The hidden inequities of city smoking laws

I read with interest your article concerning the removal of benches outside the Vanderbilt Apartment due to undesirable people using them [“Benched,” July 28, Xpress]. Most of the people who used these benches were residents of the apartment building and most are old and extremely poor, which in today’s society is a sin in itself. […]

SoundTrack Web Extra: Quetzatl at The Hookah Bar


Quetzatl is a veteran of the electronic music scene, and it showed with how tight and perfectly executed his set was. The years have, thankfully, not translated into an evolution of sound that is inaccessible or overly polished. His sound is gritty, but not from a lack of production savvy. It’s an approach that transcends the myriad genres that have been born from the electronic scene, and instead layers elements of different styles upon one another.

Local judicial candidates at odds over fall election ballot

A question regarding the voting method for electing two Buncombe County Superior Court judges in November has been raised by one of the five candidates hoping to take a seat on the District 28 bench. The issue has become an agenda item at the State Board of Elections’ public meeting next Tuesday, Aug. 24, here in Asheville.

Elitist Bastards: Scott Pilgrim, The Expendable­s and The Joy of Basting

In this week’s Elitist Bastards Go To The Movies, Xpress film critics Ken Hanke and Justin Souther shine their critical searchlights on Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World, The Expendables and Eat Pray Love. The also discuss the comedic political commentary behind The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (this week’s Thursday Horror Picture Show) and the slightly dated charm of Billy Wilder’s Cold War comedy One, Two, Three (this week’s Asheville Film Society screening). And they mercilessly examine this week’s new offerings Vampires Suck, The Lottery, Nanny McPhee Returns,The Switch (previously known as The Baster) and Piranha 3D.

Poor and poorer

I agree with most of Robin Merrell’s recent commentary on affordable housing [see “Priced Out,” July 14 Xpress]. But she told only half the story. I couldn’t help but notice that since she doesn’t live in Asheville, what she advocates wouldn’t affect her own neighborhood. What Merrell doesn’t describe is the reality that many homeowners […]

Mountain Hoppin’

In terms of visual appeal, the Wedge’s brewing system — best viewed when standing in front of the tasting-room taps while turning your head roughly 45 degrees to the left — is my fave in town. The labyrinthine system of gleaming copper and crisp steel exudes a mix of the fantastical and the industrial. It’s […]

One foot in front of the other: 1,000 indelible hikes

A door opened that midwinter day, and we stepped through it into a new life full of wonders I never thought I'd see. I've gazed upon the immense tumble of Whitewater Falls, cascading 400 feet down a mountainside in Nantahala National Forest; stumbled upon pink lady’s slippers scattered like fairy lanterns along the trails around Carl Sandburg's mountain home …

The Beat

It might not feel like it outside, but summer just ended — at least for students in the city and county school systems. In "More Western North Carolina School Systems May Seek Waiver from Calendar Law," the Asheville Citizen-Times reported that the Tuesday, Aug. 17, return date was about a week earlier than planned. Because […]

Signs that the economy is improving?

I've got to admit that I was initially attracted to Jake Frankel's recent article “Getting Back on Track: Signs that the Economy is Improving in WNC” [Aug. 4, Xpress] due to the bar graph (sourced from Parsec Financial Services). [It reminded me] of something I thought I had seen in USA Today or the like… […]

Open For Biz: Instant city

If you’d asked around downtown Asheville a year ago what people thought about Biltmore Park Town Square, chances are you’d have heard at least one mention of the popular Regal Biltmore Grande Stadium 15 movie theater. But the massive planned community's idyllic "small town" design might also have sparked references to The Stepford Wives or […]

I’ve had about enough of “Molton”

OK, I have a tendency to rant when I write letters to the Xpress, so I’m going to try to keep this one as succinct as possible. I have already written to the Xpress in the past about Molton’s juvenile artistry and banal attempts at pertinent “local” social commentary. I’m sure you’ll receive furious letters […]

It’s Good To Be Kings

It's not often you hear a rock band describe its music in cinematic, Guillermo del Toro-esque themes like “innocence colliding with brutal reality.” But that's Kings Of Prussia for you. "I've always had this vision of the innocence of childhood, and the moment that you lose that innocence," says Javi, KOP's keyboard/electronics wizard. "You know […]

Eatin’ in Season

To some, summer is all about swimming and sunlight. To others, it’s about local tomatoes. Period. “Texturally, there is nothing like a good vine-ripened local tomato,” says Chris Aquilino, personal chef, caterer and owner of Picasso’s Plate Cuisine. “They’re soft and supple.” The taste? It doesn't even compare it to that of a trucked-in tomato, […]