THE LOWTIMERS @ The ‘Dad’ Lounge

THE LOWTIMERS

Evolution may leave a lot on the cutting room floor, but it always preserves what is essential—not just for survival, but for the self.

For nearly a decade, two dueling guitarists and songwriters, Austin Smith and Mark Tegio, built the backbone of their namesake outfit, honing their hard-worn Americana songwriting. Their music shaped by years of troubadouring up and down I-5, from San Diego to Seattle.

Over time, their sound evolved from its more folk roots, inspired by the likes of Doc & Merle Watson and their guitar interplay, as well as mining the lines left by Townes Van Zandt and Blaze Foley, trying to learn the lessons those broken heroes left behind. As Smith and Tegio split their time between Portland and Santa Cruz, a new crew of musicians entered the Central California mix, expanding their sound in ways the duo perhaps didn’t know they needed—until they knew they did.

Enter The Lowtimers. This new 5-piece band—Tegio (guitar and vocals), Smith (guitar, vocals and harmonica), Tim Kelso (drums), Andrew Dreher (bass and harmonies), and Payton Vermeesch (pedal steel)—remain rooted in soulful Americana, but they now lay it over a new sonic landscape, injecting fresh empathy and drive into songs that paint wise western portraits of lives and loves on the road to redemption, where the goal is less about prosperity and more about peace of mind.

We may remember the past, but we should never forget what the future may hold. To be open and honest with art, it’s evolve or creatively die. And often, evolution delivers an entirely new animal.

Their debut album Cracks is set to be released on May 16th.

-Adam Spangler

SCOTT LEVI JONES

Scott Levi Jones is an Americana singer-songwriter emerging from the hollers of Cheatham County with a craft honed in the heart of Nashville, TN. The songwriter’s lyrical ability has been compared to that of John Prine and Steve Goodman, yet his music reflects the sound of folk rock influences such as The Band and Little Feat. His hard-headed refusal to play in cover bands has resulted in years of refining an energetic original show, including witty banter between tunes. Appearing on marquee signs as ‘Scott Levi Jones & The Holy Cow’, the band’s touring has expanded throughout the USA. After Jones meet his wife, a resident of the island of Oahu, the musician has even begun performing regularly in Hawaii. Scott has had live sets broadcasted on radio stations such as Nashville’s Lightning 100, WMOT Roots Radio, and WDVX Blue Plate Special.

During 2020 he released his debut album ‘The Odds of You and Me’ recorded at the historic Music Row studio ‘House of David’. The artist has since released an intimate acoustic EP, ‘The Cabin Worktapes’ captured in his living room, along with multiple singles including the viral hit ‘Free Bird’. Acquiring over 2.5 Million views on instagram alone, Jones decided to release a “bedroom demo” of the tune he penned as a response for all those who shout “Play Free Bird!”.

The blue-collar poet was born in South Jersey and baptized by the local nuclear plant in Salem County. The singer’s rural hometown of Alloway was ripe with influential characters whom supported the songster as he began to branch out in the Tri-state area. Jones committed to Nashville in 2017 when he scraped together the rent for a single-wide trailer on the outskirts of town. He spent his early 20’s working construction while performing in honky-tonks and dive bars all across the Dirty South. Today he resides in a small cabin as a full-time independent musician.

Friday, June 20th, 2025
7pm doors, 8pm-ish show start
$10 (cash at the door only) / 21+ only always