Asheville live music best bets: Vince Gill, Fourchestra, burlesque, Blushin' Roulettes

Roulette, by definition, is a random numbers game.

Over the years The Blushin’ Roulettes have played a numbers game with audiences because fans don’t always know how many members will perform.

Maybe it’s a duo. Or a trio. More recently, the number has jumped to five members.

“The name has always implied that you never know who you’re going to get and it leaves a lot of flexibility,” guitarist and vocalist Angie Heimann said. “It’s tricky because people are in so many other projects. It’s more fun and we get a bigger sound when it’s not just the two of us.”

Heimann and her husband, Cas Sochacki (dobro and double bass), founded the band in California. They moved to Black Mountain almost a decade ago but didn’t immediately continue with the band.

Two members died and then the couple were “hibernating for a while because we had a newborn,” Heimann said.

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Earlier this year, though, Heimann and Sochacki decided to play more shows as The Blushin’ Roulettes. They added Cynthia McDermott (mandolin and vocals,) Jay Brown (guitar and vocals), and James T. Browne (drums) to the mix to complete the old-time sound.

Now, that quintet will release a collection of 12 songs, titled “Live at Farmstead.” The band will celebrate with an album release show at 8:30 p.m. on Aug. 20 at Isis Music Hall. The music was recorded live at Sochacki’s Farmstead Studio with little overdubs.

There are a lot of musical connections within the group. Brown and Browne perform together in Lazybirds. Brown, Heimann, Sochacki, and Brown’s wife, Aditi Sethi, released an album together in 2018 under the name The Appalucians. McDermott knew Heimann and Sochacki back in California and actually wrote a song more than 10 years ago, titled “Can’t Be Tamed,” that is on the new album.

The new members bring a certain musical component to The Blushin’ Roulettes.

“Adding their abilities to this made it so we could ramp back into the jazzier stuff and more of the honky-tonk stuff,” Heimann said. “The instrumentation has allowed for a fuller sound.”

Fourchestra returns to town

Before the COVID-19 pandemic began, Jonathan Scales moved from Asheville to New York City.

Now the lauded steel pannist returns to perform in town, when his group, Jonathan Scales Fourchestra, performs at 9 p.m. on Aug. 19 at Asheville Music Hall.

The group released its sixth album, “Pillar,” in 2018 and also released a behind-the-scenes documentary on the recording process, too.

Gill performs at Thomas Wolfe

Vince Gill was a major part of popular music long before he became a member of The Eagles.

The celebrated country music performer will play a 7:30 p.m. show on Aug.25 at Thomas Wolfe Auditorium.

Gill, who has earned 18 Country Music Association awards and 22 Grammy Awards, is known for such country music classics as “When I Call Your Name,” “I Still Believe In You,” “Tryin’ To Get Over You,” and many more. In the 1990s, Gill had 21 Top 10 country music hits, including 18 top 5 hits.

Gill began touring with The Eagles in 2017, after the death of Glen Frey and continues to tour with the band now, including a recent tour that highlighted the “Hotel California” album.

“When all touring stopped back in March of 2020, it was a good time for me to take a break from the road,” Gill said in a press release. “Now the Eagles are touring again, and that’s a blast. But I’m also eager to get back on the bus and visit some places and fans that I haven’t seen for a while.”

Burlesque at The Grey Eagle

Three days of burlesque performances and classes are set for Aug. 19-21 at The Grey Eagle.

The Land of the Sky Burlesque Festival will feature performers from across the country, along with a selection of classes for people interested in this style of entertainment.

For more information about the festival, check out the website, www.landofskyburlesque.com.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Asheville music: Vince Gill, Scales, burlesque, Blushin' Roulettes