The season for live music may be winding down, but there are still a handful of very notable shows coming up in the very near future, including the Union Transfer debut of Josiah and the Bonnevilles, who will be bringing The Redline North American Tour to the Eraserhood venue next Tuesday, June 16th. Last month saw the release of Josiah and the Bonnevilles’ latest full-length, As Is, his first for Rounder Records (home of PHILTHY phriends Bella White, Ruston Kelly, and Sarah Jarosz). 2026 also marks 10 official years of the project, led by East Tennessee-native Josiah Leming, which all began with 2016 EP Cold Blood. And we would highly recommend coming out to celebrate. Here are Three Reasons why…
1. AS IS IS HIS BEST ALBUM YET
The ten tracks of As Is — co-produced by Leming and Konrad Snyder, who’s worked with PHILTHY phriends like Madi Diaz, Becca Mancari, and Overcoats — certainly earn Josiah and the Bonnevilles his spot alongside his Rounder Records peers. “The only goal for me is to make something real and honest that can get people through the day… I gave everything I have for this album. I laid it all on the table, which is what I always want to do,” said Leming of the album, which PopMatters gave a 8/10, comparing the singer/songwriter to The Boss.
“Brimming with intriguing portraits, vivid images, and crystalline melodies, the songs on Josiah and the Bonnevilles’ As Is convey urgency, that it’s important to create, to be true to ourselves, and to practice resilience. Though an affinity for the tragic is hard-baked into his songs, Leming, like Bruce Springsteen, also holds tightly to a romantic and redemptive vision: love, wholeness, and belonging are possible; a great song can change the world.”
2. THE SHOWS KEEP GETTING BIGGER
October of 2023 saw Josiah and the Bonnevilles opening Ardmore Music Hall for Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors just weeks before his breakthrough album, Endurance, hit shelves. The following year, he brought The Endurance Tour to the Music Hall at World Café Live where he performed selections from the album alongside covers by the likes of Taylor Swift, Tyler Childers, and Glass Animals. And he’s now preparing to play a venue twice that size, where he’ll apparently be bringing a 90-minute set that nearly spans the first decade of Josiah and the Bonnevilles’ catalogue, including at least one of his famous covers that can be found on Country Covers (2023) or Country Covers II (2024). And we suspect it will only get bigger from here.
3. THE SUPPORT IS ALSO QUITE GOOD
Opening the show is Nashville-based, Kentucky-born singer/songwriter Brenna MacMillan, who first made a name for herself after moving to Nashville in 2018 and becoming one-half of duo Theo & Brenna with her brother (one of her 11 siblings), making two albums between 2019 and 2022. 2024 saw the release of Dear Life, Brenna MacMillan’s debut solo full-length, which features bluegrass legends Ronnie McCoury, Peter Rowan, and Sarah Jarosz. Providing direct support is Max Alan, who grew up inspired by the traditions of Appalachian music and other classic folk and country artists and is currently touring his Already Left EP, which dropped this January via Cloverdale Records.
*Get your tickets here.
