Skeletons in the jukebox “Skeletons” provides a forum for local musicians, artists, record-store owners, etc., to erase cool points by expressing their unseemly affection for an unhip album from their past. Video Game Muzak, by Steve Shanafelt “My greatest musical secret, that under-the-mattress, tattered-stained-and-sticky porn mag of my auditory subconscious, is video game soundtrack remixes. […]
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Cartoons
Sportin’ life
Photos from 2005 festival courtesy MSF There’s a palpable air of excitement around the upstairs bar in the Wild Wing Cafe. A varied assortment of volunteers, board members and sponsors of Asheville’s Mountain Sports Festival have gathered here to celebrate the upcoming event, thank the sponsors (including Wild Wing), inhale some free food and enjoy […]
Events to watch
More than 40 events are happening over the three-day weekend. Here are some of the most notable ones: Mountain Disc Golf Experience: The out-of-town pros are still crying about the Richmond Hill Golf Course, considered one of the toughest in the country. Any local knows what they’re griping about — one bad throw at Richmond […]
Play me some mountain music
Aside from all the running, climbing, pedaling and other exertion, the Mountain Sports Festival is hosting some of the best local and regional music acts. See the schedule for performance times; all bands perform at the main stage at Festival Village. Here are a few notes about who’s making the tunes: • Ruby Slippers — […]
MSF at a glance
When: Friday through Sunday, May 5-7Where: Carrier Park in AshevilleWhat: More than 40 competitive events and demos, a dozen live bands and a Festival Village. Directions From downtown Asheville: Go south on Biltmore Avenue for approximately 2 miles, then turn right on Meadow Road. Turn left at the second light onto Amboy Road. Go approximately […]
Soul survivors
History in the playing: Dan Penn, left, and Spooner Oldham. The careers of Dan Penn and Spooner Oldham course through the history of Southern soul and R&B like the Tigres and Euphrates flow through the cradle of civilization: It’d be hard to imagine the last 40 years of music history without them. Both Penn and […]
Graphite on paper
Guy Clark doesn’t say much. That’s especially true in an interview situation, where Clark is definitely not one to go on about his work. He’s never been the type to indulge in public analysis of his music, his methods or his inner life. And he takes a similarly economical approach to his songwriting. In fact, […]
Earful
CD reviews Bryan Sutton, Not too Far From the Tree: Four Stars • Genre(s): Acoustic bluegrass. • You’ll like it if: You see nothing confrontational about two guitars dueling for an hour. • Defining song: “Ragtime Annie” — Bryan Sutton’s duet with David Grier sounds like two foxes trying to outwit one another. Sutton remarked […]
Cartoons
V is for viburnum
Flower, fruit, foliage and form — whatever niche you are looking to fill in your garden, the viburnum may just hold the answer. This group of plants is vast and versatile, offering everything from the aristocrat to the woodland beauty, thus complementing both cultivated and naturalized palettes. While often overlooked and underutilized in the landscape, […]
Letters to the editor
Send letters to: Letters to the Editor, Mountain Xpress, P.O. Box 144, Asheville, NC 28802, or by e-mail to letters@mountainx.com. (Include name, address and phone number.) I’m rooting for the Root Bar Hunter Pope’s review of Songwriters in the Round (“Earful,” April 4) struck a chord with me — a sour one. His down-the-nose commentary […]
Not on OUR land!
“And then they came for me.” Or, more specifically, “Then they came for my land.” That’s the way I look at the various assaults on our public lands just since the beginning of this year. First we have to defend the Great Smoky Mountains National Park against those, including Rep. Charles Taylor, who want to […]
The Sentinel
If you’re like me, you saw the terrific previews for The Sentinel and waited eagerly for an intelligent, artery-thumping thriller. I’m sorry once again to be the bearer of bad news but, folks, we’ve been hoodwinked again. The first couple minutes of the movie are fascinating, revealing the split-second sharpness and hyper-vigilant skills the Secret […]
From the pulpit, with balls
Laxative rock: David Childers, far right, with the Modern Don Juans. Years ago, in a honky-tonk bar, a gentleman strode in dressed as the Devil. Onstage was David Childers — a firebrand, Southern-born performer once ironically dubbed “General Sherman — positively intent on burning down the house.” Childers already reeked of legend. Lawyer by day, […]
Seeing is (not) believing
“Green Sea/Amber Sea,” by Leslie Noell, 8″ x 8″ (digital photo, oil wax on canvas) Because it so rarely happens, it’s wonderful when expectations are exceeded. Leslie Noell, exhibiting at Black Mountain Center for the Arts, references Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s line in Biographia Literaria about “that willing suspension of disbelief for the moment, which constitutes […]
Gallery gossip
• Looks like the still-homeless “Conversation Piece” may not go to the relatively safe haven of Asheville Airport after all — the folks in charge say they want to feature regional crafts instead. Imagine that! • ‘Tis the season — local colleges and universities are showcasing their students’ best work with juried exhibits. Warren Wilson, […]
Earful
CD reviews Paperboy, Unreleased (You Do the Math): Three Stars • Genre(s): Pop punk. • You’ll like it if: You enjoy punk music that doesn’t need to address strife every time out. • Defining song: “Creature on the Beach” — Punk goes surf. “Let’s have fun,” lead singer Ann Bush dares the listener on Paperboy’s […]
Cartoons
Letters to the editor
Weaverville’s future has been sold On April 14, the Weaverville Board of Adjustment approved the special exception to allow a mall, larger than the Asheville Mall and Lowe’s combined, to be built on the corner of I-26 and 25/70. After a large percentage of the public in attendance cited stories, statistics, laws and lore opposing […]
Failing a generation
North Carolina is failing African-American children, literally and figuratively, and most state leaders don’t seem too worried about it. Less than half the African-American males who enter the ninth grade graduate from high school four years later — a statistic that rarely makes it into any speech by Gov. Mike Easley or state education officials. […]