Last in Asheville for the inaugural Moogfest, Pretty Lights (aka composer/producer Derek Vincent Smith) returns with a new electro-hip-hop-soul show. Smith debuted cutting-edge material (new sounds, styles and techniques) at Bonnaroo early this summer, and in the months since, he's been refining and evolving the live performance. And there's a visual component (otherwise, what would […]

Blues legend Ironing Board Sam doesn’t actually play the laundry essential — but he did use that tool to build his own makeshift organ-style instrument. Hence the nickname, and the start of a decades-long career in blues, boogie-woogie and R&B. Ironing Board Sam will be at White Horse Black Mountain on Saturday, Sept. 17, for […]

Though, by name alone, Xiu Xiu sounds like it should be a band from China (in Chinese, a xiu is a terrace garden bar), the group is actually an art-rock quintet from San Jose. According to press, "The band's name is taken from the 1998 Chinese film, Xiu Xiu: The Sent Down Girl. …The majority […]

It's all about the alchemy of beer and movies … and bikes: Clips of Faith is brewery New Belgium's "outdoor evening with artistic beers and films" — and it benefits local cyclist advocacy group Asheville on Bikes. (Last year, Clips of Faith raised nearly $2,400 for AoB.) This year's event takes place on Friday, Sept. […]

Mountain Song Festival brings in some big names to benefit the Boys & Girls Club of Transylvania County. Local bluegrass-boys-gone-big the Steep Canyon Rangers host the fest, and perform with some of the biggest names in the genre. Tim O’Brien, Dehlia Low and the Carolina Chocolate Drops are on the bill this year. Oh yeah, […]

After a huge success last year (an audience of more than 6,000!), the Asheville Symphony Orchestra and Pack Square Park Conservancy announce the return of the free Labor Day concert in Pack Square Park. The performance includes soloists from the Asheville Lyric Opera, soprano Jennifer Davison and tenor Scott Joiner, singing selections from West Side […]

Austin, Texas-based Whiskey Shivers plays the kind of Americana/bluegrass that shreds fiddle bows and wears holes in guitars. They also have a sense of humor (check out the video for "Gimme All Your Lovin," from upcoming album Batholith, on YouTube). "Whiskey Shivers is a rip roarin' string band cyclone, guaranteeing a high energy, down-home time," […]

Bestselling fantasy fiction author Terry Brooks has penned dozens of novels set 2,000 years after an apocalypse in the mythical world of the Four Lands (a futuristic-meets-medieval North America). The epic Shannara series takes its name from the noble elven family from whom many of the characters descend. Brooks reads at Malaprop's on Tuesday, Sept. […]

In case you didn't get it from the band's name, Big Sam's Funky Nation is all about funk. The high-energy New Orleans quintet is led by trombonist Sammie Williams who's been a member of the Dirty Dozen Brass Band and has toured with the likes of Karl Denson, Widespread Panic and James Brown. Big Sam’s […]

Even though Chicano rockers Los Lonely Boys only debuted in 2003, they've already had a gold single, sold millions of albums, won a Grammy and opened for the Rolling Stones. Now the trio (brothers Henry, Jojo and Ringo Garza) returns with its fourth studio album, Rockpango. The album is getting some mixed reviews, but reviewers […]

Soulful rock outfit The Broadcast takes on a five-week residency at Pisgah Brewing this September. Every Thursday, the powerhouse six-piece will play with a different guest band on the inside stage, including Atlanta-based Stokeswood, Big Daddy Love, The Black Cadillacs and more. How will you get there? Ride the 360 Party Bus, of course! The […]

Traditional Cherokee art, crafts and food will be the focus of the Saturday, Sept. 3 Qualla Arts Open-Air Market. The Qualla Arts and Crafts Mutual is the oldest Native American Arts cooperative in the United States. The market will feature pottery, basket-weaving, carving, tool-making and jewelry-crafting, among other activities. Free. 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. […]

The annual party on The Block (Eagle and Market streets) returns, celebrating African and Caribbean heritage with three days (Friday-Sunday, Aug. 26-28) of music, dancing, food, vendors and more. The “more” part includes a 5K walk/run this year, starting at Eagle Street at 8 a.m. on Saturday (register at http://activate.com). The event kicks off Friday […]

Seemingly in the Goombay! spirit, two bands — world/jazz group The Brand New Life from Greensboro/Chapel Hill and locally based Afro-beat band The Klavenauts — share a bill and an Afro-funk focus at One Stop on Friday, Aug. 26. The evening showcases the Klavenauts' Sean Smith on trumpet and Brand New Life's Mamadou Mbenge, "a […]

The color ball — Asheville Area Arts Council's annual fundraiser — returns this year in grand style. And in turquoise. The Turquoise Ball (start planning your wardrobe accordingly) takes place at the Orange Peel on Saturday, Aug. 27. Entertainment includes a fashion show, Eternity dance troupe, music from Paper Tiger, DJ Marley Carroll, Franklin Keel […]

Happily, swapping songs is far more elegant than, say, swapping clothes. Or spit. Appropriately, singer/songwriters Malcolm Holcombe (Asheville), RB Morris (Knoxville) and Paco Shipp (Nashville) swap their songs in the elegant setting of the Altamont Theater. Holcombe recently released To Drink the Rain, Morris just completed Rich Mountain Bound (recorded in Asheville) and Shipp's latest […]

Local author/artist/actor David Hopes showcases yet another talent: that of playwright. His most recent play, Vance: Civil War Governor, is on stage at the Southern Appalachian Repertory Theatre in Mars Hill through Sunday, Aug. 28. Says Hopes, the production is "based on the life of N.C.’s Civil War governor (and later senator) Zebulon Vance." The […]

The Mumbles used to be a Brooklyn-based trio and now they're a New Orleans-based duo. All that change, and they still managed to pull off a solid effort with just-finished album Annunciation St. The 11-track collection is certainly rooted in New Orleans influences from the horn section to the jazz percussion (that's Ethan Shorter manning […]

Asheville BookWorks, a studio space in West Asheville that focuses on print and book arts, is well represented in the newest exhibition at UNC Asheville’s Blowers Gallery. Art of the Book: Process, Product and Community at Asheville BookWorks is a collection of works by students and instructors from sculptural books and journals to one-of-a-kind pieces […]

Just because sacred steel has its roots in the church doesn't mean a sacred steel band can't also get a little funky at a street festival. The Lee Boys are proof of that. The six-man band from Miami, Fla. not only got its start at the House of God Church but is a close-knit group […]