Of note Local bar-rockers 99 YEARS have recently finished recording their new six-song EP. Fans of the group can expect the album to be released later this summer. For more information visit www.99years.net. Regional funk-rock favorites Gran Torino recently signed a deal with The Redeye Label to release their new album. Although some details about […]
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The brotherhood of invention
It seems obvious to say so, but there’s nowhere to buy paint in prison. Or brushes. Or canvas. Or any of the other supplies to which one naturally assumes the average artist has ready access. In prison, artists have to improvise. Arnold Davila, an inmate from Texas who was paroled two years ago, describes the […]
Duped
The Asheville City Council has failed a crucial litmus test of leadership and, in so doing, has dealt dishonestly with the voters. Whether or not you approve of the N.C. Department of Transportation’s idea of building an eight-lane highway through the heart of West Asheville, the fact is that six out of seven current members […]
To whine, or not to whine?
With summer in full swing, many of us are eagerly anticipating family vacations. As diverse as our region and residents are, traveling seems to be the universal tonic that allows us all to tolerate the remaining 50 weeks of turmoil. Whether you’re taking a weekend camping trip to the Smokies or embarking on an adventurous, […]
Making the most of memories
The words in my travel journal jumped, jostled and bumped across the page: Jagged letters marked the year 1979, an end-of-summer family trip … six of us crammed into a Toyota station wagon on a journey from Mobile, Ala., to Ottawa, Canada. I huddled in the back, where I could write about the things I […]
The intentional tourist
Going green means more than buying organic produce at the Co-op. It’s about minimizing environmental impact, supporting local economies, and keeping an open mind. Green travel, or eco-travel, is becoming an increasingly popular way to see the world — or even just the next town. In fact, the United Nations designated 2002 as the “International […]
Notepad
William Henry Jackson prints of WNC on display at Pack Library When Peggy Gardner was in graduate school a few years ago, searching on-line for inspiration for a paper she was writing on local history, she decided to visit one of her favorite Web sites — the Library of Congress — and type in “Asheville.” […]
Asheville City Council
City Council meetings are normally sedate affairs: a rezoning here, a commission appointment there — pedestrian tasks that form the backbone of city governance. But the June 11 formal session of the Asheville City Council was anything but typical. In fact, it seemed to be the handiwork of Federico Fellini, directed from the grave. How […]
Notepad
Celebrating African-American heroes Heroes often spring from unimaginable hardship. Some cases in point: Born into slavery, Robert Smalls (1839-1915) stole the steamship “Planter” right out of the Charleston harbor in 1862, aided by nine other slaves. The group escaped to freedom, handing the ship over to the Union army. Smalls eventually became a U.S. congressman, […]
The Practical Gardener
Before there were extreme sports, there were only fun brothers. For about six years of my life, beginning part way through college, I was part of a loose network of comrades whose ultimate goal was to spend all available cash on trips to go rock climbing, back-country skiing, fly fishing, ice climbing, bow hunting, kayaking, […]
Forbidden fruit
When we lived in southern New England, we used to grow those big, honking tomatoes people think of when they think “tomato” — classic old-time varieties like Mortgage Lifter, Brandywine and German Pink. The kind you can bring in from the garden, carve a hefty slab off of, lay on a nice slice of bread […]
Doing the Town Mountain Waltz
It rises just east of downtown Asheville. More than 15 years ago, some local cyclists thought it might be cute to hold a time trial up winding, scenic Town Mountain Road. The idea sounds great till you look at a topo and realize we’re talking about climbing 1,260 vertical feet in a mere 5.1 miles. […]
Goodbye, William
“He was one of those characters like the Fonz … he was, in essence, cool. He was my inspiration.” — author Daniel Wallace, Nealy’s brother-in-law [Editor’s note: William Nealy was an illustrator turned outdoor-sports cult hero who mapped a host of southeastern rivers, including the French Broad, and recorded one of the first — and […]
Business Notepad
A resource for runners Tortoise and Hare: Running Outfitters, a new Asheville specialty store located off I-26 in Biltmore Park (exit 6), officially opened last month. Complementing the shop’s extensive inventory (footwear, apparel and accessories) are such items as race information, nutritional supplements and literature. “We represent all forms of runners, from trail to track, […]
By the bag or by the box
“That’s one thing that the perception of recycling needs to get away from — it is different from garbage. It’s a resource that has another life somewhere along the stream.” — Laura Wolf, Curbside Management All across America and beyond, landfills are groaning under a continuing stream of stuff that gets manufactured, distributed — and […]
Bringing up baby
“We in WNC have a commodity that’s so valuable; my passion is to let people know about it.” Mountain Sports Festival co-founder Stuart Cowles [Editor’s note: Xpress is proud to launch its new sports section, Play by Play, with this article. Look for savvy, in-depth sports reporting once a month.] How do you nurture a […]
The art of learning
A true education goes beyond old-fashioned book learning. Consider the Asheville Area Arts Council’s Arts-in-Education initiative. Now in its second year, the local program funds a variety of projects in Buncombe County — bringing artists into classrooms, showing teachers how to incorporate the arts into the curriculum, artist residencies and performances at schools, and bigger […]
Panhandling the public
This past winter, it seemed that nearly everyone in Asheville — from Sadie Funderburk in West Asheville to Police Chief Will Annarino to City Council member Joe Dunn — was suddenly discovering a plethora of panhandlers. Chief Annarino maintained that “these people” — that is, panhandlers — were responsible for backing up traffic and stopping […]
Notepad
Celebrating the crafts of Scotland The mountainous terrain of the Southern Appalachians bears a strong resemblance to the rocky Scottish Highlands, making this area a natural choice for the many Scots who settled here in the 18th and 19th centuries. No surprise, then, that Appalachian crafts and culture, language and lore also closely reflect their […]
Who’s minding our children?
The simple words of a well-worn hymn tumbled out of the teenager’s mouth in what seemed the unlikeliest of settings — the formidable confines of the Swannanoa juvenile detention center. “Amazing Grace,” 16-year-old Calvin sang softly, his voice taking flight with the melody. “How sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me. I once […]
Pioneering faith
“We believe ultimately everyone will be ‘saved’ — everyone will come to the same conclusion.” — Hare Krishna teacher Prithu Das Maybe it’s the energy vortex that’s rumored to hover above downtown Asheville’s Flat Iron Building. Maybe it’s the odd intersection of three mountain ranges. Whatever the reason, pilgrims of every stripe are cropping up […]