Caleb Caudle & The Sweet critters

MAY 31 | 4 PM

OLIVETTE RIVERSIDE PAVILION
1069 Olivette Rd. Asheville, NC
BYOB, BYOC (chair)
$25-Kids are free!

Caleb Caudle ’s body of work is shaped from the ground up. His artistry has emerged through endurance and the steady momentum of a life in motion, carrying him from small stages in the North Carolina foothills he calls home, all the way to the Grand Ole Opry.

Now, Caudle is entering a pivotal chapter – one of a profound culmination where life and art converge in powerful ways. The recent discovery that he and his wife are going to be first-time parents has added a new perspective, full of the responsibility and wonder that welcoming a child into the world brings.

On his new album, Heavy Thrill, this personal evolution mirrors his artistic journey. He takes full creative control, self-producing for the first time while recording at the storied Cash Cabin in Hendersonville, Tenn., where reverence for tradition meets his singular artistic vision.

“For this record, I wanted to focus on embracing the patina of life,” says Caudle. “Our plans rarely shake out the way we want them to. This record is about doing the most with what you’re given and weathering the storms.”

Caudle has brought his music to stages across the world, with standout appearances at festivals including Merlefest, Luck Reunion, Kerrville Folk Festival, Bourbon & Beyond, Stagecoach, and Cayamo, alongside a run of critically acclaimed albums praised by The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, NPR, No Depression, and Rolling Stone. He has made multiple appearances on NPR’s Mountain Stage and has been a guest DJ on Sirius XM’s Outlaw Country, where his songs are in constant rotation. In the fall of 2024, Caudle reached a career-defining milestone, stepping into the circle at the Grand Ole Opry for the first time.

If there were a Farmer’s Almanac for charting a music career, it is harvest time for Caudle, and with Heavy Thrill he is right on time as he redefines what it means to create, guide, and grow – taking ownership as both an artist and human being.

“Caudle has always known exactly who he is, peeling back layers to express his fears and victories with tenderness. That his first-person songs are so gutting is no surprise — he’s always been good at that.” - No Depression

“Everything’s going wrong, psychological and metaphysical, for the North Carolina songwriter Caleb Caudle in “Knee Deep Blues.” In a lean, modal, Appalachian-flavored tune, with his voice answered by slide guitar, he’s pursued by demons, bloodhounds and birds of prey, and he “can’t handle the evening news.” The chorus insists, “I don’t wanna think like that,” but there are still bleak verses ahead.” - New York Times Best Songs of 2024

“The musical equivalent of high-proof bourbon – rich in flavor, with a subtle, satisfying bite.” - Rolling Stone