WMOT Finally Friday, Afton Wolfe, Shelby Means, Johnson Jay

Fri May 23 2025

12:00 PM (Doors 11:00 AM)

3rd and Lindsley

818 3rd Ave. S Nashville, TN 37210

All Ages

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FREE ADMISSION

 

WMOT Finally Friday featuring Afton Wolfe , Shelby Means & Johnson Jay

  • FREE EVENT
  • WMOT Finally Friday

    WMOT Finally Friday

    Americana

  • Afton Wolfe

    Afton Wolfe

    Folk-Blues

    Afton Wolfe is best classified simply as... Mississippi. Born in McComb, and growing up in Meridian, Hattiesburg, and Greenville, Mississippi, the roots of American music are in his DNA. Mississippi is the birthplace of at least three American art forms: country music, blues music, and rock and roll. Meridian is the birthplace of Jimmie Rodgers, while the Mississippi Delta is the birthplace of the blues, and the first rock n’ roll notes ever played according to intelligent music historians, came from Hattiesburg. Additionally, he spent his musically formative years in and around New Orleans, where the humidity of the Mississippi combined with the Cajun seasonings, the jazz, zydeco, creole, and gospel music and his Mississippi roots coalesce to add resonance and depth to his blues/country/rock influences. 

    Afton’s first band experience was back in the late 90s with Hattiesburg post-alternative pop outfit Red Velvet Couch (1998 to 1999) where he developed his stage presence and also was able to release his first album and learn a bit about sound, recording, mixing, and engineering. After a short break, Afton came back strong with the avant-garde, instrumentally diverse Dollar Book Floyd (2001 to 2002), which featured Amy Lott, Tim Keith, and Mike Stokes, and released a very pivotal album, Red and White. During this period Afton began to naturally incorporate country music and delta blues into his musical playbook. After the Dollar Book Floyd project ended, Afton moved to Nashville and formed The Relief Effort, a rock power trio, with whom he recorded two more records: Don’t Panic (2004) and At Your Mercy (2005). 

    After a hiatus from performing and recording, Afton wrote, composed, and sang all of the songs contained in Petronius' Last Meal. This was recorded in 2008 with the likes of Charlie Rauh, Craig Schenker, and Dan Seymour. Alcohol, academia, the quest for a better mix and a perfect album cover, and a voyage across the country to live in Washington for a few years kept this project on hold for over a decade. Finally, after a dozen or so years, the project was released in the Summer of 2020. Dark, tense, and moody was the flavor of the 2020 summer season, and the EP along with its two singles "Slingshots" and "Interrogations" fit the season too perfectly. 

    Afton used the momentum of Petronius' Last Meal and the tension of the pandemic and surrounding climate to fuel his creativity again. And his upcoming release Kings for Sale is the product of that. The new record defies genres while still being distinctly Afton. Kings For Sale, released in June of 2021, was produced by Oz Fritz (Bill Laswell, Tom Waits, The Ramones, Bob Marley, Ginger Baker and many others) and featured an enviable assortment of great musicians, including but not limited to Cary Hudson (Blue Mountain, Taylor Street Grocery Band), Daniel Seymour (David Olney, Tommy Womack), Adam "Ditch" Kurtz (Great Peacock, Sarah Shook & The Disarmers, Joshua Ray Walker), Ben Babylon (SpoBro, Sir Please), Laura RabellKristen EnglenzBlaise HearnRebecca Weiner Tompkins, and several more.

    His latest release, TWENTY-THREE, is another stunning collection of eclectic songs, anchored by the Redding-esque Waltz, "Cry" that features Regina McCrary (The McCrary Sisters), Melanie Dewey (Meld), Mike MizSeth Fox, and many more. 

    Afton and his team are planning regional, national, and international engagements in support of the new release.

  • Shelby Means

    Shelby Means

    Americana

    Born in the bluegrass of Kentucky and raised on Wyoming’s high plains, Shelby Means is one of the foremost bassists in bluegrass, with nearly two decades of experience in bluegrass, folk, rock, Americana, and country outfits. Now based in Charleston, SC, during her tenure in Nashville she was a member of the incredibly impactful GRAMMY-nominated bluegrass band of all women, Della Mae. With Della Mae and others she has traveled to more than 20 countries around the world spreading musical diplomacy. 
    Means is also one half of roots duo Sally & George with her husband and collaborator, Sol Driven Train’s Joel Timmons. With Timmons, Mary Lucey, and Billy Cardine, she co-founded another group, Lover’s Leap, a genre blurring, heart-led Americana band. Means is a member of Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway, with whom she gained her first GRAMMY win for their 2023 album, City of Gold. She’s also received more than a handful of awards from the International Bluegrass Music Association for her work with Della Mae and Golden Highway.
    Means is a driving player with a deep pocket, a singular stage presence, and a magnetic, centered approach to the upright bass. Beyond her work on the instrument, she’s also an accomplished songwriter and a heartfelt vocalist whose voice is rooted in tradition while authentically her own. With her debut solo music, slated for release in 2025, Means invites listeners to experience the same soulful presence and adventurous spirit she has built her career on. Her singing and playing has been heard across the country and around the world, from NPR’s airwaves, the Grand Ole Opry, Bonnaroo, Telluride Bluegrass Festival, and Newport Folk to the U.S. Virgin Islands, Kazakhstan, Australia, and beyond.
  • Johnson Jay

    Johnson Jay

    Americana

WMOT Finally Friday featuring Afton Wolfe , Shelby Means & Johnson Jay

Fri May 23 2025 12:00 PM

(Doors 11:00 AM)

3rd and Lindsley Nashville TN
WMOT Finally Friday, Afton Wolfe, Shelby Means, Johnson Jay
  • FREE EVENT

All Ages

FREE ADMISSION