Joe Lasher Tip-Off Concert: Friday, March 8th - 6:15 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Joe Lasher is a rising country star whose dynamic performances have been captivating his home state of North Carolina for years. With influences like Tim McGraw, Eric Church, Florida Georgia Line, and fellow Ashevillian, Luke Combs, his infectious positive attitude makes him a natural both on and off stage. His new single “Nothing Better to Do Friday Nights,” written by Warner Music Nashville’s Michael Ray, alongside venerable songwriters and producers, Chris Stevens and Jeremy Stover, is poised to be Joe’s break-out single.
Ryan “RnB” Barber - Boogie Therapi: 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. - Saturday, March 9th
Ryan "RnB" Barber is a proud staple of Asheville NC's legendary music scene, at the forefront of its funk and R&B community. Drawing from a lifetime of singing, rapping, producing and touring across the nation, Ryan has released 6 full length studio albums. He has also been featured on many high profile projects, including producing on two of R&B stalwart W. Ellington Felton's recent albums, and also singing and rapping on the 2017 GRAMMY winning album "Infinity Plus One" by Secret Agent 23 Skidoo, just one of the groups he actively tours with.
Already known throughout the SouthEast as a standout voice, charismatic bandleader, and musical workhorse, Ryan "RnB" Barber has begun spreading his soaring funkiness across the nation, recently rocking sets at Chicago's Lollapalooza Festival and performing live on SiriusXM in Washington, DC, delivering uplifting messages with a timeless soul that sounds like both yesterday and tomorrow.
Carolina Lowdown: Saturday, March 9th, 4:30-6pm
Rock and Roll and Dance hits from 80’s through today.
Lyric: 2 p.m. 4 p.m. Sunday March 10th
Leeda “Lyric” Jones, best known as Lyric is a singer-songwriter, musician, and music teacher. She is a Western North Carolina favorite and holds several Mountain Xpress “Best of” awards including, but not limited to: best funk band, best vocalist, best lyricist, best r&b/soul, best singer-songwriter, all around favorite band and band that gives back to the community.
In 2007 Lyric determined to get her voice out to the world, taught herself how to play guitar by watching youtube. In 2009, she met Lizz Wright while busking in downtown Asheville, at the time, she had no idea that the two of them would share the same stage in 2011. In the past two years, Lyric has been discovered, she has shared the stage with legends such as George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic, Mavis Staples, Gladys Knight, Booker T. Jones, Little Big Town, Dionne Warwick, Cedric Burnside, Amy Ray (Indigo Girls), Fred Wesley & the Lee Boys, Count M’Butu and Warren Haynes.
Lyric draws inspiration from India Arie, Tracy Chapman, and Lauryn Hill, which isn’t surprising once one hears the way she gracefully intertwines Soul, R&B, Funk, and even a little Hip-Hop - the best portrayal of this intertwinement can be heard in “You Can Win”, which is on her “Perspective” EP.