Thursday, June 28
• A variety of local authors and poets, including Heather Newton, Johnnie Grant and Susan Reinhardt, will share artistic visions of life in the mountains as they read from 27 Views Views of Asheville: A Mountain Town in Prose and Poetry during a reception at Battery Park Book Exchange, 1 Battery Park Ave. 6:30 p.m. Free.
• “This whimsical group is what you get when you take old jazz, three-part harmony, a couple of hot dogs, circus, some spaghetti, a sigh and smash em’ all together,” according to The Sugarfoot Serenaders’ website. “These folks are constantly switching around their instruments! Geeez! This multi-talented group can switch between accordion, piano, banjo-uke, drums, saw, baritone horn, clarinet, banjo, washboard and more! They will also suprise a crowd by whipping out their tap shoes and doing a little dance or performing acrobatics while singing and playing their instruments, or even doing a little juggling! Shoowee! The Sugarfoot Serenaders is a band good for ages 1-9,999! So bring your babies or your great great great grandma Lola!” The band performs a free show at The Hop, 640 Merrimon Ave. 6:30 p.m.
Friday, June 29
• From a feature in this week’s Xpress, “Brooklyn’s Sister Sparrow and the Dirty Birds is as ingrained into the tradition of big-band soul as any outfit you will find. From the skronky give and take between sly guitar fills and muscular bass lines to the triumphant blasts of glowing but gritty horns, it nails every genre hallmark while still managing to maintain a singular identity that sets it apart. But there is one stereotypically soul trait that The Dirty Birds represent more than any other: It is a family band in the truest sense.” Catch the band when it performs at RiverMUSIC, a new concert series presented by RiverLink and New Belgium Brewing at the RiverLink Sculpture and Performance Plaza, 117 Riverside Drive. The Krektones and The Mad Tea open. New Belgium beer and cuisine from food trucks will be available. 5-10 p.m. Free.
Story by Alli Marshall
• “When strong personal, familial and spiritual traditions are paired with a healthy dose of competition, the 37th annual Cherokee Pow Wow ignites a three-day festival of drum, song and dance,” invites a press release for the yearly event. “Hundreds of world-champion dancers will compete for thousands of dollars in prizes at the Acquoni Expo Center. Watch the explosion of color and motion in the arena with the Traditional, Fancy Shawl, Grass, Two Step and Jingle dance competitions.” 1501 Acquoni Road, Cherokee. $5.
• The Montford Park Players present A Midsummer Night’s Dream, “the adventures of four young Athenian lovers and a group of amateur actors who are manipulated by the fairies who inhabit the forest in which most of the play is set,” at Hazel Robinson Ampitheatre, 100 Gay St. in Montford. Free, but donations are appreciated. Performances run Fri.-Sun. and a cutest dog contest will be held each Saturday with the winning dog to perform in the final act. 7:30 p.m.
• “Somewhere between the front porch and the garage, with a voice as strong as the lyrical content it is known to bellow, is Pierce Edens,” according to the WNC native’s bio. “With enough credentials to prove his status as both a leading songwriter and as a leading performer in the Southeast, the accolades still pile up from regional, national and international reviews, critics and fans. Receiving such praise as ‘a frenetic mix of rock-inspired carnival barker, part troubadour/part guitar-slinging vagrant’ and ‘it would be easy to view Edens and company as a band to scuff your boots to, but if you listen a bit more closely, it quickly becomes evident that Edens is also a truly gifted songwriter’ seemed a decent enough response. Then, after the release of their CD, constant rotation on several regional radio stations, packed roadhouses and dives, coffee shops and private parties, Edens and crew were voted one of the best alt-country bands of the area by Mountain Xpress readers two years running … and one of the top 20 new releases by WNCW a few weeks later.” Edens celebrates the release of the group’s latest record with a show at The Grey Eagle, 185 Clingman Ave. Raleigh’s Clay Pigeons opens. $8/$10. 9 p.m.
Saturday, June 30
• Enjoy a morning of outdoor storytelling as the Stories on Asheville’s Front Porch series kicks off with David Novak performing tales by Sherry Lovett. Held rain or shine at Pack Place’s Rhino Courtyard. 10:30 a.m. Free.
• Harley Davidson of Asheville invites the public to enjoy an afternoon of free food and music at the Bad Wolf BBQ Summer Concert Series, featuring “high country” artist Bobby Mountain and food from Bad Wolf BBQ. 20 Patton Cove Road, Swannanoa. 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
• Learn tips for surviving the elements during a class on wilderness skills at the Crabtree Falls Campground Ampitheater, MP 340 on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Free. 7:30 p.m. Info: 765-6082.
• Kovacs and the Polar Bear returns to The LAB (the band’s second appearance this month) for a performance with Xpress’ own Jaye Bartell, aka Pilgrim, and Oil Derek. The local indie rock five-piece, who recently lost one member and added two more, will perform tracks from its latest release, Second Sister, along with a healthy dose of new material. 9:30 p.m. $5.
Kovacs & the Polar Bear for My Side of the Mountain from Jesse Hamm on Vimeo.
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