Predictions: • Cost of living could price artists out • “Far more creative opportunities” • Tech infrastructure needed for support Twenty years ago, few would have predicted that Asheville would be the hub of creativity that it is today. Downtown was a rundown, dirt-cheap and largely abandoned husk. Its financial future was murky at best, […]
Author: Steve Shanafelt
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Culture watch
Local Musicians Get Their Big Break If you’ve ever heard local jazzy, funky folk rockers Jen and the Juice, chances are you’ve thought them unlikely to hit big in the mainstream. It’s not that Jen Greer and her band aren’t talented, mind you, but rather that their signature sound, which they’ve dubbed “eclectic hipster hymns,” […]
A matter of taste
Regional folk-novelty band Bombadil may be set to star in the Soundbites pilot, but is adding regional musicians to a cooking show really a good idea?
And the winner is …
With the 48 Hour Film Project flicks written, cast, shot, edited and screened, all there is to do now is sit back and see who wins.
MountainX.com gets farked!
Our coverage of the Kuhns vs. Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office story gets picked up by Fark.com.
Bele Chere, Big Brother style
Even if you are one of the locals who shun the crowds and madness of Bele Chere, it’s hard not be a little curious about what’s going on downtown. If only there was a way to keep an eye on the happenings without having to actually be there. If only Mountain Xpress had live, streaming webcams …
Your Bele Chere jukebox
Want to check out the local acts at Bele Chere before they perform? We’ve got you covered.
Bele Chere awakens
Counting down the hours until Bele Chere.
Culture watch
In a few weeks, after the buzz of Bele Chere has died down and the Smashing Pumpkins residency slowly fades into memory, it might be worth taking a long, hard look at the direction our local culture is headed in. In the last few years, rather by focused common will or simply mass delusion spilling […]
BlogAsheville announces their 2007 draft picks
BlogAsheville updates their list of local bloggers, and we give you the details on WNC’s newest blogstars.
The big picture
It almost sounds like a film-school student’s nightmare: Create, from script to screen, an entire short film in 48 hours. That means everything—all the writing, the casting, the rehearsing, the acting, the filming, the editing, the post-production voice work and scoring—must be done at a hellish pace against ever-increasing fatigue. Team Smokey, last year’s 48 […]
Culture Watch
New Album, Dead Band When last we heard from badly named local band Autumn Rising, they were in the process of putting together their first studio demo. The Christian-oriented group released Starting Over (an ironic name for a band that’s been around a whopping total of 2 years) in late 2006, and then immediately announced […]
Flying monkeys on his back
To hear him tell it, TJ Wiedow is “so over” making kung-fu movies. But that’s probably just the fatigue talking. It’s been five—no, maybe six—years since he started the last one, and he’s still working on it. And no matter how much work he puts into it, it seems like the thing will never be […]
Plan 9 from Planet Partisan
Have malevolent aliens invaded City/County Plaza? Local vlogger Ralph Roberts has a theory.
Is Rice Boy the chosen one?
Catching up on Evan Dahm’s online graphic novel Rice Boy.
Culture Watch
Nikki Talley Claims Carolina Stardom Local singer/songwriter Nikki Talley recently won the Asheville-based, American Idol-knockoff show Carolina Star. Her win has already been announced on live TV, so this is somewhat old news. Then again, given how utterly lax the show’s promotional team has been, chances are they haven’t gotten around to doing much with […]
Blog Alert: Edgy Mama and the great laptop miracle
It’s every blogger’s nightmare: Your faithful and beloved laptop—the one true friend you can count on in this digital world gone mad—suddenly becomes an unstable, unpredictable, ulterior-motive driven mess. Spyware, like some fringe religious cult, has brainwashed (or CPU-washed, if you prefer) it against you.
Ralph Roberts: Analog Vlogstar?
Technically speaking, URTV personality Ralph Roberts isn’t a vlogger. But that doesn’t mean his show isn’t a humble work of net-savvy genius.
Culture Watch
Moon Europa Gets Mainstream Media Mentions Is 2007 the year that will put the Asheville film community on the map? Quite possibly. It seems that many long-awaited local flicks are finally gearing up for actual release. Perhaps the most notable of the bunch is Moon Europa, which recently completed the Independent Feature Project’s (IFP) Narrative […]
Independence Day Cheat Sheet
Still unsure of how you’d like to celebrate Independence Day? Should you gobble up hot dogs in a public park while waiting for a municipal fireworks show? Should you ditch the masses and rock out at a club? It’s a tough call. If you can’t decide, may we suggest that you take a look at our Mountain Xpress Events Calendar and Clubland sections?
And the winner is?
Nikki Talley wins the first season of Carolina Star.