Many splendored things: Valentine’s events in and around Asheville

To those who think the celebration of romantic love is just a Hallmark company construct: not quite. Since the 1700s, lovers have been giving each other handwritten cards, flowers and sweets. It wasn’t until the 19th century that Valentine’s Day cards were mass-produced. But 200 years of tradition doesn’t mean you have to give in […]

Beats and feats: Rappers and aerialists collaborat­e on Hip-hop Circus

Think of hip-hop, and a number of images might come to mind: DJs, loose pants, B-Boys and graffiti, perhaps. Even if your list isn’t culled from stereotypes, it’s unlikely to include aerialists — though that might change after the Hip-hop Circus at The Orange Peel on Saturday, Nov. 29. That event pairs area hip-hop acts […]

The New Pornograph­ers play The Orange Peel

The New Pornographers’ Together was one of 2010’s standout albums, but compared with Vampire Weekend’s Contra, Sufjan Stevens’ The Age of Adz and Broken Bells’ self-titled debut — all of which successfully incorporated electronic elements into their creators’ indie sounds — its string-aided rock was a bit of an outlier. Four years later, arpeggiators and […]