Leading up to the 2013 Christmas Jam, we’re running a series of Q&A interviews with some of the performing artists. Here, we talk to saxophonist Ron Holloway.
Christmas Jam Q&A: Bill Evans
Leading up to the 2013 Christmas Jam, we’re running a series of Q&A interviews with some of the performing artists. Here, we talk to saxophonist Bill Evans.
The 31st Annual Bernstein Family Christmas Spectacular starts tomorrow
Click through to learn how to win a pair of tickets for opening night.
Five (or more) Questions with Free Radio
Local hip-hop band Free Radio, fronted by Austin Haynes and Johnny Reynolds, will play the exclusive Pre-Jam (kicking off the Warren Haynes Christmas Jam) this Thursday. In advance of the show, Austin talks to Xpress about Free Radio’s new as-yet-to-be-named backing band, what it means to represent Asheville at the Christmas Jam, and why sharing a stage with his uncle is such a big deal. Photo by Nick King.
Dirty work
Edgy, existential and eclectic, adult puppet show “Sh*tfarmer” (performed on Dec. 6) offered salve for modern day angst.
Asheville Yoga Center screens documentary for charity
Asheville Yoga Center will screen the documentary One Track Heart: The Story of Krishna Das, which chronicles the world-renowned spiritual teacher and Grammy-nominated recording artist’s life on Dec. 13 and 14. Proceeds from the event benefit Shoulder to Shoulder, a nonprofit that provides health care services in Honduras.
Still going strong: Christmas Jam celebrates 25 years of benefit concerts with two-night blowout
Reflecting on his 25 years of annual Christmas Jam benefit concerts, Warren Haynes says there’s been “too many highlights to list.” The event’s grown from a small concert at the now-defunct 45 Cherry nightclub into one of the city’s biggest entertainment events, held this year on Friday and Saturday, Dec. 13-14, at the U.S. Cellular Center. With proceeds going to Habitat for Humanity, the shows are meant to celebrate Asheville’s philanthropic and artistic values, says Haynes.
Winged songs
It’s hard to understand a kirtan concert if you haven’t experienced it firsthand. But if anyone is equipped to describe the experience, it’s Asheville-based, nationally known musician and chant artist Kristin Luna Ray. “Everyone is singing,” she explains. “Everyone becomes the band. There is full participation, and then magic happens in a different way.” Ray […]
Smart Bets: Everything is Terrible
How about a little holiday jeer? Everything Is Terrible, a psychedelic found-footage comedy tour, promises, "A millennium's worth of VHS memories of misplaced sentimentalities, fistfights over Toys for Tots, erotic Santas, Nazi elves and an endless parade of singing kids [who] will surely destroy everything." Plus, puppets, Jerry Maguire, cloaks and new VHS finds. Check […]
Art as medicine
Artist Caty Carlin believes that “textile-making is a direct connection to healing,” adding, “Cloth was the medium through which I found sacredness.” And while textiles are Carlin’s preferred mode of expression, she maintains that the therapeutic process is in the creation of all art, regardless of the medium. She hopes to harness this healing power […]
Smart Bets: Poetry Reading at BMCM+AC
Asheville is in a long-term relationship with poetry, from the verses of Thomas Wolfe and the raucous ’90s-era poetry slam days, to the work of LEAF in Schools & Streets and the Juniper Bends reading series. The Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center carries on the tradition (as well as the legacy of Black […]
The gift that keeps on giving
William Sydney Porter, better known by the pen name O. Henry, led a fascinating life. He coined the term “banana republic,” spent five years in prison and worked as a pharmacist, bank teller and journalist. Born in Greensboro, N.C., he frequently visited Asheville and is buried in Riverside Cemetery. But if the name O. Henry […]
Smart Bets: Fist Fam with Hank West & the Smokin’ Hots
In a recent Q&A with Xpress, Ronny Mac of local hip-hop collective Fist Fam talked about the group's move from San Francisco back to Asheville. "We have more time on our hands to focus on music: That would be the biggest difference. We have been a large crew over the years and have gone through […]
Marching into the festive season
The Asheville Holiday Parade made its way through downtown on Saturday, Nov. 23. It was the 67th iteration of the annual event that brought out marching bands, floats, cyclists, roller skaters, martial artists, dancers, jugglers and, of course, the big man in the red suit. Despite chilly temperatures, crowds gathered along Biltmore and Patton Avenues […]
Smart Bets: Marley Carroll
Although Sings, the new album by local producer Marley Carroll, was released earlier this week, it's already had some prominent exposure. Stereogum streamed the record, while Rolling Stone shared the itchy, dancey indie-pop track, "Speed Reader." While we in Asheville are not strangers to Carroll's genius, his prowess as a band leader and his stellar […]
Markets, tours and Christmases past
Cool Craft Holiday Market — Join 40 of the Asheville area’s finest craft artists, jewelers and potters at HandMade in America’s second Cool Craft Holiday Market. This year, the market adds food artisans to that list. HandMade partners with Blue Ridge Food Ventures to bring artisanal bites, along with jams and other treats in jars […]
Christmas Jam Q & A (compilation of highlights)
We asked a variety of performers playing at Christmas Jam a few questions. Here’s a sample of those conversations. To read the complete interviews, and for more coverage of the Jam as it unfolds, visit avl.mx/xmasjam. Xpress: Who are you most excited to jam with at Christmas Jam? Jerry Depizzo (OAR multi-instrumentalist): I'd be happy […]
An Evening of Music for Mission and MANNA: Hometown Holiday Jam XIII plays The Orange Peel
Rock hunger away this holiday with Michael Barnes & Friends, Marc Keller Band, Sons of Ralph, Ryan Perry-Band, Mother Soul, Joe Lasher Jr., Rory Kelly’s Triple Threat and Slick Willie for the 13th annual Hometown Holiday Jam, presented by Asheville Musicians Coalition and Mountain Xpress.
Armed forces
Last Saturday afternoon, Desoto Lounge held its second women’s arm wrestling tournament. If the event was one of the west side’s best kept secrets, it won’t be for long.
Christmas Jam Q&A: Jeff Sipe (Aquarium Rescue Unit)
Leading up to the 2013 Christmas Jam, we’re running a series of Q&A interviews with some of the performing artists. Here, we talk to Aquarium Rescue Unit drummer Jeff Sipe.
Christmas Jam Q&A: Jerry Depizzo (OAR)
Leading up to the 2013 Christmas Jam, we’re running a series of Q&A interviews with some of the performing artists. Here, we talk to OAR saxophonist Jerry Depizzo.
