Smart bets: Amandla

Power, or “Amandla,” exists in “every fiber of the living experience,” according to Claude Coleman Jr. (formerly of Ween), who christened his band with the Zulu word. In live format, the psych-soul rocker takes on frontman and guitar duties alongside fellow Ashevilleans Jon Lauterer (drums), Rachel Waterhouse (keys, vocals) and Dave Gilbert (guitar, vocals). In […]

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 […]