Sound Track

Dashvara, a four piece band of diverse and well-studied musicians, has been playing together since 2005.  Drummer Brian Festa trained classically in Laos, bassist Christian Ferri is studying jazz at UNCA. Greg Norris, who plays flute and saxophone, says the band has been evolving for three years, solidifying the right lineup and the exact sound […]

SoundTrack

The existential angst was palpable in the Boiler Room recently, as Baby Cowboy lead singer Julian Sikes sang of death and love interchangeably, as if they were reflections of one another. "Realize it's the madness of the memories," was the closing refrain for one particularly haunting tune. Cowboy's night life: Punk and newgrass meet in […]

SoundTrack

This is what I keep hearing about Kovacs & the Polar Bear: "I liked them more than I thought I would." And, indeed, following their middle-of-three-bands set at a Rocket Club showcase, most of the audience cleared out: Unfortunate for the band that had to follow Kovacs' excellent performance. Front man Nicholas Kovacs bears a […]

Soundtrack

Crowded into the stage area of BoBo Gallery, five-piece indie-pop group Do It To Julia (newcomers to Asheville as of last September) seem to have already outgrown the venue. But more than the sold-out room, the band's head count and the sprawling keyboard, it's the presence of DITJ's members that suggests amplitude. From the opening […]

SoundTrack

On a recent cold night, Hookah Joe's hosted Paper Tiger and The Melanaster Band, each group offering trippy, down-tempo beats and minimalist sounds that showed why they're two of Asheville's most unique and promising bands. Fans of Massive Attack and Thievery Corporation take note: Asheville has its own deeply sexy lounge act. Paper Tiger created […]

Soundtrack

Bands must love Jack of the Wood: The downtown bar comes with a built-in crowd that often fills the venue to capacity on Friday and Saturday nights. But guaranteed crowd doesn't mean guaranteed supporters, so at a recent Honeycutters show, the relatively new country act made quick work of turning a room full of strangers […]

Soundtrack

When Arundas plays, the crowd is a mix of friends and family, belly dancers and the broad array of Asheville freaks who want to get down and boogie. Arundas plays a range of collaborative music that explores fantasy-like mystical rhythms, incorporating sitar, dun-duns, chanting and heavy, heavy drumming. Arundas tunes in to far-flung inspirations and […]

Soundtrack

It's a well-documented fact at this juncture: Asheville's sound is a melting pot, a smorgasbord, a sonic gumbo. But just in case you needed further proof, this week's roundup — pulled at random from a stack of submitted CDs — turns up rock, Americana, world/spiritual, bluegrass and jazz guitar.  Consider it potluck listening. Shed by […]

Soundtrack

If it seems like Asheville music has evolved into a heady brew of world beat, experimental, indie rock and quirky pop, these four discs — all recently released by well-respected Asheville-based songwriters and musicians — prove that roots music (namely Americana) is alive and well. • Long Days Above Ground by Pierce Edens and The […]

Soundtrack

Though downtown Asheville's streets are full of buskers — especially on a warm weekend night when the tourists and dinner crowds swarm Battery Park and the Grove Arcade — a stand-out act still does just that: Stands out. That's the story with Leeda Jones, aka Lyric. Nothing's going to break her stride: Lyric Jones performs […]