Not popped-and-locked into one genre: Some breakdancing diehards object to the form being choreographed with other kinds of dance (or choreographed at all, for that matter). But Rennie Harris Puremovement has another story to tell. Audiences — the type that shell out for ballet or modern dance — have been intimidated by hip-hop, explains Brandon […]

“It almost feels like ‘indie’ means ‘real,’” muses Britt Daniel — who, when he isn’t waxing philosophical to reporters, fronts fuzz-rock band Spoon. In 2003, Daniel told Pitchfork that the catchall term doesn’t always fit. “Everyone has their definition of indie rock and by some definitions, what we do is indie rock,” he said. “I […]

I was Dorie the Good Witch the Halloween I was 11 — a costume I styled from a black cocktail dress, black pointed cap, black Mary Janes and multicolored striped socks. A proud moment — but also my last juncture with the occult. Until now, that is. Hefting (and I do mean heft — the […]

“I’ve never been a cat person,” admits actor Philip Peterson. So he’s a bit hard-pressed to explain how he ended up playing one on stage. As the sage feline Old Deuteronomy in Troika Productions’ Cats, Peterson is perfecting his stray-cat strut. “This is a role I never thought I’d do,” he reveals during an interview […]

Comedian Jeff Foxworthy has perfected the “you know you’re a redneck if …” shtick, but none of his punch lines sound anything like “you and your two buddies sing opera.” However, music-theater veteran Matthew Lord is an equal-opportunity crooner: The creator of 3 Redneck Tenors believes you can sport a mullet and sing “O Sole […]

“I expect to tick a couple of people off,” reveals Daniel Meyer. “And I expect to inspire people’s perception of art.” On Saturday, Sept. 17, a year to the day that Asheville Symphony conductor-hopeful Meyer wowed an audition audience with his baton-waving prowess, he took to the stage again — this time as the local […]

On Spearhead’s 2003 release, Everyone Deserves Music, the hip-hop group’s front man Michael Franti sings, “I wanna rock the punks because I love punk rock/ I wanna rock the hips because I love hip-hop/ I wanna rock my peeps all around the block/ If I were in Baghdad then I would rock Iraq.” And, a […]

The Lake Eden Arts Festival, featuring roots and world music, contra dancing and healing-arts workshops, happens every May and October at Camp Rockmont, the former site of avant-garde Black Mountain College. LEAF’s current installment unfolds Friday, Oct. 14 through Sunday, Oct. 16. Weekend passes include camping, and are $108/adults, $87/youth. The weekend pass “plus” includes […]

“For me, everything is kind of political, but in a way, everything isn’t,” announces Brazilian Girls vocalist Sabina Sciubba. She’s just woken from a nap, and — according to bassist Jesse Murphy — sounds a bit like a crusty Italian fisherman. Sciubba (pronounced Shoo-ba) explains that the group’s song “Pussy” is about, well, “exactly what […]

The World Festival of Sacred Music, held every third year in Los Angeles, was reportedly “initiated by His Holiness the Dalai Lama in 1999 to mark the millennium with a message of peace, cultural understanding, and spirituality.” Asheville’s own Sacred Music Festival may not have sprung from such auspicious beginnings — the vocal-and-instrumental concert began […]

“I was one of eight kids, and one of my fantasies was to live in an ark,” admits artist Ellen O’Grady, author of Outside the Ark: An Artist’s Journey in Occupied Palestine. “The image was of a storm outside, but safety inside.” These days, she’s probably not the only one who’s looking for a vessel […]

“Members of the Tribe still hug each other,” revealed This American Life Associate Producer Peter Clowney during a 1996 episode in which he visited the cast of the Cal-State Fullerton production of Hair. “Another student recently asked, ‘When are you guys gonna cut out all that love crap?’” the NPR commentator further reported. But for […]

“I signed a publicity deal the day I moved to Nashville,” says rising country star Jimmy Wayne, who left his home in High Point, N.C., for the glamour of Music City seven years ago. You’ll forgive the hubris when you hear the rest of his story. Because Wayne, who dropped his last name (Barber) when […]

It’s not uncommon for teens to love rock, join bands and dream of ditching school to go on tour, all the while wishing their parents were cool enough to relate. However, those family-fortified musical fantasies are likely to languish in the land of make-believe — unless said teens happen to play with the Partridges (see […]

On a night hot enough to legitimately imagine that Asheville lies on the edge of the Serengeti, a crowded line snakes toward the Orange Peel, waiting to see Afrobeat quintet Toubab Krewe. The band, when they appear, receives a rock-star greeting before breaking into a pulsing instrumental driven by hand drums and the gourd-bottomed harp […]

All events are on the Main Stage unless otherwise noted. Friday • Ruby Mayfield (soul), Noon• Toubab Krewe (Afrobeat), 2 p.m.• Welcome & Drum Circle, 5 p.m.• Mandorico (Latin ska), 5:30 p.m.• Sandy B & the All-Stars (Motown & soul), 8 p.m.• Recorded music, 10 p.m. Saturday • Recorded music, 11:30 a.m.• Activities and entertainment […]