The new stephaniesid album, Starfruit — despite its name-association with things tropical and celestial — was conceived in a dark basement. "A universe leapt out of the grayness," says front woman Stephanie Morgan. An advance listen of the album reveals lush pop, layered vocals, rich horn parts and a certain velvety darkness (perhaps it's the […]
Scott Paquin and Elizabeth Gibbs used to grow 600 tomato plants a year on their farm in Yancey County. “We’ve dropped down to only 500,” Paquin says with a hint of sarcasm. They certainly have their hands full; Firefly Farm grows more than 30 varieties of vegetables. Along with apples, blueberries, cherries, peaches and pears, […]
Trendy Beer Cocktails A few adventurous mixologists around town are tapping into a trend — the beer cocktail. You’re probably acquainted with the boilermaker (a shot dropped into a beer) and shandy (half lemonade, half beer). But nowadays bartenders are challenging the reach of malt beverages by combining them with fruit puree, cocktail mixers, liquor […]
Every year there’s a new fashionable herb on the market. It’s always some exotic thing that comes from afar with a foreign sounding name and a miracle cure.
This evening, Parkway Playhouse in Burnsville premieres a new musical memoir of Bascom Lamar Lunsford.
In the days leading up to Asheville City Council’s Aug. 23 vote, Xpress asked readers to weigh in on who they would appoint to the Planning & Zoning Commission, via an online poll. And readers’ picks for the powerful board were notably different from those of Council.
Yeah, I know, it’s really a good while till Halloween, but I want to get an early start on at least one aspect of it this year. I’m sure most of you reading this know that I’m involved with the Thursday Horror Picture Show. In point of fact, the programming of it and just about everything else about it is in the hands—and warped minds—of Justin Souther and myself. It’s very much like the Asheville Film Society, but on Thursdays and with horror movies. It’s also in the hands of the people who come to the movies. Now, nothing says horror pictures like Halloween, so I’d like this Halloween season to be something special.
A roundup of Twitter dispatches from Xpress, from last night’s Asheville City Council meeting, focusing on the debate over allowing food trucks in downtown.
Few Asheville dining establishments can boast the staying power and history of the Silver Dollar Restaurant, a diner that’s been open since the 1940s in the area now known as the River Arts District. But before the neighborhood was a hot spot for arts and food, the diner was a haunt for the average blue-collar […]
According to North Carolina Stage Company artistic director Charlie Flynn-McIver, one underlying aspect to Hedwig and the Angry Inch — the rock music-enhanced theatrical production — is the main character's appreciation of authenticity. The irony here is that Hedwig (the blond-coiffed glam rock front woman who tells her life story to her unwitting audience via […]
Even in the midst of the Great Recession, some local businesses are doing quite well. What have they figured out that others haven’t? What can we learn from them? Here’s what three successful startups had to say about their own adventures on the road to economic viability. Industry Nine It might seem perfectly natural that […]
Trendy Beer Cocktails A few adventurous mixologists around town are tapping into a trend — the beer cocktail. You’re probably acquainted with the boilermaker (a shot dropped into a beer) and shandy (half lemonade, half beer). But nowadays bartenders are challenging the reach of malt beverages by combining them with fruit puree, cocktail mixers, liquor […]
Buncombe County Board of Commissioners Aug. 16, 2011 meeting Referendum scheduled on sales-tax increase New revenue would benefit A-B Tech If the Buncombe County commissioners get their way, travelers on the Blue Ridge Parkway will one day be able to enjoy a new overlook showcasing views of Asheville. At their Aug. 16 meeting, the commissioners […]
Drink a Liquid Quack and get in training for Brewgrass (or just drink up because summer is almost over).
The local festival returns on Labor Day weekend, celebrating its 10th year and expanding to two days. Here, to whet your appetite, is a preview of some of the music on the lineup.
Arcade Asheville is phasing out the food and becoming a private nightclub, says owner Joshua Aaron. Daytime hours, at least during weekdays, are over. Weekend hours — and half-price drink menu on Sundays — will remain the same. The new hours are 5 p.m. until 2:30 a.m., Monday through Friday, noon until 2:30 a.m. on […]
WALK (short for the West Asheville Lounge and Kitchen) is coming to Haywood Road, directly across the street from The Admiral, in the building that used to house the Rocket Club. The target opening date is in December. The half-dozen business partners entering the venture, who range in age from 30 to 45, includes Brady […]
“Friends, Romans, Countrymen, lend me your ears.” Words can build or destroy an empire. William Shakespeare must have been aware of this as he penned a multitude of plays about rulers and their subjects. Shakespeare studied the extant writings of Plutarch and Appian about the death of Julius Caesar for details of the political rift […]
All manner of things come our way this week—some of them are even movies, and one of them is in smell-o-vision. That seems fair. Lots of movies smell, this one’s honest about it. So what’s on tap? Well, from the mainstream side of the ledger, there’s Conan the Barbarian, Fright Night, One Day and Spy Kids: All the Time in the World. The art/indie side finds The Future opening at the Fine Arts and If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front at The Carolina.
