Building a band that lasts generations.
Pick’s Hideaway Players is a long-horizon catalog project: layered songs meant to be lived with—starting with early-life listening and lullabies, then evolving into storytelling, history, geography, cultural documentation, psychedelic concept journeys, and (when called for) protest and system critique. We’re uniting creative artisans who can build and grow together for the long haul—and we’re building the festival culture that keeps a band alive.
Lifetime vision
We’re building a fan base for a lifetime. People can enter the catalog early, then evolve into deeper lanes—story, history, geography, cultural events, and psychedelic concept material. The catalog is designed to be explored, researched, and revisited for years.
Catalog architecture
Lullabies / early-life listening → roots storytelling → geography & place-based work → history & cultural documentation → psychedelic concept arcs → selective protest lane.
Longevity is the skill
The hardest part isn’t writing songs—it’s human continuity. We’re looking for grounded people who can build together without drama.
How we use AI (ethically)
AI is an internal R&D tool for research, iteration, and continuity—then translated into human performance and live evolution. Zero “AI slop.”
Festival-built: how we create our own community
Pick’s Hideaway Players is built as a festival band. We are developing festivals around the band—multi-day weekend experiences that go beyond touring and single shows. This builds a real community, a lasting ethos, and a creative subculture that grows every year.
More than a show: a weekend world
Festivals let fans step inside the universe. We design themed weekends where music, story, place, and shared creativity merge—camping, art, costumes, jams, late nights, and mornings that feel like the start of a tradition.
- Themed “carnival atmosphere” weekends (creative, playful, safe)
- Multiple bands + special guests + collaborative sets
- Fan creativity encouraged (art, costume themes, interactive culture)
Why festival culture matters
Touring builds a following. Festivals build a home base. A festival creates continuity: the same weekend, year after year, where the community returns, grows, and passes the tradition forward.
- Creates a “return pilgrimage” each year
- Builds a shared ethos and identity around the band
- Lets the music evolve in long-form sets with a dedicated audience
How this helps musicians
A festival culture isn’t just marketing—it’s stability. It creates repeatable opportunities, deeper fan relationships, and a setting where young musicians can grow into long careers.
- Long-form sets and multi-night runs become normal
- Real community feedback (not just “play and leave”)
- Built-in demand for new songs, themes, and evolving arrangements
We’re building the kind of scene where fans and musicians grow together—year after year.
Culture & clarity
You don’t need a label or dogma to fit here. We operate on a simple ethical code: treat people right, stay clear-headed, respect the work, and think long-term. This is a protected environment—because that’s how music lasts decades.
Golden Rule mindset
We don’t preach. We live it. Respect, humility, accountability, and consistency. If you can’t treat people right, you won’t last here.
- Show up on time. Do what you say.
- Listen first. Play second.
- No ego wars, no drama cycles.
Clear-headed rules (simple, firm)
Alcohol in moderation is fine. Cannabis used responsibly is fine. Hard drugs, pills, narcotics, and anything that hijacks your mind or puts the group at risk is not part of this culture.
- No cocaine. No pills. No narcotics. No exceptions.
- We protect the instrument: your mind, body, and future.
- If it poisons you or compromises the band, we’re out.
Apprenticeship > auditions
We’re building young players into lifelong musicians. This is a mentorship pipeline: learn the songbook, learn restraint, learn stage discipline, then earn the deeper lane.
If you’re in high school, we welcome it. If you’re under 18, include a parent/guardian contact line in your email.
The Songbook (how the band survives)
This band is built to outlive its founder. The way we do that is a protected songbook: durable songs with clear arrangements, teachable parts, and defined jam boundaries so the music stays alive even as people age, move, and rotate.
Song categories (purpose-first)
Every permanent song lives in a category—because songs need roles.
Rule: if a song doesn’t earn a category, it stays outside the permanent book until it does.
What each song entry contains
- Core identity: purpose + emotional spine
- Musical skeleton: chords, tempo range, feel
- Arrangement logic: entry, jam bounds, return, endings
- Instrument roles: replaceable by design (no dependency)
- Teaching value: what it trains + common mistakes
- References: canonical studio/live versions + allowed variations
Translation: a sharp 17-year-old can learn the essence fast, then grow into the deeper lane over time.
The Keeper system
The band survives through Keepers of the Book—disciplined listeners who protect arrangements, train new players, and keep the culture clean. Keepers outlive founders.
- 2–3 Keepers (not the flashiest players — the most consistent)
- Authority to protect the songbook (including saying “no”)
- Apprenticeship chain: who taught who (lineage matters)
Core Twelve (starter canon)
We start with a tight “Core Twelve” set that multiple lineups can play cleanly—then we expand. The songbook grows slow or it dies fast.
- 4 Foundation
- 3 Ritual / Groove
- 3 Jam Vehicles
- 2 Teaching Songs
Why this matters
Bands don’t usually die from lack of talent. They die from ego, chaos, and no structure. The songbook is the structure. Protect it, and the band can last generations.
The sound
Jam-band dynamics with Appalachian roots as the foundation—outlaw grit, blues DNA, psychedelic storybooks, and world/ritual infusion—built for long nights and real audience connection.
Appalachian Americana Roots
Warmth, grit, harmony, restraint—songs that feel lived-in, not manufactured.
- Storytelling delivery and harmony craft
- Roots textures that translate live
- Dynamics: quiet truth → loud release → space again
Outlaw Southern Rock + Blues DNA
Road-tested guitar authority with blues phrasing and classic rock tone.
- Guitar-driven foundation (lead + rhythm)
- Feel-first phrasing (blues lineage)
- Live stamina and pocket discipline
Psychedelic concept & long-form
Patient builds, thematic jams, cinematic layers—music that breathes.
- Improvisation as conversation
- Motifs that evolve across sets
- Space, tension, release
Our band lanes (and why they matter)
These lanes explain how we operate live: long sets, evolving arrangements, groove discipline, and audience trust built over years. This is culture as much as sound.
Jam-community lane
Bands with deep road culture and evolving live sets. This lane is about the relationship with fans and the willingness to let songs grow over time.
Outlaw / Southern rock lane
The working backbone: guitar authority, stage stamina, and a sound that can carry both storytelling and long jams without losing the room. Lynyrd Skynyrd fits here for the dual-guitar tradition, riff-driven Southern identity, and big-room live weight.
Translation: we want players who can hold a groove for ten minutes, keep taste, and still land the hook when it matters.
World / ritual fusion lane
The catalog includes ceremonial rhythm, ancestral modes, and cross-cultural storytelling (without gimmicks). This lane matters because it expands the live palette beyond standard rock instrumentation.
Translation: if you can hold groove, respect space, and play for the song, you’ll thrive here.
Storytelling lanes (and why they’re rich)
This is where the catalog becomes a living library. These artists influence how we write: narrative clarity, historical scenes, album arcs, philosophical depth, and the ability to make songs feel like chapters—not posts.
Woody Guthrie
Songs as moral record and social witness. His lane teaches directness: real people, real places, real consequences—without pretense.
- Plain-spoken truth with weight
- Culture documented as lived experience
- Protest as conscience, not branding
Al Stewart
Historical storytelling that plays like scenes. This lane is critical to our timeline writing: events as moments you can see, not slogans you repeat.
- History rendered as narrative
- Specificity: names, places, dates, consequence
- Story-first craft that invites deep listening
The Moody Blues
Psychedelic “storybooks” with philosophical depth—album-length thinking, orchestral ambition, and the ability to feel timeless without being dated.
- Concept arcs and emotional continuity
- Depth without chaos
- Music that reads like chapters
Bob Dylan (early protest lane)
Not for imitation—this is about writing that can stand alone on paper: direct, vivid, uncompromising, and still musical.
- Truth with imagery (not slogans)
- Characters and consequences
- Lines that last
Steve Earle
Outlaw conscience and real-world witness—songs that feel lived, not performed for applause.
- Working-class realism
- Southern truth without cosplay
- Story-first, road-ready writing
The Band
Collective identity over star hierarchy. Songs that feel inherited. Americana as myth, memory, and lived reality—exactly the kind of gravity we aim for.
- Ensemble thinking and restraint
- Story songs with cultural weight
- Timeless feel without trend-chasing
Pick’s Open Jams
Pick’s Open Jams are the discovery layer: rotating, long-form jam environments designed to let musicians meet, listen, play, and organically congeal over time. Jam locations across Western North Carolina are coming soon.
Coming soon (Western North Carolina)
We’ll announce jam dates and rooms as they lock. If you can host, route, organize, or connect us to a venue that fits this vibe, tell us in your intro email.
This is a laboratory—not auditions. We’re watching for listening, restraint, groove, temperament, and repeat consistency.
What these jams are for
- Letting musicians meet each other naturally
- Long-form playing without pressure or hierarchy
- Observing chemistry, restraint, and listening
- Identifying musicians who improve through repetition
How this feeds the band
As chemistry emerges, the tightest musicians rise naturally. Those players become candidates for deeper collaboration with Pick’s Hideaway Players.
You do not need to sound like us. You need to understand what we’re building.
Roles we’re tracking now
Phase 1 is musicians first. As momentum builds, this evolves into a professional operation. If you can fill a critical role, we want to hear from you—especially if you’re built for long-term continuity.
Core musicians
Guitar (lead/rhythm), bass, drums/percussion, keys/organ, vocalists/harmony.
Bonus lanes: brass & horns (sax/trumpet/trombone), harmonica, dobro, pedal steel, exotic instruments.
Essential early support
Band tech basics that make rehearsals and early gigs smooth.
- Guitar tech / instrument support
- Audio engineer (live basics)
- Organizer (jam routing)
Future growth (as touring ramps)
Promoters, road crew, tour manager, production staff, A&R/catalog roles.
We’ll expand staffing organically—momentum funds momentum.
Apply / connect
You must be familiar with the catalog before applying. If the patience, restraint, and long-form thinking resonate with you, reach out.
Send these items
1–2 performance videos (phone is fine), one jam clip (6–10 minutes), a short bio (age, location, availability), primary instrument(s), and why you fit this project (music + temperament).
Young players welcome. If you’re under 18, include a parent/guardian contact line.
theband@pickshideaway.com
Fast filter
Good fit: grounded, disciplined, listens deeply, jam-capable, long-term minded.
Not a fit: extremism, drama cycles, ego-first behavior, unreliable touring reality.
This is not a quick opportunity. It’s a legacy build. If that excites you, you’re in the right place.