“Asheville Fringe Festival is an invaluable resource for performers and writers,” says playwright and actor Julian Vorus, whose full-length show The Bog will premiere at The Bebe Theater during Fringe 2014. The organizers, he notes, say, “Try anything: We’ll not only support you, but we’ll make a big deal about it. The Fringe Festival pushes […]
“Bela [Fleck] was very supportive when I told him what we were planning and essentially gave it his blessing,” says Blu-Bop band leader and banjoist Hank Smith. “He said those were some of the best years of his life and he was happy that someone else wanted to take up the music and have as […]
Austin-based songwriters Carrie Elkin and Danny Schmidt’s poetic-yet-relatable lyrics and raw-but-sweet vocals are a match made in country-folk heaven. The Austin Chronicle calls Elkin “an earthy combination of strength and compassion … reminiscent of the winsome beauty created by a young Nanci Griffith,” while Schmidt is lauded as a “timeless troubadour in the tradition of […]
It didn’t work out that way, but the songs on Southeastern would have made for a fine acoustic album. Jason Isbell’s fourth effort since departing the Drive-By Truckers is all about raw and desperate emotions: loneliness, confusion, dejection. Intense feelings that would have contrasted powerfully with spare strums and an unadorned croon, a power apparent […]
When Sarah Addison Allen sat down to write Lost Lake, her first novel in three years, she began with an image: Spanish moss. “I knew I wanted to go someplace swampy and wet,” Allen says, and so Lost Lake was born — a fading resort on the outskirts of a small Georgia town. For the […]
Far be it from The Grey Eagle to let an important birthday go unnoticed. For the fifth year running, jazz fans will put on their party hats, lace up their dancing shoes and pay tribute to the musical genius that was Django Reinhardt. And because this is the birthday celebration for one of history’s greatest […]
The term outsider art is most commonly used to describe visionary, untrained and self-taught artists. More specifically, those artists deeply rooted in a regional vernacular and operating “outside” of the world of art museums, criticism and arts education. So it may come as a surprise that an exhibition stocked with outsider works by the likes […]
RBTS WIN (pictured) is a chillwave, electronic and pop-influenced feast of synthesizers, beat machines, guitars and smooth-as-silk vocals. The two friends and musicians, Javi Bolea and Cliff Worsham, released full-length album Palm Sunday last July. The duo’s latest offering is an ethereal, swirling exploration of beats and melody with clear themes of love, spirit and […]
What Kristian Bush remembers from playing The Grey Eagle 10 years ago was that the green room was so cold, his mandolin kept going out of tune. He’d started playing mandolin because there were two other guitarists in the band — a then little-known project called Sugarland. Bush’s Wednesday, Jan. 29, revisiting of that (now […]
To celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Asheville’s 2014 Peace March and Rally began today around noon, starting at the St. James AME Church, winding through downtown to Pack Square and concluding with music and speeches.
Colin Meloy (aka the singer and songwriter for The Decemberists) and Carson Ellis (aka the acclaimed illustrator of The Mysterious Benedict Society) are the husband-and-wife team behind bestselling fastasy-adventure series, “Wildwood Chronicals.” Their reading tour for book III, “Wildwood Imperium,” brings them to Malaprop’s on Saturday, Feb. 8 for a ticketed event.
The latest album from Ryan Barrington Cox is comfortable in both its weirdness and its hooky popness, pairing unusual instrumentation with rhythmic jangle. Cox will play at French Broad Brewery on Friday, Jan. 24, from 6-8 p.m.
The Feral Chihuahuas present a special show (not to be seen again) on the LaZoom bus. Performances are at 1:30 and 4 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 26 and Feb. 9.
Acoustic duo Lucrezio is the project of wife-and-husband musicians Jennifer Lucrezio and Jordan Bumgarner. The two met with Jennifer decided to turn her solo piano-pop act into a full band and began auditioning players. Turned out, they connected not only musically but romantically, and the rest of that story can be found in their albums, videos and live show. Catch the latter at Altamont Brewing on Thursday, Jan. 30. 8 p.m., free show.
This weekend is all about honoring Martin Luther King, Jr., “The Science of Music and Sound” and rescuing area huskies.
Mountain Xpress and Sherwood’s Music are partnering to showcase local musicians through a series of stripped-down performances for the web. This week Flora Checknoff, Michael Flanagan and Erica Schinasi from Holy Holy Vine perform “Board Paste.”
Shorty Can’t Eat Books releases a video for the song “Breakdown” in advance of the band’s album release show at The LAB. Saturday, Jan. 18, at 9:30 p.m., with The Dark Shave. Photo from the band’s Facebook page.
Sandlin Gaither’s 10 years of musical portraits at The Grey Eagle. All photos by Gaither.
Laugh track: Local promoter Joe Greene believes that “the cultivation of diverse audiences can create positive exchanges and foster equity for all community residents in Asheville.” After a yearlong break, he’s back with a comedy show featuring Tyler Craig. Photo by Jon Farmer Asheville likes to celebrate diversity, and we’ve got the bumper stickers to […]
Cary Morin’s music has been described as “Native Americana fingerstyle blues.” If you have trouble imagining what that means exactly, it’s worth finding out. Morin performs original music that draws inspiration in part from his Native American heritage, complemented by his unique takes on some covers. And while his warm vocals and heartfelt lyrics certainly […]
With contemporary dance works ranging from soft and tender to athletic and fierce, Eisenhower Dance company combines dramatic choreography with striking technique to create performances that have been lauded by critics. According to a press release, Asheville audiences can expect a diverse lineup of works, including an innovative piece by Laurie Eisenhower that “utilizes old […]
