January 10, 2026 – Mike Paris, John Gillespie, The Raven and The Remedy

John Gillespie is a singer/songwriter/musician from Chapel Hill, NC. He has performed in this region for many years as a soloist and with numerous bands. He has released several CDs as a solo singer/songwriter and with his various bands and is a very much in demand studio bass player. John is a very busy artist and performs often in the Triangle and Triad area. He has performed at Sacred Grounds with The Dogwood Blossom Band and The Marigold Collective. John has also performed as part of a duo with Michael Paris at Sacred Grounds five times over the past two years. He is currently a member of the following bands: Nikki Meets the Hibachi, The Drowning Lovers, Nantahala, and Pillow Foot. John is a world-class singer/songwriter and deeply appreciated by any audience.Michael Paris is also a singer/songwriter/musician from Durham, NC., and his musical style is Americana/folk along the lines of Don McLean, Gordon Lightfoot, and John Denver. Many of his songs use themes from his Appalachia roots running deep during the first half of his life in West Virginia. Michael mostly performs his original songs using an acoustic guitar. He is also a multi-instrumentalist and occasionally performs with an Irish bouzouki and dobro. Michael has performed in the Triangle region for over a dozen years. He has performed numerous times at Sacred Grounds as a solo singer/songwriter, as a duo with John Gillespie and with the groups The Dogwood Blossom Band, Up Cane Creek, and Gnarly Blue. Michael loves being a singer/songwriter.

Local songwriters Leah Kaufman & Janet Buehler mix equal parts of silly and sublime with a twist of kickass harmony. Their original songs have garnered awards from the South Florida Folk Festival, Mid-Atlantic Songwriting Contest, Intermountain Acoustic Music Awards and a few others. But it’s Janet’s riveting voice and Leah’s intricate guitar playing that seals the deal, making these two an up-and-coming duo to watch. Sit back and let their songs catch your ear, tug at the heart, and make you laugh, often in the same song. Whether it’s the story of Dorothy after Oz, or the lure of a pumpkin spice latte, The Raven & The Remedy, they sing you from joy to sorrow and back again. 

January 17, 2026 – Don Smith and Eric Thomas

Eric Thomas and Don Smith return to our stage together for the first time in almost six years. If you’ve seen them only separately — Eric with his wife and musical partner Helen Wolfson, Don solo — then this show will be a totally new experience for you. They’ll be performing rock ‘n’ roll, rhythm ‘n’ blues, outlaw country, pop, and some of their original tunes together. They’ll also both be performing some solo numbers that could be … well, almost ANYthing!  Mark your calendar now to be here for what promises to be a fun night of great music from two of our longest-running musicians.

January 24, 2026 – Kent Dixon and Neal Allen

Kent Dixon and Neil Allen are singers/ songwriters /musicians that have perform in bands together at Sacred Grounds for the last years. Those bands include, Gone Fishing, Audio Revival and Broken Rooster. They have also been a part of two different praise bands.  Kent and Neil have a unique vocal blend that could only come from singing together for so many years. They now come together for a Christian music show that will highlight original and popular Christian covers. These two accomplished musicians will perform a variety of styles that will bless all Christian music lovers. come out and join them for powerful and worshipful Christian music.

January 31, 2026 – Tokyo Rosenthal

Rosenthal can draw you into his lyrics much the same way that James Taylor and Don Henley can”. “Take Jackson Browne’s personal confessions and wrap them in Kris Kristofferson’s world weary tales of broken relationships and you have an idea of what to expect from Tokyo Rosenthal.” “This is Americana with real teeth in the lyrics”. This and more is what the critics are saying about Tokyo Rosenthal. Tokyo has opened for America, Stephen Still and other recording stars plus toured the US, Canada, Europe, Japan, Scotland, Netherlands , etc. To save room listing his accomplishments, please go to tokyorosenthal.com and see for yourself. This should be an interesting night of music you don’t want to miss.

February 7, 2026 – Graybirds

Graybirds is a three-piece Americana band. Cathy, Tom, and George have been playing in various bands together for over 10 years. Their unique sound incorporates folk, a dash of rock, a little country, and some original songs. They draw inspiration from such artists as Allison Krauss, Rosanne Cash, Nanci Griffith, and the Meadows Brothers. This is a very good band…

February 14, 2026 – Danny Smith

Danny has been a favorite at Sacred Grounds since his first appearance with Trilogy – he has had music ministry experience in the local church areas of choir, soloist, and praise and worship leader. He was in a solo ministry before forming Trilogy, a contemporary Christian vocal trio, and is now returning to solo ministry. His talent as a songwriter won him a finalist position in the nation Kentucky Fried Chicken Songwriting Contest in 1983. God began giving Danny lyrics for Christian songs in 1999. Five of those songs are on the Trilogy CD “Hungry World” and another all-original music project, “I Surrender”, was released in September 2005. Danny has performed with national Christian singer, Alan Asbury and wrote the lyrics for 2 songs with music director Ivan Hampton Jr. who was the drummer for Luther Vandross for 17 years. Danny desires his gifts to be used to bless the body of Christ and reach the lost. Danny’s first set is primarily oldies such as My Girl, Only You, Lady and a bunch of other favorites. The 2nd set is primarily Contemporary Christian, both from his previous CDs and other cover songs.