The Purple Onion

Lyle de Vitry
2024-11-14 19:30 - 21:30 UTC | The Purple Onion, 16 E Main St, Saluda, NC, 28773, United States
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

Phillip Lammonds
2024-09-28 20:00 - 22:00
Decades after carving out the reputation of a songwriter’s songwriter – a dedicated country tunesmith with as much poetic skill as commercial common sense – stepped up to the mic and put into wordsCombining an insightful creative spirit with a love of Southern sonic tradition (and a bit of meandering good ol’ boy whimsy)Lammonds shows off his well-established penchant for worldly wisdom and casual country-boy flair – boiling the big picture down to bite sized chunks of unadorned truth.

Ménage
2024-09-26 19:30 - 21:30
Ménage is a swing/soul/roots band. Original members Mary Ellen Bush and Sarah McDonald are now joined by Melissa Hyman to create a sound that is intimate, harmonic, and invokes melodic landscapes of our hills. Folk-rooted, the trio will take you on a journey unlike most, where bluesy swing is conveyed in rolling grooves ranging from rich smokey vocal textures to rambunctious roadhouse to whimsical. Sweet harmonies and distinct songwriting are the backbone of this band’s novel style. Solid stringed riffs laced with distant artful flashes of harmonica and accordion are siren songs to those lucky enough to be within earshot. The songwriting and the talent of this trio/duo will draw you in, and bring you back to see them again.

Mennage
2024-09-26 19:30 - 21:30

Aaron Burdett
2024-09-22 19:00 - 21:00
Aaron Burdett is an acclaimed Americana/folk singer-songwriter and performer from WNC. No stranger to hard work, Aaron’s sense of adventure took him across the country working on various types of farms and ranches. While many mainstream country singers pay lip-service to the blue-collar working world, Aaron’s songs come from his life experiences. Aaron Burdett’s lyrics are soul-touching, intelligent, witty, and poetic all at once, while his music style is a seamless blend of Americana, country, blues, bluegrass, and folk. Drawing heavily on both the traditions of Appalachian folk music, Aaron’s music gives voice to the small rural areas of the Blue Ridge Mountains while also speaking to the working men and women throughout the country.

Danielle Howle
2024-09-21 20:00 - 22:00
A lifelong artist and natural storyteller, Howle has lived a million lives in one, releasing well over a dozen studio albums in a four-decade career that has traversed genres, styles, and cultures, encompassing everything from country-swamp-blues and jazz to folk, southern rock, indie, and Americana – all while endlessly exploring the depths of the human condition. She’s opened for legends like Bob Dylan and Bonnie Raitt. This talented musician is a show you don’t want to miss.

Life Like Water
2024-09-14 20:00 - 22:00
A contemporary folk group that attempts to harness traditional sounds from around the world. Life Like Water is the creation of multi-instrumentalist and singer/songwriter, David Matters. A communal effort to celebrate the human experience. The group takes its name from a Lao Tzu quote in the Tao Te Ching. One of the poems says, “Life should be lived like water, for water benefits all things and goes against none of them.” With a focus on hypnotic rhythms, elegant vocal harmonies, and melodies that contain flavors of Africa, Ireland, and the Middle East, the music of this eclectic group is sure to uplift and inspire. Life Like Water brings all of the catchy familiarity of modern folk music with a deep rooted Appalachian authenticity.

Carver, Carmody & McIntire (Farewell Mare!)
2024-09-12 19:30 - 21:30
Roots music? Country blues? Americana? You be the judge. Michael “Country” Carver and Mare Carmody discovered a kindred musical spirit upon meeting during a Hendersonville song circle, along with a mutual love of fried green tomatoes. Their voices and guitar styles come together with a blend of grit and honey, covering classics, original songs, and a few unexpected gems too. Always aiming to have a good time, the acoustic bluesy and country tunes will lift your spirits and as well as pull you in deep.

Lonesome Road Band
2024-09-07 20:00 - 22:00
The Lonesome Road Band regularly travels as a three piece group, featuring banjo, guitar, and bass. In a nutshell, the band plays country and folk, but that wonderfully rustic country that walks you down a dirt road, with a pleasant breeze tickling your face, while the grasshoppers chirp. Founded back in 1995, the band has gone through a few changes in members, but has never lost its heart and soul – thanks in abundance to its founder Larry Keith. The charming yet stark fervency of The Lonesome Road Band’s music instantly takes audiences back to a time where songs told the world of man’s great love and great sorrows. Huddled around a vintage mic, the group would be right at home next to the Soggy Bottom Boys in “O Brother Where Art Thou.”

Brother and The Hayes Acoustic
2024-09-05 19:30 - 21:30
Brother and The Hayes is a sibling led, Americana/folk band based in Tennessee. David (Brother) and Jennie Hayes (The Hayes) found that their love for the blues, traditional country music, and bluegrass was the perfect vehicle for their playful, honest, and story-driven songwriting. You would be hard pressed to find a band that writes more authentically and has more fun playing together. The rapport between brother and sister on stage is something to behold as they draw you in and make you feel like part of the family.

The Local Boys
2024-08-31 20:00 - 22:00
The legacy of bluegrass music lives on in many styles, but the musicians defining themselves in tradition uphold the stories and techniques of yesterday’s music. For more than two decades, one band doing that has been The Local Boys, a Bluegrass and Americana band based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Local Boys love music that has grown and evolved over decades—old-time, bluegrass, country, and rock ’n’ roll. Beginning their musical journey over 20 years ago in Maryland, The Local Boys have a long tradition of celebrating the deep roots of traditional bluegrass music.

Clay Ross
2024-08-29 19:30 - 21:30
Clay Ross is a multi-Grammy winning artist and the founder of the Billboard chart-topping band Ranky Tanky. Through multiple collaborations with the U.S. State Department, he has toured worldwide as a Cultural Ambassador. Ross’s style is as eclectic as the world influences and the american deep roots he circulates and cultivates. Involved in multiple musical projects, his style and music reaches out to something deep within his audiences, pulling on sounds and themes that everyone can not only relate to, but move to. Clay Ross is a musical experience and nothing beats seeing him in his element, live.

Holler Choir
2024-08-24 20:00 - 22:00
Led by the lyrical craftsmanship of singer, guitarist, and songwriter Clint Roberts, the distinctly Appalachian, old-time sound of Asheville’s Holler Choir combines haunting harmonies, stirring string compositions, and heart-wrenching ballads, yet hardly conforms to a stereotypical genre. Call it a confluence of old-time, Americana, and bluegrass, but, by its own exceptional design, the sound and atmosphere of Holler Choir are singular. Robert’s wordcraft and explosive vocal range is met with the dulcet clawhammer banjo plucking of long-time collaborator Helena Rose, the gutsy timekeeping of upright bassist Joey Brown, and the cracking leads of fiddle player Nat Copeland. Together they create playful songs which explore deep places.

Newfound Gap
2024-08-22 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.

Funky Junk Joy Peddlers
2024-08-17 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.

Admiral Radio
2024-08-15 19:30 - 21:30
Inspired by their 1941 wooden Admiral radio, this South Carolina- based husband and wife duo creates an Americana sound rooted in tradition that touches the heartstrings of the modern-day listener. With tight vocal harmonies, endearing storytelling and authentic energy, Becca and Coty hold a presence that is palpable and real, both on and off stage. Simply put, Becca and Coty aim to leave listeners better than they found them. With a personal sincerity and honest performance, you might shed a few tears and roll with laughter.

81 Drifters
2024-08-10 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.

Dulci
2024-08-08 19:30 - 21:30
Already being hailed as “the next Woody Guthrie,” Crys Matthews is among the brightest stars of the new generation of social justice music-makers. A powerful lyricist whose songs of compassionate dissent reflect her lived experience as what she lightheartedly calls “the poster-child for intersectionality…” Ear Milk describes, “A passionate and powerful blend of infectious Americana melodies and folky instrumentation, Matthews delivers her honest songwriting through a beautifully raw and unfiltered lens. Oozing soul, her voice bleeds with emotion and gratitude, while simple piano melodies and upbeat percussion fill you with appreciation and love for the people around us who fight for change.”

Dulci Ellenberger
2024-08-08 19:30 - 21:30
Dulci brings an ageless, classic style to pop music, with her smooth vocals and warm melodies. With her repertoire of original songs and updated covers, Dulci is where classic vocal beauty meets 60s pop nostalgia. Connecting with people and taking audiences to a happy place is at the center of every performance. Dulci’s vocals sound smooth and easy, while navigating intricate melodies and rhythms seamlessly. Striving to create meaningful, powerful music that’s also relatable, playful, and fun, Dulci’s mission as an artist is to create a more connected, happier, and healthier world through shared experiences.
