The Sanctuary Series Presents Amythyst Kiah w/ Lillie Syracuse

Grammy nominated singer-songwriter Amythyst Kiah will be our next featured guest in The Sanctuary Concert Series (housed in the historic Central United Methodist Church in downtown Asheville) at 7 p.m. on Friday November 3rd. Brevard-based songstress, Lillie Syracuse will open the show.

Proceeds from ticket sales for the show will benefit Equal Plates Project, an Asheville nonprofit aimed at supporting small, local farms and addressing food insecurity. More information here: https://equalplatesproject.org.

After the soaring success of our kickoff show in July which raised funds for local nonprofit Sistas Caring for Sistas, this concert will be the second installment in The Sanctuary Series. We will have foodtrucks on site and beer for sale (for those 21 and over with ID) and Church Street will be closed to car traffic. Doors will open at 6 p.m. Plan to come early and make an evening of it. This show is all ages and kids ages 12 and under can attend for free.

The Rounder Records debut from Amythyst Kiah, Wary + Strange marks the glorious collision of two vastly different worlds: the iconoclastic alt-rock that first sparked her musical passion, and the roots/old-time-music scene where she’s found breakout success in recent years, including recognition from Rolling Stone as “one of Americana’s great up-and-coming secrets.” Along with tapping into the vibrant musicality she honed in part through her studies in East Tennessee State University’s Bluegrass, Old Time, Country Music program, the Chattanooga-bred singer/songwriter expands on the uncompromising artistry she’s displayed as a member of Our Native Daughters—an all-women-of-color supergroup whose Kiah-penned standout “Black Myself” earned a GRAMMY nomination for Best American Roots Song and won Song of the Year at the Folk Alliance International Awards.

Produced by Tony Berg (Phoebe Bridgers, Amos Lee, Andrew Bird) and made with esteemed musicians like Blake Mills, Wary + Strange arrives as a deeply immersive body of work, endlessly redefining the limits of roots music in its inventive rhythms and textures. With an unforgettable voice that’s both unfettered and exquisitely controlled, Kiah gracefully interlaces potent vulnerability and personal revelation, ultimately offering a raw yet nuanced examination of grief, alienation, and the hard-won triumph of total self-acceptance.

“Black Myself” GRAMMY nominated for Best Americana Roots Song

NPR‘s 50 Best Albums of 2021

Included in PEOPLE Magazine’s “Talented Black Musical Artists on the Rise in 2021”

Featured in The New York Times – “Amythyst Kiah Found Her Powerful Voice. Now She Has a Sound to Match It.”

“One of Americana’s great up-and-coming secrets.”— Rolling Stone

“She really is important in reminding people that there is a great tradition of African-American, old-time musicians. I love that she sings in this really rich low vocal range, just straight from the chest, resonant.” — NPR

“Her razor-sharp guitar picking alone guarantees her a place among masters, but it’s her deep-hued voice that can change on a dime from brushed steel to melted toffee that commands attention.” — The New York Times

In velvet streams of joy, grief, and love, Lillie Syracuse’s voice and music fill the golden spaces of the in between. It is in these spaces that Lillie explores the stunning complexities and heart-scapes of the human experience. 

For a decade, Lillie honed her craft in Nashville, TN, where she wrote and released her debut album Coming Up Diamonds in 2020, with producer and Grammy-nominated drummer Mike Marsh (The Avett Brothers, Dashboard Confessional). 

It was growing up in Pumpkintown, SC, the cradle of Table Rock Mountain, where Lillie’'s heart was woven from the forests’ moss-covered trees, waterfalls, birdsong, and red mountain clay.

The Appalachian Mountains have now called Lillie home. She lives in Brevard, NC where she writes and records new music for release in 2023. 

Lillie'’s hope in song-craft is to foster shifts towards deeper self-love, acceptance, and magic in the lives of those who hear her music.

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Host or Publisher Central United Methodist Church of Asheville and Famous Brown Boots Music