After reading your guide to summer music festivals ["Summer Festival Primer," April 28], I feel a need to get something off my chest: As a 35-year-old native of this great city, I find it appalling the drivel that we are served up as headlining entertainment for Bele Chere year after year. I remember when Bele Chere was meant to bring people back downtown to see what could be, and we had great musical acts that were current and relevant to what was going on in music.
Now we get fed what is arguably unsuited for a state fair somewhere in the Midwest. There is actually a pretty substantial budget for music for Bele Chere, and it is being wasted on somebody's husband's favorite band from high school. Granted, the Bele Chere organizers have made more of an effort as of late to include the incredible array of local acts we have available in this magnificent city, but they are wasting an incredible amount of money on has-beens rather than booking current bands that are more relevant to what this progressive, eclectic city deserves.
By bringing in nostalgia acts year after year, I feel they are ignoring the people that make this city great the other 362 days of the year. We're are so fortunate to be on the national radar musically, and this is what we offer up for the "Southeast's largest free street festival"? Please let somebody who knows what is going on do the music booking for that weekend, and maybe we all wouldn't flee downtown for the last weekend of July every year!
— Gaines Myer
Asheville
Arguably all that inescapable fiddle-and-washboard stuff could ALSO be classified as “nostalgia acts.” Different strokes and such, y’know. Bele Chere isn’t perfect, but there’s lots to choose from. If you don’t like it, you can always ask for a ticket refund. Oh, wait…
The fact that you are lumping all Asheville musicians into the “fiddle-and-washboard” category pretty much confirms you aren’t too familiar with the Asheville music scene as a whole.
The fact that you think I lump “all” Asheville musicians into that category pretty much confirms you lack basic reading comprehension skills. But have a nice day anyway.
Hey! Its a baby boomer nostalgia festival, not a relevant music fest. REO speed wagon for the drunken, bloated hoard. but not to worrie, theyll book a real band just as soon as their hair all falls out and they have to tour to say their viagra bill. Maybe the band of horses reunion tour 2035?
[b]The fact that you think I lump “all” Asheville musicians into that category pretty much confirms you lack basic reading comprehension skills.[/b]
No. That’s how it reads, silly.
There’s also a few anti-Bele Chere events planned for that weekend as well. Seeya there!
Bele Chere is a good excuse to avoid downtown.
tourists like drivel, so drivel you will have…Do what I do, and take Kens advice.
Bele Chere is a good excuse to avoid downtown.
Now that you have some time on your hands, maybe you should man the Mountain Xpress booth.
“tourists like drivel, so drivel you will have…Do what I do, and take Kens advice.”
poetry.
Now that you have some time on your hands, maybe you should man the Mountain Xpress booth
Ah, the weekends are a time when I don’t have time on my hands.
I still think “Musical Drivel” would make a good band name.
Crowds of drinking, sweating hillbillies / hippies. I’ll pass.
in reply to Musoscribe63…
We can’t ask for a refund for our ticket price because it’s paid for out of tax money, so we do have a right to complain about what music they are booking with our money.