smartbets by alli marsHall
river whyless bethesda If the name Bethesda makes you think of either Maryland or video games, the band that shares that moniker is about to change your frame of reference. The sextet from Kent, Ohio, crafts folklore-infused indie-rock informed by storytelling traditions and resonant with strings (guitar, violin, banjo) and the rich vocal of lead singer Shanna Delaney. There’s something Old-World about Bethesda’s sound (they point out that the name comes from “the sacred place in ancient times where people would flock in hopes of experiencing the healing power of the waters”), filtered through pop savvy. They take the stage at Jack of the Wood on Saturday, June 29 with Marshall Brown Band and The Restoration. 9 p.m., $7. jackofthewood.com.
moe. You know you’ve made it when your fans coin a term for themselves. For the followers of ‘90s jamband moe., it’s “moe.rons.” The group got its start in ‘89 while members were in school at SUNY-Buffalo; they released debut album Fatboy in ‘92. Now, 20-plus years later, moe. has put out a couple dozen live and studio album, mostly on the band’s Fatboy Records label. Their most recent is last year’s What Happened to the LA LAs. Moe. plays Pisgah Brewing’s outdoor stage on Friday, June 28 with Brock Butler (solo). 7:30 p.m., $20/$25/$50 VIP. pisgahbrewing.com.
Orchestral folk-pop outfit River Whyless may be local, but it’s hard to catch the band on an Asheville stage. In fact, this week’s West Asheville performance be be the band’s only show on home turf for 2013. But it promises to be a good one: The band will perform new songs they’ve written for their upcoming album. There will also be a photography show (the group put out a call to artists for a collection called “River Whyless Photo book”) featuring the works of Molly Milroy, Samantha Carter, Lauren Van Epps and Miranda Maynard. The event takes place at Isis on Saturday, June 29 with James Wallace & The Naked Light. 9 p.m., $8/$10. isisasheville.com.
tav Falco Musician/photographer/ actor/author Tav Falco has said his main artistic purpose is “to stir up the dark waters of the unconscious.” He’ll stir those waters three times this week when his tour beings him to Asheville for a two-night run and a book reading (yes, that’s right). Tav Falco’s Panther Burns (an “art damage” rock band, formed in Memphis in the late ‘70s) performs at Asheville Music Hall with The Krektones and Pleasure Chest on Wednesday, June 26 and Friday, June 27 at the Asheville Music Hall (9:30 p.m. $15/$18. ashevillemusichall.com). And earlier in the day on Thursday, he’ll read from Ghosts Behind the Sun: Splendor, Enigma & Death, Vol. 1 of the Mondo Memphis the encyclopedic history and psychogeography of the Tennessee city on which he collaborated with rock writer Erik Morse (4 p.m. Free. Battery Park Book Exchange).
mountainx.com • June 26 - July 2, 2013 65