“Independent bands have a hard time getting clout,” says Victoria Karol, who’s organizing the first Music Video Asheville event (in addition to her work handling publicity for local pop group SeepeopleS and managing new movie-and-dining venue Cinebarre). Silver screen sounds: Stephanie’s Id (pictured), SeepeopleS, The Makeout Room and other local bands will present their music […]

It used to be that the widely held American conception of Irish culture culminated in leprechauns, green beer and a penchant for belting out choruses of “Danny Boy.” Along came Michael Flatley, and all that changed. Well, not exactly, but it is true that despite the fact that the number of New York City residents […]

Literary Trails of the North Carolina Mountains: A Guidebook (University of North Carolina Press, 2007) by Georgann Eubanks is a revelation. In turns historic tome, travel guide, Southern-heritage volume and trivia collection, the book is exactly the sort of thing that’s so obvious it’s a wonder no one wrote it sooner, and such an ambitious […]

“I think it vibrates in your soul for a long time,” says Justin Myles, a performer with the American touring cast of Stomp, which plays a two-night stand at the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium next week. He’s been on board with the soul-stirring production for the past two years, but the show itself is in its […]

“It’s not a beginner’s book, per se, but a beginner would get a lot out of it,” explains local woodworker Andy Rae, author of Building Doors & Drawers: A Complete Guide to Design and Construction (Taunton Press, 2007). “Probably the primary reader in terms of skill level would be an intermediate woodworker,” he continues. “There […]

You thought you knew “Kumbaya,” that most ubiquitous of summer-camp songs foisted on unsuspecting Christian youths jacked up on bug juice and dazed by a crackling fire. “Let’s have a sing-a-long,” suggests a chipper counselor, who then strums that simpering tune on her acoustic guitar. Blue, period: Cookie LaRue may have schooled Mitchell, Dylan and […]

A lot has been written about the DIY movement in recent years, but for those who enjoy making something—yet aren’t compelled/motivated/experienced enough to embark on a knitted afghan or decoratively painted highboy—never fear. Your crafting book has arrived. Local designer Suzie Millions, a professional artist who admits to inheriting the “festooning” gene, just published The […]