In this week’s Elitist Bastards Go To The Movies podcast, Mountain Xpress film critics Ken Hanke and Justin Souther discuss current releases Monsters, Pelada, The Warrior’s Way and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest. They also delve into the drive-in horror classic known as Phantasm (this week’s Thursday Horror Picture Show) and the high-energy hijinks of the Marx Brothers’ A Night At The Opera (next week’s Asheville Film Society screening). And to cap things off, they also speculate on the quality of soon-to-be-released flicks The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader and The Tourist.
When you're Warren Haynes — which means you're a badass rock-and-blues guitarist, a member of The Allman Brothers and The Grateful Dead, and you have your own band, Gov't Mule, for playing your own crowd-pleasing songs — you can pretty much jam with anyone you like. Which might be part of what inspired Haynes' annual […]
Everything old is new again — at least for New Orleans-based funk/jam outfit The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, who have been making records and touring longer than many of their fans have been alive. According to saxophonist Roger Lewis, who has been with the group since its official start in 1977, today's Dozen is a […]
What it is: The Warren Haynes Christmas Jam is an annual concert that brings together rockers from many bands and genres. Proceeds benefit Asheville Area Habitat For Humanity. "Like a family reunion, the annual, one-of-a-kind, semi-structured marathon of music brings together old friends on stage and in the audience at the Civic Center Arena for […]
A September piece in the New York Times giddily distilled Asheville’s bohemian mindset and happy whirl of cosmic happenings. Zipping from drum circles to Moog to colonics to Navitat canopy tours, it crowned all the expected high points; the reporter even gave a sound bite to the “enormously influential” legacy of Black Mountain College. It’s […]
The Dirty Dozen Brass Band (Roger Lewis) What's your favorite holiday drink? Cranberry Juice. What was the best Xmas/Hanukkah present you ever bought or received? I usually don't get anything, maybe some pajamas. What are your plans for the holidays this year? I'm looking forward to spending time with family since we're on the road […]
Magic and theatricality are key words of inspiration for the dancers involved in Asheville Ballet’s annual production of The Nutcracker. “The story is really important to us because it’s aimed at young people and families,” says Ann Dunn, the director of the dance company, now in its 51st performance season. The curtain rises on a […]
Traditional Christmas music can be downright boring. Each year, radio and television trot out the same standards recorded to celebrate what is supposed to be a joyous and heartfelt season. When contemporary musicians get in on it, too, it sometimes seems like a blatant attempt to cash in on an unfortunately bland yet lucrative genre. […]
The Suspect: Carolina Chocolate Drops It all started at the Black Banjo Gathering; three young musicians committed to weekly jam sessions at the Mebane, N.C. home of old-time fiddler Joe Thompson. Five years later, the band is truly an international success, having just spent most of November touring (and selling out shows) in Europe. They […]
A Christmas Carol Beginning both the holiday season and a winter residency at the Masonic Temple, Montford Park Players performs Charles Dickens' classic A Christmas Carol. This is the story with Tiny Tim and Scrooge and the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future — we know it by heart, yet it never gets old. […]
There's something about the holidays that brings out the best and the worst in each of us. Our inner Tiny Tims and Scrooges, Santa's little helpers and Grinches, George Baileys and Clark Griswolds. Of course, there's a big difference between acting out an archetype — say, a Magi or an angel with an enlightened gift […]
Here at Xpress, we're suggesting retro kitsch for the perfect, easily pulled together theme for your holiday parties. Last week, we recommended in all seriousness that you serve Krystal burgers on a silver tray, speared with toothpicks. OK, maybe we were joking, but if you actually do that this year, please send pictures. Now, we're […]
At Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity, we don’t just build houses. Our staff, volunteers and donors change lives. At the recent home dedication for the McMillan family, Pat Henke, assistant director for Asheville City Schools Preschool and program director for Early Head Start spoke warmly and enthusiastically about one of her employees — the new […]
Pizza, brew and a chance to win a pair of tickets to the 2010 Warren Haynes Christmas Jam at Craggie Brewing Co.’s upcoming benefit for MANNA, held on Thursday, Dec. 9, at 5 p.m.
Tall-building-leaping, bad-guy-stopping, Kryptonite-impervious style, as seen at the Superhero 5K race. Images by Rich Orris. See the full photo gallery here.
Despite the sleet, dozens of Santas descended on Asheville Saturday afternoon, taking over scenes from Pack’s Tavern to the Grove Park Inn to the Boiler Room, late night and beyond …
Yeah, I’ve written about toxic toys before, but it’s that time of year. That time of year when many folks feel the need to purchase toys because it’s holiday time. Because, by God, we’re Americans
