The Purple Onion

The Get Right Band
2025-01-18 20:00 - 22:00 UTC | The Purple Onion, 16 E Main St, Saluda, NC, 28773, United States
The Get Right Band is a psychedelic indie rock power trio from Asheville, NC. They are a band focused on following their muses to honest self-expression, to whatever excites them and pushes them into unexplored territory. Proudly carrying the torch for a long line of genre-bending power trios from Cream to The Jimi Hendrix Experience to The Police. It’s the space between the notes, the rawness and the maneuverability, that makes a power trio, well, so damn powerful. The Get Right Band has tight and diverse jams along with a distinctive, intellectual – but accessible – worldview.

The Get Right Band - "Endless Summer Jam"
2025-01-18 20:00 - 22:00

The Moon and You
2025-01-16 19:30 - 21:30
At its core, The Moon and You is a charismatic husband-and-wife team. Melissa Hyman plays cello, Ryan Furstenberg plays guitar and banjo, and both sing in “voices that sound like they were made for one another” (Bill DeYoung, Connect Savannah). But whatever you might assume based on their gorgeous vocal blend and heartfelt lyrics, this ain’t your basic folk duo. With a rotating cast of talented friends to add unexpected instrumentation to their lineup, The Moon and You never plays the same show twice. This ever-evolving, expandable and collapsible model leaves the band constantly reinventing itself in ways both surprising and satisfying.

The Funky Junk Joy Peddlers
2025-01-11 20:00 - 22:00
Funky Junk Joy Peddlers, formerly known as The Shana Blake Band, is an innovative new take on the classic soul cover band. A Purple Onion favorite, the band’s sound is filled with energetic, danceable music of the Motown era through current hits. Throwing in deeper cuts you know and love from R&B, soul, and funk favorites. The group will have you grooving in your seats and keep you smiling with their infectious, upbeat vibes.

Tina and Her Pony
2024-12-28 20:00 - 22:00
Indie, Appalachian-folk band, Tina & Her Pony, was formed in 2009 in Asheville, North Carolina by Tina Collins. Internationally known for their tight, sweet, smooth harmonies and simple, exposed, crafted instrumentation on cello, tenor ukulele & guitar, Tina and Her Pony has a fresh, palatable, sound that is bewitching. With warm smiles and honest simplicity, Tina & Her Pony bring a unique sound to the American folk tradition, featuring original songs that echo the sound of Appalachia, while creating new waves with radical, queer lyrics, uncommon instrumentation and vocals tighter than your mamas’ brazier.

Michael Reno Harrell
2024-12-26 19:30 - 21:30
Michael Reno Harrell is an award winning songwriter, as well as a veteran storyteller and entertainer, and he’s from the South. One could compare Michael’s performances to his granddaddy’s pocket knife: well worn and familiar feeling, but razor sharp, and with a point. His original songs and stories have been described as “Appalachian grit and wit” but, as his writing shows, Michael’s awareness is much broader than the bounds of his boyhood home or even the Southern Experience. Between the approachable, feel-good nature of his music, and vivid story-telling that leaves you smiling, Michael creates an auditory experience that has to be witnessed in person.

West End String Band
2024-12-21 20:00 - 22:00
Dedicated to playing and performing traditional bluegrass music and old country songs with modern appeal, the West End String Band has been walking the perfect balance between nostalgia and a thumping good time. Don’t let the name fool you. The West End String Band is refreshing and invigorating, while holding true to the roots that formed this unique tradition of music. Formed back in 2008, the West End String Band blends the gritty and energetic vocals of lead Charlie McDaniel with harmonies from Kathy McDaniel and the driving banjo of Jim Rollins. Rounded out with the rich baritone and unique mandolin of Matt Purinton, this group is weaving together americana, bluegrass, and country in the best of ways.

Wilder Flowers & The East Coasters
2024-12-19 19:30 - 21:30
The Wilder Flower is an Upstate SC and Western NC based trio, featuring Danielle Yother on guitar, Madeline Dierauf on fiddle, and Molly Johnson on banjo. Playing throughout the Carolinas, the group has traveled and toured as far as Ohio, Alabama, and Georgia. Their collaboration flexes between folk, Americana, bluegrass, and Old-time tunes. Vocally, the trio thrives on three-part harmonies and originals.
The East Coasters are Calum Bell, Madeline Dierauf, and Richard Osban, an Irish trad group from up and down the East Coast. Calum is a multi-instrumentalist who regularly tours internationally and when home, plays six nights a week in and around his native Boston; Madeline is an Irish and Old-time fiddler from Brevard, North Carolina, and plays full-time with Appalachian trio The Wilder Flower; and Richard is a driving and dynamic guitarist and music school director who has played festivals across Europe and North America, now settled in Baltimore, Maryland.

Cowboy Judy
2024-12-15 19:00 - 21:00
A return performance quickly becoming a tradition at the Purple Onion, this energetic group of ladies is an event you don’t want to miss. Cowboy Judy always brings the show to, well, every show they perform. Couple their infectious stage presence, melodic songs, and penchant for grooving tunes you can’t sit still to? Exhilarating. Throw in some holiday cheer and festive motifs? Pure Magic. Female fronted super group, Cowboy Judy (formally Sweet Claudette,) is the bringing together of worlds, in the best of ways. Singing an upbeat hybrid of country and motown, you would be hard pressed to find another group as gifted with their harmonies and charisma as you have here.

81 Drifters
2024-12-14 20:00 - 22:00
Hailing from the scenic mountain landscapes along Highway 81, the 81 Drifters weave a tapestry of sounds ranging from fearlessly raw singer-songwriter originals to western swing, jamgrass, blues, and Appalachian folk. They captivate audiences with their infectious energy, lyrical depth, and powerful harmonies that take listeners on a journey that transcends time and tradition. The band exudes a remarkable chemistry that brings the songs to life as they improvise around each other, exploring melodies in new ways with each performance.

Paper Crowns
2024-12-12 19:30 - 21:30
The Paper Crowns are the multi-instrument, genre crossing power duo of Spiro and Nicole Nicolopoulos. The Paper Crowns are earning their reputation as the genuine article and as a band on the cutting edge of modern roots music. Their musical chemistry is a gumbo of Appalachian folk and bluegrass, Dixieland melodies, delta blues, acid rock, murder ballads, outlaw country and Southern Gospel that they cook up into a sound all their own. As a duo they have a full band sound with drums, bass, acoustic and electric guitars and banjo as well as live looping on the spot compositions. Their mix of modern and traditional performance creates a captivating intensity yet always honors their intimacy and emotional rawness as a duo.

Underhill Rose
2024-12-07 20:00 - 22:00
Harmonies. Soul-touching lyrics. Eye-catching stage presence. Underhill Rose has become synonymous with beautiful music, charming personalities, and rippling success. Since 2009, the band from Asheville, North Carolina has independently released four albums, with two landing in the top of the Americana Music Association Airplay Chart and Roots Music Report Chart, all the while garnering critical acclaim from around the globe. Get to know the joyful soaring voice of Molly Rose and her acoustic guitar and the distinctive styling of Eleanor Underhill’s open-back banjo and salty-blues vocals. Underhill Rose creates music that is real and inspired.

Newfound Gap
2024-12-05 19:30 - 21:30
Newfound Gap is an old-time sound string band from Leicester, North Carolina. Made up of siblings Bayla, Sylvie, and Judah Davis, the three have been playing music together since they were six years old. Newfound Gap has performed on the Kid’s Stage at IBMA World of Bluegrass, and at MerleFest, Folkmoot, Shindig on the Green, and on the Woodsongs Kids television/radio program. This youthful group blends traditional Appalachian music with progressive influences and is a show one would be remiss to pass up.

Peggy Ratusz Trio
2024-11-30 20:00 - 22:00
A tambourine totin’ Blues Chanteuse named Peggy Ratusz and her Trio perform an infectious, sultry, multi-layered brand of original, traditional and modern Blues, Soul, R&B, and Jazz. She and her backing bands are particularly impressive during live performances where audiences witness her very core as it shines and is inspired by the rhythm, the melodies and content of the stories she tells.

Anya Hinkle W. The Billy Sea
2024-11-24 19:00 - 21:00
Using the medium of Appalachian string band tradition, Anya Hinkle is a force when it comes to storytelling through song. With arresting honesty and a beautiful voice reminiscent of whiskey – smooth with an alluring hint of smoke – Hinkle straddles the bounds of bluegrass and country, resulting in some of the best Americana Roots has to offer. Playing tunes that flutter through beautiful finger-picked themes, invoking folk melodies from the past, Anya Hinkle will walk you through an artfully crafted story, evolving into an unknown inner psychological and surreal music space. It’s the honesty and grit in Hinkle’s music that pulls you in.

Lazybirds
2024-11-23 20:00 - 22:00
A classic American roots band, the Lazybirds Band specializes in good time music, impossible not to move to. Pulling from blues, jazz, and good old ragtime, this band has a hillbilly flare that gets your toes tapping. With a talented ensemble that plays strings, piano, and harmonica, they cover all of the great sounds rooted in Rural America. Gritty Mississippi blues to Dylan classics, with some early American string band thrown in, the Lazybirds are just as comfortable vibing out with an original to covering one of the greats. Founded back in 2000, the Lazybirds have been showing audiences a good time for over 20 years.

Charlotte Bluegrass Allstars
2024-11-21 19:30 - 21:30
Charlotte Bluegrass Allstars are a genre-defying powerhouse hailing from the heart of Charlotte, North Carolina. This unique collaboration brings together a diverse ensemble of musicians, each drawing from distinct musical backgrounds, including rock, blues, classical, jazz, and jam band influences. United by a shared passion for Bluegrass, they’ve woven a tapestry of sound that defies traditional boundaries and expectations.

The Feels
2024-11-16 20:00 - 22:00
Singer-songwriters, Lange Eve and Sarah Roberts bring their soulful and engaging energy as they showcase their original music. This five-piece group packs their sets with fusions of Soul, R&B, Funk, and Groove with tasteful throwback/retro vibes that will make you feel so many things! In addition to Lange on guitar/vox and Sarah on Ukulele/vox/percussion, this dynamic group is backed by Matt Gardner on lead guitar, Brian Grasso on bass, Matthew Roberts on drums, and often other special guests! The Feels is a fun mix of artists from the (past and present) WNC music scene. These musicians have a long history of music and good times together that can be felt and heard!

Lyle de Vitry
2024-11-14 19:30 - 21:30
Much like life itself, the music of Lyle de Vitry comes in cycles. With his intricate, ambient fingerpicking guitar style and suede-soft baritone voice, de Vitry mesmerizes audiences into meditative serenity. Immersed in rich and nuanced harmonic composition, listeners are gently drawn into the here and now. Effortlessly moving between unity and dissonance, voice and instrumentation, rhythm and melody, de Vitry seamlessly integrates the comfort of folk music with the spine-shivering emotional release and intentionality of classical compositions. In so doing, he manages to create a sound as dynamic and honest as the ocean’s eternally flowing tides or the planet’s ever-changing seasons.

Random Animals
2024-11-09 20:00 - 22:00
Random Animals is an Asheville, North Carolina based Indie-Soul quartet. A product of years of collaborations among the tight-knit quartet – most of whose members play in other bands in town (including The Get Right Band, Supatight and the Diamond River Band) – Random Animals’ unique sound is defined by dreamy vocal harmonies, a driving rhythm section, thoughtful lyrics, and guitar arrangements that are tight yet melodic. Weaving together elements of indie-rock, funk, r&b, jazz and soul music, Random Animals puts on a dynamic show that’s aimed to please a diverse audience.

Eleanor Underhill & Friends
2024-11-07 19:30 - 21:30, 2024-10-03 19:30 - 21:30
Eleanor Underhill and Friends banded together in 2014 to create music that would entertain the dancer and the music nerd alike. With genre-bending grooves, thoughtful original compositions, and cover songs you would never expect from a banjo-fronted band, they create a sound that blends elements of Americana, world, pop, jazz, reggae, and acoustic rock. Unafraid to launch from Radiohead’s Creep into TLC’s Creep and back again, Eleanor Underhill and Friends thrives on experimentation and boundary-pushing, so you never know what surprises await.

Hannah and The Wistfuls
2024-11-02 20:00 - 22:00
Hannah Kaminer is an artist and singer-songwriter writing songs about love, loss, and home. Raised in small towns in Western North Carolina, she fuses echoes of Appalachian and country traditions with wistful, Americana-style songwriting.

Fancy and The Gentlemen
2024-10-31 19:30 - 21:30
An alt-country and honky tonk band based out of Asheville, NC, Fancy and the Gentlemen plays down home roots style originals while paying homage to the greats of country music from the 40s to the 80s. Featuring rich harmonies and family style tele, Fancy Marie leads the band with crisp clear vocals twinged with the stylings of your favorite 60s country starlet. Accompanied by an upright bass, fiddle, keys, pedal steel, and drums, Fancy and The Gentlemen will move your feet just as much as your heartstrings.

Pierce Edens
2024-10-26 20:00 - 22:00
Pierce Edens is an independent musician and singer-songwriter from Western North Carolina. He is best known for his powerful vocals and haunting, fiery music that captivates listening rooms and excites dance floors in equal measure. Sitting alongside long-time bandmate, Kevin Reese, the musical duo take their audience on a well-crafted journey. Built song-by-song, the room becomes an experiential fortress filled with Edens’ signature vibrato, an unusually soulful, waverly tenor that conveys each song’s emotional depth. The duo’s sound is both intimate and gritty, atmospheric and raw – a hard-edged folk sound that is uniquely Pierce Edens.

Reedy River String Band
2024-10-19 20:00 - 22:00
Reedy River String Band has taken the Southeast of the United States by storm the past few years with their fresh take on Appalachian roots music. Reedy River’s sound is modern bluegrass with foot stompin’ elements of jam and rock n’ roll inspired by the various touring and recording experiences of its members. In any given show, Multi-instrumentalist Sterling Waite interchanges mandolin, fiddle, banjo, and harmonica to bring a range of textures to the band’s live performances. With Rush Morgan on guitar and Mark Dye on upright bass, all three of the members are songwriters and lead singers, lending a depth and variety of original material beyond the band’s relatively short time together.

The Contenders
2024-10-17 19:30 - 21:30
Folkicana duo, The Contenders, have crafted their sound after years of traveling the country. Pulling tales and stories from all walks of life, from shared experiences, from every high and and every low.. Their infectious rhythms and sublime 2-part harmonies, feed into their message or the troubadour. “Not many people know what it feels like, I fear, to be in so many strangers’ homes sharing music and stories, food and drink. But the troubadour knows. We do it all the time. And The Contenders mean to let you know it’s real, it gives them hope, and, lately, it breaks their hearts.

Michael Flynn
2024-10-12 20:00 - 22:00
Michael Flynn is an Americana-adjacent singer/songwriter based in western NC. Though some have likened his style to that of the “Neo-pop” genre. Either way, his music is appealing in its ability to take you on a journey. One moment you will be chuckling along with a quirky turn of phrase and the next closing your eyes to the somber tones flowing from both piano and Flynn’s vocals. There is no denying Flynn’s talent, with songs featured on shows like Grey’s Anatomy and Shameless, and not to mention his numerous awards. Lyrically strong, intimately beautiful, and full of varied song craft, Flynn’s music is playful even when it hurts, bright when it’s bruising, and as catchy as it is clever. In short, his music is like life, a full experience.

“The Doors: Unhinged!” (An AMC Production)
2024-10-10 19:30 - 21:30
This Asheville-based quintet, fronted by the charismatic and electrifying Reggie Headen, features an all-star, highly sought after group of musicians: Jonathan Pearlman, Taylor Pierson, Connor Law, and Jay Hoots. Reggie Headen started his professional career as a featured performer at New York’s famous Broadway concert venue Town Hall, playing to giants and peers in the industry. The power and panache of his live performances are ones for the history books. A fearless performer and heartfelt old soul vocalist. Pearlman says, “There’s something very daring, dangerous, and dark about the Doors’ music. We’ve tried to capture that. We found it challenging to approximate their chemistry and alchemy. I believe that we got it right!”

"The Doors: Unhinged!" (An AMC Production)
2024-10-10 19:30 - 21:30
