The newest effort by Burnsville-based novelist Alan Gratz deals with Persian-American teen Kamran’s whose brother, a suspected terrorist, communicates by means of a code drawn from stories he and Kamran told each other as boys.
Theater Review: “The Jacob Higginbotham Show” at The Magnetic Theatre
The Jacob Higginbotham Show, starring John Crutchfield, is onstage at The Magnetic Theatre through Saturday, Sept. 12, with performances Thursdays to Saturdays, at 7:30 p.m.
Buskers to City: Don’t put art in a box
The streets and squares of Asheville were quieter than usual on the afternoon of Monday, Aug. 24. Despite brilliant sunshine and pleasant temperatures, some of the city’s best-known street performers crowded into a meeting room to give City Council members an earful about proposed busking regulations in three high-traffic areas downtown.
Small bites: Festival season comes to a head
Food festival season is upon us, with Organicfest, BaconFest, MusicFest and CiderFest NC just around the corner. Plus, the French Broad Vignerons have named the best wines from the Asheville Wine & Food Festival.
Three artists work in real time during CCCD’s Back to the Drawing Board
The Center for Craft, Creativity and Design’s Back to the Drawing Board series was developed to investigate how the craft object can move beyond a static wall display. The events on Friday and Saturday, Aug. 28 and 29, will be the last in the current four part series. The takeover, as it’s called, includes a trio of artists who will each explore new approaches to traditional craft forms.
Smart bets: Nikki Talley
Talley’s homecoming show will call upon the talents of bassist Bryan White and percussionist Bill Berg for a full band sound. The Grey Eagle hosts the celebration on Saturday, Aug. 29, at 9 p.m.
Zuzu Welsh launches blues festival in Swannanoa
In an effort to help support and raise awareness for the professional scene of which he’s an active member, Welsh has organized the inaugural Valley Music & Cook House Blues Festival on Saturday, Aug. 29. The lineup includes Miranda Clark, The Lowdown, Hurricane Bob, Zuzu Welsh Band, Andrew Scotchie and the River Rats, and Stolen Hearts
N.C.-based Cypher Univercity movement grows in Asheville
Cypher Univercity was started in 2010 at North Carolina State University in Raleigh by MC Mike L!ve. The five year anniversary of the movement will be celebrated — along with the release of FTOLive, a new album from Free the Optimus — at The Orange Peel on Saturday, Aug. 29.
Smart bets: Free Planet Radio and The Opal String Quartet
The two groups’ collaborative album Global Symphony Project — recorded after receipt of a 2014 grant from the Chamber Music America Classical Commissioning Program — will be released during a performance at Isis Restaurant and Music Hall on Friday, Aug. 28, at 8:30 p.m.
Bohemian fashion show transforms Masonic Temple
The Hatchett Creative Group will host CATCHING DREAMS, a bohemian styled fashion show, on Aug. 29 at the Masonic Temple.
Smart bets: Perpetual Groove
The Mantras open the show at Pisgah Brewing Co.’s outdoor stage on Saturday, Aug. 29, at 7 p.m.
Smart bets: Three Days of Light Gathering
The annual Three Days of Light Gathering — now in its fourth year — takes much of what’s great about summer festivals (camping, music, arts and craft vendors, nature) and enhances all of that with an element of spirituality and learning. The festival is held at Camp Grier in Old Fort, from Friday, Aug. 28, to Sunday, Aug. 30.
Faces in the crowd: WNC crowdfunding initiatives
Each week, Xpress highlights notable WNC crowdsourcing initiatives that may inspire readers to become new faces in the crowd. This week features a fortuitous recording opportunity for local busker Chelsea Lynn La Bate and an alternative religious text by Dale Allen Hoffman.
Conscious party: Open Hearts Art Center’s talent show supports the nonprofit’s creative programming
Open Hearts Art Center’s forthcoming talent show features the visual and performance art of the nonprofit organization’s members.
Amplified: Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real
Taking a break from touring as Neil Young’s current backing band, Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real recently brought their adventurous brand of rock ‘n’ roll to The Grey Eagle. As an exclusive for Xpress, the band performed “Carolina” before the show.
Free Planet Radio releases “Ecstatic Verses” video
In celebration of new album Global Symphony Project, a collaboration with The Opal String Quartet, local world music trio Free Planet Radio just released a video for the track “Ecstatic Verses.”
Mountain Xpress and Sherwood’s Music present: Krekel and Whoa (round two)
Our series with Sherwood’s Music — showcasing local musicians through stripped-down performances for the web — is returning for a limited run this summer. This week Krekel and Whoa perform “How Can It Be?”
Celebrating the 1925 Okeh recording sessions in Asheville
The Okeh Record sessions that took place in Asheville nearly 100 years ago. The New York-based label, in a bid to discover lesser-known Southern musicians, took trips to various locations where, with a portable studio, its engineers pressed wax test records. The Asheville session, held the last week of August in 1925, attracted musicians and vocalists from around the region, their styles ranging from jazz and minstrel offerings to gospel and country. A Friday, Aug. 28 concert and talk commemorates the recordings.
Snake Oil Medicine Show reunion/album release, Aug. 21
This year’s Snake Oil Medicine Show reunion concert is also a release party for “The Golden Hour.” Founding members Phil Cheney, Caroline Pond, George and Andy Pond, Jason Krekel and Jay Sanders will be joined by Billy Seawell on drums at Isis Restaurant & Music Hall on Friday, Aug. 21.
State of the Arts: The 2nd Terrain Biennial comes to Asheville
The Terrain Biennial originated in 2011 as a fun way to actively engage the local artistic community in the Oak Park Neighborhood of Chicago. This year it expands to 12 locations in four countries, including an installation in West Asheville by local artist Nora Hartlaub.
Smart bets: Beach Burnout II
Ben’s Tune-Up hosts the free beach bash with a headlining set by surf rock act La Luz on Sunday, Aug. 23, from noon until 10 p.m.