Although Becky will continue to write periodic Profilers, her weekly column will now include new features such as Musical Missed Connections, Have You Seen this Band? and the occasional Personality Quiz. Contact her at beckyupham@gmail.com. Musical Missed Connections: Noble Creatures I spotted you at Earth Fare munching on cookies out of the case while grinding […]
The Suspect: Mia Borders In 2010, USA Today called Borders one of New Orleans’ Jazz Fest’s “hidden surprises,” and her debut there was nationally broadcast. She wowed the crowd in Asheville at last year’s Blue Ridge Pride with her soulful voice and her songs, which range from sensitive singer-songwriter to funky blues. Can Be Found: […]
The Suspect: Ike Stubblefield Known as being the modern master of the Hammond B3 organ, Stubblefield began playing keyboards in the late ‘60s for Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder and The Temptations. Last year, he lent his skills to a Cee Lo Green recording session; last month, he released his own CD of smooth jazz, Old […]
The Suspect: Chris Isaak His breakthrough hit was the 1989 song “Wicked Game,” boosted by a steamy black-and-white video shot by Herb Ritts. A Washington Post review of last year’s release Live at the Filmore compared his voice to the late Roy Orbison, with Isaak’s baritone producing “darkly resonant tones one moment and soaring falsetto […]
The Suspect: Tiempo Libre This group calls ita concerts a “Cuban musical party.” The music is timba, a high-energy combination of Latin jazz and traditional son cubano. This three-time Grammy-nominated band has performed on NPR and Dancing with the Stars, and last month they released My Secret Radio. Can Be Found: The Orange Peel, Sunday, […]
The Suspect: Dubtribe Sound System This pioneering electronic duo of Sunshine and Moonbeam Jones has been entrancing audiences with live house-music sets on and off for the past 20 years or so. Westword.com raves, “Their set last night is now in my top-five all-time musical experiences ever; I haven’t danced that hard in years.” Can […]
The Suspect: Michael McDonald McDonald’s musical career has spanned more than 35 years, first as a back-up vocalist for Steely Dan, then as the lead vocalist of the Doobie Brothers and, finally, as a solo artist. Recently, he’s been covering Motown Classics, providing vocals for tracks by indie bands Grizzly Bear and Holy Ghost!, and […]
The Suspect: Sirius B. Xpress readers voted them the No. 1 “Next Big Thing” in the 2010 Best of WNC poll. If you’re ready to dance the night away with a big smile on your face, check out the “finest Absurdist Gypsy Folk Punk that the world has to offer.” Can Be Found: Lexington Ave […]
The Suspect: Camper Van Beethoven and Cracker These two groups helped define alternative music, CVB in the ‘80s, and Cracker in the ‘90s. Since CVB re-formed in 1999, frontman David Lowery performs in both bands. Remember when people used to buy entire records instead of the occasional iTunes download? Each band will perform all the […]
The Suspect: Turtle Island Quartet with Mike Marshall This dynamic string quartet has been pushing the envelope of chamber-music innovation for more than 25 years. They won the 2008 Grammy for Best Classical Crossover, and Yo Yo Ma calls the group "authentic and passionate — a reflection of some of the most creative music-making today." […]
The Suspect: Fish Out of Water This trio has spent the last ten years perfecting their style of RoPhunk RaeHop, a combination of rock, funk, reggae and hip-hop. They’ve shared the stage with G. Love, Fishbone and The Wailers, winning over audiences with their high energy and funky beats. Can Be Found: Mo Daddy’s, Friday, […]
The Suspect: Overflow Jug Band According to the California Jug Band Association, “The essence of the jug-band idea is people jamming music for free and for fun with an extremely unrehearsed, spontaneous nature to it.” OK, so maybe this show isn’t free, but that definition suits this Asheville super group, which includes Josh Phillips and […]
The Suspect: Danielson Frontman Daniel Smith has performed in a 9-foot fruit-bearing tree costume, a nurse’s uniform and in a somber Bible-salesman suit as the leader of this indie-pop gospel group from New Jersey. He just released his first album in five years, The Best of Gloucester County, where he gets a little help from […]
The Suspect: Mount Kimbie After releasing two well-received EPs in 2009, this duo from London came out with a full-length album Crooks & Loverson the Hot Flush label last summer. The band comes at its ambient trip-hop from a dubstep perspective and is possibly even the first band in the “post-dubstep” genre. Pitchfork says Mount […]
The Suspect: Joe Pug and the Hundred Mile Band This singer-songwriter was a senior playwriting major at UNC-Chapel Hill when he realized he was profoundly unhappy with his life. He dropped out and headed to Chicago, where he practiced carpentry by day and music by night. His fan base grows daily, boosted in part by […]
The Suspect: Corey Smith He began his career playing the country bar circuit in Athens 10 years ago; his sixth and latest release, Keeping Up With the Joneses, produced by Russ-T Cobb (Butch Walker, April Lavigne) is full of radio-ready revelry. As one fan on his website says, “Corey’s music captures college in a nutshell: […]
The Suspect: James McMurtry McMurtry’s skillful songwriting comes to him honestly — his father Larry wrote the Pulitzer Prize winning novel Lonesome Dove and won the Oscar for adapting Brokeback Mountain. Stephen King says “James McMurtry may be the truest, fiercest songwriter of his generation.” In 2006 he won both the American Music Awards Album […]
The Suspect: Say Hi The music site Consequence of Sound says “The band (Say Hi) hasn’t made a bad album,” which is impressive considering there have been seven. Even more remarkable: this Seattle-based indie band is one guy; Eric Elbongen plays all the instruments and sings all vocals in these home-recorded releases. He brings his […]
The descriptions of fan qualities and quirks are intended to be a playful take on what's unique about all of us. The world would be a better place if everyone went out to see more live music The Suspect: Atom Smash This five-man hard rock band spent 2009 unsigned and touring like crazy, performing more […]
I love movies almost as much as music, so I decided to make this week’s Profiler a Special Oscar Edition. The Suspect: The Old 97’s The Old 97’s stand alongside the Jayhawks and Whiskeytown as early pioneers of the alternative country genre; frontman Rhett Miller and Bassist Murray Hammond met in Dallas in the late […]
The Suspect: Bassnectar Bassnectar is the performing name for the freeform electronic music artist Lorin Ashton. He specializes in sudden shifts in meter and multiple layers of samples. He calls his tempo-changing style “omni-tempo maximalism”; his legions of fans just call it “Siiiick!” He’s collaborated with Diplo and RJD2, and he’s performed many a celebrated […]
