The Cincinnati band came as close as it gets to being an overnight success with its 1995 debut album, Home, which spawned the No. 1 hit, "I Believe." A decade later and on the verge of releasing a hot new album, BUOS marches on with their pop, folk and R&B -- "rural soul," which hit just the right notes in the post-Hootie craze. With eight Top 40 hits, including "Home," "I Wanna Be There" and "Light In Your Eyes," as well as performances throughout the 50 states and Europe, Blessid Union toured with the Goo Goo Dolls, Bon Jovi, Third Eye Blind, Sister Hazel, Huey Lewis and the News, Shania Twain and Vertical Horizon. They sold out two shows at Royal Albert Hall; had their songs performed in movies with Jodie Foster, Jim Carrey and Penny Marshall and on TV: "Cold Case," "Dancing With The Stars" and "American Idol." The band's seventh album, Close To The Edge, renews the energy and passion -- and brings back the sing-along melodies that earned BUOS their near-instant fame.

Modern Relic joins forces with The Swingin' Richards for an All '80s Night in an updated version of their classic-rock blowout -- always guaranteeing a huge crowd and always performing hard-hitting and dead-on rock hits just the way you like 'em. Few local classic rock bands have what Modern Relic can claim--a stunning, female lead singer who belts out your favorites the way they're meant to be heard. And The Swingin' Richards is unusual in that they're an acoustic rock group, versatile and engaging, capable of delivering energy and flair that few acoustic acts can. Not content to being background noise at the local watering hold, The Swingin' Richards combine great tunes, a twisted sense of humor and a great live entertainment experience -- so with a big crowd and big sounds, this show's gonna be a big way to end the summer.

Rock Hill's Livalie harnesses the energy and power of six talented artists whose mission is to find success, not by "selling out," but by redefining rock's "mainstream" and creating a freshness all their own. While their heavy guitar riffs may be reminiscent of old Sevendust and Incubus, Livalie also throws in pop, even R&B vocal stylings, along with stout piano and synth parts -- all for catchy and distinct neo-pop rock with a heavy rhythmic vibe. The band already has landed critical gigs in major venues, including Amos's South End, Headliners in Columbia and private parties in Clemson. The Fire Tonight "employs the same complex song structures and tones that range from quiet whispers to extremely heavy guitar riffs," says the Anderson Independent Mail. The band, too, is landing major shows at big venues in the Carolinas with their hearty alt/indie rock.

The season begins with blockbusters. Joshilyn Jackson’s short fiction has been published in literary magazines and anthologies including TriQuarterly and Calyx, and her plays have been produced in Atlanta and Chicago. Her bestselling debut novel, gods in Alabama won SIBA's 2005 Novel of the Year Award and was a No. 1 BookSense pick. Between, Georgia was also a No. 1 BookSense pick, making her the first BookSense author to receive No. 1 status in consecutive years. Her third novel, The Girl Who Stopped Swimming, was published in March. Katherine Min’s short stories have been widely anthologized, most recently in The Pushcart Book of Stories: The Best Short Stories from a Quarter-Century of The Pushcart Prize. She received a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. Her novel, Secondhand World, (Knopf, 2006) was a finalist for the PEN/Bingham Award. She teaches at the University of North Carolina at Asheville and the Iowa Summer Writing Festival.

Derek Trucks Band vocalist Mike Mattison and Paul Olsen, whose combined forces are better known as the soul-infused roots-blues duo Scrapomatic, arrive with ground-breaking material from their new CD, Sidewalk Caesars. The album gets help from members of Susan Tedeschi’s and Col. Bruce Hampton’s stellar groups, along with Derek's stinging slide and Count M'Butu's percussion. But the record is all Scrapomatic -- a seamless yet engaging and eclectic mix of soul searches, bittersweet romances, drinking binges and rowdy humanity. Originally from Minneapolis/St. Paul, the two, schooled in jazz, roots and blues, moved to Brooklyn and began playing everywhere -- including Carnegie Hall. Then they went national. “Scrapomatic reaffirms that good music still has the power to feed the soul,” one newspaper says. In 2007, the band reached new audiences as part of Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi’s SOUL STEW REVIVAL concerts, which played to sold out crowds nationwide.

Rev. Billy C. Wirtz, High Prophet of the First House of Polyester Worship, has a brand-new bag -- the Roll Models, a wig-fryin' keyboard duo. The other half features the Piana From Savannah, Victor Wainright, a young fella who may look like John Popper but rips into the eighty-eights like a six-handed Swamp Thing. What you get is two-fer-the-price of one Pianist Envy that's a Southern stew of barroom boogie, laugh-'til-it-hurts chuckles, tore-down blues, tear-jerkin' hillbilly and original compositions gaw-ran-teed to knock that iridescent aquamarine polish off them shiny toenails under brand-spankin' white go-go boots. Don't miss Rev. Billy's eight-to-the-bar riffs and Victor's fingers flying like Mexican jumping beans. As The Roll Models say, "If we don't turn you on, you don't have a switch." (Certain to be R-Rated. Not suitable for the easily offended.)

We don't have any music. The concert hall is closed for a private party. But come in out of the heat and the crowds for a cold beverage and some hot wings! (Oh, and call now to rent The Handlebar for your function.)

To rise from the wealth of talent that Louisiana has to offer is saying something, and Benjy Davis Project has plenty to say. Honest, rockin', dirty-fingernail, literate, soulful, and relevant, with deep Southern and bayou influences, the Baton Rouge, La., sextet plays acoustic rock that for six years has earned friends from Robert Randolph & The Family Band, Better Than Ezra, John Mayer, North Mississippi Allstars and fans throughout the college circuit and beyond. The Project's new album, Dust, produced by David Z., whose talents have helped ensure the transformation of such artists as Prince, Fine Young Cannibals, Jonny Lang, Kenny Wayne Shepherd and Big Head Todd & the Monsters, has helped lure nearly 350,000 visitors to their myspace page. And radio stations throughout the eastern seaboard are spinning tracks. Opener Andy Lehman Band, who just rocked a crowd in front of screaming fans for indie upstarts Push Play, brings his soaring vocals and passionate pop, to another must-see Handlebar show.

Even before their self-titled Sugar Hill release came out, critics could barely contain themselves over the young lions of acoustic music: "With every million-mile-an-hour lick," the Nashville Tennessean wrote, "the Infamous Stringdusters grow more removed from anonymity, edging closer to the big time. When it comes to the chops department, the bluegrass-pumping Nashville-based sextet is strong on all fronts, from sweet-to-searing vocals, to mind-blowing instrumental capabilities to that good ol', down-home, aw-shucks quality that so many bluegrass groups stab at but never ultimately achieve." Where's bluegrass, you ask? Here ya go!

Four bands join forces for a regional showcase that 1) offers fresh music 2) you can't find in any other venue 3) and gives bands and their fans a chance to see them perform in an intimate setting -- on a stage that, in the past 14 years, has played host to more legends, Grammy Award winners and major rock stars than any other stage in the Upstate. Here's the lineup: Opening act Laurens' Days Off Screen is making waves with their rock/punk/pop/Christian sound that's winning them near-nightly gigs, and fan after fan. Next: Greenville's Captured has played The Handlebar multiple times, with sounds reminiscent of Dave Matthews Band, Incubus and Gin Blossoms. Third up: Fact and Fiction from Nashville, which offers an almost jazz-inflected sensibility to their power pop-rock/funk, has just released "Perfect World," being played on 200 radio stations nationwide. And headlining is Senile Sanity, a Spartanburg quartet that's branching out statewide -- and beyond.

Needtobreathe was blessed from the beginning, started by brothers Bear and Bryant "Bo" Rinehart, who were named after University of Alabama football coaching legend Paul "Bear" Bryant. At Furman University, Bear, besides being an award-winning wide receiver, played guitar and piano, and started performing on-campus with longtime friend and drummer Joe Stillwell. Bo, a Clemson student, was also a guitarist, and he and bassist Seth Bolt joined the duo to form needtobreathe. Soon, the band came to the attention of Atlantic/Lava Records, and in 2006 released their debut full-length album, Daylight, which Billboard hails as a “big, bright, shiny modern rock record, heavily influenced by U2 and designed for big, open spaces, or at least to be played somewhere between Coldplay and Train.”

The six-member Athens, Ga., collective plays reggae by instinct--interesting when you consider that the band is comprised of mostly white dudes. But measured against other culturally challenged reggae/ska/rock groups, Dubconcious remains committed to the authenticity of reggae. Drawing inspiration from pioneers like Burning Spear and Lee "Scratch" Perry, the group plays island rhythms marked by uplifting, socially conscious lyrics, and their live shows are spirited affairs with plenty of hip-shaking opportunities.

Afromotive sounds "like James Brown’s band went to Africa." So says one fan of the ensemble that creates their own brand Ashefro-beat, funk and Afrobeat with the distinct mountain vibe. While Afromotive stays true to West African rhythms, song forms and instrumentation, the ensemble brings improvisation and heavy beats for a 21st-century funk machine. Led by 33rd-generation djembe player Adama Dembele from west Africa's Ivory Coast, Afromotive has a released, "Scare Tactics," an album that can only hint at the raw energy of their stage performances.

Few series approach the roaring success of WROQ Rock 101's Mock Rock shows, from the sold-out Hell's Bells AC/DC tribute band to the most recent sold-out Appetite for Destruction Guns 'N Roses tribute. Now, Draw the Line has What It Takes, including an official endorsement from the REAL Aerosmith, to rock The Handlebar. DTL is even from Boston, home of the Red Sox, Godsmack and, oh, yeah, Aerosmith. For 18 years, with a dead-on Steve Tyler lookalike, the band has toured in all but two of the United States and worldwide. They've been featured in Rolling Stone, US Weekly, People and too many newspapers to count. Even Tyler's daughter, model Mia Tallarico was quoted by her dad as saying, "Dad, have you seen this? From where I was standing, I couldn't believe how much they looked and sounded just like you!"

Toubab Krewe blends the music of Mali, west Africa, surf and Dirty South influences into a genre distinctly their own. Toubab has "set a new standard for fusions of rock ‘n’ roll and West African music," says Banning Eyre at Afropop Worldwide. The band's unique sound stems from numerous extended trips to Mali, west Africa, where they immersed themselves in the culture and studied and performed with masters. With a devoted fan base nationwide, the band has captivated crowds from here to the Bonnaroo Music Festival to the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Says renowned New York Times music critic Jon Parales: "Asheville, NC, might not seem like a stronghold for African-rooted music, but Toubab Krewe has soaked up the patterns and rhythms from Mali, Zimbabwe, Congo, Brazil and the Caribbean."

Rockville Centre, NY, native Gilbert Allen has lived in Travelers Rest since 1977 with his wife, Barbara, and he teaches at Furman University. He received his B.A., M.F.A., and Ph.D. degrees from Cornell University. His collections of poems are In Everything, Second Chances, Commandments at Eleven, and Driving to Distraction, which was featured on The Writer’s Almanac and Verse Daily. He received the South Carolina Literary Arts Fellowship in 2002-03, and he co-edited A Millennial Sampler of South Carolina Poetry in 2005. The Southern Review awarded him The Robert Penn Warren Prize in poetry for 2007. Mark Johnston is the co-author of Secret Agent and The Secret Agents Strike Back (Atheneum Books), a series of young adult novels. Mark is also the author of I Love to Smell My Daddy’s Socks (Price Stern Sloan), a collection of gross poetry for kids. He lives with his wife in Greenville, where he teaches English at Greenville Tech.

After joining an elite crowd that includes Corey Smith and needtobreathe in selling 1,040 tickets over two nights -- that's TWO soldout Handlebar shows back-to-back -- Will Hoge returns to his favorite Upstate stage for another two-night rock-out. If you haven't jumped on Will's rock train, don't miss your ticket now. Born from the roots rock of the '50s and '60s and brought to maturity by the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Bob Seeger, Tom Petty, Steve Earle and others of the workingman's-rock ilk -- high-octane, blue-collar, guitar-driven rock -- Will has grabbed the torch as the new breed. Part songwriter, part preacher, part hell-raising evangelist, he fires his shows with razor-sharp songwriting, unforgettable melodies and marathon, revival-style antics played with a Springsteen-esque fervor and sweaty flair.

Will Hoge launches his second Handlebar evening with his trademark rock 'n' roll revival. This time, stripped down to a power trio, the scruffy rockers give the rest of what they've got on an Upstate Saturday night. Born from the roots rock of the '50s and '60s and brought to maturity by the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Bob Seeger, Tom Petty, Steve Earle and others of the workingman's-rock ilk -- high-octane, blue-collar, guitar-driven rock -- Will has grabbed the torch as the new breed. Part songwriter, part preacher, part hell-raising evangelist, he fires his shows with razor-sharp songwriting, unforgettable melodies and marathon, revival-style antics played with a Springsteen-esque fervor and sweaty flair.

For a band that understands the vibrancy, spontaneity and sheer joy of the live-music experience, Colorado’s Yonder Mountain String Band is the rare band that Gets It. That's why YMSB has just released their fifth live album, this one a two-disc set recorded at the Promowest Pavilion in Ohio and capturing tracks from 2004 to 2007. Wait? Did we just say PAVILION? That's right, the band inherited Leftover Salmon's hungry fanbase -- and also blends bluegrass and rock with traditional instrumentation (guitar, bass, mandolin and banjo). YMSB has rightly blossomed into an amphitheater-sized juggernaut in the past decade. So what's a band that runs with the likes of Grammy-winning Dobro player and producer Sally Van Meter, Grammy winner (and Handlebar performer) Tim O'Brien, Levon Helm and .moe doing playing the li'l ole Handlebar? It's how we roll. That's why you've gotta get your tickets fast. Unlike CDs, tickets do run out.

The Boston Globe calls the Chicagoan-turned-New Yorker the "troubadour laureate of modern city folk." California's renowned Freight & Salvage venue says her lyrics combine with the “power and texture of her sumptuous voice to create an illuminating evening of songs that work their way deep into the heart … with rare style and intelligence — not to mention a truly charming stage presence." Once part of a duo with Shawn Colvin and a third of the supergroup Cry Cry Cry (a memorable Handlebar show) with Dar Williams and Richard Shindell, Lucy found herself in the fertile Greenvich Village community alongside Suzanne Vega, John Gorka, Bill Morrissey and others. Demand soon led her to harmonize on Colvin’s Grammy-winning Steady On, on Nanci Griffith’s Lone Star State of Mind and Little Love Affairs, and on four of Gorka’s albums. She also landed soundtrack credits, singing with Suzanne Vega on Pretty in Pink and with Griffith on The Firm, and several commercial hits, including Chevrolet's Heartbeat of America.

Think big food. Think big blues. Think big causes. But don't think twice about buying tickets to this monster fall fundraiser on behalf of Camperdown Academy, a unique Greenville school for students with dyslexia, and Dining for Women, a nationwide, 90-chapter organization that helps women and children achieve self-sufficiency through scholarships, vocational training, microcredit loans and improved access to healthcare. Headliner Chocolate Thunder (aka Linda Rodney) doesn't sing the blues as much as she OWNS them. A reviewer in Italy, where she performed, likened her to Maybelle Smith and Big Mama Thornton, while Linda herself, who grew up picking cotton, considers herself more like Mahalia Jackson and Shirley Caesar, with some Aretha Franklin and Patti LaBelle thrown in. In addition to Linda and the great cause, a dessert bar's included, as well as a silent auction. Sponsorships are still available from pjknauss@charter.net (Both are 501(c)(3) organizations)

If Zac Brown Band's last Handlebar show is any indication, it might a good idea to get your tickets now; the last show just about sold out. That's probably because Zac Brown Band is an amazingly good time. You might just feel like you're a Parrothead rocking out to Jimmy Buffett, but that shouldn't be any surprise: Zac landed Jimmy Buffett's famed Nashville producer, Keith Stegall for his latest CD, "The Foundation." The 11 tracks showcase the Cumming, Ga.'s ultra-tight band, his smooth-as-Jack-Daniel's voice and his own monster finger-pickin' hand-thumpin' guitar wizardy. Live, ZBB is what might happen if you put Robert Earl Keen, Corey Smith, Paul Thorn, Charlie Robison, cold beer, margaritas and sea salt in a blender and turned up the volume. His dancin' crowds know it, too -- and that's why his next show likely will sell out.

"I believe songs are seeds," Martin Sexton muses, "once planted they can grow and nourish and inspire and with that, change the world." His new record, called, fittingly, Seeds, ranges like an American road trip with stops at gospel, country, blues and rock, crafted with keen pop sensibility. A troubadour in the true sense with dazzling guitar skills, a veritable orchestra in his vocal chords and passion pouring out of every song, Sexton said no thanks to several record label offers and remains fiercely independent. His success has come, not overnight, nor as a result of bazillion-dollar marketing campaigns or a hit single. The millions of hits on his website, the hundreds of thousands of records sold and his sold-out shows from Town Hall in New York to the Fillmore in San Francisco happen because Martin Sexton is the real deal.

Sure as New Braunfels, the German town northwest of San Antonio, celebrates Octoberfest every year with the best of the wurst and a party almost as big as Texas -- and New Braunfels isn't all that far from Robert's Texas ranch -- we here at The Handlebar welcome Texas' favorte singer/songwriter back with a little Shiner Bocktoberfest of our own. Since this is the Five-Pound Bass of Handlebar concerts, you better make darn-tootin' sure you get your tickets for the Lone Star legend who knows full well that The Road Goes On Forever, But The Party Never Ends.

The Oktober Revolution returns with the Stooges of the Steppes - the Red Elvises! And they've got a new album, too, Cooking With Jesus. The surf rock/rockabilly madmen have 10 studio albums, a double live album and have been featured in TV and movies, including Six String Samurai, Mail Order Bride, VH1's Behind the Music and Melrose Place. They even played a Live 8 benefit concert in ... where else? Moscow! An addictive combo of high-octane rock, hilarious lyrics and vodka-accented crooning, the Red Elvises are incapable of anything but an amazing show. Nutso psycho-billy, their outsized balalaika, wild animal-print suits, pelvic gyrations and on-demand crowd participation has created a worldwide Rokenrol Revolution ... that you can experience only at The Handlebar. One of our all-time most-requested bands, the Elvises are a guaranteed good time. If you haven’t seen this band, cancel what you have planned and get your glasnost on!

Arguably American roots music's most original, enduring, intoxicating and talented biodiesel-fueled touring band around, Donna the Buffalo just delivered another gift to The Herd, as their adoring fanbase is called. Silverlined, the latest album in 20-year career, showcases a sound that piles on rock, country, zydeco, Cajun, folk and old-time fiddle music. The record has won the heart of every listener -- from WNCW to first-timers. DTB's mesmerizing musical current, which the band's co-founders Tara Nevins and Jeb Puryear started in upstate New York, is bolstered on the CD by special guests Claire Lynch, Bela Fleck (two Handlebar alum), David Hidalgo and Amy Helm. And while we love records, we really do, a live Donna experience is a trip into what real music is all about. And nobody plays real American roots music the way Donna the Buffalo continues to play it ... and sing it ... after all these years.

At 12, she wrote her first song. Before she was the age of, say, Miley Cyrus or Brittany Spears, Janis Ian was doing what today’s youngsters couldn’t dream of, penning songs the likes of Jesse, Stars, At Seventeen and Society's Child, at once generating controversy and garnering Grammy awards. Today, Janis has a brand-new autobiography tracing her odyssey from teen megastar through heartbreak and back to graceful triumph. Her writing soars. Did you know she performed on the very first Saturday Night Live? A fun anecdote, sure, so it’s hard to imagine how she fits everything into 300 pages, just like it's hard to imagine a full-on rock show from a solo performer with one acoustic guitar. Janis does. Her guitar wizardry shimmers, thumps and bends, while her songwriting takes you on an unforgettable ride. Of course, Janis LIVE is funny and insightful, too. Of course, her book, Society's Child, will be available -- and she’ll sign copies. We couldn't be more blessed to have her back.

Alan Michael Parker is the author of five books of poems, including Elephants & Butterflies (BOA, 2008), a novel, Cry Uncle (Mississippi, 2005) and the editor of The Imaginary Poets (Tupelo, 2005), among other scholarly volumes. His essays and reviews appear widely in journals including The Believer, The New York Times Book Review, The New Yorker and The San Francisco Chronicle. He directs the creative writing program at Davidson College, and is on the faculty of Queens University low-residency M.F.A. program. Kate Betterton grew up in the Mississippi Delta and now lives in Chapel Hill. Her work has been published in The Sun and The Southerner. She won the 2008 Novello Literary Award for her first novel, Where the Lake Becomes the River. Kate has worked in homeless shelters and psych wards, has taught canoeing, run dream workshops, and maintained a long-term psychotherapy practice. She’s a member of the Chapel Hill Writers’ Group.

The last time we saw Guy Clark in Greenville, three other songwriters were paying homage to the dean of Texas songcraft at the Peace Center. If you missed Lyle Lovett, John Hiatt and Joe Ely showing their respect for the Lone Star Stage's legendary musico-literary craftsman -- and Guy's own singing, picking and timeless gems -- you missed a mind-blowing show. Now Guy returns to The Handlebar, with pocketfuls of beloved songs, from Desperadoes Waiting For A Train to Dublin Blues to L.A. Freeway. Since Jerry Jeff Walker released Guy's L.A. Freeway in 1972, Guy has become first a Texas and then national treasure. His world is peopled with stars he helped create, who helped create him and who created together, many of whom have played The Handlebar: Mickey Newbury, Steve Earle, Rodney Crowell, Billy Joe Shaver, David Allen Coe, Townes Van Zandt, Verlon Thompson, to name a few. Guy's songs have become hits for Ricky Skaggs, Jimmy Buffett, Bobby Bare and Brad Paisley, too. Simply charismatic and masterful.

One of our all-time favorite performers (and people), Dan Tyminski, the voice and mandolin player alongside Alison Krauss, has a brand-new album, Wheels. Released June 17, the Grammy Award winner's sophomore album debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Bluegrass Album Chart. USA Today's Ken Barnes named the CD one of his favorites. The album has been hailed in No Depression, Billboard, American Songwriter, Washington Post, Chicago Sun Times, Country Weekly and Dallas Morning News. One of the most recognized voices in bluegrass, Tyminski hit stardom with the hit single “I Am A Man Of Constant Sorrow” during the film juggernaut of "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" Suddenly, the reluctant star was out in front, performing at the Grammys, taking home an Album of The Year, among other honors, and appearing on The Late Show With David Letterman, The Tonight Show With Jay Leno and many others. Now he returns with his lightning band.

For more than 30 years, Johnny Winter has been a blues-guitar hero without equal. Debuting in 1969, Johnny immediately laid out the blueprint for his fresh take on classic blues, a prime combination for the legions of fans just discovering the blues via the likes of Jimmy Page and Eric Clapton. Shifting between simple country blues in the vein of Robert Johnson and all-out electric slide guitar blues-rock, Johnny has always been one of the most respected singers and guitar players around. Throughout the '70s and '80s, he was the unofficial torch-bearer for the blues, championing and aiding the careers of his idols like Muddy Waters and John Lee Hooker. A recent Grammy nominee for his latest album, "I'm A Bluesman," Winter is Texas' blues ambassador and going strong after four decades. His show last year sold out, so don't wait too long to get these!