Kovacs and the Polar Bear have quickly become one of the most reliable draws in Asheville. From regular performances at The LAB to the band’s afternoon set at Bele Chere, it’s clear KATPB has earned a devoted local following that turns out enthusiastically for the quartet’s increasingly frequent shows. Nonetheless, headlining the Grey Eagle is a big step for a local act, and last night the band proved its time has come.
In this edition of Local Matters — the Xpress weekly news podcast — reporter David Forbes talks about the controversy over the Bele Chere committee’s reluctance to book hip-hop artist DJ Kool, and gives updates on the ongoing food truck ordinance battle. Reporter Christopher George also gives a rundown of the recent Buncombe County Commission meeting.
Gillian Welch started the show off by joking, “So you are the thousand fastest people in Asheville, huh?”
— Photo by Tadd Clarkson
Black Mountain College Museum and Arts Center and Norte Maar, a nonprofit arts organization based in Brooklyn, N.Y., host a night of collaborative performance, poetry, music and dance at the Masonic Temple Saturday, Aug. 6, at 8 p.m. The show’s title remains prospective: Untitled (as of yet). They’d better hurry! The event is tonight!
Maybe your schedule allows for going out during the week. Maybe you’re on vacation. Maybe you just like burning the candle at both ends. If so, here are three early-part-of-the-week events worth staying out on the town for (including The Prids, pictured here).
Members of Oakland, CA,-based Tornado Rider were busking in downtown Asheville during a night off from their tour earlier this year when they were aggressively approached by Miami, FL,-based rapper Layla Youssef Bessiso. The resulting musical combat may not be safe for work (NSWF), but grows increasingly entertaining as the back-and-forth continues.
Whether or not to take Insane Clown Posse seriously is hard to discern. Its fan base seems divided in thirds: those who enjoy the campy aspect of the belligerence and genuinely enjoy the music, those who think it’s hilariously ironic, and those who take it absolutely deadpan serious. I’m mainly worried about that last third.
The Pinelli Bros. (otherwise known as members of the Asheville-based Southern Crescent Bluegrass Band) perform the traditional tune “The Kitchen Girl.”
In advance of two August shows (a CD release party on Saturday, Aug. 20 at BoBo Gallery and a show this Saturday, Aug. 6 at the LAB), dep gives a preview of his original compositions. Video by Bob Peck of [rev]pictures.
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!
Local singer/songwriter Nikki Talley performs her original tune “Mountain Outta Me” in front of Malaprop’s in downtown Asheville. Talley performs tonight at the LAB with the Honeycutters.
The fitness craze made its way to the Lexington Avenue Performing Arts area on Friday, July 29.
A group of buskers dubbing themselves The Sidewalk Strangers perform “Freight Train” during the set up for the Bele Chere festival.
Mississippi legend T-Model Ford heated up the Grey Eagle this Sunday night with his special brand of blues.
The singer-songwriter played at the Grey Eagle on Wednesday, July 20. Jesse Hamm caught some video.
When their Asheville gig was canceled at the last minute a few weeks ago, Brookyn-based band Flearoy decided to make the most of their stay by busking in front of the Woolworth Walk.
A chance encounter between two traveling buskers—violinist Amy Alvey and Hang drum player “Blakeabyss”—resulted in this improv near the Iron sculpture in downtown Asheville.
Former Drug Money frontman Fisher Meehan talks about the upcoming reunion performance with original drummer Paul Conrad at the Decline of Western North Carolina Bele Chere weekend event.
The Grammy-nominated multi-instrumentalist/guitar virtuoso/Dave Matthews right-hand-man comes to Pisgah Brewing on Thursday, Aug. 11.
The Bronzed Chorus performed recently at the Lexington Avenue Brewery. It’s too bad Joseph Chapman didn’t know they’d be in Asheville, or he might not have had to drive three hours to see them in Greensboro.
Nighthawks, listen up! Due to tonight’s sold-out show (and an almost sold-out show tomorrow night), another time slot has been added to the New Orleans Bingo Show’s run of performances at The Magnetic Field. On Saturday, the six-piece Cabaret troupe will perform a 10:30 p.m. show.
