Southall
Read Southall can sure turn a phrase. “This record is the gasoline for the love machine,” he says of his band’s new album, the exhilarating and self-titled Southall. The proud Oklahoma workingman isn’t exaggerating. The record sparks and burns with 11 crank-it-up songs that expertly combine country, rock & roll, and the dust and grit of the band’s native Red Dirt scene. But there are also glimpses of hard rock and metal, along with easygoing back-porch vibes, the result of a drastic change in the way the group formerly known as the Read Southall Band now makes music: Every member of Southall brings lyrics, melodies, and even full songs to the table. Produced by Eddie Spear (Zach Bryan’s American Heartbreak) and recorded at Leon Russell’s iconic Church Studio in Tulsa, Southall manifests the true band album that singer Read Southall first envisioned when he released his debut, Six String Sorrow, in 2015. That was a mostly acoustic record, but Southall, the band’s fourth album, roars with raw and loud collaborative power. Reid Barber, the group’s resident metalhead, hammers his drums. Bassist Jeremee Knipp provides a brooding low end. Keys player Braxton Curliss adds both tasteful accents and off-the-rails barroom piano. And guitarists John Tyler Perry and Ryan Wellman wring wild sounds from their instruments. All of it is tied together by Southall’s scrappy, yearning voice. While Southall released three other studio albums, including their 2017 breakout Borrowed Time, the band’s namesake regards the records as just the building blocks of Southall’s future. He wrote all of those songs, including the fan favorite “Why,” just to get the train moving. Today, they’re charging ahead. “That was my contribution: our back catalog,” Southall says. “Now, we have this steam built up and we’re rolling down the tracks, and I want the guys to all grab a shovel, load some coal, and keep us rolling.” The six-piece has been up to the challenge. Their song “Stickin’ n Movin’,” off 2021’s For the Birds, appeared on the CBS series Fire Country, and they’ve established themselves as a band-youneed-to-playlist on the streaming services: Southall have more than 133 million streams on Spotify and more than 101 million on Apple Music, with nearly 1 million monthly listeners across all platforms. It’s not only the success story of a band, but of a region, according to Southall, who was first inspired to write and sing country songs after having a revelation while working on a farm. “I grew up at a really cool time when country music was good in the Nineties, and I spent a lot of radio time on the tractor. So whatever was happening in country music then was in my ears,” he says. “But then country started to change and became more about partying. That’s when I thought, ‘I could represent my people better than this.’” To Southall, that meant writing about work, and he sells that message hard in the rambunctious “Get Busy (Till It’s Done),” a centerpiece of the album and one of its most ferocious tracks. “They say anything worth having is worth fighting for/and I know that is true,” he howls. “It’s gonna take a little time, a little grind, to get what’s coming to you.” “My dad always said to me, ‘You’re not just going to sit there on your pockets and do nothing. That still rings true to me,” Southall says. “Work is what makes you who you are.” For Southall the band, that work began a long time ago — and it’s about to pay off in a big way.
Christmas With The Celts
Top Irish musicians have united with the finest Nashville players to create the new sound and energy of The Celts. TC perform a fresh hybrid of Irish Americana which combines their own rootsy originals and tight vocal harmonies with fiery Irish Trad instrumentals. The Celts are award winning lead singer/fiddler Maggie Lander, Ric Blair on vocals, guitar, piano, and bodhran, Patrick D’Arcy (U2, Sting, Josh Groban) from Dublin, Ireland on pipes, whistle, mandolin, Fiachra O’Regan (Waterboys, Bill Whelan) from Connemara, Ireland on pipes and tenor banjo, and Matt Menefee (Bruce Hornsby, Mumford & Sons) on 5 string banjo/mandolin, dobro, and vocals. The Celts pack concert halls around the world including The Grand Ole Opry, The Ryman Auditorium, The Lincoln Center, Theaters, and Performing Arts Centers. They have made numerous appearances on WSM Radio, NPR, PBS shows like The Bluegrasss Underground, Music City Roots, and Woodsongs Radio Hour. Band leader Ric Blair credits much of their success to their exposure on PBS. The group has shared the stage with Vince Gill, Cathy Jordan (Dervish), Mairead Ni Mhaonaigh (Altan), Ricky Skaggs, Tim O’Brien, Patty Loveless, just to name a few. The new TC record entitled Traveling On with guest musicians Jeff Taylor (Bob Dylan, Elvis Costello, etc) on Accordion, Byron House (Robert Plant, Alison Krauss) on bass and Natalya Kay (Gaelic Storm) on fiddle is now available on Spotify and all platforms.
Infielder
Fief
Fief is a medieval ambient/dungeon synth artist from Salt Lake City, Utah.
Cavedivers
Cavedivers is a band formed in friendship and a love of music. We slithered up from the cave to forge gritty synth riffs with driving rhythms, using our music to tell stories of fear, love, and fate. Tell your favorite cryptids to get to this show!” Cavedivers is a campy experimental rock/alternative trio consisting of three friends who love to play music and be creative together. Formed in 2023, Cavedivers has built a repertoire of original songs that span various genres and styles and test the limits of what the Divers can accomplish when combining their musical abilities. Amphibaphobia: 2 piece noise rock duo from Omaha, NE Mouse Heart: Your local Omaha bitches: Teagan, Katie, and Rose- bringing back classic Riot Grrrl sounds Titus Groaners: Freak rock and roll music from Omaha, NE. Riff scientists. Former members of Cat Piss and Garst.
Vincent Antone
AGES 18+
Fallen Reign
Béton Armé
Béton Armé is a montreal oi! band inspired by french punk/oi! bands from the 80’s.
Talib Kweli
The Brooklyn-based MC earned his stripes as one of the most lyrically-gifted, socially aware and politically insightful rappers to emerge in the last 20 years. “I’m a touring artist. I’m an artist that’s internationally known. I’m not just a local artist at this point in my career. I’m cognizant of the fact that what I do is beyond where it started. I’m trying to reach the apex of where I am now, but without turning my back on or dismissing what I’ve done before.” After nearly 20 years of releasing mesmerizing music, Talib Kweli stands as one of the world’s most talented and most accomplished Hip Hop artists. Whether working with Mos Def as one-half of Black Star, partnering with producer Hi-Tek for Reflection Eternal, releasing landmark solo material or collaborating with Kanye West, Pharrell Williams, Just Blaze, J Dilla, or Madlib, Kweli commands attention by delivering top-tier lyricism, crafting captivating stories and showing the ability to rhyme over virtually any type of instrumental. In 2011, Kweli founded Javotti Media, which is self-defined as “a platform for independent thinkers and doers.” Kweli has set out to make Javotti Media (which released his 2011 album, Gutter Rainbows, and is named after his paternal grandmother) into a media powerhouse that releases music, films and books.
THE BAND FEEL
THE BAND FEEL is a Rock band from St. Louis known for their dynamic sound that pays homage to the Classic Rock era while adding a modern twist. With influences ranging from 70’s rock to Laurel Canyon to mid-century jazz, FEEL has garnered attention for their high-energy performances and captivating songwriting. The band has quickly gained recognition within the industry, sharing stages with renowned acts such as Cheap Trick, Blackberry Smoke, 38 Special, Rival Sons, and more.