Sep 1

Sep 1 This Week in Asheville: Sept. 1-7

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.

Mr. Gnome

Let’s try this again: The last time Mr. Gnome was set to visit, Mother Nature had other plans. The duo’s latest album, A Sliver of Space, may have lost the “new release” shine it carried in 2024, but the songs still hit just as hard as the day it dropped. Fans may have had to wait longer than expected, but it’s a safe bet the payoff will be worth it. —Jonny Leather

w/ Powder Horns + Mellowfield
at Sly Grog Lounge
Thursday, Sept. 4
Doors: 7pm / Show: 8pm
[psych rock, garage rock, alternative]
more info

Katie Pruitt

Real heads know: Diana Wortham Theatre is one of the best music venues in town but you wouldn’t know since management hardly ever books a performer that appeals to the general public. Every once in a while, it’ll host an Aimee Mann, Rhiannon Giddens, or Graham Nash, and now this honey-voiced, queer, Nashville-based singer/songwriter/guitarist comes to town with a wealth of insightful and empowering Americana tunes. —Edwin Arnaudin

w/ Jess Nolan
at Diana Wortham Theatre
Friday, Sept. 5
Doors: 7pm / Show: 8pm
[Americana/country]
more info

Frankie Cosmos

Though no longer the 20-year-old who first turned heads with the remarkably charming bedroom indie pop of Zentropy back in 2014, Greta Kline still channels an endearing sense of youthfulness on her sixth studio album, Different Talking, released earlier this summer. With Fantasy of a Broken Heart and Moontype also on the bill, this one’s stacked from top to bottom. —JL

w/ Fantasy of a Broken Heart + Moontype
at Eulogy
Saturday, Sept. 6
Doors: 7pm / Show: 8pm
[indie pop, indie rock]
more info

Godspeed You! Black Emperor

While it might have been wonderfully surreal to hear the Montreal-based collective’s crashing crescendos echo through downtown Asheville, setting the stage for a post-apocalyptic night out, the show has been moved from The Grey Eagle’s short-lived Hatch Amphitheater to Pisgah Brewing. In truth, it’s an upgrade — one that will likely spare downtown neighbors from the loudest moments of bliss as the post-rock icons join forces with the equally adventurous sounds of beloved local improvisational duo MANAS. —JL

w/ MANAS
at Pisgah Brewing Co.
Saturday, Sept. 6
Doors: 7pm / Show: 8pm
[post-rock, experimental]
more info

The Brian Jonestown Massacre

Since its inception in 1990, the West Coast psych-rock institution with the unforgettable name has survived a saga of lineup upheavals, addiction battles, and infamous onstage meltdowns. Through it all, the group has remained a vessel for the singular vision of Anton Newcombe — brilliant, volatile, and unrelenting in his pursuit of sound. Twenty studio albums and countless tours later, the band’s legend looms as large as its music. —JL

w/ Flavor Crystals
at The Orange Peel
Saturday, Sept. 6
Doors: 7pm / Show: 8pm
[psych rock, alternative]
more info

Merce Lemon

The emotionally earnest Pittsburgh songwriter and her band steer clear of lulling listeners with overly sad or saccharine tunes, instead weaving in ripping guitars and noisy detours that keep things compelling — much like how Crazy Horse injected grit and energy into Neil Young’s more downcast numbers. —JL

w/ Golomb
at AyurPrana Listening Room
Sunday, Sept. 7
Doors: 6pm / Show: 7pm
[indie rock, singer-songwriter]
more info