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Unsilent Night

According to the event's website, "Unsilent Night is composer Phil Kline's free outdoor participatory sound sculpture of many individual parts, recorded on cassettes, CDs and mp3s, and played through a roving swarm of boom boxes carried through city streets every December." It debuted in New York in '92. Join the Asheville contingent on Friday, Dec. 17. Meet at the Vance Monument in Pack Square at 7 p.m.; bring your own boom box. unsilentnight.com.

Swannanoa Solstice

If ugly seasonal sweater parties, ChrisTmas Jams and SantaCons are not quite your speed, try the eighth-annual Swannanoa Solstice. Local recording artists Al Petteway, Amy White and Robin Bullock perform Celtic, American and world-influenced music on guitars, mandolins, fiddle, Appalachian dulcimer, piano, harp and world percussion. Sunday, Dec. 19, 2 and 7 p.m. at Diana Wortham Theatre. $35/$33 seniors/$30 students/$12 children. dwtheatre.com.

The Santaland Diaries

It's been said before, but this year really really could be the last year that local actor/comedian Tom Chalmers dons his red-and-white striped tights and plays the curmudgeonly-festive role of Crumpet the Elf in The Santaland Diaries. The one-man show, based on the narrative by David Sedaris, is a darkly snarky-perfect holiday show (just not for the kids). Thursday, Dec. 16-Sunday, Dec. 19 (Thursday-Saturday at 7:30 p.m., Sunday at 2:30 p.m.) on the Asheville Community Theatre mainstage. $15. ashevilletheatre.org.

A Growing Culture benefit

A Growing Culture — a web-based community (going live in the spring of 2011) where farmers and sustainable agriculture advocates can network —  gets a fundraising boost from a host of local bands.  Members of Asheville Horns, Josh Phillips Folk Festival, Secret B-sides, Yo Mama’s Big Fat Booty Band, Eymarel and Josh Blake (with more special guests to be announced) take to the stage at Pisgah Brewing Company. And there will be food available for purchase. Thursday, Dec. 16 at 8 p.m. Sliding-scale door fee. agrowingculture.com.

Overflow Jug Band

Want an antidote to a cold winter night? How about an evening of tunes from some local allstars? Here’s what drummer Jacob Baumann has to say about the casual outfit Overflow Jug Band: “This is a relatively new [project] consisting of members of The Trainwreks (myself, Ram Mandelkorn and Ben Riva) and Josh Phillips Folk Festival (Josh and Elijah Cramer), along with Moses Atwood and Suzanna Baum. We play a pretty rowdy mixture of country and reggae, as well as a multitude of covers that make us all happy.” Sounds good to us. Saturday, Dec. 18. MoDaddy’s. 

Winter solstice poetry

They’ve dubbed it “Winter Solstice with Sistas: Poetry with Glenis Redmond and Amber Sherer.” Join the two poets at to “celebrate the light and the shadows of Winter Solstice,” according to press for the event. The evening will feature new work from the mother-daughter duo. At Posana Cafe. Monday, December 20. 7 to 9 p.m. info@posanacafe.com

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