“An Upper and a Downer of a Weekend” — High Country Press reports on Gnarnia arrests

On Facebook, there were reports that 10 percent or more of the thousands who attended the Festival of Gnarnia in Boone were arrested on various drug and alcohol charges. High Country Press reported that the figure was closer to 2 percent or less. Here’s an excerpt: Aug. 13, 2012. Atop Beech Mountain Resort this weekend […]

This weekend on a shoestring

As you’re surely aware, tens of thousands of enthusiastic festival goers will descend upon downtown for the annual Bele Chere festival this weekend. In response, we bring you a host of other options, including outdoor activities, readings, theater and even wrestling, all for little or no cost. However, should you be into that sort of thing, be sure to check out our special Bele Chere edition (online and in print) for a complete guide to the madness. 

A grand closeness

While most kids his age were dreaming about becoming astronauts and professional athletes, David Mayfield was touring the country in his family's bluegrass band. By his early 20s, the Ohio native was surviving as a "gun-for-hire" in Nashville, writing songs for other artists and eventually stepping into the world of producing, where he earned a […]

Predictabl­y unpredicta­ble

If you're wondering who The Critters are, you're probably not from around here. The psych-pop quartet has seen a meteoric rise in WNC, releasing its debut EP, performing at last year's Bele Chere festival, filming a session for Moog's AHA AVL series and landing in the Xpress' Best of WNC readers' poll, all in the […]

Crushing hard

It’s starting to seem like Dr. Dog has a crush on Asheville.  The Philadelphia-based five-piece performed at the Orange Peel in March, it headlines this weekend's Bele Chere festival and it's slated to return again in August for a slot at nearby Boone's Music on the Mountaintop. Not to mention the gushing endorsements for Asheville's […]

Live from Bonnaroo: Xpress dispatch, pt. 4

It feels like weeks since we arrived at Bonnaroo. After four days in the sun, three nights in a tent, dozens of shows and uncomfortably close encounters with tens of thousands of red-faced music fans, it’s good to be home. But the relief comes with more than a little hesitation. Despite the discomfort, festivals can be an oasis, if you’re into that sort of thing, and Bonnaroo is the most epic of American music experiences. Luckily, there’s always next year.