Here's one for the annals: The first-ever Freaks of Asheville calendar, set to debut at LAAFF this year. Photographer Michael Traister (Sock Monkey Dreams, Faces of Izzy's), known for his stunning portraiture, turns his deft lens to some of our town's "cultural creatives," creating portraits of some local eclectic personalities. Sister Bad Habit, aka LaZoom […]

September is starting off the fall music season (is there such a thing?) right, with a couple of CD-release shows and the promise of a bunch more coming. Here's an abbreviated rundown, and our suggestions for where the music might be most appropriate. Americana songwriter Dave Desmelik debuts his new CD at Westville Pub on […]

So this week the section is pretty man-heavy. We always try for a balance of genres and venues, but this week's A&E dudeness was striking — one of those things you don't necessarily notice until you're turning your photos in to the designer, and they're all dudes, standing, sitting, rocking, whatever. Oh yeah, and one […]

Big news and big excitement for local playwright, actor, teacher and Xpress contributor John Crutchfield: His play, Songs of Robert, has been accepted into the New York International Fringe Festival. The mid-August festival spans 16 days, 200 venues and draws about 75,000 people. It's Crutchfield's first foray there, and a chance to show his work […]

Here's a project that should be a boon for WNC media artists and professionals: A savvy online directory where artists can upload their portfolios, create profiles and get the word out about their skills. "We have such a huge amount of talent here," says Robert Zimmerman, whose company has developed the site. A grant from […]