Asheville live music best bets: A Christmas Jam-like benefit, a swinging Christmas, more

Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity will host a seven-band local event to raise money for its causes.

The event, Holidaze for Habitat, is set for 5 p.m. Dec. 10 at The Orange Peel.

The lineup is a mix of genres from a slew of local artists, including The Freeway Jubilee, Abby Bryant & The Echoes, The Darren Nicholson Band, Jeff Sipe’s Electric Buddha, Travers Brothers and Friends, and Webb Wilder. The headlining act for the night is Acoustic Syndicate.

“Holidaze for Habitat is an inspiring example of community collaboration,” said Ariane Kjellquist, communications director for Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity. “Thanks to our friends at WNCW and the Orange Peel, and all the talented artists, this fantastic night of live music will help more neighbors who are in need of stable, affordable housing. We’re grateful, and excited for a fun-filled night.”

Grammy nominated singer back in town

Anderson East, a Grammy-nominated singer, songwriter and musician, is set to perform at 8 p.m. Dec. 14 at The Orange Peel.

East is celebrating the release of his newest album, “Maybe We Never Die,” which was released in October. The album was co-produced by Dave Cobb, who has won several Grammy Awards for his work with Chris Stapleton and Brandi Carlile.

East’s new album is garnering critical praise and he is known for such songs as “All On My Mind” and “Girlfriend,” which were top-five singles on the Triple-A charts in 2017 and 2018, respectfully.

Brother-sister band plays locally

Siblings Clyde and Gracie Lawrence do a little bit of everything as performers. Their resumes are quite varied.

Gracie is an actress, performing on Broadway (“Brighton Beach Memoirs”), in films (“Did You Hear About The Morgans”) and on television (“The Good Wife”).

Clyde is an accomplished songwriter who has written songs and scores for films and he wrote a song for the movie, “Miss Congeniality,” when he was 6 years old. He also wrote and performed on a lot of the songs for the “Noelle” (a Disney holiday film) soundtrack.

The duo also has a formidable soul-pop band together. Lawrence, who will perform at 8 p.m. Dec. 14 at the Grey Eagle, has released three studio albums since its 2017 debut. The band’s latest album, “Hotel TV,” was released earlier this year.

A swinging Christmas promised

Russ Wilson, the formidable local big band leader, presents his “Have Yourself A Swingin’ Little Christmas” event at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 12 at Isis Music Hall.

Wilson, who recently celebrated his birthday by throwing a musical party at the venue, and his orchestra will bring back some of the classic holiday songs. The show will be similar to those TV specials done by Bing Crosby or Frank Sinatra in the past.

Along with an all-star orchestra, Wilson will welcome an array of special guests for this family-friendly event.

A night of varied genres at Salvage Station

Do you like several styles of music? If so, Salvage Station has just the show for you.

Starting at 8 p.m. Dec. 11, there will four acts with soulful, R&B band Secret B-Sides serving as the headliners.

Others on the bill are hip-hop artist Bryan Colston & Rhyno, Americana-soul singer Ashley Heath and Her Heathens, and multi-instrumentalist, looper and improviser iLLa wiLLa.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Asheville live music: Christmas Jam-like benefit, swinging Christmas