Buddy Guy and Indigo Girls release new albums

A lot has changed for Abby Bryant since her first studio release, an EP she made as a college student, which was dropped in 2017.

She moved from Charlotte to Asheville. She grew up as a musician. And now she and guitarist Bailey Faulkner have some new music to share.

“The labor of love with this new album in terms of studio preparation, overall performance and musicality, along with the time and thought spent creating each song and building the harmonies reflect a whole new kind of music. ‘approaching and maturing, “Bryant said in an email interview about his debut album,” Not Your Little Girl. ” “I’ve come a long way as a singer and songwriter since (the first release), and Bailey’s ear and musical vision has grown extraordinarily – so much so that he’s produced much of the new album.”

Their band, Abby Bryant and the Echoes, will bring their blend of southern rock and roots to town with an album release at 9 p.m. on October 23 at Asheville Music Hall.

Bryant, a native of Gastonia who attended Appalachian State University in Boone, moved to Asheville in 2018 during a period of transition for her and her group.

“I wanted more access to artists in a larger music scene with more performance and jam opportunities and more chances to learn and grow,” she said. “Moving to Asheville changed things for the better and brought meaningful community to my life. I feel supported as an artist here.

She grew up around music because she is the daughter of a music minister. Bryant said being around this type of music is huge in her musical preferences and songwriting style and that singing back-up improvisation harmonies with the “worship team” when she was a child played a big role in the development of his ear.

“The church is largely where my singing voice developed. Compared to many of my artist friends today, I knew very little about certain ‘secular’ genres until relatively recently, ”she said. “I grew up mainly with gospel music, and it wasn’t until college that I started exploring more of the world of blues, soul and rock’n’roll. I was delighted when I realized how much these genres overlapped with my background in gospel music. I felt like I was starting to play music that was totally new to me without skipping a beat, and church music had prepared me for this transition.

Local band release new album

Asheville duo Zoe & Cloyd’s new album has recently been released. “Rebuild” contains many lyrics that relate to the world during the uncertainty of a pandemic.

Work on the record, which was released via Organic Records, began before the pandemic for married couple Natalya Zoe Weinstein and John Cloyd Miller and their bandmates Bennett Sullivan (banjo and guitar) and double bass player Kevin Kehrberg.

The name of the album comes from an idea for a song that Sullivan brought to Miller.

“The song became ‘Rebuild’, and we quickly realized that this was a general theme that ran through this entire collection of songs,” Miller said in an email interview. “The pandemic has affected everyone in one way or another, and ‘Rebuild’ is a theme that runs through the whole album, whether it is the idea of ​​rebuilding ourselves, rebuilding our relationships and our societies, or something more subtle, like the connection to the place and our acceptance of change. Even the instrumental evokes the idea of ​​the transformation of the old and the inevitable reconstruction of a new reality.

The band will celebrate the release of this album with a show at 8:30 p.m. on October 23 at Isis Music Hall.

Zoe & Cloyd’s songs are folk and bluegrass and showcase their harmonies and songwriting skills. “Rebuild” is the sequel to 2019’s “I Am Your Neighbor”, which featured the same musicians.

“Listeners may notice more instrumental and arrangement complexity,” Miller said. “We’re very happy with this band and have really enjoyed making a sound with Kevin and Bennett over the past few years. They are amazing musicians and great people.

Legendary folk duo back in town

Indigo Girls has had a long and exceptional career and continues to perform in front of an adoring crowd.

The group, led by the duo of Amy Ray and Emily Sailers, released “Look Long” in 2020, at the start of the pandemic, and are currently on tour with the album. Indigo Girls will perform at 8 p.m. on October 27 at the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium with Danielle Howle opening act.

Ray and Sailers began their careers in Atlanta in the mid-1980s and are known for their harmonies and songwriting skills. Songs like “Closer to Fine”, “Galileo” and “Power of Two” are classics for fans to sing along to.

Bluesman Buddy Guy Plays Outdoors

When music magazine Rolling Stone ranked the 100 Great Guitarists of All Time in 2015, bluesman Buddy Guy came in at No. 23 (just ahead of AC / DC’s Angus Young and Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi).

Guy, the 85-year-old who has influenced many other guitarists, brings his Chicago blues style to town. It will play at 6:45 p.m. on October 24 at Salvage Station, with Ally Venable opening act.

Guy didn’t rest on his stature as an all-time great, but continued to record music. His last release was “The Blues Is Alive and Well” in 2018. Earlier this year, a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer documentary titled “Buddy Guy: The Blues Chase the Blues Away” was released.