The Rochester, N.Y.-based roots reggae quintet plays Asheville Music Hall on Thursday, April 18. Xpress will give away a pair of tickets to the show.
The Spark of Service: AmeriCorps in Our Community
“In the mornings I am in the office. In the afternoons I am in the trenches,” says AmeriCorps volunteer James Sisk. Jodi Ford of Children First/Communities In Schools sat down with three AmeriCorps volunteers to find out what it’s like to serve our community.
Five Questions with England in 1819
The Chamber rock outfit (from New Orleans by way of Ohio by way of the U.K. by way of Athens, Ga.) play The Emerald Lounge on Wednesday, April 24 with Sonmi and Peripheral. In advance the band talks about collaborating with family, the importance of place in their music, and new single and music video “Our Own God.”
Five Questions with Alex Vans and the Hideaway
The New York and D.C.-based power-pop outfit plays The Lab on Wednesday, April 17. In advance of that show, Vans answered our questions about unusual recording spaces, rare downtime, and why the band wants to make Asheville a regular stop on its tour route. Photo courtesy of the band.
Photos: Buncombe Literacy Council’s 2013 Spelling Bee
Hosted by LaZoom Comedy Tour’s David Ostergaard, Thursday night’s Buncombe Literacy Council Spelling Bee pitted against each other Asheville’s top writers and bookworms—including a trio of contenders from the Mountain Xpress.
CalCast: April 12-14
Celebrate the legacy of Montford Books and More, enjoy the fruits of the Burton Street Community Peace Garden and collect some rare LPs this weekend. Podcast hosted by Nathanael Roney.
SoundTrack web extra: Telescope
The new album by Asheville’s Ryan Sheffield and the High Hills is fill of cleverness, swagger and starry-eyed swamp, with more than a few magical moments. The band performs tonight (Friday, April 12) at Emerald Lounge.
This weekend on a shoestring
This weekend, enjoy local music, dance, film and the warmth of spring. As always, Xpress brings you the best in low-cost weekend entertainment.
At the intersection of art and technology
Moogfest will return in April of 2014 with more outdoor and daytime programming, more workshops and panels, more boundary-pushing music and “More of a focus on people who are doing things like Bob Moog did things — stepping out on a limb and trying to make something new.”
Clubland features: They Might Be Giants, Ivan and Alyosha
Larger than life: Since 1986, They Might Be Giants have released 16 albums (including three children’s albums), won two Grammys, posted new tracks and demos on an answering machine dubbed “Dial-A-Song,” landed material in a variety of TV shows and movies (including the theme songs to Malcolm in the Middle and The Daily Show), hosted […]
The believers
When Grammy-nominated father-daughter bluegrass gospel duet Jerry and Tammy Sullivan play in Asheville’s All Souls Cathedral on Friday April 12, they will share a family’s musical legacy that spans more than 70 years and was born of a struggle against death. The story begins in rural southern Alabama in 1939. Jerry’s older brother Arthur lay […]
Grotto rock
The connection between The Cave Singers’ vocals and their guitar lines is among the most satisfying in all of indie rock. It might surprise first-time listeners when they figure out that these elements are crafted by different people. It will likely shock these novices again when they learn that these alternately mystical and menacing Seattle […]
Smart Bets: Ryan Sheffield and the HighHills
Singer-songwriter Ryan Sheffield and his band headline a night of local indie-rock. Sheffield and company recently released Telescope, an album's worth of songs that rock, Pogues-like, at turns thoughtful and tipsy. The frontman's delivery is both lithe and raspy, his lyrics skip and glide like boozy poetry, as poignant as they are fun. And each […]
Smart Bets: Curve Studios twilight party
There are many signs of spring around Asheville — the return of the downtown gallery crawls, hula-hoopers and outdoor seating. And this: Curve Studios 2013 Spring Open House Weekend and Twilight Party. The open house is a chance to visit the River Arts District studios belonging to Curve building artists (work includes textiles, button art, […]
Smart Bets: The Broadcast
The big news for rock/soul/groove outfit The Broadcast is that they recently finished recording a new studio album (at Echo Mountain, naturally) and will be releasing it this summer. But, because this is a band that rests little and moves lots, instead of taking it easy before that album launch, they've announced a spring tour […]
Smart Bets: World Fashion Show
Celebrate both diversity and haute couture at the World Fashion Show. Stylists from Ananda Hair Salon team with local makeup artists, fashion designers and photographers for a collaborative fashion event with designs inspired by various cultures: Japan, Africa, Spain, Iceland, Russia, France and the U.S. are all represented. Twenty models, seven photographers and a videographer […]
Blue Bell brings Nikki back home
Local singer-songwriter Nikki Talley is "a hardworking, energetic, mountain girl with a big voice,” so goes her press. A year ago, with her husband, Jason Sharp, she set out in a van named Blue Bell to tour full-time. Their travels have led them all around the region (upcoming shows see Talley and Sharp heading off […]
Onward and upward
"Funk reigns supreme!" wrote local electronic funk/rock band The Fritz in a recent website post. "Music unites us in an unprecedented way, regardless of extraneous conditions." They've parlayed both that sense of unity (as a social concept and as a musical style, marrying funk, soul, groove, jazz and improv) into new album, Bootstrap. The band […]
Calendar highlights: Healthy kids, art quilts and landscapes
Moogfest announces Spring 2014 dates
The local electronic music festival will return in April of next year. It will also partner with Paxahau, the Detroit-based producer of the Movement Electronic Music Festival and Detroit Jazzfest.
Sound Check: Elephant Stone
Montreal-based psychedelic Hindi-rock band spoke to Xpress about their previous Asheville show with The Hellsayers, how the sitar works with MoTown music, and what it’s been like to tour their new self-titled album. Click through for the video interview and exclusive performance.