Grey Eagle Patio Stage

Show runs 11am-2pm on the patio stage. Food and drink available from The Grey Eagle Taqueria. Family friendly show! Kids get in free. Come fill your Sunday day with food, drink, fun and some of the best live music Asheville has to offer - all in one place. 

LIMITED PATIO SEATING IS FIRST COME FIRST SERVE

CHRIS WILHELM

Chris Wilhelm is known for bringing positive vibes and an uplifting message to his audience. He plays Americana, folk rock originals that are infectious and insightful, and sprinkles in covers too. Worldwide airplay brought his latest album “This Too Shall Pass" to be one of the Top 100 Alt-Country Albums of 2020, and it spent several months on the national folk charts as well.

Chris Wilhelm is a songcatcher and live performer. He made guitars out of cardboard before getting his first one at 13. Born in Hudson, NY, he later moved to Albany, NY, then Boston, and currently lives in Asheville, NC. He has released nine records and played thousands of shows. He has performed in theaters, concert venues, festivals, clubs, bars, libraries, retirement homes, subways, performed on the street and even played at a marathon. He played over 200 shows a year for several years. 

In 2000 Chris played his first open mic and has been performing live and recording ever since. He's performed thousands of shows from the subways in Boston to venues up and down the East Coast. 

In 2004, Chris released his first album, "McKinsley Steel" - it is well loved by many of his fans and includes classic songs such as "Travellin' on Down" and the title track.

In 2005 he released an album called "This Train's Not Going Slow." It reached #3 on Boston's 88.7FM WERS radio charts, and he played shows in many Boston venues including Club Passim, etc.

In 2008 Chris did his first solo tour, down to New Orleans and back to Boston. He released his second studio album, "Glory, Filth and Fame."

From 2012-2015 he played 225 shows a year as the singer-songwriter for The Wilhelm Brothers. They released two studio albums with Henry Hirsch, producer of Lenny Kravitz, Madonna, etc.: "Lay Your Burden Down" and "The Sea of the Unwritten." They also released live album "Like a Bird."

2021 saw the online release of  "Joseph's Garage"- 12 new home demos recorded on a Tascam 4-track tape machine. Inspired by the Bruce Springsteen album, "Nebraska," which was recorded on similar equipment.

LIMITED PATIO SEATING IS FIRST COME FIRST SERVE

ELECTRIC BLUE YONDER
Electric Blue Yonder is a musical group like no other, featuring Beth Hataway and Johnny Veres as its core members. Their music takes the listener on a journey through space and time, blending influences from folk, rock, and ambient music into a unique sound that is both familiar and alien.

Beth's haunting vocals and Johnny's intricate guitar work are the perfect match, creating a sonic landscape that captivates audiences and leaves them spellbound. Their music touches on themes of love, loss, and the search for meaning in an ever-changing world, conveying heartfelt emotions and genuine experiences.

Despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, Electric Blue Yonder continued to showcase their music through virtual performances and interviews, captivating audiences with their otherworldly sounds and unique blend of space-folk. Their debut album, "B/TST Between Space and Time," was released just two weeks before the pandemic began, but the band's unwavering commitment to their craft enabled them to overcome adversity and continue to create and perform.

Their sophomore album, "Mourning Sounds," takes listeners on a metaphorical journey through the process of loss and grieving, highlighting the power of the human spirit to overcome adversity and find a way forward. The album's message of friendship, perseverance, and radical acceptance resonates deeply, garnering critical acclaim from prestigious outlets such as American Songwriter, Americana UK, and V13.

With their innovative blend of musical styles and themes, Electric Blue Yonder has established themselves as a force to be reckoned with in the world of indie music. Their continued growth and evolution as artists, while staying true to their unique sound and vision, is a testament to their talent and commitment to their craft.

Their highly anticipated album, "MicroPARTY," promises to be a celebration of life's small moments, with catchy hooks and danceable beats that will have listeners grooving along in no time. The album's production is said to be top-notch, with expertly crafted layers of synths, guitar riffs, and vocals that create a sonic landscape that is both immersive and exhilarating. Electric Blue Yonder's music is a beacon of hope in a world that is ever more complex and uncertain, reminding listeners that the human spirit is capable of reaching for the stars. Their unique sound and commitment to their craft are sure to inspire and captivate audiences for years to come.

Show runs 11am-2pm on the patio stage. Food and drink available from The Grey Eagle Taqueria. Family friendly show! Kids get in free. Come fill your Sunday day with food, drink, fun and some of the best live music Asheville has to offer - all in one place. 

LIMITED PATIO SEATING IS FIRST COME FIRST SERVE

MAYA DE VITRY

Maya de Vitry’s dynamic and vibrant voice seems to rise out of some necessity of bringing songs to life, embracing listeners with what Folk Alley calls a “soulful intimacy”. She grew up in a musical family in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, understanding music to be a place of gathering, a way to spend a summer night around a campfire. Maya first traveled and performed as a fiddling street musician, and then in bars, theaters, and on festival stages as a founding member of The Stray Birds. When the band parted ways in 2018, Maya embarked on an ever-evolving musical path of solo work and new collaborations. Her recordings and live performances embody both sincerity and playfulness, and a compelling reverence for the power of songs to be a place of gathering – whether played on stage, or around a campfire.

Maya tours in a variety of formats, each featuring a fluid lineup of inspired collaborators. She also enjoys the art of warming up the stage for other artists and she has been invited to support a variety of tours, from innovative singer-songwriters like John Craigie and Aoife O’Donovan, to bands like Mighty Poplar and The Wood Brothers.

While on a tour in April 2023, Maya felt deeply moved by the musical chemistry, emotional immediacy, and joyful spontaneity of her live band. She reached out to Nashville-based engineer Lawson White to arrange a recording session for this specific ensemble. But as far as the material for the session, she felt certain of only one song. “Stacy, In Her Wedding Gown” – a captivating portrait of a deeply creative working mother, inspired by one of Maya’s former co-workers at the Nipper’s Corner Starbucks – had become a staple in her live show and could be a centerpiece of the collection.

With the band booked and the session on the calendar, Maya wrote several new songs with the ensemble in mind, and chose one cover song for the collection. The resulting EP, Infinite, is performed with astonishing depth and tenderness, shimmering with a loose, human beauty from start to finish. Produced by Maya de Vitry and engineered and mixed by Lawson White, Infinite features Maya de Vitry (acoustic guitar, vocals) and members of her touring band – Joel Timmons (acoustic guitar, electric guitar, vocals), Hannah Delynn (vocals), and Ethan Jodziewicz (upright bass, fretless electric bass). It is a powerful 23 minute journey that invites listeners into the space of warmth and freedom that Maya has so devotedly created.

LIMITED PATIO SEATING IS FIRST COME FIRST SERVE

STEPHEN EVANS & THE TRUE GRITS

After many years of vacillating between being a professional musician and building a nest in Asheville, NC, Stephen Evans finally asked his friends, Brian Shoemaker (bass), Sam Hess (drums), and Woodstock (mandolin), to form the True Grits and make some music together in 2014.

 

The very next year, Stephen Evans & the True Grits released their first LP "Something to Bleed".  Inspired to release more music, they followed two years later with their EP "Under the Bridge."  Both records received local and regional praise for their passion and creativity.

 

Stephen's strong melodic songwriting style is a blend of vivid imagery, darkness, and hopeful optimism.  There's no denying the feeling that shines through with his evocative vocals and lyrics.  Songs like ‘Ghost Among the Trees’, 'The Garden', 'Cherokee Hills', 'Shining Star', and 'Buzz of Bees' are beacons of his folk rock song craft. With radio play on Western North Carolina radio stations, as well as shows around the region, Stephen Evans & the True Grits are becoming a local favorite. 

 

"Buzz of Bees" is their latest album, released in December of 2022, of folk rock with some songs dipping their toes into other styles like Americana, Latin Folk, and Vaudeville.  Singles from the LP, ‘Ghost Among the Trees’, ‘Winning the Day’, and ‘Estefania’, are already receiving radioplay on local stations as well as national online radio and music podcasts.  Look for Stephen Evans & the True Grits playing fun live shows all around the area to support this beautiful album.

 

“...overall, I highly recommend this album for those who enjoy folk rock, poetic lyricism, and an engaging sense of fun.  The album is a journey through different stages of life, confusion, heartbreak, revelation, and acceptance.” - Alison Price of WNC Original Music Podcast

LIMITED PATIO SEATING IS FIRST COME FIRST SERVE

BLUE CACTUS

Led by kindred spirit songwriters Steph Stewart and Mario Arnez, Blue Cactus got their start among the active honky-tonk circuit of North Carolina, 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 Junior Brown, among others), Stewart’s introspective lyricism and Arnez’s skill for lush arrangements making the band potent in the studio and on stage. Praised by No Depression for their ability to paint “beautiful pictures of limitless possibility” in roots music, Blue Cactus has drawn comparisons to Gillian Welch and Emmylou Harris.

 

Their sophomore album, Stranger Again, released in 2021 on Sleepy Cat Records, nabbed enthusiastic attention from tastemakers including No Depression, American Songwriter, FLOOD Magazine, Talkhouse, and INDY Week. Following their critically acclaimed 2017 debut and a string of singles in 2020, Stranger Again saw the band taking their sound to an ambitious new plane, where country-rock and light psychedelia mingle, vocals soaring over twangy slide guitars and propulsive basslines.

 

Between the comfort of classic country and the glamor of 70s rock, Blue Cactus resuscitate a fleeting style of honest-to-goodness country music considered valueless to a “new” country music where songwriting is officiated by financial analysts and teams of marketing plutocrats instead of woebegone troubadours. With a high lonesome twang, a Lucinda-like southern drawl, and blistering guitar techniques, Blue Cactus exercises the honky-tonk muscles to firmly bear the flag for a new generation of country music.

Show runs 11am-2pm on the patio stage. Food and drink available from The Grey Eagle Taqueria. Family friendly show! Kids get in free. Come fill your Sunday day with food, drink, fun and some of the best live music Asheville has to offer - all in one place. 

LIMITED PATIO SEATING IS FIRST COME FIRST SERVE

KYSHONA

Kyshona is an artist ignited by untold stories, and the capacity of those stories to thread connection in every community. With the background of a licensed music therapist, the curiosity of a writer, the patience of a friend, the vision of a social entrepreneur, the resolve of an activist, and the voice of a singer - Kyshona is unrelenting in her pursuit for the healing power of song. She lends her voice and music to those that feel they have been lost, silenced, forgotten or alone. Through her organization Your Song, she facilitates therapeutic songwriting sessions with groups and individuals in hopes of reconnecting those who are divided. Of her past releases, one fan reviewer wrote: “Amidst these hard, divisive times this set of songs is a salve for the grief many of us are feeling about resulting loss of family, friends, and community.”

Storytelling is the way we pass information - between friends, colleagues, and family. Stories are how we imprint our culture and give gifts from one generation to the next. Memory is imperfect. It is influenced by emotion, context, our state-of-mind on any given day, our health, surroundings, language, and how we have been socialized. In telling our stories, we not only enlighten one another to our truths, we also call upon our community to practice active understanding and to help us acknowledge, validate, and remember our past. In telling our stories of the past, we shape a collective future informed by all we have all we have traveled, all we have learned, and all we have been.

Every family has storytellers, because we are all storytellers.

In her forthcoming album LEGACY, Kyshona tells the long story of her family’s journey. Please join Kyshona in the coming months, as she shares more of that story.