Smart Bets

East of Asheville studio tour

Twice a year, artists of the Black Mountain, Swannanoa and East Asheville area open their studios to visitors. Says the website, "Everyone is welcome to visit any or all of the studios during the tour, whether they are serious art patrons or just browsers of beautiful and interesting works." Some 34 locations are on the map (download it and a schedule at eaststudiotour.com), with media ranging from leather and metal to papier maché and pottery. Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 9 and 10, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. daily.

Eric Lindell at MoDaddy's

Not sure when USA Today became an authority on music, but the paper, rather astutely, said blue-eyed soul-singer Eric Lindell pumps "soul into funk, blues and roots-rock.” The funk element comes, no doubt, from Lindell's adopted home of New Orleans, but he manages to hang onto his own San Francisco skate-pink roots just enough to keep things interesting (members of funk/jam band Galactic, who tour with him, also keep thins interesting). Lindell performs at MoDaddy's on Saturday, Oct. 9. 9 p.m., $15. modaddysbar.com. Listen to a podcast with Lindell at mountainx.com.

Asylum Street Spankers farewell show

Much of what happens at wild parties stays at wild parties. Well, a lot of it winds up on YouTube, but it's only in the rarest of cases, like Austin, Texas' Asylum Street Spankers, that those videos bear something of exemplary repute (E.g. musicianship, theatricality and the contributions to 20th century American songbook). And now, some 16 years and 40 musicians later, the Spankers are calling it quits. The group's "Spanks for Everything! The Farewell Tour" (which actually runs into early 2011) stops off at the Grey Eagle on Thursday, Oct. 7. 8:30 p.m., $15 advance/$18 day of show. thegreyeagle.com.

LEAF

The autumn installation of Lake Eden Arts Festival doesn't take place until Thursday-Sunday, Oct. 14-17. But already many of the tickets options are sold out, including RV and car camping permits and Saturday-only day passes. Don't miss out! The lineup includes headlining folk duo The Indigo Girls, multi-media movement Playing for Change, reggae super-group The Original Wailers, neo-Vaudeville performer Leon Redbone and blues-rockers The Wood Brothers. And, once you get your fill of national and world music, there's plenty of local acts, too, like Free Planet Radio, Danny Ellis and Free Planet Radio. The family-friendly event includes arts, kids' activities, all sort of dancing, demonstrations, water sports, hiking, camping, drumming, parades, poetry, puppetry, jam sessions, late-night gatherings, food, chanting, fire spinning, juggling, didjeridos, acrobatics, unicycles, healing arts and more. Adult tickets range from $32-$94 (community pass) to $146-$169 (weekend pass). Tickets are available online to Wednesday, Oct. 13 or until they sell out.

Re-viewing Black Mountain College

Though Black Mountain College ended its tenure as a school back in 1957, the ideas generated in the school's short life continue to reverberate. Which is exactly why The Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center is hosting an international conference from Saturday, Oct. 9-Monday, Oct. 11 to "investigate its history as well as the multiple paths of influence, actual and possible, identifiable in the contemporary world and beyond." Black Mountain College alumna Dorothea Rockburne is the keynote speaker. $10 per day or $15 for the weekend. blackmountaincollege.org.

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One thought on “Smart Bets

  1. brian butler

    Thanks for the write-up on the BMC conference – last year’s speaker was Rockborne…this year the speaker is Kenneth Snelson.

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