Beyond Bele Chere

Mary Frances and the Dirty Classics headline Asheville Music Hall on Friday night.

Looking for afterparties or an escape from festival crowds? There’s life (lots of it) beyond the borders of Bele Chere. For a full listing of events and activities, visit Clubland, Calendar and mountainx.com or our handy pocket guide included with this week’s issue.

Yo Mama’s Big Fat Booty Band warms up the stage (that’s the Bele Chere Coxe Avenue stage) for Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe on Saturday, but one of the hottest Bele Chere pairings might happen one night earlier, and in a downtown venue. Mary Frances and the Dirty Classics — the funk-driven side project of the Booty Band’s vocalist and keys player — shares a bill with local rock-fusion act Josh Blake’s Jukebox. At Asheville Music Hall on Friday. 10 p.m., $5 in advance, $7 day of show. http://ashevillemusichall.com.

Jack of the Wood hosts a Bele Chere festival party all weekend. The festivities kick off Friday with Hieronymous Bogs and Stillwater Hobos playing free shows at 5 and 8 p.m. respectively. David Earl & The Plowshares perform at 9 p.m., $5. The Stillwater Hobos return on Saturday for another free show at 7 p.m. Riverbank Ramblers and Sons of Ralph take the stage at 9 p.m., $5. http://www.jackofthewood.com.

Newly formed local label Hunnicutt Records celebrates its debut release: Night, the Different Painting by local singer-songwriter Jonah Michea Judy. The album is 19 tracks of Judy’s solo acoustic song writing. The collection spans four years of Judy’s performance and recording career. The singer-songwriter plays an album release show at Malaprop’s on Saturday at 7 p.m. Free. http://www.malaprops.com.

Local collaborative project Ten Cent Orchestra (the songs of Chelsea Lynn La Bate, arranged by Silas Durocher) performs as part of the Summer Series in the performance lobby of Hotel Indigo. Luke Hankins, senior editor of the Asheville Poetry Review, contributes poetry to the event. The show is both seated at free. Saturday at 7 p.m. http://www.tencentpoetry.com.

Wishing the Bele Chere lineup had more hip-hop? Local act CrazyHorse & Colston performs on Friday, but Gurp Fest provides the beats and rhymes on Saturday. The mini-festival, featuring artists from the Gurp City South roster, returns. Foul Mouth Jerk & TopR, Fist Fam, Smidi, Grand Killa Con, Free Radio bring blistering live hip-hop to Emerald Lounge. DJ Jet and Adam Strange perform DJ sets. 9 p.m., $8. http://www.emeraldlounge.com.

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About Alli Marshall
Alli Marshall has lived in Asheville for more than 20 years and loves live music, visual art, fiction and friendly dogs. She is the winner of the 2016 Thomas Wolfe Fiction Prize and the author of the novel "How to Talk to Rockstars," published by Logosophia Books. Follow me @alli_marshall

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