Buoyant, smooth, and disarming, the music of singer-songwriter/producer Boy Golden (a.k.a. Liam Duncan, from Winnipeg) is charmingly undefinable, drawing lines from the Tulsa sound to North Carolina indie, New Jersey DIY to swampy New Orleans folk. From opening riff to swirling final notes, Best of Our Possible Lives ripples like the sun on the lake, an invitation to seek each our own bliss.

It’s been 20 years since the inception of The Infamous Stringdusters, the Grammy Award-winning ensemble who blend their love for bluegrass, rock, and fiery jams together in album after album. To celebrate their anniversary, the groundbreaking jamgrass quintet is releasing 20/20. Twenty brand new songs for twenty years.

Ed Jurdi and Gordy Quist began making music 20 years ago. Their great blend of rock, country, and blues as Band of Heathens has attracted a loyal following since then, and this new album is another feather in their cap.

We were pleased to hear from Mic Harrison and The High Score last year with their album out of East Tennessee, Peach Blossom Youth. Harrison, a former member of The V-Roys with Scott Miller, teamed up again with Robbie Trosper (vocals, guitar), Vance Hillard (bass, vocals), Kevin Abernathy (vocals, guitar, mandolin), and Mark T. Dunn (drums) for some great Americana rockers. Mic & co. are passing through our area this Thursday, with their next local concert coming up on March 21st at the Down Home in Johnson City.

Shelby Means, Joel Timmons, and Liam Purcell are among our guests in this festive analysis

Grammy Award-winning musician and singer/songwriter Trey Hensley—referred to as “Nashville’s hottest young player” by Acoustic Guitar magazine—was voted the 2023 and 2025 IBMA (International Bluegrass Music Association) Guitar Player of the Year. His virtuosic mastery, not to mention his mighty strong singing voice, has garnered accolades from musicians of a wide array of genres: Marty Stuart, Tommy Emmanuel, Mike Campbell, and Vince Gill, among others; he’s “the Swiss army knife of roots music,” as Craig Havighurst of WMOT Radio says. We know him most for his terrific bluegrass-oriented work with dobro maestro Rob Ickes, and now Trey is forging a solo career that bring him to Flat Rock Saturday evening for a set at Marked Tree Vineyard in Flat Rock (that show is now sold out, but it’s part of the new Winter Ramble festival taking place at various Hendersonville area venues February 27th through March 1st.)

Born in Kentucky and raised on Wyoming’s high plains, Shelby Means is one of the foremost bassists in bluegrass, with nearly two decades of experience in bluegrass, folk, rock, Americana, and country outfits. Now based in Charleston with her husband, Joel Timmons of Sol Driven Train and various other acts, Means spent a dozen years in Nashville, including with Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway. Originally from Lancaster, PA, Maya de Vitry is a Nashville-based artist whose music blurs the lines of folk, indie rock, and Americana. Formerly with The Stray Birds, Maya now has four albums out under her own name, plus her mark as producer and musician with a number of others, including Shelby and Joel. The three are performing at the Grey Eagle in Asheville on Sunday evening, before returning to Studio B on Monday morning!

It's been three or so years since they last released an album, All For the Song, so we're excited to see that Railroad Earth is releasing new music this year, including a strong new single with Cosmic Country great Daniel Donato. We're even more excited to announce that the band will join us in Studio B on Friday! Railroad Earth formed in New Jersey in 2001, fusing progressive bluegrass, rock, jazz, Celtic, and some great jams. Todd Sheaffer handles lead vocals and acoustic guitar, with Tim Carbone [violins, electric guitar, vocals], John Skehan [mandolin, bouzouki, piano, vocals], Carey Harmon [drums, percussion, vocals], Dave Speranza [upright & electric bass], Matt Slocum [organ and piano], and Mike Robinson [banjo, guitar, steel]. Their 25th anniversary tour brings them to the Neighborhood Theatre in Charlotte on Thursday and the Orange Peel in Asheville on Friday. The Jason Carter Band opens!

Singer, songwriter, poet, banjoist… Old Sap moved to Asheville in 2017, and is releasing his latest album, Marble Home, on Feb. 26th. His live performances are known to include covers from a wide variety of sources: My Morning Jacket, John Prine, Irish traditional tunes… And he’s got plenty of live performances in our area over the next month and beyond, including Waynesville on Sunday the 22nd, Asheville on Thursday the 26th, and Flat Rock on Friday the 27th.