Myron Elkins
The views of the Highlands are stunning, and Bear Shadow producers book intimate performances, like this one by Myron Elkins, overlooking the mountains.
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Image Credit: Andy Feliu for Lock & Key Productions -
Spoon
Image Credit: Andy Feliu for Lock & Key Productions Britt Daniel and Spoon were among the headliners at this year’s Bear Shadow, located near the Highlander Mountain House, where late-night DJ sets are the norm. “With the festival, and with the live music we’re regularly bringing to the Highlander,” says Highlanders’ Jason Reeves, “we now have this mountaintop stop-through for musicians and bands heading to Asheville, Nashville, Charleston and Charlotte.”
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Jason Isbell
Image Credit: Andy Feliu for Lock & Key Productions Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit debuted new songs from their upcoming album ‘Weathervanes,’ including “Middle of the Morning” and “Cast Iron Skillet,” along with a cover of Drivin N Cryin’s “Honeysuckle Blue,” sung by 400 Unit guitarist Sadler Vaden, a former member of DNC. “I saw DNC open for The Who in [1996]. Fifteen years later I’m in the band. And, all these years later, I’m singing their song to crowds all over the world,” Vaden says. “It’s a great feeling.”
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Lissie
Image Credit: Andy Feliu for Lock & Key Productions Singer-songwriter Lissie performed on Day 1 of Bear Shadow.
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The Head and the Heart
Image Credit: Andy Feliu for Lock & Key Productions The Head and the Heart founding member Josiah Johnson recently rejoined the band after Charity Rose Thielen had a baby. “Josiah is family and it’s only right to have him [return],” says drummer Tyler Williams.
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Myron Elkins
Image Credit: Andy Feliu for Lock & Key Productions Myron Elkins delivered songs off his debut album ‘Factories, Farms, and Amphetamines,’ informed by growing up in Otsego, Michigan. “It’s whatever’s left of the small town in the U.S., you know?” Elkins told RS recently. “A diner survived. And a lot of vacant buildings. And we got our Walmart and our Wendy’s. It’s an exit.”
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Neal Francis
Image Credit: Andy Feliu for Lock & Key Productions Neal Francis did double duty at Bear Shadow: playing a raucous set of his piano jam-rock and DJing a late-night set. “We’ve been quite busy with touring, and I’m also trying to write a new album,” Francis told RS. “It’s really an inside job as far as just aptitude toward the work of being creative — freeing myself up to try new things I might’ve shut the door to before.”
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Woody Platt
Image Credit: Andy Feliu for Lock & Key Productions Woody Platt, former member of Steep Canyon Rangers, and his wife Shannon Whitworth performed at Bear Shadow. Platt also led a fly-fishing excursion that benefited a natural-resource nonprofit. “It’s really wonderful to pair a music event with an environmental fundraiser, all while incorporating fly fishing — three of my favorite things,” Platt says.
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Amythyst Kiah
Image Credit: Andy Feliu for Lock & Key Productions Amythyst Kiah performed on the final day of Bear Shadow. “For me, the big goal [now] has been to just be more present with the fans. For years, I’ve performed with my eyes closed, kind of keeping that little bit of shield between me and the audience,” Kiah says. “I’m working through that feeling of being overwhelmed. There’s nothing to hide — open that channel, let the veil down, and let myself get immersed in the music, the moment.”
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Spoon Under the Lights
Image Credit: Andy Feliu for Lock & Key Productions Spoon performed on the opening night of Bear Shadow 2023.