AVLFest 2024: Day 2 (Part Two)

Hannah Kaminer & The Wistfuls (Photo by Jonny Leather)

Hannah Kaminer & The Wistfuls (Photo by Edwin Arnaudin)

6:30pm @ The Funkatorium — Hannah Kaminer & The Wistfuls

This local group fit right in at The Funkatorium. People come to Asheville in search of good beer and good music. They may not know exactly what they like, but they know they'll find it here. Other cities have good beer, but not many other cities have the reservoir of good music that Asheville has, especially the surplus of gifted female singer/songwriters frequently playing at the brewery/winebar/riverside outdoor stage you just happened to stumble upon. I was reminded of this when I saw the lovely Ashley Heath play this slot last year.

Visitors think it is typical to have this type of talent on tap, but Kaminer’s stirring voice and sharp songwriting skills are anything but typical, as can be heard on her songs “Broke Down Girl” and the not-so-tourist-friendly “Asheville.” And how nice for her return to this year’s fest with a recent album release under her belt, the beautiful Heavy on the Vine. So barkeep, what’s good here? A lot of it’s good, but for me, I’d recommend the Hannah Kaminer. —Tom Chalmers

With Kevin Williams (keys), Melissa Hyman (bass), Jackson Grimm (mandolin), Jackson Dulaney (pedal steel guitar) and Ross Montsinger (drums) backing arguably Asheville’s best vocalist, this may be the most talented top-to-bottom band on the AVLFest schedule. Kaminer’s accessible yet deeply heartfelt songs sound phenomenal solo, but with these collaborators in tow, they attain an almost unfair quality. Also, more big-name shows should be held at The Funkatorium. This room is nice! —Edwin Arnaudin

Brushfire Stankgrass (Photo by Micah Rogers)

8pm @ The Grey Eagle — Brushfire Stankgrass

Brushfire Stankgrass brought its trademark fusion of bluegrass, rock, Americana, and jam-band style to a packed Grey Eagle. High energy, rich sound, and uptempo melodies had every person in the room tapping a foot at bare minimum. —Micah Rogers

8pm @ The Orange Peel — Floating Action

Floating Action gigs are few and far between these days thanks to Seth Kauffman’s in-demand status as a touring sideman for Ray Lamontagne, Michael Nau, and others. A five-piece FA expression on a big stage is even more of a rarity, so last night’s primetime set at the Peel served as a suitable palate cleanser following the theatrical glam rock of Gyasi and prior to The Mother Hips’ West Coast boogie.

Percussion and keyboards thickened the signature FA groove on “Not What I Came For,” “To Connect,” “Rincon,” and “Don’t Stop Loving Me Now”, the latter of which I remember seeing Kauffman and Tyler Ramsey play at BoBo (RIP) circa 2008. Catch Kauffman in a few weeks with Nau for a one-time-only Dream Sitch set at the Harvest Records Transfiguarations IV celebration. —Jay Moye

Tyler Ramsey (Photo by Micah Rogers)

8pm @ The Outpost — Tyler Ramsey

The singer/songwriter’s haunting folk sound was a perfect fit among the tall trees and dwindling evening light. Visibly excited to be a part of his hometown's festival, the seasoned artist played a variety of older and newer tunes to an adoring audience. —MR

Pink Mercury (Photo by Edwin Arnaudin)

8pm @ Asheville Music Hall — Pink Mercury

Seeing Stephanie Morgan’s Pink Mercury at The Asheville Music Hall made perfect sense because you're never quite sure what you're going to get from both. The Music Hall can drastically shift flavors from night to night, moving from New Orleans-style funk jams to projection-draped dubstep or drum n bass shows to Grateful Dead tribute bands, and other assorted ingredients from the musical cupboard. And you never know quite what to expect from Pink Mercury, as each show, each set, each song is improvised by the incomparable Morgan and her mighty talented bandmates.

Morgan was an early example of Asheville’s musical pedigree, rising to national success with her band, stephanie’s id, a darling of indie radio stations. These days, she plays music as a form of performance art, where the spontaneous creation is as important as the musical outcome. I have previously described onstage presence as a cross between the hand gestures of Joe Cocker and the vocal ballet of Bjork. She doesn’t just sing her songs, it's more like she summons them like at a seance, bouncing and contorting her fit physique like some sort of spasmodic Safety Dance. I wasn’t sure what to expect other than it would be exceptional, in more ways than one. —TC

I never made it to the Music Hall for last year’s AVLFest and have only heard Morgan’s current project in its “squeeze into the corner at Cellarest Beer Project” form, so it was a double pleasure to experience the full-fledged edition of this group in a proper setting. The inimitable vocalist and true performer slinked around her top-notch bandmates, including a killer horn section (Jonathan Lloyd alert!) and brothers Mike Johnson (bass) and Jack Victor (drums) showing their mastery of different instruments than they so expertly played the night before in Slow Packer. These waves of sonic wonder will be tough to top this weekend. —EA

The Mother Hips (Photo by Micah Rogers)

The Mother Hips (Photo by Rey Castillo)

9:30pm @ The Orange Peel — The Mother Hips

The indie rock stalwarts played an energetic show in front of a lively crowd. 20-year-old material sounded just as good as newer songs, all crisply performed by an obviously tight-knit group of talented musicians. —MR

The New Pornographers (Photo by Justin Bowman)

9:45pm @ The Outpost — The New Pornographers

The legendary band brought its power-pop-laced-with-singular-harmonies game to The Outpost on a muggy night, playing with great energy and drive throughout. They performed songs that you either have known for 20 years or should have known for 20 years. —Scott Bunn

The last time I saw AC Newman & Co. live was a low-energy, potentially late-in-the-tour show at The Orange Peel in 2019, during which I wondered if they’d at last become The Old Pornographers. However, they pepped up for a hits-laded encore — precisely the energy that was evident from the start of this festival set. What’s old is new again. —EA

Terminator X (Photo by Heather Burditt)

Terminator X (Photo by Justin Bowman)

11pm @ The Orange Peel — Terminator X

And one of the final shows for the Friday lineup was Terminator X, longtime turntablist for Public Enemy, at The Orange Peel. Seeing hip-hop here felt appropriate as there is good precedent for seeing good hip-hop at The Peel, with previous iconic acts occupying this space like Ice Cube, Big Boi, and the legendary Beastie Boys show (one of their last that I was lucky enough to witness).

I got a little nervous when at first Terminator X’s turntables were not engaging with the sound system, but all was soon corrected thanks to the sound crew and some quick cover by his hype man. I'll admit I have mixed feelings about seeing a mixmaster mix other artists' tracks and just play popular songs of our era, especially when they only spin a portion of those songs, but the playlist was solid and the mashups were strong. And to see and hear Public Enemy tunes spun by the mastermind of the musical samples himself was amazing, as they are one of my all-time favorites, firmly ensconced on the Mount Rushmore of hip hop legends with landmark albums like Yo, Bum Rush the Show. This show not only felt right, it felt like an honor. And it is always good to dance, especially at the end the night. —TC

Terminator X (Photo by Rey Castillo)

Probably the most mysterious set heading into the festival, Terminator X and his hype man (how exactly does one get a hype man? And will a mic with DJ Clue-esque reverb cost extra?) delivered one hell of a hip-hop party, packed with classics as well as some unusual mashups (including Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “Don’t Stop” mixed with 50 Cent’s “In Da Club,” which mostly worked, despite my disgust of the MAGA MC). The mid-performance medley of P.E. tracks were particularly impactful, especially “Fight the Power,” which so memorably opened Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing 35 years ago. Also, major shoutout to the legendary DJ for spinning Method Man & Redman’s “Da Rockwilder” in full — and bonus points to me for remembering 60% of the words without having heard it for 10+ years. —EA

(The New Pornographers photo by Justin Bowman)