Abingdon, VA – Abingdon Music Experience and presenting sponsor Blue Ridge Beverage announce the 2019 lineup for January Jams at Barter Theatre. Six world-class performers will take the stage at the intimate Barter Theatre, performing Fridays and Saturdays, January 11-26, 2019. Over the past six years, January Jams has showcased the best of bluegrass, Americana, soul, jazz and blues, bringing music legends and rising stars to downtown Abingdon, VA.
The series is funded by the Town of Abingdon, in partnership with the region’s leading businesses: Blue Ridge Beverage (Presenting Sponsor), Bank of Marion, Eastman Credit Union, First Community Bank, Food City, and JJ’s Restaurant and Sports Bar, as well as media sponsors WNCW 88.7 and Birthplace of Country Music’s Radio Bristol.
The series has made Abingdon a music destination, drawing visitors from across the southeast and beyond. One particular draw is the chance to see these performers at Barter Theatre, an intimate, 500-seat venue with a unique history rooted in the Great Depression. A full-service concessions stand is available for adults 21 and up.
For the first time this year, discounted student tickets are available with a valid student ID; prices will vary by show.
All concerts are at 8:00pm, and doors open at 7:15pm.
For a full listing of musical acts and dates, visit www.abingdonmusicexperience.com. For tickets, call Barter Theatre at (276) 628-3991 or visit www.bartertheatre.com
January Jams 2019 Lineup
An Evening With Béla Fleck & Abigail Washburn
January 11, 2019
For Fans of: Sam Bush, Medeski, Martin & Wood, Keller Williams
Béla Fleck & Abigail Washburn, “the king and queen of the banjo” (Paste Magazine), have a musical partnership like no other.
Béla Fleck is a fifteen-time Grammy Award winner who has taken the instrument across multiple genres, and Abigail Washburn a singer-songwriter and clawhammer banjo player who re-radicalized it by combining it with Far East culture and sounds. The two met at a square dance, began collaborating musically and eventually fell in love. On stage, Fleck & Washburn will perform pieces from their Grammy-winning self-titled debut as well as their new record, Echo in the Valley (Rounder 2017). With one eye on using the banjo to showcase America’s rich heritage and the other pulling the noble instrument from its most familiar arena into new and unique realms, Béla & Abigail meet in the mean, head-on, to present music that feels wildly innovative and familiar at the same time.
Sam Bush Band
January 12, 2019
For Fans of: Newgrass Revival, Ricky Skaggs, John Cowan, Tim O’Brien
If joy were a person, he’d bring both peace and frenzy. He’d be full of music, light, and energy that soothes even as it stirs us up. Eyes closed, wire-rim glasses in place, mandolin pressed against his ribs, joy would be Sam Bush on a stage. That rapt merging of life and art fills Bush’s new album Storyman, a freewheeling collection that gleefully picks and chooses from jazz, folk, blues, reggae, country swing, and bluegrass to create a jubilant noise only classifiable as the Sam Bush sound. Many of the songs are stories––several of them true––and the legendary mandolin player co-wrote every one of them with friends including Guy Clark, Emmylou Harris, Jon Randall Stewart, Jeff Black, and others. For Bush, a lifetime of channeling his energy has led to stylistic innovations that have changed the course of bluegrass and roots music alike.
The Reverend Shawn Amos with Special Guests Ben Hunter & Joe Seamons
January 18, 2019
For fans of: Keb Mo, Dom Flemons, Jonny Lang “modern blues with a nod to the past”
From West Coast clubs, to Deep South joints, to European festivals, to YouTube, to the podcast universe, the Reverend Shawn Amos’ message of joyful blues is reaching an ever-increasing flock. The Rev’s distinctive blend of black roots music, R & B, and stripped down rock n’ roll brings a bracing, soul-deep musical experience to audiences starved for authenticity, for connection. “I derive a lot of satisfaction bringing people joy,” he says.
Seattle songsters Ben Hunter & Joe Seamons give life to voices that have long been silenced in American culture. Their award-winning performances are highlighted by story-telling that, rather than bringing the past to life, vividly shows how the past still lives in the present. Through their songs, audiences witness current issues crop up again and again in folk songs, dance tunes, acoustic blues, and prison ballads. Ben & Joe bounce from fiddle & banjo breakdowns to a cappella field hollers, early jazz to gospel songs featuring Piedmont guitar style and rattlin’ bones.
Tameca Jones
January 19, 2018
For Fans of: Gary Clark Jr., The Broadcast, The Suffers, Ruby Velle & The Soulphonics
When local Austin, TX native Tameca Jones opens her mouth and sings, jaws hit ground. Her honeyed and powerful vocals have been captivating her hometown for a little over ten years.
Tameca spent years skillfully and tastefully breathing new life into the music of others. She made a name for herself as the “Queen of Austin Soul,” blowing minds with her tasteful and vibrant interpretations of a diverse list of artists that include Tina Turner, Nirvana, Elton John, Jimi Hendrix, and more. The Austin Chronicle called her interpretations “sonic pretzels” that “juxtapose(s) crunchy jaggedness with her infectious, honeyed voice.” Her debut single, “Hot and Bothered,” is a Motown inspired cut produced by Josh Moore (Max Frost). The track is on both Spotify and iTunes. Independent music site, The Joy of Violent Movement, called “Hot and Bothered” “a sexy and slinky and old-school soul-inspired” song that is “contemporary and upbeat.” Tameca Jones is set to release her highly anticipated debut EP in February. There is little doubt that she will soon be the next big name to break out of Texas.
An Evening with Drew & Ellie Holcomb
January 25, 2019
For Fans of: Johnnyswim, Need to Breathe, Mandolin Orange
Drew and Ellie Holcomb are a husband and wife Americana duo from Nashville, TN. Shortly after their marriage in 2006, the couple began touring together with Drew Holcomb and The Neighbors. The band has supported many national touring acts including Ryan Adams, The Avett Brothers, Don Henley, and Willie Nelson.
Ellie is no longer a touring member of “The Neighbors,” and has found success in a solo career as a Christian singer/songwriter. Her albums As Sure As The Sun and Red Sea Road have both topped the iTunes Christian chart. Drew Holcomb still tours nationally with Drew Holcomb and The Neighbors and their most recent album, Souvenir, is their most critically acclaimed release yet. This January Jams, Drew and Ellie Holcomb is a special engagement event, allowing The Holcomb’s to collaborate once again.
Dustbowl Revival
January 26, 2019
For Fans of: Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, St. Paul & the Broken Bones, Lake Street Dive
Dustbowl Revival is an Americana Soul band with eight full-time members who mash the sounds of New Orleans funk, bluegrass, soul, pre-war blues, and roots music into a genre-hopping, time-bending dance party that coaxes new fire out of familiar coal. Dustbowl is touring behind their self-titled, fourth studio album which spent three weeks on Billboard charts, hit #1 on Amazon Americana-Alt-Country, #2 on Amazon Folk, and spent 16 weeks on the Americana radio chart peaking in the Top 20. The band was founded in 2008 in the bohemian enclave of Venice Beach, California. Over the last five years Dustbowl has become known for their free-flowing and joyous live shows, combining their funk rhythm and brass section with a fast-picking string band section -opening for bands as diverse as Lake Street Dive, Trombone Shorty and The Preservation Hall Jazz Band.
