“We just want to show West Asheville peeps a good time before they go into their holiday family hangs,” says Javi Bolea of RBTS WIN. “The goal is a sticky floor by the end of the night.” Bolea, along with bandmates Cliff B. Worsham and Josh Chassner, follows a multifarious musical recipe — one influenced […]
It takes two, as the saying goes. Local musician Darren Nicholson is a member of bluegrass group Balsam Range and the leader of his namesake band. Singer-songwriter Mark Bumgarner is a solo artist, as well as half of the duo Calico Moon and a contributor to multiple Balsam Range projects. Together, Nicholson and Bumgarner will […]
Although Tom Hamilton counted himself among the many men preoccupied with “chicks and partying” during his 20s, the American Babies frontman found himself “digging deeper” for musical and personal inspiration over time. Last year’s resulting effort, a “40-minute existential meltdown” titled Knives and Teeth, addresses heavy topics like mortality, cruelty and frustration, often vacillating between […]
Forget hibernating. Instrumental rockers TAUK are making a full-fledged national tour this winter, and Asheville fans have two chances to catch the band live. TAUK, oft-praised for its ability to infuse songs with emotional cues despite the absence of lyrics, plays New Mountain this week before circling back to Asheville as the supporting act for […]
Fiddler Roger Howell has recorded 532 traditional fiddle tunes from memory — the growing collection is housed in Mars Hill University’s Southern Appalachian Archives. But that’s not the only way that the local musician’s history is being honored. A documentary about Howell’s role in preserving mountain music in Western North Carolina is being created by […]
Four- and six-part vocal harmonies and multicolored kazoos captivate audiences when Western North Carolina supergroup Sweet Claudette takes the stage. The country Motown quartet, composed of Amanda Platt (The Honeycutters), Melissa Hyman (The Moon and You), Amber Lyle Sims and Dulci Ellenberger (Now You See Them), supplements itsr intricate vocals with cello, banjo, melodica and […]
Drive-By Truckers frontman Patterson Hood was just mastering the art of walking upright when his hometown, Muscle Shoals, Ala., became a mecca for ’60s soul music, and he nearly lost his footing once again when he separated from his band and wife in the same year. “I reinvented myself artistically and experienced a sort of […]
If you ever miss grade school’s traveling book fairs, consider adding Asheville Bookfest to your calendar. “Our hope is that Asheville Bookfest brings publishing down to the grassroots level,” reads the sixth annual event’s website. Organized by Grateful Steps Bookshop owner Micki Cabaniss, the gathering aims to unite area authors and publishers with literary enthusiasts […]
A greyhound (the dog) is sleek and fast. A Greyhound (the bus) is more of an underdog — not to mention a vehicle of subculture and necessity. Greyhounds (the band), from Austin, Tex., are sleek underdogs with more swagger and style than either of their namesakes. Guitarist Andrew Trube and keyboardist Anthony Farrell call their […]
“Shake off your Thanksgiving cabin fever,” invites a press release from The Stump Mutts. The local alternative rockers will hold a concert and afterparty in celebration of their upcoming EP release, We Can All Relate, and each advance ticket includes a free download of the album for studious types who like to memorize lyrics ahead […]
Despite its mountaincentric name, the Asheville Beat Tape Collective actually aims to unite far-flung electronic musicians in addition to fulfilling its local networking mission. Founded by DJ and producer Nigel One, the collaborative sphere churns out multiartist compilation CDs and hosts regular performances where local enthusiasts can “cross-pollinate” with performers from across the globe. One […]
Although Joe Zimmerman relocated to New York City to pursue a career in comedy, the former Ashevillean still comes back to visit — at least during his extensive, national comedy tours. Zimmerman, who calls himself an “ambassador of joy,” was recently featured on Comedy Central’s “The Half Hour,” “The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson,” […]
Although The Moon and You collaborated with a professional artist and videographer to create an official music video, the team purposefully preserved the “playful, DIY aesthetic” that you’d expect from musicians listing “glitter and savory crepes” as interests on their Facebook page. A photo booth full of the band’s props will be available at the […]
Even if woodwinds and strings aren’t your thing, it’s hard to remain unmoved by the percussion of a symphony. The xylophone, gongs, chimes and cymbals are dramatic, but it’s the timpani — oversized copper pots with drumheads tuned to various pitches — that steal the show. The Asheville Symphony Orchestra’s Masterworks 3 concert sets the […]
Los Angeles surf rockers Allah-Las love the beach, and if songs like “Sacred Sands” and “Catamaran” don’t get the point across, the band’s most recent album, Worship the Sun, certainly will. The quartet’s meandering guitar parts and prominent vocal harmonies recall a vintage Beach Boys vibe but remind listeners that a day on the Pacific […]
“With a new album, a new label, new management and a new outlook on life, Justin Townes Earle is completely and totally reinvigorated,” reads a press release for the Americana artist’s winter tour. “You might even call this a rebirth.” On the heels of his fifth studio album, Single Mothers, the alt-country musician will release […]
Xpress is giving away a pair of tickets to this show. To win, find this post on our Facebook page and follow the instructions. If the producer tends to be the unsung hero of the album, pianist and songwriter Marco Benevento is bucking that trend: His new record, Swift, is named for producer Richard Swift […]
Power, or “Amandla,” exists in “every fiber of the living experience,” according to Claude Coleman Jr. (formerly of Ween), who christened his band with the Zulu word. In live format, the psych-soul rocker takes on frontman and guitar duties alongside fellow Ashevilleans Jon Lauterer (drums), Rachel Waterhouse (keys, vocals) and Dave Gilbert (guitar, vocals). In […]
Jug-Baby: An Autobiography follows the plight of a youth whose parents inadvertently strip their baby of gender and identity after attempting to mold the child into a circus attraction that physically fits inside a jug. Philadelphia Transmissions Theatre, known for its “transcendentally bizarre stories,” presents the one-woman puppet show, calling the production “a whimsical journey […]
Balsam Range “thoughtfully and respectfully adopted the name of a majestic range of mountains” near the band’s hometown in Haywood County, but the bluegrass ensemble’s reverence for Western North Carolina doesn’t end there. The five-piece will hold a benefit concert for the Asheville Buncombe Community Christian Ministry’s Veterans Restoration Services, an organization providing housing, food […]
The Asheville Loft, a gallery and art space (at 52 Broadway, Suite. 3B), launches with a group show. A Confluence of Elements features work by local artists and themes of nature, spirituality and personal experience. Alena Hennessy is an author, workshop leader and painter; Matthew Beasley is a musician and mixed-media artist who is “influenced […]
