Bug Hunter / The Narcissist Cookbook
** Come early (5:00 PM) to the venue to listen to both artists play a couple extra songs + audience Q&A, pre-show access to merch (skip the line after the show!) and take a photo with Bug Hunter and The Narcissist Cookbook. THIS TICKET INCLUDES GA ACCESS TO THE SHOW!** Bug Hunter and The Narcissist Cookbook are bringing their show back on the road in 2026, playing their solo material as well a selection of songs from their hit songwriting podcast, Jam Mechanics. Bug HunterBug has the very unique skill of being able to put a lifetime of experiences in a single song. There is also a very rare quality where even the most painful lyrics manage to have a silver lining or hope within their theme. Every song has a story, and every story has something profound to pull from it. Every single album and song is an entire rush of words that manage to perfectly capture so many specific emotions and moments in time. There is such a rare quality in the writing, and I’ve yet to find another artist that I can fully compare to Bug Hunter.” The Narcissist Cookbook Mudslinger/songwrecker The Narcissist Cookbook uses five-rounds-rapid storytelling and powerful songwriting as a siege weapon trained on the barker between the stage and the audience. An irreverent, unpredictable and inimitable voice in modern spoken word.
Marisa Anderson
Marisa Anderson channels the history of the guitar and stretches the boundaries of tradition. Her playing is fluid, emotional, and masterful, featuring compositions and improvisations that re-imagine the landscape of American music. The New Yorker calls Anderson ‘one of the most distinctive guitar players of her generation’, and NPR refers to her as among ‘this era’s most powerful players’. Her music has been featured in Rolling Stone, NPR, The New York Times, Pitchfork, the BBC and The Wire. Festival appearances include Big Ears, Pitchfork Midwinter, Le Guess Who and the Copenhagen Jazz Festival. Anderson is the recipient of the 2025 Spark Award for Oregon Artists presented by the James F. and Marion L. Miller Foundation. In addition to her solo work, Anderson is sought after as a collaborator and composer. Swallowtail, her second record in duo with drummer Jim White was released May 2024 on Thrill Jockey Records. 2024 also saw the release of the feature film score ‘ A Perfect Day For Caribou’, as well as appearances on records by Charlie Parr, Myriam Gendron and Big|Brave. In addition to multiple solo releases, past projects include 2021’s Lost Futures with guitarist William Tyler, and contributions to recordings by Matmos, Tara Jane O’Neil, Beth Ditto, Sharon Van Etten and Circuit Des Yeux, among others. Classically trained, Anderson honed her skills playing in country, jazz and circus bands. Her current work is focused on a mid-20th century archive of recorded music from the Islamic world, Southeast Asia and the Soviet Union. ‘One of the best emotional mediums in the field of solo guitar, Anderson is a master of lovely melancholy.’ – Pitchfork
Ada Lea / Emma Geiger
“The hand knows best,” the painter Margaux Williamson says. “A shape produces itself, where I go toward what is intuitive, rather than logical.” The shapely, intuitive songs that comprise Ada Lea’s third album, when i paint my masterpiece, are surprising, imagistic, tactile. They stand before us and we feel their brushstrokes. Alexandra Levy holds her guitar against the backdrop of a sea of her paintings on the album cover and it’s tempting to ask: is painting a metaphor here, for music or life? No! As ever, she resists tidy metaphors. She’s a master of this kind of thorny lowercase title that germinates and grows with time. In a real, profound way, music and painting go hand-in-hand as she unveils a new style of subversion and surrealism inspired by her transdisciplinarity. The album marks a reset—a quiet revolution. After years of relentless international touring, Levy felt an urgent need for community and renewal. Gruelling road schedules with very little support left her wondering: who am I really doing all this for? The system was uncaring and broken, and so it was that she came to envision a new healthy and healing mode of musical genesis. “For me, that looked like resting, extending my creative reach, going back to school, studying painting and poetry,” she explains. “Taking a step away from music as guided by industry expectations. Simplifying things. Getting a job, starting to teach. Engaging with the process rather than the product.” This need for a more deliberate creative renewal was rejected by her existing systems of support, so she began the search for an alternative The album views the world through an unstable prism of imagination. “midnight magic” is set firmly in a shimmering dreamworld that could have been summoned by Judee Sill. “snowglobe” refracts a dinner scene later glimpsed through glass by a child. In “there is only one thing on my mind,” a series of magical transformations send the speaker soaring like a Chagall figure. These transformations also draw inspiration from mythical novelist Olga Tokarczuk’s honoring of otherness and inexplicability, and the surrealist painter-novelist Leonora Carrington’s engagement with mysterious forces of nature, and the self as an observed observer. “Just like in the museum/ We keep a little distance” Levy sings.
Lonnie Rott / Chessa Rich
Lonnie Rott is a singer-songwriter in Durham, whose songs explore themes of anticapitalist anger, liberation, solidarity, and lament for the reality that everything dies at last, and too soon. Whistling in the Dark, out March 6, is an Americana-infused meditation on death produced by Charles Cleaver and featuring contributions from Anne-Claire, Dan Faust, Remona Jeannine, Chessa Rich, Libby Rodenbough, and Jimmy Washington. Chessa Rich swallowed sound at an early age, solidifying music as her internal compass. After a post-college job in Spain, she returned to North Carolina to hone the keyboard, flute and vocals that would form the bedrock of her equally jagged and ethereal style. Tracing her lines of influence from her parents’ community jazz band to the moment she encountered Radiohead in her youth, Rich has emerged as a versatile songwriter and collaborator, recording and performing with Hiss Golden Messenger and Tift Merritt, as well as putting out a 2018 EP produced by Nick Sanborn of Sylvan Esso.
Joseph Decosimo / The Horsenecks
A leading interpreter of the fiddle, banjo, and song traditions from the Appalachian South, Joseph Decosimo has introduced audiences around the world to the beauty and vitality of the region’s music. A student of the last master traditional musicians in his home region of Tennessee, Joseph draws on a well of profound creativity and repertoire to create fresh sounds. His performances are inviting and nourishing, connecting audiences to the older music’s transcendent beauty. Joseph also works outside of the traditional music world. His playing can be heard on recordings by fellow Durham, NC artists Hiss Golden Messenger, Wye Oak, Jake Xerxes Fussell, Elephant Micah, and others. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNwTDpuFtJg&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.josephdecosimo.com%2F&source_ve_path=MjM4NTE Playing original and traditional Old Time and roots music, The Horsenecks are Oregonian Gabrielle Macrae and Liverpool, England native Barry Southern. Based in Astoria, Oregon, they are two award-winning multi-instrumentalists who have come together from traditional music backgrounds and found a sound that weaves through layers of influence that include Western North Carolina’s rich fiddle and banjo tradition, classic country, early Bluegrass, and British Folk. Gabrielle is known for her fiery fiddling, clawhammer banjo playing and unique songwriting. Barry’s playing ranges from moody to high-octane, whether flatpicking, playing three-finger, clawhammer banjo, or fiddling, all while bringing the richness of the singing traditions of the British Isles to the stage. Their powerful harmony singing is showcased through their catalogue of original material, all inspired by the traditional music they have spent their musical lives steeped in. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmTNaN4Z3Zc
Dan Bern / Charles Latham
Dan Bern is a captivating live performer with a loyal, multi-generational following. He has written thousands of songs, released dozens of albums, and played shows across North America and Europe–from coffee shops to Carnegie Hall. Bern’s songs have appeared in numerous films and TV shows, including Judd Apatow’s “Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story,” “Get Him to the Greek“ and “The Bubble.” He appeared as himself in the 2022 Hannukah film “Menorah in the Middle” on Hulu, and wrote and performed 2 seasons of songs for Amazon Prime’s award-winning kids program, “The Stinky & Dirty Show.” A true renaissance artist, Bern is the author of some dozen books of stories and poems and is a prolific painter. His online “Hunkered in the Bunker” shows have a passionate community of followers, while his topical sports songs are regularly featured on “The Tony Kornheiser Show.” He was recently inducted into the Iowa Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Charles Latham Opening! “Latham’s music is passionate with biting wit.” –NPR”Reminiscent of the glorious sloppiness of Neil Young & Crazy Horse.” – Folk Radio UK “One of the sharpest songwriters to emerge of late on the antifolk sphere…Charles Latham could be your new hero.” – INDY Weekly Charles Latham is a singular voice in the North Carolina music scene — a bold and imaginative songwriter whose sharp wit, emotional depth, and magnetic performances have earned him comparisons to legends like Bob Dylan, John Prine, and Robyn Hitchcock. After years of crisscrossing the U.S. and U.K., Latham put down roots in Durham, NC, in 2014. His 2017 album, Little Me Time, highlighted his talent for pairing razor-sharp lyrics with compelling melodies and expansive production. To bring his songs to life on stage, Latham formed The Borrowed Band, an ensemble of some of the region’s most respected musicians, including former members of Ben Folds Five, Shooter Jennings, and 6 String Drag. Together, they deliver a captivating blend of ballads and barnstormers, drawing on the chemistry of vintage duets like Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris while adding a modern twist.
Crys Matthews / Flamy Grant / Jennifer Knapp
Crys Matthews, the poster child for intersectionality and Flamy Grant, the “Bible Belt Baby” are teaming up once again to pick up where the Winter Magic Tour left off, and they’re bringing some friends. This December, the Make the Yuletide Gay tour is hitting the road with Jennifer Knapp, Heather Mae, and Spencer LaJoy to spread a little holiday cheer and a whole lot of faith-infused LGBTQ+ joy! Armed with a bold lip and a blistering voice, Flamy Grant is brilliant, resilient proof that nothing is sacred (but everything is holy) and shame belongs in the closet. A preacher’s kid and former drum major, troubadour of truth Crys Matthews is among the brightest stars of the new generation of social justice music-makers. With new releases under their belts, both Matthews and Grant are joining forces with three other artists who also use the art to light up these dark times.
Mariee Siou / Donnie Coco
Mariee Siou has been a fixture in the Neo-folk scene since her 2007 debut “Faces in the Rocks”—now acclaimed as a cult classic in the indie music world. She is revered for her delicate finger picking and poetic mysticism, often drawing, as from the ether, immense feeling through a voice of soft potency and otherworldly wordsmithing. She is known as a healing singer and as being a visionary artist, channeling and transmitting medicinal qualities through her music. Mariee Siou has extensively toured Europe and the US, and opened for acclaimed artists like Mazzy Star, Buffy St. Marie, Bert Jansch, Brightblack Morning Light, Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy, and Joanna Newsom. In 2021 she played Le Guess Who? In Utrecht, Netherlands, at the invitation of Phil Elverum of The Microphones/Mt. Eerie, and she continues to tour the US and Europe. Donnie Coo Lifelong multi-instrumentalist and Philadelphia based singer-songwriter Donnie CoCo fearlessly explores the landscape of grief, modeling a determined and curious effort to grow upward from a place of pain. For fans of Jaala, Nai Palm, and Jeff Buckley—Donnie’s soulful voice and tongue-in-cheek lyrics haunt listeners as potently as their dynamic guitar finger-picking with playful musicality. Donnie CoCo’s debut single ‘Bad Word’ was recorded at Office Ours on Knox in Germantown and released independently in July 2024. It will be followed up with a full length record in 2025.
Joseph Decosimo / Luke Richardson / Cleep Shrey + Alice Gerrard
Durham record release show for “Beehive Cathedral”— Joseph Decosimo, Luke Richardson, and Cleek Schrey’s exploration of the ring, buzz, and hum of Southern traditional music. Durham’s own Alice Gerrard will be joining the show as well. Working with fiddle, hardanger d’amore (a fiddle with sympathetic strings), banjos, and pump organ, the new recording captures both the sonic details of their instruments and a generous musical interplay rooted in a dozen years of collaboration. The results showcase deep study and enveloping, exhilarating performances filled with tonal ambiguity, drone, and bittersweet dissonance. The members of the trio are veteran performers in the Old-time scene, where they’ve worked with renowned string bands The Bucking Mules and Bigfoot. Beehive Cathedral draws on the group’s experiences making music together at Southern fiddlers’ conventions, in the back of NYC pubs, on stages, and in their homes. It also sources energy from their broader musical lives, in Durham, NYC, and Tennessee.
EARLY SHOW: Jeffrey Lewis & The Voltage, w/ Stray Owls
Jeffrey Lewis & The Voltage (NYC, Don Giovanni Records)Songwriter and comix artist Jeffrey Lewis began recording homemade cassettes in New York City in 1998; his critically acclaimed, unusual and word-dense songs lead to Jeffrey signing to Rough Trade Records in 2001 (record label of The Smiths, The Strokes, Belle & Sebastian, etc.). Creating a brilliant style of scuzzy urban indie-rock-folk, like a 21st Century mash-up of Sonic Youth, Pete Seeger and R. Crumb, Jeffrey has played countless gigs all over the world, both solo and with bandmates, including playing as the opening act for bands like the Mountain Goats, Daniel Johnston, Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks, Dinosaur Jr, The Fall, Dr. Dog, Pulp, Roky Erickson, The Vaselines, and more.His most recent official album is “Jeffrey Lewis & The Voltage: Bad Wiring” released on Don Giovanni Records (USA) and Moshi Moshi Records (internationally) in November 2019 (garnering rave reviews), but Jeffrey has also digitally self-released multiple DIY albums from his apartment since the pandemic started. Jeffrey continues to wring folksy spiel and garage bohemianism from his ramshackle guitar, whether with his full band or solo, while sometimes incorporating his often politically subversive visual artwork and cartoons into live appearances. Some of these audio/visual projects have been hosted on History.com, such as “The Story of Sitting Bull,” a Jeffrey Lewis illustrated song which won a Webby Award in 2011 for “Best Writing on the Internet;” Jeffrey’s “The Story of Keith Haring” was commissioned by the Museum of Modern Art in 2021. “Weird? Very… but also downright inspiring” (****) – Rolling Stone“Jeffrey Lewis is an amazing musician, and if you don’t know his songs you probably have a hole in your heart that can only be filled by his words… I did!” – Regina Spektor”Hands down my favorite contemporary songwriter” – Ben Gibbard (Death Cab For Cutie)“Jeffrey is the best pure songwriter I know of… ‘Sad Screaming Old Man’… is one of my favorite songs ever written” – David Berman (Silver Jews)“Ramshackle and beautiful noise… Lou Reed’s natural successor as punk poet of the New York streets” – Louder Than War”Bizarre but brilliant” – Uncut”Dazzling” – Mojo”Jeffrey is the only artist I’ve sent fan mail to.” – Jens Lekman”Really great and impressive and inspiring and exciting… There’s not a lot of people that can tell a story and use language like that in music.” – Will Oldham