Jill Andrews return to The Grey Eagle on Friday, opening for Sean Watkins of Nickel Creek (currently on his solo tour), was — not surprisingly — pretty comfortable.
Acoustic Asheville: Caroline Rose
Singer-Songwriter Caroline Rose recently opened up for Shovels & Rope at The Orange Peel. Xpress was able to capture two songs — including a brand new song called “Goodbye May” — exclusively for Acoustic Asheville before the show. Here, Rose is accompanied by Brett Lanier on lap steel. Goodbye May American Religious
Faces in the crowd: WNC crowdfunding campaigns
Each week, Xpress highlights notable WNC crowdsourcing initiatives that may inspire readers to become new faces in the crowd. This week features singer and guitarist Dulci Ellenberger’s debut solo effort, the 10-can percussion troupe’s upcoming collaboration with composer Andy Smith and a kid-friendly introduction to computer programming by inventor Dan Alich.
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 […]
Sound track: “Sunday Best” by Fashion Bath
From the knuckle-pop percussion and the fuzzed-out opening lyrics of “The Kids,” Fashion Bath‘s newest release, Sunday Best is full of intrigue, dark shimmer and reticent importance. The EP is a mix of astute alt-pop (like “The Kids,” with its almost-slowdance beat and buzzy, heady melody) and explosive, driving noise-rockers (like “Funny Feeling,” with its […]
Orbit DVD celebrates its birthday with free “Everything is Terrible” show, Feb. 27
There are really strange things on YouTube. You try find Kanye’s latest rant and before you know it, you’ve lost half a day down the rabbit hole of fashion shows, cartoon horses, Kid ‘N Play videos and “Alf” reruns. In a way, that’s the premise for Everything is Terrible!, “the internet sensation video collective responsible […]
Theater Review: “Death And The Maiden” at HART
The sparse staging of Ariel Dorfman’s Death and the Maiden, performed in the Haywood Arts Region Theatre‘s new Feichter Studio, puts the focus on a trio of actors. They are confronted by harrowing pasts and deadly choices in the present that may bend the future of a recently democratized nation. The use of an old […]
Smart bets: Lori Horvitz
“At 19, I was a rebel, a long way from that shy girl in the Long Island hot pink bedroom,” writes local author Lori Horvitz in her new book, The Girls of Usually. “To prove it, I shaved stripes into my hairy legs.” The collection of memoir essays, at once witty and self-effacing, follows Horvitz […]
Décorum: What the Arts & Crafts Conference offers to locals and their homes
The DIY aesthetic is not just a product of indie craft shows. Asheville residents, always in close proximity to mountain handicrafts, were primed for the Arts and Crafts movement more than a century ago. That trend toward quality and craftsmanship came about in response to the industrialization that gripped the end of the Victorian era. […]
Theater Review: Seminar by Rarely Theatre
Rarely Theatre’s cast for its second outing is a who’s who assembled from a variety of other companies. Theatergoers will recognize the names behind the scintillating production of Theresa Rebeck’s Seminar — an evening of theater that is both thought-provoking and wildly entertaining in a voyeuristic and slightly sadistic way. Director Scott Keel’s talented group […]
Grammy nominee 23 Skidoo makes red carpet worst dressed lists
Kid-hop artist Secret Agent 23 Skidoo — formerly of Asheville and now based in California — recently topped various worst dressed lists compiled from red carpet looks at the 2015 Grammys ceremony. Skidoo was nominated for a Grammy in the Best Children’s Album category for his record, The perfect Quirk, which was recorded at Echo […]
Smart bets: The Three Davids
The accomplishments of renowned local musicians David Holt, David Wilcox and David LaMotte are impressive singularly. Collectively, the trio (performing as The Three Davids) boasts thousands of performances across the globe, endless collaborations with roots notables, dozens of lauded records and even a handful of Grammy Awards from Holt. First names aside, the three find […]
Smart bets: Jonathan Odell
Wednesday, Feb. 4, marked the 102nd birthday of Rosa Parks and the release of novelist Jonathan Odell’s Miss Hazel and the Rosa Parks League. It’s perfect timing for a work exploring the eventual bond of two distraught women, one black and one white, living and working together in pre-civil rights Mississippi. “Each woman spends her […]
Phosphorescent bluegrass: The Punch Brothers tackle 21st-century smartphone stress
Chris Thile stays pretty busy. When Mountain Xpress caught up with him, the McArthur genius and virtuoso mandolinist was just about to board a plane for St. Paul, Minn. There, his band Punch Brothers was scheduled to perform, and Thile was slotted to guest-host A Prairie Home Companion for a couple of weeks. The variety […]
Hearts Gone South hosts monthly Country Night at The Mothlight
Pie Walk fever is going around — have you caught it? A cornerstone of the monthly Country Night at The Mothlight, the traditional game of musical chairs (in which the last person with a seat wins a pie from Sweetheart Bakery) has become famous for its fierce competition. “All kinds of dirty tricks abound,” says […]
Smart bets: Product of the ’20s Fashion Show
Can any decade beat that 1920s-era allure? “Experience the glitz and glamor of the Jazz Age as models walk the runway in 1920s-inspired fashion by Asheville designers and boutiques,” says the Product of the ’20s Fashion Show Facebook event page. Following a cocktail social hour with jazz by Simone Bernhard, more than 30 runway models […]
For JD McPherson, making old-school rock is a labor of love
JD McPherson — who plays The Grey Eagle on Saturday, Feb. 21 — instills his music with the same visceral danger that marked the earliest rock music cuts. And he honors those midcentury sounds with impeccable precision. Just don’t call it retro.
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 one musician’s quest to harness crystals’ healing powers in instruments and a concerned mother’s healthy chocolate company launch.
First rate Second Line: Asheville’s Mardi Gras marching band
The Asheville Mardi Gras parade makes its through downtown this weekend (read about the parade and other festivities here). But even though this particular celebration marches to the beat of a very different drummer, it wouldn’t be a parade without a band. And it wouldn’t be a Mardi Gras parade without a second line band […]
Sound Check: Woody Pines
Roots musician Woody Pines used to live in Asheville. If you don’t recognize the titles of his ragtime-meets-country-meets-jazz albums (Counting Alligators, You Gotta Roll and Rabbit’s Motel), you’d probably recognize Pines and his group from their countless performances on Asheville’s streets and stages. But not too long ago, the musician packed up and moved to […]
Oh, dear! Asheville celebrates Valentine’s on Twitter
Yesterday, @ashevillehaikus tweeted: Please use the hashtag #avlvalentine or put in @ashevillehaikus so I can RT everything to compile this years list. #avl #asheville Not long after that, hearty, local-flavored yearnings began flowing. And they still are. To follow the stream, go here. For just a taste of the spirit, here are a few highlights: […]