Photos from Bele Chere 2011 festival in downtown Asheville, on Saturday, July 30.
Paper Tiger playing on the Coxe Avenue Stage.
Photo by Jonathan Welch
Tag: Bele Chere
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Videos from Saturday at Bele Chere
We caught the Zing Kings old-time band, a zydeco dance demonstration, a marimba performance and a couple of tap dancers. Not a dull moment around here!
The Ultimate Challenge: Copy Editor vs. the Air Dogs
Xpress Editorial Assistant Jaye Bartell has his chance to defy gravity, and land in a pool, probably full of dog hair, as a reminder that he can’t defy gravity. Be there. July 31, noon, Patton and Lexington, behind the BB&T, as Jaye challenges the Ultimate Air Dogs.
Audio Postcard: On the street
You can’t talk to everyone at Bele Chere. Have a chat with some of the most interesting people at the festival.
Overheard at Bele Chere
We’ve been compiling some of the funny and quirky comments we overhear as we wonder the streets of Bele Chere.
Cedric Burnside at Bele Chere
Blues musician Cedric Burnside kicked off his steamy, mid-day set on the Biltmore Ave. stage playing solo guitar. And thanking his late grandfather. Cedric inherited the blues from patriarch and legendary bluesman R.L. Burnside
Video: Bele Chere 2011 street preachers
A selection of signs and sounds from the street preachers at this year’s Bele Chere festival.
Dispatch from Bele Chere: Friday Highlights
Here’s a few personal highlights from Friday evening of Bele Chere, including videos of the Secret B-Sides, Drug Money and DJ Equal.
Bele Chere: Friday music sampler
Bele Chere festivities kicked off Friday with a host of local talent entertaining the afternoon crowds. Here’s a sampling of some highlights from If You Wannas, The Critters and Floating Action.
Scenes from Bele Chere: Friday
The Whigs rock Bele Chere
Pure, straight-forward rock ‘n roll is what Athens, Ga.-based band the Whigs are known for. And they did not disappoint. Photos by Chris Wood.
Bele Chere 5K: Tiptoo and Gilmore finish first
Before the squirt-gun crew leapt into action, Asheville’s own Meghan Gilmore was the first woman to cross the Bele Chere 5K finish line, clocking in at 18:48. A few minutes earlier, Julius Tiptoo, who trains in Durham, set a blistering pace for the men, finishing with a time of 16:01.
Audio Postcard: On the Street
Take a tour of a few of the most interesting people at Bele Chere.
Bele Chere shopping
Beyond the bands, the food, the drinks and the people-watching, Bele Chere offers plenty of shopping opportunities. Vendors both local and from afar set up booth with all kinds of clothing, accessories, hats, sunglasses, gifts, oddities and wonders. Xpress takes a tour of some shopping highlights.
Prepping for Bele Chere
Local restaurant workers let Xpress into the kitchen to see what all the pre-Bele Chere fuss is like.
Bele Chere Streetstyle
Festival fashion takes over downtown Asheville. This is just the beginning.
Who’s afraid of hip-hop? City thought DJ Kool “too big a risk” for Bele Chere
City staff considered DJ Kool, a 53-year-old hip-hop performer famous for his 1996 hit “Let Me Clear My Throat,” too much of a risk to play Bele Chere, emails obtained by Xpress reveal. The emails also illuminate a deeper conflict concerning hip-hop acts playing Bele Chere, which critics say revealed outdated prejudices.
Mobile Art Lab will project Bele Chere photos onto downtown buildings
There’s a new twist on the Bele Chere photo booth this year: The city will use its Mobile Art Lab to project the photos it collects each day on to the some of the larger buildings in town each night.
Closing up shop for Bele Chere
Some businesses — both downtown and in the River Arts District — are simply shutting down for the festival. Know of one? Please post a comment! Your neighbors will appreciate it.
Kids These Days Bele Chere podcast
Chicago collective Kids These Days was a last-minute addition to the Bele Chere lineup (after Mambo Sauce dropped out). But the group of classically and jazz-trained musicians, ages 17-21, are well-worth catching. They blend elements of jazz, singer/songwriter and hip-hop into a fresh and upbeat sound. They perform on Saturday, July 30 on the Battery Park Stage, 6-7:30 p.m.
Watch out drum circle: Batimbo is coming for you
A group of drummers from Burundi, East Africa, will take time out from their Folk Moot performances to stop by the downtown Asheville drum circle, held on Friday during Bele Chere. Oh yeah, they play giant drums carved from tree trunks that they balance on their heads, while simultaneously dancing and singing. No joke.