Enter the Phil Mechanic

The work in progress at Phil Mechanic Studios goes beyond the myriad projects in process at any given moment. Clay is thrown, paints mixed, glass blown, metal pounded, fabric stitched. Drawings by Nathanael Roney Photos by Jonathan Welch The building itself has progressed from a warehouse to a construction company to its current incarnation: an […]

Asheville City Council

Council still not ready for tethering ban Mumpower pitches his own solution to water stalemate Going into the Asheville City Council’s May 26 meeting, the big question was what sort of reception Council would give the long-awaited Downtown Master Plan. The team from consulting firm Goody Clancy had presented its work to Council members on […]

URTV board approves new bylaws

In a special meeting May 28, URTV’s board of directors unanimously approved new bylaws that concentrate more power in the board’s hands while keeping the current membership structure intact. Revised: URTV Parliamentarian Bob Horn clarifies part of the new bylaws while board President Jerry Young looks on. Originally, the proposed bylaws would have done away […]

Red Stag Grill

Editor’s note: The new Grand Bohemian Hotel’s restaurant is intended to inspire the eater’s inner Victorian-era hunter. In that spirit, we felt it was only appropriate to review the Red Stag Grill in the style favored by the 19th century armed explorers who regaled their readers with tales of high adventures. Flavor: European-leaning carnivorous Ambiance: […]

Wild root wannabe

Not long ago, I checked my inbox and found an invitation from Wildroots—a sprouting of free-spirited earth lovers who do the best they can to live off the grid. The group was offering a wilderness camping-and-education excursion focused on wild edibles and medicines. Local experts Natalie Bogwalker and Frank Cook would be the guides. The […]

Phish phans rejoice

The muddy fields of Coventry, Vt. were supposed to be the final resting place for Phish, the wildly popular jam-band known for its quirky compositions and transcendent improvisations. After spending more than 20 years on the road building one of the most devoted grassroots followings in rock history, the band collapsed under the pressure of […]

Cranky Hanke’s Screening Room: Rethinking­s, reworkings and other heresies

Last week the trailer for Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes (slated for a Christmas Day release) hit theater screens and the internet. For those not following such things, Sherlock Holmes stars Robert Downey, Jr. as Holmes and Jude Law as Dr. Watson. It’s very obviously a rethinking of the much loved Conan Doyle characters. The tone is comedic and the trailer suggests considerably more action than is generally associated with the detecting duo. Not surprisingly, this has caused much consternation among the Sherlockian set.

Junker’s blues

Watching the gas prices creep up past $2.30 is giving me flashbacks to those awful months in 2008 when gas was nearly five dollars a gallon.  Those times were hard on everyone, including the junker. This is a nickel-and-dime game, and for a while, I was really wondering how I was going to continue to […]

Spork

A lot of folks know Josh Phillips’ raspy-rich voice and the soulful optimism of his band, Josh Phillips Folk Festival. But didya know he’s also a champion ping-pong player? Phillips won a regional ping-pong tourney last month, part of the Bud Lite Hard Bat Ping Pong Tournament. He played two nights and beat 10 people […]

Kids play hard at MSF

Kids adore adventures, and this year’s Mountain Sports Festival will deliver a variety of kid-centric outdoor adventures and activities. “Every kid should go, because it’s fun and you get to be outdoors.” So says 8-year-old Flat Rock resident Samuel Ray-Alverson, a first-time participant in several events at last year’s MSF. He grooved on the dirt […]

Back Track

Sixteen years ago, Charlotte- and Asheville-based rock band, Charlie’s On Acid, was at the top of its game. The band’s members appeared as Hangman’s Joke, the backing band to Brandon Lee’s rocker character in The Crow. Then, Lee (son of action star Bruce Lee) was accidentally killed during filming in Wilmington. “Back when it was […]

Small Bites

Square 1 Market: Joseph and Lindsay Lewis, who’ve been on a one-couple crusade to bring locavorism to Hendersonville, are planning to expand their reach this week with the brand new Square 1 Market. The cozy market, which will be carved out of Square 1 Bistro’s storefront kitchen, will retail fresh produce and cheeses currently unavailable […]