Russ Wilson revisits the music of Paul Whiteman at Diana Wortham Theatre on Saturday, Aug. 31.
A dream deferred
Ashrae Fax’s Static Crash is an electro-pop artifact that still feels fresh. The quartet, which took root in Greensboro but is now spread across North Carolina and Michigan, plays The Odditorium on Friday, Aug. 30.
Ben Bridwell’s solo show
The Band of Horses front man goes on tour as Birdsmell. He plays The LAB on on Wednesday, Nov. 6.
Weed is a weed
Artist Mona Caron brings a resilient type of art to the side of Collapseable Studios.
Magnetic afield
*Photos by Jim R. Moore / Vaudevisuals.com Only a few hours had passed since the Friday night wrap party for the latest Magnetic Theatre production on August 16. But director Steve Samuels and playwright/actor John Crutchfield were already analyzing their remount of Landscape with Missing Person just a little after 8 the next morning, over […]
Music for all
What comes to mind when you think of sheet music? Unless you’re a musician, probably not much. Yet it turns out that printed musical notation can sometimes evoke a range of emotions — from nostalgia to feelings of acceptance. “I’ve had a number of customers who lost all of their music during [Hurricane] Katrina,” says […]
State of the Arts
Note: This article addresses works from the current AAM exhibition "Legacy: The Emily Fisher Landau Collection," which was previously covered by Xpress writer Steph Guinan in her July 9 piece "Big Names, Little Town." After seeing the exhibition I felt the need to address one specific artist's presence and importance. “Legacy: The Emily Fisher Landau […]
Go big or go home
It is said that artists are only limited by their imaginations. Contrary to that famous saying, printmakers are limited by the size of the printing press. That is, until they acquire some construction equipment to help them out. Asheville Bookworks is hosting an event on Saturday, Aug. 31, where eight to 10 artists will be […]
Southern Greek tragedy
I could tell you a thing or two about Sam Lewis, the Nashville-based singer-songwriter who will treat the Isis Retaurant and Music Hall to his seamless blend of country, Southern rock, and soul on Thursday, Aug. 29. But he’s done a much better job of it on “Southern Greek Tragedy” off his self-titled debut. “That’s […]
Smart Bets: Larry and His Flask at Grey Eagle
Folk, punk, gypsy-jazz, soul and brass sounds all find a place in the sonic gumbo that is Redmond, Ore.-based Larry and His Flask. Worth noting: There is no Larry to be found among the five members (brothers Jeshua and Jamin Marshall with Ian Cook, Andrew Carew and Dallin Bulkley). There is, likely, a flask or […]
Smart Bets: Pontiak, Golden Void and Nate Hall
Bands with siblings are definitely a thing, though bands of all siblings are few and far between — The Jackson 5, The 5 Browns and Hanson. It's safe to say that, short of being a trio of brothers (Lain, Van and Jennings Carney), psychedelic outfit Pontiak, from Virginia, shares little with those other sib groups. […]
Smart Bets: Letters To Abigail
Flat Rock-based Americana trio Letters to Abigail (James Harrell, Kelli "Mae" Redmond and Lauren Bandy) raised $15,000 through Kickstarter to record their debut LP, Say Anything, at Echo Mountain Studios. They brought in guests like Steep Canyon Rangers' fiddler Nicky Sanders and Jimmy Buffett's pedal steel player Doyle Grisham for the record, which the band […]
Smart Bets: Hamlet
Montford Park Players closes out its summer season with a blockbuster of a production: A story of "treachery, revenge, incest, moral corruption, duty and madness," as the theater troupe's website puts it. That dark thriller, aka Shakespeare's Hamlet, is the bard's longest play and, even today, is among his most performed. It tells of the […]
Calendar highlights: apples, photography and altruistic pottery
Clubland features: Chalwa, French Broad Playboys
Precious Metals
AshevilleFM station co-manager and heavy metal aficionado Kim Roney checks out two hard rocking shows in two days. Here’s her report on Mastodon, Forty Furies and why metal moms rule.
Sound Track web extra: E8 électronique
The solo project of Rebecca Smith-Finlay opened for Stereospread and Sonen with a short but very sweet showcase of original synthesizer compositions. Image by (sic) Photo.
La Reina: A dream-like world
La Reina doesn’t have a genre to contain it. The show features a collage of ancient texts and travels from Antiquity, the Golden, Classical and Dark Ages, to the Medieval and Reformation period. Using shadow puppetry, brightly-illuminated backdrops, stunning costumes, movement-theater and a live electronic soundscape, the production takes on a dream-like quality. It is as if a wild, somewhat surreal vision is playing out before the audience, and its tempo is slow and unhurried.
Across the Atlantic Sea
Local singer-songwriter Darien Crossley spent four months in England, where she played 45 nights in 16 different venues in and around Manchester. She also visited Brussels, Ghent, Bruges and Amsterdam, and participated in a video project in Berlin. Click through for a video from the U.K.
Going West
Local singer-songwriter Angi West returns to the stage (with her band) after a longish hiatus. She plays Emerald Lounge on Saturday, Aug. 31 with Ryan Sheffield & the Highhills and Company. Photo by Sandlin Gaither.
How I spent my summer vacation
Children First/Communities in Schools’ summer camp gives low-income students a chance to ride horses, raft, zipline and hike each summer. Photos by Jodi Ford.