“The world needs more funk, and these guys are leading the revival,” says a press release for Colorado-based prog collective The Motet. While that statement may be up for debate, for those hoping to up their funk intake, this seven-piece outfit offers a well-honed blend of Afrobeat, disco, electronic and soul, all based in the […]
Like a lot of kids, Erik Johansen doodled his way through math and social studies classes. Unlike a lot of kids, he taught himself to draw and launched a lifelong pursuit. After traveling the world to further his self-motivated art education, Johansen settled in Asheville. According to his bio, he “tends to focus his artistic […]
A decade after the release of its indie-rock breakout album, Indian Summer (with the radio hit “Life Less Ordinary”), Carbon Leaf issues Indian Summer Revisited. The Ashland, Va.-based band is now more than 20 years into a career that’s spanned a dozen albums. Indian Summer marked the beginning of the band’s hard-won relationship with a […]
Nashville-based bluegrass collective Lonesome River Band has been performing for more than 30 years. The group joined Steve Martin on the “Late Show with David Letterman,” it’s played the Grand Ole Opry along with numerous festivals and has taken home awards such as an IBMA for the song “Angeline the Baker.” But when it came […]
Founded in 2001 by artist Lelia Canter, the Weaverville Art Safari is a free, self-guided art studio tour that “provides the exclusive opportunity to delve into the thriving artist enclave located in Weaverville and Barnardsville.” Some 47 local artists will participate in the biannual crawl this fall, showcasing handmade artwork from a multitude of craft […]
Barbara Bates Smith probably isn’t feeling any butterflies relating to her upcoming theatrical performance at N.C. Stage Company, having already embodied gutsy mountain woman Ivy Rowe more than 700 times over the past 25 years. Rowe, the protagonist in Lee Smith’s bestselling novel Fair and Tender Ladies, brings an Appalachian flair to her exploits, which […]
Check your coat and your drama at the door. The Cosmic Happy Slam! youth poetry event was created to remind stressed teens that “in the midst of our crazy, busy lives, we can always access joy, laugh and have fun,” according to Soulspeak Asheville founder Mel Kelley. Word wranglers ages 12-21 are invited to compete […]
Theater devotees and outdoor enthusiasts unite for two evenings of free alfresco performance. UWABE — Art in the Park meanders throughout Grove Park (338 Charlotte St.) to present three dances, each derived from the natural landscape. During “Biosphere,” a giant puppet among open fields probes into our changing planet’s effects on the human condition. “Radiant […]
Six-stringed instruments in West Asheville are great, but how about 21-stringed instruments from West Africa for a change? Sean Gaskell and Will Ridenour perform on the kora — an ancient harp-lute, which assigns 11 strings to the left hand and 10 to the right — lulling listeners into a captivatingly layered aural voyage. A press […]
You’ve got to admire the forethought of Resonant Rogues, an Asheville band holding a variety show to kick off its Kickstarter campaign. The event, called Revue Nouveau, promises an “unparalleled collection of local talent” to visually supplement the old-time and gypsy jazzers’ vocal harmonies and string-heavy instrumentation. Puppeteer Madison Cripps, burlesque afficionado Memphis Moonshine and […]
Visiting from Mombasa, Kenya, for their LEAF performance, the agile Jabali Acrobats aptly demonstrate the “link between athletics and arts,” transitioning from dance to human pyramids, chair balancing, complex footwork and other contortions — all to the beat of a stimulating musical backdrop. “These phenomenal acrobats combine the artistry of fast-paced movement, music, dance and […]
Asheville is poised to one-up MTV with the launch of the WNC Video Music Awards. Bioflyer Productions, the Arden-based event organizers, aim to provide a new way for Asheville creatives to showcase their abundance of quality video projects. A curated assemblage of submissions will be screened at the competition, a democratic affair in which all […]
Led by local music maven Lenny Pettinelli, Vibration of Versatility (V.O.V.) is a collaborative Asheville-based recording project that has already drawn from the talents of 70 instrumentalists. V.O.V. aims to produce albums from 12 genres in 12 months. With hip-hop, electronic, reggae and singer-songwriter genres already covered, Pettinelli is excited to release volumes 5 (jazz) […]
When Secret Agent 23 Skidoo hits the stage, kids hit the dance floor. The California-based “kid-hop” artist serves a potent combination of kid-friendly lyrics, parent-friendly wordplays and crowd-friendly beats. 23 Skidoo’s music has been praised by NPR and Time magazine, and his latest single, “Unwind,” went straight to the top of Sirius/XM’s family music channel. […]
“Get these songs all up in your nightmares without delay!” Thee Hobo Gobbelins exclaim on their Facebook page, advising fans to experience the band’s latest album, Oddities and Entities. The California creatives use labels like “dark carnival” and “post-apocalyptic” to describe their unpolished brand of accordion-laden melodies, but the group underlines many songs with a […]
Electronic music producers Daniel Merrill and Michael Folk describe their joint sound as “emotionally charged future music that rides on hypnotic breakbeats, deep infectious basslines, dubby soundscapes and glitchy experimentation.” Performing as Aligning Minds, the duo are proud to announce “WAVEFORMS 2.0” — a month of performances at Asheville Music Hall aimed at bringing “top-notch […]
The Rural Academy Theater will “clop its way into your backyard and heart,” claims a press release by the horse-pulled production’s organizers. This year, the annual mobile mini-circus includes a slapstick interpretation of North Carolina’s pro-fracking legislation, a depiction of human presence on a geological timeline and an evening showing of Georges Méliès’ 1902 silent […]
We’ve all heard of “Dueling Banjos,” but Noam Pikelny and Stuart Duncan are two string virtuosos who work together. Collectively, the musicians have collaborated with a brimming Rolodex of A-list artists, including Fiona Apple, Wilco, Béla Fleck, Dolly Parton and even the Jonas Brothers. Pikelny, Grammy nominee and banjoist for Punch Brothers, says he’s long […]
“Die Fledermaus,” a libretto often rewritten and performed with local flair, will soon transform into its Asheville incarnation with the help of Asheville Lyric Opera. Set in Western North Carolina’s famous Giltmore home and based around the Southern mountain charm of the Vanerburgh family, ALO’s adaptation is intended to “create a deeper sense of appreciation […]
Halloween is just around the corner, which means it’s the perfect time to crack open a spooky read. But W. Scott Poole, author of Monsters in America, brings us no mere piece of werewolf or zombie fiction. His new work, Vampira: Dark Goddess of Horror is a biography. It examines the story of actress, artist […]
Greensboro-based The Grand Ole Uproar describes its live show as “cosmic Americana [that] conjures up the Texas twang of Waylon Jennings … the improvisation of the Grateful Dead and the laid-back swampy sound of J.J. Cale.” And, while the band calls the Piedmont home, it’s already hit up a number of Asheville venues as well […]
