Drunken Prayer
Morgan Geer was a key element at the dawn of Asheville’s current country music
renaissance too, playing guitar and singing in the enigmatic, off kilter country band,
The Unholy Trio. He and bass player David Wayne Gay (Freakwater, Reigning
Sound, Krektones) started the group with Lance Wille (Reigning Sound, Krektones)
on drums. Bloodshot Records debuted their single and video of Public Enemy’s
“Bring the Noise“ at SXSW, prompting Esquire magazine to call it one of the greatest
cover songs of all time.
After a chance conversation in Northern California with Tom Waits about the music
of the church, Morgan took off for Portland, OR to play for bikers at the Queen of
Hearts Tavern on Sunday mornings. That’s where the name “Drunken Prayer” was
born.
The newest Drunken Prayer record, Thy Burdens, is an homage to the fiery music
of the church. Partnering with Drive-By Truckers’ Bobby Matt Patton, the pair
recorded this album in Asheville and North Mississippi with some of their friends
from Appalachia and the Delta including members of MJ Lenderman & the Wind,
Band of Heathens, Jimbo Mathis’ group and Wednesday.
Knockout Artist
Knockout Artist is a band from Chapel Hill, NC. Formed in 2024, the band consists of Sim Berkley, Rock Forbes, Danny Hooley, Matt Neal and Phil Venable. Knockout Artist’s music is a unique sound forged in the crucible of garage punk, outlaw country, and cbgb-era eclecticism. The band’s debut EP “Hit After Hit After Hit” was released in Spring 2025 on Bandcamp.
Rabbit Fighter
Rabbit Fighter’s debut album, Punch Up, is filled with gritty pop hooks, luscious vocal harmonies, and a wall of sound
production that will move any listener with a heart.
The album echoes elements of Springsteen, Pixies, Son Volt, and The Jesus and Mary Chain while bearing witness to the social, political, and historical context in which it was produced.
