John Howie Jr. & The Rosewood Bluff with Pressley Laton and Nathan C. Davis

Presented by Confluence & Blue Ave Music

John Howie Jr. and the Rosewood Bluff

The Return of…John Howie Jr. and the Rosewood Bluff(Schoolkids Records) heralds the reappearance of North Carolina’s finest honky tonkin’, soulful country-rockers. 2025 marked the 30th anniversary of John Howie Jr.’s iconic career as a band leader/singer/songwriter, from the legendary Two Dollar Pistols through to the Rosewood Bluff, with a 2018 solo album (Not Tonight, on Suah Sounds Records) thrown in for good measure.

John Howie Jr. has built a lasting legacy of authentic, roots-driven country music. The Rosewood Bluff’s five-piece lineup features Nathan Golub on pedal steel guitar, Tim Shearer on electric guitar, Mark Connor on bass, Dave Hartman (Southern Culture on the Skids) on drums, and Howie on rhythm guitar, with the whole outfit fueled by his rich baritone on lead vocals. Their sound shifts effortlessly between honky tonk shuffles, driving country-rock numbers, and deep soul ballads.

The album’s 12 tracks explore the struggles and resilience of Howie's beloved underdogs navigating life’s complexities. With heartfelt storytelling, The Return of… reaffirms Howie’s place as a master of honky-tonk, offering hope and grit for these challenging times. The album was released on April 18th, 2025.

Nathan C. Davis

Nathan is a singer-songwriter whose music blends West Coast ease with Southern soul. Born in Southern California and raised across the country as an Army brat, his sound reflects a life lived between coasts…easygoing yet grounded, introspective yet accessible. With a rich baritone voice and a gift for storytelling, Nathan creates honest, hopeful songs that speak to both personal experience and universal emotion.
After years of fronting bands and contributing to other artists' work, Nathan turned his focus inward, debuting his solo EP Ready, Set, Let Go in 2020. His follow-up album Healing In Hindsight dropped in September 2024, with another project already in the works. 2026 has set off like a wildfire, writing with local and Nashville greats, creating the best of Nathan's music yet. He performs regularly throughout the Southeast, from Nashville to Charleston, at festivals and notable venues like The Evening Muse, Neighborhood Theater, The Visulite, and The Pour House, and has been featured on TV and radio stations including 96.9 The Kat, Q104.1, and WCKN 92.5.
Whether playing intimate acoustic sets, Nashville style writer’s rounds, venue shows or commanding festival stages, Nathan delivers performances rooted in honest and joyful connection, emotion, and timeless songwriting.

Pressley Laton

Winner of the 2026 MerleFest Band Contest, Pressley Laton is an independent alternative-country and roots-rock artist based in Boone, NC, whose music is shaped by Appalachian culture, small-town stories, and a lifelong love of outlaw country and rock and roll. She blends bold, soulful vocals with gritty music and unfiltered storytelling to create a hard-hitting sound and high-energy performance that connects just as strongly at festivals as they do in intimate listening rooms.

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