Elitist Bastards: Like Secretaria­t Dust

In this week’s Elitist Bastards Go To The Movies, Xpress film critics Ken Hanke and Justin Souther discuss current releases Secretariat, My Soul To Take, It’s Kind of a Funny Story, Life as We Know It and Like Dandelion Dust. They also praise Gods and Monsters, next week’s Asheville Film Society screening, and consider soon-to-open films I Want Your Money, N-Secure, RED, Never Let Me Go and Jackass 3D.

More Strychnine and soda pop: The full interview with Mad Tea Party, new video

Maybe you saw excerpts of Whitney Shroyer’s interview with Mad Tea Party in the Oct. 13 print edition of Xpress? Well, here’s the whole conversation. Also, the duo released a rad new music video today that features footage from last weekend’s Zombie Walk. It’s fitting footage considering the band’s new Halloween-themed EP, Rock ‘N Roll Ghoul. The self-described “uke-abilly” group plays Stella Blue on Oct. 15.

Dramatic staging of “Blood Done Sign My Name” at Diana Wortham Theatre

Blood Done Sign My Name, a production based on the critically acclaimed memoir by Tim Tyson, explores the complex subject of racial division and violence in America during the 1970s and will be staged at Diana Wortham Theatre on Thursday, Oct. 21, at 8 p.m. There will also be a pre-show address by Tyson (at DWT) and a Brown Bag Lunch and Learn with local attorney James Ferguson and Tyson (at UNCA).

His aim is true

Local filmmaker Paul Schattel has a big project up his sleeve: Thinking man's horror/suspense picture, The Mourning Portrait, set in Appalachia and staring Wentworth Miller, Dermot Mulroney, Melissa Leo and Diane Ladd. But, while that movie waits for backing to come through, Schattel decided to embark on a micro-budget undertaking just to, as he says, […]

Closer than you think

On Coal River, the new documentary by Asheville-based filmmakers Francine Cavanaugh and Adams Wood, shows that North Carolina is the largest consumer of coal in the United States. The film shows how the mining industry has negatively affected residents in the Appalachian region. But Cavanaugh and Woods are optimistic over the possibilities of change in […]

Only when it makes sense

“Basically,” says Andy Herod, “I write songs. I don’t necessarily write records.” He’s referring the release of Cullowhee Songs, the first in a series of EPs from the Electric Owls. After striking a deal with his label to take over physical merchandise (they will continue to handle digital distribution and promotion) in exchange for the […]

Strychnine and soda pop

For long-time Asheville music fans, watching the Mad Tea Party develop its sound has been a consistently fascinating delight. On the occasion of their second Halloween 7”/download, Rock ‘N Roll Ghoul, I sat down and geeked out with Ami Worthen and Jason Krekel on a variety of topics, including the liberating aspects of writing about […]

The Profiler

The Suspect: Grace Potter & the Nocturnals Released earlier this summer, Grace Potter & the Nocturnals is actually the fourth studio album for the band. This self-titled release represents the first real push for commercial and international success; previously the band had been earning its reputation by heavy touring and appearing at lots of festivals […]