John Gernandt sings songs resurrected from the Middle Ages. But to hear him tell it, the demise of these ancient Celtic ballads (as well as the early Appalachian songs they bred) is a thoroughly modern phenomenon. “It’s something that was lost in our lifetime,” the Burnsville native declares with some bitterness. “I blame it on […]

Asked to predict the top act at the eighth annual Lake Eden Arts Festival, co-director Jennifer Pickering opts to spotlight the holistic resonance of the entire event: “Of course, the Dirty Dozen Brass Band is absolutely a highlight, but it’s a really packed lineup, and all of the music has a vibrant energy. … One […]

In one work, nude couples loaf pleasurably on a beach beneath a tropical sun. In another, a woman turns her back on a disastrous winter sky, shielding her eyes in fright. But the beach scene (titled “Southbound: Allegory of Summer”) isn’t all steamy indolence. In the background, a menacingly large waterfowl parts the ocean with […]

You don’t necessarily have to be familiar with Rudyard Kipling’s classic The Jungle Book to appreciate its relatively obscure sequel The Second Jungle Book. And you definitely don’t have to be familiar with The Second Jungle Book to appreciate the lovingly spirited production of this unearthed fable presented by Asheville Contemporary Dance Theatre and the […]

Uwe Kruger’s voice was hard to understand during our recent phone interview, but not because of the bluegrass musician’s furry Swiss accent. Ironically, it was the decidedly American Merlefest that made communication so difficult. Quick and fearsome picking soared in the background, and Kruger struggled to articulate (in careful and correct English) over the steady […]

Every so often, ancient Egyptian culture becomes inexplicably trendy, says Asheville Ballet Guild Artistic Director Ann Dunn. It was happening in 1871 when Verdi wrote Aida — an exotic version of Romeo and Juliet centered around ill-fated lovers Aida and Radames. And it’s happening now, she believes, pointing to the blockbuster animated film Prince of […]

In the beginning, Asheville’s Beth Israel Synagogue often found itself without a rabbi. Although the advent of the railroad in the late 1880s ended Asheville’s isolation and allowed new Jewish families to move into the area (among them merchants like the Lipinksys and the Michaloves), a slow-to-grow congregation left ambitious rabbis inclined to seek more […]

If Austin singer/songwriter James McMurtry ever tires of music, he might fashion a new career as a word conservationist. (And with the Web’s endless over-informationizing of America, could such a reactionary position be far behind?) The man’s reticence is legendary, both in and out of song: Though his tunes convey deep feeling about a variety […]

With the release of Spring Songs (Rounder Records, 1999), family favorite John McCutcheon completes the season-celebrating series that started with Autumn Songs (the hardest to write, he says) — a project born of nothing more than a boyish yearning to spend more time with his best pal. “My buddy Si Kahn and I wanted to […]

Nanci Griffith is a marvelously fitting last-minute addition to this year’s Merlefest: Her latest album, Other Voices Too (A Trip Back to Bountiful) (Elektra, 1998) — a sequel to her 1993 classic, Other Voices, Other Rooms — pays homage to both the music legends and the less-famous singer/songwriters who ignited her passion for roots music […]

Sure, some of his songs are a little shocking. What’s really shocking, though, is that spike-tongued gut-spiller Mojo Nixon has never once been sued. “Nobody’s ever tried, unfortunately,” he confessed dejectedly in a recent phone chat. “I wish someone would sue my raggedy butt, so I could get up there on the stand and espouse […]

“Every time we do it, I still have to pinch myself,” confesses Keith Moseley. The String Cheese Incident bassist remains properly awed about sharing a stage with Peter Rowan, calling the bluegrass hero “one of our idols, and a big inspiration to us.” (Rowan played with Bill Monroe in the ’60s and came to fame […]

“Puppetry is the poetry of the theater world,” declares Lisa Sturz. Distilling the essence of her cherished art is a joyful task for Sturz, the co-founder — along with fellow puppetmasters Pamella O’Connor, Hobey Ford, and Susan Ward — of Asheville Puppetry Alliance, a group determined to advance the aims of puppetry to unsuspecting audiences. […]

It took him 30 years, three wives, and a world of miles to do it, but country-blues wanderer Roy Book Binder finally feels at home recording his own music. Polk City Ramble (Rounder Records, 1998), Book Binder’s latest release, features seven new songs — a record number of originals for the road-worn bluesman. Some, like […]

Though they’ve graced the main stages of such prestigious venues as the Philadelphia Folk Festival, the four members of Eddie From Ohio project a dizzying enthusiasm that often froths way beyond the borders of traditional folk music. “[It’s] contemporary folk-on-steroids,” was Sing Out!! magazine’s stab at capturing EFO’s singular energy. An apt observation — and […]

“This should definitely not be left on the radiator: It’s ready to be eaten now.” New England singer/songwriter Patty Larkin isn’t talking about a candy bar, but a rather more delicate morsel — her much-celebrated CD, Perishable Fruit (Windham Hill, 1997). Considered the singer’s most innovative and heartfelt work to date, Perishable Fruit (her latest […]

“Divergent: Kite” falls from the ceiling like a secret, quietly suspended in one of Zone one contemporary gallery’s private alcoves. Hung by a wire, the coral-colored sculpture — a geometric jumble of frolicking curlicue shapes formed with a glossy, plastic-like resin — comes to rest a mere whisper above the ground. Careful spotlighting around the […]

When Melvin Seals, the longtime keyboardist for the Jerry Garcia Band, formed a tribute group honoring Garcia after his death, it wasn’t the apparition of the late, Grateful one himself that spurred Seals’ efforts — but the haunting notion that Garcia’s most deeply felt wish might otherwise go ungranted. “I kept going back and looking […]

In one of the many memorable songs on Thrills (Rykodisc, 1998), Andrew Bird’s sweet and smoky debut with his band Bowl of Fire, the part-time Squirrel Nut Zipper protests in bewilderment, “I’ll do anything you want, but I won’t be your glass figurine.” The lyric is ostensibly meant for a lover, but it could just […]

What the formerly Asheville-based folkie David Wilcox misses most about our fair city are the simple things. Fresh air, for instance, is a luxury he’ll never again take for granted: “Here [in Washington, D.C.], they have days when you’re advised not to breathe,” he says, with a speck of bitterness. Wilcox — he of the […]

As a breed, folksingers seem to be most easily recognized by a congenital tendency to burden themselves (and others) with their pet personal and political issues. Mutations do exist, however: It’s probably safe to assume that no other so-called singer/songwriter “preaches” with the zeal of Dan Bern — but don’t look for any standard-issue piety. […]