The collection aims to evoke thoughts on both individual experience and the “collective unconscious” as they relate to the colorful spectrum of dream states.
Langhorne Slim on songwriting, collaborating and getting grounded
Folk-rock troubadour Langhorne Slim is known for spending nine months of the year on the road. He’s a true road warrior who’s built a dedicated fan base through constant touring, lots of festival dates and live shows that pair roadhouse grit with tent revival soul — and he’ll return to The Grey Eagle on Thursday, April 30.
Asheville Wordfest shifts focus to local speakers, Wolfe inspirations
The 2015 Wordfest takes place Friday, May 1, and Saturday, May 2, at Lenoir-Rhyne University’s Asheville campus. The festival is a chance to see narrative as a connective force across communities and this year’s theme is an expansion of what many authors live for and love — community, creativity and Asheville itself.
Smart bets: The Ghost Wolves
The Austin-based couple’s latest effort, Man, Woman, Beast, marks their first full-length album and offers “more of a complete picture of where we are at as a band.”
Smart bets: Asheville Magic Festival
From illusionists to jugglers, conjurers to balloon artists, storytellers to face painters, the second Asheville Magic Festival brings more than 20 entertainers downtown for a “nonstop celebration of wonder.”
French Broad River Festival and RiverMusic return
It’s official. Festival season is here, marked by two favorite local spring celebrations. Both show boatloads of love for the French Broad River: RiverLink’s RiverMusic series, which began in 2012, and French Broad River Festival, now in its 18th year of raising river awareness.
Funk-pop collective EMEFE plays Pisgah Brewing Co., May 6
New York-based eight-piece funk-pop outfit EMEFE is not exactly new to Asheville. From shows at Asheville Music Hall to kicking off last year’s RiverMusic series, the band has made the round of local stages. EMEFE returns to Pisgah Brewing Co. on Wednesday, May 6, just a day after releasing a new self-titled full-length album.
5 questions (LEAF edition) with Travers Brothership
LEAF is almost here — the festival’s 40th iteration runs Thursday-Sunday, May 7-10. In advance, Xpress is talking to performers about what they have planned and why being part of LEAF’s 20th anniversary is so special.
Faces in the crowd: WNC crowdfunding inititatives
Each week, Xpress highlights notable WNC crowdsourcing initiatives that may inspire readers to become new faces in the crowd. This week features a milestone for a 15 year old guitarist and a youth guidance organization providing free opportunities for children.
Sound check: Mikey Wax
Singer-songwriter Mikey Wax recently performed at The Altamont Theatre. His songs have aired on TV shows like “Keeping Up with the Kardashians,” “So You Think You Can Dance,” “Pretty Little Liars” and “Switched at Birth,” and he’s known for playing house parties.
Elephant Revival plays New Mountain, April 30
It seems unlikely that a washboard would be the thing to set a band apart. But that’s kind of the case with indie-folk act Elephant Revival. Bonnie Paine’s washboard gives the band its shimmying percussive sound.
5 Questions (LEAF edition) with Fox & Beggar Theater
LEAF is almost here — the festival’s 40th iteration runs Thursday-Sunday, May 7-10. In advance, Xpress is talking to performers about what they have planned and why being part of LEAF’s 20th anniversary is so special.
Stand Against Racism event: Author Cynthia Yancey reads from ‘Zak & Niki’ at Spellbound
On Saturday, April 25, at Spellbound Children’s Bookshop in Woodfin, local author Cynthia Yancey will read from her new book Zak and Niki: A First Look at Rising above Racism. The reading is one of many events featured in the YWCA of Asheville’s Stand Against Racism events.
Best Of WNC memories, part 2
In part 1, we revisited purple wigs, long-suffering pets, long-lost eateries and the 2004 demand for more adult entertainment. But we’ll try to keep things wholesome for this next look back at Best Of’s past.
Theater Review: “A Streetcar Named Desire” at Asheville Community Theatre
Before a word is uttered on stage, the audience is awe-struck by the set. Constructed by Jack Lindsay, it fills the wide ACT stage. It looks and feels like it has been plucked out of New Orleans circa 1950 and dropped into downtown Asheville.
Perennial buskers Midnight Snack to make their indoor debut at Foggy Mountain Brew Pub
It’s hard to say whether Midnight Snack’s infectious busking sets are more likely to add a bit of pep to the pedestrian pace or to halt it altogether. Either way, the self-described art rock quintet, which made the move from Boston to Asheville several months ago, has been steadily building a presence among downtown’s streetside stages.
Sound track: “Stars and Dust” by Songs of Water
Stars and Dust, the new album by Songs of Water (out in June), is not easy listening — which is not to say it’s un easy listening. But these 10 tracks demand attention. From the first staccato notes of “11 Miles,” the album is a journey, transportive and transformative.
Best Of WNC memories, part 1
Your Best of WNC votes actually create a historic narrative of our region — albeit an often humorous one.
Asheville’s Kickstarter report card
Friends, family and fools are frequently cited as the most promising sources of capital for small businesses. And that networking approach to financing — called crowdfunding when it’s leveraged online — seems to suit Ashevilleans, who’ve raised almost $2 million to date for creative ventures funded via Kickstarter.
Music Video Asheville spotlights local musicians and videographers
“On Wednesday, April 29, Diana Wortham Theatre will roll out the red carpet — literally — for local musicians and videographers. Those artists will pull up in stylish cars on loan from Harmony Motors and step out, dressed to the nines, to a swarm of waiting photographers (“paparazzi”) whose pictures soon end up as Facebook profile shots for many participants.”
AB Tech’s Rhapsodist celebrates its fourth year of publication
There’s more to The Rhapsodist than just getting student submissions (and some faculty offerings) into print. Students who produce the journa learn layout and graphic design, dealing with printers and publicizing the magazine (including producing videos for airing on the A-B Tech student channel), among other things. And according to the students, the journal inspires dedication and commitment.