This weekend on a shoestring

Thursday, July 12

• Check out the most popular selections from this year’s 48 Hour Film Project at a Best of Screening, hosted by the Asheville Pizza and Brewing Company, 675 Merrimon Ave. $7.

• Local all-female punk outfit Zombie Queen lists its interests as “drinking and falling down” on the band’s Facebook page, and that seems pretty appropriate. In March, the band’s performance at an Orange Peel showcase was cut short when singer Emily Gibbs cut herself on a broken bottle (it’s not entirely clear whether or not this was intentional, but in the spirit of rock ‘n’ roll, we’d like to think it was). Catch the wild and unpredictable four piece at Pisgah Brewing Company, 150 Eastside Drive, Black Mountain, with The Critters and John Wilkes Boothe and the Black Toothe. 8 p.m. Free.

Friday, July 13

• “Hobey Ford’s Golden Rod Puppets presents ‘Animalia,’ exploring the magical world of animals and featuring Hobey’s original ‘foamies’ puppets carved from large blocks of foam with intricate mechanical design that gives each puppet realistic movements,” begins an event page by the Diana Wortham Theatre. “Hobey breaks out of the traditional puppet theater booth, turning the whole theater into his performance stage. ‘Animalia’ introduces students to the metamorphosis of a butterfly and a tadpole, various ecological systems and endangered animals.” Recommended for Pre-K through sixth grade students and families. Performances at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. 2 S. Pack Square. $6.

• Marshall’s French Broad Friday: Bike-a-Licious will feature live music by Sons of Ralph and Rooftop Pedestrian, carriage rides, courthouse tours, a bicycle swap, local food and art, a “parade of all things on wheels” and more. Held throughout downtown from 4-10 p.m. Free.

• RiverMUSIC, a new concert series presented by RiverLink and New Belgium Brewing at the RiverLink Sculpture and Performance Plaza, 117 Riverside Drive, presents an evening of bluegrass with Sanctum Sully and Bobby Miller and the Virginia Daredevils. New Belgium beer and cuisine from food trucks will be available. 5-10 p.m. Free.

• Portland-based indie pop/folk rock outfit The Fruit Bats, the project of songwriter Eric Johnson, has been churning out delicate, thoughtful narratives for more than a decade. This weekend, the band visits Asheville for a much-anticipated, intimate performance at Emerald Lounge, 112 N. Lexington Ave. Local favorites Floating Action open.  9 p.m. $10.

Saturday, July 14

• A Community Carnival, to benefit Swannanoa Babe Ruth programs, will be held at Charles D. Owen Park, 875 Warren Wilson Road. The family-friendly afternoon will include games, inflatables, food, entertainment and a variety of other activities. RWA Pro Wrestling performs at 8 pm. Prices for activities vary; all-day wristbands available. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Info: swannanoababeruth@gmail.com. 

• Local artist Cheryl Keefer will demonstrate plein air oil painting techniques from 1-3 p.m. at Pink Dog Creative studios and Asheville Art Supply, 342 Depot St, as part of the River Arts District‘s Second Saturdays celebration, an opportunity to check out artists’ studios, demonstrations, classes and more. The stroll runs from 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

• From a feature in this week’s Xpress, “If you’ve ever dreamed of walking away from your desk to dangle from the trapeze, or of juggling the contents of the fruit bowl on your kitchen table, load up your clown car or strap on your stilts and make your way to Biltmore Village. The circus has moved to town. On Saturday, July 14, from 8-11 p.m., Toy Boat Community Art Space opens its doors with a gala event featuring music, juggling, trapeze, magic and dancing. The event is free and open to all ages, with light hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar. Toy Boat will function as a multi-purpose space where performers can meet and practice their skills, where music and theater events can be held and where the public at large can learn various performance techniques. So, it’s much more than a circus, although that’s there too.” 101 Fairview Road.
Story by Bridgett Conn

• “… On a cool Sunday night, Rosetta’s was transformed as Hello Hugo tucked into the far corner of the dining room and noodled itsway through an hour-long set of melodic instrumentals as part of a fundraiser for flooding victims in Pakistan,” begins a 2010 Xpress review. “Perched atop their amplifiers with gazes fixed at the hardwood floor, the band members began the set subdued and quiet Drummer Reid Weigner gently pounded out the ever-changing rhythm with padded mallets as the meandering guitars of Rosser Douglas and Justin Holt led the way, effortlessly shifting between time signatures and wistful melodies. There was a noticeable absence of microphones amidst the clutter of equipment, but the band’s unpredictable wanderings quickly dismissed any yearning for a vocal narrative, keeping the crowd guessing as to where the next turn might lead. It was hard to tell if the hushed tunes were deliberately restrained because of the setting or if the mood was by design, but that mystery was soon resolved when Hello Hugo charged into a distorted bridge with previously-unseen vigor. As cymbals splashed and faint rumblings of Nick Prather’s bass reverberated through the floors, what was already an impressive showing from these relative newcomers took on new life, melding indie-rock tones with jazzy rhythms and an unmistakable agitation and anxiousness reminiscent of Asheville’s most notable experimental rockers, Ahleuchatistas. With that explosive shift in energy, a line was crossed, and there was no going back. The latter half of the set saw the band delving into increasingly-heavier material, patiently building to one climax after another, careful to avoid steering the songs down predictable paths and, instead, taking every opportunity to surprise and challenge expectations.” Catch the band when it performs at The Get Down, 1045 Haywood Road, with Lassos and Shod My Feet.