It's almost Valentine’s Day, which means it's time for love songs. How about 69 of them? On Saturday, Feb. 11, eight local bands perform the entirely of The Magnetic Fields' 1999 three-disc concept album, 69 Love Songs. That songwriter Stephin Merritt told the press that the collection is "not remotely an album about love" shouldn't […]
"We have played with ZZ Top, The Stone Temple Pilots, Bret Michaels and opened up for The Felice Brothers," says Annapolis, Md.'s Dirty Names in an email. This kind of makes them sound old-ish. They're not. They weren't born when "Cheap Sunglasses" came out. They might not have been born when "Every Rose Has Its […]
Touring company Aquila Theatre brings a double dose of antics — both comedic and dramatic — to the Diana Wortham stage. On Friday, Feb. 3, the troupe performs Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest, a dizzy romantic romp that makes the most of double entendres and witty repartee. The next evening, it's Shakespeare’s Macbeth, […]
Musician (and ceramist) Akira Satake grew up in Osaka, Japan where he discovered the banjo through recordings of Appalachian musicians Flatt and Scruggs. A world away, Asheville native Duncan Wickel discovered Irish ballads. The recent Berklee College of Music grad is equally adept at fiddling country tunes, old time, bluegrass and jazz. The two performers […]
Pretty much the least likely person to ever go on a "Thugs Tour" would be Savannah, Ga.-based indie-folk artist Dare Dukes. And yet he is. In support of his newest album, Thugs and China Dolls — on which he explores abstractions of suburbia, the decay of the American landscape and nerd-sexy romance. Banjos meet hits […]
Local pop-noir act Sunshine & The Bad Things joins a lineup of bands all performing to benefit Trips For Kids WNC. The organization, founded in 2010, provides "mountain bike outings and environmental education for kids who would not otherwise be exposed to such activities." The Friday, Jan. 27 show takes place at The Boiler Room […]
Not that you thought that theater was boring, but for those of you who prefer to be entertained from the edge of your seat there's Fight Girl Battle World, set in a "futuristic universe where the human race is on the brink of extinction." It's there that E-V, "the last human female in all the […]
Knoxville-based singer-songwriter Erick Baker knows his way around a love song (he also writes and sings about hope, fear and loss). Xpress has been following his career since he debuted in 2008 with It's Getting Too Late To Say It's Early and opened for James Blunt at the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium. It's taken Baker awhile […]
Singer/songwriter Silas Durocher (known for his own band Everybody Knows, group project Soulgrass Rebellion and cryptic quotes like, "There are many mansions in the house of music") returns with a new endeavor: the Lovestruck Suckers. The quartet is Durocher (singing soulful songs) backed by Opal String Quartet members Amy Lovinger (violin), Kara Poorbaugh (viola) and […]
Since it's probably a safe bet that you know who bluesman B.B. King is (his classics include "The Thrill Is Gone" and "Everyday I Have The Blues"), how about introducing his guitar, Lucille? According to a press release, King's current Gibson ax takes its name from a $30 acoustic guitar that, in the 1950s, he […]
Billed as "a volatile black comedy for the darkest night of the year," John Crutchfield's latest play, Solstice, promises (according to the playwright), "Fisticuffs! Bad cell reception! Strange noises! A wooden sword! A Darth Vader mask! The return of the repressed! An attractive girl wearing an apron and little else!" It stars Glenn Reed, Scott […]
It's a lot of names, but only two bands. Though Albert Adams is not actually a one-man band, nor are either of its two members (who, between them, play bass, drum, synth and sing) named Albert. One, however, is actually an Adams — Jordan Adams, that is (with Thomas McNeely). The wordier John Wilkes Boothe […]
Asheville has had its share of prodigies. Like Jack Devereux, who built his own bagpipes at age 17. Or the entire Skinny Legs and All band. And then there's Asheville native Nick Stubblefield who (according to an email he sent to Xpress) started "gigging around town from age 9 through the end of high school […]
While not every band creates the sort of fan base that follows it from state to state (The Grateful Dead, Phish and Widespread Panic make the shortlist) even fewer of those pied pipers can claim "an intense, retina-burning, intelligent light show creates an atmosphere unlike any other, assuring fans they’ll get a highly polished, yet […]
Yes, Christmas Day has come and gone. Unless you're counting the 12 days of Christmas. Or, if you're a literary type and are celebrating Dickensian-style, which can extend well before or past actual Christmas. Blue Ridge Bookfest prolongs the holiday season with Christmas with Dickens: A Victorian Dinner with Entertainment. The idea for an evening […]
Gurp City South artists (and San Francisco-by-way-of-Asheville musicians) Fist Fam return to their home turf for an end-of-year show. "Take two parts Carolina moonshine, one part San Francisco liquid acid, three parts four-track rap, and a pinch of ‘60s punk and you have the Fist Fam’s new record Posted," says press. Looking for new music? […]
You may have caught the episode of Portlandia where Fred and Carrie are being hounded by invites to DJ nights. This particular turntablist venure is not one to hide from. Adama Dembele, front man of local Afropop ensemble Zansa, spins music from the Ivory Coast. He'll trade off DJ sets with live performances by Zanza, […]
According to his bio, stand-up comic Seaton Smith is "a lover of bacon and beer. He applies a smooth charisma to a layer of explosive energy, topped off with unforgettable characters sure to permanently reside in your brain." He's charmed fans on YouTube, at the Just For Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal and at The […]
Need to kick start your Christmas spirit? Balladeer and storyteller Sheila Kay Adams (a seventh-generation ballad singer from Madison County) performs "an evening of Southern Appalachian Mountains Christmas stories, traditional ballads and music" at the Thomas Wolfe Memorial. The “Christmas On The Mountain” program draws from Adams' own childhood holidays and experiences growing up in […]
Local trip-hop outfit Paper Tiger announces its last show for 2011 — this is the one to make lest those 2012 predictions come true. (And even if the Mayans were wrong, why not close out this year in high style?) The Emerald Lounge show, on Saturday, Dec. 17, kicks off at 10 p.m. with producer […]
Though "Multi-cultural Holiday Concert & Celebration" may be a long title, it's sure to pack a wallop of fun. After all, the Monday, Dec. 19 "upbeat, innovative, whimsical family show" (held at the Diana Wortham Theatre) comes straight from the wacky and wonderful mind of Billy Jonas. Expect lots of found-object percussion (buckets, broom handles, […]
