“I’m just a coat rack,” says local dramatist Holiday Childress, best known for fronting carnival-rock band The Goodies. Choked on a peach? Terpsicorps dancer Sadie Harris embodies the haunting, waifish look you want in an Edward Gorey character. Photo by Jeff Cravotta Make that “a moving coat rack that sings falsetto, a place for talented […]

Last month, the Smashing Pumpkins announced their unprecedented nine-show residency at the Orange Peel, which will take place in late June and early July. And club manager Liz Whalen’s phone began ringing almost the next minute. They’re heeeeere: For the nine Asheville shows, original Smashing Pumpkins members Billy Corgan (vocals/lead guitar/vision), above, and drummer Jimmy […]

Almost as big as the buzz about the Smashing Pumpkins reunion and tour is the rumble (make that grumble) about the sold-out Orange Peel shows, to which few local fans were able to score tickets. In a post on the Xpress Web site, on May 21 Steve Shanafelt gave the club’s owners an opportunity to […]

The successful historical novel is a bit like a traditional patchwork quilt, composed of bits and remnants of material pieced together to create something new. Aunt Sally’s dress fabric meets Jimmy’s suit and Mama’s curtains and those matching shirts Sis made for the twins: Each piece brings its own stories, and the whole assemblage becomes […]

It’s hard enough for a craftsperson to sell work to clients concerned about whether the piece goes well with their couch. Standing up against McMansions: These sprightly fellows are a detail of “Evolution,” a work by Black Mountain metal sculptor Julia Burr. It’s even harder when the craftsperson is selling the couch. To help craftspeople […]

Catch A Falling Star Carolina Star is gearing up for the end of its first season. From what I gather, the show went under a lot of people’s radars, which is actually something of a shame, because it actually has a homegrown, good-idea-if-six-years-too-late kind of charm. In essence, Carolina Star is like a local version […]

In Georgian England, wit could trump even wallet in determining one’s eligibility for courtship. And physical appearance, though rarely a dealmaker, was always mentioned first. She bangs: Lily Allen doesn’t take rejection lightly. In her debut album Smile, she skewers a loutish ex-boyfriend with revealing songs like “Not Big.” Consider Jane Austen’s iconic character Emma […]

Who was Wilma Dykeman? It’s more than a rhetorical question. For many, her name reaches only as far as the banks of the French Broad, the river she lived near all her life and illuminated in her first book, 1955’s The French Broad. Dalai Mama! The French Broad author hangs out with His Holiness. But […]

Artists have painted self-portraits since medieval times, but Taiyo la Paix literally throws himself into his work. Taiyo la Paix’s “Pearl of the Deep Seas,” oil on canvas. Married and quickly divorced right out of college, la Paix says he went through a rough time with family obligations and had no time or energy for […]

For The Hold Steady, revamping their bar-band image doesn’t mean resorting to good behavior. The Hold Steady: They’re an American band. When you’re not as young as you used to be, it’s more about creative consumption. “The big thing I’ve learned is … not to drink until about 10 minutes before we go on, and […]

Who Cares That You’ve Never Heard Of Them: Their Album Is Finished! That’s right, local pop-punkers Scattered Rivalry are finally ready to release their debut album, the interestingly named Prayer In Bad Weather. Should you care? Maybe, if you find yourself nostalgic for the days when local bands like Bro-9 and Junior Varsity made ripples […]