AVLFest 2024: Day 3 (Part One)
Jack Marion and The Pearl Snap Prophets (Photo by Daniel Walton)
2pm @ Highland Brewing Co. — Jack Marion and The Pearl Snap Prophets
A soggy lawn didn’t prevent me (and my toddler daughter, Calliope) from getting down to the honky-tonkin’ cosmic country of Jack Marion and The Pearl Snap Prophets. I couldn’t help but smile at the frontman’s charismatic swagger, and his Asheville-based band delivered a rich backing of guitar twang and organ roil. Wry original songwriting and a well-chosen cover of the standard “Dim Lights, Thick Smoke (and Loud, Loud Music)” kept our feet moving along. “Why are these people not dancing?” she asked me about the crowd around us, and I had to ask the same question. —Daniel Walton
Lazrluvr (Photo by Rey Castillo)
2pm @ Asheville Music Hall — Lazrluvr
On a gorgeous blue-sky afternoon, the shadowy Music Hall was surprisingly packed — a testament to the pleasure power of this vibrant ’80s cover band. Flaunting her signature hot pink pants and asymmetrical bleach blonde hair, vocalist Hope Griffin opened the show belting out hard rock hits like Lita Ford's “Kiss Me Deadly.” Co-vocalist Raphael Morales complemented her style in black leather pants, rhinestone rimmed shades, and a spandex muscle shirt — his thrashing long dark hair reminiscent of the era's metal rock while capturing the adrenal power of Billy Idol's "Rebel Yell." The band rounded out its set with crowd-pleasers like The Eurythmics' “Sweet Dreams” and A-ha's “Take on Me” that had the audience in the SRO venue dancing like they were young again. —Beth Keefauver
Yesterday’s Clothes (Photo by Jonny Leather)
3:30pm @ Fleetwood's — Yesterday's Clothes
For as many bands as there are playing AVLFest this year, coming across any acts noticeably younger than myself has been a challenge. It's not that I'm particularly young. Grey has been colonizing my beard for more than a few years now. So it was especially refreshing to begin my Day 3 catching an energetic set by this local indie rock quartet. Concocting a blend of midwest emo, alt-rock, and a lil’ bit of jam, the young group not only performed with spirited exuberance but also sounded fantastic. They even nailed a cover of Vampire Weekend's infectious hit "A-Punk." —Jonny Leather
The Freeway Jubilee (Photo by Daniel Walton)
3:30pm @ Highland Brewing Co. — The Freeway Jubilee
Asheville-based The Freeway Jubilee, performing as a power trio, muscled through a set of pretty standard Southern rock as the sun beat down on The Meadow. The extent of frontman Jonathan Clayton’s technically proficient but in-the-box guitar soloing felt overindulgent, and his lead vocals seemed imprecise in places. Still, the group managed some fine vocal harmonies and was pleasant enough backing for the afternoon. —DW
3:30pm @ The Outpost — Wayne Robbins & The Hellsayers
What happens when Jeff Whitworth, the mastermind behind AVLFest, plays lap steel in a band that could (and in my humble opinion, should) be promoted as a headliner? For one thing, local legend Tyler Ramsey spontaneously jumps in for the set, and the jubilant onstage camaraderie reveals a band of friends who have made euphonious art together for 20 years, thrilled to be performing again.
Frontman Robbins formed the band in 2003 because he always wanted to "write songs like the Carter Family but play them like Neil Young and Crazy Horse." Having opened for big names like My Morning Jacket, The Sadies, and Band of Horses, it would be an understatement to say fans would love to see them more often. On Saturday, the standing audience took refuge from the scorching sun to pack out a cool strip of shadow against the stage as the band opened with new songs on their eagerly anticipated forthcoming (and fourth) album before progressing into fan faves like “Sarah's Lament,” “Edith's Dream,” and “Time is A Bird in Your Eye.” Interlacing epic storytelling, imagist poetics, psychedelic crescendos, and elegiac vocals that achieve the effect of high literary art, their onstage synergy inspired a collective wave of cellphone videos, sing-a-longs, and an ambiance of pure delight. —BK
Sometimes, you show up to a show because a friend and fellow writer recommended it. You may have even momentarily mistaken the band for another similarly sounding band. But I was very happy I went to see psychedelic-folk-rockers Wayne Robbins & The Hellsayers at The Outpost on Saturday afternoon, and that they were the band that they were.
So many nice surprises. How nice that the threatening rain huffed and puffed but blew right over us. How nice that Asheville’s own Tyler Ramsey, a longtime friend of the band, sat in on keyboards, having played a celebrated set with his own band on that stage the night before. How nice that festival organizer Jeff Whitworth plays lap steel and guitar with this group, so that when you see him, you can say, “Saw your set. You guys sounded great,” instead of the more generic, “Good job with fest.”
And they did sound great. Robbins’ songs reminded me of Trey Anastasio songs in that there is the front-nine foundation song, followed by a back-nine crescendo that builds from that song and swirls and soars to a super satisfying effect. I trend more towards indie rock than jam band, so I felt more in my element swimming with The Hellsayers. How nice. —Tom Chalmers
4pm @ Citizen Vinyl — Jon Charles Dwyer
Elvis Costello once wrote a song titled “There's a Story in Your Voice,” which could have been written this Asheville-based singer/songwriter As soon Dwyer began speaking to the intimate crowd on Saturday afternoon, it became apparent that his voice contained a wealth of tales and songs. He performed an array of personal tunes that were drenched in both anguish and perseverance, many of which included lines that jolted the listener into asking themself, “Wait, did he just sing that?” One example: “‘Cause I’m crying on the interstate.” —Scott Bunn
The Silver Doors (Photo by Heather Burditt)
The Silver Doors (Photo by Jonny Leather)
5pm @ Eulogy — The Silver Doors
While much of the AVLFest lineup draws from Appalachia's rich folk lineage, this local group distorts it into a nearly unrecognizable dark mutant hybrid. Although on the surface the local quartet draws most heavily from garage rock and psychedelia influences, the group's unique utilization of electric violin as a lead instrument has a way of sonically connecting to the rootsier end of the spectrum, just as bands like The Gun Club and The Bad Seeds once did. One of the brightest acts of our local underground rock scene, I look forward to hearing The Silver Doors continue to evolve. —JL
5pm @ The Outpost — The Sadies
A friend of mine and I text each other GIFs of NBA dunks and hockey moves, and each of them are labeled “SICK.” After the performance by The Sadies at The Outpost on Saturday afternoon, I sent a video of Travis Good playing the guitar to the same friend, and the only word accompanying it was “SICK.” Good’s machine-gun rockabilly guitar playing is the musical equivalent of an Anthony Edwards jam.
The Sadies performed their music at a steady clip, arguably playing double the amount of songs than other bands at AVLFest in the same amount of time. Their songs sound like countless Ennio Morricone soundtracks, Duane-Eddy-crossed-with-Neil-Young scorchers, and even a ripping surf polka tune. The empty mic on stage served as a symbol to remember that Good’s brother Dallas is no longer here to save to perform with his brother and bandmates, but the crowd at The Outpost appreciated that The Sadies continue to persist and shine, and that Good is the fastest guitar player in the West…Asheville. —SB
What live music fan in eclectic Asheville doesn't love a band that defies genres? With very few words interrupting their electrifying set that showcased this band’s three-decades-long, boundary-breaking repertoire, The Sadies brought their signature sonic variety to the sun-washed Outpost on Saturday afternoon. Stand-up bassist Sean Dean set the tone with a full-on suit, flanked by floral beach shirts worn by lead singer Travis Good and drummer Mike Belitsky. This Canadian crew was fiery, festive, and just plain hot as they detonated outbursts of rockabilly, punk, surf guitar, alt-country, and long-form progressions that rivaled Rush. —BK
(Photo of Yesterday’s Clothes by Jonny Leather)
