arts
Car chases, gunfights and fracas
Logic tells us that a film festival’s only as good as what it’s putting on screen. Considering that last year’s festival included such eye-catching action movie luminaries as Takashi Miike’s…Black eyes and busted bones
It’s Saturday. Your phone’s not ringing. You seem to be dead to the world. So what do you bring home? Takeout, and an armful of action films, of course. The…Home all ways
Early on a Sunday afternoon, the two girls and two guys that make up Durham neo-folk outfit Midtown Dickens lounge in the living room of member Will Hackney. Catherine Edgerton…Smart Bets: Amy Steinberg
Performance artist Amy Steinberg describes what she does as "Goddess Rock Comedy." She blends original music, poetry and humor "to promote tolerance, openness and diversity." Steinberg, classically trained since age…Smart Bets: Asheville Bellydance Festival
Asheville-based teachers/dancers Lisa Zahiya and Mahsati Janan and pooling their talents to put on a weekends' worth of classes and performances — all about bellydance. Study the basics of Saidi…Smart Bets: Christabel and the Jons
Knoxville-based Christabel and the Jons have been bringing their jazz-informed indie-folk to Asheville for a number of years now, but it never gets old. Just old-timey. The band centers around…Smart Bets: Crooked Fingers
Asheville rockers Archers of Loaf reunited just about a year ago, but lead singer Eric Bachmann has been carrying on without the Loaf in his own Americana project, Crooked Fingers.…Edgy Mama
One in five children in Buncombe County has experienced abuse or neglect. Yes, that number is staggering. It equals more than 4,200 reported cases in 2011. Half of those kids…Weekly Picks
Cold-hardy grapes may seem exotic, but they are a great match for WNC. Anyone interested in viticulture is invited to learn how to match grape varieties with appropriate trellis systems…food
Foraged food
Ramp-mania is alive and well, but we caution you to — how do we put this? — chill the heck out. Ramps are victims of their own deliciousness, and Appalachian…Breast of chicken with country ham and ramps
(serves two) 1 boneless breast of chicken, about 7 oz. 1 tbsp of bacon fat 1 oz of finely cut country ham, such as Hickory Nut Gap or Benton’s small…Mountain trout stuffed with ramps
(serves four) 4 whole, small fresh trout, de-boned 2 tbsp bacon fat or olive oil 1 good handful of fresh ramps, cleaned, cut into 1-inch pieces (reserve some of the…Small Bites: The Asheville food scene has sprung
Full-blown spring has brought with it numerous changes to the dining scene. First, Strada has opened in the building that once housed Tingles and a small handful of other restaurants.…Small Bites: Cupcakes vs. Cancer
Want to experience a frosting-scented ballroom stuffed to the gills with thousands of cupcakes prepared by hundreds of bakers — all in the name of fighting cancer? Here's your chance: Cupcakes…Ramps: A love story
For the first time, ramps, the region’s most beloved early-spring green, are April’s featured food in ASAP’s Get Local initiative. Ramps and other local forest products are now becoming more…living
Market 101
The North Asheville Tailgate Market, a Saturday morning tradition for those who love fresh produce, baked goods and flowers, will reopen for its 32nd season on Saturday, April 14, on…news
Battle lines being drawn: Amendment One has passions flying
On May 8, North Carolina voters will decide whether to add a gay-marriage ban to Article XIV of the state constitution.Six for two: Three Democrats, three Republicans vie for District 2 commissioner seats
The six candidates in the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners’ District 2 races appear to be contesting a political no man’s land. Although the district was created only last year,…Ready, set, VOTE
In North Carolina's May 8 primary, all Tar Heel voters will confront new district boundaries for Congress, the Statehouse and the N.C. Senate. And in Buncombe County, the commissioners will…New Belgium chooses Asheville
New Belgium Brewing Co. is coming toAsheville. At an April 5 press conference at the Chamber of Commerce, Gov. Bev Perdue and New Belgium CEO Kim Jordan said the Fort…Buncombe commissioners: It’s a gas
The Buncombe County commissioners are hoping a new program at the landfill will exemplify an old proverb: "One man's trash is another man's treasure." Their April 3 meeting featured a…A growing solution: Community gardens ease WNC hunger pains
A little girl's handwritten description of her weekly visits to the food pantry with her mother underscores how community gardens can help feed the hungry in Western North Carolina. "She…opinion
Noise
Hazards
Weekly Asheville Disclaimer Page: 04/11/12
• “Women Under 40” PAC withholding endorsement until Mayor Bellamy provides birth certificate • New Belgium coming to River District First beer on tap: Brownfield EPA • North Korea prepares…Another hidden local culinary jewel
I am writing in response to the fantastic article featuring the "Hidden Eateries of Asheville" by Mackensy Lunsford [March 28 Xpress]. I had heard about or even visited a couple…Your vote against Amendment One is needed
I want to remind everyone to vote against Amendment One on May 8. You will not get another chance in the general election to vote against this anti-gay amendment. Please…A voter’s primer
There is an election coming up on May 8. (Early voting is from April 19 to May 5.) There are contests for the Republican primary, U.S. House of Representatives, five…Send Bothwell to Congress
We live today with a partisan, obstructionist, quagmire of a Congress that has earned itself a 9 percent approval rating. Cynicism abounds. No single factor accounts for the current state…Where’s the fat in the Buncombe County budget?
The average Buncombe county family of four pays nearly $1,600 more each year in taxes and fees to Buncombe County than the average North Carolina county resident. Why is this?…First place is for quitters
Ryan Shiver is an extraordinary athlete: He's quick, he's strong and his kinesthetic intelligence borders on genius. Ryan enrolled at Asheville School as a junior the same year I was…