Sound Archive Sessions @ Hed Hi Studio
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Friday, December 11 & Saturday December 12
Charleston, SC
Sound Archive Sessions is a concert and book series presented in partnership with independent venues, bookstores, libraries, and record stores, bringing artists and audiences together through music, books, and community conversation. Join us for a special celebration of music, storytelling, and books as Hed Hi Studio hosts Sound Archive Sessions: Charleston.
Acclaimed songwriters and musicians will perform in the arthouse meets listening-room setting that has made Hed Hi Studio one of Charleston’s favorite rooms for musicians to play and fans to listen. Throughout the weekend, artists will also make appearances at local bookstores, libraries and record stores, offering opportunities for conversations, book signings, and community gatherings beyond the stage.
Only 100 tickets are being sold for each night of this special show — it will sell out fast!
A portion of proceeds will benefit the Madison County Arts Council who is still on the front lines helping with Hurricane Helene recovery in Madison County, NC.
Two Day and Single Event Tickets are available, along with Patron Supporter tickets which include a signed copy of the book of your choice and a meet and greet before the show.
Friday Night | Dec 11th
6:00 PM: Patron Supporter Meet & Greet
7:00 PM: Doors
7:30 PM: Pierce Edens & Kevin Reese
8:30 PM: Chatham Rabbits
Saturday Night | Dec 12th
6:00 PM: Patron Supporter Meet & Greet
7:00 PM: Doors
7:30 PM: Supernatural
8:30 PM: Nest of Singing Birds
Nest of Singing Birds
A “nest of singing birds” was the name Cecil Sharp gave to Madison County, North Carolina, when he visited the area in 1916 to collect the ancient ballads that had survived there for generations. Centering around Sheila Kay Adams, the matriarch of the traditional music community in Western North Carolina, the group is led by her second cousin Donna Ray Norton, one of the eighth generation of their family to keep these songs of love and loss, and the stories that surround them, alive. In cooperation with the Old Marshall Jail and Zadie’s restaurant in Marshall, NC they operate the only ongoing monthly ballad swap in the United States, attracting a community of ballad singers from across Western North Carolina.
Sheila Kay Adams is a 7th generation ballad singer and a national folk legend, icon and treasure. She has been recognized as a National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellow (2013), a North Carolina Arts Council Heritage Award (2016), and, most recently received the United States Artists Award (2026). Her work is featured in the Smithsonian Folkways Recordings.
Donna Ray Norton is an 8th generation ballad singer, educator, and preservationist who has performed with Warren Haynes, Tyler Ramsey and in festivals across the United States. She has been recognized as a South Arts Emerging Artist for 2026.
William Ritter is a seasoned old-time fiddler, seed-saver, and ballad singer from the mountains of Mitchell County, North Carolina. His dedication to Appalachian traditions led him to a life-changing apprenticeship with renowned ballad singer and storyteller Bobby McMillon in 2020.
Chatham Rabbits
Chatham Rabbits is an Americana and roots music duo from Chatham County, North Carolina, made up of husband-and-wife musicians Sarah Osborne McCombie (banjo, vocals) and Austin McCombie (guitar, fiddle, vocals).
Their music blends Appalachian string band traditions with contemporary songwriting, creating a sound that is both deeply rooted in North Carolina’s musical heritage and distinctly modern.
Sound Archive Books is releasing Happy, Lonesome and Free: The Songs & Dirty Work of Pierce Edens in fall 2026. The book is a love letter to the mountains and wilderness of Madison County, NC and an album-by-album time capsule of Pierce’s work over the past 20 years.
Pierce Edens & Kevin Reese
Pierce Edens is an independent musician and singer-songwriter from Western North Carolina. He is best known for his powerful vocals and haunting, fiery music that captivates listening rooms and excites dance floors in equal measure. Edens has shared the stage with notables such as the Wood Brothers, Robert Earl Keen, Steve Earl, Southern Culture on the Skids, and Hayes Carl.
With pockets of loyal fans across the nation, audiences continue to indulge in the hard-edged folk sound he creates alongside his long-time bandmate Kevin Reese. Sitting side-by-side on stage, the musical duo take their audience on a well- crafted journey. Built song-by-song, the room becomes filled with Edens’ signature vibrato, an unusually soulful, waverly tenor that conveys each song’s emotional depth.
Supernatural
Supernatural is a folk-process experiment in song preservation. Traditional music has survived for generations because people sing songs in a room, others hear them, and someone carries them forward. Inspired by Widespread Panic—and the band’s ability to bring older songs and overlooked songwriters to new audiences—Supernatural was originally formed to perform the music of Vic Chesnutt. The project has since expanded to include what the band calls “third-generation tunes”: covers of covers that give a song another life. Its repertoire includes songs carried forward by Widespread Panic from artists such as Chesnutt, Talking Heads, Tom Petty, Neil Young, and many others.
Songwriters create the songs, but song carriers keep them alive; the folk process depends equally on both. In that spirit, Supernatural is not built around a fixed lineup, but an evolving cast of musicians who gather to interpret, share, and pass the music along.