DMV concert goers don’t often see a country band listed on the 9:30 Club calendar. In an even rarer feat, 49 Winchester was slotted to play not one but two nights to close out 2024 at the legendary DC venue this week — on Dec. 30 and Dec. 31.

Billing itself as “Appalachian country soul music,” 49 Winchester is based in Castlewood, near the southern border of Virginia. But the six-man posse is quickly making a name for itself, hooking fans from all over the map after a series of dates opening for Luke Combs.

Lead singer/guitarist Isaac Gibson started the group over a decade ago, and he’s now joined by guitarist Bus Shelton, bassist Chase Chafin, pedal steel guitarist Noah Patrick, pianist/organist/keyboardist Tim Hall, and drummer Justin Louthian.

Drawing attention from the music press and with five studio albums to the band’s name — the most recent being last summer’s Leavin’ This Holler — 49 Winchester is unquestionably on the rise.

Stream 49 Winchester’s 2024 studio album, Leavin’ This Holler, via Spotify:

Back-to-back sold-out nights at the most popular club in the nations’ capital only adds to an already impressive resume.

Below is a mix of digital color photos and home-rolled/developed/scanned black-and-white 35mm film shots of 49 Winchester performing at 9:30 Club in DC on Dec. 30, 2024. Further down are a few digital color snaps of the night’s opening act, Aaron Raitiere. All images copyright and courtesy of Casey Ryan Vock.

49 Winchester

Aaron Raitiere