This weekend on a shoestring

Thursday, Oct. 17

• The Black Mountain Authors Guild‘s Third Thursday reading series will focus on the theme “Memoirs: Stories of Triumph and Survival” with biographer Sheridan Hill, local quilter Martha Jane Petersen and Kitty Richards, winner of the 2012 Black Mountain Library Friends Memoir Contest, at Monte Vista Hotel, 308 W. State St., Black Mountain. Free. Info: 785-2828.

• From a Feast page for an upcoming garden party, “The Vance Peace Garden is an outdoor learning laboratory designed to educate the whole child and community through hands on learning that promotes environmental stewardship, character development and healthy lifestyles.  Every child at Vance Elementary School participates in FEAST garden and cooking classes as a way to enhance their learning at school, home and in our community.” The fall garden party will feature raffles, food trucks, drinks and live music at 98 Sulphur Springs Road. Free to attend.

• In Search of Lost Causes, an exhibition of Iranian poster art, visits Asheville for a series of shows this month, including a reception at UNCA’s Ramsey Library Glasshouse on Thursday, featuring Dr. Hamid Dabashi, professor of Iranian studies at Columbia University, followed by a screening of This Is Not a Film. Both events are free and the evening begins at 6 p.m. Dr. Dabashi continues his tour with a presentation at The Flood Gallery on Friday at 6 p.m. and a book signing and Q&A at Firestorm Cafe on Saturday at 7 p.m.

In Search of Lost Causes by Hamid Dabashi from red 14 films on Vimeo.

Friday, Oct. 18

• ”Weird Hot is a six piece art-rock band fronted by musician, artist, filmmaker and native Philadelphian, Shawn Kilroy,” begins the band’s website. “Kilroy, having already released three solo albums, was looking to assemble a handful of artists and musicians that could recreate and build on his complex, layered sound to create a more long-term arrangement. … Their first album, Casimir, was released in the spring of 2011 and heralded by Deli Magazine as a ‘schizophrenic melding of disco-funk, moody ‘90s alternative and dark folk … taking a style being performed by the masses and adding unexpected elements that transform it into a style of its own.’ Heavily influenced by the music of David Bowie, Love and Rockets and Pink Floyd, Kilroy is known for taking catchy, danceable melodies and juxtaposing them lyrically with dark, haunting themes. Weird Hot — as described by one fan — ‘will make you want to drive down an unpaved road in an old Caddy convertible with a revolver in your lap and a strung out hooker in the passenger seat … but you’ll be really jazzed about it.’” The band plays Jack of the Wood, 95 Patton Ave. 9 p.m. $6.

• From the group’s website, “Five miles south of downtown Seattle is the neighborhood of Columbia City — a leafy stretch of old brownstones and new condos which, according to local legend and loosely interpreted census data, boasts the most diverse zip code in America. Not far from Columbia City’s main drag, amidst a swirl of languages and colors and food and accents, sits a 100-year-old two-story house that’s home to the world-weary, six-piece orchestral-pop ensemble known as Hey Marseilles. World-weary in spirit if not in practice: Hey Marseilles first won hearts across the U.S. with its 2010 debut, To Travels and Trunks, an album that reveled in the education and inspiration only globe-trotting exploration can provide. With Matt Bishop’s lyrical wayfaring abutting an instrumental palette that embraced folk tradition — accordion, strings and horns; gypsy, Galic and classical — To Travels and Trunks gave musical voice to the universal longing for unfettered freedom. NPR called the record ‘sublime and heartfelt.’” Hey Marseilles plays The Grey Eagle, 185 Clingman Ave. 9 p.m. $10 in advance.

• From a Smart Bet in this week’s issue, “Local indie-rockers Comet West (Samuel Robbins, Shane Bennet, Nick Rodriguez and Britt Benson-Greer) are set to release their new EP, Weaker Things. The six tracks range from the ardent ‘Strong Gust,’ on which Robbins pushes his vocals to their ragged edge, to ‘Busy Work,’ with its intricate percussion and jangling layers of guitars. The band came together just last year out of previous project Elkmont Place. They recently celebrated their anniversary with this Facebook post: ‘Thanks to all the people who have come to shows, downloaded songs, shot videos for us, helped us record or supported us in any other way. It really means a lot.’ Weaker Things launches at The Millroom on Friday, Oct. 18. Onawa and Total War also perform. 9 p.m., $7/$5.” Alli Marshall

Saturday, Oct. 19

• Andyfest, to benefit Brother Wolf Animal Rescue‘s Help Me Heal fund, will include music, beer and food specials, a rootball tournament and more at The Root Bar, 1410 Tunnel Road. $5 suggested donation includes one raffle ticket.

• “This, the silver anniversary, promises to be the best year yet,” assures a website for the Haywood County Apple Harvest Festival. “The one-day festival has grown into the region’s premier juried arts and crafts event and celebration of all things apple. The charming mountain town of Waynesville, nestled in the Smoky Mountains, is the perfect spot to enjoy a glorious fall day filled with fun. This year’s festival will feature more than 130 exhibitors, live entertainment and great food. Come, and be among the crowd of more than 40,000 festival goers strolling the street!” 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

• From another Smart Bet in this week’s Xpress, “‘Your home movies are probably a lot more interesting than you remember,’ insists a press release for the 11th annual Home Movie Day, a worldwide event. It originated as ‘a means to promote the preservation of amateur films’ with two dozen locations across the U.S., Mexico, Canada and Japan. Since its inception, Home Movie Day has added locations each year, inviting the public to search attics and basements for those long-forgotten Super 8 and VHS films. ‘Bring them to Home Movie Day, where trained event staff can assess their condition and project them on the big screen,’ say organizers. 8mm, 16mm, VHS-C and miniDV formats will also be screened. Held locally on Saturday, Oct. 19, at Wall Street Coffee House, 62 Wall St., from 2-4 p.m. Free.

Sunday, Oct. 20

• “Brother/sister duo Wild Belle may defy concise descriptors, but who cares when the music is this danceable,” asks a Clubland Feature in this week’s issue. “The pair’s debut album, Isles, is a world-friendly affair that draws on psych-pop, electronica, reggae, funk and jazz for a beat-centric sound catchy enough to make mountains move. Wild Belle plays Emerald Lounge on Sunday, Oct. 20.” 9 p.m. $10 in advance.