Saturday, 11/22/2025
Friendsgiving with Jacob Paul Allen & The Flood

A community gathering featuring live music by Nelson County’s own Jacob Paul Allen & The Flood along with some surprise guests.

Complimentary chili & cornbread muffins will be provided.

$10 cover, all ages welcome
6:30 dinner / 7:30 show

"Appalachian Red Dirt,"  That's how Jacob Paul Allen describes his brand of Country Music. It's a style and sound that he has crafted on stages large and small from coast to coast for the past 15 years. From the neon lights of Lower Broadway in Nashville, TN to the famed Whisky-A-Go-Go on the Sunset Strip in California, Jacob has been carving out his path and creating a sound that blends Country, Rock, Bluegrass and Americana in a way that is true to his Appalachian roots, yet feels so familiar that listeners are easily drawn in and left wanting to hear more. Whether he is playing a solo show or getting rowdy with his band, Jacob captures the audience with his infectious stage presence and reels them into the stories that he tells, both in his songs and his stage banter. Jacob released his debut EP  "Southern Love" in January of 2023 and in May of 2023 he released his highly anticipated hometown anthem "Tyro" which has quickly become a crowd favorite. 

In October of 2024, Jacob teamed up with Freight Train Management in Richmond VA which has helped take his music to new heights. Having recently recorded a live album with his band and with plans to release three additional singles, 2025 is shaping up to be a busy year.

Tristan Dougherty is a folk musician and songwriter based in Richmond, Virginia. By combining meditative, finger-style guitar playing with warm, illuminative lyrics and innovative arrangements, he’s developed a refreshingly original sound that draws on indie, classic country and Appalachian music traditions. Whether performing solo or with his string band, The Heart Pines, his work reflects a deep reverence for the craft, rooted in the belief that live music is essential to keeping our souls awake and our communities connected.

Fingerpicking and harmonizing their way into the hearts of serious music lovers, Tristan Dougherty and The Heart Pines are a folk string band based in Richmond, Virginia. Featuring Tristan Dougherty on guitar, vocals and harmonica, Zack Miller on mandolin and fiddle, Zach Hudgins on upright bass and Psalm Swarr on vocals, they perform a dynamic mix of originals and covers that range from lyric-forward ballads to foot-stomping compositions that showcase the impressive timing and talents of this powerful group of musicians.

Growing up and making a life in Nelson County, Virginia, Kai Crowe-Getty has carved out a career writing about the people and landscapes around him. His first show was in middle school and there were polyester shirts, strobe lights, and dancing. He's been playing music since.

When not fronting the rock act Lord Nelson, Kai has supported artists such as BJ Barham (American Aquarium), Joe Pug, Chuck Regan, Andrew Combs, Erin Rea and many others. Pushing into the waters of a solo record and career has slowed like much of this past year, but with a full album in the can, more songs on the way, and light creeping around the edges, the luxury of music and hope is hard to ignore. 

Our November will be book ended with two of Johnny Clark’s group - starting with Johnny’s Blue Locomotive on Saturday, 11/1.

This hot Jump Swing + Rhythm and Blues combo will have you movin’ to the groove.

Seating opens at 7:30PM, show starts at 8 and this is a free community event open to all.

~*~

Johnny’s Blue Locomotive choo choos from the Shenandoah Valley. They play a selection of blues, rock, and jazz — it’s soul with horns! When Johnny Clark, Greg Moody, Lance Allen, Grace Mattix, Paula Green and their special guests take the stage they want you to get on out to the dance floor and boogie!

~*~

Back for jazz? We’ve got you.

Join us on Saturday, August 23rd in Lovingston for the Rapunzel’s Jazz Night - our featured guests this month are The Greg Moody Quartet

The Greg Moody Quartet. The quartet presents jazz standards, original compositions, and fresh arrangements of familiar songs, while also exploring funk, Afro-Cuban and Brazilian rhythms in a jazz context.

opening set from The Quintessential Quartet

seating 7:30, show starts at 8pm
this is a free community event with collected donations going back into the Jazz Night program

We eagerly welcome back The LaDaDas — Blair Jones, Mary Gordon Hall, and Betty Jo Taylor — to bring us beautiful harmonies and heart-warming songs with an Appalachian vibe.
Special guest appearances by Holly Renee Allen and Blue O’Connell

Potluck dinner at 6:00
Music at 7:00
$10 cover

follow The LaDaDas on social media to see all their next events and support their music!

Gene and Gayla embody the folk tradition, weaving together strands of bluegrass, country, and folk with original songs of love, contemplation, and protest--many based on real events and people from Virginia. Multi-instrumentalist Kent Ippolito has performed and recorded with numerous artists since the 1980s and plays dobro and clawhammer banjo with the Fireflies. Mandolinist Jack Cowardin was a fixture in the Williamsburg music scene and a member of three seminal Charlottesville bluegrass bands: The Mindless Wonders, Coup de Grass, and Cloud Valley. The Fireflies have been having a damned good time playing together and would love to share that musical feeling with you.

seating open at 7:30, show 8pm
$10 cover

all of our shows are kid friendly and we encourage youngsters to see this kind of music! Kids 14&under or and 80&better get in free

join us for some new songs under the twinkly lights~

https://geneandgaylamills.com/

Join us for our June Jazz Night, Saturday 6/28 - it's a hot week but we're staying cool like the jazz cats we are!

This month we welcome back Willie Edmonds (guitar/vocals), who along with Daniel Barrale (drums/vocals), Liz Barnes (keys), and Tom Harbeck (bass) will present a sweet summer concert for us. Short opening set from our house band, The Quintessential Quartet.

Seating 7:30, show 8pm
free community event, all ages are welcome

We love Jazz Night at Rapunzel's and we've got a good one this month!
***Please note*** we are moving Jazz to the fifth Saturday of the month do the holiday weekend for the fourth.

On Saturday, May 31st we welcome back Johnny's Blue Locomotive. This hot Jump Swing/Rhythm and Blues combo will have you movin' to the groove. Our very own Quintessential Quartet will warm you up with a few classic swing era tunes.

Seating opens at 7:30PM, the show starts at 8:00PM and, as always, our Jazz Nights are free to all!

~*~

Johnny's Blue Locomotive choo choos from the Shenandoah Valley. They play a selection of blues, rock, and jazz -- it's soul with horns! When Johnny Clark, Greg Moody, Lance Allen, Grace Mattix, Paula Green and their special guests take the stage they want you to get on out to the dance floor and boogie!

~*~

The Quintessential Quartet - our house jazz band - features Anne Krieger, Harry Powell, and Rapunzel’s very own Bob Taylor and Carolyn Stone - sharing the old standards and making you smile.

Songbird Showcase Volume II
Femmes & Thems

Sally Rose
The Great Before Times
Kat Somers
Leah Ruth
Erika Blatnik

Rapunzel’s Coffee and Books
Saturday: May 24th, 2025
doors at 2pm
show at 3pm
$15 cover at the door

Sally Rose
”With their first solo album [Tread Light] in a decade, Sally Rose is getting back to their Americana roots. But don’t worry, they’re still a rock n’ roll riot grrrl at heart — and they're bringing some much needed queer femme representation to the world of country music.” - RVA MAG. Sally Rose (they/them) is a songwriter, performer, and activist native to Nelson County, Virginia. SR has spent the last 10 years sharpening their teeth touring with psych rock band Shagwüf. The stillness of the pandemic however, led SR to rediscovering their love of just vocals and a guitar.

The Great Beforetimes
The Great Beforetimes is a project by Shenandoah Valley-born, settler descendant Ærn Stapel (she/they) and a rotating cast of friends. Self-described as mid-apocalyptic emo-trad, and often deemed "folk punk," TGBT is a mask through which Ærn explores her past of growing up queer in a closed evangelical community, becoming further disabled during the ongoing pandemic(s), and the still spreading necrosis of the colonial apocalypse brought to this land by her ancestors. 

Kat Somers
Kat Somers is a singer-songwriter from Nelson County, Virginia. The last 4 years have been a deep period of healing for Kat as they found their way back to writing and to their most authentic self. That journey is reflected in their lyrics around mental and emotional health and healing, finding a path through the thorns, and the gratitude and joy for the people who surround them today.

Leah Ruth
Leah Malyn Ruth was raised by the earthworms, spicebush, robins, and waters of the verdant Monacan homelands.  They are currently inspired by old time musicians and workers' anthems past. They can usually be found humming through the woods or halls of the hospital working as a nurse...and wishing they were sharing songs in community. Leah is honored to be back at Rapunzels as a little prayer to keep this special gathering spot going. 

Erika Blatnik
Erika Blatnik grew up in Bedford, Virginia and has been writing, recording and performing songs since she was fourteen years old. These days, she still plays the occasional solo show, but is more often found fronting her twangy indie rock band Rikki Rakki. Accompanying her jaunty guitar, Erika's sweet-tart voice and lilting melodies deliver lyrics hell-bent on finding hope in a void-gazing reality.