The Meditations

Shinyribs (21+ Event)

Spirit of The Beehive (21+ Event)

Quique Neira (21+ Event)

Ellis Bullard (21+ Event)

Pearl and The Oysters (21+ Event)

Ally Venable Band (21+ Event)

Dale Watson

He’s spent the past two decades proving there are still powerful tales to be told from the honky-tonk pulpit, and he's brought that message to the faithful.— THE NASHVILLE SCENEDale Watson is a country music maverick, a true outlaw carrying on where Waylon Jennings left off. A member of the Austin Music Hall of Fame, he stands alongside Waylon, Willie Nelson, and George Strait as one of the finest country singers and songwriters from the Lone Star State.Although Dale has made his name as a Texas artist, he actually was born in Alabama. Moving to Houston as a teenager, his musical journey began right out of high school as he started playing clubs and local honky-tonks. In 1988, it led him to move to Los Angeles on the advice of rockabilly singer-guitarist Rosie Flores. He played in the house band at the legendaryPalomino Club in Hollywood for a couple years and recorded a few singles before moving to Nashville to write songs for a publishing company run by Gary Morris (writer of such country/pop hits as “The Wind Beneath My Wings”). Commercial country did not fit the fiercely independent songwriter so Dale relocated to Austin, Texas where he got a record deal and wrote several songs poking fun at the industry side of Nashville, including “Nashville Rash” from his Hightone debut Cheatin’ Heart Attack and “A Real Country Song” from his 1996 follow-up Blessed or Damned.After making three albums with Hightone, Dale released The Trucking Sessions on Koch Records in 1998. Including 14 original driving songs, the album received high praise and caused critics to compare him to chart-topping writer Red Simpson, who was responsible for some of the most iconic trucking tunes in country music.Just two years after this success, Dale’s fiancee died in a car accident. As chronicled in theZalman King documentary Crazy Again (2006), he turned to drugs and alcohol to cope with her loss and nearly died of an overdose. Dale then checked himself into a mental institution and left a year later, releasing his tribute album to her called Every Song I Write Is For You(2001). After recording a few more albums, he decided to take a break from touring and moved to Maryland to be closer to his daughters.Back in Texas and on the road in 2006, Dale has been trucking ever since and is now releasing his 20th album. His debut on indie label Red House Records, The Sun Sessions was recorded at Memphis’ legendary Sun Studios with The Texas Two (bassist Chris Crepps and drummer Mike Bernal) in the stripped-down style of Johnny Cash’s earliest recordings.Like the early country legends of the 1950’s and 1960’s, Dale has a style and sound all his own. Tattooed and always dressed to the nines, he is a true entertainer, mixing humor and pathos into his lively shows. Whether playing with his Texas Two or with his rocking band the Lone Stars, Dale is sure to take us on one hell of a musical ride.

Surprise Chef (21+ Event)

From little things, instrumental juggernauts grow. The members of Surprise Chef first gathered in 2017 with the modest aim of recording to tape a couple of spontaneous funk jams. As planned, those analogue sessions gave rise to a series of collectable 45’s but the unexpected gold they uncovered was a chemistry and camaraderie that has come to define the lives of the band-members ever since. Three LP’s and countless international tours later, Surprise Chef is globally recognized and respected with their emotive brand of cinematic soul, a sound that has been informed equally by their isolation in Australia and their deep love for soul, funk and classic film-scores. Their first album, All News Is Good News, established the foundation for their distinctive sound, and each subsequent release has pushed their creative boundaries. Along the journey they've garnered praise from the likes of Questlove and Jurassic 5's DJ Nu-Mark and were sampled for a collaboration between 88 Rising's Rich Brian and Wu Tang's legendary Ghostface Killah. They also provided the soundtrack to a Pepsi Super Bowl Halftime advertisement. After spending the first half of 2024 immersed in their critically acclaimed re-score of the 1970s Australian cult classic Wake in Fright - performed live alongside a never-before-seen 4K screening of the movie - the band found themselves in an entirely new creative space. Fresh from the intensity of that project, the recording sessions for Superb were intended to be the opposite process-wise; lighter, less intense, more free and spontaneous. Guitarist and songwriter, Lachlan Stuckey says: “Superb was a real shift in process for us… we care a great deal about the music we make being purposeful and meaningful and that mentality has given birth to a bunch of records we’re really proud of, but also can leave little room for spontaneity. On this record we wanted to embrace a kind of unbridled joy that inspired us when we first started making music. Making Superb showed us that when we’re more relaxed during the process, we get a whole different kind of record out of it.” Superb is the type of record that could only be made by musicians who live and breathe this music. It’s adventurous, funky, experimental and free. Blending the cinematic soul of David Axelrod with the infectious grooves of Timbaland or The Neptunes. The psychedelic opener “Sleep Dreams” builds in intensity from first to last note, a two note motif abruptly ending as it gives way to lead single “Bully Ball”. Built upon a pounding drum beat, haunting glockenspiel, vibraphone and piano “Bully Ball” hits as hard as anything the band has ever produced. The band pushes boundaries with tunes like “Body Slam”, a song that starts sweet and soulful before turning subversively abstract and dark with wild synths and astounding bass tones. That same sense of experimentation comes up again on “Fare Evader” where the band pepper an air-tight rhythm track with sound effects straight out of a 70s sci-fi soundtrack; Funk meets pointillism. Up-tempo tunes like “Consulate Case” and “Tag Dag” nod to dance and jazz-funk influences while the ballad “Dreamers Disease” and the electro-tinged “Websites” count as the band’s most beguiling beautiful songs yet. Superb is a reflection of the bond and community shared by the members of the band. With this new album, the band show a versatility, virtuosity and creative spirit that make them one of the most exciting and intriguing instrumental artists touring the world.

FolkYeah - Dougie Poole