It was a very good year for new music in WNC, and by the time you read this, WNCW will have the results of its Best 100 Albums of 2009. Malcolm Holcombe The year started strong with the sophomore release from local singer/songwriter/bearded fashionite/erstwhile Band of Horses bandmate Tyler Ramsey. Ramsey’s long contributed to other […]

Once, when Asheville-based musician Andy Pond passed through customs into the Montego Bay airport, a member of the Mento band (which greets tourists) noticed his banjo case. “Going to Jamaica with a musical instrument makes people treat you differently,” Pond says. He suddenly found himself picking along with the band, welcoming fellow tourists—including the cast […]

At most indie rock shows you witness them: wearing specs and tight pants, swilling PBR, playing drums on their thighs, feet planted. But maybe not this indie show. “Of Montreal wants people to dance,” says Brian Poole (otherwise known as The Late BP Helium). Of Montreal’s shows, once quieter, have evolved into hip-shaking theatrics. “We […]

Though the dynamics of improv jazz—when things go from quietly intense to loud and calculated in a matter of well-orchestrated measures—might call for a velvet couch in a hash bar,  Asheville’s laws prevent that sort of musical experience. Reassuringly, local outfit E.Normus Trio can still send minds into such dimensions. The point of this group […]

For photos of blue swimsuit-clad models doing water ballet and shots of some of the world’s coolest art (and local artists hanging out with it), be extra sure to check out www.mountainx.com this week. We put together a gallery with the artists’ pics of what they saw at Art Basel Miami Beach, arguably the most […]

Whether it’s champagne corks popping, fireworks exploding or midnight smooching, there are plenty of sparks to ignite your 2009. Xpress offers this roundup of festive events, ranging from the frenetic to the sublime. Your mission: Dig out your best noisemaker and silly hat and get ready to herald in the New Year. All events listed […]

As TV viewers gear up for yet another season of American Idol hopefuls—those karaoke-schooled crooners who somehow believe their big break lies in a 20-second audition in front of dream-crusher Simon Cowell—one made-from-scratch band braces for its big break as well. Only for North Carolina’s The Avett Brothers, success has little to do with the […]

The Bombay Gin models were gorgeous, seven feet tall and performing water ballet. You could get close enough to the Warhols and the Picassos to see the brush strokes. And price tags ranged from the thousands to the millions. Satellite gallery owner Bill Thompson. Such were the sights at Art Basel Miami Beach, the American […]