Smart bets: Freeway Revival

Recently topping the ReverbNation Americana charts for Asheville, Americana/country-blues collective The Freeway Revival writes songs about the Appalachian mountains but spends a lot of time touring outside Western North Carolina. Upcoming dates take the group to the Carolina coast, upstate New York and into the Midwest; last spring the band traveled to L.A. to record […]

Smart bets: Fruition

The sweet sounds of Portland quintet Fruition will be ripe for picking when the band’s national tour stops to soak up some vitamin D at Asheville’s RiverMusic festival. And there’ll be pickin’, indeed. Fruition’s bounty of stringed instruments (including several guitars, banjo and mandolin), paired with sporadic harmonica and piano parts, creates a roots hybrid […]

High aspiration­s

Clouds of Greer play a benefit for Big City Mountaineers. Local climber Eben Henner is raising money for the organization (which provides outdoor experiences for under-resourced urban teens) by summiting Grand Teaton peak — and by throwing this fundraising party at Altamont Brewing Company on Saturday, Aug. 4.

This weekend on a shoestring

The weather’s getting nippy, but it’s still a great time to get out and check out some events that won’t break the (piggy) bank. From winter gardening and holiday shopping to local authors and uplifting musical performances, this weekend’s got everything you need to lure you out of the house on the cheap. And as always, leave us a comment if you’ve got any more low-cost events you’d like to share.

Soundtrack

It's a well-documented fact at this juncture: Asheville's sound is a melting pot, a smorgasbord, a sonic gumbo. But just in case you needed further proof, this week's roundup — pulled at random from a stack of submitted CDs — turns up rock, Americana, world/spiritual, bluegrass and jazz guitar.  Consider it potluck listening. Shed by […]

Soundtrack

If it seems like Asheville music has evolved into a heady brew of world beat, experimental, indie rock and quirky pop, these four discs — all recently released by well-respected Asheville-based songwriters and musicians — prove that roots music (namely Americana) is alive and well. • Long Days Above Ground by Pierce Edens and The […]