The struggle embodied by Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain — and caused by the opposing forces of creating for progress versus profits, genuineness versus marketing genius, art versus money — plays the main stage in Caress’ debut book The Day Alternative Music Died.
Look for apparel from Charles Josef, Angela Kim, McKinney Gough, Anna Gordon, Tricia M. Ellis and the design team at House of Fabrics, among others at Asheville Fashion Week.
For only $36 bucks — assuming you take advantage of presale discounts — you can take in all four of these fine shows. Two feature touring acts from out of town; two spotlight locally based artists whose renown extends far beyond Western North Carolina.
Singer-songwriter Shane Cooley is from Northern Neck, Va., but recently made his home in Austin, Texas. He’s about to embark on a tour that takes him from Texas to New York and back south to Louisiana. Cooley and his band, The Lucky Kings, play Jack of the Wood on Sunday, Aug. 9
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 Valerie Meiss performs “Space and Time.”
The show is filled with hard-to-believe conceits and antics, including cross-dressing, mixed-up identities and a few predictable twists. There are just enough sincerely sweet plot lines to make the more loony parts palatable. Regardless, the show had the audience swaying, clapping and cheering at every leg-twisting, hip-shaking turn.
Like the event’s name, the entertainment lineup pays homage to the musical legacy of the Big Easy, with jazzy performances by Pamela Jones, Empire Strikes Brass, Bronze + Ebony Dance Company and the Business.
The revamped Slayer is as popular as ever, as proven by the long line of black-and-blue-jeans-clad fans who lined up along Biltmore Avenue to see the legendary rockers play a sold-out show, Tuesday night, at The Orange Peel.
Bishopville, S.C.-based Flossie Boyd Johnson & Favor perform at The Double Crown on Thursday, July 30, as part of the venue’s monthly soul gospel night.
The free LEAF Downtown AVL festival, held Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 1 and 2, features high-profile performers like Bootsy Collins’ Rubber Band and Red Baraat. There are also many local acts and a focus on area communities and initiatives.
California-based kid-hop artist (and former Ashevillean) Secret Agent 23 Skidoo will be backed by Yo Mama’s Big Fat Booty Band for an Aug. 1 show at The Orange Peel.
In New Terrain, an exhibition currently on view at Blue Spiral 1, the sculptures of Hoss Haley and Robyn Horn suggest the structural underpinnings of a landscape in their geometry, and like the graceful prints of Hannah Skoonberg, the art objects themselves function as enacted landscapes. Painter Charles Ladson is represented as well.
Theatrical startup the Cardboard Sea debuts “If You Must” at the Magnetic Theatre on Thursday, July 30 at 7:30 p.m., and Friday July 31, and Saturday, Aug. 1, at 7:30 p.m. and 9 p.m.
Taking notes from Spotify’s theorem that people are willing to pay more for on-demand music, two buskers have positioned themselves as Asheville’s ‘ Human Jukebox.’
Each week, Xpress highlights notable WNC crowdsourcing initiatives that may inspire readers to become new faces in the crowd. This week features local singer Emily Bodley’s debut EP and a mobile yarn-arts studio for Alina Shea Creations.
The nine tracks of Elvis Depressedly’s most recent release, New Alhambra run about 20 minutes in total — the 3 1/2 minute title song is the longest. It builds slowly, its arc almost imperceptible until a particularly contemplative melody rings through the ambient hum.