As the weather heats up, so do the musical offerings. This weekend brings plenty of free listening ops, what with the Mountain Sports Festival, the Carolina Lane Arts Festival, tailgate markets and heck, if it’s not raining you can just walk around downtown Asheville and catch an act on every corner.
There are a couple shows that exceed Weekend on a Shoestring’s $5 cutoff but are sure to be worth the extra expense: The Enemy Lovers at Grey Eagle on Friday ($6); Floating Action CD release at Grey Eagle on Saturday ($8), Sydney & Boston at Caffeind on Saturday ($6). Just sayin’. Everything else on the following round up is $5 or less.
Friday, May 29
• Swing into the weekend with The Space Heaters. They sing for your supper at Sadie’s Seafood Pub (54 Patton Ave., Asheville, 505-3364). 6 p.m., free.
• Baltimore’s The Bridge is one of a number of bands playing the free, weekend-long Mountain Sports Festival (Carrier Park, Asheville, 251-4029). The Bridge plays a blues rock set from 7:30-9:15 p.m.
(Also playing Friday: Jazz the Ripper at 5 p.m.; Silas Durocher and Everybody Knows at 6:15 p.m.)
• If you can navigate this bio: “Clawing their way out of the depths of hell K’nife’, Nigel, and Crumpet AKA Biscuit fingers explode like a load from your nethers onto the city of asheville. Our history is brief but exciting. Being british it was difficult to assimilate into your culture. We hail from alabama and left there to come to the city of hippies to find bad accent tolerance” you can take in The Jizzmops (whose members probably, with a name like that, don’t invite their grandmothers to their rehearsals) at Westside Clippers (755 Haywood Rd., West Asheville, 505-4625). 8 p.m., donations.
(Project Loungecore, Pleasure of the Ultraviolent and Randy’s Dead also play.)
• Somni Suite performs live electronica at Mo Daddy’s (77 Biltmore Ave., Asheville, 258-1550). 9 p.m., $5.
• Prog-fusion group Dashvara stops by Root Bar Number One (1410 Tunnel Rd., Asheville, 299-7597). 10 p.m., $3.
Saturday, May 30
• Singer/songwriter Ash Divine strums while you shop at the Asheville Tailgate Market (UNC-Asheville). 8 a.m.-noon, free.
• Secret B-Sides’ front man Juan Holladay performs solo at the Carolina Lane Arts Festival (Carolina Lane & Chicken Alley, Asheville). 11 a.m., free.
(Also playing: Ventricles at 3 p.m., Soft Opening at 4 p.m., Space Medicine at 6 p.m., The Falconers at 8 p.m.)
• The Cheeksters bring 60s Brit rock to the Mountain Sports Festival. They perform (for free) at noon.
(Other Saturday acts include If You Wannas at 1:30 p.m., Shane Pruitt at 3 p.m., Heypenny at 4:45 p.m. and Nerd Parade at 6:45 p.m.)
• Electronica act Moving Temple will be at Hookah Joe’s (38-B N. French Broad Ave., Asheville, 252-1522) for a 9 p.m. show. $5.
• Spoken word artist Kimbi the Goddess is one of several acts celebrating the one year anniversary of Firestorm Cafe (48 Commerce St., Asheville, 255-8115). 10 p.m.
• “Rowdy Americana” act Buffalo (pictured; photo by Lydia See) rounds out the night with a 10 p.m. appearance at Fred’s Speakeasy (122 College St., Asheville, 281-0920). $3. Read a review of the band here.
—Alli Marshall, A&E reporter
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.