You know Old Crow Medicine Show, even if you think you don’t, because of a little song called “Wagon Wheel.” It’s been sung by every busker on every street corner, and more recently covered by Darius “Hootie” Rucker and blasted from every mainstream country music station. The seven-piece Old Crow Medicine Show got its start, […]
“The welcome mat is out, refreshments are on the table, and we look forward to seeing you on Aug. 16 and 17,” says a press release for the Come to Leicester studio tour. More than 20 artists will open their doors for a free self-guided pottery tour through galleries in this scenic retreat just outside […]
Andrea DeMarcus (upright bass/vocals) and David Kirslis (guitar/vocals) of Cicada Rhythm claim they “tried to keep it professional” but became smitten when they started playing music together. The couple say they avoid romance songs and instead deliver jazzy, modernized folk with heartfelt vocal harmonies. Opening the evening is Sans Abri, a side project that originated […]
Stephanie Perkins, the local author behind the nationally beloved YA books Anna and the French Kiss and Lola and the Boy Next Door, returns with her third novel, Isla and the Happily Every After. Like Anna and Lola, Isla centers around a contemporary teen girl — a hopeless romantic with a crush on Josh, an […]
Grovewood Gallery recently added an exhibition space dedicated to fine wood art. And how better to celebrate than with a toast? That’s the idea behind Wood & Wine, a showcase and celebration featuring contemporary sculptural and functional work. Included in the show is French artist Alain Mailland, “who specializes in green wood hollowing techniques,” according […]
Veteran Broadway performer Mark Morales (West Side Story, Sunset Boulevard) is based in Asheville these days, but the stage and screen actor can still be seen in commercials. Soon he’ll be regularly heard as well: Morales just recorded his first album, Something’s Coming, which includes some of the songs he performed on Broadway. “I honestly […]
Shakespearean tragedy Titus Andronicus is considered to be the Bard’s bloodiest and most violent. Themes include sibling rivalry, murder and revenge. So gruesome is it that it fell out of favor with the sensitive Victorians but came back into popularity by the middle of the 20th century. Anam Cara Theatre Company puts its own spin […]
As rock band The Black Crowes broke up, regrouped, went on hiatus and then back on tour, guitarist Rich Robinson — who co-founded that outfit with his brother Chris and drummer Steve Gorman — has consistently continued to make and play music. His side projects included Circle Sound with Luther Dickinson, an album with his […]
Although country singer-songwriter Jim Lauderdale is as tied to Nashville as to the colorful, embroidered suits he wears, he’s actually a North Carolina native. The son of a minister and a church organist, Lauderdale was born in Troutman, N.C., and grew up in South Carolina. He did head to Nashville after college, but it was […]
Drawing on influences from the great funk masters Herbie Hancock and Parliament Funkadelic, as well as contemporary bands like Umphrey’s McGee and Lotus, Philadelphia-based funk band The Royal Noise is a self-described “relentless funk dance party.” One reviewer characterizes the band as “Groove, groove and more groove — with a side order of groove and a […]
There was a time when quilts served as one of the few pieces of artwork in Appalachian homes, and they truly were works of art. “The hallmarks of great art always include line, color, patterns, texture, balance. Quilts are no exception,” according to a press release for American Folk Art & Framing’s upcoming exhibit, Pattern, […]
There is something comfortingly familiar about Ali Douglass’ whimsical illustrations and paintings. It might be the eye-pleasing color combinations, charming characters and quirky cityscapes and scenes — or it might actually be that you’ve seen them before. Douglass has been illustrating for countless magazines and newspapers — including Seventeen, Martha Stewart, Glamour and The New […]
“Helpmate could use a helping hand,” says the Facebook invite for an evening of music by Jeff Thompson, Vendetta Creme and Aaron Price. The local performers cross genres and styles: Thompson is a singer-songwriter and guitarist, Price a multi-instrumentalist with a knack for clever piano-pop, and Vendetta Creme is the jazz and cabaret project of […]
Barbara J. Taylor’s debut novel, Sing in the Morning, Cry at Night, is “an evocative story of family tragedy and healing set in coal-mining Scranton, Pennsylvania.” As a native and current resident of the Electric City, where the story is set, Taylor draws inspiration from a haunting family story to blend real-life incidents with historical […]
Husband-and-wife, indie-pop outfit Mates of State consistently challenge the perceived limitations of a two-piece with their effortless harmonies and minimal pop appeal. One reviewer describes the band as “two people playing complex songs that sound like five people playing a simple song.” Kori Gardner (keyboard/vocals) and Jason Hammel (drums/vocals) formed Mates of State in 1997 and have […]
Bobby Bare Jr., son of Country Music Hall of Famer Bobby Bare, is touring in support of his latest release, Undefeated. The album is “10 songs of reality checks, clever wordplay and daring arrangement, the aural companion to that buddy who pulls up a barstool next to yours to help soak away your sorrows,” according […]
It’s not too surprising that singer-songwriter Aaron Burdett won top honors from Our State magazine for his song “Going Home to Carolina.” Burdett’s thoughtful, acoustic-driven take on Southern Americana is a fitting soundtrack for life in the Blue Ridge Mountains. With the addition of his four-piece band, he creates music that is deeply rooted in the […]
“Chosen not only for its easily recognized show tunes, [‘I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Outta My Hair’ and ‘Some Enchanted Evening’ among them] Asheville Lyric Opera hopes to introduce the Asheville audience to the classical stage genius of Rodgers & Hammerstein,” says a press release. The musical South Pacific is set on a remote […]
Asheville-based band Bulgogi describes itself as a “perfect storm of dancey punk rock gleeful nutty psychotherapy,” as well as “terrified child dance punk,” but there’s no need to fear frontman Tim Tsurutani, his death-defying vocals, tongue-in-cheek lyrics or the band’s danceable, hard-edged melodies. (That is, assuming the band isn’t trying to lull us into a […]
“The quest for the perfect blend of Old World Cirque and American Roadhouse fun will be seasoned with aerialists, singers and showgirl burlesque dancers to delight the senses,” according to a press release for Teatro del Gusto. Join the circus cabaret crew for a “feast of the senses” — it’s the first show in a series […]
Go local and bolster your DIY cred at the same time at The Big Crafty. There, artists and makers of all kinds will convene in downtown Asheville and sell their one-of-a-kind, handmade wares. “Our guiding principle is that buying handmade is good for the community, and our aim is to make doing so fun,” say the […]
