Simba Baumgartner & Adrien Marco Gypsy Jazz Guitar Workshop
March 22, 2025. 2:00pm-3:30pm Learn the secrets of Gypsy Jazz guitar straight from the masters. Simba and Adrien will guide you in the finer points of la pompe and chord voicings, as well as soloing concepts and licks. Come with an acoustic guitar and a recording device. Other instruments welcome too, but the workshop will focus on guitar. The Carrboro Django Reinhardt Festival Website Simba Baumgartner and Adrien Marco are French Gypsy Jazz guitarists who are part of the young generation of authentic players carrying on the tradition of Django Reinhardt. Simba is the great grandson of Django’s, and grew up in Samois-sur- Seine surrounded by the music and his family’s legacy. He plays in the authentic Jazz Manouche way, having learned it directly from his elders and some the greatest musicians of the style. Proud of his origins, he represents his musical culture by paying homage to his ancestor, while also revealing his own vision. Adrien grew up not far from Samois, the home of the original Django Reinhardt Festival. He was drawn to learning the guitar after hearing Django’s music, and taught himself to play by trying to recreate what he heard. His graceful and dynamic playing makes him a sought after musician on the world stage. Adrien Marco Website | Adrien Marco YouTube
Simba Baumgartner & Adrien Marco + Onyx Club Boys
March 22, 2025. 8:00pm-11:00pm.(Show #1, 8-9pm, 15 minute intermission, show #2, 9:15-11pm) The Carrboro Django Reinhardt Festival Website Simba Baumgartner and Adrien Marco are French Gypsy Jazz guitarists who are part of the young generation of authentic players carrying on the tradition of Django Reinhardt. Simba is the great grandson of Django’s, and grew up in Samois-sur- Seine surrounded by the music and his family’s legacy. He plays in the authentic Jazz Manouche way, having learned it directly from his elders and some the greatest musicians of the style. Proud of his origins, he represents his musical culture by paying homage to his ancestor, while also revealing his own vision. Adrien grew up not far from Samois, the home of the original Django Reinhardt Festival. He was drawn to learning the guitar after hearing Django’s music, and taught himself to play by trying to recreate what he heard. His graceful and dynamic playing makes him a sought after musician on the world stage. Adrien Marco Website | Adrien Marco YouTube Onyx Club Boys is an acoustic string band (violin, guitar, upright bass, and drums) rooted in Django Reinhardt’s Gypsy Jazz sounds of Paris, and Stuff Smith’s New York City Swing. However, being from 21st Century North Carolina, their diverse influences take the music beyond borders. With influences from around the world, their performances transcend boundaries, drawing listeners in with irresistible rhythms, soulful melodies, and a shared appreciation for the universal language of music. For this special Carrboro Django Reinhardt Festival appearance, they will start things off with the core band (Gabriel Pelli, Ben Lassiter, Aaron Gross, Daniel Hall), adding special guests until they transform into the sizzling Onyx Club Boys Big Band experience! Come ready to party and dance the night away. Onyx Club Boys Website
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 YOUR kids have a chance to experience the magic of the Beatles LIVE in concert! Abbey Road LIVE! is well known in the Southeast 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”. Does your child have a a favorite Beatles tune? Abbey Road LIVE! loves to take requests, and has often been known to invite kids on stage to sing along. This rare event will be big fun for the whole family! **Special FAMILY PACK ticket available – admits 4 people for just $40!** Website | Facebook | YouTube
Blue Cactus Album Release Show
Led by kindred spirit songwriters Steph Stewart and Mario Arnez, Blue Cactus got their start among the active honky-tonk circuit, developing an electrified twang that now branches out effortlessly into folk, alt-country, and psychedelic-tinged rock. Blue Cactus has supported a diverse set of artists over its eight-year history (The War & Treaty, Town Mountain, and Steve Gunn, among others), Stewart’s introspective lyricism and Arnez’s skill for lush arrangements making the band potent in the studio and on stage. Released April 2025 via Sleepy Cat Records, their third album, Believer, has received praise from several tastemakers including No Depression, NPR, Holler Country, Under the Radar, and The Bluegrass Situation with Indy Week applauding, “Believer is a standout album, with Stewart’s steady Dolly Parton-esque twang shimmering alongside the band’s pop-country hooks and bittersweet (but always catchy) lyrics.” The album came to life with producers Whit Wright (Thomas Rhett) and Saman Khoujinian (Sylvan Esso) and with contributions from a host of talents, including Erin Rae, Brit Taylor, Rich Ruth, Hozier’s Ryan Conners, Joe Westerlund (Jake Fussell, Watchhouse), and Nashville session master Russ Pahl. Brimming with cracked-open honesty and electrified twang, Believer cements North Carolina’s Blue Cactus as a leading force in modern country and roots music. Led by songwriters Steph Stewart and Mario Arnez, the group’s third album was written over a heavy two years following their critically lauded debut Blue Cactus and the glitz-and-glam sophomore album Stranger Again, as Stewart battled chronic health issues and the duo reassembled their musical careers in the wake of 2020. Feeling into an arid internal landscape, Stewart found microclimates of life as she hummed melodies and jotted down phrases. On Believer, Stewart’s instinct for cadence and lyricism evoke Emmylou Harris’ spacious storytelling and the dusty Southern folk melancholy of Gillian Welch while Arnez holds space for each song, tending the soil with layered folk textures, genre-hopping arrangements, and bittersweet hooks. The result is a shock of color and energy, Believer blooming as delicate, prickly, and bold as a field of wildflowers. Website | Bandcamp | Instagram | Facebook | Spotify | YouTube | TikTok
Rob DiMauro’s 40th Birthday Bash
Rob DiMauro’s 40th Birthday Bashfeaturing SKINNY BAG OF SUGAR and THE SCHOOL OF ROCK (Chapel Hill) STAFF BAND
Carolina Waves Showcase & Open Mic
Hosted by Mir.I.am, featuring DJ Kidfromthehill Free for UNC students with ID. ALL AGES. FREE TO PERFORM. FLASHDRIVES ONLY. $15 ENTRY.EARLY ARRIVAL HIGHLY SUGGESTED / FLASHDRIVES ONLY FOR TRACKS. ALL TALENTS, GENRES, AGES, INSTRUMENTS WELCOME Email [email protected] with questions
Husbands
Husbands knows the galvanizing power of an anthemic, hair-raising song. As the co-founding songwriter behind the Oklahoma City indie rock outfit Husbands, Danny Davis has been meticulously crafting emotionally potent tunes about finding your place in the world. His writing always strives to break free from monotony and routine, aiming for meaning and clarity through massive choruses and colorful arrangements. CUATRO, Husbands’ adventurous and triumphant fourth album out Oct. 13 via Cowboy 2.0 and Thirty Tigers, marks a turning point for the band. It’s the first LP written after the departure of longtime bandmate and collaborator, Wil Norton. It’s also an album that Davis made during a time of relative personal stability after quitting his nine-to-five and moving with his wife to Costa Rica. Across 11 arena-filling and richly-produced tracks, the full-length is a document of his growth as a human being and a testament to finding peace in relationships evolving. Website | Bandcamp | Instagram | Facebook | Spotify | YouTube
Monobloc
Soaring out of the underground of New York City’s booming DIY scene, Monobloc, helmed by vocalist Timothy Waldron and Michael Silverglade on bass, is an exciting new project forms by two friends with a shared ear for merging pop sensibilities, with a distinctly metropolis post-punk attitude. Completed by Zack Pockrose on drums, and guitarists Ben Scofield and Nina Lüders, Monobloc’s strengths lie in their innate gift of storytelling; pairing textually rich, visceral and emotional detail, with a minimalist instrumentation that sits as confidently alongside some of NYCs artistic greats, as it does in its own lane entirely. Undoubtedly a band to watch out for, Monobloc are rapidly on the rise. With a thriving live reputation across the US, 2024 sees the 5 piece come into their own with the release of singles ‘Where Is My Garden’, and the bonafide classic ‘I’m Just Trying To Love You’. A masterclass in heart-on-sleeve adolescence, ‘I’m Just Trying To Love You’ is equal parts new-age Indie, and timeless. Musically enlightened, and beautifully coming-of-age. Monobloc are the ascending sound of a generation, and we’re only just at the beginning. Website | Instagram
Darren Kiely
Hailing from a quaint town in Co. Cork, Ireland, Darren Kiely’s folk-infused pop sound originates from his inherited love of traditional Irish music, intertwined with modern influences such as The Lumineers, Mumtord & Sons, and Noah Kahan. At just five vears old, Darren learned the tin whistle, and at eight years old he picked up the fiddle, eventually teaching himself to play guitar as well. Darren began singing in 2019, quickly garnering attention for his raw and fervent vocals and emotive delivery. After winning numerous honors at a national level in Irish traditional music, Darren found his way to NYC in 2022 to continue developing his own music and sound, and soon after headed to the songwriting hub of Nashville. Signing to Free Flight Records, Kily’s unique presentation of folk-infused pop and lush storytelling, which echoes the backdrop of the inish countryside where he was raised, is the foretront of his debut EP, Lost. The seven-track project explores the triumphant war of overcoming self-doubt, struggling to find himself, questioning emotions and seeking answers, while his follow up EP, From The Dark, Kiely takes his craft to new heights as he explores the harsh realities that come with growing up and moving on. Lost features track “Mom & Dad,” which debuted in the Top 40 on the Irish Singles chart and lop 5 on the Irish Homegrown chart, as well as tan-tavorite “Sunrise” which reached No. 1 on the chart. Kiely took his new music on the road with his headline THE ROAD HOME TOUR & THE LOST TOUR, where he sold out shows across hishome country of Ireland and in North America and has toured with the 502s and Mat Kearny. Website | Facebook | TikTok | Instagram | YouTube
Andrew Duhon
There’s a mystical allure to the road. Innately literal and figurative, it is both the blacktop and the connective tissue between people, places, and cultures. The opportunity to venture beyond what’s known and comfortable into what’s possible. A rugged romanticism of packing up a standard issue Chevy Express tour van with instruments, scuffed amps, overflowing merch boxes, and a trio of musicians setting sail to share Duhon’s songs with anyone who will listen. For a young Andrew Duhon, the road was the connection from “No Man’s Land” to the “Promised Land.” A chance to truly connect with former strangers through song. To feel equal kinship with the good ol’ boys in Beaumont, TX and the hippies and artists in Bellingham, WA. But with that comes a weight. Duhon has a knack for telling the kind of stories that clearly cost the writer something to tell, the kind of honesty that feels noble and never half hearted. Entertaining? Sure, but when a song written by a stranger heals you, even in the smallest way, that’s a connection beyond entertainment, and that is the journey Andrew Duhon sets out on from his home in Louisiana. His songs are about recognizing our story as much as they are about telling his, and his coast to coast pursuits have given him a clearer view of the American Landscape than most are privy to. But after years of voyaging off to every corner of the country, a new sensation arises with each return to New Orleans. The fondness for home returns and, for the moment, forgives the potholes and the incompetence of local politics to focus on those familiar sights, sounds, and singular culture of Louisiana from the old European feeling of The French Quarter to the rural cane fields of Cajun country where his father’s side resides, now noticing the changes after every stretch of time spent away. And from that familiar return comes The Parish Record, a snapshot of life venturing from and returning to one of America’s purest cultural vignettes, and the beauty, conflict, and stories that come with it. The Parish Record was recorded at Dockside Studios in Maurice, LA, where deep in Cajun country sits a wood-panel barn engulfed in oak and cypress trees along the slow butterscotch bayou pace of the Vermillion River. In this isolated hub of Acadiana, Andrew Duhon embarked with his trio of most trusted musicians – Myles Weeks (James Hunter Six, Eric Lindell) on Bass, Jim Kolacek (Feufollet) on Drums, and Daniel Walker (Heart, Ann Wilson, Amy Ray) on Keys – to harness of the sound and feeling of their surroundings. Justin Tockett, the house engineer at Dockside is also, as Duhon claims, his secret weapon. From Duhon, “Justin’s production is the most underrated thing in the room, and his spirit is peaceful and literally at home at that studio. There’s a cat on his lap most of the time he’s mixing. I mean, come on… That’s the feeling I wanted to feel when making this record from what felt like home to me. It wasn’t time to hit Nashville or try out something new on this one. It was about believing in the songs from where the songs came from.” Website | Instagram | Facebook | Spotify | YouTube
