The inaugural Asheville Soundswap, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday at the Grey Eagle, promises to please anyone with an ear for music, however it’s defined.
Popular “Meditation on War” exhibit in Marshall ends soon
The thought-provoking exhibit of paintings by Madison County artist Skip Rohde, evoking his military experiences in Bosnia, will be on display at the Madison County Arts Council just one more week, until Feb. 22.
Agent Orange drops on The Rocket Club
Skate-punk pioneers to play a gig Friday night in West Asheville.
Book Report: As the literary world turns …
This week in book events, locally and region-wide.
Sweet, sweet Valentine’s Day
Bill Foley is part pitchman, part chocolatier. Standing at the counter of The Chocolate Fetish, he knows how to draw in his customers, then put them at ease.
Book Report: Captivity
Debbie Lee Wesselmann’s newest page-turner deals with animal issues, family secrets and a heroine with a chip on her shoulder.
Never fear, outdoor music festivals are near
It’s time to dream of Doc, Rockmont and a music jamboree.
Wise men say
Folk singer Arlo Guthrie is on vacation someplace where he can’t get phone reception, but, for some reason, he can get e-mail. In this, the age of information, such a vacation begs for speculation. The Perhentian Islands of Malaysia? Nome, Alaska? Amish country, perhaps? Precious friend: Arlo Guthrie may be an icon of the ‘60s […]
The comeback kids
The sophomore slump is musical cliché because, more often than not, it’s true. For every brilliant second album that tastefully expands of the qualities that endeared an audience to the artist, there are ten overblown, overproduced bands looking to make their masterpiece and falling flat on their collective faces. Perhaps the most dizzying fall in […]
(Whenever you’re near) I hear a symphony
When Valentine’s Day rolls around, the romantically inclined are drawn to certain tried-and-true measures. Roses, chocolates, and (if at all possible) a violinist bowing the soulful strains of some time-tested chestnut. “The Blue Danube,” perhaps, or “Hungarian Dance No. 1 in G minor.” The salacious side of Strauss: Daniel Meyer, the Asheville Symphony’s musical director […]
A royal affair
History is filled with stories of powerful, influential rulers. Their lives and legacies are often considered reflections of their times, representing the culture and the people during their reigns. Their stories can bring the past to life in profound ways, with their turmoil, triumphs, passions and torments becoming symbolic of something far greater than a […]
It’s all about looking
Cathryn Griffin has “an eye.” This term, usually reserved for collectors and curators, simply means that this is a person with an uncanny ability to see things that the rest of us usually miss. And yet, her photography is infused with gentle irony and subtle wit and, occasionally, a kind of scary anticipation that hints […]
The art of obsession
If you venture off to New York during the summer, you might find that your favorite commercial gallery is showing work by an artist you never heard of. In Asheville, the seasons are reversed. Taiyo la Paix’s “Elizabeth (Ma Between Brain Surgeries)” Here, the galleries are more apt to exhibit work by new artists during […]
Top Drawer: fashion news and views
In case you haven’t heard, the Asheville arts world is all a-twitter (sorry) about HATCHfest (www.ashevillehatchfest.org), a proposed multidisciplinary networking convention to be held next year. Arts luminaries came out of the woodwork for a Hatchfest preview party at Echo Mountain Recording Studio (14 N. French Broad Ave., Asheville), representing music, technology and literary and […]
Edgy Mama: How to drive your kids nuts
I’m occasionally blessed with three kids (third- and fourth-graders) riding in my mommy van at the same time. These kidlings seem to think there’s limo glass between the front and back seats. If I stay quiet, I can learn a lot. Like who has a crush on whom and who got sent to the principal’s office. And how their parents drive them nuts.
Listening Party: Brushfire Stankgrass, Don Breed and DJ Steezy Wonder
Here’s the idea: Each week, we pick three local musical acts, link to a site where you can listen to their songs for free, then ask you to spend a few moments of your time to tell us what you think about them. Some may be great, others may be middling or awful — that’s for you to decide. All we ask is that you listen with an open mind.
Book Report: This week in books
There’s no end of literary happenings in the area and around the region … and if that’s not enough, go online. Wait, you’re already online. How convenient.
Book Report: Hijas Americanas
Davidson, N.C.-based author Rosie Molinary busts myths about Latin-American culture in Hijas Americanas.
The Innersouls, up close and personal
This week’s cover story unearths forgotten Asheville funk. Online supplements to the story include a rare Innersouls recording and a slideshow showing members then and now.
Mardi Gras galore!
Yesterday’s Mardi Gras parade took the local celebration to new heights in Asheville. Have a look …
Pat & Alli’s Weekly Winners
Each week Xpress reporter Alli Marshall and 96.5 WOXL DJ Pat Ryan team up to bring you their entertainment suggestions.