Here at Rare Bird, we love offering our monthly Free Barn Concert Series and witnessing it flourish into the most fun-loving community! We are honored to have the opportunity to create this intimate listening space for our inclusive community to share, connect, and experience.
2023 Free Concerts:
Saturday, May 27 – Lyle De Vitry with Caravan Calling opening, 6:00 PM –
The Asheville based singer songwriter’s thoughtfully crafted melodies and poetry are imaginative, visually arresting and thought provoking as he explores themes of nature, love, memory and the temporal. Lyle’s creative expression and inspiration are derived from a wide range of sonic spaces. A life of classical training, curious exploration of jazz, passion for traditional Appalachian music and a deep love of songwriters like Adrianne Lenker, Nick Drake, and Sufjan Stevens have each shaped his style into something fresh and innovative.
Opening the experimental trio; Caravan Calling will perform songs in Spanish, Chinese, and original songs by Kimberly Dunn.
Satruday, June 24 – Nicholas Edward Williams, 6:00 PM –
Host of the popular roots music history podcast American Songcatcher, Nicholas Edward Williams is a multi-instrumentalist and storyteller who is dedicated to “playing it forward” by preserving the songs and styles that have shaped our country: ragtime, Piedmont blues, traditional folk, old time and early country. Williams has spent the last 15 years touring around the US, the UK, Western Europe and Australia, blending the roots music spectrum in his own style. He’s opened for Taj Mahal, The Wood Brothers, Dom Flemons, CAAMP, John Paul White, Town Mountain, John Craigie and Rachel Baiman, and has performed at festival stages on three continents. William’s debut record As I Go Ramblin’ Around made the International Folk Radio DJ Charts in 2019 with the #6 Top Album, #7 Top Song. His critically acclaimed sophomore release Folk Songs For Old Times’ Sake unveiled in November of 2021 and has been heralded by the likes of Grammy-winning musician David Holt who said: “With tasteful guitar arrangements and a voice that draws you right in, Nicholas’ recordings roll along like a mountain stream.”
Saturday, July 1 – Pretty Little Goat, 6:00 PM –
“By any definition, these musicians are producing some of the best and most creative roots music to be found anywhere… Although the music might be rooted in Western North Carolina, these talented musicians make it contemporary and cool and oh-so authentic.” -Blue Ridge Now
Pretty Little Goat formed in 2013 through their common love of the deep well of local tradition found in the mountains of Western North Carolina. Pretty Little Goat sees traditional music as a living art form; vibrant and evolving.
At the center of the group is the husband-and-wife team of Josh and Mallory Carter. After a youth marked by steady touring all around the world, they have now settled down on a farm in the country where they are raising three children, tending cows, and writing songs. The Carters have collaborated with fellow Goats, Owen Grooms on banjo and JT Linville on bass, with Josh on mandolin and Mallory percussing on a washboard. Jackson Dulaney has been a powerful addition to the group, rounding out the sound with dobro playing as good as any of the best.
