Zach John King books a 135-cap night at Heartwood Soundstage for April 2

The Sony Music Nashville signee who opened for Morgan Wallen this year is coming to one of Gainesville's smallest listening rooms next spring.

Heartwood Soundstage on South Main holds 135 people. On Friday, April 2, 2027, that room hosts a country singer who spent part of this year opening arena dates on Morgan Wallen's I'm the Problem Tour. Heartwood announced the show on Oct. 19. The venue's calendar lists Zach John King for April 2 at 7 p.m., and tickets are on sale now through Heartwood's Opendate page.

The math is simple. A room that size, with an artist on his current trajectory, is the kind of booking that people hear about later and wish they hadn't. If you've been meaning to catch him, this is the night to put on the calendar now, not in March.

King grew up in Fayetteville, Georgia, and went to college in Athens. While he was there he fronted an indie-rock band called Cloudland for four years, then moved to Nashville in 2021 and turned to country. His hometown paper, The Citizen, traced that path back to his roots, and Country Swag has the longer story of how the indie kid became a country songwriter.

The jump paid off quickly. He signed with Sony Music Nashville, and his first official country radio single, "Get to Drinkin'," came out in February 2026. That single put him on the Wallen tour. Along the way he made his Grand Ole Opry debut, which he called "a top moment for me," and Country Now picked him for its Country Next series.

It has also been a hard year. His father, John King, died suddenly in July, and King cancelled two weeks of shows to grieve, as American Songwriter reported. He called his dad "the greatest man I will ever know." Holler reported that he later teased a new song written in his father's memory. His first full-length album, *I'm What You Get*, came out Aug. 28, so by April Gainesville should hear songs that have had time to settle in on the road.

A room that size, with an artist on his current trajectory, is the kind of booking people hear about later and wish they hadn't.

The room matters too. Heartwood Soundstage at 619 South Main Street is a listening room more than a bar. Its calendar mixes touring acts with the Gainesville Folk Festival, teen open mics with We Rock Gainesville and community rehearsals of the Gainesville Ruckus street band. At 135 capacity, nobody is far from the stage, and the sound carries a voice instead of burying it. For a songwriter whose story runs through a Georgia college town much like this one, it's a fitting stop.

What to know: doors and set times beyond the listed 7 p.m. start haven't been posted yet, so check the Opendate page closer to the date. With only 135 tickets for a whole spring Friday, waiting for the week of the show is a gamble.

See you on South Main in April, and try to get there early.

Sources: Heartwood Soundstage — Shows (heartwoodsoundstage.com); Zach John King tickets — Heartwood Soundstage (Opendate) (app.opendate.io); Who Is Zach John King? — Country Swag (countryswag.com); Country Next: Zach John King — Country Now (countrynow.com); Zach John King Makes Long-Awaited Grand Ole Opry Debut — Country Now (countrynow.com); Father's sudden death forces country singer to cancel upcoming shows — American Songwriter (americansongwriter.com); Zach John King teases new song in tribute to his father — Holler (holler.country); I'm What You Get: Fayetteville's Zach John King Comes Home in His Music — The Citizen (thecitizen.com); Zach John King Shares a Window Into His World With I'm What You Get - Debut Album Out (sonymusic.ca)