Smart bets: Cicada Rhythm and Sans Abri

Andrea DeMarcus (upright bass/vocals) and David Kirslis (guitar/vocals) of Cicada Rhythm claim they “tried to keep it professional” but became smitten when they started playing music together. The couple say they avoid romance songs and instead deliver jazzy, modernized folk with heartfelt vocal harmonies. Opening the evening is Sans Abri, a side project that originated […]

Smart bets: Wood & Wine

Grovewood Gallery recently added an exhibition space dedicated to fine wood art. And how better to celebrate than with a toast? That’s the idea behind Wood & Wine, a showcase and celebration featuring contemporary sculptural and functional work. Included in the show is French artist Alain Mailland, “who specializes in green wood hollowing techniques,” according […]

Smart bets: Mark Morales

Veteran Broadway performer Mark Morales (West Side Story, Sunset Boulevard) is based in Asheville these days, but the stage and screen actor can still be seen in commercials. Soon he’ll be regularly heard as well: Morales just recorded his first album, Something’s Coming, which includes some of the songs he performed on Broadway. “I honestly […]

Smart bets: Rich Robinson

As rock band The Black Crowes broke up, regrouped, went on hiatus and then back on tour, guitarist Rich Robinson — who co-founded that outfit with his brother Chris and drummer Steve Gorman — has consistently continued to make and play music. His side projects included Circle Sound with Luther Dickinson, an album with his […]

Smart bets: Jim Lauderdale

Although country singer-songwriter Jim Lauderdale is as tied to Nashville as to the colorful, embroidered suits he wears, he’s actually a North Carolina native. The son of a minister and a church organist, Lauderdale was born in Troutman, N.C., and grew up in South Carolina. He did head to Nashville after college, but it was […]

Smart bets: The Royal Noise

Drawing on influences from the great funk masters Herbie Hancock and Parliament Funkadelic, as well as contemporary bands like Umphrey’s McGee and Lotus, Philadelphia-based funk band The Royal Noise is a self-described “relentless funk dance party.” One reviewer characterizes the band as “Groove, groove and more groove — with a side order of groove and a […]

Smart bets: Quilts as Inspiratio­n

There was a time when quilts served as one of the few pieces of artwork in Appalachian homes, and they truly were works of art. “The hallmarks of great art always include line, color, patterns, texture, balance. Quilts are no exception,” according to a press release for American Folk Art & Framing’s upcoming exhibit, Pattern, […]

Smart bets: Ali Douglass

There is something comfortingly familiar about Ali Douglass’ whimsical illustrations and paintings. It might be the eye-pleasing color combinations, charming characters and quirky cityscapes and scenes — or it might actually be that you’ve seen them before. Douglass has been illustrating for countless magazines and newspapers  — including Seventeen, Martha Stewart, Glamour and The New […]

Smart bets: Safe & Sound

“Helpmate could use a helping hand,” says the Facebook invite for an evening of music by Jeff Thompson, Vendetta Creme and Aaron Price. The local performers cross genres and styles: Thompson is a singer-songwriter and guitarist, Price a multi-instrumentalist with a knack for clever piano-pop, and Vendetta Creme is the jazz and cabaret project of […]

Smart bets: Barbara J. Taylor

Barbara J. Taylor’s debut novel, Sing in the Morning, Cry at Night, is “an evocative story of family tragedy and healing set in coal-mining Scranton, Pennsylvania.” As a native and current resident of the Electric City, where the story is set, Taylor draws inspiration from a haunting family story to blend real-life incidents with historical […]

Smart bets: Mates of State

Husband-and-wife, indie-pop outfit Mates of State consistently challenge the perceived limitations of a two-piece with their effortless harmonies and minimal pop appeal. One reviewer describes the band as “two people playing complex songs that sound like five people playing a simple song.” Kori Gardner (keyboard/vocals) and Jason Hammel (drums/vocals) formed Mates of State in 1997 and have […]

Smart bets: Bobby Bare Jr.

Bobby Bare Jr., son of Country Music Hall of Famer Bobby Bare, is touring in support of his latest release, Undefeated. The album is “10 songs of reality checks, clever wordplay and daring arrangement, the aural companion to that buddy who pulls up a barstool next to yours to help soak away your sorrows,” according […]

Smart bets: Aaron Burdett and Tellico

It’s not too surprising that singer-songwriter Aaron Burdett won top honors from Our State magazine for his song “Going Home to Carolina.” Burdett’s thoughtful, acoustic-driven take on Southern Americana is a fitting soundtrack for life in the Blue Ridge Mountains. With the addition of his four-piece band, he creates music that is deeply rooted in the […]

Smart bets: South Pacific

“Chosen not only for its easily recognized show tunes, [‘I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Outta My Hair’ and ‘Some Enchanted Evening’ among them] Asheville Lyric Opera hopes to introduce the Asheville audience to the classical stage genius of Rodgers & Hammerstein,” says a press release. The musical South Pacific is set on a remote […]

Smart bets: Bulgogi

Asheville-based band Bulgogi describes itself as a “perfect storm of dancey punk rock gleeful nutty psychotherapy,” as well as “terrified child dance punk,” but there’s no need to fear frontman Tim Tsurutani, his death-defying vocals, tongue-in-cheek lyrics or the band’s danceable, hard-edged melodies. (That is, assuming the band isn’t trying to lull us into a […]

Smart bets: The Big Crafty

Go local and bolster your DIY cred at the same time at The Big Crafty. There, artists and makers of all kinds will convene in downtown Asheville and sell their one-of-a-kind, handmade wares. “Our guiding principle is that buying handmade is good for the community, and our aim is to make doing so fun,” say the […]