Even the Animals talks songwriting, band names and creative evolution in advance of their Thursday, June 20 show at Isis. The lineup includes Ryan Sheffield & the High Hills and Waller. Click through for the video interview and exclusive performance, filmed by Jesse Hamm.
The L.A.-based Americana band returned to Asheville earlier this week. Photos by Rich Orris.
This weekend brings art, music, theater and more, with a host of opportunities to enjoy the warmth of summer. As always, Xpress highlights the best in low-cost weekend events.
The short film/music video by Ben Lovett premiered last week in a special event at Isis. This week, Lovett released the film on vimeo.
In the eyes of River Guerguerian, there are few problems that can’t be solved by percussion. He sees the musical component as medicine for the world, an element that is shared by virtually every culture on the globe, connecting them despite their often polarizing differences. He sees ancient techniques alleviating the fatigue […]
Layne Redmond Primary Instrument: Frame drums What She’s All About: As both a player and a historian, Redmond is considered one of the foremost authorities on frame drums — essentially any drum with a width that greatly exceeds its depth; the tambourine is the most common modern example. Voted by DRUM! Magazine as one of […]
Author Khaled Hosseini says his just-released novel, And the Mountains Echoed, began with a perfectly clear and vivid picture in his head. “It was this man walking across the desert, and he’s pulling a wagon,” says Hosseini. “In it, there’s a little girl, and a few steps behind there’s a boy who’s shadowing them.” That […]
Don’t call it a dive bar. Although the Odditorium occupies the same cozy building on Haywood Road that once housed the Get Down, owners Amy Marshall and Tamy Kuper have made some major changes that distance the location from its honkey tonk reputation. “I don’t necessarily love the term ‘dive bar,’” Marshall says. “It’s supposed […]
Crafts are going online in a big way, and local artists are taking advantage of the trend. Sales on the hugely popular online site Etsy (a craft, handmade and vintage marketplace) topped at $895.1 million last year, a 70 percent increase from 2011, according to press info on the sight. Since its […]
Border collies, bagpipes, Irish dance, kilts and plenty of microbrew: The WNC Highlands Celtic Festival returns for the fourth year. Celtic food and vendors, pipes and drums and plenty of music fill the weekend. The entertainment lineup includes Albannach (pictured), Rathkeltair, Cutthroat Shamrock and Marcille Wallis & Friends among others. The festival also highlights the […]
Siblings Jens (banjo, harmony vocals) and Uwe Kruger (guitar, lead and harmony vocals) began their musical career in their homeland of Switzerland, but since it was American folk music (specifically that of Doc Watson, Flatt and Scruggs and Bill Monroe) they were drawn to, the Krugers relocated to N.C. With native-New Yorker/brother-from-another-mother Joel Landsberg (bass, […]
The Carolina Foothills Chamber of Commerce puts on what some say is the most popular barbecue festival in the U.S. And while that claim (like all things to do with 'cue) is sure to be hotly contested, the annual Blue Ridge BBQ & Music Festival (at Harmon Field in Tryon) certainly has something for pretty […]
The second in this summer's RiverLink RiverMusic free concert series is set for Friday, June 14, beginning at 5 p.m. High-energy Americana act The David Mayfield Parade headlines. Mayfield last played Asheville in December 2012 at The Grey Eagle, sharing the bill with his sister, Jessica Lee Mayfield. Earlier in the year, he played at […]
The May-to-December album collaboration is far more interesting than the May-to-December romance. Though, like the latter, the former tends to spawn something unexpected and thought-provoking and not necessarily long-lasting. Think Alison Krauss and Robert Plant. David Byrne and St. Vincent (the stage name of Annie Clark) met at an '09 Radio City Music Hall benefit […]
Nashville-based Night Beds recently released Country Sleep, the band's debut full-length. Singer-songwriter Winston Yellen says it's the group’s first album out on a label but, “It doesn't put a stamp on anything, as far as a beginning. It just kind of feels like another step." The atmospheric-yet-sparse collection is stunningly pretty and emotionally intense — […]
Ahleuchatistas’ music is something akin to sonic parkour, a race of immense speed and skill, physical prowess, mental fortitude and ninja-like reflexes. It's also about the onstage symbiosis of Shane Perlowin (guitar) and Ryan Oslance (percussion), a duo refined and synthesized over a decade of experimentation, exploration, touring and recording. Asheville has known this band […]
Last year Xpress did an audio profile of Patrick Littlejohn, a formerly homeless composer who used music to pull himself out of poverty. The Practical Schillinger School of Music, an online composition school, recently offered Littlejohn a full scholarship. Practical Schillinger director, Philip DiTullio, said that the school was "quite moved" and "inspired" by his […]
The Brooklyn-based garage-rock duo opened for Darwin Deez at The Grey Eagle last weekend, performing a high-energy set covering ‘60s influences from girl groups and dance crazes to surf guitar and garage rock. Photo from the band’s website.
Guitar innovator John McLaughlin comes to The Orange Peel on Thursday, June 13, with his band, The 4th Dimension. The current incarnation of the 4th Dimension features Gary Husband on keys, Etienne Mbappe on bass, McLaughlin on guitar and Ranjit Barot on percussion. Read on for an extensive interview with McLaughlin on the six-string, Miles Davis and a life in music.
