Wyatt Flores and 49 Winchester Co-Headline Whitewater Amphitheater with Special Guest Drayton Farley on Friday, August 16, 2024.

About Wyatt Flores

Wyatt Flores crafts the kinds of songs you can listen to crossing state lines on the way to a new beginning. They’d resonate just as much played out of an old jukebox as they do over an open-hearted social media post or from a dimly lit arena stage. He lets out regret through his unfiltered delivery, while hope buoys coarse guitar chords even in the face of life’s most turbulent storms. This stark honesty has cemented the Mexican-American Oklahoma-born and -bred troubadour as one of country’s music most vital voices. After dropping “Travelin’ Kid,” he captivated audiences via The Hutson Sessions EP highlighted by “Please Don’t Go,” which gathered 80 million-plus Spotify streams and scaled the Billboard Hot Country Songs Chart. Among other standouts, “Losing Sleep” reeled in north of 25 million Spotify streams. Signing to Island Records, he capped off 2023 with the Life Lessons EP. Upon arrival, Billboard touted the title track among “8 Must-Hear New Country Songs,” while Holler. christened him an “alt-country prodigy.” Rolling Stone chronicled how “he went from playing a sold-out show at Nashville club the Basement East in August to booking two nights at the Ryman Auditorium in December.” Fittingly, he kickstarted 2024 by making his acclaimed debut at The Grand Ole Opry. Of the latter, The Tennessean claimed, “Wyatt Flores’ empathetic heat, soul shine.” Now, this songcraft defines his 2024 EP, Half Life [Island Records], introduced by the single “Wish I Could Stay.

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About 49 Winchester

With its latest album “Fortune Favors The Bold,” Russell County, Virginia-based 49 Winchester is ready and roaring to break onto the national scene with its unique brand of tear-in-your-beer alt-country, sticky barroom floor rock-n-roll, and high-octane Appalachian folk.

“As we’ve aged and matured, our sound has gone from a softer place to this grittier, edgier tone that we have now,” says lead singer/guitarist Isaac Gibson. “So, we’re trending more towards being a rock band instead of a country band. But, at the same time, I don’t think anybody’s ever known quite what to call it.”

Although it’s 49 Winchester’s fourth studio album, “Fortune Favors The Bold” marks its debut for Nashville’s New West Records — one of the premier labels for Americana, indie and rock acts on the cutting edge of sound, scope and spectacle.

Formed eight years ago on Winchester Street in the small mountain town of Castlewood, Virginia (population: 2,045), the band started as a rag tag bunch of neighborhood teenagers who just wanted to get together for the sake of playing together.

Aside from Gibson, there’s also his childhood friend, bassist Chase Chafin, alongside other Castlewood comrades — guitarist Bus Shelton, and Noah Patrick on pedal steel.

“From day one, it’s always been a band and it will always be about being a band. This is everything, everything we love about music — we’re going for broke with this thing,” says Gibson. “And that gives us a unique perspective because it’s still the same guys. It’s still all of us from Castlewood traveling around, playing music and making this band a reality — this is a story of growth.”

And it’s that sense of growth — more so, a sense of self — at the core of “Fortune Favors The Bold.” It’s not only a record that showcases the current state of 49 Winchester, it’s a melodic stake in the ground of how this group is constantly evolving and taking shape, sonically and lyrically.

Reflecting on his early days as a jack-of-all-trades stone mason in Castlewood, where it was about trying to make ends meet in an effort to keep 49 Winchester rolling along, Gibson can’t help but be grateful for a well-earned notion at the core of the band’s ethos — anything worthwhile in life is built brick-by-brick.

“Everything has to be built. And very few people are going to achieve success overnight,” says Gibson. “There’s going to be people you see succeed in front of you. Maybe you don’t think they deserve it as much as you, haven’t worked as hard as you, haven’t done it as long as you. But, none of that matters — they ain’t you. They’re not living your life. They’re not part of your experience.”

At its essence, “Fortune Favors The Bold” is about going against all odds to bring your art into fruition and into the world. It’s about leaving your hometown and heading for the unknown horizon. And it’s about proving those wrong who snickered and waited for the day you’d give up somewhere down the line, only to circle back home with your tail between your legs.

But, it’s also about looking into the rearview mirror with a genuine appreciation for where you came from and what you’re made of, those hardscrabble, salt-of-the-earth traits in your blood and character that define what it actually takes to climb that damn mountain of dreams — come hell or high water.

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About Drayton Farley

Alabama native Drayton Farley has as honest a voice as you're likely to hear in this burgeoning scene of country, folk, roots, and Americana music we're all wrapped up in. With songs and lyrics pulled from real life experience, there's a grounded feeling to his stories, a confessional quality that rings true to those who know. His voice fills the room like cigarette smoke, curling into every corner of you, with a fine grit rasp that smooths out every rough edge. It lingers hours, days, after you've left the bar - turns of phrase that tumble around your mind, bittersweet and familiar. He sings as deeply about the love he holds as the love he's lost and there's something so broken-in and comfortable about that Southern inflection that every song feels like coming home. Sharing stages with musicians on the rise such as Zach Bryan, Arlo McKinley and Mike and the Moonpies, Drayton has quickly gained a loyal fan base.

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