Introducing a new Holiday compilation out of Asheville! Abby Bryant, the New Dawn Starkestra, Las Sonora Carolina, and others are on this new release out of Citizen Studios. Producer and musician Jeff Sipe teamed up with Gar Ragland, Eddie Dewey, and Josh Blake to create this nine-song holiday collection. Proceeds from the album sales will benefit MusiCares and ArtsAVL in ongoing post-Helene recovery efforts.

As soon as you hear Melissa Carper sing, you might notice two things: her Nebraska upbringing, which included plenty of good classic country music, and her seamless blend of old-time, bluegrass, western swing, jazz, and blues, which form the foundation of country music itself. She’s made great solo records and collaborations with Kelly Willis and Brennen Leigh in the Wonder Women of Country, and now she’s released a Christmas album!

We’ve got holiday tunes from the reverent to the irreverent to spin for you this season. This 5-song EP from the Los Angeles duo of Haley Spence Brown and Jack Hackett and their band is festive, funny, and a little bit naughty…

The CCJO is a 17-piece not-for-profit ensemble dedicated to performing, preserving, and teaching jazz as a living art form. Over the years, they have presented big band arrangements of works by Duke Ellington, Charles Mingus, Stevie Wonder, Prince, and others, as well as Tchaikovsky’s Nutracker. Now they’ve remixed some of their holiday arrangements for the 21st Century, with various jazz styles from around the world, including samba and hip hop.

Apparently, this album began as a “just for fun” project among longtime friends and grew into something deeper: an ode to slowing down, paying attention, and creating together. The result is a warm, welcoming collection for fans of folk-rock authenticity. Think front-porch honesty with the crackle of a lived-in LP.

Langhorne Slim’s music has always been marked by diverse influences and unexpected turns. This time, he’s plugged in more than before: "I love acoustic music. I love folk music. But those aren't my only loves. Rock & roll has always tickled the same place in my soul as great singer-songwriter music, and I wanted to explore those influences. Raw songs that make you feel something: that's the stuff I'm after." His ninth album is scheduled for release on January 16th. He plays the Grey Eagle in Asheville on February 7th.

The music of North Carolinian Abigail Dowd has been described as “songs rooted in folk, blues, and the mystic heart of the South.” She builds songs from the cultural ruins we walk past every day: Scots graveyards, Native trails, Eastern mantras, family myths, war stories, saints and mothers, and the long silence in between.

Not everyone might think cowboy songs for the 21st Century are just what we need, but when written and delivered with the quality that Dallas Burrow brings, you, too, might become a convert. The Texas singer-songwriter’s influences, such as Townes Van Zandt and John Prine, can likely be heard here. The legendary Lloyd Maines produced this, and the guest vocalists joining Dallas are Ray Wylie Hubbard, Kelly Willis, and Jim Lauderdale, so of course, we like this!

Produced by Wall and Pat Lyons, this new collection of drinking songs and blue-collar stories is inspired by the 1970s era of country music. The 10-song collection is an exploration of the ways humans are connecting to people, to the natural world, to time, or to God.

Roark, who calls the long-time Red Dirt haven of Tahlequah, Oklahoma, home, wears his roots on his sleeve throughout this debut album. Roark was raised listening to country music and Southern rock. He was also a fan of Cross Canadian Ragweed’s Red Dirt sound — a genre which would eventually shape his music.