Turn the page on Asheville government It is time for a new chapter in America and in Asheville, for we have defined ourselves individually and collectively too narrowly — we are more than economic cogs in a giant machine. The economic world has always tended toward flatness. Whether it was the textile industry in Great […]
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Asheville’s tunnel vision
As the new tunnel through Beaucatcher Mountain neared completion in 1928, the prospect of expanding eastward toward Black Mountain excited local business leaders — especially the Board of Trade, whose mission was to promote Asheville’s image as a modern, progressive, “New South” city. Yet the growth that followed the tunnel’s opening — and, more than […]
Earful
CD reviews Patrick Fitzsimons, Hoo Daddy: Three Stars Genre(s): Acoustic blues, ragtime You’ll like it if: You prefer albums that showcase the artist and not studio wizardry. Defining song: “Walking Shoes” -The last song — and one of four originals on the 14 cuts — is the savior of the record, propelling it out of […]
Cartoons
Play some Skynyrd
Wanted: Guitarist for teen rock band. Classic rock and originals. Must be able to jump around on stage, make your hair go crazy and pump up the volume. Interest in Lynyrd Skynyrd a plus. That’s Ryan Scotchie’s dream ad. A 15-year-old guitarist from Weaverville, Scotchie has now had a taste of the dream. Rehearsing onstage […]
The arbiters of uncool
Dubbed the “Anti-Cool Portlandites,” The Decemberists specialize in redrawing the parameters of rock-and-roll chic. Favoring theatrical leanings over indie-rock emoting, this Oregon-based band relishes tales of surly mariners, women in palanquins and morose barrow boys. Somehow this troupe that sometimes channels Gilbert and Sullivan has landed right in the middle of hipville. The mainstream press […]
Outside the lines
Studio Italiana is filled with the intense colors of the Tuscan sun: Chairs and lamps in brilliant yellows, oranges and reds compete for attention. Dramatic shapes and bold colors in large, lyrical abstract paintings by architect Peter Alberice join them. Nestled quietly among all this excitement are some very different works by another architect, Mark […]
Earful
Local News Crank County Daredevils prep for new album The Crank County Daredevil’s brand of music has inspired a new term called “sleaze rock” — a visceral blend of punk, metal, leather, and good old rock-n-roll. One glance at these boys onstage is enough to induce bed-wetting nightmares. Offstage, their demeanor makes you want to […]
Cartoons
Follow the leader?
Last September, a rain-soaked Charles Worley stood somberly before a hastily gathered gaggle of reporters and city officials. Wearing a slicker and a grim face, the mayor of Asheville skipped the handshaking and pleasantries that normally mark the start of a press conference. His words were blunt, and the news was bad: The city was […]
A mayoral race primer
Four candidates’ names will appear on the ballot for the Oct. 11 primary, and each of them claims to have the best plan for leading the city of Asheville. Here’s a brief look at their respective backgrounds and ideas. Terry Bellamy: The Asheville native, who is director of marketing and development for Mountain Housing Opportunities, […]
Letters to the editor
Dunn will oppose this fuzzy-wuzzy arts project I am outraged at the presentation given at the recent Asheville City Council meeting on a proposal to build a performing arts center. I thought the looting in New Orleans was bad, but the proposed looting of taxpayers and tourists is more repugnant as it is to be […]
A big year for state election law
The reviews are in, and the General Assembly can take a bow for its work on election and lobbying laws. “Unprecedented,” says Chris Heagarty, executive director of the N.C. Center for Voter Education, which monitors election and campaign-finance issues. “Taken together, this is one of the most significant packages of election laws I’ve seen,” muses […]
Down and Derby
The Pinewood Derby is a miniature version of the Soapbox Derby that millions of kids under age 12 have enjoyed. Created by a California Boy Scout Cubmaster in 1953, the derbies take place indoors using cars handmade out of 5-by-7-inch pinewood rectangles and raced on polished wooden tracks. (If you hurry, you can see a […]
The Greatest Game Ever Played
When 20-year-old American amateur Francis Ouimet (Shia LaBoef, Constantine) won the U.S. Open golf tournament in 1913 against the greatest professional player in the world, Englishman Harry Vardon (Stephen Dillane, King Arthur), journalists on both sides of the Atlantic called it “the greatest game ever played.” The Disney movie about the famous competition — a […]
Just Like Heaven
Just Like Heaven is a romantic comedy that will please everyone, especially those who walked out of The 40-Year-Old Virgin because of its foul language. The only four-letter word in Heaven is “cute.” Everything about this modern-day Sleeping Beauty tale works: immensely likeable stars, a terrific script that actually allows those stars to create believable […]
This band is his band
In the early ’90s, fans and critics lauded Jay Farrar as a pioneer. He blazed the trail for the fledgling alt-country genre with his former band, Uncle Tupelo. His next project, Son Volt, showed no sign of halting the creative spirit, culling from the same poetic ilk that buoyed his former outfit. The heralded success […]
United nations
During Folkmoot — Waynesville’s two-week international-dance festival held in July — translators are often used to ease the language barrier between foreign groups and their American hosts. But Robert Jumper, spokesman for the Eastern Band of Cherokee, got a message from Folkmoot that went beyond words. “We wanted something of that magnitude, but that focuses […]
Earful
CD review Steep Canyon Rangers, One Dime at a Time (Rebel Records): Four Stars • Genre(s): Bluegrass • You’ll like it if: You don’t mind bright-eyed lads plundering traditional bluegrass with remarkable ease. • Defining song: “Green Eyed Lady” — At first, I expressed disappointment that it wasn’t a cover of the Sugarloaf staple. Dismay […]
Cartoons
Letters to the editor
Forum failed to fully inform public I attended the Sept. 8 forum on the Asheville Civic Center, presented by the Civic Center Commission, the League of Women Voters, and the Mountain Xpress. I was impressed by the large number of people who turned up for the debate and the earlier tour conducted by Center Director […]