Celebrating the release of her new six-song EP, “Get Bothered,” local singer-songwriter Easterly took to the Lexington Avenue Brewery stage on Saturday night. Photo by Julia Ritchey.
The WNC craft economy
The Western North Carolina Craft industry isn’t easy to quantify. But in 2008, several area organizations worked together to produce a report — the WNC Craft Index. Here are a few highlights.
Handmade: WNC’s craft legacy
Art, vision and business go hand in hand in Western North Carolina’s craft industry.
Deep roots, many branches: The family tree of wood craft in WNC
This story is part of this week’s special Craft issue, “Handmade in WNC.” Pictured: Street scene around 5 Walnut Wine Bar by Brian Monteleone, image courtesy of the artist.
Out of the box and onto the stage
Moog Music is known for its instruments. More specifically, analog synthesizers, the ones designed originally by Dr. Robert Moog and that carry his name. But even the best synthesizer is only as good as the musician playing it. Composer Wendy Carlos is credited with introducing the Moog synthesizer to the general public by way of […]
Pride and no prejudice
Shawna Morey remembers attending the very first Blue Ridge Pride Festival back in 2009. Since then, she says, “It’s gotten huge.” But the annual event is only one of the many ways Blue Ridge Pride, an Asheville-based nonprofit, works to promote local acceptance of the LGBTQ community. “We filed for power of attorney at Blue […]
Art meets madness
The Fitzgeralds (F. Scott and Zelda) have been in the collective consciousness a lot lately. There was the Baz Luhrmann remake of The Great Gatsby this spring; the May publication of both Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald and Call Me Zelda; and recently NPR’s “Morning Edition” ran a story on the Fitzgerald’s “dark chapter […]
Welcome to the gun show
Big, brash Broadway-style musicals aren’t up everyone’s alley — when people gnash their teeth about musicals, they’re usually railing against gaudy showtunes. What’s interesting is that this kind of passionate, misinformed point-of-view often creates an equally fanatical set of theatergoers on the other end of the spectrum — the kind who adore big dance numbers, […]
Smart Bets: Jimmy Landry’s 5th annual Big Birthday Bash at White Horse
In 2008, local singer-songwriter Jimmy Landry was diagnosed with congestive heart failure and given six months to live. That’s the bad news. The good news is that he’s beating the odds and commemorating each milestone — a tradition that began after that first frightening pronouncement. “When my birthday came along in October, I thought about […]
Smart Bets: Spencer Herr
“Layers of acrylic, crudely scratched lines and deftly drawn/painted detail construct his figurative images,” says the bio of local artist Spencer Herr. It’s a description that barely scratches the surface of the painter’s haunting work. Men and women, seemingly culled from long-forgotten nursery rhymes, emerge from dark canvases and swirls of thick paint. Vivid pinks […]
Smart Bets: Doc Aquatic at Emerald Lounge
Local psychedelic/indie-rock trio Doc Aquatic is no stranger to recorded music: The group’s Bandcamp page boasts three EPs — Memories, Distance Means and, most recently, three-song offering Tombs. The band (brothers JC and Zack Hayes on guitar and drums respectively, and Charles Gately on bass and synthesizers) has expanded Tombs to nine tracks for its […]
Smart Bets: The Emerald Ball
No need to survive a tornado or follow a yellow-brick road or battle a wicked witch: The Emerald City is well within reach. Well, at least the Emerald Ball is. This year’s iteration of the Asheville Area Arts Council’s annual Color Ball fundraiser takes place in Pink Dog Creative (including the AAAC Gallery, Randy Shull’s […]
Calendar Highlights
The business of craft
Craft is a loaded term, as far as the arts are concerned. It carries descriptive weight, yet deceptive weight that is all-encompassing and still means so little. And the term “craft” is frequently used to describe products and producers the same way that it describes art and artists. “There’s a lot of reverence for the […]
Crafty happenings: Celebrate American Craft Week close to home
It’s American Craft Week, Oct. 4-13, and in Western North Carolina, there are many ways to celebrate it and explore.
Tip toe through the studios
Downtown Asheville Art Walk Stroll through dozens of galleries, studios and museums within a half-mile radius of downtown Asheville. Held on the first Friday of each month, April through Dec. ashevilledowntowngalleries.org River Arts District 2nd Saturdays and studio strolls Meander through Asheville's River Arts District for monthly art demonstrations, open studios and classes. Held on […]
craft calendar highlights
Clubland features: Shine Brothers, Femcare benefit, Skunk Ruckus
Craftspeople answer the question: What are you working on?
As part of our Oct. 2 Craft Issue, we asked local craft artists to describe their recent work. Here are a few that we featured in the print edition: Ray Jones, Tom Shields, Lesley Keeble, Ed Beyers and Holden McCurry, Rebecca Kempson and Gertrude Graham Smith
Sound Track web extra: Sigur Rós
Relive Saturday’s stunning concert at the U.S. Cellular Center. The 12-member Icelandic band performed a gorgeous and transformative 100-minute set. Photos by Yeager St. John.
Sound Track web extra: No Way to Live
American Gonzos hold a record release show for their new album on Saturday, Oct. 5 at The Lab.