AVLFest 2024: Day 1 (Part Two)

8:45pm @ The Outpost — S.G. Goodman

At one moment rocking out and the next peeling angelic vocals set to an ambient jam session (with smoke!), S.G. Goodman’s Southern Baptist gospel roots and alt-rock, don’t-give-a-fuck sensibilities will captivate any Americana lover’s attention. Between songs at The Outpost, she dispensed hilarious anecdotes in her thick western Kentucky drawl (for example, paying homage to Southern humidity for making her hair “curl like an AKC certified Labradoodle”). I am convinced that this gifted musician could enjoy a lucrative career as a stand-up comedian. That range of talent seems almost unfair for one human being, but we are as lucky as the first churchgoers in line at the Fellowship Hall desert table to have her at AVLFest. —Beth Keefauver

S.G. Goodman (Photo by Micah Rogers)

Goodman and her band brought their vibrant mix of Americana, folk, rock, and "county calm" to The Outpost on Thursday night as AVL Fest kicked off in impressive fashion. Comedic bits between songs had the crowd engaged almost as much as setlist standouts such as "Supertramp," "Old Time Feeling," and "Space and Time."  The cicada choir in the canopy trees surrounding the outdoor stage complemented Goodman’s Kentucky accent and her band's driving rhythms, creating a perfect Southern summer night showcase, humidity and all. —Micah Rogers

Under the darkening summer sky on The Outpost’s outdoor stage next to the French Broad River, S.G. Goodman and her dependable band tore the place up, performing a mix of full-volume rock and roll tunes, country standards, and powerful a cappella spotlights. Goodman’s big personality was also on display as she imparted a wealth of hilarious stories and observations such as her new Southern meditation called “Country Calm” or sharing that living in the mountains is “Hard on your vehicle, but easy on your heart.” Whether it was her own “Take It Away” or Don Henley’s “Boys of Summer,” Goodman demonstrated her ability to sing the hell out of a song. —Scott Bunn

S.G. Goodman (Photo by Justin Bowman)

I missed Goodman opening for Jason Isbell last year and again at Burnpile a few months later, and nearly missed her here due to the near complete failure of the festival shuttle system. It was a treat to hear her full Southern rock sound and hilarious banter — albeit only for a few songs as, not trusting the shuttle, I headed out before her final number in a Lyft. —Edwin Arnaudin

Monster Wave (Photo by Jonny Leather)

9pm @ Fleetwood's — Monster Wave

Once you've heard one instrumental surf rock band, you've pretty much heard them all, but the local band really did it quite flawlessly. —Jonny Leather

Red Clay Revival (Photo by Heather Burditt)

9pm @ The Grey Eagle — Red Clay Revival

Asheville jamgrass favorites Red Clay Revival enlivened The Grey Eagle with flighty fiddle solos, frontman Doug McElvy’s joyful stage presence, and a sparkling guest appearance by guitarist Isaac Hadden. The band’s pitch-perfect cover of Radiohead’s “Creep” had the entire audience signing at the top of their lungs. —Daniel Walton

Santiago y Los Gatos (Photo by Rey Castillo)

9pm @ Eulogy — Santiago y Los Gatos

Santiago y Los Gatos playing their opening night set at Eulogy, South Slope’s emerging must-visit music venue, was fitting as this is where they recently played their album-release show for the long-awaited Wishing Away Wetigo, which features a few songs that pay loving lyrical tribute to lost loved ones.

Frontman Jeff Santiago, who could be the Jerry West-like logo for charismatic lead singers, admits this last record, 10 years in the making, is their most personal to date. With songs such as “Brother” (him saying goodbye to his sibling) and “Aura” (a eulogy of sorts for his mother and losses suffered by other members of the band), they are more than just tracks on an album. So how nice to see Santiago and Los Gators gather with their extended Asheville family to share these songs in this glorious space once again. —Tom Chalmers

Victoria Victoria (Photo by Jonny Leather)

9pm @ The Orange Peel — Victoria Victoria

Although I only arrived at the Peel in time to catch the last few songs by the Winston-Salem-based singer-songwriter, I'm glad I did. WIth a silky smooth voice and tight backing band, her style of jazzy pop was delightful. —JL

Fee Fi Phaux Fish (Photo by Daniel Walton)

10pm @ The One Stop — Fee Fi Phaux Fish

Fee Fi Phaux Fish, the Asheville-based Phish tribute collective, took a break from its ongoing residencies at The Outpost and One World Brewing West to lay down a fine set at The One Stop. Their regular practice showed clearly in the space each musician made for the others to jam away, especially Ryan Crabtree and his funky six-string bass attack. —DW

Isaac Hadden Organ Trio (Photo by Daniel Walton)

1030 @ The Grey Eagle — Isaac Hadden Organ Trio

The Isaac Hadden Organ Trio made the most of its closing set at The Grey Eagle, bringing on multiple Asheville guests including Ashley Heath and Josh Clark. But it was the namesake young guitar shredder himself who was the star of the show: One could feel him reaching for the transcendent in his extended bluesy solos, a messy mop of blond curls bouncing around his clean-shaven smile as his bare feet traveled the stage. —DW

Jessica Pratt (Photo by Jonny Leather)

10:45pm @ The Orange Peel — Jessica Pratt

As the last act of the opening night of AVLFest, Pratt and her four-person combo brought a dreamy, late-night vibe to The Orange Peel. In fact, this entire review could have been made up of only variations on the descriptor “dreamy.” The band’s more up-tempo grooves and spooky, Twin Peaks-y roadhouse songs worked the best with the sometimes-chatty Orange Peel audience as opposed to the more meditative tunes. Buoyed by appropriate lightning, mustaches, and sax solos, overall, it was a memorable — and dreamy— set by Pratt and company. —SB

Seeing Pratt here made sense as it’s where I’ve seen, and written about on this site, many fantastic female-fronted indie acts, from Courtney Barnett to Snail Mail to Mitski. Pratt’s pale complexion and frizzed blonde hair even evoked memories of seeing Kim Gordon in this space, although Pratt’s vocals are a bit more melodious. Her voice is lovely, although her stage presence is a bit more timid than some of the other referenced indie female rockers — there’s a sort of Michelle Pfeiffer as Selina Kyle quality to her. Her songs were beautiful and lilting and sounded like they could be on a Claudine Longet movie soundtrack. The venue was right but the crowd was wrong, sounding more like a Rabbit Rabbit audience — a bit too chatty for my taste, which may be why Pratt kept her set short. —TC

Jessica Pratt (Photo by Rey Castillo)

Much as I enjoy listening to Pratt's music at home, I forget how snoozy she is live. Lovely as it sounded, this should have been a seated show like her Transfigurations III performance in 2019 at Diana Wortham Theatre. Also, what was with that sudden ending? —EA

I can't imagine a better way to close out the first night of AVL Fest than soaking in the spellbinding folk of Jessica Pratt. Unfortunately, the turnout at The Orange Peel for her late night set was rather underwhelming, and some chatter hindered an otherwise gorgeous set that ended pretty abruptly. —JL

(S.G. Goodman photo by Justin Bowman)