John Howie Jr. & the Rosewood Bluff
When North Carolina’s honky-tonk heroes the Two Dollar Pistols broke up in 2008- leaving behind a legacy that included five full-length CD’s, an EP of duets with Grammy nominee Tift Merritt, and several US and European tours- lead singer/songwriter John Howie Jr. already had the seeds planted for a new group, one that would continue the Pistols tradition of making soulful honky-tonk based music for contemporary times. Bringing drummer Matt Brown over from the Pistols, John recruited pedal steel guitar ace Nathan Golub, christened the new band John Howie Jr and the Rosewood Bluff, and set about writing a new batch of songs. After a solid year of playing live, opening for everyone from Junior Brown to Lucero, plans were made for the band to enter the studio. Brian Paulson (Wilco, The Jayhawks, Uncle Tupelo) was called on to take the producer’s chair, having done a stellar job in that capacity on the Two Dollar Pistols 2004 Yep Roc release, Hands Up! Studio time was blocked off at Kudzu Ranch, owned and operated by Rick Miller (Southern Culture on the Skids). Several months later, the band emerged with Leavin’ Yesterday, an album that expands upon the Pistols trademark sound, adding prominent pedal steel guitar, piano (by DB’s/REM member Peter Holsapple), and strings to the mix for a landmark country music collection that should please Pistols fans, while breaking new ground at the same time. Album opener “Watch Me Fall,” a defiant, ringing kiss-off in the grand tradition of country music, sets the tone for Leavin’ Yesterday. Straight-ahead country-rockers, “Trying Not to Think,” and, “Last Great Guitar Slinger,” sit comfortably next to ballads like, “Downhill,” and classic honky-tonk shuffles like, “Handful of Heartaches,”and, “Back to Basics.” The Jimmy Webb/Glen Campbell influenced “Dead Man’s Suit” comes off “like it could have been Gene Clark…if he’d packed a string section,” according to Shuffle Magazine, while “I’ve Found Someone New,” also featuring a string quartet, bears the influence of Billy Sherill’s 1970’s “Countrypolitan” productions as found on the George Jones and Charlie Rich records of the day. The album-closing title track rings out with 12-string Rickenbacker, pedal steel, and gorgeous harmonies. With Leavin Yesterday finished, Howie put together a crack band capable of capturing all of the moods in the country music idiom and doing full justice to his songs. Along with Golub on steel and Brown on drums, electric/upright bassist Billie Feather (The Bo-Stevens, Darnell Woodies) signed up, as did telecaster hero Tim Shearer (Hearts and Daggers), with Howie front and center on lead vocals and acoustic guitar. Response to the album – as evidenced by great reviews, airplay on Little Steven’s Outlaw Country, and choice slots at the Ameriserv Flood City Music Fest and an opening spot for country music legend George Jones – has been overwhelmingly positive. The fan base Howie built with Two Dollar Pistols and prime song placement in hit films like Jeepers Creepers and hot TV shows like Weeds and United States of Tara continues to grow. Two Dollar Pistols fans mourning the loss of North Carolina’s finest traditional country/honky-tonk band need not have worried. While the Pistols may be gone, one listen to Leavin’ Yesterday by John Howie Jr. and the Rosewood Bluff should prove that, as the Charleston City Paper says, “Howie’s best years may still be ahead of him.” Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram
Madison Cunningham – The Ace Tour
Depending on the game, an Ace can be the highest or lowest card, zero or infinity. A breakup feels similar—one path crumbles, while all others remain infinitely possible. How do you write about heartbreak when you’re going through it? Ace, GRAMMY award-winner Madison Cunningham’s third record for Verve Forecast, tracks every part of it: falling out of love, having your heart broken, and then falling in love again. Co-produced by Cunningham and Robbie Lackritz (Feist, Rilo Kiley, Bahamas, Peach Pit), the fourteen-track album is honest and full of heart, even as it breaks. Ace builds off of the success of Revealer (2022), a darkly funny portrait of an artist that won Cunningham her GRAMMY for “Best Folk Album,” but it is a different record. A slow burn until it wasn’t. It follows a period of writer’s block. On Revealer and her debut album Who Are You Now (2019), Cunningham says that she was writing songs about heartbreak, but they weren’t about her heartbreak. They were sketches, observations. Cunningham wanted Ace to be emotions first. Heartbreaking and lush and bold. Cunningham’s first single from Ace, “My Full Name,” was released to praise by PASTE who calls the lyrics, “simultaneously sprawling and intimate,” recalling “an ancient work of poetry.” On Ace, which Cunningham serves as co-producer, she wanted piano to move into the foreground. “I wanted it to feel like a mountain peak,” says Cunningham, “I wanted Ace to feel like a mountain we built together.” Ace is a record that feels alive and lush in all the ways Cunningham hoped for when she started writing. It is a record of mastery and honesty. Cunningham loves every single song on it. You can tell. Website | Instagram | Facebook | TikTok | YouTube | Spotify
Dr. Bacon
Founded in the streets, bars, and wild house parties of Boone in 2013, Dr. Bacon is an Appalachian Funk Rock group currently based in Asheville, NC. The Dr. Bacon live experience is truly a spectacle to behold—bringing audiences on a musical journey that lulls and spikes in energy and caresses ears with lush beauty that whips crowds into a tribal romp, shakes booties, and sheds inhibitions. This manic versatility ensures that no matter what genre of music audience members identify with most, everyone will hear something that resonates. MEMBERS:Myles Dunder: Lead Vocals, Saxophones, GuitarsBen New: Percussion, VocalsMatthew Gornto: Bass, VocalsJohn Kirby: Lead Guitar, Vocals Website | YouTube | Spotify | Facebook | Instagram
Winyah
Hailing from a small South Carolina beach town, Winyah emerged onto the music scene in early 2023 and has swiftly made their mark. They’ve shared stages with acclaimed artists such as The Red Clay Strays, The Vegabonds and The Stews, while also shredding festivals like Bonnaroo. Winyah’s live performances are a testament to their distinctive blend of indie and southern rock, featuring electrifying guitar solos and soulful vocals reminiscent of icons like Led Zeppelin, The Backseat Lovers, and flipturn. The band draws its name from Winyah Bay, a cherished landmark in their hometown where all five members spent their formative years. Their music is a reflection of the five rivers that converge into Winyah Bay, capturing the eternal summer vibes of their coastal upbringing. On the surface, Winyah delivers youthful energy and raw power, but their music also delves into themes of nostalgia and the bittersweet longing for childhood memories and cherished places. Website | Instagram | YouTube | Spotify
Jake Xerxes Fussell
This is a partially seated show. Reared in Georgia and now settled in North Carolina, Jake Xerxes Fussell has established himself as a devoted listener and contemplative interpreter of a vast array of so-called folk songs, lovingly sourced from a personal store of favorites. On his latest album, When I’m Called—his first LP for Fat Possum, and his first as a parent—Fussell returns to a well of music that holds lifelong sentimental meaning, loosely contemplating the passage of time and the procession of life’s unexpected offerings. The album was produced by James Elkington and mixed by Tucker Martine. In addition to Elkington, it features the playing of Ben Whiteley (The Weather Station), Joe Westerlund (Bon Iver, Califone), and others. Blake Mills contributes guitars on several tracks. Joan Shelley and Robin Holcomb provide backing vocals. “…Fussell is the rare contemporary to approach folk in its pure form, shunning self-penned compositions about bummer relationships to concentrate on material handed down from bygone, hardened times.” – The New Yorker “(Fussell) is one of the great magpies of American song, collecting forgotten, tarnished gems with a folklorist’s zeal… his renditions aren’t so much cover versions as composites…” – The Guardian “…maybe the leading interpreter of American folk music right now.” – Ann Powers, NPR Website | Instagram | Facebook | Spotify | Tidal
Lamont Landers
When Lamont Landers steps up to the microphone, he doesn’t just sing—he commands the room. His songs are filled with raw, undeniable truth, shaped by a quiet rise from small-town Alabama to the spotlight—on his own terms. With a powerhouse voice that soars sky-high, he pours every ounce of himself into each note, channeling pain, passion, and poetry through waves of booming soul, electrifying rock ‘n’ roll, and smoldering R&B. Hailing from Decatur, AL, music shaped his earliest memories. A natural-born performer, Lamont first picked up a guitar as a teenager. His breakout came with a viral cover of Ray Charles’ “Hit The Road Jack”—racking up over half a million views overnight. From there, his rise was swift: electrifying audiences on America’s Got Talent and Showtime at the Apollo while amassing a loyal following of over half a million fans on TikTok. A repost of his cover of “Rubber Band Man” by Questlove caught the attention of GRAMMY® Award-winning producer Dave Cobb, leading to an invitation to record in Savannah, GA—and ultimately, a deal with Cobb’s Republic Records imprint, Lucile. With millions of streams on original tracks like “Love and Happiness,” “Piece of Me,” and “Into The Fold,” Lamont is ready to officially introduce himself with new music in 2025. Website | Instagram | TikTok | YouTube
Caylee Hammack
An Ellaville, Georgia native, MCA artist Caylee Hammack has racked up almost 275 million career global streams to date, won an ACM Award for Musical Event of the Year (“Fooled Around And Fell In Love” with Miranda Lambert), and picked up Artist to Watch accolades from The Bobby Bones Show, Rolling Stone among other honors. Released earlier this year and named one of the “Best Albums of the Year So Far for 2025” by Rolling Stone, her sophomore album Bed of Roses is a “personal, powerful statement album” (Tennessean) and is “a vulnerable new collection of life lessons” (Audacy) tracking five years of patient growth in her artistry. Penning the must-read counterpart to her album, the songstress expanded her creative horizons with BED OF ROSES, a romance novel co-authored by Hammack and New York Times–bestselling author Carolyn Brown, each chapter correlates to track titles on the album, taking readers on a journey from heartbreak to healing. Hammack has shared stages with Luke Bryan and Brothers Osborne and has performed multiple times to international audiences in Europe. Website | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok | Spotify | YouTube
Jon Spencer
Jon Spencer has been an innovative force in the independent music scene since the mid-80s. An acclaimed live performer, he has toured all the continents except Antarctica and has amassed a dizzying discography as the leader of Pussy Galore, The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Heavy Trash, and Jon Spencer & the HITmakers, as well as with Boss Hog, The Honeymoon Killers, The Gibson Brothers, and Taxi Girls. His collaborations include (but are not limited to) working with Steve Albini, Add N To X, Nicole Atkins, Beastie Boys, Beck, Bomb The Bass, R.L. Burnside, James Chance, Coldcut, Chuck D, Dan The Automator, Jim Dickinson, DJ Shadow, Einsturzende Neubauten, Guitar Wolf, GZA, David Holmes, Japanese Popstars, Dr. John, Calvin Johnson, Steve Jordan, Khan, Moby, Money Mark, The Muffs, The North Mississippi All Stars, Princess Superstar, Puffy AmiYumi, The Sadies, Nancy Sinatra, Solex, Solomon Burke, Speedball Baby, Rufus Thomas, UNKLE, Unloved, Andre Williams, and Bernie Worrell. His production credits include: Cheater Slicks, Demolition Doll Rods, Experimental Tropic Blues Band, Perrosky, Mike Edison, Jesper Munk, Sunshine & The Rain, The Bobby Lees, and Samantha Fish & Jesse Dayton. Facebook | Instagram | Bandcamp
Electric Guest
In 2007, Asa Taccone chased his dream to Los Angeles when an established mentor provided a check for $10,000 so the promising ingénue producer could quit his job and pursue music full-time. He incubated this miraculous nest egg until he could subsist and survive off his own songwriting, production, and artistry as one-half of the duo Electric Guest with drummer Matthew “Cornbread” Compton. Electric Guest embrace the same energy, hunger, and mindset that first brought Asa to this point on their aptly titled fourth full-length album, 10K. “10K is back to the basics,” he affirms. “Nobody was in the room or on the record but friends. In a way, it feels like this is actually my first album. This is a full circle moment.” Behind-the-scenes, Asa relentlessly pushed himself as a songwriter and producer, building up a robust catalog in the process. He co-wrote and co-produced Portugal. The Man’s 7x-Platinum “Feel It Still,” earning the band a Top 5 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 and a GRAMMY ® Award for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance. His repertoire also expanded with Lily-Rose Depp’s “World Class Sinner / I’m A Freak” for The Weeknd’s The Idol, Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Feels Right,” and more. He’s the rare creative chameleon who can cook up “Cheat Code” for H.E.R. or hilarious viral tentpole tracks for The Lonely Island a la “Natalie’s Rap” with Academy® Award winner Natalie Portman, “Motherlover” with Justin Timberlake, “Here I Go” with Charli XCX, and “3-Way (The Golden Rule)” with Justin Timberlake and Lady Gaga, among others. Simultaneously, Electric Guest racked up over half-a-billion streams across Mondo [2013], Plural [2017], and KIN [2019]. Throughout 2025, he hunkered down and poured his focus into Electric Guest. For as much as he concurrently collaborated with top-tier talent, he actually found the most inspiration much closer to home. Various friends trickled in and out of the Electric Guest sessions, and the music organically took shape primarily recorded at Asa’s home studio. “I’ve come back to the potency of the arts,” he leaves off. “It means so much to me to be able to put out my vibe and whatever insights I have about life and being a human on earth in 2025. Ultimately, it’s an act of hope even if some of the themes are difficult or dark. This is truly a reflection of my energy, personage, and being.” Website | Instagram | TikTok | Facetime | Spotify | YouTube
Saintseneca
Saintseneca’s Zac Little has been thinking a lot about memory. Not necessarily his memories, though they creep in often, too. Rather, he mulls over the idea of memory itself: its resilience, its haziness, how it slips away as we try to hang on, the way it resurfaces despite our best efforts to forget. Memory is the common thread running throughout the Columbus folk-punk band’s fourth album, Pillar of Na, arriving in late summer via ANTI- Records. Following 2015’s critically lauded Such Things, the new album’s name is rooted in remembrance, referencing the Genesis story of Lot’s wife who looks back at a burning Sodom after God instructs her not to. She looks back, and God turns her into a pillar of salt. “Na,” meanwhile, is the chemical symbol for sodium. “Nah” is a passive refusal and the universal song word. It means nothing and stands for nothing. It is “as it is.” Like Lot’s wife, Little cannot help but revisit where—and how—he grew up. Raised in church in southeastern Appalachian Ohio, he took up preaching when he was still a teenager, sometimes in small country settings and other times to congregations of thousands. But these days he’s more interested in listening. And questioning. Musically, Pillar of Na is Saintseneca’s most ambitious album to date, with Little aiming to incorporate genre elements he’d rarely heard in folk. “I wanted to use the idiom of folk-rock, or whatever you want to call it, and to try to do something that had never been done before,” Little explains. “To reach way back, echoing ancient folk melodies, tie that into punk rock, and then push it into the future. I told Mike Mogis I wanted Violent Femmes meets the new Blade Runner soundtrack. I’m looking for the intersection between Kendrick Lamar and The Fairport Convention.” “You’re always going to be situated in the folk legacy,” Little continues, acknowledging his past recordings, which include three albums (the aforementioned Such Things, 2014’s Dark Arc, 2011’s Last) and three EPs (2016’s The Mallwalker, 2010’s Grey Flag, and 2009’s self-titled). “But let’s move forward. I’m not trying to make the lost Velvet Underground B-side. I want to find something that has never been heard before, or at least go down trying.” Website | Facebook | Instagram
