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Warren Haynes is back in his hometown for his 32nd Christmas Jam, which will once again take over Asheville with Friday’s Pre-Jam, and Saturday’s Jam By Day events at Jack of the Wood, the Asheville Music Hall, and the One Stop. We have a hunch this year’s Pre-Jam gonna be a rocker. Who are we going to hear from? Tune in all evening to find out!

A native of Morrison, Colorado, Jobi got a big boost to her music career in Asheville in 2019, when she won the annual NewSong Music Performance & Songwriting Competition that takes place at Citizen Vinyl. She then recorded her album Whiplash, which she released this year on the Yep Roc record label. This year she was also awarded the Newport Folk Festival John Prine Fellowship. She visits us on Thursday afternoon before heading back to Citizen Vinyl to take part in a show there. Jobi will join Michael Flynn of Slow Runner and AC Sapphire: Flynn and Sapphire are also NewSong grand prize winners.

“Vintage country heart with a heartland rock soul.” That’s a good way to describe the foundation of Lydia’s music. Or as she said on her voicemail greeting for a while, ““Hi, this is Lydia Loveless, savior of cowpunk. Please leave a message and I will get back to you.” However you describe her, she’s spent a lot of time growing up on the harsh road of an indie touring musician. A survivor of all of the hardships that come with that, including the myriad challenges of the pandemic, she’s back with the appropriately titled Nothing’s Gonna Stand In My Way Again. We welcome their spirit and music here in Studio B, before they take the stage of Asheville’s Grey Eagle at 8pm on Wednesday.

A busy Goin' Across The Mountain this Saturday as we ease into the Holiday season! In the noon hour, Joe Greene talks with Darin & Brooke Aldridge about their Holiday doings and their new album, Hometown Holiday. Then in the 1 pm hour, Kristen Scott Benson and Wayne Benson will drop by to talk all things Benson for the Holidays!

We fell in love with Samantha Fish’s powerhouse blues-rock sound when we heard her 2017 album Chills & Fever, and hosted our first Studio B session with that next year. Dayton boasts an extraordinary background that includes recording with the likes of Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings, touring as a guitarist for the punk band X, and releasing a series of acclaimed solo albums. Produced by the legendary Jon Spencer of Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, their collaboration of this year, Death Wish Blues, is sure to be a Top 100 favorite among WNCW listeners. Their “Shake ‘Em On Down” tour (with Jon Spencer and Eric Johansen) plays the Bijou Theatre in Knoxville on Wednesday the 29th, and the Salvage Station in Asheville Friday.

We continue our annual tradition by serving up the entire iconic classic at noon. Don't miss it!

December 17, 2023 | Wortham Center for the Performing Arts | Asheville, NC

Happy Thanksgiving! We’ve got songs of food & gratitude all day long on Thursday, as well as a healthy portion served up in the days leading up to the big feast. Arlo Guthrie’s “Alice’s Restaurant Massacree” comes your way on Thursday just past Noon, per our beloved tradition here.Tune in starting at 7AM following Mountain Mornings for a special presentation of a variety of holiday themed programming, including the story of Massosoit, naturalist Joe Hutto's "My Life As A Turkey" and much more, including our usual Thursday features like Studio B Rewind, airing just ahead of when Martin Anderson begins the music mix at 9.

It's that time again! Time to vote for your 10 favorite WNCW releases of 2023, and help us create the Top 100 for our end-of-the-year countdown airing December 27th and 28th.Click here to see the list of albums we have featured this year and cast your votes.

Resiliency, Innovation and Creativity Go Hand In Hand In the Digital EraHear the podcast episode on the WNCW Southern Songs and Stories page linked here.