Jill Sobule

This is a seated show.Jill Sobule’s work is at once deeply personal and socially conscious, seriously funny and derisively tragic. In a dozen albums spanning three decades of recording, the Denver-born songwriter/guitarist/singer has tackled such topics as the death penalty, anorexia nervosa, shoplifting, reproduction, the French Resistance, adolescent malaise, LGBTQ issues, and the Christian Right. Her hits include “I Kissed A Girl”—the first openly gay-themed song ever to crack the Billboard Top 20—and the alt-rock anthem “Supermodel” featured in the film “Clueless”. Sobule was one half of The Jill & Julia Show, providing music while actor Julia Sweeney contributes storytelling. Jill is considered a pioneer in crowdfunding and is constantly exploring and creating new models for artists in an ever-changing music industry. Her latest record is “Nostalgia Kills”, produced by Ben Lee and released on her own Pinko Records label. Jill’s theater credits include a musical adaptation of the Broadway classic “Yentl”, “Prozak and the Platypus”, and “Times Square”. Her latest, “F*ck 7th Grade”, was postponed due to Covid, but was performed and filmed for three days at a make-shift drive-in over the Summer. The musical is a finalist for the Lambda Literary awards in LGBTQ Drama category this June.Links: Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube

JULIA. Album Release Show

JULIA. is a funk four piece from Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Their sound harkens back to the funk of the mid seventies, with a modern flair of soul/rap mixed in for good measure. Made up of members Danlee Gildersleeve, Torin Alston, Sean Meehan, and Todd Davis.Influences include Parliament-Funkadelic, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Sly and the Family Stone, Kendrick Lamar, Childish Gambino, Anderson Paak., and Grand Central Station. Links: Website | Bandcamp | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Spotify | YouTube

The Vegabonds

The Alabama-born, Tennessee-bred Southern rock band, The Vegabonds kick off 2019 with the release of their fifth album (and first for Blue Élan Records) entitled “V.”The band will support “V” with a full year of non-stop touring throughout North America and Europe. Produced by Tom Tapley (Blackberry Smoke, Sugarland, Mastodon) “V” audibly illustrates the band’s unconventional yet contagious brand of Southern rock and highlights the best of The Vegabonds’ unique musicianship, vocals, lyrics and sound. V crosses boundaries of multiple music genres. These vibrant songs travel from sad to soulful; gritty to glorious. It’s a timeless American album in the sense it deals with eerie matters working people endure and captures their salvation in a song. Songs like “Partyin’ with Strangers”, the new single “I Ain’t Having It” and “When The Smoke Clears Up” proves the group’s ability to move people with a story, beat and melody.Vocalist Daniel Allen recently revealed, “I hope fans hear stories in the album. We are in a very unique time in history, and this album touches on the struggle of every day folks doing their best to navigate love, work, beliefs and the ever-changing politics that flood our lives daily.”The Vegabonds got their start in Alabama in 2009 by playing the college circuit across the Southeastern United States. Their popularity quickly burgeoned to the point where they found their fans singing along word-for-word to their first hits like “Georgia Fire” and “Shaky Hands.” From Ole Miss to South Carolina, students were buzzing about The Vegabonds’ authentic sound and their seemingly effortless ability to bring the house down. Through pure word of mouth, the group’s fan base rapidly grew, and the guys learned they had something distinctive with their eclectic mix of Southern Rock, Country, and earnest songwriting.Their DIY ethic delivered three full-length albums and an EP before partnering with Blue Élan Records for their current release.With a sound reminiscent of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers mixed with the grit and twang of the Allman Brothers Band, The Vegabonds deliver a sensational performance, with powerhouse guitar riffs and impactful songwriting, night after night. Their hard work and unbridled talents have not gone unnoticed; the group has opened for such notable acts as Lynyrd Skynyrd and the late Gregg Allman and delivered rousing performances at festivals like Peach Festival, Sweetwater 420, Magnolia Fest, Sunfest and Taste of Randolph. In addition to countless dates throughout the Southeast, the band has toured Europe three times, played multiple dates in Canada and have visited every corner of the US.A group of five musicians with myriad influences between them, The Vegabonds are fronted by lead vocalist and songwriter Daniel Allen, with Richard Forehand (lead guitar/vocals), Paul Bruens (bass), Beau Cooper (keys/vocals), and Bryan Harris (drums) rounding out the quintet.Links: Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Spotify | YouTube

Tan Universe, Tombstone Poetry, Hiding Places, Plastic Flamingos – CANCELLED

Abbey Road LIVE! – Family Matinee

“One of the world’s premier Beatles cover bands” -US News and World Report “unquestionably expert at what they do” -Indyweek You loved Beatles music when you were a kid. Now it’s time for YOUR kids to experience the magic of the Beatles live in concert, as Abbey Road LIVE! plays a special all-ages family matinee show.Abbey Road LIVE! is well known for their energetic concerts at clubs, theaters and festivals. This time, the focus will be on the kids. Expect fun classics such as “Octopus’ Garden”, “Yellow Submarine”, and “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds”, along with many other Beatles hits.This rare event will be big fun for the whole family! Links: Website | Facebook | YouTube

Abbey Road LIVE!

“One of the world’s premier Beatles cover bands” -US News and World Report “unquestionably expert at what they do” -Indyweek Since 2002, Abbey Road LIVE! has been rocking the music of the Beatles at clubs, theatres, festivals, and private events. Initially a tribute to the monumental “Abbey Road” album, the band has expanded its scope to include more than 100 Beatles tunes, from all eras of the Fab Four’s career. The band specializes in complete, start-to-finish album performances of masterpieces such as “Abbey Road”, “Magical Mystery Tour”, “Rubber Soul”, “Revolver” and “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart’s Club Band”. Abbey Road LIVE! is not your typical Beatle look-alike tribute act; don’t expect mop-top haircuts and vintage Rickenbacker guitars. Rather, this show is about bringing to life some of the more mature and complex Beatles material in a raw & spirited fashion, while remaining true to the original recordings. Combining attention to detail with a creative exuberance, the band always delights its audiences with its diverse repertoire of hits and more obscure favorites. A splendid time is guaranteed for all! Links: Website | Facebook | YouTube

Bob Marley Birthday Bash

Mickey Mills is an exciting, energetic, mutli-talented entertainer par excellence. He is a vocalist, songwriter, steel drum soloist, actor, who has been called “the fasted steel drum soloist on earth”. Born and raised Port-of-Spain Trinidad, West Indies, MICKEY MILLS first started playing the steel drums at the age of 12 as a soloist with the Solo Harmonite Steel Orchestra. In 1970 he moved to New York where he worked with artists such as Mick Jagger, Ralph McDonald, The Mighty Sparrow, Johnny Mathis and Lord Kitchener. Mickey, who cites Bob Marley as one of his major influences, is no stranger to such well known New York establishments as The Village Gate and Madison Square Garden. Now living in Carrboro, North Carolina, Mickey continues his performances schedule and also leads an educational program entitled Steel-A-Rama, which has been presented in several school systems on the East Coast. This program is loved by children and highly regarded by scholars as a great exposure to the culture surrounding the Trinidadian steel drums.

Mega Colossus, Children of the Reptile, Swineherd

Started in 2005 this New Wave of British Heavy Metal influenced group shares its inspiration from artist such as Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Thin Lizzy, and Scorpions. The band is from various parts of North Carolina including Greensboro, Chapel Hill, and Raleigh. The band’s goal is to melt every face out there and drink all your booze.Bill Fisher-guitar/vocalsStephen Cline-guitar/vocalsAnthony Micale-bass/vocalsSean Buchanan-lead vocalsDoza-drumsLinks: Website | Bandcamp | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Spotify | YouTube | Soundcloud

Matthew Perryman Jones

A performing songwriter by trade, Matthew Perryman Jones is actually a seeker, at heart. With each entry in his discography, his musical and moral compass points toward an artistic horizon he has yet to explore. Sometimes, he turns his gaze to examine his own inner world. Other times, he looks to the inspirations found in the letters Vincent Van Gogh penned to his brother Theo, in the idea of duende as proffered by Federico García Lorca, and in the poetic verses of Sufi poets Hafiz and Rumi.Of his most recent release, American Songwriter wrote that, “MPJ’s songwriting acumen could easily be used as a musical template to demonstrate how less can be so much more. [He] sounds cinematic and slowly worms its way inside your brain, feasts upon your emotions, and ultimately burrows down into your soul.” It could be said that Matthew makes soul music — not based on how it sounds, but on where it originates and where it resides.Originally from Pennsylvania, Matthew grew up in Georgia and cut his artistic teeth in the Atlanta music scene before heading north to Nashville. His debut release, Nowhere Else But Here, dropped in 2000, followed by three subsequent albums — Throwing Punches in the Dark (2006), Swallow the Sea (2008), and Land of the Living (2012) — and three additional EPs as well as a handful of singles. Songs from across his catalog have been featured in dozens of film and TV placements, and tours have taken him across the U.S. and abroad to share stages with legends like Shawn Colvin and Patty Griffin, as well as the Ten Out of Tenn songwriter collective of which he is a part.Now, Matthew is gearing up to release his fifth album, alongside producer Josh Kaler, focused on genius loci — the spirit of place. Written across the country throughout 2017, and funded by generous fans contributing to a Pledge Music campaign, the record was finished in early 2018. As he chases the ever-retreating horizon, Jones will stop, listen, and capture when and what the spirit of each place calls out to him.Links: Website | Twitter | Facebook

Sam Weber

Sam Weber’s storied exodus from his homeland of Canada to find new footing and opportunity in America resonates like a classic story of pain, loss, and rebirth. That narrative thread is woven throughout his new record, Get Free, offering a warm, intimate, and multidimensional portrait of the 28-year-old singer-songwriter. With this new collection of material, Weber reaches fresh emotional depths, commanding more expressive personal moments than ever before — at times within the margins of a single verse. Sam Weber has already logged more miles as a gigging musician than most of his peers will in a lifetime, earning enviable accolades along the way (he was featured in Guitar Player a decade ago, by some accounts the youngest artist ever to grace those pages). He first picked up the guitar at age 12 to form a rock ’n’ roll band with his father and brother in the living room of their family home. Sixteen years later, having collaborated with Grammy winners and with extensive international tours under his belt, the Canadian-born Los Angeleno goes forth with the same intention and mantra as when he began: “Music is an emotional conduit between people and allows us the opportunity to share moments of truth and unity. In an age where the ritual of music-making can be a solitary exercise, I want to live my life to remind everyone that playing music as a communal and spontaneous practice can be healing and powerful.” In October 2019, Weber released what he now describes as his only real studio album, Everything Comes True. Though he had released a handful of compelling albums and EPs in the preceding decade, this one distinguished itself because the record was cut live-off-the-floor in the iconic B room at Hollywood’s Ocean Way Studios. From the circular shuffle of “It’s All Happening” to the soaring ramble of “Queen On The Money”, Everything Comes True’s expansive range of grooves and emotions stands tall above Weber’s previous offerings. Featuring hallmark musicianship and personnel from the near and far reaches of popular music and the singer-songwriter’s imagination, the sometimes nine-piece electric-roots orchestra conjure a brassy and joyful feast of sounds. Links: Website | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube | Spotify | Apple Music

Genre: Miscellaneous