High-school literature teachers would rejoice over the conversation I recently had with Asheville Lyric Opera's general and artistic director David Starkey. While talking about the ALO's upcoming production of Carmen— the Georges Bizet opera based on the novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée — it became clear that the teachers were onto something […]

The western swing bands of the 1930s, '40s and '50s (Bob Wills & the Texas Playboys, Milton Brown and his Musical Brownies) were innovative musical ensembles, creating a new idiom of American music by cross-pollinating numerous vernacular styles like Dixieland swing, western cowboy songs, European polka, mountain fiddle tunes, Delta blues, New Orleans ragtime and […]

While performing at Cumberland, Md.'s DelFest (named for bluegrass legend Del McCoury), The Lee Boys let a fan jam with them. "He was just feeling it and asked his manager if he could get up on stage," Alvin Lee, the band's leader and guitarist, recalls. "I didn't know who he was, but I could tell […]

Pony up, says Don Talley. It's time to help White Horse Black Mountain stay in business. Popular folk artist David Holt will perform at the benefit, along with a host of others. The venue and listening room opened in Black Mountain in 2008. Singer Kim Hughes and music-industry vet Bob Hinkle renovated a former car […]

Singer/songwriter Matt Butcher is a man of contradictions. He's a British native who favors Americana. He funds his recordings and tours by making salads at a vegetarian restaurant in Orlando and then gives his music away through free online downloads and no-cover performances. He wears a rose tattoo on his chest in memory of a […]

April 3 marked International Pillow Fight Day. A photo by Shannon Fowler-Wardrep shows a scene from Asheville’s pillow fight in Pritchard Park.