Along with craft beer, the drum circle and a nun on a tall bike, outdoor event spaces are primed to become one of Asheville’s defining factors. But unlike other venues located on the outskirts of the city, New Mountain plans to implement an outdoor stage within the walkable area of downtown Asheville.
Catie Curtis was dubbed a “folk-rock goddess” by The New Yorker — an impressive title that still doesn’t manage to sum up the singer-songwriter’s remarkable career.
As downloading and digital streaming continue to consume the music industry, more and more artists and boutique producers are embracing that transition by turning to alternative means of preserving the physicality of the album, from vinyl records to cassette tapes. Now books are getting into the mix.
Theatrical facial expressions and expressive gesticulations take jazz vocalist Annie Sellick’s onstage storytelling abilities over the top, transforming each song into a personal conversation with the crowd.
A literary smorgasbord, the seventh annual Blue Ridge Bookfest will host a variety of sessions exploring the art and business of the written word.
With drummer Kirby Sybert and bassist Noah Skaroff replacing the former rotating cast of musicians, Reed Kendall says his Philadelphia-based rock band Up the Chain is using consistency and trust as a platform for progress. The group’s first record together, Windows Into Worlds, honors this new chapter.
Combs and his band opened for Nicki Bluhm & The Gramblers at New Mountain on Saturday as part of the after-party following moe. on the venue’s outdoor stage. The crowd was party-weary from several hours of live music and beer, but seemed instantly entranced by the opening notes of “Foolin’.”
Each week, Xpress highlights notable WNC crowdsourcing initiatives that may inspire readers to become new faces in the crowd. This week features local musician Stephen Evans’ debut solo album, a print magazine by UNC Asheville students and a new record by Hank West and the Smokin’ Hots.
The musical thread that weaves this diverse collection of live acts is simple: fun. Different kinds of fun, to be sure — funk, noir-pop, early rock ‘n’ roll and something delightfully unclassifiable.
Although it’s not an autobiography — or a “how-to” guide, although nuggets of journalistic wisdom do make appearances — How to Talk to Rockstars draws heavily on Marshall’s lengthy music-writing career.
Craft isn’t something most people commonly associate with performance, much less activism. But the two couldn’t be a better fit for Gabriel Craig, a Detroit-based metalsmith, jeweler, writer and, most importantly, a craft activist.
Asheville is about to get pied — in the hand. Business partners Vincent Gagnon and Matt Bailey, who recently launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund their business opening, have lofty goals of becoming Asheville’s first exclusive pie purveyors.
” I noticed that both the cover designer and photographer were credited, but nowhere could I find a caption about the photo subject.”
Vocalist Nastasia Griffin grew up in Asheville but is currently based in Los Angeles pursuing her music career.
“This is to alert your readers to a performance far above what is commonly available. The N.C. Stage Company is putting on An Iliad through April 19.”
In an ongoing effort to connect those dispersed communities, the Appalachian Studies Association held its 38th annual conference last month in Johnson City, Tenn. The one-of-a-kind event unites scholars and musicians, activists and academics, to celebrate the often misunderstood region’s distinctive heritage, culture and physical landscape.
Where do you go when you aspire to more than Western North Carolina can offer? For these four former Ashevilleans, the answer was Los Angeles.
Initial tracking for We All Stay Hungry took place in Asheville at Sound Temple Recording Studios, with the bulk of recording, overdubbing, mixing and mastering completed at Eagle Room. A single, “The Best in You,” featuring a guest vocal by local sensation Lyric, was released on April 1.
If only Matt and Kim had a dollar for every calorie burned onstage. With the release of album New Glow on Tuesday, April 7, the strikingly energetic dance pop duo take their knack for interactive creativity to new heights.
Place The Honeycutters and Foul Mouth Jerk side by side and one can’t help but notice their differences. The former play country roots music while the latter raps and, unless one puts undue emphasis on the “cut” of Honeycutters, even their names reflect opposite sensibilities. But beyond these sonic and stylistic splits, the two Asheville acts have a substantial amount in common.
The Asheville affiliate will celebrate Earth Day and the one-year anniversary of the store’s own expansion by holding the fifth annual Fair Trade Fashion Show.
