Jon Shain and FJ Ventre

This is a seated show. Hailing from Durham, NC, Jon Shain is a veteran singer-songwriter who’s been turning heads for years with his words, his fiery acoustic guitar work, and his evolved musical style – combining improvised piedmont blues with bluegrass, swing, and ragtime. Jon has released nine solo albums to date, along with two albums with duo partner FJ Ventre, a Jon Shain Trio live album, and one album of co-writes with Joe Newberry. Shain’s newest album, Restless Soul Syndrome, recorded at Good Luck Studio this past year, was released April 9, 2024. Shain is also the author of the music books Gettin’ Handy With the Blues – a Tribute to the Legacy of W.C. Handy and Jon Shain’s Fingerstyle Guitar Method, both published by Mel Bay Publications. In 2019, Shain won the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, TN in the solo/duo category. Jon grew up in Haverhill, Massachusetts, a Merrimack River mill-town that had already seen its better days by the time he was a child in the 1970s. His family’s business was a small textile dyeing company, and he worked in the factory during the summers throughout his teens. At the same time, Shain began to discover his love of American roots music and songwriting, specifically drawn to the narratives about regular people and themes of social justice. Shain headed south to North Carolina in 1986, to study American History at Duke University and to continue his musical journey, as well. In addition to studying with jazz professor Paul Jeffrey, he also had the good fortune to learn the piedmont blues tradition firsthand by playing in Big Boy Henry’s backing band. It was at this time that Shain also got to meet and play with John Dee Holeman and a number of the great older NC blues players. Shain’s classes in school were heavily concentrated in southern history, English, and world religions. That mixture of the academic environment and the real-world blues music is what has most informed his musical direction. Shain cut his touring teeth from 1989-1998 founding the Chapel Hill, NC folk-rock group, Flyin’ Mice and their spin-off group, WAKE. The band performed with acts such as David Grisman, Tony Rice Unit, Hot Tuna, and the Dixie Dregs, released four CDs, and played clubs, schools, and festivals up and down the East Coast, building a legion of fans. After the band’s breakup, Shain went solo, returning to his roots by touring in the folk and blues circuit. Shain has also become a sought after guitar teacher and studio producer. In 2021, he produced Donna Herula’s blues radio chart-topping album, Bang at the Door. Over the last several years, Shain has headlined listening rooms both as a solo and with duo partner FJ Ventre throughout the US and he’s done two solo tours in Europe. He has opened shows for John Hiatt, Keb’ Mo’, Little Feat, and many other roots legends. When Shain is not recording, producing other artists, or performing, he stays busy giving private instruction in guitar, and teaching group workshops in songwriting and blues guitar. Website

Jesse Fox

Jesse Fox – a name that echoes within the realm of soulful artistry and immersive storytelling. Each performance is a gateway to an emotional landscape where heartfelt melodies and eloquent narratives seamlessly entwine, resonating deep within the core of one’s being. Rooted in the musically diverse landscape of North Carolina, Fox emerges as a master craftsman of lyrics, weaving songs that stir even the most stoic of spirits. From his early musical explorations with the acclaimed folk band Love & Valor, Jesse embarked on a journey to define his voice as a singular singer-songwriter. Guided by the echoes of the past, he channels the timeless resonance of songsmiths like Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash. Concurrently, he embraces the sonic tapestry of modern troubadours like The Avett Brothers, The Lumineers, and The Civil Wars. The result is an enchanting fusion of Americana, folk, and deeply emotive ballads. With a gift for delving deep into the human psyche, Jesse Fox’s lyrics resonate with profound honesty. They navigate the intricate pathways of love, the hollow echoes of loss, the reflective inner gaze, and the relentless quest for personal evolution. His narratives are a rich tapestry of life’s shared experiences, stirring a sense of collective authenticity among listeners. Complemented by a skilled ensemble of musicians, Jesse’s live performances radiate with a distinctive energy that electrifies, while simultaneously nurturing intimacy. Each note and harmony fill the room, wrapping audiences in a tapestry of shared emotion and musical unity. Be it on the grand stage of a festival or the close quarters of a small venue, Jesse’s empathic connection with the audience pervades every corner, creating a truly shared experience. As he steps forth into his solo career, Jesse carries the legacy of Love & Valor within his heart. Their final symphony together, ‘Old Oak,’ is an extraordinary portfolio of songs, reflecting the artistic zenith of their shared journey. Jesse Fox, with ambitions to stir hearts across the globe, extends an open invitation to you. Join him on this entrancing musical odyssey. Plunge into his endless well of melodies, immerse yourself in the depth of his lyrics, and feel the unfiltered passion of an artist who crafts each note with undying love and dedication. Let the captivating allure of Jesse Fox – a singer-songwriter of remarkable soulfulness – leave a lasting imprint within your heart. Website | Instagram | Facebook | Spotify | YouTube

Zinadelphia

With a sound that blends the best of the past and present, Zinadelphia crafts timeless, colorful songs that play the long game.Following a successful trio of singles, Zinadelphia released her debut Lucky EP in 2023, and began touring as support for artists who are equally as audacious: Medium Build, Teddy Swims and most recently, Tori Kelly. “It’s the most fun I’ve had in my whole life,” she describes. She built her audience organically, performing cross-country for the first time and captivating new fans with her singular voice and charm.Entering 2024, Zinadelphia brought together writer-producers Leroy Clampitt and Gabe Goodman, working out of LA together to create a sound that is everything she’s always wanted. “I’m very much a maximalist,” she explains. “I wanted to dip into an old Hollywood feel, almost Burlesque-like.” This aesthetic, combined with her love of 60s and 70s icons like The Supremes, Gloria Gaynor, and Tammi Terrell, birthed songs that feel reminiscent of those decades, while still being grounded in the present. Her next single, “Love Over Glory,” encapsulates the power that Zinadelphia has always possessed, now on full display. She strives to be realistic, rather than aspirational, about her struggles, contrasting darker themes with high energy tempos. Referencing disco motifs with bombastic horns, funk basslines and a four-on-the-floor beat, the single sets the stage for a new era to come: “It’s the most me I’ve ever felt.”Zinadelphia embraces life’s “ugly truths” through her songwriting, using music as an outlet to process new experiences and express herself. She captures the highs and lows of womanhood, marrying vintage aesthetics with a fresh and exciting perspective. Instagram | Facebook | YouTube | TikTok | Spotify

Bass Battery Record Release Show

Rock n roll duo with Norwood Cheek on bass and Rob Ladd on drums. Facebook | Instagram

Flock of Dimes

I did not enter this world afraidAnd I refuse to leave it this way. Flock of Dimes – the solo project of multi-instrumentalist and producer Jenn Wasner – releases her third album, The Life You Save, worldwide on October 10th, 2025, on Sub Pop Records. Across the last few decades – whether it be as Flock of Dimes, as half of beloved duo Wye Oak, or via one of her many collaborations with Bon Iver, Sylvan Esso, and a sprawling list of other musical juggernauts – Wasner’s extensive catalog displays her gift for balancing authenticity and directness with an unmistakable left-of-center sensibility. Her songwriting has always found her as a keen-eyed observer, a deeply empathetic and thoughtful storyteller with a skill for probing memory, heartbreak, and unhealed trauma, a shroud of syncopation or off-kilter guitar taking a song somewhere quietly prodigious. Her last solo album, the critically-lauded Head of Roses, took on heartbreak from a dualistic perspective, following a winding thread of intuition into the unknown and into healing. Her new album, The Life You Save, takes that a step further; put simply, it’s the most honest, intimate and personally revealing record of Wasner’s career. As heart-wrenching as they are hopeful, its twelve tracks delve the depths of addiction and codependency, inherited and experienced trauma, and the process of finding peace in the face of others’ suffering. The Life You Save is resonant, unflinchingly exposed – like a missive from the eye of a storm. But while it somehow manages to feel both viscerally raw and vulnerable, above it floats a sense of quiet peace, a sheen of hindsight, or perhaps of acceptance. It is the story of how it feels to be trapped between two worlds—the one you came from, and the one you’ve escaped to; about the belief that somehow, you can take the ones you love with you to this place; about the grief of realizing that the only person you can save is yourself. The Life You Save was produced by Jenn Wasner and recorded at Betty’s in Chapel Hill, NC, and Montrose Recording in Los Angeles, CA, and includes the highlights “Long After Midnight,” “Defeat,” “Afraid,” “Keep Me In The Dark,” and “River In My Arms.” The Life You Save also features additional production from Nick Sanborn (tracks 2, 3, 4, 7, 8, 11), is engineered by Adrian Olsen & Alli Rogers, mixed by Adrian Olsen, and mastered by Huntley Miller. Jenn writes on The Life You Save: “My previous records, generally, have been a summary of things I had already been through— experiences I had observed and reflected upon, reporting back from some amount of distance. But this record is different. It is an attempt to report from inside of a process that is ongoing and unfinished, from which I will likely never fully emerge as long as I am alive: my struggle within the cycles of addiction and co-dependency. “I set out trying to make a record about other people. “Their problems, their struggles, their addictions. Website | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

Vandelux

Baby Bugs

Baby Bugs is an alternative music project founded by Bowie. Raised on bluegrass guitar and church hymns, Bowie spent years held under the weight of religious trauma and emotional abuse before discovering that writing their feelings in the form of a song or poem was the only way to express themselves clearly. In 2021 at the age of 18, Bowie released their first song “Hey Bunny”. Surpassing 2 million streams in its first 60 days and receiving an outpour from fans encouraging Baby Bugs for more, Bowie decided to continue to write and record songs with the goal to help others who have experienced similar hardships feel less alone. Spotify | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok Abigail Osbornis an indie/alternative singer-songwriter based in Nashville, TN. Originally from Colorado, she brings a baby twang sound to the indie world. Abigail is getting ready to release her debut record titled ‘i don’t need to know how this ends’ — co-produced and written by her from start to finish. With a fresh perspective on love, loss, friendships and the coming-of-age experience, Abigail has a unique way of stringing together words that leave you hanging on every last one. She’s been featured as the cover of Spotify’sNext Gen Singer-Songwriter playlist and is building a growing fanbase drawn to her emotional depth and honesty.

Petey USA

Website | Instagram | TikTok | YouTube

General Purpose, Act of Love

General Purpose is a Progressive Rock Band based in Greensboro, NC. The group utilizes classical instruments such as clarinet and violin and puts them into a rock context. Drawing influence from 70’s acts such as Jethro Tull, Yes, Genesis and others, combined with Classical and Jazz influence, songwriters Xul Rutty (Bass/Vocals) and Uno Dos Santos (Guitar) create a symphonic experience through the large instrumentation. General Purpose is dedicated to creating a unique and interactive concert experience to demand the audiences full attention, even collaborating with visual artists. Website Durham-based singer and composer Bella Nona has over a decade of deep roots performing in the Triangle area. Her performances can be heard busked in the streets of downtown Durham or on the stages of the Cat’s Cradle and the Haw River Ballroom. She is currently part of the artist collective OnlyUs and performs her original material with her Carrboro-based band. A songbird of many different genres, her sound spans neo-soul, bossa nova, indie rock, and dark folk. Her debut album Goddess Complex can be heard on all major streaming platforms. LinkTree Indie Cult Classic is a Michigan-born singer-songwriter now rooted in North Carolina. Blending raw emotion with acoustic soul, Don writes songs about love, loss, and life’s turning points. A father of six and a lifelong musician, he’s been playing guitar since age seven and performing heartfelt original music that speaks to the quiet battles we all face. Don’s sound is intimate, reflective, and unfiltered — offering a space where pain meets purpose, and healing begins. Instagram

A Tribute to the Beach Boys for the benefit of Lynn & Ecki

GoFundMe Friends and fans of Lynn, Many of you have already learned that Lynn received the news we all hoped so hard she wouldn’t: that there has been a recurrence of her cancer and that she will need to undergo further treatment. Concurrently, Lynn’s husband Ecki has been diagnosed with colon cancer and will begin treatment soon himself. This is cruel timing and the couple will need a great deal of support in order to manage caring for one another and covering the expenses of living and of cancer care. The first edition of this campaign netted about 22k, and I am trying to help them have a solid cushion this time around, thus the 52k goal. (GoFundMe shows the entirety of the money raised after both phases.) Lynn and Ecki very much hope that she will be able to continue her work toward a degree in Peace & Conflict Studies at UNCG and that both of them will be able to write and perform music together as they always have. But the course of treatment for both of them is indefinite, and so are its effects. This fundraising is a “big group” project, so no amount is too small and every penny will be deeply appreciated. Since lots of people have left social media of late, I would appreciate you spreading this by more old-fashioned means to people you know who care about Lynn and her stolen German. The Blakey-Heins family (and I) are so grateful to those of you who lent your support last time and may be able to again–what a generous lot you are, and what a help it was and will be to them. May every grace attend you all. With all my gratitude and with earnest hope & prayer for the health of our friend, I thank you for considering and sharing. Fondly, Caitlin Cary

Genre: Miscellaneous