Melissa Carper

Melissa Carper plays Blackfeather Vintage Works on Saturday, October 3, with Carrie Rodriguez and Bonnie Montgomery joining her on the bill. It's a roots-heavy lineup for a Saturday night in East Austin, and since it's a shared bill, you'll get three different voices in one go.

Carper is an Austin-by-way-of-Arkansas artist who works in country and folk, known for her evocative vocals, sharp lyrics, and her double bass playing. Her friend and frequent collaborator Chris Scruggs gave her the nickname 'Hill-Billie Holiday,' which points to where she sits: rooted in the country tradition but with a voice that leans toward the jazz and blues side of the roots spectrum. She's been active on the recording front lately, too. In 2024, she released Borned In Ya through Thirty-Tigers Records, and she and Theo Lawrence put out a new duet album through Warner Records. Between the solo work and the duets, there's plenty of new material to draw from.

She won't be the only one on stage that night. Carrie Rodriguez and Bonnie Montgomery are both part of the bill, so you'll hear three distinct takes on roots music in a single evening. Rodriguez is a long-time fixture in the Austin scene, and Montgomery brings her own voice to the mix, making it more of a showcase than a single-artist headliner.

The show starts at 7 PM at Blackfeather Vintage Works, 979 Springdale Rd #98, Austin, TX 78702. Admission is free, so you can just show up and listen.