It’s coming up … kids!

Steep Canyon Rangers: It's hardly news that Asheville-based Steep Canyon Rangers is a world-class bluegrass band. They've been local stars for years, and they've been steadily increasing their fan base…

Darren Nicholson toured for three years with Nashville singer Alecia Nugent. With her, he played the Grand Ole Opry several times a month. And, he says, “I got to play…

Happen upon The Hop on Merrimon on a Tuesday evening and you’re likely to get a youth-rock band, juggling act or classical cello concert along with your brain freeze. For…

Irish music group Altan has been keeping the traditional flame alight for nearly three decades. The band was formed in the late '80s, in County Donegal, by fiddler and vocalist…

Newly formed local band Even the Animals blends dusky Americana with softly gritty indie rock. The band's name comes from its own achingly pretty waltz-noir "Love and Loss." The group…

Toronto-based duo Amanda Walther and Sheila Carabine are, together, Dala, aka "the angels of folk music." They've been garnering critical acclaim since their debut, This Moment is a Flash. Their…

Chuck Ragan is best known as the gritty voice behind post-hardcore outfit Hot Water Music. But since 2008, the songwriter has focused on bringing roots-y folk tunes to fans "in…

Need more sketch comedy in your life? Carolina Sketchfest knows how you feel. The newly launched comedy festival plans to run twice each year with a showcase of sketch-comedy groups…

Singer-songwriter Joshua James grew up in Nebraska, but lives on a farm in rural Utah, where, according to press, "He's learned to live off the land and appreciate a simpler…

A new show at UNC Asheville’s Highsmith Union Gallery has revived a conversation some might have thought improbable in Asheville — that of artistic censorship. It’s even resulted in an…

Asheville FM hosts dozens of weekly shows that run the gamut of musical styles and tastes (you name it, they've got it). But don't take our word for it: take…

The Asheville music scene landed in the national spotlight again last week when local drone/ambient artist Ross Gentry (Villages) was interviewed by VICE Magazine for its website. Gentry is co-founder…

Watch a one-hour special episode of Rebel Eats, featuring Asheville chefs, businesses and breweries.

The gathering of professional and amateur bakers promises big names, such as cookbook author Peter Reinhart, as well as plenty of samples.

Tyler McCall understands the perils of the grocery store: the crowded aisles, the long lines, the impulse buys. He's created a business to address those problems. Simply, To Go, which…

Readers, Xpress has been blind. For nearly four years, a local, affordable, family friendly restaurant has gone nearly unreported. I'm not really sure why we haven't written about Piazza in…

With local beer, pickles, kombucha and more, fermented foods are brewing all over Asheville. Soon, cider will become part of that list. Come fall, Urban Orchard Cider Bar will open…

Last week, Charleston’s major news stations spotted something unusual coming into the port: a cargo ship with the upper deck loaded to capacity with 28 fermentation tanks. All of them…

Mindfulness for children can be found all over town, from the hospital to a small West Asheville school.

“Today’s student has literally received messages from millions of channels, all with varying standards and styles,” says UNCA lecturer Michael Gouge. And the result, he maintains, is a generation that’s…

Student journalism is nothing new: Guided by faculty advisers, kids have been producing yearbooks, literary magazines, in-house news broadcasts and school newspapers for many years. Now, however, even those traditional…

On Friday, March 22, Carolina Mountains Credit Union will launch its first-ever local certificate of deposit — the Go Local CD.

In the early 1980s, a group of nuns laid the groundwork for what is now a growing movement to invest locally.

Openings The Curiosity Shoppe (art, antiques, accessories), 3028 U.S. Highway 70, Black Mountain, 828-669-7467. http://curiosity-shoppe-online.com. Devotion Organics (natural, local body-care products and cosmetics), 108 N. Lexington Ave., 772-0910. http://devotionorganics.com. Zia…

The YMCA of Western North Carolina and Greenlife will host Healthy Kids Day, Saturday, April 13, at Pack Square, starting at 11 a.m. with a parade. Then it’s all fun…

Police chief: Search for suspect responsible for son’s crash of my car reopens several household cold cases

I have been disappointed by recent letters to the editor that bemoan the lack of taste and humor in the cartoons carried by the Mountain Xpress [“Brent Brown and Xpress…

While searching the March 5 Xpress for an ad announcing the grand opening of my business, Devotion Organics, I was shocked to see a large “KKK” in the cartoon on…

I want to applaud Jeff Fobes’ commentary on “Invest Local” and his commitment to publishing practical examples and ideas for increasing local investments in our region [”The Local Economy,” March…

In the March 6 Conversations piece, “Up In Arms,” Boatrocker implied that the Spartan defense at Thermopylae was a pointless slaughter. She omits the fact that 300 brave men (sheep…

It is sad to see the League of Women Voters squander its credibility by echoing partisan myths about voter ID law [“Is Voter ID Really Worth All These Burdens?" Feb.…

This city needs to have all bus routes available on Sundays! Most people that work for the city have Sunday off. However, these people go to restaurants, grocery stores, shops,…