Swamp Cabbage returns

As I was about to begin this post about Swamp Cabbage‘s return to WNC (they play White Horse Black Mountain on Thursday, April 25), I received a press release that folk icon Richie Havens had passed away. This is significant because 1) It’s Richie Havens and 2) Swamp Cabbage front man (and former Asheville resident) Walter Parks toured with Havens as his guitarist for years.

In an interview with Xpress last fall, Parks reminisced, “Probably the most beautiful thing about Richie, outside of his magnificent voice, is that after his show he would make himself available to any fan who wanted to say hello to him.”

Havens, who famously opened Woodstock in ‘69, will be missed. But in a way it’s nice to know that Parks, an accomplished folk-blues musician, is not only still going strong, but will be back in the area this week.

Roots-rock trio Swamp Cabbage (with drummer Jagoda and bassist Jim Devito) released their EP, Drum Roll Please, last fall. From the Xpress story: The six-song collection is a bit of a departure for this band, known for its original material: Drum is all covers, all culled from ‘70s-era rock. Songs from The Who, The Allman Brothers, Led Zeppelin, Average White Band, Edgar Winter and Isaac Hayes made the cut. From the latter comes the theme song from “Shaft”; this is the one song on Drum with full lyrics. Here, Parks makes use of his soulful, bass-heavy baritone, posing the age-old question, “Who’s the cat that won’t cop out / when there’s danger all about?”

Swamp Cabbage will be at White Horse Black Mountain on Thursday, April 25. 7:30 p.m., $12.

Watch a video interview with Parks here:

SHARE

Thanks for reading through to the end…

We share your inclination to get the whole story. For the past 25 years, Xpress has been committed to in-depth, balanced reporting about the greater Asheville area. We want everyone to have access to our stories. That’s a big part of why we've never charged for the paper or put up a paywall.

We’re pretty sure that you know journalism faces big challenges these days. Advertising no longer pays the whole cost. Media outlets around the country are asking their readers to chip in. Xpress needs help, too. We hope you’ll consider signing up to be a member of Xpress. For as little as $5 a month — the cost of a craft beer or kombucha — you can help keep local journalism strong. It only takes a moment.

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

Before you comment

The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.

Leave a Reply

To leave a reply you may Login with your Mountain Xpress account, connect socially or enter your name and e-mail. Your e-mail address will not be published. All fields are required.