Busk Break: Chris McCune performs “The Bitter End”
Although he’s still settling into the North Carolina music community, singer/songwriter Chris McCune is hardly a stranger to the troubadour lifestyle, having been a regular on the Florida folk circuit for most of the last two decades. Here, he performs his song “The Bitter End” on a cool morning front of Malaprop’s.
Review of The Drowsy Chaperone
One can’t help but love Scott Treadway’s rubberized face.
Mark your calendar: Halloween events
On this, the eve of the month of Halloween, we offer up a few not-to-missed events.
Oslo to Asheville: Serena-Maneesh comes to The Grey Eagle
Norwegian alt-rockers Serena-Maneesh share a bill with Colorado-based Wovenhand on Sunday, Oct. 10.
Elitist Bastards: An Overrated Gekko and A Bunch of Boring Owls
In this week’s Elitist Bastards Go To The Movies, Xpress film critics Ken Hanke and Justin Souther discuss current releases Cairo Time, You Again, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, The Virginity Hit and Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole. They then delve into the classic Hammer horror flick Horror of Dracula (this week’s Thursday Horror Picture Show) and Pedro Almodóvar’s 1988 film Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (next week’s Asheville Film Society screening). And to top it all off, the speculate on the quality of soon-to-open films Case 39, Chain Letter, Let Me In, The Social Network and Animal Kingdom.
Ghostland Observatory at the Orange Peel
Photos by Rich Orris.
Mars Hill College celebrates American roots music
With New Harmonies: Celebrating American Roots Music, a traveling Smithsonian Institution exhibition, on display through Nov. 6 and the 43rd annual Lunsford Festival slated for Saturday, Oct. 2, Mars Hill College invites the community to an ongoing celebration of American and Southern Appalachian music.
This weekend on a shoestring
Friday is not just the end of the work week; it’s the start of a whole new month. And while the summer might have disappeared before your eyes, your money doesn’t have to. Get out there and have some fun on us!
LGBTQ Celebration a long way from those of earlier decades
There were maybe 150-200 people meandering through the streets of downtown Asheville; the crowd ended up in front of the old City/County Plaza, now called Pack Square Park. It was the early ‘90s. The event was one of the first “Pride Celebrations” the town had witnessed. People holding signs that read “Fagits […]
A festival for people who don’t like festivals
There’s no shortage of festivals in and around Asheville. Between high-profile events like Bele Chere, LAAFF, Goombay and LEAF, it seems like the region’s music and art has more than enough opportunities to gather and celebrate their creative pursuits. But those summer staples tend to host bigger names, with some of Asheville’s most interesting and […]
Late night double feature picture show
"I think it's more fun and interesting to chuck out anything you think about your band before you make a record and just make something as if you didn't have any records before," says singer/songwriter/guitarist Richard Edwards, frontman of Chicago/Indianapolis-based Margot and the Nuclear So and So’s. For the group's just-released album, Buzzard, Edwards chucked […]
A bit off-center
For two decades, Les Claypool has been one of the music industry’s most predictably unpredictable artists. Best known for his singular bass style as the frontman for alternative-funk-freak-rockers Primus, Claypool has remained astonishingly prolific. His list of projects includes performances alongside artists such as Trey Anastasio and Buckethead. He’s written, produced and starred in a […]
Artillery
The craft arts have culturally defined Western North Carolina culture for decades, and a survey released in 2008 by Handmade in America indicates that the professional craft industry makes quite an impact on local economics as well. According to the study, $206,500,000 is generated each year in Western North Carolina via artists, […]
The Profiler
The Suspect: Keller Williams and the Keels This trio is a collaboration of the husband-and-wife duo Larry and Jenny Keel, along with Keller Williams. This spring they released their second CD together, Thief, which contains their bluegrass-influenced covers of songs originally recorded by Amy Winehouse, the Butthole Surfers, Marcy Playground and many others. Can Be […]
Soundtrack
First they were Pavane & Galliard (Puh-vanee and Gal-ee-erd) which was a great name, once you knew how to pronounce it. But in an effort to make their name more accessible, they changed it to Young Couples — simple to say but oh-so-creepy to yell out in a crowded bar if you're older than, say, […]
Smart Bets
Fiesta Latina The festival season may be drawing to a close, but it's not tapped out yet. In fact, one of the spiciest takes place this week:¡Fiesta Latina! Celebrating lucky-13 years. The cultural festival (which falls, naturally, during national Hispanic Heritage month) promises a full day of family fun. Latin foods, arts, crafts, children's activities […]
Beadwork
This Saturday at MoDaddy’s
Asheville’s Grammer School (recent winners of RiverFest’s Battle of the Bands, and selected for the next Lingua Musica at White Horse) share a bill with Waycross Georgia rockers The Woodgrains.
Elton John is coming to Asheville
Xpress has learned that Sir Elton John will perform live in concert at the Asheville Civic Center on November 16, 2011 at 8pm. Tickets will go on sale Monday, October 4th at 10am. Photo courtesy eltonjohn.com
Moogfest bands you didn’t know you knew
You probably know more Moogfest bands than you think you do. Here’s a who’s who/cheat sheet/hits list/six degrees of separation primer (part 1 … more to come).