In relationships, close quarters can build strong bonds or fierce resentments. Think of spouses co-owning a business or siblings sharing a bedroom. At the Clayspace Co-op, a working ceramics studio in Asheville’s River Arts District, the six members manage to cohabitate with relative ease. Awake at the wheel: Heather Tinnaro, the newest member of Clayspace, […]

As a session player on more than 2,000 albums and a member of Alison Krauss and Union Station, Jerry Douglas’ voice has been heard by most music fans, whether they know it or not. But it isn’t Douglas’ deep, rich baritone that astute listeners should listen for when trying to find him. It’s his other […]

The organizers of the Asheville Sound Swap have brought back the record show, only this time with more life than the traditional high-end-collectables-under-too-much-fluorescent-light vibe. “We want to offer an alternative to the sterile environment of the old-school record shows,” declares Mark Capon, co-owner of West Asheville’s Harvest Records. “Instead of stuffy conference rooms, we want […]

In an age when music is widely feared to become more disposable thanks to the nature of digital media, Nashville singer/songwriter duo Quote’s debut album The Pace of Our Feet is quite literally bound to stand out. Inner life: Justin Tam, pictured at right, makes music with his best friend Jamie Bennett. “It’s been really […]

Most of the work at Grovewood Gallery has a conservative, high-craft feel. Not so with the flamboyant new show Trashformations. Susan Hayden’s chairs are made from discarded tools. Not that the work isn’t crafty. Continuing a tradition more than a century old, Trashformations brings together the work of five regional artists who create art from […]

As the writer of songs like “To Have and Have Not,” “There Is Power In a Union,” and “Waiting for the Great Leap Forwards,” Billy Bragg has never shied from Aristotle’s maxim, “Man is by nature a political animal.” Progressive Patriot: Bragg’s songs transcend mere sloganeering. Personal honesty, confessional intimacy and some toothsome rock round […]

Somewhere between good, heartfelt rock ‘n’ roll and absurd parody is Unknown Hinson. It seems likely that at a Hinson show, you’ll both boogie your ass off and laugh your ass off, too. The wild, wild South: Hinson’s Halloween show is becoming a local holiday tradition. To some, he is a persona of Stuart Baker, […]

Leaves rustle across the cracked sidewalk. The wind blows cold on a small group of people huddled in the shadows under the Battery Park Apartment building. A man wearing a Panama hat gestures at the windows. He tells the tale of a brutal murder that happened here in 1936, and the lingering aftereffects that may […]