Sitnick’s still a class act Leni Sitnick, our former mayor, revealed her customary generosity of spirit again in her recent defense [Letters, March 1] of Asheville Parks and Recreation Director Irby Brinson (and his department) against the intemperate remarks of the least mature member of our new City Council, Bryan Freeborn. If Leni were a […]
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March of the pilgrims
Does North Carolina have a state religion? Officially, the answer is “No.” But this month, we know better. For many North Carolinians, March is the month of pilgrimages to “holy” sites where they will join 20,000 or so other pilgrims in “worship.” Some will be wearing costumes and uniforms to show their loyalty. Some will […]
Letters to the editor
Jerry’s not-so-holy gospel As an aspiring curmudgeon, I look forward to Jerry Sternberg’s semi-regular commentaries in the Xpress. I find that his recounting of local histories provides a unique perspective. Therefore, I read with great anticipation the latest installment of the “Gospel According to Jerry” in which he suggests that the “good old days” were […]
Reversing the brain drain one job at a time
As a well-connected member of the Charlotte business community, I heard people say time and again, “Asheville (and the mountain region) would be a great place to live — but what would I do with my career?” The most obvious challenge I faced when leading the effort to launch the Blue Ridge Entrepreneurial Council for […]
Block Party
In September 2004, comic Dave Chappelle put on a free concert in Brooklyn’s Bed-Stuy neighborhood. Thousands of people came — most of them black, some white — and even though it rained, a fantastic time was apparently had by all. It was an example of how happy people can be with one another when music […]
Baby steps
“Formless fear”: David Berman overcomes his stage fright. Photo by Cassie Berman Silver Jews front man David Berman is shaking away his safety net. For the first time in his 15 years of music, the cultish poet/musician will move from the comforts of pen and paper and onto (drum roll, please) … the stage. It’s […]
Will work for pot
Clay his way: The pieces in Henry Bauer’s collection remain purposefully untitled. Artwork by Daniel Rhodes A person could drown in testosterone looking at the Henry Bauer Collection in UNCA’s University Gallery! This remarkable display of ceramic works is nothing if not masculine. The pieces are, with very few exceptions, big, heavy and vertical. There […]
Earful
CD reviews DJ Chrome C., Hot Cakes Vol.2: Three Stars • Genre(s): DJ • You’ll like it if: You’re too poor at the moment to be a record-bin junkie. • Defining song: The whole album. Playing on one constant segue, Chromey infuses beats that never allow the pulse a respite. A professional photographer based in Asheville, Chris Chromey […]
Gallery Gossip
• Graphic designer Bob Biddle, creator of the best Bele Chere poster ever, is back at work after a heart attack. Welcome back, Bob. • Big excitement in the world of performance art: Michael Sheldon, aka Cookie LaRue, will soon be opening a venue of his own in the back of O’Henrys. This should perk […]
Cartoons
Cuddly like that
“Yellow Faced Jar Woman” Joyce J. Scott is a woman of substance, one who spills her perceived shortcomings in a few short strokes. “I’m not always fearless in my personal life,” she admitted in a recent interview with Xpress. “I might be willing to march a little, or protest a little, but I’m not willing […]
Not for the secretarial pool
Raitt gets real: Bonnie’s new disc is for diehards. Generally speaking, Bonnie Raitt’s audience can be divided into two camps – the Original Bonnie-Maniacs and the Bonnie-Come-Latelies – and the two don’t exactly see eye-to-eye when it comes to choosing their favorite Bonnie Era. But on Raitt’s last couple of records, including her latest, Souls […]
Earful
CD reviews Mother Vinegar, Mother Vinegar (Monkey Fuzz Records): Three Stars • Genre(s): Rock, funk, brushes with metal. • You’ll like it if: You want an album with more twists than a circus contortionist. • Defining song: “Gypsum Cave” – This gypsy-jazz number swings like a school playground. Haunting tales of mountains of cocaine and […]
Gallery Gossip
• If you have an interest in the state of area art education at the college level, check out a faculty show at Warren Wilson and a UNCA faculty/student show at the Center for the Arts in Black Mountain (which might be more interesting if information had been provided about which teacher chose which student […]
Cartoons
Letters to the editor
Which Asheville am I in? Hello, fellow residents of Asheville. As a longtime member of our community, one comes to appreciate the friendly, engaging and socially conscious dynamic of our fine Southern city. These were things I was considering on the afternoon of Feb. 21 as I was immersed in the glow of a beautiful […]
Road to Nowhere is no solution
If you stand on top of Shuckstack Tower along the Appalachian Trail in the Smokies, you can see the whole world — 360 degrees of wilderness, set within the largest unbroken tract of mountain land in the eastern United States. Now, however, this priceless resource is threatened by the proposed North Shore Road. The controversy […]
Letters to the editor
What’s love got to do with survival? I’ve just read the article on polyamory [“A Big, Big Love,” Feb. 8]. A few things occurred to me that I wanted to mention. Please understand that I am looking at this issue from as scientific a point of view as I can muster (seeing as how I’m […]
Certified organic
Father knows best: Recording Tillis Sings Tillis, a tribute to her legendary dad Mel, helped Pam escape the contemporary-Nashville trap. A couple of years ago, when Pam Tillis recorded a tribute album to her father, country-music lion Mel Tillis, she didn’t necessarily intend for it to provide a path to the next phase of her […]
Biting the butterfly
“If you bite the head off a butterfly …” by Grace Smith. Quilts and old photos have their rightful place – but Grace Smith enshrines mountain heritage in a more fanciful format. Her delicately illustrated books are very process-oriented. Their departure point is old folk sayings from this area, such choice morsels as: “If you […]
Earful
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. Ace of Base, by singer/songwriter Pierce Edens My first-ever mechanical music-making device was a little Sony Walkman, presented to me on the evening of […]