What’s better than one holiday playlist? Try two! Rock around your Christmas tree/yule log/menorah/kinara/bouquet of mistletoe to these tunes by local musicians. From the sardonic to the sublime, this sonic roundup hits all the key points. • “Christmas Bunnies in the Snow” by Hank West & the Smokin’ Hots from the just-released EP, Christmas 2014 • “Santa […]
Whether you’re celebrating Solstice, Yuletide, Christmas, Saturnalia or nothing at all (Humbug Day is Dec. 21), we’ve got a song for you. Actually, local musicians have a song for you. From new releases, recorded just for the holidays, to old favorites (remember the Yo, Humbug! album from 2000, featuring Tyler Ramsey among other WNC-based artists?), […]
Here’s the thing: There are lots of holiday songs. Too many, depending on who you ask. But even though Thanksgiving launches the festive season, it’s tidily left out of the whole “I’ll be Home for Christmas” / “Deck the Halls” songbook. So we searched our archive of local and regional releases for themes of home, […]
Each week the Brown Bag Songwriting Competition sets the stage for local songwriters to showcase their craft. The winner of each week’s contest walks away with a cash prize and the chance to come back on Sunday, Nov. 23 to compete in the finals. Want to be a part of the 11-week event? There are […]
The 39th LEAF festival rolls around this weekend — it actually kicked off on Thursday for its most dedicated attendees. Dozens of artists perform on six stages around Lake Eden. If you’re planning to go, here’s a sample of the music. And if you missed out on a chance to buy tickets (they’re sold only […]
Often when making a playlist, the theme presents itself. This week’s motif is about loneliness, long distances and long shots. Luckily, all of this melancholy produces a set of songs that are less sad than thoughtful. Even better, there are some pretty rocking moments. • “Karen’s Car,” from Naomi by The Cave Singers who will be […]
This week’s playlist starts with a deeply soulful groove and wraps up with delicate finger-strumming. In between, there’s trip-hop, hip-hop, indie-rock and reggae — all of which will make you want to dance, even if it’s a slow dance with your sweetie. • “Merci” by HoveyKraft, the solo project of multi-instrumentalist Ben Hovey, from his new […]
If there’s a theme to this week collection of songs, it has to be unique takes on roots music — though Philadelphia-based rockers Purling Hiss probably don’t fit in the roots category at all. Still, their re-envisioned approach to rock and pop fits with The Wood Brothers’ innovation of blues and Americana, and Judah & […]
This week’s playlist includes tracks from two new local soul releases as well as a radio-ready Country hit-in-the-making from a Weaverville-based artist. Add some indie synth-pop, reggae and ragtime to the mix for a well rounded listen. • “Red Sand” from the self-titled album by Slo_Gold, the project of keyboardist and engineer Jeff Knorr. • “Life Is […]
In celebration of this weekend’s DIG Festival (read the Xpress story here) — at eight venues throughout downtown Asheville, Friday and Saturday, Aug. 22 and 23 — This week’s playlist gets an early release. And the songs are culled from six of the more than 40 bands performing at DIG. • “Master Plan” by Doc Aquatic, […]
These are not your ordinary love songs. And some aren’t actually love songs at all — Malcolm Holcombe’s “Pitiful Blues,” EDJ’s “For the Boy Who Moved Away” — but the emotions still apply. On this week’s playlist: • “When You Were Mine” by local rockers Posh Hammer. • “Pitiful Blues,” the title track from the new album […]
From Michael McFarland’s “A Sarcastic Tango” to Warm the Bell’s sweet “Little Bird,” this week’s playlist is an emotional roller coaster. Add to that “Fire,” by honorary local Langhorne Slim, and get ready for a rocking ride. • “We Won’t Stop” by local rockers Black Robin Hero, from the EP, narrow plains. The band plays at […]
We’ve got new local releases on our minds, from Jeff Santiago y Los Gatos Negros’ recent project, Rolling Towards the Moon, to Alarm Clock Conspiracy’s Harlequin, which drops later this week. Also in the mix, new material from Hello Hugo, an excellent cover from RBTS WIN, a blast from the past by Hector’s Nectar, and […]
This weekend’s shows present a theme: a heady mix of country and soul that runs the gamut of styles in each of their respective genres. Our playlist doesn’t even touch on all the options (Hank III at The Orange Peel, Broken Lilacs at Bywater, Hearts Gone South at Good Stuff — all on Friday) would […]
This week’s playlist draws heavily on favorite local songs from the past several years. These are songs that seem fitting for summer, though perhaps more for summer nights than the full sun of noon. The collection includes: • “Stay Gone,” by singer-songwriter (and Band of Horses guitarist) Tyler Ramsey, from The Valley Wind. • “The Woods Get […]
We celebrate independent artists every day, but on the July 4 holiday weekend, it seems especially pertinent to play songs by local musicians, made without major (or even minor, in many cases) support. On this week’s playlist: • “Little by Little” by singer-songwriter Aaron Burdett, from his new album, Fruits of My Labor. He performs […]
The local music scene has always been hard to typify, and that’s not getting any easier. Rock and pop, folk and electronic, experimental and traditional. But it all works — and not only does it work in the context of the region’s multifaceted sound, but in a single playlist. This week’s songs include: • “Stickshifts […]
This week’s playlist feature new and recent tracks from local band, and two songs from former locals who remain honorary members of the Asheville music scene. • “This Time Around” by Paper Tiger, is from the local trip-hop duo’s forthcoming album. • “Japello” is from It all comes down to this, by local composer/producer dep. […]
Because the best playlists are a combination of newly-discovered music and tried-and-true gems, this week Xpress pulls songs both from just-released albums (and one so new it comes from a live show recording) along with two tracks from 2013 records and one from the vaults. • “Whichever One Comes First” is off the new release, […]
The All Go West music festival returns to West Asheville today (Saturday, June 7), with music on three stage from 11 a.m.-Sunday at 2 a.m. Read more about the festival and its lineup here. With that in mind, this week’s playlist is for those who can’t make it to All Go West and want to […]
In this new series, we’ll share some of the local and regional tracks we’ve been listening to lately. This week’s songs are: • “Cut Me Out,” by The Low Counts (High Point) • “Sun Goes Down,” by WorldLine (Asheville) • “Bring on Fire, Bring on Rain,” by Reed Turchi (Asheville) • “Live from the End […]
