Local Spin

It's no surprise that one of our hippest City Council members, Gordon Smith, has such eclectic — not to mention current — musical taste. But it wasn't always that way. "There wasn't any music in my house growing up — everyone read," says Smith. "Besides at Christmas, when they would crank up the Perry Cuomo." […]

Down-tempo spectrum

Over the last several years Asheville has fostered a blossoming electronic music scene. The arrival of Moogfest in October, bringing some of the biggest national names in electronic music, seemed to solidify Asheville as a burgeoning center for electronic music. Still, the community suffered a loss last year when Club 828 closed. The venue had […]

Hear her roar

"I had lived in L.A. for about a year and a half and was a little bit disillusioned by the lack of camaraderie or community with trying to do live shows," says singer/songwriter Lissie. (She was born Elisabeth Maurus but her stage name suits her: fun, a little bit girly, not too serious, completely disarming.) […]

Pop quiz

The name's your first clue. The second, the pre-trivia warm-up music: an awesomely cheesy mix of ‘80s, fist-pumping anthems like Joe Espisito's "You're the Best" (from which classic movie¹) and that one from the original cartoon Transformers movie that goes "You got the touch! You got the power!" (sung by which guy²).   Then your […]

The profiler

The Suspect: Taylor Moore Taylor Moore has found a mentor and admirer in Edwin McCain (Moore has opened for McCain at the Orange Peel.)  McCain says, “I want to see myself in him … but I could never play electric guitar like Taylor. I have promised myself not to hover over him like a big […]

Spork

Western North Carolina has long history as a mecca for the written word. From Thomas Wolfe to Wilma Dykeman, O. Henry to Charles Frazier, our mountains have been home to a diverse group of esteemed authors, many of them poets. Is it coincidence that the last three poets laureate of North Carolina — Fred Chappell, […]

Smart Bets

HAPPENING at The Wine Studio Black Mountain College Museum + Art Center's HAPPENING 2011 doesn't take place until April 9 (save that date!) but there's a chance to get excited and raise funds at The Wine Studio of Asheville's HAPPENING on Thursday, Jan. 27, 5-8 p.m. The event will showcase video from last year's HAPPENING […]

Edgy Mama: Why choosing not to vaccinate your child is a bad idea

I’ve written about both sides of the childhood vaccination debate as objectively as possible over the years. I’ve chosen to vaccinate my kids, but until recently, I could, at least emotionally, understand why some of my friends and acquaintances choose otherwise. However, after researching the safety and efficacy of childhood vaccinations, talking extensively to doctors about the issue and learning about the recent outbreaks of deadly, but vaccine-preventable diseases like pertussis, I’ve realized I’m no longer objective.