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Year: 2009
Showing 1534-1554 of 2958 results
Insights from the Sightlines writers
We asked the Sightlines writers what makes a good review and how this project could impact Asheville’s theatre community.
Edgy Mama: Babies grow up — thank goodness
Seems like yesterday I was changing diapers, while today I’m explaining the term “suicide bomber.”
“Some people just don’t fit in. And they need rock music.”
The roots of the two-person blues-punk band, the harrowing sound of near-catatonic depression and the rescuing grip of rock ‘n’ roll are revealed in this interview with underground rock pioneer Don Howland. Howland’s been in Asheville for more than ten years, but you might not know it.
This weekend on a shoestring
There’s a little something for everything in this roundup, from fiction readings and Civil War reenactments to modern dance and indie-pop.
Asheville City Council
Council still not ready for tethering ban Mumpower pitches his own solution to water stalemate Going into the Asheville City Council’s May 26 meeting, the big question was what sort of reception Council would give the long-awaited Downtown Master Plan. The team from consulting firm Goody Clancy had presented its work to Council members on […]
Smoked out
In January, something once considered unthinkable will come to pass. Across North Carolina—once the heartland of tobacco—smoking will be banned in bars and restaurants. Smoke ‘em if you got ‘em (for now): Hookah Joe’s owner Joseph McHugh and bartender Cara Diggins enjoy a puff. Hookahs fall under the new state smoking ban, which will take […]
Crafting new markets
A group of local entrepreneurs is banding together to promote a new and existing street and craft markets in Asheville. Organizers hope the effort to promote affordable, locally made arts and crafts will draw shoppers and tourists while supporting emerging artists and others struggling during the current recession. Craft works: A group of Asheville entrepreneurs […]
URTV board approves new bylaws
In a special meeting May 28, URTV’s board of directors unanimously approved new bylaws that concentrate more power in the board’s hands while keeping the current membership structure intact. Revised: URTV Parliamentarian Bob Horn clarifies part of the new bylaws while board President Jerry Young looks on. Originally, the proposed bylaws would have done away […]
In memoriam
Some 200 people—including uniformed soldiers, patch-wearing vets, Boy and Girl Scouts and assorted civilians—gathered at Memorial Stadium above McCormick Field on May 25 for the Asheville/Buncombe Memorial Day ceremony. The sixth annual observation was also notable for the dedication of a veterans memorial on the site after a years-long and sometimes troubled effort by city […]
The Green Scene
Never underestimate the weather. Sure, the French Broad River crested a tad above flood stage on May 27 at Blantyre, near Brevard. Yes, May has brought us more than 8 inches of rain (that’s nearly a record, twice what’s been typical since 1971, and definitely greater than 2008’s paltry 0.81 inches, according to the National […]
Not in it for the money (despite the name)
While local singer/songwriter Josh Blake is enthusiastic Big Money Band (the feel-good folk-rock departure from his regular stint with hip-hop collective GFE), he's sometimes lukewarm about the group's name. What was meant in the spirit of fun, he worries, “might give people the wrong impression about why we play music.” Branching out: Josh Blake also […]
It tastes like a mixture of good living and dying
"I like cryptic stuff," says Don Howland. "I've always gravitated towards the obscure. And it's not just the obscurity of it I like. It's what makes it great, but still obscure. I don't think you lose the spirit of what makes rock and roll good when you stay obscure." A cult figure’s cult figure: Don […]
Setting our Sightlines on local theatre
Upon starting as A&E editor in August, we put the call out to readers to tell us what they’d like more of in the Xpress arts section. “More theatre reviews” was a frequent answer. The prospect was complicated somewhat by print deadlines and short runs — that is, could we print a quality review in […]
Artillery
It’s hard to be an art aficionado in Asheville without acknowledging the historical significance that craft-making and folk art traditions have on the creative work produced in this region. Western Carolina University recently launched an expansive Web site documenting the the Southern Highlands Craft Revival Movement of the 1890s through the 1940s. The site is […]
Askville
Let’s get one thing clear from the start: Cara Oshiver is selling poles. Pole-dancing poles. Portable pole-dancing poles. Cara Oshiver When the 30-year-old walked into the Mountain Xpress offices recently looking for someone to tell her story, though, it was her sincerity more than her sales pitch that grabbed our attention. Oshiver wants nothing less […]
Red Stag Grill
Editor’s note: The new Grand Bohemian Hotel’s restaurant is intended to inspire the eater’s inner Victorian-era hunter. In that spirit, we felt it was only appropriate to review the Red Stag Grill in the style favored by the 19th century armed explorers who regaled their readers with tales of high adventures. Flavor: European-leaning carnivorous Ambiance: […]
Wild root wannabe
Not long ago, I checked my inbox and found an invitation from Wildroots—a sprouting of free-spirited earth lovers who do the best they can to live off the grid. The group was offering a wilderness camping-and-education excursion focused on wild edibles and medicines. Local experts Natalie Bogwalker and Frank Cook would be the guides. The […]
Cultivating consciousness
At first, the effect is incongruous—like seeing puppies for sale in a bookstore. Replacing a full row of booths inside Neo Burrito, an army of potted tomato plants now spreads its leaves under the spaceship glow of a hydroponics table. Going green: Neo Burrito’s Zak Yancey has turned part of his restaurant into an organic-gardening […]
Small Bites
• A-B Tech Culinary Arts Team
• Livermush Festival
• Earth Fare
• 131 Main
A Joelfest thank you
About two weeks ago, Joel Hutcheson, owner of Static Age Records and co-owner of T.V. Eye, discovered that he needed a very costly spine surgery. With the support of many local businesses, a benefit dubbed "Joelfest" was held on Saturday, May 23, at Izzy's new location in West Asheville. With raffle donations from many of […]