The popularity of that extraordinarily silly sitcom That ’70s Show, “retro,” to many young people, conjures up bell bottoms and beer anthems. But for those slightly older kids still jitterbugging on the coattails of the swing resurgence, the word has a different ring entirely. Here, I introduce two bands — playing two different Asheville venues … Read more
Nnenna Freelon tells me that the best way for beginners to experience jazz is to listen to great vocalists like Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald. “The vocalist,” she says, “is a wonderful way to come to this music, because everyone can identify with a voice. It’s a little harder to identify with a saxophone, or … Read more
There’s just something about a good bluegrass band. If the chemistry is right, a group may keep the music hot for years — through lineup changes, and maybe even death. Take The Seldom Scene (and you’ll be glad you did). After two decades holding court as one of the most influential bluegrass bands on the … Read more
Uncertainty about the future of North Carolina’s only independent regional air-pollution control agency — jeopardized by Haywood County’s sudden withdrawal — cast a shadow over the APCA’s uncharacteristically brief March 13 board meeting. Unless the Buncombe County commissioners and Asheville City Council both agree to re-establish the agency, it will cease to exist on July … Read more
The prospects for auto racing in Asheville this season don’t look good, despite a last-minute appeal by racing enthusiasts. With plans for building a track near the Asheville Regional Airport apparently dead, and another in Canton not expected to be complete until 2001, fans lament the end of 40 years of racing history. And the … Read more
Welcome to Asheville, Mary Clayton, where the roads can get bumpy. Clayton came to town recently to grease the wheels for the I-26 Connector project. She’s a planning consultant with a reputation for helping communities and departments of transportation find common ground on highway issues where none seemed possible. In her first week as facilitator … Read more
In the decades before the interstate tore the guts out of Asheville, the town was a sleepy mountain paradise, isolated from the massive change that was shoving the country down the fast track toward fouled air, congested traffic and unending rounds of road-building. Today, Asheville has finally caught up with the rest of the world: … Read more
All trolley cars are streetcars, but not all streetcars are trolley cars. The mule car and the horse car predated the mechanical systems, which came in several forms. The cable car came along in 1877, when Andrew Halliday conquered the Clay Street Hill in San Francisco. And Thomas Edison experimented with battery-powered street cars (fueled … Read more
A little-known but far-reaching scheme played a decisive role in killing off the trolleys. It began with a brilliant marketing ploy hatched by a pair of brothers named Fitzgerald. These Wisconsin bus operators suddenly found a magic lamp: General Motors. Teaming up with Firestone Rubber and Standard Oil of California, the corporate giant formed a … Read more
Alive and well The care and support of terminally ill patients and their families is a delicate and trying business: Besides high stress and limited funding, overworked caregivers must also struggle with their own emotions. Still, the nonprofit, Asheville-based Mountain Area Hospice (now celebrating its 20th year of serving the people of Buncombe County) has … Read more
