Willow Avalon

Name: Willow Avalon
Start: 2025-05-09T20:00:00-05:00
Location: 200 41st Street South Birmingham AL 35222

Schedule

Fri, 09 May, 2025 at 08:00 pm

UTC-05:00

Location

200 41st Street South Birmingham AL 35222 | Birmingham, AL

Willow Avalon, a rural Georgia native whose first word was "Elvis," grew up surrounded by gospel and country music. She began playing piano in church and taught herself guitar at age 12, quickly turning to songwriting as a means of escape and salvation. At just 15, she left home and spent a brief period living in her car before making her way to California. Now based in New York, Avalon writes, plays and produces her own music alongside a small group of trusted collaborators, crafting a sound that refreshingly blends classic country and Americana. Her debut EP, Stranger, has racked up over 30 million streams, and her songs "Tequila and Whiskey" and "Homewrecker" have earned widespread attention. Avalon’s unique style has led her to share stages with artists like Charles Wesley Godwin, Paul Cauthen, Cage the Elephant and more. Her anticipated debut album, Southern Belle Raising' Hell, is due out January 2025.
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From Stephens City, Virginia, Jake Kohn is a singer/songwriter on a clear path to stardom. At only 17years old, Jake's unusually deep voice and songwriting ability have garnered the attention of some of his favorite artists. 2024 saw him play festivals such as Mile 0 Festival, MerleFest, Newport Folk Festival,Pickathon, and Bourbon & Beyond. In addition to a slew of headline dates, he supported Sierra Ferrell,Sam Barber, and Wyatt Flores. Stay tuned for what Jake has in store for 2025.
It is not lost on Jake that he is playing shows beyond his years. In fact, he is still awestruck when peoplerecognize him. Whether it is signing a poster for a fan or being invited to see Tommy Prine's release show, Jake is consistently surprised and grateful to be at this point in his 4-year career.
Jake picked up a guitar, gifted from his great-grandmother, at 11 years old, and taught himself to playchords from a poster on his wall. His mentor, Buddy Dunlap, would let Jake play at his barn, teaching Jakesome tricks of the trade along the way. He grew up listening to music his dad, Erick, enjoyed, like JohnnyCash and Merle Haggard. His family has no musical background, but Jake has been singing along sincethey can remember. It was Youtuber, Grady Smith, who introduced him to the world of alternativecountry. Jake credits Justin Townes Earle with being his favorite songwriter of all time. He continues todraw inspiration from his music and guitar style. Like Justin Townes Earle, Jake can also be found playingso hard he pops strings during his set.
Jake will tell you he penned his first "good" song at 12-years-old. The song, "Fraterville, TN," tells thestory of the Fraterville Coal mining disaster of 1902. If you are fortunate enough to get this song in yourset, Jake will always tell the story that devastated the town. While his own life experience hasn'tinfluenced the majority of his songs, Jake tells stories of real American people. His songs speak to theexperience of many in Appalachia, and you will find yourself wondering how an artist so young cancapture the emotion that comes with living a full, often burdensome, and complex life.
The local music scene in his home of Winchester, Virginia is no stranger to talent. Jake had the support ofLogan Moore from Low Water Bridge Band early on. He began playing local bars at age 13, uploadingnew music via YouTube in his time away from school and gigs. It was his video for "Hard as Stone," filmed for Radio West Virginia, that fueled Jake's widespread notoriety. His video for "Frostbite," agut-wrenching and jaw-dropping showcase of his songwriting and vocal ability, continues to make its way across all platforms bolstering millions of views.