In Photos: River Whyless with Shannon Whitworth at The Orange Peel

It was history in the making. It was an arrival. And it was probably also a departure because, as much as River Whyless is cut from and contributes to the fabric of Asheville’s music scene, this is a band that is no longer just local, just ours. The group has made its leap to the next level and it was a joy to watch them take flight.

Ben Sollee performs at Asheville Music Hall

Ben Sollee is not your typical pop singer. Aside from his genre-blurring songwriting — a folk-centric blend of Appalachian roots, soulful vocals and pop-friendly melodies — it’s not often you see a classically-trained cellist tapping and scraping his instrument to mimic hip-hop beats, plucking its strings like a guitar or covering Tom Waits tunes. Not to mention hauling the enormous instrument from show to show on a bicycle.