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Originally formed ten years ago as the house band at the Ole Smoky Distillery bottle shop in Gatlinburg, TN, The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys was created when founder/mandolinist C.J. Lewandowski called on friends and fellow local pickers Josh Rinkel (guitar) and Jereme Brown (banjo), and soon Jasper Lorentzen (bass) to get in on the act. In what seemed like no time at all, the group began to tour heavily and earn nationwide recognition. Wanderers Like Me deals with what it’s like to face loss and the great unknown as “wanderers” reliant on each other, and the powers of nature and music. This new record is their first album made with an outside producer, Brevard’s own Woody Platt, and features more original work than any of their albums to date. Over their decade-long-rise, the band has achieved recognition from the International Bluegrass Music Association (“New Artist of the Year,” 2018) to the Recording Academy, which nominated them for “Best Bluegrass Album” in 2019. This July, the band earned their fourth nomination for the IBMA's Entertainer of the Year award.

The band from Folly Beach – and nowadays putting down Western NC roots too – is back with a self-titled album filled with the joy and hope and fun that we’ve come to associate with their vibe. Original members Dan Lotti (vocals, guitar, bass), Mike Sivilli (guitar, vocals), Steven Sandifer (percussion, bass, vocals) are nowadays joined by a fourth, Andrew Hendryx on mandolin. Recorded at Echo Mountain Studios in Asheville, they once again capture that blend of folk, rock, and jam grooves. As their press release states, “Dan Lotti’s powerful vocals soar through the hallowed rafters of the old church as he sings on themes of light, healing, and growth, while floating on the beachy and breezy sounds we have come to recognize as uniquely Dangermuffin.”

After a dozen or so albums of theirs going back to 2001, it’s about time they released a full live album of their great material, right? Well, here’s a double-album, recorded last September in Wilmington, NC. Chief songwriters here are Graham Sharp and Aaron Burdett, with each of them shining with their talents. Hearing them live is hearing them at their absolute best. It’s no surprise to us why Rolling Stones considers them “one of the most sought-after groups in Americana, bluegrass, and indie-folk.” Our next chance to see them live will be at their upcoming Mountain Song Festival in Brevard that they host, September 6 and 7. This album, out on August 30th, was mixed in Asheville at Citizen Vinyl Studios; a video about the process is here: https://steepcanyonrangers.bandcamp.com/album/live-at-greenfield-lake

“Copeland is the greatest female blues vocalist working today. There’s no mistaking the majesty of her instrument, nor the ferocity of her delivery”, says the Chicago Tribune. And they’re not alone! The reigning Queen of the Blues is back with 10 new original tunes plus powerful covers of Stevie Wonder and her late father Johnny Copeland. Song topics include climate change, to reproductive self-determination, to the man who taught Hank Williams the blues (Tee Tot Payne), to “Wine O’Clock.” Will Kimbrough contributes a lot with guitar and production work, as he has on her previous three albums.

It’s hard to believe this is already their 26th album, but if you’re not familiar with this wild, mercurial Australian band, it’s a great start. For Flight b741, bandleader Stu Mackenzie says King Gizzard “wanted to make something that was primal, instinctual, more ‘from the gut’ – just people in a room, doing what feels right. We wanted to make something fun.” As Relix says, “‘Field of Vision’ is a greased-up garage rock stomper, driven to dust by the band’s six-piston ignition and smoldering like a tire fire.” They’ve just launched a 40-date North American tour that includes Asheville on Friday the 30th!

Featuring one of Julian's favorite episodes.

This 10th album from Foster can be seen as a culmination of her career, and one that might bring a significant amount of more accolades to her inspirational work. She’s collaborated over the years with Bonnie Raitt, Susan Tedeschi & Derek Trucks, and others, and so far has five Grammy nominations. This album marks the start of a new partnership with Sun Records, the famous studio and label founded in Memphis by Sam Phillips and the start of careers for Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Howlin’ Wolf, and other legends.

He’s been hailed as “one of the South’s most lyrical and literate songwriters” by Rolling Stone, and covered by the likes of Bonnie Raitt, the Blind Boys of Alabama and Bettye LaVette (a whole album, in fact!) He’s also a musician’s musician, having worked extensively with Widespread Panic, Chuck Leavell, and Steve Winwood. In describing this new, 13th album, Bramblett explains “We called this record Paradise Breakdown because it has the feel of beauty and hope running up against pain and loss.” He performs in Studio B and in Asheville on September 20th, and the album will be released on the 27th.

On this Labor Day, we thought we’d start sharing with you a project we’ve been laboring on this year: our latest compilation CD of Studio B highlights! Our Crowd Around the Mic series is our most popular fund drive thank-you gift for members, and it is only available to members, for just the 12-month period in which it’s released. We officially release this next month: our Fall Fund Drive runs Saturday October 5th through Friday the 11th! Start getting to know this compilation that includes Robert Earl Keen, Chatham County Line, the Steep Canyon Rangers, Samantha Fish & Jesse Dayton, Chris Smither, Lydia Loveless and 20 others.

We’ve been awaiting it for a while, and here it is! Fans know how meticulous they are with getting their sound just right – a perfect balance of rustic, acoustic warmth with modern technology. This was recorded in Nashville at Welch and Rawlings' own Woodland Sound Studio, and mastered directly from the original tapes (through custom Ortofon amplifiers to a Neumann VMS-80 cutting system.) David Rawlings produced it. They’re coming to our area in October! They play Charlotte on October 15th, Boone the 17th, Knoxville the 18th, and Asheville the 19th.