In a letter to Xpress, local musician Joe Lasher writes, that since the city bus accident on April 17 — the one that injured a pedestrian and damaged vehicles and multiple buildings — music venue Stella Blue has been especially hard-hit. “The day of the accident, the city immediately (but only temporarily) condemned the building,” writes Lasher, who is the guitarist for rock/metal act Mother Soul. “It was only a matter of days and the club was cleared to open. However, because we’re in such a small town, word traveled quickly that ‘Stella Blue was condemned.’ Subsequently, bands cancelled their shows and you can imagine the domino effect.”
Club manager Josh Rosenstein says that the scaffolding, still in place on the College Street side of the building, isn’t helping. But, in fact, “The important work like getting steel back in place, was done very quickly,” he explains. “The city moved fast on that. It’s totally safe to enter.” That scaffolding is just for workers who are mortaring bricks and taking care of cosmetic issues.
Actually, downstairs shows in Stella’s — accessed from College Street — have been ongoing. (Stop by Friday, May 14 for local band The Go Devils, pictured below, “the ONLY psychobilly band in Asheville” with Charlotte’s The Poontanglers.)
And to bring audiences back to Stella Blue’s upper level — accessed from Patton Ave. — Mother Soul performs a grand reopening of the upstairs room on Saturday, May 15, with support from rockers Opus Grey. Says Lasher, “The Blue Ridge Roller Girls team will be there that evening and Mother Soul is releasing a live CD that night.”
Other upcoming shows to mark on your calendar:
• Holy Golightly & the Brokeoffs (pictured) on Friday, June 4. Floating Action opens.
• Los Angeles-based rock band Dead Meadow on Friday, June 18.
Doors open at 9 p.m. for the Mother Soul and Opus Grey show; music begions at 10 p.m. $8. myspace.com/stellabluelive or 236-2424.
Stella Blue has taken more serious hits than any club in town: remember that early on a fire closed them down for a while and now this bus disaster. Kudos to them for keepin’ it rockin’!