Words to the word-slingers Last week’s articles on free speech and its sometimes unpleasant consequences [“Say It, Don’t Spray It” and “Uncivil Discourse?“, Nov. 8] brought to mind my own experience several years ago. I was relaxing one morning at my favorite coffee shop when I was approached by a Citizen-Times reporter and photographer who […]
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The play’s the thing
I was a bit surprised when I read in the Citizen-Times that the Merrimon Avenue McDonald’s was slated to be knocked down and re-created. The story noted that while the new McDonald’s would sport fancy countertops and even a fireplace, the beloved Playland would be gone for good. I broke the news to my two […]
Nickel Creek’s Thile reveals ‘How to Grow a Woman’
How to grow a backache: Astonishing talent and resume’ aside, Chris Thile still has a lot to learn about lumbar support. Chris Thile’s new album is being billed as his return to bluegrass. But what he means by bluegrass is anybody’s guess. Thile has been blurring the genre’s definition as mandolinist for Nickel Creek — […]
Parading on the local level
Holidays in Oz? Actually, that pretty much sums up life in Asheville for a lot of people. Parade coordinator Sara Widenhouse took the scenic route to the organizational helm of the 2006 Asheville Holiday Parade. As artistic director for the Firecracker Jazz Band’s floats, she’s immersed herself in the landscapes of China and the Land […]
Cartoons
Solitude is as solitude does
Salmo Suburbus: art by Kent Priestley Right after I got married, my wife and I moved to China for a year-and-a-half. There we ate dozens of different kinds of noodles, got food poisoning twice, traveled thousands of miles by train and saw the Gobi Desert, but I didn’t get to go fishing once. In fact, […]
Homegrown but well traveled
All in a day’s work: Penstock Productions General Manager John Grace films paddler Toby McDermott on the Green River. photo by Nate Elliot In a conference room at UNCA, three men in smoking jackets wield brandy glasses and watch a globe spin. They are contemplating nothing less than a first-descent kayaking expedition to a river […]
Asheville Film Festival Extras
Films In competition This year, the Asheville Film Festival has 13 feature films in competition, and, as usual, it’s a decidedly eclectic assortment. Even though I’m one of the judges — along with filmmaker Tim Kirkman (Loggerheads) — I have no idea which entry will win. In fact, I haven’t been able to view all […]
One-man band for the digital age
Who needs a hug? Keller Williams may be as talented as they come, but everybody needs a little reassurance now and then. photo by C. Taylor Crothers It’s easy to assume guitarist Keller Williams has been blessed with a cadre of talented bandmates. On most of his recordings, his acoustic strummings are backed by drums, […]
Cartoons
Letters to the editor
Due process or git-‘r-done? I am writing in response to the Oct. 25 letter from Milfred C. Weeks [“Does State Trump Nation?“]. I thought it worthwhile to disabuse him of some of the misconceptions he has and to inform him and your other readers of the actual basis in law for the current state of […]
Letters to the editor
Commissioners need to climb this hill For the past several months, County Attorney Joe Connolly and the Board of Commissioners have suggested to concerned Buncombe County residents that it would be difficult and time-consuming to impose a temporary development moratorium. Municipal development moratoriums have been legally and successfully used to deal with a variety of […]
Follow the money
Just because something is legal, does that make it right? That’s a question voters may want to ask about this year’s judicial candidates. And the answer may come in the form of deeds, not words. On the one hand, a slew of influential special-interest groups flood judges’ mailboxes with questionnaires aimed at praising or pummeling […]
Howling at the moon
These are the new wolves of Madison County — human predators far more dangerous than their iconic ancestors. Oral history has it that Hershel Porshia’s grandfather, an immigrant from France, killed the last wolf in Madison County more than a century ago near Big Bald Mountain. The animals whose lupine cries still haunt many of […]
Too Much of a Good Thing?
Canadian invasion: Broken Social Scene prove that everything is bigger in the land of the maple leaf. Leave it to the rock trivia geeks to determine the average life expectancy of a rock band with an 18-member roster, but smart money says it’s a lot shorter than Broken Social Scene’s current 7-year run. Bands much […]
The far right wing doesn’t know what it’s missing
The Infamous Angel of the clothes lines: Iris DeMent may be a country music trailblazer, but some feel she missed an even greater calling as a laundress. Okay, I’m going to go out on a limb and say that Iris DeMent is the greatest country singer to come along in the last 15 years. And […]
Gimme Shelter
Inside, outside, upside down: Nina Hole’s “Upside Downtown” is a remarkable work about the definitions of shape, surface and the symbolic function of vessels. Western North Carolina, with its rich history of architecture and ceramics, has a unique opportunity to explore the connections between the two forms: The Center for Craft, Creativity & Design in […]
Cartoons
The Green on speed
Royal flush: Tasting adrenaline, Green River-style. photo by Shelton Steele Editor’s note: The Green River Narrows is a dangerous, unforgiving place; people have died here, and access to the river is restricted. Accordingly, the Green River Race is intended only for expert paddlers with considerable experience here. Wikipedia defines sport as “an activity requiring physical […]
Welcome
Dear Film Festival attendees, On behalf of the City of Asheville and the Asheville Film Festival, I would like to welcome you to the beautiful mountains of Western North Carolina. The City of Asheville is proud to host the fourth annual Asheville Film Festival celebrating independent filmmaking. Our region has a long history of serving […]
Gallery gossip
• A Saturday afternoon tour of a few galleries after the season’s last downtown crawl was less than inspiring. Work at Push was edgy, (some curtained off with a sign saying only those 18 and above could enter) but most everything else was tourist-oriented and safe, or a little less-than-ready for exhibition. Artemisia fared as […]