The New York Times reported earlier this year that an average of one gallery closes in New York City every week. In the same article the Times profiled out-of-gallery artists who are hanging their work in clothing boutiques and (gasp) cafes—as if this is some kind of new phenomenon due to the recession. In Asheville […]

It is April, so the rains-it-pours deluge of world-class CD release shows shouldn’t be entirely surprising. In the next nine days, Asheville will get down for three-count-‘em-three brand-new records from three of the town’s fave bands. stephaniesid celebrates the release of Warm People at the Grey Eagle on Saturday, April 25. Up first, indie-pop noir […]

Inspired by the resilience of a record and the warm sound of analog, people are still carving their music onto vinyl. Staying power: “I prefer the sound of records, and the size of records,” says Jesse McSwain, who runs Family Night. Photos by Jonathan Welch. “Records are forever,” says Jesse McSwain, who runs Family Night, […]

“Two years is nothing,” musician Jessica Lea Mayfield tells Xpress. She’s projecting how much time it will take before touring is easier and more affordable, before her fan base fills out the theaters she prefers over noisy bars, before she’s hand-picking her openers. Sacred and profane: Mayfield has a sweet voice, an ace band and […]

In the beginning the name Now You See Them was the inside joke of a band that never intended to be a band. As in “Now you see them, now you don’t.” As in, they rarely played in the same town twice. The irony is, these days Now You See Them is oft-seen on Asheville’s […]

Dancer Janice Lancaster may never go back to performing in theatres, she says with a laugh. She’s fallen for the bowl at the Food Lion Skate Park: the deepest, steepest terrain at the park, which is the setting for the Saturday evening Black Whole event. Bird’s-eye view: Dancers will move through the “bowl” at the […]

Spring in the mountains blossoms musically with MerleFest. This year’s no exception, with a bouquet of musicians performing everything from blues, Americana and folk to old-time, blues, jazz and even mariachi. Calling MerleFest a bluegrass festival is like plucking one daisy out of a meadow bursting with variety. The legendary Doc Watson jams at last […]