Art is in the eye of the beholder. Still, I’m shocked that so many people seem to think graffiti is an art form and that these young people are merely “expressing” themselves.
Year: 2014
Showing 1702-1722 of 2688 results
Five (or more) questions with Lera Lynn
Nashville-based alt-country artist Lera Lynn might be right in the middle of one of the most commercial music movements of our time, but she approaches her own craft with thoughtful discernment. From minimalist videos to her own visual art, she’s not just cranking out pop songs but producing the sort of music that’s as substantial […]
Acoustic Asheville: Brian McGee
“By the time every 30-something punk dude and their mom had picked up an acoustic guitar and started singing ‘This Land is Your Land,’ Brian had found his way back up to the East Coast, this time to Asbury Park, N.J.,” says the bio of songwriter/multi-instrumentalist and former Ashevillean Brian McGee. The Philadelphia native moved […]
30 Days Out
In my twice-monthly blog 30 Days Out, I spotlight upcoming music shows and events of note. While the most well-known venues in town (The Orange Peel, The Grey Eagle, and whatever they’re calling the Civic Center) consistently book popular and worthwhile acts, I’ll shine a light into some less well-lit corners, where some equally fascinating […]
Theater review: “STOP KISS” by Different Strokes! Performing Arts Collective
In a brave new production of Diana Son’s play Stop Kiss, the audience is confronted with the uncomfortable reminder of how recently we, as a society, were far less accepting of same-sex relationships. And, while not as shocking as it may have been a decade ago, Stop Kiss still has major impact. Not so much […]
Local author Stephanie Perkins previews new YA novel on MTV News
“Between sexy English expat Etienne St. Clair, and hottie west-coast intellectual inventor Crick Bell, Stephanie Perkins is already the creator of two of the greatest fictional boyfriends we’ve ever had the pleasure of sweating over. But, pssssst, you guys: you know that good things come in threes, right?” So begins MTV News’ preview of Isla […]
A different kind of Mexican dinner
While many were sipping fishbowl-sized margaritas and chowing down on fajitas during Cinco de Mayo, a few of us indulged in a different kind of Mexican food experience. Tom Leiner of Grapevine wine distributors teamed up with Chef Marco Garcia to do a special Mexican-themed coursed dinner and wine pairing at the historic Princess Anne Hotel on Chestnut Street.
Caleb Johnson: from Elijah Hooker to “American Idol”
As local rocker/American Idol contestant Caleb Johnson readies for his hometown parade this Saturday, we wanted to revisit his pre-Idol turn as as a singer-songwriter and band leader with all the makings of a star. At the time, Johnson and his band mates in Elijah Hooker were playing album release shows at Emerald Lounge and […]
City Council preview: Strategic Operating Plan, Cambria Suites Hotel
Only one public hearing is scheduled for next week’s Asheville City Council — an appeal against a plan to demolish an existing two-story building at 35 Battery Park Ave. and replace it with a 12-story hotel complex with ground floor retail space. Gary Davis, attorney, raised concerns with the review process of the Cambria Suites […]
Cover image should be properly credited
Thanks for the article about the Diversity Engagement Coalition [“Hidden in Plain View,” April 30, Xpress]. However, I’d like to point out that the photographs used as the base of the cover art — credited to Just Folks, Asheville Design Center and Molly Must —are actually from the Andrea Clark Collection housed at Pack Memorial […]
Mountain Xpress and Sherwood’s Music Present: Hannah Kaminer
Mountain Xpress and Sherwood’s Music are partnering to showcase local musicians through a series of stripped-down performances for the web. This week songwriter Hannah Kaminer performs “Mama.”
Soul Purposes Asheville launches a mission statement survey
The Soul Purpose of Asheville is a community-based initiative to establish a mission statement for our city. “The intention is to gather members of the Asheville Cultural Creative community in order to build stronger relationships, unite our resources, explore areas for mutual improvement and develop tools to manifest positive progressive change in our communities,” says […]
Giving back: Supporting adult education with A-B Tech
In our new section, local nonprofits tell us about their programs and the volunteering opportunities that are currently available. This week Martha Bell, communications specialist for Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College, talks about the critical need for volunteers in the Adult Basic Skills and High School Equivalency Programs.
Drivers should take care to avoid killing animals
As a lover of nature and of animals, I am constantly disheartened by the amount of roadkill I witness on the roads of Western North Carolina. The senseless death of so many animals seems to be one of the sad side-effects of our fast-moving society. In the past few weeks I have witnessed the deaths […]
Planning and Zoning Commission euthanizes controversial canine center
Dozens of concerned residents of the Grove Park neighborhood, as well as surrounding areas, packed an Asheville City Hall meeting room Wednesday evening, May 7, to voice concerns over a proposed conditional zoning permit that would allow a canine rehabilitation facility / dog day care to occupy the historic building at 1 Sunset Parkway. Residents […]
Sound Track web extra: eric + erica at The Grey Eagle
There are plenty of couple acts cutely reenacting Sonny and Cher, Johnny and June, Ike and Tina. It’s a thing on which countless publicists have attempted to capitalize: “Not only are they married, they also write and perform together!” But while the Crushed Outs and the Johnnyswims and the Holly Golightly/Lawyer Daves of the touring […]
The people’s medicine
If it sometimes seems as if everyone and her sister in Asheville is an aspiring herbalist, there’s a reason for that. Mimi Hernandez, executive director of the American Herbalists Guild, says that the nonprofit’s relocation to Asheville from Boston last year was largely due to the region’s resources and unusually high interest in herbalism. “This is definitely a hub for herbalism around the country,” says Hernandez. “I think No. 1 is the diversity of native plants that are in the wild here. And then we also have a lot of herbal educators in the area and mentors and herbal schools.”
Nonprofits: Greater than the sum of our parts
When Xpress asked local nonprofits about the role of collaboration in empowering their respective missions, one thing became crystal clear: We stand stronger and serve better when we work together.
Fingers crossed for park
Now that the old garage and all the rest of it has been torn down across from the U.S. Cellular Center, the cleared space and the blue sky above it is a beautiful thing to behold. Surrounded by the Grove Arcade, the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium, the U.S. Cellular Center, the Basilica of St. Lawrence, Pack […]
Drunken Prayer: “On Mobile Bay”
Morgan Geer, aka folk-noir act Drunken Prayer, just released this quirky and charming video for his song, “On Mobile Bay,” from his Fluff and Gravy recording, House of Morgan. According to the record label, Geer “has now taken to creating a series of videos to support the record. In keeping with the spirit of the […]
Beer-ed?
With major new breweries in Transylvania, Henderson and Buncombe counties in the area, the sipsters are about to eclipse the hipsters. (Unless they are one and the same.)