The fifth annual Asheville Film Festival will put Oscar-nominated actress Tess Harper in the spotlight.
Edgy Mama: Bonding over baseball
Xpress parenting columnist Anne Fitten Glenn examines motherhood’s unexpected lessons through her daughter’s obsession with America’s pastime.
“I’m pretty damn good”
Ben Kweller tells us how he really feels about three-minute songs, ‘90s pop music and his place in the world of rock.
Bringing it back from the streets
Speedsquare’s busking tour rolls to a halt at the New French Bar.
Help out a primate
Sock-monkey fans have the chance to bid on rare collectibles.
Pat and Alli’s Weekly Winners
Wondering what to do this weekend? Xpress A&E reporter Alli Marshall and WOXL-96.5 DJ Pat Ryan offer their entertainment picks.
Who is Asheville’s answer to William Sledd?
Paducah, Ky., has Sledd; who’s Asheville’s underground style guru?
Love is a battlefield
“There are so many ways that our music has become part of the fabric of American culture,” declares Mike Love, lead singer of The Beach Boys, in a phone interview with Xpress. There isn’t so much as a hint of hyperbole in his voice. It’s a staggering statement from any artist, but even more staggering […]
Art of the apocalypse
As a public venue, the Asheville Area Arts Council’s various galleries are committed to exhibiting work by as many area artists as possible each year. As a result, artists are sometimes paired with others with whom they have little in common. But this isn’t the case with the current exhibition of works in the AAAC’s […]
Making it sound easy
Ben Kweller is not supposed to be this good this soon. Too good to be this young: Ben Kweller knows how to craft a memorable pop song. Singer/songwriters are supposed to come along and develop over time, and somewhere around age 30, the perfect combination of cynicism and romanticism collides with a catchy three-chord sequence. […]
Surviving “Star”dom
In not exactly this order, this is how Nikki Talley has spent the past few months: She ended a three-year stint playing cafes in suburban Toronto; reintegrated to her home turf in Western North Carolina; turned 30; and released her second album, Telling Lies. A Star is reborn: Now that she’s proven she can play […]
Culture watch
Last year, the Xpress editors decided it would be a dandy idea to create a none-too-serious column about local arts, music and culture. To their eternal regret, they placed it in my hands, virtually guaranteeing a steady stream of e-mails complaining about my dismissive tone, sarcastic comments and general reluctance to toe the party line […]
Gallery Gossip
• Kevin Hogan’s multimedia exhibition Remix to Fluxmix will be in the Spiers Gallery at Brevard College from Friday, Aug. 31, through Friday, Sept. 28. If you missed it at the Asheville Art Museum, you should see it in Brevard. • There are two interesting juried shows coming up. The first is the 6th Annual […]
Top drawer: fashion news and views
Asymmetrical dress with small bustle and vintage buttons by Sew Moe. Local designers Amanda Boekhout of Elliott Elephant and Moe Donnelly of Sew Moe both use recycled fabrics and clothing to create artful apparel. Their upcoming Ingenerals Fashion Show, to be held at the Wedge Gallery (51 Roberts St., Asheville) on Saturday, Aug. 25, goes […]
Clay for Senate?
The Democrats need a challenger to take on Sen. Elizabeth Dole in 2008. Now a Durham newspaper has a modest proposal: Send Clay Aiken to Washington, D.C.
Edgy Mama: Tea and tissues for the first day of school
Local blogger Edgy Mama launches her weekly MountainX.com parenting blog with a tale of conflicting emotions, an empty nest and a tea party filled with relieved parents.
It’s all downhill from here
If a Saturday morning spent listening to NPR quiz shows and trimming your toenails isn’t thrill enough, you might consider driving up to Wolf Ridge Ski Resort in Mars Hill for the North Carolina State Championship Downhill Mountain Bike Race.
Players inject life into dying dog
In last week’s preview of enigmatic theatre company’s world premier of Athena, I wrote that it “demands special effects that can’t reasonably be expected to work in the NCSC black box space.” Either I jinxed them, or some wag on the crew decided to pull a plug for my benefit.
See more SeepeopleS
SeepeopleS may have been born too late for the MTV generation, but video suits this indie-pop band.
Pat and Alli’s Weekly Winners
Wondering what to do this weekend? Xpress A&E reporter Alli Marshall and WOXL-96.5 DJ Pat Ryan team up to bring you their top entertainment picks for Thursday, Aug. 16, through Sunday, Aug. 19.
New blues
Vieux Farka Touré, the son of late Malian music legend Ali Farka Touré, wants to make one thing clear. Though his father was known as the “John Lee Hooker of Mali,” the younger Touré is dealing with a whole new shade of blue. Heir apparent: Vieux Farka Touré, like his father Ali, is one of […]