Not many bands can pull off New Wave without piling on irony and pomp reminiscent of art-school majors. On its latest CD (Bakers Can’t Be Choosers: as earnest as it is effervescent), The Baker Family Band filters New Wave through the lens of 20 years of post-punk rock ‘n’ roll, surfacing clean and fortified by […]

There’s perhaps no better place to discover the next stars of Asheville’s music scene than at one of the city’s open mic nights. Sure, you’ve got to sit through the occasional butchered Bob Dylan cover and lots of half-thought-out, off-key ideas. But even the discovery of one musical gem makes the experience worthwhile. During a […]

Whether it’s world music, Appalachian folk, lounge or rock, Asheville-area artists tend to temper their sounds with eclectic add-ons and unexpected twists. These new releases—from two fairly well-known groups and two up-and-comers—show how a little fusion goes a long way. Hiding in Plain Sight by Locomotive Pie This extended-length (15 tracks) collection of mostly original […]

Wilder than a barn cat in heat, Tony Wain and the Payne delivers no-holds-barred honky-tonk good times. The group plays loud rocking country music (bolstered by guitars, amplifiers, a full drum kit and a banjo) about love, heartbreak, and drankin’. However, this band’s style is not to be compared to the pop rock with twangy […]

The entrance to Apple Alley (a diminutive performance space located behind BookWorks in West Asheville) is a garage door. There among the hipsters and scenesters stands local duo King Tut, poised between the opposing forces of their own studio sound versus their live performance. While King Tut’s MySpace page (www.myspace.com/kingtutband) hints at a band that […]

This week brings three hot-off-the-presses releases by three very different artists. At press time, none had shows scheduled—all the more reason to tune into their recorded work. • Buttafliez by bLUE Neo-soul and R&B artist bLUE (aka AG Blue 6000) established herself in the Atlanta music scene before relocating to Asheville this summer. Her most […]

New Orleans standard “Junco Partner” (written in 1940 by “Drive’em Down” Willie Hall) is an allusion to needles, dope and the warm confines of Angola prison. It’s a theme for the downtrodden, and (according to liner notes in Dr. John’s “Gumbo”) a lyrical battle cry for the pimps, swindlers, prostitutes and jailbirds. Redemption never takes […]

There’s no warmup for singer/songwriter Andrea Lee, no plying lukewarm numbers before presenting the audience at Green Sage Coffee House & Cafe with the good stuff. She’s ready from the first note, working the crowd with her slow crooning mingled with rising crescendos. Although at a recent show, it was just Lee and her guitar, […]

Now You See Them, a quirk-pop trio often seen on Asheville’s street corners, manages to always look as though they’re in the middle of a video. A cool video from the short-lived-yet-golden-age of MTV: One in which they stand on a ratty piece of Oriental carpet and play their hearts out in real time while […]

Justin Timberlake may have brought sexy back from the ‘70s and ‘80s, but Asheville’s own The Secret B-Sides are bringing it back from much further—roughly 65 million years ago when dinosaurs roamed the earth. At a recent show on Hannah Flanagan’s patio, front man Juan Holladay sang the praises of the prehistoric reptiles as much […]

While the band name of one of Asheville’s best-kept secrets touts the group’s jazz leanings, Vertigo Jazz Project is not just a frenetic platform for show-off musicianship or tired standards. Instead, the band’s songs are built around the members knowing when not to play, and the sonic space created in those moments. At a recent […]

That’s mostly due to the Asheville band’s haunting vocals by Anya Hinkle, who channels Gillian Welch at times with her intonations. I saw Hinkle (who also plays fiddle) and her band mates (Bryan Clendenin on mandolin, Stacy Claude on guitar and vocals, Aaron Ballance on Dobro and Greg “Stig” Stiglets on standup bass) at their […]

During The Davids’ happy-hour set at the French Broad Brewery, mastermind David Clegg announces that the band isn’t really in its element. This is scary, because even sandwiched between the copper kegs and playing to a crowd of the work-weary, The Davids are a gale force. An alcohol and angst-fueled trio of heartbreak, irony and […]

A word of advice: Don’t go see Johnny’s Inhaler (or any other group that specializes in playing heartbreakingly soulful old love songs) on the eve of your birthday if you’re all alone with no love prospects in sight. I made that mistake on a recent visit to the French Broad Brewery, and wasn’t prepared for […]

Four children, 10 years and the same three chords Asheville, meet The Humbuckers (again). While they may not look like champions of a movement, they might be Asheville’s best example of a band getting better with age. Rudy Humbucker Formed more than a decade ago, the Humbuckers rose and burned out quickly in the Asheville […]

Ambushes can be vastly underrated. Worthy waylays include surprise birthdays (sans the weak heart), a shot of whiskey in coffee and occasional opening-act rock bands. I headed to the Grey Eagle on Saturday, July 5, to review local upstarts The If You Wannas, with supporting acts The Baker Family Band and The Royal Bangs. The […]

Readers have been asking for more local-music coverage, and Xpress agrees that it’s time to revisit a column dedicated to the shows, side projects, recordings and insider news of the local-music scene. Each week, our writers track the sounds of Western North Carolina. Help us out by sending your news and feedback to amarshall@mountainx.com. Sophisticated […]

Last night I went to hear Josh Rouse at the Grey Eagle. So did lots of other people which meant I couldn’t see him too well for all the tall people standing in front of me. But I sort of didn’t care. Sometimes, when I go to a show, I need to be able to […]