Editor’s note: This is part of “Four of a Kind,” a new Arts & Culture feature. Each month, four new artists share their takes on the local art scene. In addition to individual online posts, you can find all four features as a single spread in this week’s print edition.
Marley Carroll is a Weaverville-based DJ and producer.
Xpress: Is there an upcoming music event happening in Asheville that you’re looking forward to seeing?
Carroll: Unknown Mortal Orchestra at The Orange Peel on Tuesday, Oct. 17. UMO has that rhythmically conscious indie pocket that you hear in bands like Khruangbin, and I’ve been a fan of theirs for a long time. I first heard their music in the early 2010s when I was regularly visiting Portland, Ore., where they are based, and it was everywhere — the soundtrack to many significant experiences from that time in my life. Their new record, V, is fantastic, and I love creating new memories around a beloved band instead of relegating them to a nostalgia trip.
Outside of music, what other upcoming local arts happening intrigues you?
Asheville Art Museum’s The Art of Food exhibition is up through Oct. 22. My partner and I are AAM members and visit a few times a year. The Whitney Museum Vantage Points photography exhibition [which ran December 2020-March 2021] was a recent highlight for me, and I found it massively inspiring. The Art of Food features work from some big names like Andy Warhol and Jasper Johns, but I’m mainly interested in checking out the contemporary artists to discover some new work.
What current project are you working on that you’re especially excited about?
I have some new music in progress that will be a follow-up to Voices, a record I put out last year that was manufactured by Citizen Vinyl and featured art by Anna Bryant, a local printmaker and designer. Voices was centered on the nostalgia and heartache of missing raving and dance music during [the COVID-19 pandemic] lockdown, but these new tracks have a darker valence, exploring feelings of regret, what-ifs and loss. It’s day-after-the-rave music.
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.