreak is perfect for the honky-tonk,” says Greenville Journal’s Vincent Harris.

“We just go back a long way in the Asheville music scene; we’re friends in that way. And I think that we’re both bands with roots in more traditional forms of music. We can be put into genres, but at the same time, ‘Americana’ describes what both of us do,” Platt says in an interview with the Greenville Journal. “Obviously, Town Mountain plays bluegrass and The Honeycutters have origins in classic country, but we’re both very song-oriented. Town Mountain has three great songwriters that share the songwriting duties, and in The Honeycutters I’m all about the song.”

Asheville Holiday Hang Tour Dates
12/7 Thu – Harvester Performance Center – Rocky Mount, VA
12/8 Fri – The Spinning Jenny – Greer, SC
12/9 Sat – The Charleston Pour House – Charleston, SC
12/14 Thu – Smith’s Olde Bar – Atlanta, GA
12/15 Fri – The Orange Peel – Asheville, NC
12/16 Sat – Neighborhood Theater – Charlotte, NC
12/17 Sun – The Lincoln Theater – Raleigh, NC

More information about Town Mountain and Amanda Anne Platt & The Honeycutters →
www.TownMountain.net and www.TheHoneycutters.com.

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Jason Eskridge, Dave Yoke, Matt Slocum at Nashville City Winery 9/13: Re-Imagining Donny Hathaway’s Live recording from 1972

Jason Eskridge, Dave Yoke, Jared Stone, Matt Slocum, and Kevin Scott
Come Together as ‘The New Stew’ to Re-imagine Donny Hathaway’s Live Recording From 1972

Live at Nashville’s City Winery on Tuesday, September 13, 2016
$15 – $25; Doors 6pm, Showtime 8pm
www.citywinery.com/nashville/newstew091316.html

********************

The New Stew is a “super group” of a rotating cast of fine musicians from all genres of music. Select shows features Jason Eskridge (Zac Brown Band) on vocals, Dave Yoke (Susan Tedeschi Band, Dr. John, Scrapomatic) on guitar, Jared Stone (Stone’s Stew) on drums, Matt Slocum (Oteil and the Peacemakers, Col. Bruce Hampton & Aquarium Rescue Unit, The Lee Boys) on piano, and Kevin Scott on bass. This project was formed with one focused goal, to pay respect to those recordings that influenced the players and to re-imagine recordings that they feel should be heard and experienced in a live setting.

Let’s start with 1972. It was a defining year for American soul music. The New Stew is introducing their live version of Donny Hathaway’s 1972 Live recording in it’s entirely a Nashville City Winery this September. Live features traditional soul anthems including Hathway’s original “The Ghetto” ,” Marvin Gaye’s 1971 hit “What’s Going On,” Carole King’s “You’ve Got a Friend, and John Lennon’s “Jealous Guy.” The original album was recorded at two concerts: side one at The Troubadour in Hollywood, and side two at The Bitter End in Greenwich Village, Manhattan.

“I’m a huge fan of Donny Hathaway.” Eskridge says, “His art is one of my primary influences as an artist and vocalist. Being able to deliver this collection of his songs live at the beautiful City Winery is an amazing honor.”

All Music Guide writes, “Donny Hathaway’s 1972 Live album is one of the most glorious of his career, an uncomplicated, energetic set with a heavy focus on audience response as well as the potent jazz chops of his group…  ‘Voices Inside (Everything Is Everything)’ is another epic (14-minute) jam, with plenty of room for solos and some of the most sizzling bass work ever heard on record by Willie Weeks.”

The first musical homage was paid, to much acclaim, in Spring of 2016 when The New Stew made its debut in select cities in the east playing the classic Bill Withers – Live At Carnegie Hall album from start to finish. It is more than a labor of love, it is a way to allow the public to experience something again or in many cases the first time and reconnect with these classic recordings over four decades since they released.

In a recent interview with Examiner, Jared Stone, the group’s founder, talks about the inspiration to perform these recordings, “So why Withers and the Carnegie Hall album? It comes from a personal place for Stone, who was on the road with Derek Trucks several years ago when he received word that his father had passed away. ‘We were going to have a memorial service when the tour was done,’ Stone recalled. ‘Derek came into the room with a set of headphones and a discman and a copy of that CD, a copy of Donny Hathaway’s Live recording and a Sly and the Family Stone record. And it just stuck with me for years and years. To this day, it’s one of my favorite live recordings of all-time.’”

To get a taste of what the audience is in for, listen to Jason Eskridge performing Live from Carnegie Hall with The New Stew in Annapolis live from The Ram’s Head this past May over on SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/jared-stone-16…/new-stew-rams-head-sb

The New Stew is continuing to perform the Withers classic at select shows and introducing the Donny Hathaway album into their repertoire this fall, starting with this special evening of entertainment of The City Winery Nashville.

For more information, please visit www.facebook.com/thenewstew

Meet The Players in The New Stew:

Jason Eskridge
Living in Nashville Jason Eskridge has worked either as a background vocalist or opening act for countless award winning acts such as Zac Brown Band, Lyle Lovett, Randy Travis, Jonny Lang, Keb Mo’, Nicole C. Mullen, Marc Broussard, Robert Glasper, and Toby Mac. He has also been featured as a guest vocalist on numerous projects. Jason has traveled across the country playing various venues for anyone who has a listening ear. He has also had the opportunity to take his music abroad to South Africa, Amsterdam, India, and England. Jason’s latest release is entitled Live in Nashville. He is currently touring as a background vocalist for Zac Brown Band. Jason’s desire as a musician is to create music that causes the listener to love themselves, love their fellow man, think harder, think deeper, think broader, laugh until they cry, laugh when they want to cry, try something new, remember something old, and ultimately live life to the fullest.

Dave Yoke
Dave Yoke taught himself guitar in his native Anniston, Alabama drawing on the blues enthusiasm of his older siblings. He launched his career as a founding member of the long-standing, regionally popular Second Hand Jive. In the mid-90s, Yoke moved to Atlanta and became an in-demand session player, joining forces with (Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown associate) Dr. Dan Matrazzo. Yoke was then invited to become a full-time member of the oft-GRAMMY-nominated Susan Tedeschi Band and the legendary Dr. John. He is also a permanent member of Scrapomatic, with whom he tours and has recorded three albums. As testament to his blues roots, Dave is regularly invited to sit in with the Allman Brothers Band, the Tedeschi Trucks Band, and Americana artist Kristina Train.

Jared Stone
Jared Stone has done a few things. Played for country music stars, served in the USMC, drove minors across the country for merchandise %, studied music at universities, played a lot of jazz, made records, played on records, owned jazz clubs, built music venues, mended fences, promoted concerts and festivals, directed festivals and some other things that he is sure he can’t remember. He has a bad ankle from running in combat boots too long. He still plays the drums pretty good though and his band is Stone’s Stew.

Matt Slocum
Born in Newton, MA, Matt Slocum began his formal classical training at the age of 8, at the South Shore Conservatory of Music in Boston. At the age of 14 Matt moved to Alabama where he was accepted to the Alabama School of Fine Arts. In the summer of 1991, he attended the Berklee College of Music Performance Summer Program, and was rated among the top 10 musicians in the entire program. Matt is a keyboardist whose skills are predominantly in-demand with southern jazz, funk, fusion & blues musicians. Matt has been a member of the Oteil and the Peacemakers, Col. Bruce Hampton & Aquarium Rescue Unit, Jimmy Herring Band, Jeff Sipe Band, The Lee Boys, Susan Tedeschi band, and the Rich Robinson Band.

Kevin Scott
Born into a musical family in the heart of the Deep South, Kevin Scott takes the traditions of his upbringing and runs with it, forging a path and name for himself in today’s world of modern music. Currently based in Atlanta, Kevin has become the first-call bassist for a variety of performers, spanning many genres, in a city filled with generations of phenomenal players. Whether it be jazz, rock, funk, metal, R&B, hip-hop or any other art form that comes his way, Scott approaches every song with a deep pulse, bright spark, and ever-expanding tone in his playing.

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NPR World Cafe ‘Sense Of Place: Asheville’ Airtimes for Jon Stickley Trio, The Honeycutters & More

NPR World Cafe’s ‘Sense of Place: Asheville’
Featuring Jon Stickley Trio & The Honeycutters
Live from The Grey Eagle Airs March 31st

Asheville recordings run throughout the week of March 28th

ASHEVILLE, NC — NPR’s World Cafe, produced by XPN in Philadelphia, brought the show to Asheville’s The Grey Eagle on Tuesday, February 23, 2016 for sold out evening of entertainment with Jon Stickley Trio and The Honeycutters, two Asheville-based bands who have both been making headlines across the country. World Cafe host David Dye was in the house to interview with them during their performances. The airdate to hear both band’s performances is Thursday, March 31st as part of the “Sense of Place: Asheville” series. Find out more at www.WorldCafe.NPR.org. Fans can tune into their local affiliate station at the scheduled World Cafe broadcast time and Asheville area folks can tune in to World Cafe on WNCW weekdays between 4am to 6am and 6pm to 8pm.

The full series of “Sense of Place: Asheville” will run starting the week of March 28th. While in town, World Cafe explored Asheville music and musicians with visits to downtown’s Echo Mountain Recording Studio including local musicians Steep Canyon Rangers, Tyler Ramsey of Band of Horses, The Get Right Band, and River Whyless. They also interviewed with some movers and shakers in the scene including Jessica Tomasin (Studio Manager at Echo Mountain Recording), Michelle Moog (The Bob Moog Foundation), and Alli Marshall (Author and Mountain Xpress’ Arts Editor) among others.

Front Row Focus’ David Simchock was on hand to capture in photographs show at The Grey Eagle with Jon Stickey Trio and The Honeycutters and a live audience. He writes, “Let it be known that I witnessed, if not participated in, history in-the-making in Asheville, particularly within our awe-inspiring music… as the night went on, and as David Dye’s insightful interviews delved deeper and deeper into the inspiration behind the artists, I realized how huge this event was/is for all of the musicians in Asheville, if not everyone in the city. Oh, and the actual performances were pretty bad-ass as well!” Check out the images here → http://bit.ly/AVLWordCafePhotos.

The Asheville Citizen times writes, “Jon Stickley Trio and The Honeycutters are two of Asheville’s strongest bands, and they’re both breaking into the national eye in impressive ways.” The New York Times says of Jon Stickley Trio’s sound offers “a turbocharged original with a ska upbeat and a shredding melody. And when Mr. Stickley and friends turn to bluegrass, they sound both respectful and free.” Nashville’s Music City Roots’ Craig Havighurst says of The Honeycutters, “Vocalist Amanda 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.”

Since launching World Cafe in 1991, David Dye has served as the host of this nationally acclaimed show, now syndicated on more than 200 public radio stations worldwide. World Cafe’s Sense of Place is a quarterly series which brings the whole crew, including host David Dye, to various cities around the world. Previous shows have been recorded in Rio de Janeiro, Iceland, Havana, Stockholm (Sweden), Dublin, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Austin, Pittsburg, Nashville, Memphis, Portland, and more.

For more information, please visit www.WorldCafe.NPR.org,
www.TheGreyEagle.com, www.jonstickley.com, and www.thehoneycutters.com.

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Hard Working Americans, Moonalice, Dead Winter Carpenters Play Butte Fire Benefit “HUMANITY RISING” Sat 12/19 at Calaveras County Fairgrounds

Hard Working Americans, Moonalice, Dead Winter Carpenters Play HUMANITY RISING — A Butte Fire Benefit on Sat, Dec 19, 2015 at Calaveras County Fairgrounds, Angels Camp, CA

HUMANITY RISING Share The Spirit
Family Friendly, 3 stages in 3 buildings, Dinner and Silent Auction
1pm to Midnight

Tickets are $25 in advance through Eventbrite or the Sierra Nevada Adventure Company stores in Murphys, Sonora, and Arnold, as well as Outer Aisle in Murphys & The Pickle Patch in San Andreas
$35 at the door. Kids under 12 free. Ages 13-16 $10
101 Frogtown Rd, Angels Camp, CA 95222

RSVP on Facebook and find out more here→
www.facebook.com/HUMANITYRISINGSHARETHESPIRIT

HOMER, AK– The Blue Mountain Community Renewal Council, a 501C3- non-profit, is partnering with HUMANITY RISING – Share the Spirit, A Butte Fire Benefit on December 19th at the Calaveras County Fairgrounds.

Set to perform, and graciously donating their time, are Hard Working Americans (a recently formed ‘Super group’ consisting of Todd Snider, Dave Schools, Neal Casal, Duane Trucks, Chad Staehly, and Jesse Aycock), Moonalice out of San Fransisco, Dead Winter Carpenters from the Tahoe area, Edge of the West from Santa Cruz, Grateful Bluegrass Boys and Dusty Greenbones Band from Mendicino, and many more! Plus the best MC of our time, Wavy Gravy and a psychedelic light show by Liquid Lights.

It’s a family friendly event with three stages in three buildings, dinner, and silent auction and runs from 1pm through Midnight. HUMANITY RISING is looking for donations and volunteers to help make this event as impactful as possible. Proceeds will be distributed promptly and equitably to the most needy families and individuals promptly in order to help provide some degree of holiday comfort.

“Our first show ever was a benefit show for flood victims in Colorado. We understand how these giant natural disasters put hard-working Americans’ backs up against the wall.” say The Hard Working Americans. “We’re in a position to help so let’s all join together and make a difference. It takes a village.”

The Butte Fire started in early September 2015 in the Sierra Nevada Foothills of California and was one of the among the worst in the State’s history, with over 70,000 acres burned, as well as an estimated 500 plus homes.

“If you are thinking the Butte Fire is over, stop assuming someone else is doing the work that needs to be done.” Long time Tuolumne and Calaveras county resident, promoter, philanthropist, and co-producer of Humanity Rising Jim Stearns says, “There’s some perception or rationalization that there is enormous help coming in. It’s the proverbial ‘somebody else is taking care of it’ problem. If those who are still warm, dry and relatively wealthy that live within 25 miles of the devastation would give 10 percent of their time and/or resources the problem would largely be handled already. Unfortunately many are buying useless crap for Christmas, taking vacations and ignoring the tragedy their neighbors are facing right over the hill.”

The mission of this event will be to provide grants to those that have had their homes and lives destroyed by the Butte Fire. Those that are uninsured, well underinsured and haven’t or haven’t the ability to secure major funding from other agencies such as Red Cross and FEMA will be given the highest priority.

Wendy Cox, a “boots on the ground” type of person, posted a comprehensive and accurate write-up about the situation entitled, “Why Is help still needed?.” “Hundreds (if not more than 1,000) of displaced people (more than 500 residences were lost to the fire) are living in inadequate conditions. They are confounded by their situation, and at a loss for what they are going to do. Many do not have potable water, if they have water at all. They are toileting in the sticks that used to be forest. They are sleeping on the bare ground if they are not fortunate to have a tarp. They do not enjoy a hot meal. They are waking up to frost and constant dampness that sleeping outdoors will bring (seniors are especially vulnerable to health problems in this environment.) Basic needs remain unmet.

When a disaster strikes there is an outpour of support which quickly turns to a trickle. Some of the temporary fixes and help have left… Because it has been two months and recovery will take 10-15 years.  Because there are victims still waiting for basic needs to be met.  Because victims are being swallowed by bureaucracy. Because people still feel lost, and confused.  Because it is the right thing to do.

The producers of the Humanity Rising benefit concert are Jim and Alisa Stearns, Linda Sanchez, and Emily West. Jim was owner and operator of Avery Ranch from 1974 until 2011. Alisa was born and raised in Sonora and has partnered with Jim on countless fundraising endeavors. Linda Sanchez, a long time Calaveras activist, was a Butte Fire victim, (lost everything) and Emily is a long time resident of the county as well. Blue Mountain Community Renewal Council is the 501C3 that will be the steward of the event and for providing this administrative service as well as providing insurance, this organization will take 3% of the revenue. BMCRC, located in San Andreas, is listed by the Sierra Health Foundation as one of the five recipients of their community grants as an organization working for the relief of Butte Fire victims.

“We do our best to live up to the mantra: Do all the good you can. By all the means you can. In all the places you can. In all the ways you can. To all the people you can. At all the times you can, for as long as you can.” Jim Stearns says “We have a deep connection to the land and the people that were devastated by the fire. We believe that if people just do what they can to help, in the relief of their neighbors and friends, then we together we can make a huge impact. Maybe it’s a day of work. Maybe it’s five bucks or maybe it’s a hundred. Maybe it’s taking somebody in, loaning somebody your RV or making food.  We all have something we can offer. For us, we happen to be good at bringing people together for a good time as well as a good cause. Like everybody else, we’re just offering to help in the way we know best.”

“We are in the process of contacting individuals and organizations who are working tirelessly on the ground for recommendations and nominations for possible recipients of these funds.” Alisa Stearn says, “We are acutely aware that misuse, misdirection and administrative costs often decimate the effectiveness of these endeavors and remain deeply committed to making sure that this event will be as transparent and efficient as humanly possible.”

More Information and to get involved, please contact Jim Stearns, jim@salmonfestalaska.org or Alisa Mooy alisa@salmonfestalaska.org.

Humanity Rising – A Butte Fire Benefit:
Hard Working Americans
Moonalice
Dead Winter Carpenters
Edge of West
Grateful Bluegrass Boys
Dusty Greenbones Band
Folk Goddess Diane Patterson
Nedra & Julio
Thick Soup
Big Joe Daddy
Felicity Oceansong
Nicole Sass
MC Wavy Gravy
Plus a Psychedelic Light show by Liquid Lights
More tba!

Ticket link → www.eventbrite.com/e/humanity-rising-share-the-spirit-butte-fire-benefit-concert-tickets-19321362716?aff=efbbt

RSVP on Facebook and find out more here→
www.facebook.com/HUMANITYRISINGSHARETHESPIRIT

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Troubadour & Musical Patriarch Jim Avett to Perform Sat 6/6 at AVL’s Central United Methodist Church

An Evening of Story & Song with Jim Avett
Saturday, June 6, 2015 at Central United Methodist Church of Asheville

The concert is presented by Central United Methodist Church, in association with the Orange Peel, WNCW, NewSong Music, and the Asheville Area Arts Council

Doors: 6:30pm ET; Showtime: 7pm ET
Seated Show / All Ages; $17 adv / $20 dos

The Sanctuary at Central United Methodist Church
27 Church Street, Asheville, North Carolina 28801
828.253.3316
A portion of the proceeds to benefit Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity
www.newsong-music.com | www.jimavett.com | www.centralumc.org | www.ashevillehabitat.org

NewSong is excited to announce the upcoming concert, ‘An Evening of Story & Song with Jim Avett’ on Saturday, June 6th in the beautiful and acoustically rich Sanctuary of downtown Asheville’s Central United Methodist Church (27 Church Street). The concert begins at 7pm and is presented by Central United Methodist Church, in association with the Orange Peel, WNCW, NewSong Music and the Asheville Area Arts Council. Tickets are $17 in advance and $20 the day of show, and are available for purchase online at TheOrangePeel.net. A portion of the proceeds will benefit Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity.

The son of a Methodist minister and a classical pianist, Jim Avett, of Concord, NC, grew up in a home full of love and music, learning the importance of hard work and honest living. He and his wife instilled these same values in their children – including sons and musicians Seth and Scott of the Avett Brothers – and tempered them with a lot of fun and music. His guitar was an ever present instrument, and there was always singing.

As much as he enjoyed writing and performing his music, Avett put his family first and spent 35 years running his welding company, building bridges along much of the east coast in order to provide for them. After retiring from welding, he returned to music and recorded Jim Avett and Family in 2008, a collection of gospel music, with his children, Bonnie, Scott and Seth. In 2010 he returned with Tribes, a collection of original tunes, followed by 2012’s Second Chance, which draws heavily on classic country and early rock and roll influences.

Avett now tours across the country, performing in listening rooms and festivals from the Southeast to Pacific Northwest to New England. His shows are a combination of beloved country tunes, gospel, original ballads and the stories he tells to introduce them.

“Jim Avett is the patriarchal archetype of a Southern man doing right by his family and his own values. His humility is palpable; his love for his roots, exceptional,” writes Encore.

About Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity
Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity has welcomed 269 Buncombe County families to safe, decent and affordable houses since 1983. Habitat homes, which are Green Built North Carolina certified, are sold at no-profit to partner families, who pay back a 0% interest loan. The non-profit also offers a home repair program for low-income homeowners. Learn more about Asheville Area Habitat at ashevillehabitat.org.

About NewSong
NewSong is an independent music organization with the following two-fold mission: To build a supportive community of performers and songwriters across all genres of music and levels of skill. To identify the truly exceptional artists within this community and to work closely with them to develop their careers and introduce their music to a broader, international audience. Over the past ten years, NewSong has achieved its mission by producing the following programs and events: NewSong Recordings, Mountain Stage NewSong Contest & Festival, NewSong Showcase Concerts, and NewSong Academy Workshops. More info at NewSong-music.com.

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Leftover Salmon To Digitally Release 2004 Self-Titled Album on Feb 11th; Bill Payne of Little Feat Joins Los For Several Shows

Leftover Salmon To Digitally Release 2004 Self-Titled Album on Feb 11th
Bill Payne of Little Feat to Join Leftover Salmon for Several Shows

Leftover Salmon with Bill Payne of Little Feat. Photo by Dylan Langille

Leftover Salmon is thrilled to announce that on Tuesday, February 11, 2014 their 2004  album, Leftover Salmon, will be available digitally for the first time on all major digital outlets.

“The self-titled work was a collaboration with producer-friend Bill Payne of Little Feat. Mature yet playful, graceful yet dirty, it became apparent that Leftover Salmon was poised for out-and-out domination” writes Scott Caffrey (2005).

When asked how they came to choose Little Feat member Bill Payne as Leftover Salmon’s producer by Mike Greenhaus (2004), Drew Emmit summed up up the beginning of what was to become a long-term friendship and collaboration:

When we had our benefit concerts for Mark Vann when he was ill, [Little Feat’s] Paul Barrere and Bill Payne came out for those shows and played all five nights. We really formed a connection with them then and they were very supportive. Their presence was amazing and playing music with them was amazing after being such big Little Feat fans. So when we were trying to figure out producers for this record we were just trying to think of who would be really good organizationally—who would really bring all of this together. When Vince and I had gone out to the 25th Anniversary of Little Feat concert with Sam Bush, Bela Fleck, Jackson Browne, and Billy Bob Thornton, Bill Payne was the driving force in keeping it all together. So we had this vision of him: not only do we love his music, but he is really great at bringing different sounds together. He plays a particularly beautiful solo on “Whispering Waters”—-it makes me feel like I am at the ocean.

To celebrate the digital release of the album, Leftover Salmon is offering a free stream and download of the track “Whispering Waters” featuring Bill Payne: http://bit.ly/LOSWhisperingWaters.

Leftover Salmon with Bill Payne of Little Feat. Photo by Dylan Langille.

Leftover Salmon 2004 Track Listing:
1. Down In The Hollow
2. Mountain Top
3. Delta Queen
4. Lincoln At Nevada
5. Woody Guthrie
6. Fayetteville Line
7. Everything Is Round
8. Whispering Waters*
9. Last Days Of Autumn
10. Just Keep Walkin’
11. Weary Traveler
* Featuring Bill Payne on Grand Piano

*****

In true Salmon form, they’ll be performing songs from the album at shows mixed in with other old Leftover favorites, songs from their 2012 release Aquatic Hitchhiker, as well as new tunes release last year through Breckenridge Brewery. Bill Payne meets up with LoS halfway through their Powder Daze Winter Tour at the WinterWonderGrass Festival in Avon, CO this February and then travels on with LoS for shows in Jackson, WY and Victor, ID, then two nights in Big Sky, MT with the tour ending in Missoula. Leftover Salmon will pick back up for their early spring tour starting in late March.

Looking back over the past 25 years of rootsy, string-based music, the impact of Leftover Salmon is impossible to deny. Today, Leftover Salmon is: Vince Herman (vocals, acoustic and electric guitar, mandolin); Drew Emmitt (vocals, mandolin, acoustic and electric guitar, mandola, fiddle); Andy Thorn (vocals, acoustic and electric banjo, National guitar); Greg Garrison (vocals, acoustic and electric bass, acoustic guitar); Alwyn Robinson (drums, percussion).

Be sure to tune in to LiveSalmon.com for LIVE-streams of all shows (provided there is access to an Internet connection) and downloads of live performances within a few days of the show.

Leftover Salmon on Tour
2/12 Wed – Crested Butte Center for the Arts  – Crested Butte, CO
2/13 Thu – Crested Butte Center for the Arts  – Crested Butte, CO
2/14 Fri – Animas City Theatre – Durango, CO
2/15 Sat – Animas City Theatre – Durango, CO
2/16 Sun – Telluride Conference Center – Telluride, CO
2/21 Fri – WinterWonderGrass Festival – Avon, CO*
3/13 Thu – Pink Garter Theatre – Jackson, WY*
3/14 Fri – Knotty Pine – Victor, ID*
3/15 Sat – Whiskey Jacks – Big Sky, MT*
3/16 Sun – Whiskey Jacks – Big Sky, MT*
3/17 Mon – The Top Hat – Missoula, MT*
3/26 Wed – Terrapin Crossroads – San Rafael, CA
3/27 Thu –  Terrapin Crossroads – San Rafael, CA
3/28 Fri – Crystal Bay Club- Crystal Bay, NV
3/29 Sat – Crystal Bay Club- Crystal Bay, NV
3/30 Sun – Belly Up – Solana Beach, CA
3/31 Mon – Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. – Chico, CA
4/01 Tue – Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. – Chico, CA
4/03 Thu – Papa Charlies – Lutsen, MN
4/04 Fri – First Avenue – Minneapolis, MN
4/05 Sat – Majestic Theatre – Madison, WI
4/18 Fri – Aggie Theatre – Ft. Collins, CO
4/19 Sat – Aggie Theatre – Ft. Collins, CO
5/30 Fri – Blackstock Music Festival – Blackstock, SC*
6/13-15 Fri-Sun – Snowmass Mammoth Fest – Snowmass, CO
6/19-22 Thu-Sun – Telluride Bluegrass Festival – Telluride, CO*
9/11-14 Thu-Sun – Phases of the Moon Music & Art Festival – Danville, IL*

* Featuring special guest Bill Payne of Little Feat

For more information and complete tour dates please visit: www.LeftoverSalmon.com

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Willie Sugarcapps Performs at The Asheville Music Hall on Fri 1/31 with Brigitte DeMeyer

Willie Sugarcapps Performs at The Asheville Music Hall
Friday, January 31, 2014
Brigitte DeMeyer Opens
$10 adv / $12 door; doors 8pm/ show 9pm; 21+
31 Patton Avenue
Asheville, NC 28801
www.AshevilleMusicHall.com

Way down in lower Alabama, almost every weekend for the past two years, folks have been coming together for a music gathering called The Frog Pond at Blue Moon Farm. One part house concert, one part Levon Helm’s Midnight Ramble, the affair has hosted some of the country’s finest songwriters, pickers, bluesman and troubadours ranging from Mary Gauthier to Alvin Youngblood Hart, Malcolm Holcombe to Randall Bramblett, Sergio Webb to George Porter, Jr. It was here that frequent encounters between recurring artists—Grayson Capps, Will Kimbrough, Corky Hughes and the duo Sugarcane Jane featuring Savana Lee and Anthony Crawford—led to the birth of a band, the aptly named Willie Sugarcapps.

At first it was simply songwriter-in-the-round and jam session-styled collaborations, but it quickly grew to become something more. There was chemistry between the five distinct musicians that inspired a repertoire of songs demanding to be documented. They recruited Capps’ longtime partner and Grammy Award-winning producer/engineer Trina Shoemaker to record them, which resulted in the self-titled, debut album, Willie Sugarcapps [ Released 8/20/13 The Royal Potato Family]. The collection presents ten impeccably crafted songs imbued by relaxed performances, angelic harmonies and country Zen sentiment. Band members often take turns singing lead as they switch up between fiddle, banjo, mandolin, lap steel, bass and even ukulele.

“Willie Sugarcapps is a homecoming for all of us,” explains Will Kimbrough. “It’s coming full circle back to the beginning of why we do this in the first place and the joy of what happens when you play and sing with people who are alike in spirit and mind.”

Their collective musical experiences mingle together to create something magically original and spiritually honest. It’s a comfort to know that music in the hands of Willie Sugarcapps still happens for no other reason than purely the sake of the music itself.

Relix writes “…their update on a traditional sound is so damn comfortable and fun that it feels positively refreshing.” All Music goes on to call the band “…raw and immediate, yet warm, full, and inviting, all while seeming effortlessly rendered. Willie Sugarcapps is the very definition of Americana.”

For more information and the most up to date tour schedule, please visit www.williesugarcapps.com.

Watch Willie Sugarcapps perform “Energy”

About Brigitte DeMeyer:

Brigitte DeMeyer is a very visible artist in the Americana movement. Her work has stirred accolades in national media. She has been tapped to open for Bob Dylan, among others, and performs frequently at home and abroad. She writes songs as weavers thread tapestries, her most vivid colors being a Southern feel, a churchy soulfulness in her vocals, and a way with words that bears comparison to literature as easily as to the best contemporary lyrics.

With album number six on the horizon for the acclaimed independent singer-songwriter, “Savannah Road” (due out in early 2014), DeMeyer has built a solid foundation with her first five albums, collaborating with giants of the Americana world-world class drummer/producer Brady Blade, Buddy Miller, Sam Bush, and more recently, guitarist/songwriter Will Kimbrough—and has shown herself to have a wonderfully natural feel for soul-steeped, blues-infused roots music. For more information on Bridgitte, please visit www.brigittedemeyer.com

Watch Brigitte DeMeyer and Friends “Say You Will Be Mine”

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Enter the Earth Xmas Party feat: The Nth Power & Jamar Woods Trio at Asheville Music Hall Fri 12/6

The Nth Power. Photo by Michael Weintrob

Enter the Earth Xmas Party feat: The Nth Power & Jamar Woods Trio
Friday, December 6th @ Asheville Music Hall
10PM  (9PM Doors)
Tickets: $10 Adv, $12 DOS Ages: 21+
31 Patton Avenue Asheville, NC 28801
http://ashevillemusichall.com

The Nth Power is a marquee ensemble of world-class music lovers on a mission to change the way we hear and experience the power of music. Creating infectious indie gospel-funk, they define what a modern all-star ensemble is for a new generation. The Nth Power embarks on their debut US tour Dec. 3-15, though it’s odd to think of this the group’s first tour considering the players involved — Dumpstaphunk’s Nikki Glaspie, who was Beyonce’s world-touring drummer for many years; keyboardist and vocalist Nigel Hall of Lettuce, Warren Haynes Band and John Scofield’s Uberjam; bassist Nate Edgar of John Brown’s Body; soul evangelist and guitarist Nick Cassarino of the Jennifer Hartswick Band; and West African djembe master Weedie Braimah of Toubab Krewe. The Nth Power is a force best experienced live. Their sound will resonate wholeheartedly, leaving you inspired and enlightened as a music lover and listener. To learn more, watch their insightful EPK, Welcome To The Nth Power.

The Nth Power on Tour
12/03/13 – Gypsy Sally’s – Washington, DC
12/04/13 – The Blind Tiger – Greensboro, NC
12/05/13 – Charleston Pour House – Charleston, SC
12/06/13 – Asheville Music Hall – Asheville, NC
12/07/13 – Pour House Music Hall – Raleigh, NC
12/08/13 – The Vinyl – Atlanta, GA
12/10/13 – 3rd & Lindsley – Nashville, TN
12/11/13 – 2720 Cherokee Performing Arts Center – St. Louis, MO
12/12/13 – Concord Music Hall – Chicago, IL (w/Lettuce)
12/13/13 – Drom – New York, NY
12/14/13 – Thirsty Moose Taphouse – Portsmouth, NH
12/15/13 – The Spot Underground – Providence, RI

For more information, please visit www.thenthpowermusic.com
Facebook.com/TheNthPower
Twitter: @TheNthPowerVibe
Listen and buy music on iTunes

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Manna Foodbank Bluegrass Holiday Benefit with Town Mountain and Larry Keel & Natural Bridge at Isis on Fri 12/20

Bluegrass Holiday Benefit
Featuring Town Mountain and Larry Keel @ Isis Music Hall
Friday, December 20, 2013
A Portion of the Proceeds will be donated to MANNA FoodBank

Doors 5pm (dinner); show 9pm; $20; All Ages
General Admission Standing :: Some Balcony Seating
828-575-2737
Isis Music Hall 743 Haywood Road Asheville, NC 28806
www.isisasheville.com

As 2013 comes to a close, Town Mountain is excited to be joining forces with Larry Keel and Natural Bridge at Isis Music Hall on Friday, December 20, 2013 for a Bluegrass Holiday Benefit. A portion of the night’s proceeds will be donated to Manna Foodbank.

In Western North Carolina, more than 100,000 people seek emergency food assistance in a single year – that’s 1 in 6 of our neighbors. Of these, 37,000 are children. Local direct service agencies are facing a rapid increase in request for food assistance as food stamp benefits have recently been cut for many local families. Food banks and other non profits cannot close this food stamp gap without help. These types of events take on more importance as hard working families struggle to make ends meet.

“Something very special happens when volunteers, artists, and local business join together to create an event that entertains,  celebrates community and helps our Western North Carolina neighbors in need,” says Becky Upham, communications director at MANNA FoodBank. “MANNA’s work would not be possible without so many giving people in our community, and we are so grateful.”

Hard Drivin’ Carolina String Band-Town Mountain:
Town Mountain and their lead vocalist, Robert Greer, are honored to have been awarded two 2013 International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) Momentum Awards. Greer brought home the Momentum Award for “Vocalist of the Year” and Town Mountain takes the honor for “Performance Band of the Year.” The awards cap off a year of fantastic growth for the band which began with the release of their sophomore Pinecastle Records album, Leave the Bottle.

Town Mountain includes Greer on vocals and guitar, Jesse Langlais on banjo and vocals, Bobby Britt on fiddle, Phil Barker on mandolin and vocals and Jake Hopping on bass. Formed out of the fertile music scene found in Asheville, Greer and Langlais met at a jam one evening and they began to piece a band together over the next couple of years. “I’ve been here in Asheville for 12-plus years now and about 15 years ago it really started to blow up as a music town,” says Langlais. “We met through that music scene. “

The sound of Town Mountain can be described as traditional bluegrass, albeit with a rough-hewn side to it that is not too slick or glossy. They are definitely a band of the here-and-now, yet they have a groove that is based on the bluesy and swinging sounds made by the first generation of bluegrass pioneers.

“I feel like we’re closer to original bluegrass than a lot of bands out there today,” says Langlais. “I listened to a radio show recently that featured Ricky Skaggs and he flat-out said that Bill Monroe influenced rock and roll. He said that folks like Elvis and Carl Perkins and those guys were looking up to Bill Monroe. So, I feel like our band has a lot of that influence as well, of the blues and early rock. If you go back and listen to Monroe pre-Chuck Berry, those are Chuck Berry licks. A lot of music in the 1940s and 50s was so over-lapping. It is easy to put genre labels on it today, 60 years later. But to be honest, it was all so new and it was influencing each other at the same time.”

Town Mountain will release a new album in 2014 and will ride the wave of their newfound momentum with appearances at many venues and festivals around the country as the new year unfolds.  More information and tour dates can be found at www.townmountain.net.

Flatpicking Legend Larry Keel:
Larry Keel is described by some reviewers as the most powerful, innovative and all-out exhilarating acoustic flatpicking guitarist performing today. Keel has absorbed the best lessons from his Bluegrass family upbringing, both sides deeply steeped in the rich mountain music culture and heritage of Southwest Virginia. From there, he has always integrated that solid musical grounding and natural-born talent with his own incomparable approach to flatpicking the guitar and composing original music. He’s also got a knack for choosing interesting and appealing material from all realms of music with guts, whether it’s a tune written by a fellow song-writer/musician friend, or a tasty cover from any number of genres all over the map.

Joining Keel to make up Natural Bridge are 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.

Throughout his career, Keel has released 14 albums and is featured on 10 others. The most recent release, CLASSIC (2012) is the 3rd album recorded by Keel and his powerhouse ensemble, Natural Bridge. The project is filled with originals written variously by Keel, the band members or by musician/song-writer friends. For more about Larry Keel and Natural Bridge, please visit www.LarryKeel.com.

Manna Foodbank:
MANNA FoodBank is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization serving Western North Carolina since 1983. As an accredited member of Feeding America, the nation’s largest domestic hunger relief organization, the mission of MANNA FoodBank is to involve, educate, and unite people in the work of ending hunger in Western North Carolina. MANNA serves 221 non-profit member agencies in 16 Western North Carolina counties and distributed more than 11 million pounds of food in 2012. To view MANNA’s Annual Report for 2012, or for more information, visit MANNAFoodbank.org or call 828-299-FOOD.

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The Deep Dark Woods Perform at Isis Music Hall on Fri 12/6 w/ Raising Caine

The Deep Dark Woods and Raising Caine at Isis Music Hall
Friday, December 6, 2013

$8 Advance / $12 Door;  General Admission Standing Room :: Some Seating
5PM Dinner :: 7PM Door :: 9PM Show
– All Ages Show –
828-575-2737
743 Haywood Rd. Asheville, NC 28806
http://isisasheville.com

Leave your map and lose your bearings in the swirling sonic forest of The Deep Dark Woods. The band returns from the wilderness with Jubilee, a celebration of community, camaraderie and feverish cabin creativity. With Jubilee, The Deep Dark Woods revel in the jangly, freewheeling days of psychedelic and electric folk while keeping their compass aligned with the magnetic, hypnotic north.

Made in a cabin in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains near Bragg Creek, Alberta, Jubilee journeys through folk and rock history, from California to the UK, from the 1970s to the present day. The album nods to genre pioneers such as The Byrds and Fairport Convention before heading into altogether new territory of soundscapes that bend and fluctuate underfoot. Jubilee moves the yardstick with its rolling layers of specialized keys, organs and analog rarities (e.g., novachord, celesta, vibraphone, and more) first used in the early days of psychedelic synth experimentation, and the results sound at once in and out of modern time. Jubilee was produced by Laurel Canyon-based folk revivalist Jonathan Wilson.

The tight-knit members of The Deep Dark Woods are old friends and trusted collaborators. Lead singer Ryan Boldt writes most of the lyrics, but songwriting credits on Jubilee are also shared with Chris Mason, Lucas Goetz, former bandmate Burke Barlow and new addition Clayton Linthicum. The band recorded Jubilee mostly live to tape, which allowed for a collective and often spontaneous approach to songcraft. Lyrically, Jubilee shows artistic growth and finesse, and the new album features some of band’s finest songs yet.

Fond of and adept at improvisation and experimentation on stage, The Deep Dark Woods have cultivated a moveable scene of like-minded artists. The desire to translate the intuitive aspects of their live performances to a record led them to producer Jonathan Wilson. As patron saint of the present-day Laurel Canyon folk revival, which breathes new life into California’s richly experimental musical history, Wilson is a going concern in the woozy world of neopsychedelic breakout acts, most notably as producer of Father John Misty’s 2012 success Fear Fun. “His involvement with some musicians who have had an influence on us also tipped us off that maybe this was the right guy. They had a vast knowledge of the equipment and techniques that were used to make some of our favourite records,” Goetz says of the choice to work with Wilson and engineer Bryce Gonzales, who both joined the band during the two-week cabin recording experience.

For more information about The Deep Dark Wood and their tour dates, please visit www.thedeepdarkwoods.com.

 

 

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