Spinning vinyl, top-quality Americana, uptempo jump blues and a tribute to the greatest pop group of all time: those are just some of your local music choices in the coming 30 days.
Acoustic Asheville: Christy Lynn Band
The group features the distinctive, powerhouse vocals of Christy Barrett and multi-instrumentalist Ryan Schilling.
EP review: ‘Horseflesh’ by Poet Radio
Poet Radio has a show at Fleetwoods in West Asheville on Friday, July 20 — its last local appearance before a run of live dates up north and in the Midwest.
Podcasts and broadcasts that take Asheville’s pulse
As podcasts and their on-air partners, broadcasts, gain national and international popularity, plenty of locally produced and focused shows are also winning fans and generating discussion.
Local fashion leaders reinvent couture, Asheville style
Local designers are challenging the area’s casual-meets-utilitarian ethos. Mothers are creating delicate tops with salmon scalloping, artists are recycling flower petals to dye dresses and long-time West Ashevillians are importing French lace for sexy intimates.
Smart Bets: Shannon & the Clams
The Oakland-based rockers visit The Grey Eagle on July 21.
Singer-songwriter David LaMotte readies two new albums
Even though he has his hand in many different pursuits, live performance remains among LaMotte’s most treasured experiences. “It really is a cooperative effort,” he says. “The power of songs happens in the space between the artist and the listener.”
Smart Bets: 8-Bit Brawl
Plankeye Peggy and Battery Powered Hooker Boots musically battle July 20 at The Mothlight.
The Magnetic Theatre gets infested with ‘Bugs!’
On July 19, the Asheville Creative Arts will debut its first original musical, Bugs! at The Magnetic Theater. The production runs through Sunday, July 29.
Smart Bets: Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands
The 71st annual celebration of contemporary and traditional craft runs July 20-22 at the U.S. Cellular Center.
Theater review: ‘Mame’ at HART Theatre
The unconventional life of oddball partyer Mame Dennis (played by Lyn Donley) is shaken up when, after her brother-in-law passes away, she’s entrusted with her young nephew, Patrick (Andrew Delbene).
Smart Bets: Folkmoot
The 35th annual international festival runs July 19-29 in communities throughout Western North Carolina.
Conscious Party: Feminine Faces of God
The Feminine Faces of God concert takes place July 22 at St. James Episcopal Church in Black Mountain.
Video release: “White people US” by Justin Blackburn
After petitioning YouTube to reinstate the powerful work, the media outlet relented and Blackburn’s words are again available to, hopefully, fuel dialog.
Acoustic Asheville: Mama Danger
The group is led by Gabby Feinstein and Nick Cameron.
Local duo PrettyPretty warms up the dance floor
On Tuesday, July 24, the pair release their new album, Sugar Daddies, at The Mothlight.
Asheville Art Museum builds for the past, present and future
As the city gets ready to meet the latest incarnation of the Asheville Art Museum on Pack Square, Xpress looks at the museum’s history and its plans for the future, along with cost of the building project and its effects on other Pack Place institutions to feel out what the new space will mean to Asheville and the region.
Smart Bets: Ayane Okabe
The award-winning violinist and local pianist Kimberly Cann perform July 18 at Biltmore United Methodist Church.
A local biannual art fair turns 10
Pack Square Park will be transformed into a handmade hotspot on Sunday, July 15, as The Big Crafty celebrates a decade of independent art and artists.
Smart Bets: Cashiers Plein Air Festival
The biennial painting festival and sale returns to the Jackson County town July 17-21.
Durham-based folk/soul duo Violet Bell heads to Isis
Lizzy Ross and Omar Ruiz-Lopez discuss the art of combining their diverse backgrounds and shared musical interests into a dynamic live show.