Apr 21

Apr 21 This Week in Asheville: April 21-27

Asheville’s wealth of live music, theater, and comedy offerings can leave concertgoers feeling overwhelmed when it comes to picking which shows to attend. But have no fear! The Asheville Stages staff is here to help with insights on the week’s most appealing options.

Dauber

Need a power-pop fix, preferably with a punk edge? This Hudson, NY-based trio has you covered. The new band from “King” Mike Abbate (vocals/guitar) of the late, great Screaming Females also features Jenna Fairey’s rollicking drums and bass/vocals from Quinn Murphy, and their polished but still gritty sound seems like a terrific fit for the intimate downtown club. —Edwin Arnaudin

w/ Pipsqueak / Matt Geary
at Static Age Records
Monday, April 21
Doors: 8pm / Show: 8:30pm
[rock, ambient]
more info

The Mystery Lights

Have The Mystery Lights time-traveled straight from the 1960s? Their sound — raw, electric, and straight out of a lost Nuggets compilation — makes it easy to believe that’s the case. —Jonny Leather

w/ Levitation Room / Designer
at Grey Eagle Music Hall
Tuesday, April 22
Doors: 7pm / Show: 8pm
[indie rock, garage rock]
more info

Julien Baker & Torres

Both artists had been releasing exceptional work on their own for years, but it wasn’t until Julien Baker and Mackenzie Ruth Scott began collaborating with other musicians that they received the recognition they deserved. Now, the vocalists/guitarists have joined forces on their debut, Send a Prayer My Way, a record that highlights their knack for alt-country with a soulful edge — one that would surely make Gram Parsons proud. —JL

w/ Aisha Burns
at The Orange Peel
Thursday, April 24
Doors: 7pm / Show: 8pm
[folk, alt-country, indie rock]
more info

Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory

Shifting away from her folkier leanings towards a more gothy synth-driven rock aesthetic, the well-established singer/songwriter may have a new band, but her soulful melancholic musings remain as potent as ever. —JL

w/ Love Spells
at The Orange Peel
Saturday, April 26
Doors: 7pm / Show: 8pm
[alternative, indie rock]
more info

Bailey Pope

The heavily-tattooed comic — who’s shared stages with Roy Wood Jr., Maria Bamford, and Sam Jay — will bring the laughs to the intimate, and well-decorated, LaZoom Room. —JL

at LaZoom
Friday, April 25
Doors: 8pm / Show: 8:30pm
[stand-up comedy]
more info

Seun Kuti

Being the son of a legend is no easy feat. Fela Kuti wasn’t just the defining voice of Afrobeat’s golden era — his fierce political activism made him a towering figure in Nigeria’s cultural history. Even so, Seun Kuti has carried that weighty torch with conviction, steadily forging his own path and emerging as a legend in his own right. —JL

at Sierra Nevada - High Gravity Room
Sunday, April 27
Show: 6pm
[afrobeat]
more info

Field Trip: MerleFest

Whether you’ve never been to the annual Americana/bluegrass weekend in Wilkesboro or you’ve gone religiously since its 1988 inception, the especially strong 2025 lineup truly offers something for practically everyone. Bonnie Raitt, The Avett Brothers, Watchhouse, The War and Treaty, and the Sarah Jarosz/Aoife O’Donovan/Sara Watkins supergroup I’m With Her are on the bill alongside such regulars as Sam Bush, Peter Rowan, Donna the Buffalo, Scythian, Asheville-area mainstays Carol Mallett Rifkin and Josh Goforth, and Jim “Mayor of Merlefest” Lauderdale.

Plus, Asheville’s own Resonant Rogues have two performances, fellow locals Mama & The Ruckus will compete in the Band Competition, and it’s anyone’s guess which classic album The Waybacks (and special guests) will pay tribute to Saturday, April 26, at the Hillside Stage — but you’ll want to get there a good hour before its 3 p.m. start in order to get a seat not way up the hill.

There’s something about the atmosphere at this dry event that heightens attendees’ focus on the music and creates a strong sense of community among like-minded folks. Even if you can only make a day trip out of it, the journey is well worth the effort. Staff photographer Bryce LaFoon will be on-site all four days: follow along via Asheville Stages’ Instagram. —EA

at Wilkes Community College
Thursday, April 24-Sunday, April 27
[Americana, bluegrass, folk, old-time, rock]
more info