Singing in the shower

Cary Fridley was steeped in music as a child, studied music in graduate school, worked as a music teacher and played professionally in bands for more than a decade. But when it came to writing her first album of original songs, she did things the old-fashioned way: She sang to herself in the shower. Naturally […]

From party boys to tempered domestics

“For two guys who aren't siblings, we really mesh very well. I'm really big on two-part harmonies,” says Peter Holsapple, talking about the new record he's made with longtime musical collaborator Chris Stamey. Best known as the acclaimed songwriters of the dB's, the two have returned some 18 years later with a new album, hERE […]

Sound Track Potential playlist

Three new CDs by three very different bands (country-rock, Southern Gothic, jam-rock) prove (as if there was every any question) that the Asheville music scene remains as eclectic as ever. Joshua Singleton's self-titled CD Recorded at Asheville's Landslide Studio as well as studios in Jackson and Franklin, Tenn., singer/songwriter Joshua Singleton's self-titled disc has a […]

Canyon Kitchen

Flavor: Southern seasonal Ambiance: Cookout at a wealthy relative's summer place Price: $35 Where: Lonesome Valley, Cashiers Contact: (828) 743-7696, ext. 222 Hours: Friday and Saturday evenings, Sunday midday meal Xpress food writer Hanna Rachel Raskin can be contacted at food@mountainx.com. Lonesome Valley, a planned community plopped into a Cashiers valley with a singularly gorgeous […]

Outdoors: Fancy footwork

When I first met Milestone Press Publisher Mary Ellen Hammond, she asked me why I wanted to write a hiking guide to the Carolina mountains. Was I hoping to make some money? The answer had better be “no,” because virtually no one makes a living this way. Well charted: GPS tracking matched actual hiking routes […]

Our broken health-care system

The current health-care system is broken and unsustainable. It leaves millions of our fellow Americans uninsured and underinsured. Over half of all bankruptcies in America are tied to medical bills. By one estimate, 22,000 Americans died in 2006 because of lack of health insurance. From our children to our seniors, no one should be denied […]

Don’t build, baby, build

In the struggle to maintain and preserve the natural and built environments in Asheville, critics of development are often accused of attempting to "stop progress." This implies that all building and development is essentially progressive, which is just plain idiotic. Some projects (Black Dog's plan for a condo on a lot that includes a sliver […]

Backing Bothwell

If you want to have a chance to stop developers from paving that last, sumptuous green space in your neighborhood, vote for Cecil Bothwell for Asheville City Council. If you want to really try to save ridge lines, Asheville's quality of life and our basic resources of clean air and water — vote Bothwell. If […]

Medicine for the people

This is in response to the letter by Ariel Harris of Candler [Letters, July 1]. Thank you for your letter stating the fact that so many people living in the U.S. do not have access to affordable complementary health care. And thank you for pointing out that the current health-care system has a long way […]

Bar Beat: Santé

Santé is nestled in Asheville's Grove Arcade, just near the winged lions that stand guard over the Battery Park Avenue entrance. It's early evening, with the sun still in the sky, and wine drinkers are scattered around the patio. Photo by jonathan welch If you don't know much about wine, but are looking to learn, […]