McKennitt is playing a series of rare, intimate trio performances with veteran collaborators guitarist Brian Hughes and cellist Caroline Lavelle. The tour stops at the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium on Saturday, Oct. 29.
Faces in the crowd: WNC crowdfunding initatives
Each week, Xpress highlights notable WNC crowdsourcing initiatives that may inspire readers to become new faces in the crowd. This week features a feature film called Luke & Jo, a new album by a Western Carolina University professor, the Beards of Asheville calendar and a couple’s homesteading video series.
30 Days Out: a look at upcoming concerts
Twice monthly, my blog 30 Days Out spotlights upcoming music shows and events of note, shining a light into some less well-lit corners, where some fascinating artists schedule performances. I do my best to give ample advance notice so that you can adjust your budget and calendar in a way that lets you get to […]
Acoustic Asheville: The Felice Brothers
The band put its raw sound to work on its latest album, Life in the Dark, self-recorded in a rented garage on a farm in upstate New York.
Weekend Picks: Friday, Oct. 21 – Sunday, Oct. 23
Whether you are raring to go to the Women & Money Conference, a scary open mic, a benefit in a castle, or a low country boil, Asheville has you covered this weekend! Check out this list of weekend highlights and visit the Mountain Xpress Community Calendar for a complete list of weekend events! FRIDAY ‘SCARY […]
Country for Syria creates a unique sound that blends musical traditions
Country for Syria, an Istanbul-based international music collective, blends traditional Middle Eastern sounds with American country.
Q+A with LEAF performer Beats Antique
What to expect from Beats Antique’s Friday performance? “Instead of an LED screen, we have giant geometric lanterns that glow and pulse with our music, and a shadow screen that we use with cutouts and our own bodies.”
Smart bets: Fish & Friends featuring Jane Kramer and Eliza Sidney
The fifth iteration of this local live music showcase is at Salvage Station on Tuesday, Oct. 25.
Q+A with LEAF performers from Clan Destiny Circus
The Asheville-based group redefines circus theater by involving artists of all kinds — dancers, musicians, visual artists and circus performers — to collaborate, teach and perform.
Esperanza Spalding brings ‘Emily’s D+Evolution’ to Asheville
Esperanza Spalding had, in fact, already recorded much of Emily’s D+Evolution before deciding to work with a co-producer. “I didn’t know if this record was valid, or if it was any good to anybody other than me,” Spalding says. She knew she didn’t want to work with someone intent on making her music “sound like a jazz record.”
Smart bets: Asheville Symphony Orchestra
Conducted by Daniel Meyer, the Halloween-appropriate performance is at the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium on Saturday, October 22.
Q+A with LEAF performer Lisa Zahiya
“I think my favorite LEAF was the last time Beats Antique was there. I am lucky enough to dance with the band on the East Coast. It was raining outside and inside the tent the energy was awesome.”
Q+A with LEAF performer Jimbo Mathus of Squirrel Nut Zippers
“I have been fortunate enough to recruit among the best of the best musicians and entertainers from the Southeast, particularly New Orleans,” says Jimbo Mathus. “The new show is a realization of all of the potential that lay in the material that we wrote and performed 20 years ago. It is truly a dream come true.”
Q+A with LEAF band The Hip Abduction
The Hip Abduction is based in St. Petersburg, Fla., but the indie-pop-meets-roots and reggae outfit is no stranger to Western North Carolina.
Q+A with LEAF performers The Space Cowboys and Cosmic Girls
The Space Cowboys and Cosmic Girls, a local dance-funk-pop-fusion band, perform the music of the London-based acid jazz band, Jamoriquai. Keith Harry and Matt McCue spoke about their 10-piece lineup, which hopes to spark a dance frenzy.
Acoustic Asheville: Willie DE
The musician is set to release his second solo record, Thunder Train, on Friday, Oct. 25.
Q+A with LEAF performer Ethan Crump
In advance of the fall iteration of LEAF, held at Lake Eden in Black Mountain, Xpress is talking with a number of LEAF performers about their work and what they have in store for the weekend-long music and art festival.
Q+A with LEAF performer Crystal Bright
The band’s haunting and mystical sound exudes folkloric qualities accompanied by a wide assortment of instruments such as the musical saw, the adungu — a Ugandan harp — and the guitarlike vihuela, common to Mariachi groups.
Weekend Picks: Friday, Oct. 14 – Sunday, Oct. 16
Whether you are gearing up for Halloween with a walking tour of Riverside Cemetery or just wanting to enjoy some autumn cider at CiderFest, this weekend will not disappoint! There are plenty of shows, gallery exhibition openings and family events to choose from. Check out this list of weekend highlights and visit the Mountain Xpress […]
Fantastic Negrito brings ‘The Last Days of Oakland’ to Asheville
The story of Fantastic Negrito is the stuff of Hollywood legends, but it has the distinction of being true. The man born Xavier Dphrepaulezz taught himself to play a multitude of instruments, scored a record deal, made a good album that stiffed, had a car wreck and nearly died, worked his way back to health, reinvented himself musically and got himself discovered all over again.
LEAF celebrates creativity and connection
“What we’re hoping to accomplish with this festival is really empowering people to remember that coming together in a positive way is important,” says Ehren Cruz, performing arts director. “We don’t have to be pro or against anything, we can just be for human connection.”