Great Food. Great Vibe

The story of Andrew Scotchie & the River Rats began in 2011 when Andrew began the project busking on the streets of his hometown of Asheville, NC.  Since then the band has transformed from an acoustic street duo into the current setup of a full-electric power trio. The current lineup of Andrew Scotchie (Vocals/Guitar), Eliza Hill (Drums) and Keith Harry (Vocals/Bass) came to be in early 2016 and since then have been revered far wide for their engaging, interactive High-Energy, Funk-ti-fied Rock n’ Roll show.  Couple the abilities and in the moment spirit of a jam-band with a punk rock fierceness and energy, and you’ll get a show that will have familiar songs but with a twist that offers a listener something only at that moment.

2018, in particular, brought the band many new opportunities traveling to previously untapped regions to connect to new fans, especially after the release of our latest and most eclectic album, Family Dynamo.  Last year the band toured up and down the East Coast from Florida to New York, electrifying and magnetizing fans and new folks alike with the live show and new record.  Some notable venues along that trip include The Grey Eagle, 1904 Music Hall, Visulite Theatre, Brookfield Place, The Pour House, Barter Theatre, Floyd Fest, and the Purple Fiddle.  The beginning of 2019 has already taken the band to new heights and places. The band wrapped up a month-long “Winter Out West Tour” in February with a sold-out show in Steamboat Springs (Old Town Pub), and many other highly successful and impactful shows in Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, Utah and Idaho.

Consistent studio recordings, year-round touring, earnest songwriting & sharing show bills with such greats as Sonny Landreth, Blind Boys of Alabama, Drivin N Cryin, Ghost Light, Eric Gales, Big Daddy Love and Bettye Lavette has made Andrew Scotchie & the River Rats one of the industry’s fastest-growing Rock n Roll bands, and WNC’s best Rock band 4 years running.  Rolling Stone’s Garret Woodward gave a mention to the band in his coverage of Warren Haynes’ Christmas Jam stating that the band is “starting to make a name for themselves on the national scene”.

Troy Underwood is a soul man. As simple and ultimately misleading as that may be, it’s about as close as anyone will ever come to describing him. With a voice that would be the envy of any in Nashville and a groove as bone-deep as any blue-eyed soulsters’, Underwood can paint on as broad an aural landscape as he wishes. Whether it’s channeling Tony Joe White on his sizzling “Summertime In Georgia,” romancing the ether with “Dance In The Kitchen,” or bringing down the house with “Big Bottom Girls,” Underwood defies categorization.

Underwood hails from Ringgold, Georgia, where he learned to play the drums at four, and keyboards and guitar before reaching his teens. Possessed of a preternaturally old and soulful voice and the writing chops to compliment it, he seemed tailor-made for the life of a troubadour. It was obvious to anyone who knew him that music was his calling. The only one who didn’t seem to know it was Underwood himself, and it would be some time before the call of his muse became too loud for even him to ignore.

Like many fledgling singer/songwriters, Underwood’s first experience came at local open mics where it quickly became obvious that he was no ordinary talent. His songs were immediately accessible, his playing sublime, and his voice… world-weary yet hopeful, a gravelly drawl that carries weight, the voice of an old, old soul. As many of those who had to follow him at those first open mic performances would surely attest, it simply wasn’t fair.

Soon Underwood was pitching songs, first as a hobby but then with an increasing sense of determination. He moved to Nashville where he was soon teamed up with such writers as Wynn Varble, Shawn Harnett, Bobby Pinson, Mark Gray, and John Sturdivant Jr. He seemed well on the way to having a successful songwriting career before family issues intervened, and he was forced to return home to his native Ringgold.

Once home, Underwood began performing locally. A move to Chattanooga brought more opportunities, and soon he was gaining a following. He released the self-produced albums “Daydream” and “Drive,” and soon women as far afield as Atlanta were singing along when he’d perform. Hailed by critics – one of whom called him the long, lost love child of Stevie Wonder and Garth Brooks – Underwood has earned a loyal coterie of fans everywhere he plays. It’s not hard to understand why: This is what he was born to do.

The Ides of June has shaped its sound by combining the tastes and styles of its member’s four distinct backgrounds. With rock solid percussion stemming from that So-Cal/Grunge scene (and just a taste of west coast hip hop) meshed with the heavy, psychedelic riffs indicative of 90s grunge and modern stoner rock you get just half of the sound. Throw in some traditional blues melded with newer blues/rock guitar solos and the thunderous blues-rock bass lines (occasionally thickened by fuzz that would make Chris Wolstenholme proud) and you get the completed grunge blues sound that is The Ides of June.

Hailing from a Georgia town so small you had to travel to the next town over for anything and everything, singer/songwriter, Rollie, became accustomed to the simple life of a rural area. Growing up, his family would vacation to beaches along the east coast of Georgia and the Carolinas. After returning one summer from one of these trips, Rollie picked up a guitar, inspired by his musically-gifted cousins who were with him. He hasn’t put it down since.

Rollie emerged in the Atlanta music industry in 2010, though he experimented with different sounds and genres with focus as a songwriter before defining himself in the acoustic alternative realm.

Shortly after performing his first shows and gaining a loyal local following, Rollie released his first of three EPs in 2011, Why I Sing. The chill-vibe record covering multiple genres was produced by JJ Killa at Spotlight Sound Studio in Atlanta, GA. Why I Sing gained the interest of Justin Melick at Rising Hits Talent Management (The Blind Side, Fast Five), who immediately signed him to the Rising Hits roster. The two have since collaborated in numerous films. A couple of sound-experimenting mixtapes later, Rollie had achieved radio play in multiple states, signed with an Atlanta-based indie label, New Creation Records, directed several of his own music videos, and performed at festivals and the most celebrated venues of historic-Atlanta. Due to differences, Rollie parted ways with New Creation in March 2012. Fall 2012 was a difficult time for Rollie’s family as his paternal grandfather passed away, his mother was involved in a sporting accident, and his brother was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, all three inspiring moving songs (In the Sun (Cover) (independent single), Love (Sunny Skies), Cancer (Breezy) (respectively)). By the end of 2012, Rollie was introduced to then-student, Adam Norris. The two worked together on a couple of songs for free studio time and class credit. Their collaboration continued in the Spring of 2013 with the release of Rollie’s second record, Breezy. The EP received critical praise among fans and was featured in numerous blogs and podcasts throughout the United States. It was then that indie websites, Song Ladder and Number One Music, made Rollie an award-winning songwriter with “Fallen Apart” (independent single), and “Summer Girl” (Why I Sing).

The Manor and Friends are a rock/ jam/ funk band from Morgantown, WV who have made a name for themselves playing danceable, energetic, original music to packed houses while appearing on major Festival lineups in West Virginia and beyond. In 2017, the band established themselves as one of the premier bands in West Virginia when they won a slot on the lineup of Summer Camp Music Festival in Chillicothe, Illinois. Recently, they have expanded their reach, playing shows in Pittsburgh, Washington D.C., Louisville, New Jersey, Ohio, and Maryland. The band frequently draws huge crowds to their home venue, 123 Pleasant Street, and have opened for the some of the largest touring acts in the jam scene including Twiddle, The Werks, and Big Something.

The Manor and Friends plan to release their long anticipated debut album in April 2019.