Whitey Morgan and the 78s
With a career rooted in grit, soul, and over 15 years of relentless touring, Whitey Morgan has long stood as one of the fiercest torchbearers of outlaw country. Hailing from Flint, Michigan, Morgan has released six acclaimed studio albums, a powerful live record, and earned a reputation as a relentless road warrior—averaging more than 125 shows per year. As Rolling Stone put it, he’s a “Waylon Jennings acolyte… a modern-day outlaw [with a] hard-hitting blue-collar brand of music,” while NPR praised him for staying true to the lineage of legends like Jennings, Merle Haggard, and David Allan Coe. Since the release of 2018’s Hard Times and White Lines—called his “finest set yet” by American Songwriter—Morgan has only deepened his impact, playing to packed clubs and sold-out theaters across the country. In 2024, he reached a defining milestone with his official debut at the Grand Ole Opry, a moment that signified more than just a career benchmark—it solidified his place in country music’s living legacy. Whitey Morgan’s creative resurgence came full force in early 2025 with the release of three new singles produced by Shooter Jennings. These tracks—gritty, soulful, and unmistakably Morgan—marked a powerful return to the studio. “Let Me Roll,” the lead single, set the tone with its raw heartland sound, followed by two equally compelling releases that proved Morgan’s songwriting is as vital as ever. Now, Whitey Morgan & the 78’s continue to push forward—onstage, in the studio, and on their own terms. With a loyal fanbase built one show at a time, Morgan remains one of country music’s most enduring and authentic voices—an artist for the outsiders, the true believers, and anyone who still finds salvation in a steel guitar and a hard truth. Facebook · Instagram · Spotify · YouTube
Charlie Parr
In the music of Charlie Parr, there is a sincere conviction and earnest drive to create. The Minnesota-born guitarist, songwriter, and interpreter of traditional music has released 19 albums over two decades and has been known to perform up to 275 shows a year. Parr is a folk troubadour in the truest sense: taking to the road between shows, writing and rewriting songs as he plays, fueled by a belief that music is eternal and cannot be claimed or adequately explained. The bluesman poet pulls closely from the sights and sounds around him, his lyrical craftsmanship built by his influences. The sounds from his working-class upbringing—including Folkways legends such as Lead Belly and Woody Guthrie—imbue Parr’s music with stylistic echoes of blues and folk icons of decades past. Parr sees himself merely as a continuer of a folk tradition: “I feel like I stand on a lot of big shoulders,” he said in an interview. “I hope that I’ve brought a little bit of myself to the music.” With a discography simultaneously transcendental in nature and grounded in roots music, Charlie Parr is the humble master of the 21st century folk tradition. Parr started recording in Duluth in 2002, where he lives today. Life in the port town on Lake Superior has a way of bleeding into his work the same way his childhood in Austin, Minnesota does. Parr self-released his debut album, Criminals and Sinners, and did the same for his sophomore album 1922 (2002). With growing popularity abroad, Parr signed with Red House Records in 2015, where he recorded break-out albums Stumpjumper (2015) and Dog (2017). Parr’s music has an overwhelming sense of being present and mindful, and his sound is timeless. Parr’s mastery of his craft is only more apparent when contextualized within the history of folk tradition of which Parr has dedicated his practice The land and lives around and intersecting with Parr have always influenced him, from the hills and valleys of Hollandale, Minnesota to the Depression-era stories from his father. Parr strives to listen to everything: “I don’t see that I’d ever be capable of creating anything if it weren’t for these inspirations and influences, books and music as well as the weather and random interactions with strangers and animals. So, the well never runs dry as long as my eyes and ears are open,” Parr said in a 2020 interview. Before he was even 10 years old Parr was rummaging through his father’s record collection—sometimes drawing dinosaurs on the vinyl sleeves—and listening to country, folk, and blues legends, many of whom are staples in the Folkways catalog. When Parr sings and plays his resonator or 12-string, you can hear influences like Mance Lipscomb, Charley Patton, Spinder John Koerner, Rev. Gary Davis, and Dock Boggs. This is especially true in his playing, when, after a diagnosis of focal dystonia, Parr turned to greats like Davis, Doc Watson, and Booker White for two-finger picking inspiration. Gifted a 1965 Gibson B-45 12-string by his father, Parr has never had a formal lesson and learned by to listening records and watching musicians he admired. Website · Spotify · Facebook · Instagram
Leah Moore EP Release Show
North Carolina singer‑songwriter Leah Moore writes from the fault lines between vulnerability and strength. Her forthcoming debut EP, Home to Myself, traces the long journey back to one’s own voice and truth — through the treacherous waters of comparison, self‑doubt, bad actors, and heartbreak. Effortlessly blending folk, rock, pop, and country, Moore’s music defies genre categorization and moves with emotional clarity and vivid imagery, anchored by a voice that holds both power and tenderness.Home to Myself was recorded at Nightsound Studios in Carrboro with a cohort of well‑respected local musicians: lead guitarist Mario Arnez (Blue Cactus), bassist Casey Toll (Skylar Gudasz, The Dead Tongues), drummer Stephen Mooneyhan, keyboardist Charles Cleaver, and fiddler Isa Burke (Lula Wiles, Aoife O’Donovan). Together with engineers Kei Mizobuchi and Chris Wimberley, they created an EP that feels intimate, honest, rooted, and, at times, electric. Across the EP, Moore explores the tension between wanting to be seen and wanting to disappear, between offering yourself and protecting yourself, between losing your voice and finding it again. Home to Myself is the sound of someone stepping out of the shadows and back into her own life — not with certainty, but with courage. Website · Instagram · Spotify · Facebook Jesse Fox Website · Instagram · Spotify · Facebook The Carolina Junebugs Instagram · Spotify · Facebook
Barbies vs. Bratz: Y2K Party
Pleasant Presents: Barbie Vs Bratz: Y2K Party 💖💜 The function everyone has been waiting for is finally back. The very first Pleasant party was Barbie Vs Bratz, so you already know we had to run it back. Ladies… Are you giving Barbie or Bratz? 💖💜 Fellas… Who’s catching your eye first, Barbie or Bratz? Saturday, August 15th 10 PM to 2 AM Cat’s Cradle | Carrboro, NC Music By KDOT 🎟️ Tickets are available now on Etix. Early Bird tickets won’t last long, so grab yours before prices increase. If you were one of the first 100 people to purchase your ticket through POSH, your ticket will still be honored. Early arrival is highly suggested. All sales are final.
Joy Oladokun: The Heavy Things Tour
Joy Oladokun is one of today’s most compelling genre-defying voices. A queer Black musician and daughter of Nigerian immigrants, Oladokun has become a vital cultural voice, writing songs that explore identity, faith, mental health, and social justice with honesty and restraint. Those themes remain at the heart of Hope Is A Heavy Thing, Oladokun’s new 12-track album, due September 25. Produced by Oladokun with additional contributions from Nigerian producer Spellz and a feature from Nigerian artist Adekunle Gold, the album marks a bold new creative chapter, broadening her sound while continuing to explore questions of identity, resilience, and belonging with the emotional depth that has become her signature. The project further reflects Oladokun’s ability to draw from diverse influences while creating music that transcends genre and geography. Since her 2020 breakthrough, Oladokun has released three critically acclaimed albums, was nominated for Americana Artist of the Year, and saw her protest anthem “i see america” named a finalist for the Recording Academy’s Special Merit Award for Best Song for Social Change. Praised by The New York Times, NPR Music, and Billboard for her ability to turn quiet introspection into lasting impact, Oladokun has brought her music to national television on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, CBS Saturday Morning, and Austin City Limits, while her songs have been featured across major TV series. With collaborations spanning artists like Chris Stapleton, Brandi Carlile, Noah Kahan, and Maxo Kream, she is entering her next chapter by bringing an even broader, bolder sound to the table, continuing to prove herself as an artist who not only bends genre but bridges culture. Website
Winyah
Winyah has partnered with PLUS1 so that $1 per ticket goes to supporting organizations working for equity, access, and dignity for all. www.plus1.org Website · Instagram · YouTube · Spotify
Quadeca
Quadeca has partnered with City of Hope, with a portion of proceeds benefiting the organization’s efforts to advance cancer research, provide lifesaving treatments, and support children and families facing cancer.City of Hope Website · Instagram
Bill Moore and his Secret Admirers, The Carolina Junebugs
Bill Moore and his Secret Admirers perform the most original country music you’ll hear East of the Appalachian mountains. With a blend of bluegrass, rockabilly, doo-wop and electricity, they bring a crackling hillbilly honesty to every performance. The band is headed by Bill Moore, a Chapel-Hill born-and-bred picker with a penchant for snappy dressing, who writes much of the group’s material. Whether they’re knocking you out with some rip-roaring hollering or easing you down with beautiful old-time harmony, this group has Carolina Country Flair in higher levels than you’re liable to see anywhere else. The Carolina Junebugs are a folk trio based in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The band consists of three North Carolina natives: Emma Bishop, Ellary Smith, and Booth Bassett. They met during the Spring semester of 2025 as students and members of the Carolina Bluegrass Band at UNC Chapel Hill. They released their first EP “Down in the Valley” in December 2025
Yana – The Feelings Are Forever Tour
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East Nash Grass
How did East Nash Grass follow up their 2024 International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) award for Best New Artist? By earning a nomination for Entertainer of the Year, IBMA’s highest honor, in 2025, and celebrating fiddler Maddie Denton’s win as Fiddler of the Year. In short, East Nash Grass have quickly established themselves as the fresh new face of Nashville’s storied bluegrass tradition, a supergroup of rising stars: Grand Master Fiddle champion Denton is joined by banjo player Cory Walker (banjo player on the five-time nominated “Carter & Cleveland” album this year, among numerous accolades), 2022 IBMA Momentum Instrumentalist of the Year Harry Clark, and new guitar player Frank Rische. This is an all-star band that harkens back to the sort of talent collected in the original Blue Grass Boys and a powerhouse leader of the next generation in bluegrass excellence. Rolling Stone had them among the “best of what we saw” at RockyGrass in 2025, praising their “rowdy set of high-octane bluegrass numbers,” and noting, “The group itself is a rapidly-rising force on the national touring scene.” And “rowdy” is right. They are far more than just a group of impressive instrumental technicians, building on night after night of three-set gigs on Nashville’s East Side, playing tiny stages for the love of it between tours backing bigger acts. It’s a hard-forged bond that translates into an infectious on-stage energy that audiences can’t seem to get enough of. With their new release, “All God’s Children” (Mountain Fever, August 22, 2025), they show a depth and feel, too, that goes well beyond the traditional bluegrass fair, with nods to Gypsy jazz and East Village folk, and eye toward moving bluegrass forward and keeping it from being too mired in the past. If East Nash Grass isn’t the future of the genre it’s only because they’re already among its leading lights. Website · Facebook · Instagram