Asheville Booms With Sound: The Rise of Music in the City
Lindsey Botkin | October 18, 2023
With the rising amount of concerts in Asheville, the music scene has been booming. Artists are flocking to play in the city, but why?
Asheville is host to a growing music community. People who love listening to music and artists who are just starting their careers are choosing Asheville as the place to come together and appreciate music. From rock shows to folk music and even indie artists Asheville has something for everyone.
Asheville is known for its smaller music venues such as The Orange Peel and The Grey Eagle. Both of these venues hold between 550-1,000 people. While these are two of Asheville’s most popular venues there are larger venues located in the city that can hold up to 7,200 patrons. The smaller venues however offer a certain charm. Whether you are a musician looking to connect with your audience in a more intimate way, or a concert enthusiast looking to see your favorite artists up close, these venues give you the opportunity to do just that. Although the industry took a hit during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, it has bounced back, and is drawing in more artists than ever.
A recent tour stop for The National Parks Band was The Grey Eagle in downtown Asheville. The venue size allowed the concert to feel like an intimate experience even if you were not close to the stage. The band was able to step down into the audience and play acoustic, granting the patrons of The Grey Eagle and concertgoers an opportunity to connect with the band like no other. An interview with the lead vocalist of the band Brady Parks provided a glimpse into the band's background, and why they chose Asheville as a stop on their 8 Wonder Tour.
According to Parks, Asheville is a city that is circulating in the larger music community.
“It seriously is like, anytime we've told somebody we were playing in Asheville everyone says it's like the Denver of the East, “It is a very cool town.”
While Denver, Colorado is a significantly larger city than Asheville, it is known in the mainstream media as a “crunchy” city. The term “crunchy” has been used to define people who enjoy either spending lots of time in the outdoors or people who are self-proclaimed environmentalists. Many think that being “crunchy” is a lifestyle. With a booming music scene drawing nationally recognized artists, the comparison of Asheville to Denver should not be overlooked. As the Asheville population grows more people are flocking from across the nation contributing to the overall growth of the city and music community.
Parks went on to explain that their team and the band's management has been pushing for an Asheville show for a while, but due to scheduling conflicts, it had not worked until their most recent tour.
“They [band management] were like, ‘hey, it works this time. Let's do it,’” Parks said, “We were really excited to come here because we've heard so many good things.”
Parks is not the only one who is enthusiastic about the growing popularity of music in Asheville. A band that has frequented the Asheville music scene in the past is Joseph. Joseph played The Grey Eagle in 2018 and is planning on coming to The Orange Peel in 2024 during their tour. They are an American folk band that got their start in Portland, Oregon and consists of three sisters.
Joseph got their start around the same time that The National Parks did. Their growing popularity over the years could be one of the reasons for the venue switch from The Grey Eagle to The Orange Peel— The Orange Peel holds almost double what the Eagle can carry.
“This room [The Grey Eagle] is super cool.” Parks said. “But I hear great things about other rooms, too. We will be back to Asheville. I don't know where we'll be, but we will be back.”
The National Parks are scheduled to conclude their 8th Wonder Tour in Louisville, Kentucky on Oct. 28, 2023, after selling out most of the venues on their tour.
As the music community grows in Asheville, more up-and-coming artists will come here to get their foot in the door. Parks weighed in on what aspiring artists should do if they are starting out in Asheville.
“I would say the music industry is full of ups and downs, but it keeps getting better and better and better,” Park said. “So yeah, just follow your passion and believe in yourself and push through the lows.”
If you are interested in checking out any upcoming shows or starting artists, take a look at venues like The Orange Peel, Rabbit Rabbit and The Grey Eagle for affordable music experiences.