Friday, May 28
• Hand in Hand Gallery (2720 Greenville Hwy., Flat Rock, 697-7719) holds a meet the artists reception John Mac Kah and Ruthanne Kah from 5-7 p.m. An exhibition of their “plein air” landscape oil paintings will be featured throughout the summer (gallery hours are Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday 1-5 p.m.).
• Studio 103 Fine Art Gallery (103 West St., Black Mountain, 357-8327) hosts an opening reception for Washington DC based figurative artist, Sabrina Cabada. 5-8 p.m.
• Local r&b band Skinny Legs & All is one of the acts to play the Pack Square ribbon cutting and grand opening, which takes place from 5:30-10:30 p.m. (SKLA goes on at 6:30 p.m.). Free.
• City Lights Bookstore (3 E. Jackson St., Sylva, 586-9499) hosts Emily Herring Wilson, author of Becoming Elizabeth Lawrence: Discovered Letters of a Southern Gardener at 7 p.m. Free.
• Shellshag (who, according to Jersey Beat, has a “youthful passion and energy about them lacking in a lot of contemporary indie,” plays Static Age (82-A N. Lexington Ave., Asheville, 254-3232) along with Black Rainbow and local act Pox Americana. 8 p.m.
• Emily Reo from Orlando just released her new EP, Witch Mountain. (The title track of that album is all spooky and atmospgheric with high, airy Enya-type vocals.) She’ll play Broadways (120 N. Lexington Ave., Asheville, 285-0400) with Dark Sea of Awareness, Rabbit Punch and Attached Hands. 8 p.m.
• Jonathan Sexton and the Big Love Choir (who, according to the Knoxville News Sentinel are “overflowing with big ideas of universal love and good vibes”) put in an appearance at Town Pump Tavern (135 Cherry St., Black Mountain, 669-4808). 8:30 p.m.
• With a name like The Funk Messengers, this local outfit needs little introduction. Just come prepared to dance. They’ll be at Tressa’s (28 Broadway St., Asheville, 254-7072). 9 p.m.
Saturday, May 29
Local band VooDoo Wedding includes singer/songwriters Andrea Lee and Steven Smith. They’ll play and early show at Craggie Brewing Company (197 Hilliard Ave., Asheville, 254-0360) at 7 p.m.
• Asheville-by-way-of-New York City-based bluegrass and gospel band Copper Kettle comes to Feed & Seed (3715 Hendersonville Road, Fletcher, 216-3492). 7:30 p.m., free.
• Like the name suggests, Ben Farley & the Beautiful Losers is ironic. Part of the irony is that the band is just Farley — a singer/songwriter who posts cell-phone poetry to his blog. Here’s one: “I’ve been watching the Dog Whisperer alot lately. Ceasar Milan is very inspiring. Lolly Lee said she knows a goat whisperer! Nice.” He’ll take the stage at Good Stuff (133 S. Main St., Marshall, 649-9711) at 8 p.m.
• Blue Mountain Bustdown, a rock/blues/funk outfit from Boston, stops by Mo Daddy’s (77 Biltmore Ave., Asheville) while on tour supporting its new album, Paper War. Bubonik Funk from Charlotte opens. 9 p.m., free.
• Local act The Baghdad Battery bills itself on its Myspace page as “showtunes.” If so, these are tunes to a very dark and intriguing show. Can’t wait to see the dance sequence! That band, the project of musician George Elis Wagoner (a.k.a. Gud Wilson), joins Wagoner’s other project, Boogie Bros. along with Pleasures of the Ultraviolent at The Garage at Biltmore (101 Fairview Rd., Asheville, 505-2663). 9 p.m., $5.
• The Jay Sanders Band (you know bassist Jay from Donna the Buffalo, Acoustic Syndicate, The E.Normus Trio, Trouble, CX-1 and probably more) plays a unique blend of acoustic jazz/rock at Pisgah Brewery (150 Eastside Dr., Black Mountain, 669-0190). 9 p.m., free.
• Rootsy Americana outfits Johnson’s Crossroad performs at the Back Room (2701 C Greenville Hwy., Flat Rock, 697-6828). 9 p.m.
• Little Country Giants are songwriting duo Russell and Cameron Cook, who also live together on a farm in Oakman, Georgia. Their latest country/bluegrass album is Fists of Foam and Fury. They’ll be at Westville Pub (777 Haywood Rd., Asheville, 225-9782) at 10 p.m. $5.
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