Doors open at 3pm, show 4-6pm. Tickets are $10 + fees.

BUY TICKETS

Soul-R Fusion is an acoustic guitar and fretless bass duo that will draw you in and take you on a warm and cozy mystical musical ride.

Tim Koehler (acoustic guitar / vocals) and Alex Goodell (fretless bass) are both originally from New Jersey, but met by chance in Wilmington, North Carolina in 2015.  When they collaborated things really clicked, and they developed an original sound by blending diverse musical influences and unique approaches to their instruments and to songwriting. 

Tim’s "superpower" has always been his ability to get to the emotional center of a song.  His thoughtfully crafted lyrics relate stories, experiences, and emotions that he brings to life with his rich, soulful vocals.  And Alex’s melodic bass playing highlights the magical qualities of the fretless bass.  This complementary combination led to the formation of Soul-R Fusion, and the duo became partners in music and life.   

Soul-R Fusion features the interplay between Tim’s intelligent, heartfelt lyrics, and Alex’s ethereal fretless basslines.  Their songs are optimistic and reflect upon the common experiences and connections people share.  

The duo performs regularly at their local listening room, Live at Ted’s, and at the Beale Street Barber Shop, Wilmington NC's Elvis themed barber shop / original music venue.  They are members of the North Carolina Songwriter’s Co-op, and perform locally, regionally and nationally, in original-music friendly venues, showcases, events, and festivals, and for live radio / streaming broadcasts. 

Video: https://youtu.be/Udb4yjHxw4Q

Website: https://soulrfusion.com/home

Doors open at 7pm, show 8-10pm. Tickets are $30 + fees.

BUY TICKETS

Will Hoge will release Sweet Misery, the Grammy-nominated artist’s 15th studio album on Friday, August 22.

On Sweet Misery, Hoge reminds listeners that he isn’t afraid to break new ground - all while giving a keen nod to his rock and roll roots with the kind of grace and purpose that only comes with experience - without the baggage of predictability.

In Will's own words - “Following the re-recording and re-releases of Carousel and Blackbird On A Lonely Wire I found myself really wanting to make a louder, hooky, rock-n-roll band record again. Good stories, big choruses, shit to make you play it loud and drive fast with the windows down. I was without a band so I enlisted a crew of folks who I love - folks that I believed could really help bring out the bigger ideas in the songs. I hope folks will find some headphones and give it a good, loud listen. Top to bottom, the way albums should be listened to.” 

Will Hoge has a career whose milestones include Number One hits, Grammy nods, major-label record deals, and hard-won independence. Years before Americana music received its own category at the Grammy Awards, Hoge was on the frontlines, helping to pilot and popularize the genre's blend of American roots music. In the current digital era dominated by influencers seeking shortcuts to stardom, Will Hoge proudly treads the scenic route, immersing himself in the journey rather than fixating on the destination.

Website: https://www.willhoge.com/

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlnEPjlHktM

Doors open at 7pm, show 8-10pm. Tickets are $15 + fees.

BUY TICKETS

Eternally Grateful is one of the most exciting and engaging acts in live music. Mainly operating as an acoustic duo, they combine influences from different generations in American music to create a timeless, captivating and distinctive style. Complemented by the eclectic mastery of Ben Williams on upright bass, and completed by the prolific songwriting and virtuosic talents of Cooper Pearce on guitar/vocals, Eternally Grateful strives to make a true connection with their audiences and is a must see act for any music lover.

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPSd6A-Wwns

Website: https://eternallygratefulmusic.com/home

Doors open at 7pm, show 8-10pm. Tickets are $15 + fees.

BUY TICKETS

ONYX CLUB BOYS is an acoustic string band (violin, guitar, upright bass) rooted in Django Reinhardt’s Gypsy Jazz sounds of 1930's Paris, and Stuff Smith's New York City Swing.  However, being from 21st Century North Carolina, their diverse influences take the music beyond borders. It's a trip around the world, which will make you swoon, tap your feet, and realize how universally similar music really is.

"The cool dexterity of their playing binds together the broad catalog"  
- Grayson Currin, music editor Indy Week, NC 

The band released their album, “Million Color Vision” in 2018.  It features catchy originals along with a few classics, and was carefully crafted and recorded over the last few years.  Available at live shows and on our website. 

Appearances have included Shakori Hills Festival, Festival for the Eno, Haw River Ballroom, Cat's Cradle, Raleigh First Night, Artsplosure, NC Museum of Art, WUNC’s Back Porch Music at American Tobacco Campus Durham, Carrboro Django Reinhardt Festival, Carolina Theatre of Durham, National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, and many more. 

Members have played in bands such as The Squirrel Nut Zippers, The Old Ceremony, Diali Cissokho and Kaira Ba, and the Paperhand Puppet Intervention band. 

Website: https://onyxclubboys.com/home

Video: https://youtu.be/syFX5Q5BDbE?si=BHmRMSFXCTd7c8dx

Doors open at 7pm, show 8-10pm. Tickets are $10 + fees.

BUY TICKETS

RANDY MCQUAY is a talented singer / songwriter and roots musician from North Carolina. He performs around the country with his band and as a solo acoustic artist offering an eclectic mix of soulful sounds and rhythms. With sincere lyrics and accomplished musicianship, Randy is a masterful storyteller who plays from the heart. His set is one not to miss, blending Blues, folk, rock & roll, funk, and Americana roots music from behind his harmonic and guitar.

He has performed at festivals and on premier stages all around the US including local events such as the Cape Fear Blues Festival in Wilmington, NC, the Pleasure Island Seafood, Blues & Jazz Festival Kure Beach, and the GoodVibes Brewfest in Carolina Beach. He has won numerous awards including the International Blues Challenge (3-Time Finalist), the prestigious Lee Oskar Harmonica Award, Semper Fidelis Award for Musical Excellence, Cape Fear Blues Challenge Solo (3-time winner!), and was voted ‘Best Musician’ in encore magazine’s Best of 2020.

A few years ago, he released his first solo album, “Solo.” In 2017 he released a followup, “My Kind of Blues.”

Do not miss this incredible Wilmington, NC musician!

About Soup to Nuts Live!: Well into its second decade, WHQR's Soup To Nuts LIVE! has become one of the Cape Fear region's favorite, live-listening experiences, featuring a wide array of musical genres on its stage. STNL!'s recording process reflects its commitment to high quality, ongoing success, and the hard work of its technical staff. Each performance is engineered, multitracked, and edited into a one-hour program for broadcast on an upcoming date. In addition, WHQR forwards and cross-promotes the live event (and the later broadcast) across their website, on-air, social media, and related platforms. Starting in 2023, Live At Ted’s joined in hosting and booking acts for the STNL! show, alternating hosting duties each month with WHQR. Ted’s listening room environment, recording capabilities, and commitment to showcasing original music made for a seamless partnership.

Website: randymcquay.com

Video: https://youtu.be/OokrXbi54Y4

Doors open at 6pm, show 7-9pm. Tickets are $10 + fees.

BUY TICKETS

Wilmington Guitar Guru, Laura McLean, curates a night of local songwriters on the Ted's stage!
Artists performing:

Bianca Shaw

Kelly Mason Smith

Megan Magpie Rose

Stephen Axthelm

Laura McLean

This showcase is a longtime Ted's favorite and always such a fun evening. Come out and see for yourself!

Doors open at 3pm, show 4-6pm. Tickets are $15 + fees.

BUY TICKETS

Jess Klein came to this world to pull firebrand power and childlike joy from our darkest shadows. Her acoustic-driven, hook-laden story songs revel in the polychrome of human experience - joy, rage, sensuality and resilience. The New York Times calls her “A songwriter with a voice of unblinking tenacity.” 

Jess has toured the globe performing in pin-drop listening rooms, cozy theaters and at raucous festivals in front of tens of thousands of fans.  She has toured nationally and internationally supporting Arlo Guthrie, Josh Ritter, Damien Dempsey, John Fullbright and Jonathan Byrd and has opened for such legends as Ani DiFranco, Steve Earle and Alejandro Escovedo.  Jess has appeared on Good Morning America and NPR’s All Things Considered and has performed at the Newport, Winnipeg, Falcon Ridge and Philadelphia Folk Festivals as well as Fuji Rock Festival in Japan. 

Jess's live shows are known for their intimate and soulful atmosphere. Whether solo with just her guitar or backed by a band, Jess performs with a raw, emotional intensity.  Her emotive vocals, and poignant storytelling invite her fans on a journey through themes of love, loss, and resilience.

The Bluegrass Situation hails Jess's work as “one part grassroots social activism, two parts alt-country guitar rock — a combo we can certainly get behind.” Klein's newest album, 2023's When We Rise, harnesses this potent combination with themes of empowerment and the joy of overcoming set to a dynamic and deeply introspective roots-inflected soundtrack. 

Website: https://jessklein.com/home

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYkawYrM590

This show is cancelled. Ticket holders have been refunded. So sorry for any inconvenience.

Ted’s will now be closed Saturday, October 11th.

Doors open at 7pm, show 8-10pm. Tickets are $15 + fees.

BUY TICKETS

Hailing from Durham, NC, Jon Shain is a veteran singer-songwriter who’s been turning heads for years with his words, his fiery acoustic guitar work, and his evolved musical style – combining improvised piedmont blues with bluegrass, swing, and ragtime. Jon has released nine solo albums to date, along with two albums with duo partner FJ Ventre, a Jon Shain Trio live album, and one album of co-writes with Joe Newberry. Shain’s newest album, Restless Soul Syndrome, recorded at Good Luck Studio this past year, will be released April 9, 2024. Shain is also the author of the music books Gettin’ Handy With the Blues – a Tribute to the Legacy of W.C. Handy and Jon Shain’s Fingerstyle Guitar Method, both published by Mel Bay Publications. In 2019, Shain won the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, TN in the solo/duo category.

In 1986, Shain studied with jazz professor Paul Jeffrey and also learned the piedmont blues tradition firsthand by playing in Big Boy Henry’s backing band. It was at this time that Shain also got to meet and play with John Dee Holeman and a number of the great older NC blues players. 

Shain cut his touring teeth from 1989-1998 founding the Chapel Hill, NC folk-rock group, Flyin' Mice and their spin-off group, WAKE. The band performed with acts such as David Grisman, Tony Rice Unit, Hot Tuna, and the Dixie Dregs, released four CDs, and played clubs, schools, and festivals up and down the East Coast, building a legion of fans.

After the band’s breakup, Shain went solo, returning to his roots by touring in the folk and blues circuit. Shain has also become a sought after guitar teacher and studio producer. In 2021, he produced Donna Herula’s blues radio chart-topping album, Bang at the Door.

Over the last several years, Shain has headlined listening rooms both as a solo and with duo partner FJ Ventre throughout the US and he's done two solo tours in Europe. He has opened shows for John Hiatt, Keb’ Mo’, Little Feat, and many other roots legends. When Shain is not recording, producing other artists, or performing, he stays busy giving private instruction in guitar, and teaching group workshops in songwriting and blues guitar.

FJ Ventre began playing music with Jon in 1982 when they met in high school and have developed a brotherly connection that continues to this day. Ventre went to University of Massachusetts-Lowell, earning a B.A. in Music Performance and Sound Recording and remained for some time in the Boston area, performing in the city's vibrant music scene. Since relocating to Chapel Hill, NC in 2000, Ventre has performed with his own group The Swang Brothers, as well as with Chris Stamey, Wes Collins, Huzzah, and a who's who of NC music groups. In addition to being a sought-after bassist, Ventre spends his time behind the mixing board, producing and engineering at his own Good Luck Studio as well as writing his own songs.

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cj3klop8pGk

Website: https://www.jonshain.com/

Doors open at 3pm, show 4-6pm. Tickets are $15.

BUY TICKETS

Whether with his backing band, The Fustics, or performing as an acoustic artist, Brad Heller has established himself as a credible force among current songwriters. Honing his craft for over a decade and a half the Wilmington, North Carolina, transplant has built a reputation as a thoughtful songsmith who tackles a wide range of personal and social issues. Bouncing between a myriad of genres, Heller finds creative drive in honoring musical influences that inspired him, while never abandoning his own unique sound.

With the forthcoming 2024 release of his sixth album, From What You’ve Built, Heller continues to build his audience with constant touring and spirited live shows. Heller’s music centers on middle-class characters while exploring themes of loss, self-imposed alienation, abandonment of faith, and addiction. Voted Wilmington’s “Best Original Rock Band,” look for upcoming shows by Brad Heller & the Fustics and Heller’s acoustic duo.

Website: https://www.bradhellermusic.com/

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0NoqALzOQc

Doors open at 7pm, show 8-10pm. Tickets are $65 + fees.

BUY TICKETS

Multi-Instrumentalist and Singer-Songwriter Darrell Scott mines and cultivates the everyday moment, taking the rote, menial, mundane, and allowing it to be surreal, ever poignant, and candidly honest, lilting, blooming, and resonating. The words he fosters allow us to make sense of the world, what is at stake here, and our place in it. And ultimately, Darrell knows the sole truth of life is that love is all that matters, that we don’t always get it right, but that’s the instinctive and requisite circuitous allure of things, why we forever chase it, and why it is held sacred.

Darrell Scott comes from a musical family with a father who had him smitten with guitars by the age of 4, alongside a brother who played Jerry Reed style as well.  From there, things only ramped up with literature and poetry endeavors while a student at Tufts University, along with playing his way through life. This would never change.

After recently touring with Robert Plant and the Zac Brown Band (2 years with each), and producing albums for Malcolm Holcomb and Guy Clark and being named “songwriter of the year” for both ASCAP and NSAI, these days find him roaming his Tennessee wilderness acreage hiking along the small river, creating delicious meals with food raised on his property and playing music. He often leads songwriting workshops to help people tell their own truths with their stories, and is as busy as always writing, producing, performing, and just plain fully immersing himself in life.

Website: https://www.darrellscott.com/

Video: https://youtu.be/IqvHKetBJhQ?si=iUI2kgbCKrgnvAqg

**NO AUDIO OR VIDEO RECORDING PERMITTED FOR THIS PERFORMANCE**

Doors open at 7pm, show 8-10pm. Tickets are $65 + fees.

BUY TICKETS

Multi-Instrumentalist and Singer-Songwriter Darrell Scott mines and cultivates the everyday moment, taking the rote, menial, mundane, and allowing it to be surreal, ever poignant, and candidly honest, lilting, blooming, and resonating. The words he fosters allow us to make sense of the world, what is at stake here, and our place in it. And ultimately, Darrell knows the sole truth of life is that love is all that matters, that we don’t always get it right, but that’s the instinctive and requisite circuitous allure of things, why we forever chase it, and why it is held sacred.

Darrell Scott comes from a musical family with a father who had him smitten with guitars by the age of 4, alongside a brother who played Jerry Reed style as well.  From there, things only ramped up with literature and poetry endeavors while a student at Tufts University, along with playing his way through life. This would never change.

After recently touring with Robert Plant and the Zac Brown Band (2 years with each), and producing albums for Malcolm Holcomb and Guy Clark and being named “songwriter of the year” for both ASCAP and NSAI, these days find him roaming his Tennessee wilderness acreage hiking along the small river, creating delicious meals with food raised on his property and playing music. He often leads songwriting workshops to help people tell their own truths with their stories, and is as busy as always writing, producing, performing, and just plain fully immersing himself in life.

Website: https://www.darrellscott.com/

Video: https://youtu.be/IqvHKetBJhQ?si=iUI2kgbCKrgnvAqg

**NO AUDIO OR VIDEO RECORDING PERMITTED FOR THIS PERFORMANCE**

Doors open at 7pm, show 8-10pm. Tickets are $20 in advance + fees or $25 at the door.

BUY TICKETS

2025 Telluride Bluegrass Band competition winners, Rachel Sumner & Traveling Light, are a Boston-based string band making music that blends folk tradition with feminist storytelling, poetic detail, and just enough grit. At the center is Sumner’s songwriting—rooted in history, myth, and personal reckoning—carried by close harmonies, upright bass, acoustic guitar, and fiddle. The trio features Kat Wallace on fiddle and vocals and Mike Siegel on upright bass and vocals, whose playing brings both tension and tenderness to the sound.

Their sound is spare and intimate, sometimes eerie, sometimes sweet, always intentional. They call it Femericana—sharp-edged Americana with a splash of feminine rage.

Sumner has performed at the Library of Congress, where five of her original songs are now archived, and was a 2024 winner of the Kerrville New Folk competition. Her song “Radium Girls (Curie Eleison)” struck a nerve—streamed over 300,000 times and picked up by dancers, theater directors, and deep listeners who saw themselves in its story. It’s been tattooed on arms, sung in audition rooms, and carried into classrooms and protests. The kind of song people hold onto.

Rachel Sumner & Traveling Light has toured coast to coast, bringing their spellbinding live show to listening rooms, libraries, farms, and festivals across the country. They've appeared at Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival, Earl Scruggs Festival, IBMA, and legendary folk listening rooms like Caffé Lena and Club Passim, where their shows have become a staple of the Boston folk scene.

Their latest release, The Traveling Light Sessions, reimagines Sumner’s studio album Heartless Things—recorded live around one microphone with no overdubs. Just the way they play it.

Video: https://youtu.be/suBQJAmtuDg?si=_R_G_A_auLde5F7l

Website: https://rachelsumnermusic.com/

Doors open at 3pm, show 4-6pm. Tickets are $20 + fees. 

BUY TICKETS

The intersection of hope and resignation can be a disarming place but also incredibly beautiful. It’s where Oh Smokey, the tenth Clem Snide album, spends a lot of its time. Eef Barzelay, the songwriter behind the name since time immemorial, describes Oh Smokey as “slow, sad songs about God and death,” knowing full well that he’s being technically accurate but wryly incomplete.  Like a sleepy late-night road trip conversation about a near-death experience, the record makes space for some intimate contemplation of what lies beyond.

Barzelay wrote these eight songs while upending much of his life. His 25-year marriage dissolved, he parted ways with his longtime manager, and he left his Nashville home after two decades. If you look at it one way, he’s been almost cosmically unlucky in the business, with a big break always around the corner that doesn’t exactly materialize. Seen from another angle, he’s built a dedicated fanbase person by person by creating an improbably timeless body of work, playing living rooms, and even writing personal songs for individual fans.

This collection of songs was brought to life with longtime Clem Snide fan Josh Kaufman (Bonny Light Horseman, Craig Finn, Hiss Golden Messenger). Kaufman added color and texture to Barzelay’s compositions, from the gentle sonic shrapnel of album opener “Free” to the organic hum that “At Your Command” rests on to the swelling expansiveness of title track “Smokey,” which was inspired by Eef’s fleeting collaboration with another Clem Snide fan: pop star YEBBA.  With 30 years now of rising and falling Clem Snide emerges from the ashes, once again, with Oh Smokey. Still committed to loving the unknown, but with a more empathetic and mature appreciation for the bruises that come along with it.

“I look up to Eef with total respect and admiration,” says Avett, “and I hope to survive like he survives: with total love for the new and the unknown. Eef’s a crooner and an indie darling by sound and a mystic sage by depth. That’s not common, but it’s beautiful.”

Named for a William S. Borroughs character, Clem Snide first emerged from Boston as a three-piece in the early 1990’s, and the group would go on to become a cult and critical favorite, picking up high profile fans from Bon Iver to Ben Folds over the course of three decades and more than a dozen studio albums. NPR highlighted the Israeli-born Barzelay as “the most underrated songwriter in the business today, with a sneakily firm grasp on poignancy and humor,” while Rolling Stone hailed his songwriting as “soulful and incisive,” and The New Yorker praised his music’s “soothing melodies and candid wit.”

Barzelay currently resides in Nashville, TN.

Video: https://youtu.be/G9xoR50c8Ss

Website: https://www.clemsni.de/

Doors open at 7pm, show 8-10pm. Tickets are $15 + fees.

BUY TICKETS

Join us for a special evening of homegrown music from two of Wilmington's most prolific songwriters. Jeff Reid and Catesby Jones first met in the summer of 1983 where they traded original songs in a bungalow on the south-end of Wrightsville Beach, NC. Despite travelling different roads since that fateful day, they reconnected back in Wilmington in 1996, where over the years Reid has produced seven of Catesby’s CD’s and together they have shared the stage in countless performances..

Catesby Jones was born in Versailles, Kentucky and raised in Shaker Heights, Ohio. As a young man, he began writing original compositions, playing in folk clubs in Boston, and touring on the fabled New York college coffeehouse circuit. He has held steady gigs in Cleveland, the Virgin Islands, a Kingsville, Texas honky tonk, the Rum Boogie Café in Memphis, and The Bluebird Café in Nashville. He won the Kerrville New Folk Competition in 1982 and, as a staff writer in Nashville, co-wrote Travis Tritt's breakout hit 'Country Club'. In 1993, he moved to Wilmington, NC where he has performed extensively and continues to pursue his songwriting career.

Songwriter, producer and publisher Jeff Reid was born in New Orleans and raised in Wilmington, NC. He began performing in the Wilmington area in 1981 and has since travelled throughout the United States performing his original music. He has played hundreds of club dates, either backing others or performing solo and has engineered and/or produced CDs for many local and regional artists. From 2006 - 2011, Jeff was the publisher and editor of Wilmington's’ monthly music magazine The Beat.

Catesby Video: https://youtu.be/zjG2FC_rgBk?si=Fyigj4x2_3NzPW6j&t=27

Jeff Recordings: https://jeffreid.bandcamp.com/

Doors open at 7pm, show 8-10pm. Tickets are $10 + fees.

BUY TICKETS

Wilmington, NC songwriter David Dixon has been balancing live performances with writing & recording new music. His latest release, “Before It Gets Too Cold” recently hit 100K streams on Spotify. Dixon was awarded a 2023 Artist Support Grant by New Hanover County. He was also a finalist for the NC Artist Fellowship Award (NC Arts Council). Dixon studied guitar performance at the acclaimed Berklee College of Music in Boston. His musical styles consist of pop, rock, blues & soul. Think John Mayer meets Derek Trucks, with some Ed Sheeran sprinkled on top. Dixon's self-titled album was Mastered by Grammy Award-winner, Brian Lucey (The Black Keys, Beck). His 5-song EP, “The Game” was released in August of 2021 and features his most popular song to date, “Across the Room”, along with a guest appearance by Korey Riker on horns (John Legend) on “Better With You By My Side”.

Dixon performs solo shows while “looping” multiple guitar, percussion & vocal parts. He also plays violin, bass, piano & mandolin. Dixon regularly performs at music festivals, on college campuses, songwriting showcases, house concerts, weddings & corporate events. He opened for Phillip Phillips (American Idol Winner) at Greenfield Lake Amphitheater to a sold-out crowd. Dixon has performed in South Korea, the Dominican Republic, the Bahamas, & all over the US.

Video: https://youtu.be/8UOsszMBuy4

Website: https://www.daviddixonmusic.com/

William Seymour is a singer-songwriter originally from Eastern North Carolina, now based in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. His music weaves together elements of Country, Blues, Soul, and Americana, grounded in raw storytelling and a deep reverence for American roots traditions.

With a sound shaped by artists like Jackson Browne, Eric Clapton, and Waylon Jennings, William’s songs carry a lived-in authenticity — exploring themes of home, heartache, and the roads in between. His solo work spans three albums, each one marked by soulful vocals, honest lyrics, and a deep groove.

In addition to his solo career, William tours nationally as the bassist for rock/soul outfit Caitlin Krisko & The Broadcast. He has performed in over a dozen countries and continues to build his audience through powerful live performances and heartfelt songwriting.

Website: linktr.ee/williamseymour

Video: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/izBuE2jCjh8

Doors open at 7pm, show 8-10pm. Tickets are $10 + fees.

BUY TICKETS

Calloway and The Prickly Pears are a groove based band out of Austin, TX.  Band leader Calloway Ritch mixes his Midwest blues rock roots along with southern rock and Texas Honky Tonk.  Creating a funky sound reminiscent of bands like Little Feat and The Allman Brothers, with a heavy dose of Willie Nelson and Freddie King.  

Instagram: @callowayandthepricklypears

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wzQoShH-VQ

Ruby Dice is a Colorado native who currently resides in Texas and has been performing music for as long as she can remember. At the age of 22, she relocated to Texas to pursue a career in music after beginning her musical career in her family's church band. She has accumulated musical experience over the years by playing bass in a variety of bands, developing as a songwriter, and winning the respect she merits for her musical abilities. She started performing all over the country at this time, sharing stages with artists like Brian Wilson, Dale Watson, and many others.

Ruby’s debut album was recorded with Gordy Quist and several members from The Band Of Heathens.

This is an up and coming artist you don’t want to miss.

Video: https://youtu.be/poB3gvfzpV0?si=fqN0E4lXkuiUy19s

Website: https://www.rubydice.com/

Doors open at 7pm, show 8-10pm. Tickets are $15 + fees.

BUY TICKETS

Lou Hazel grew up along the Allegheny River, where New York meets Pennsylvania and Northern Appalachia slips into quiet obscurity. In a landscape of cold towns, blue-collar fatigue, and early brushes with hardship, music wasn’t inherited—it was uncovered. There were no venues, no mentors, no real sense of a scene… only what you could scrape together with curiosity and a cassette deck.

That absence—of direction, of mentors, of art—shaped Lou’s songs as much as any influence. His music echoes the loneliness of those forgotten towns and the strange resilience it takes to create something where nothing was planted. Blending folk, indie, and an eye for the overlooked, Lou writes like someone who’s learned to pay attention. His songs are spare, vivid, and weathered with warmth.  

After years of solo touring and home recording, Lou found grounding in Durham, North Carolina, where a vibrant music scene and chosen community have helped shape his recent work. His latest record, Riot of the Red, captures the urge to get away from all of it—the news, the noise, the weight of a world gone sideways—and find stillness in the simplest things: a long drive, a bare sky, a familiar chord. Lou Hazel makes music for those who had to teach themselves how to listen.

Video: https://youtu.be/I0iIcvN_r0E?si=jWDqaSIOTGOb80T_

Website: https://louhazel.com/new-page

Doors open at 6pm, show 7-9pm. Tickets are $15 + fees. 

BUY TICKETS

Anya Hinkle is an Americana singer-songwriter, winner of Merlefest’s 2019 Chris Austin song contest and 2023 USA Songwriting Competition; she was 2022 International Acoustic Music Awards runner-up. She “effortlessly delivers” (Pop Matters) with "vivid songwriting and transportive vocals” (Folk Alley). Her current project, OCEANIA, features Irish guitar legend John Doyle and slide guitar master Billy Cardine.​ Hinkle has played many of the major roots festivals including MerleFest, Gettysburg Bluegrass Festival, Bristol Rhythm & Roots; in Europe she has headlined at La Roche and Grenna Bluegrass festivals. 

Video: https://youtu.be/JSJOyubajdU?si=1X-agfPYNZsyX0hz Website: https://anyahinkle.com/

Grace Pettis is described as folk, a little bit of country/Americana, and a whole lot of soul! She is the winner of many of the nation’s most prestigious songwriting contests, grants, and residencies, including NPR’s Mountain Stage NewSong Contest, The Buddy Holly Educational Foundation, and The Helene Wurlitzer Foundation of New Mexico. Grace’s songs have been recorded by other esteemed artists, including Sara Hickman and Ruthie Foster, with three co-writes on Foster's Grammy-nominated album, Healing Time. Grace was an official showcasing artist at SXSW and Folk Alliance International last year.

Video: https://youtu.be/S2Nwa96nOG8 Website: https://www.gracepettis.com/

Doors open at 3pm, show 4-6pm. Tickets are $27 in advance + fees. This show is SOLD OUT!

BUY TICKETS

Originally from Dublin, John Doyle is a compelling singer and songwriter; producer; multi-Grammy nominee; and an extraordinary master of the Irish guitar whose singular percussive style has influenced a generation of players. A founding member of the acclaimed group Solas, John’s guitar sound took the traditional music world by storm and has likely forever influenced the role of guitar in Irish music. John regularly performs solo, in duos, groups and has been the choice guitarist for the likes of Joan Baez, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Linda Thompson, Jerry Douglas, The Alt, Usher's Island, Liz Carroll, Eileen Ivers, Tim O’Brien, Michael McGoldrick and John McCusker, Alison Brown, Mick Moloney, Kate Rusby and a host of other world class performers in America and abroad. John’s duo recording, Double Play, with the great Chicago fiddler and previous National Heritage Fellowship recipient, Liz Carroll, received a 2009 Grammy Nomination for Best Traditional World Album. That same year, John and Liz performed for President Obama, Vice- President Biden and Congress. John has been featured on over 130 recordings of traditional Irish, folk, old time, and bluegrass music, many of which he produced, including 2016 National Heritage Fellowship recipient Billy McComiskey’s Outside the Box. He has performed at every major folk, bluegrass, and Irish festival in the U.S., Canada and Europe, some many times over as well as NPR’s A Prairie Home Companion, E-Town, Mountain Stage, and World Cafe. 

John is a great lover of traditional song, an encouraging and enthusiastic teacher, and his nearly non-stop schedule of touring, producing and recording attests to his high standing in the world of traditional Irish and American music. From a family of musicians in Dublin and Co. Sligo, and having been exposed to traditional music as a young teen through his grandfather, father and uncle, all of whom were musicians, John’s roots run deep in collecting songs and tunes. His influences include Arty McGlynn, Andy Irvine and Paul Brady as well as the great impact of his musical elder family members. Having been long established as the premier guitarist in traditional Irish and Irish/American music, John’s 2011 solo cd, Shadow and Light is a showcase for John’s acclaimed talent as a songwriter in the traditional genre. He has the rare ability to pen new songs that for all the world, sound decades or hundreds of years old and are well on their way to becoming standards in the Irish folk canon. 

Though he could no doubt play and record with any of the world’s best acoustic musicians, and often does, John’s heart is always in the traditional music of Ireland and its diaspora in America and beyond. 

Website: https://www.johndoylemusic.com/

Video: https://youtu.be/IRAKhZHApaY?si=8aFUs-f6O312XtwB

Doors open at 7pm, show 8-10pm. Tickets are $20 + fees. 

BUY TICKETS

Shannon Baker & sometime soon is an acoustic bluegrass and country group that holds true to the traditional sounds of those genres, yet incorporates the distinctive skills from the varied backgrounds of its members for enhanced arrangements.

Shannon sets a high bar as the lead vocalist and songwriter. Joe Pessolano brings lead and harmony vocals with guitar and mandolin skills. Ronnie Parrish sets the foundation with upright bass. Chris Hill adds refined fiddle work and John Dudley serves up baritone vocal, banjo and guitar.

Together they deliver bluegrass-flavored, carefully crafted harmonies and acoustic instrumentation for those favorites in a fresh way, introduce you to new ones from unexpected places and share some original works for you to enjoy. There will be classic foot-stomping numbers, soulful renditions and some surprises from nearby genres, all with their unique styling and energy.

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTCV1z84PS0

Doors open at 7pm, show 8-10pm. Tickets are $15 + fees.

BUY TICKETS

Admiral Radio, the award-winning folk/Americana act from South Carolina, is the creative partnership of Coty Hoover and Becca Smith. Named after their old wooden radio, this husband-and-wife team blends heartfelt harmonies, storytelling, and raw sincerity. Having met while waiting tables in South Carolina’s Lowcountry, their sound is straightforward yet powerful—rooted in tight vocal interplay and finely picked acoustic instruments. Inspired by the everyday, their songs explore life lessons, the quiet hustle of ordinary life, and the dogged optimism that drives it all. Simply put, Becca and Coty aim to leave listeners better than they found them. With a personal sincerity and honest performance, you might shed a few tears and roll with laughter.

The group has earned finalist and first-place honors in prestigious songwriting competitions around the country, including Kerrville NewFolk, the MerleFest Band Competition, Cayamo Soundcheck, and the International Bluegrass Music Association's Official Songwriter Showcase. Known for their energetic and emotional live shows, Admiral Radio has shared stages with bluegrass legend Del McCoury, folkgrass icon Molly Tuttle, pop-rock sensation Judah & the Lion, and more. From humble beginnings to their growing buzz, Admiral Radio is redefining the folk tradition with every mile down America's backroads.

About Soup to Nuts Live!: Well into its second decade, WHQR's Soup To Nuts LIVE! has become one of the Cape Fear region's favorite, live-listening experiences, featuring a wide array of musical genres on its stage. STNL!'s recording process reflects its commitment to high quality, ongoing success, and the hard work of its technical staff. Each performance is engineered, multitracked, and edited into a one-hour program for broadcast on an upcoming date. In addition, WHQR forwards and cross-promotes the live event (and the later broadcast) across their website, on-air, social media, and related platforms. Starting in 2023, Live At Ted’s joined in hosting and booking acts for the STNL! show, alternating hosting duties each month with WHQR. Ted’s listening room environment, recording capabilities, and commitment to showcasing original music made for a seamless partnership.

Website: https://www.admiralradiomusic.com/

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1KCXo98OnA

Doors open at 3pm, show 4-6pm. Tickets are $20 + fees. This show is SOLD OUT!

BUY TICKETS

Les Fontanelles of Wilmington, NC, have deep roots in the North Carolina coast, which probably explains their mixture of sweet, but salty sensibilities. Their style and harmony driven sound can be attributed to the influences of Townes Van Zandt, Dire Straits, The Byrds, and Blaze Foley, then rounded out with undercurrents of Bonnie Prince Billy, Mazzy Star, and Magnolia Electric Co. The music is made with the belief that life is filled with heartache, but laughter and love is what makes the journey beautiful. It's the perfect balance between "supper at grandma's" and "put the youngins to bed, so grown folks can visit." Be prepared to cry, cackle, and blush before it's all said and done.

The five-piece folk group is comprised of members of Wilmington's No Dollar $hoes (Carson Jewell, Jesse Jewell, Richard Welsh), Masonboro Sound (Shane Lippard), and The Barnraisers (Tiff Reece Jewell).

Recordings:https://open.spotify.com/album/01UiYNTfZDwpDJRDBGFcdP?si=9FH0QS0oSO2EhCSTWYplWA

Doors open at 7pm, show 8-10pm. Tickets are $15 + fees.

BUY TICKETS

2024 AMERICANAFEST Official Showcase Artist

“Official Showcase Artist: 2022 Folk Alliance International Conference” & 2022 Kerrville "New Folk Songwriting Contest Finalist" 

Combining the best of Americana and blues melodies with timeless Southern storytelling, award winning vocalist Stephanie Adlington and guitarist Aaron Lessard draw influence from the likes of Tom Waits and Ray LaMontagne, along with bedrock artists such as Patsy Cline and Hank Williams Sr. A Tale Of Two has opened for notable artists such as Mary Gauthier, Grayson Capps, and Peter Mulvey. Not unlike the artists who inspired them, the duo’s songs frequently dabble in stories of revenge, drinking and feature sinners of all stripes and persuasions. 

Oozing an infectious stage presence and chemistry that carries over from the music to the back and forth banter between songs, “A Tale Of Two” offers a different kind of Americana – storytelling by a swampy pair of retro raconteurs spinning blues arias with soul, intrigue and power. 

Website: https://www.taleoftwomusic.com/#taleoftwo-section

Video: https://youtu.be/bsn9l7duNiU?si=Gp_IH0jrYDUwq6eA

Doors open at 7pm, show 8-10pm. Tickets are $10 + fees.

BUY TICKETS

Drew Peterson is an independent Americana singer-songwriter who has captivated fans across the Midwest for over 20 years. Since fronting the Minnesota-based group Forty Watt Bulb, Peterson has spawned two other successful Roots projects; the twangy, upbeat Dead Pigeons and bluegrass-influenced Boxstore Bird.

Peterson comes from a long line of musically inept Norwegian Farmers (unless you count Grandpa Pops, the town drunk, who played the harmonica and the concertina for booze).Peterson was not born with musical talent. Mom bought him a guitar at a church rummage sale for five dollars and it was then he decided he wanted to become a musician. Growing up on a farm in rural Minnesota, he tackled this endeavor the way he had been taught - hard work and lots of practice. And practice is what he’s been doing for 20 years. His passion has always been crafting lyrics and songwriting. 

Peterson has built a unique brand that transcends the genre. With clever, dry humor and thought- provoking lyrics, Peterson’s music is like oil over gravel. Drawing on influences from John Prine, Tom Waits, Cat Stevens, Van Morrison, among others, Peterson offers the world upbeat tunes with a soft- spoken gravitas that belies his years. 

With a performance style that can transform from intimate listening room to rowdy festivals and bars, Peterson always gives his heart and soul to the stage. And with each new performance, he works to connect with the audience through storytelling.

Website: https://drewpetersonmusic.com/home

Video: https://youtu.be/MFzj2KXr9ik

Doors open at 6pm, show 7-9pm. Tickets are $10 + fees.

BUY TICKETS

Wilmington Guitar Guru, Laura McLean, curates a night of local songwriters on the Ted's stage!

Artists performing:

Jerry Nerra

Velma Martinez

 Allis Marie

Timmy Sherrill

Laura McLean

This showcase is a longtime Ted's favorite and always such a fun evening. Come out and see for yourself!

Doors open at 3pm, show 4-6pm. Tickets are $15 + fees. 

BUY TICKETS

Rod Abernethy is a unique blend of an authentic southern folk troubadour, master acoustic guitarist, and award winning songwriter and composer for film, TV and video games and the Overall Grand Prize Winner of the 2021 International Acoustic Music Awards. In 2019 he was the Grand Prize winner of American Songwriter's Bob Dylan Song Contest. His last album Normal Isn’t Normal Anymore, produced by Grammy nominated producer Neilson Hubbard (Mary Gauthier, Kim Richey, Glen Phillips), received rave reviews from No Depression, American Highways and The Wall Street Journal and was the Top 20 CD of 2021 at No. 11 on the Folk International Folk Charts.

Rod’s talents go beyond being a dynamic performer, vocalist, instrumentalist, and storyteller. He’s a prolific photographer, a sculpture artist of whimsical steampunk found-object robots and a seasoned teacher and adjunct professor at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston Salem, NC, where he teaches how to score video games. As composer, Rod has scored and produced music for countless television shows, commercials and over 80 video games including the Electronic Art's blockbuster hit "Dead Space" which won a BAFTA Award in 2009 for Best Use of Audio and Tolkien's "The Hobbit" for Vivendi Universal which won the Game Audio Network Guild’s Video Game Soundtrack Of The Year in 2003.  

Rod continues to perform live in acoustic venues and halls across the country. Past venues include The Stone Pony (Asbury Park, NJ), The Woodstock Folk Festival (Woodstock, IL), Club Passim (Boston, MA) and The Cat’s Cradle (Chapel Hill, NC). He is also a featured artist on this year’s popular PBS series, Songs At The Center hosted by Eric Gnesda.

 Video: https://youtu.be/P8qzVlQQgOw

Website: https://rodabernethyguitar.com/home

Doors open at 7pm, show 8-10pm. Tickets are $15.

BUY TICKETS

Adam Fenton is a local musician and music instructor in Wilmington who's been playing covers (as well as original music with his group Happy Pill) for the past 4 years. He's passionate about Jazz music and is excited to bring a cool and unique mix of tunes ranging from jazz, R&B, and pop to the Ted’s stage.

https://instagram.com/1086jazz?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==

Doors open at 6pm, show 7-9pm. Tickets are $20 + fees.

BUY TICKETS

Americana singer-songwriter, Noah Guthrie's sound has been described as possessing Chris Stapleton’s country/rock grit with the authenticity of Jason Isbell. The unique soulfulness in his richly textured voice and the unmistakable Southern influence in his music makes him capable of conveying emotion as only a handful of artists can in today’s musical landscape. Noah's latest album, BLUE WALL, honors the Blue Ridge Mountains where he grew up and still resides. Noah is passionate about making good, honest music - music that sounds like him - music that relates - music that makes the listener feel something.

Noah has built a strong following through powerful live performances, social media and television. He has released three critically-acclaimed albums. He has also performed on NBC’s Today Show and Tonight Show, Hallmark Channel’s Home & Family, and ABC’s Dancing with the Stars. The producers at the hit FOX TV show, GLEE, discovered his YouTube channel and were so impressed with Noah's voice, that they recruited him as a cast member for the sixth season of the show. Noah was also a semi-finalist on the 13th season of America's Got Talent.

As a solo performer (as well as with his band, Good Trouble) Noah has performed at major festivals, fairs and clubs all over the United States and Europe. Noah has opened for an impressive group of artists including Ed Sheeran, Ben Rector, Corey Smith, Sister Hazel, Matt Nathanson, Dwight Yoakam and has had the rare privilege of opening 12 shows for the legendary, Willie Nelson! 

Website: https://www.noahguthrie.com/

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWcH15HQ-68

Doors open at 7pm, show 8-10pm. Tickets are $20 + fees.

BUY TICKETS

Jay Killman has been a professional musician for eleven years. He performs with a wide array of acts including jazz ensembles, singer songwriter acts, hip hop groups, and fusion bands.

Over the years Jay has studied and played with numerous greats including Keith Ganz, Joey Calderrazo, Ralph Bowen, Branford Marsalis, Isaiah Sharkey, Peter DiCarlo, Jerald Shynett and more. He has acheived a BA in Music from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington and a MM in Jazz Composition from North Carolina Central University.

Jay has released 2 albums of original music - Rene & Jay Nice Sounds Collection no. 1 and Jay Killman Cycles. https://open.spotify.com/album/0yDP6i7ajTd2RtadJejFyF

In addition to performing, Jay is an avid composer, arranger and teacher.

Joining him for this trio show playing the music of Thelonious Monk will be Jon Hill on drums and Chris Mills on bass.

Website: https://jaykillmanmusic.com/

Video: https://youtu.be/OEeD-ZJF4V4