It’s been nearly seven years since sarahbrown, Tasha Trasher and Todd Weakley relocated to Asheville (sarahbrown and Trasher from Portland, Ore., and Weakley from Boston) and began playing their first round of shows as Hope & Anchor. Since then the trio’s subdued sets filled with sweet melodies and heartfelt lyrics have become a staple of […]
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On the shoulders of giants
As Sir Isaac Newton said, “If I have been able to see further than others, it is because I have stood on the shoulders of giants.” The giants in Blue Spiral’s mentor exhibition are Western North Carolina-based sculptors and artists Hoss Haley, Stoney Lamar, Leslie Walker Noell and Kathy Triplett. The gallery prepared mentor in […]
The Biz: WriteMind Institute: a refuge for working folk
There’s work done to collect a paycheck, and there’s work done to improve as a person. For writer/entrepreneur/Zen practitioner Jonathon Flaum, those two goals intersect, one serving as the setting for the other. Work as refuge: The WriteMind Institute for Corporate Contemplation offers leadership workshops and retreats for businesses. The Lexington Avenue location also includes […]
It all started with a leaky fountain
I am alarmed that Asheville is—as are a growing number of American towns—a victim of a Buncombe scheme. I read about these in USA Today. Well-rehearsed teams of operators, based out of Chicago, travel the nation—seeking and finding towns that have a leaky fountain in their town square. When one is located, soon that town […]
Letter from the publisher: Xpress’ new look for 2009
Dear reader, You’ll note some changes in this week’s Mountain Xpress. Perhaps the most obvious is that the paper’s slightly shorter. But you’ll also find design changes throughout the issue that we’re excited about. A lot of energy and creativity has gone into them. The size change was mandated by our printer, which is rebuilding […]
Let cable consumers choose channels
We in WNC are captive to a single cable-television provider: Charter. On its Web site, Charter lists only their high-priced bundle. Customers have to ask specifically for the low-priced basic cable contract, which is not described. Unfortunately, it doesn’t include the channels we’d most like to watch. According to the May issue of Consumer Reports, […]
The more things change …
I have deliberately taken a break from appearing in front of City Council to speak on issues pertaining to development and quality of life in Asheville and the county, and writing to the dwindling number of publications here to voice my concerns. I wanted to give the governing bodies a chance to make some adjustments, […]
Outdoors: Second chances
Last month, a 15-year-old named Alex celebrated his graduation from Camp Woodson in Swannanoa. I was there to hear him speak, along with a crowd of fellow graduates, employees, court counselors and staff from the Swannanoa Valley Youth Development Center, where the camp’s offices are. In a soft voice, Alex said, “I am a man […]
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The Special Olympics
A 2008 Special Olympics torch bearer On the morning of Tuesday, April 21, more than 450 athletes will gather to compete in the Buncombe County Special Olympics Spring Games. Opening ceremonies will begin at 9:20 a.m. with a parade of athletes. These competitors and their student helpers are from all over the county and represent […]
Not so well-adjusted: Review of Brian Jonestown Massacre at the Orange Peel
Missed the Brian Jonestown Massacre show? What about the Strange Boys? A snippet of Screamin’ Jays? The guitarist puking at the end of the night? Here’s a rawk review to satisfy ‘em all.
From teapots to deck chairs, this craft is sexy
Looking for art at the edge? April is woodworking month and surprises abound. This is not your grandpa’s woodwork. Though plenty of woodworkers are, in fact, grandpas, the work they’re creating is anything but predictable. Current exhibits at Grovewood Gallery and Blue Spiral include everything from turned bowls translucent as glass to furniture that provides […]
Far from shore
Originally, Toronto’s Great Lake Swimmers was to be a solo project. Over the course of the past six years, however, Tony Dekker’s brainchild has morphed from country-boy-in-the-city-with-an-acoustic-guitar to a semi-collective with an alternating body of participants to a proper band incorporating a fairly solid lineup of friends and collaborators. Watery, wide-eyed wonder: Great Lake Swimmers […]
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Outdoors: Trails Forever
My husband, Lenny, and I first visited Great Smoky Mountains National Park back in 1974. We were on a driving vacation from New Jersey and thought we could “do” both Shenandoah National Park and the Smokies in a mere two weeks. While I carried a pack filled with food, water and diapers, Lenny backpacked our […]
The Twaper caper: a joke with serious intent
If you logged on to our home page on April 1, you got a glimpse of what it would be like if a newspaper went all-Twitter, all the time. For some, it was an idea that was hard to take seriously. For others, it was a serious scare—if only for a while. For still others, […]
The Dirt: Spring’s little signs
In Mother Nature, harbingers abound, like news flashes of what’s to come. September’s Indian summer prepares us for October’s colors and sweatshirts. The katydids of August—called “school bugs” when I was a child—remind us that the laziness of summer is fading. Leaves whipping off trees in late November send us indoors for winter hibernation. One […]
The ethic of reciprocity
I write with a troubled heart. I believe that everyone in our world, and in our own communities, needs to look out for one another. The ethic of reciprocity—also known as the golden rule—is debatably the most essential basis for how one should treat another. Yet it seems that rule is not being implemented as […]
More power to the shift
No-more-coal! No-more-coal! No-more-coal! was the rhythmic chant reverberating throughout the streets surrounding the Capitol in Washington, D.C., on March 2, as columns of thousands of people from all corners of our nation marched through snow and 16-degree temperatures from Spirit of Justice Park to the power plant several blocks south that supplies heat for the […]
Climate action can’t wait
We require a clean energy revolution, not more coal or nuclear power. Exemplifying how the power industry’s propaganda retards progress required for human survival, the N.C. Division of Air Quality’s new permit would allow Duke Energy’s huge Cliffside plant to avoid maximum pollution controls. We need to point out that Cliffside would emit mercury, arsenic, […]
Some seriously great people
Ever been in line at the store and the cashier can’t even be bothered to get off her cell phone while she rings up your purchase? I will never understand why that is OK now, in a time when jobs are few and demand for them is high. But it has made me take notice […]