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The 25th Annual Bob Marley Birthday Bash returns with Mickey Mills & Steel, Jamrock, Zion Project and DJ Ras J. Celebrate the music and message of reggae superstar Bob Marley and bask in the positive energy and natural healing power of live reggae music. Jamaican food and local vendors will also be on hand for this uplifting show, produced by Steel Productions. ☆ Mickey Mills & SteelA pioneer of the reggae scene in North Carolina for decades, Mickey Mills is a talented singer, keyboardist, and songwriter once called “the fastest steel drum soloist on earth.” Born and raised in Trinidad, he first started playing steel drums at the age of 12. During his long career, he has worked with legendary artists such as The Rolling Stones, Johnny Mathis, and Mighty Sparrow. He has performed in the off-Broadway show “House of Flowers,” on the television show Matlock on NBC, and is no stranger to such prestigious venues as The Village Gate and Madison Square Garden. Mickey, who cites Bob Marley as one of his major influences, also works in schools conducting workshops with young people across the country as a music educator with his “Island In The Sun” and “Steel-A-Rama” cultural programs. ☆ Jamrock Reggae BandFounded in 1995, this energetic band is a Bob Marley Birthday Bash regular, and one of the most active reggae groups in North Carolina. The group’s success can be attributed to their sound, which reflects the authentic style of how reggae music is played live in Jamaica. With a strong emphasis on entertainment and musicianship, Jamrock has shared the stage with the top names in reggae including Keith Poppin, the Meditations, Donovan Carless, and more. Catch them every summer at the Cary Starlight series! ☆ Zion ProjectCovering a vast expanse of musical knowledge reaching from Seattle to Washington, DC, the Zion Project has shared the stage with such reggae royalty as Toots and the Maytals, The Wailers, The Abyssinians, and The Itals. Based in Asheville, NC, the Zion Project was formed through the collective consciousness of Rastafari, combining roots rhythms with soul and jazz influences and an uplifting message. Over the years, the Zion Project has developed a unique style of heavy roots, harmonized vocals, and upbeat songs, bursting with energy. ☆ DJ Ras JWith over 25 years on the decks and a deep collection of rare Jamaican 45s, Ras J has performed at sold-out shows alongside reggae legends such as Lee “Scratch” Perry, Toots & the Maytals, & the Wailers, and performed at festivals up & down the East Coast. A former roadie for dancehall icon Super Cat, his “Simmer Down” roots reggae events helped usher in the current worldwide vinyl resurgence. In 2020, Ras J made his first movie cameo in “The Herb Train” on Amazon Prime. His live dub mixes and creative, high-energy vinyl sets explore the boundaries and connections of reggae music and beyond. Facebook | Instagram

WCOM Fundraiser

Will McBride Group As evidenced from their five released albums to date, bandleader Will McBride is always striving for earworm melodies, cleverly-crafted songs with intelligent, deep lyrics that is “where rock, funk, blues & jazz intersect”. Beginning their 21st year, touring regionally throughout North Carolina. 750+ shows, five albums, 300,000 verified consumptions (streaming/YouTube), over 120 FM stations worldwide. The WMG has opened shows for many international superstars including: ZZ Top Styx Leon Russell Delbert McClinton Eddie Money Mother’s Finest Little River Band (twice) Toad the Wet Sprocket several more! “Hit Song”, the feature single from their fifth, and latest, studio album “ICYMI”, was endorsed by four Triangle-area radio legends, which created a lot of buzz, and achieved 19k ORGANIC streams in its 1st four months. Website Sound of Scarlet Ever feel like most cover bands are stuck on autopilot, glued to the stage, barely glancing up? Sound of Scarlet not only offers stellar musicianship— but doubles as your co-pilots on a high-energy, mutually outrageous, rock-fueled adventure. Get psyched for an experience that blurs the lines between performers and audience—S.O.S. doesn’t just knock out the hits you love; they infuse every song with the rebellious spark of true rock ‘n’ roll, uniting you into the heart and soul of each tune. Every Sound of Scarlet show offers a fresh and gritty spin on your favorites, with setlists that swing from Adele to AC/DC, Billy Idol to Blondie, Grunge to Gaga, and Punk to Pink— a wild roller coaster ride, where each climb holds your breath, and every drop steals it away. You’ll feel a raw and edgy vibe you can’t shake, while you can’t stop shaking to the beat. Some bands play it safe. Sound of Scarlet plays it unforgettable. This band doesn’t just play songs, they create moments, as well as creating a buzz everywhere they go. Prime yourself for a new exhilaration that will leave you feeling that deeper connection long after the night is over. This is no S.O.S. cry for help— it’s a call for rock— and Sound of Scarlet delivers. It’s high time for you to find your high-octane lifeline… Sound of Scarlet— come rock with us!! Andrew Kasab Website

lighthearted, Madisinn, Lady Die

Madisinn “Texas-born, NC native singer-songwriter Madison Grifaldo (Madisinn) always heard whimsical voices, dissonant harmonies, and a wide texture of instrumentation dancing inside her head. She began recording self tapes in 2016 but didn’t release anything until fall of 2022. Her music has been described as “nurtured in a world closely occupied by beautiful voices” & having a “lavender and velvet lullaby voice.” She however describes it as a mixture of everything she loves and feels. Madisinn draws her vocal influences from her classical upbringing in music and her love for great American songwriting ( Judee Sill, Janis Ian, Linda Perhacs, Liz Phair, Kim Deal, Hope Sandoval, etc.) Madisinn’s first studio EP “The Sun on My Skin” was recorded by artist Samuel Beasley at RFG Studio in Boone, NC. In the past year Madisinn released two singles “Bad Again” and “Go Away” which were both produced in Wilmington, NC. Currently, Madisinn is going to begin recording her sophomore EP in the winter of 2025.” lighthearted “lighthearted is a dynamic indie-folk band from Athens, Georgia, fronted by identical twin sisters Gracie Huffman & Eliza Lemmon. Formed in 2019, the band draws from the deep wells of folk traditions and contemporary indie influences. They write the type of hushed, kaleidoscopic songs that appeal to anyone that takes to gorgeous harmonies and plumbing the depths of human nature (Ethan Fogus, Immersive Atlanta). They released their debut album, “from here on out,” in 2023, which contains lyrical depth and emotional resonance. Their second album is in the works, which showcases more of the band’s evolving sound and musical maturity. lighthearted is committed to creating heartfelt and poignant music. With each new release, they aim to embody their name, blending their influences to create music that is easy to listen to and rich with meaning.” Lady Die Lady Die is a 4 piece alternative indie band based in Wilmington, North Carolina. The moniker was inspired by Princess Diana who died just before lead singer Julia Rothenberger was born.

Patterson Hood

This is a seated show. Patterson Hood is an acclaimed singer-songwriter, guitarist, and co-founder of the Southern rock band Drive-By Truckers. Born in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, Hood grew up immersed in the region’s rich musical heritage, with his father, David Hood, being a renowned session bassist for the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section. Drawing inspiration from storytelling traditions and a passion for rock, country, and soul, Hood’s music often explores themes of Southern identity, social justice, and personal introspection. While best known as frontman, singer, songwriter, and guitar player for Drive-By Truckers, he is also a writer of essays, columns, and short stories as well as a solo performer and producer. Since forming Drive-By Truckers in 1996 with Mike Cooley, Hood has been a driving force behind the band’s narrative-driven sound, blending gritty, guitar-heavy arrangements with evocative lyrics. Albums like Southern Rock Opera (2001) and The Dirty South (2004) have solidified their reputation as one of the most influential Southern rock bands of their generation. Beyond his work with the Truckers, Hood has released solo albums such as Killers and Stars (2004) and Heat Lightning Rumbles in the Distance (2012), showcasing his versatility as a songwriter. His newest solo album, Exploding Trees & Airplane Screams, produced by Chris Funk (The Decemberists) will be released via ATO Records in February 2025. Whether fronting the Truckers or performing solo, Patterson Hood remains a vital force in modern music, celebrated for his ability to turn life’s raw realities into compelling, soul-stirring art, and continues to be a powerful voice in contemporary Americana and Southern rock. Website | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

Robbie Fulks

Seated show. Robbie Fulks is a singer, recording artist, instrumentalist, composer, and songwriter. His current release, Bluegrass Vacation on Compass Records, returns him to his bluegrass roots, with a large group of masterful musicians including Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, Justin Moses, Ronnie McCoury, Alison Brown, David Grier, Tim O’Brien, Todd Phillips, John Cowan, Brennen Leigh, Randy Kohrs, Sierra Hull, Stuart Duncan, Shad Cobb, and Chris Eldridge. Across 11 new original songs (and one freewheeling interpretation of the Delmore Brothers), Robbie covers themes like small-town blues, the endurance of childhood memory, inebriation, love, divorce, the role of music in strengthening family bonds, losing a loved one to Alzheimer’s, and bluegrass itself. His most recent release, 2017’s Upland Stories, earned year’s-best recognition from NPR and Rolling Stone among many others, as well as two Grammy® nominations, for folk album and American roots song (“Alabama At Night”). Fulks was born in York, Pennsylvania, and grew up in a half-dozen small towns in southeast Pennsylvania, the North Carolina Piedmont, and the Blue Ridge area of Virginia. He learned guitar from his dad, banjo from Earl Scruggs and John Hartford records. He attended Columbia College in New York City. In 1983 he moved to Chicago and joined Greg Cahill’s Special Consensus Bluegrass Band. He taught music at Old Town School of Folk Music from 1984 to 1996, and worked as a staff songwriter on Music Row in Nashville from 1993 to 1998. His early solo work — Country Love Songs (1996) and South Mouth (1997) — helped define the “alternative country” movement of the 1990s. For most of the present century, Robbie has been playing acoustic music through microphones, which lets him give more attention to his flatpicking and banjo playing, and complements his more sepia-toned subject matter — the slings of time, the troubles of common people. His repertory of traveling players includes folks like Shad Cobb, Missy Raines, Robbie Gjersoe, Jenny Scheinman, Matt Flinner, Don Stiernberg, and Jesse Cobb. However, two non-acoustic recent side projects are his 2018 duo record with Linda Gail Lewis, Wild! Wild! Wild!, an NPR favorite which leans to rock-and-roll and classic country-and-western, and his double-vinyl reinterpretation of the Bob Dylan record Street-Legal, which is titled 16, is musically unbounded and is no one’s favorite. Radio: multiple appearances on WSM’s “Grand Ole Opry”; PRI’s “Whadd’ya Know”; NPR’s “Fresh Air,” “Mountain Stage,” and “World Cafe”; and the syndicated “Acoustic Cafe” and “Laura Ingraham Show.” TV: PBS’s Austin City Limits; NBC’s Today, Late Night with Conan O’Brien, Later with Carson Daly, and 30 Rock. From 2004 to 2008 he hosted an hourlong performance/interview program for XM satellite radio, “Robbie’s Secret Country.” Artists who have covered his songs include Sam Bush, Kelly Hogan, Andrew Bird, Mollie O’Brien, Rosie Flores, John Cowan, and Old 97s. Robbie’s writing on music and life have appeared in GQ, Blender, the Chicago Reader, DaCapo Press’s Best Music Writing anthologies for 2001 and 2004, Amplified: Fiction from Leading Alt-Country, Indie Rock, Blues and Folk Musicians, and A Guitar and A Pen: Stories by Country Music’s Greatest Songwriters. As an instrumentalist, he has accompanied the Irish fiddle master Liz Carroll, the distinguished jazz violinist Jenny Scheinman, and the New Orleans pianist Dr. John. Instagram | Twitter

Free Throw: Those Days Are Gone 10 Year Anniversary Tour

Just two years into their life as a band, FREE THROW were already reflecting on the past. The Nashville emo quintet’s debut album, the aptly named THOSE DAYS ARE GONE, took the underground by storm when it was released in September 2014 via Count Your Lucky Stars, with Brooklyn Vegan hailing lead single “Tongue Tied” for its ability to “successfully bring together Tell All Your Friends dual vocals with American Football’s shimmering guitars.” The sepia-toned emotional resonance of songs like the 6/8 “Two Beers In,” loud/soft dynamism of “Hey Ken, Someone Methodically Mushed the Donuts” and riff-ready “Pallet Town” painted a portrait of the uncertainty and growing pains of life in your 20s: a veritable Groundhog Day of bad luck, bad love, and bad habits, set atop a bed of inventive rhythms, Midwestern-inspired guitar lines, ambient instrumentation and tightly wound catharsis. It’s this unfiltered honesty, surveying the wreckage of a failed relationship with a yearning to turn back the clock to kinder, more carefree years, that helped Free Throw – Cory Castro (vocals/guitar), Larry Warner (guitar), Jake Hughes (guitar/vocals), Justin Castro (bass) and Zach Hall (drums/vocals) – immediately connect with a new generation of listeners, rolling into a swelling wave of modern emo that’s spawned tens of millions of Spotify and Apple Music streams and gigs the world over. Now, to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of Those Days Are Gone, Free Throw will embark on a North American/U.S. tour in early 2025, performing the record in full alongside fan favorites from their five-album catalog – melding these timeless songs with the band’s reputation for delivering raucous sing-along live shows. “We’ve been playing some of these songs since the record came out, and I think we’ll be playing songs like ‘Two Beers In’ for the rest of our lives,” Castro says. “But we have fun playing those songs. Free Throw has always remained the same in terms of our ethos and ideology.” Following a pair of EPs (2012’s Free Throw and 2014’s Lavender Town) the album’s 11 songs found the group leveling up as musicians, unlocking a more technical approach while not losing the heart that anchored their songwriting from day one. That push and pull is ultimately what makes Those Days Are Gone such an enduring listen: a lightning-in-a-bottle snapshot of a band finding themselves in real time. A rough-around-the-edges recording, made in a sweaty basement studio for $600 and a case of Coors, that’s great because of its imperfections. “It’s crazy to think back to it now in comparison to how we work on records now,” Warner adds. “None of us had any expectations of what or how to write – we just wrote songs that we thought were cool and interesting. Sometimes they didn’t have a chorus or a linear path, but that didn’t matter. We just wrote what we wanted to and had fun with it.” Add Castro: “We didn’t quite know Those Days Are Gone was going to be as special as a lot of people consider it today, but we thought that we had something really good.  There’s been so much that’s happened since we made the record, but in some ways, it still kind of feels like yesterday.” Website | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

BASIC

BASIC, a mind-meld between Chris Forsyth, his frequent running partner Douglas McCombs, and Mikel Patrick Avery, present complex and entrancing instrumental music, recasting forgotten scraps of guitar history into a moving mosaic of strings, skins and electronics. Back in the mid ’80s (a moment in music history as remote to us now as bebop was to us back then), there was an entire sub-genre spawned by prog-rock-gone-new-wave icons meeting up to make sounds, their names reading like a panoply of druggy law firms: Manzanera & Bruford, Fripp & Summers, French/Frith/Kaiser/Thompson. Their records clogged pre-internet college radio playlists, cut-out bins and public library shelves, but served as a touchstone for heads seeking inspiration from deeper wells than FM rock radio (which was fixated, then as now, on the Eagles and Led Zeppelin). Far from being mere self-indulgences, these “side projects” were, at best, outlets for exploration of then-novel technologies (looping, drum programming, sampling, etc.) for creators otherwise stuck in ’70s projects moribund with fan expectations and music-biz balance sheets. One such record is guitarist Robert Quine and drummer Fred Maher’s Basic, an arachnidian weave of subtly shifting rhythm tracks and chiming guitar that, true to its name, was left largely untouched by Quine’s celebrated McLaughlin-through-a-cheese grater solos (a trait that did not please many critics at the time). Quine’s untimely passing has since awakened many to the joys hidden within his scant solo discography, but more expansive ears were already tuned in, including a few guitarists hungry for sounds outside of the second-hand pentatonic canon—among them, Chris Forsyth and original (now departed) BASIC member Nick Millevoi. According to Forsyth, “I’ve loved that record for 20-plus years and hardly ever met anyone that liked it. To me, that is an incredibly personal, beautiful, one-of-a-kind record.” Forsyth and Millevoi’s mutual love of Basic ran deep enough for the album to serve as a template for a run of low-key pandemic jam sessions (when Forsyth’s Solar Motel Band was sidelined from touring). Using an Alesis drum machine for rhythm tracks, they forged a collaborative language from angular polyrhythms, pulsing baritone-guitar lines, and shimmering chorus-pedal washes (another stylistic nod, this time to the glistening post-punk of the Durutti Column and numerous 4AD bands). After playing as a duo for a brief time, the music demanded further complexity within the sonic substrate. Natural Information Society core member Mikel Patrick Avery was enlisted on drum kit—a setup that quickly morphed into a single drum, bell, and a bespoke electronics rig of his own creation. Upon the release of This Is BASIC in September 2024, Nick departed the group and Tortoise co-founder Douglas McCombs joined in his place on Fender Bass VI. The trio quickly flowered into an improvisational swirl of disorienting electronics, hypnotic throb, and dense flanged-guitar harmonics: three unique voices spinning a complex conversation of textures and rhythms. The name of the nascent trio was, of course, obvious: BASIC, capitalized to distinguish themselves from the inspirational Quine/Maher text, and to introduce connotations with another ’80s trope, the obsolete programming language some of us learned back when you learned such things. Bandcamp

The War And Treaty

Founded in 2014 by the husband-and-wife duo Michael Trotter Jr. and Tanya Trotter, The War And Treaty has emerged as one of the most electrifying new acts in American music. They were nominated for the Best New Artist and Best American Roots Song at the 2024 GRAMMY Awards, and have also been nominated for Duo of the Year at the CMA Awards two years in a row and for Vocal Duo of the Year at the ACM Awards. They have won two Americana Music Awards (both for Duo/Group of the Year) and have received additional nominations and recognition from CMT Music Awards, Folk Alliance International, People’s Choice Country Awards, as well as from the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and the Grand Ole Opry. Website | Instagram | Facebook | Spotify | YouTube | TikTok

Sings Like Hell with Peter Case & Sid Griffin

Get ready for an unforgettable night of folk music as Peter Case and Sid Griffin hit the road for their “Sings Like Hell” tour! Inspired by Case’s iconic 1993 album, this tour showcases two legends of Americana and roots music bringing their rich histories and unparalleled artistry to the stage. With Peter Case’s Grammy-nominated songwriting and groundbreaking work in bands like The Plimsouls and The Nerves, and Sid Griffin’s trailblazing Americana legacy with The Long Ryders, audiences will be treated to an evening of raw, soulful performances steeped in tradition and innovation. From Case’s emotionally resonant piano melodies to Griffin’s bluegrass mandolin and clawhammer banjo stylings, this tour is a celebration of the enduring power of folk music. Catch them live in the Northeast, Southeast, and Midwest—don’t miss this rare chance to see two master storytellers share the stage! Website | Twitter | Facebook I try to take things I love and use them in a new way,” said triple Grammy-nominated singer- songwriter Peter Case of his 16th solo album Doctor Moan. Case brings his considerable songwriting ability to an 11-song collection, largely performed on piano, including his first solo recorded instrumental. Released by Sunset Blvd Records on March 31, Case’s piano-based songs are emotionally, sonically and stylistically rich. A s a founding member of the early punk era trio The Nerves, in 1977 Case toured the nation sharing bills with the Ramones, Mink DeVille, Pere Ubu, and Devo. The Nerves single “Hanging on the Telephone,” was covered by Blondie. In 1979, Case formed the Plimsouls, a record-breaking live act in California, recording albums for Planet/Elektraand Geffen. Their independent single, “A Million Miles Away,” entered the Billboard charts and remains a garage rock standard, performed by bands around the world. The band performed in the cult classic film Valley Girl and the Nerves and Plimsouls timeless teenage rock ‘n’ roll continues to appeal to fans of each new generation. After the Plimsouls, Case rediscovered his musical roots on his self-titled solo debut, produced by T Bone Burnett. The New York Times declared Peter Case the best album of 1986. It earned a five-star Rolling Stone review and a Grammy nomination. As one of the first songwriters of his generation to turn from rock music toward an acoustic sound, Case also helped usher in what became known as Americana music. Sid Griffin is best known for being the ringleader of the Long Ryders, one of the first Americana/alt-country acts on the scene. Starting out as a disciple of The Byrds 12-string Rickenbacker sound Griffin now features bluegrass mandolin and clawhammer banjo in his act. The Journey From Grape To Raisin, released last September, is Sid’s first solo album in a decade. Its eleven songs include ten Griffin originals and one campfire cover of, get ready, the Velvet Underground’s Femme Fatale. When asked about the sessions and the album as a whole Griffin smiles and calls The Journey From Grape To Raisin “my career highlight, the best work I am ever likely to do. Heaven forbid I should go but if I did I’d die happy”. Sid Griffin has also written four books and curated and annotated Bob Dylan’s The Basement Tapes box set. Griffin compiled and annotated over forty CDs/LPs for various labels and is seen in over a dozen music documentaries as an authority on roots music.

Genre: Concerts