It was an expectantly still winter night. But indoors, the posh Spartanburg Memorial Auditorium — so crowded the rest-room line was 20 minutes deep — seemed an unlikely place to witness miracles. And yet, that evening, something miraculous occurred: Emmylou Harris was upstaged. The Down from the Mountain ensemble tour was only two nights old … Read more
Of note Folk headliner David LaMotte has won yet another award for his music. His song “Drops Like Me,” from his children’s album, S.S. Bathtub, took first place in the Northern California Songwriter Association Song Contest for 2002. For more information, visit www.davidlamotte.com. Area rock act Eight-53 has recently parted with guitarist Billy Kendall. Kendall … Read more
In a New York Daily News article last month, singer/fiddler Caitlin Cary had some unusually candid things to say about her former Whiskeytown bandmate Ryan Adams, whose latest solo album — the expertly pleasurable Gold — helped hurl him onto A-lists everywhere. (A recent People article showed him keeping company with Bob Dylan at a … Read more
In the rear of a garagelike rehearsal studio in the River District, puppeteers Yoko Myoi and Robyn Strawbridge are sweating over their puppet tango scene from The Anatomy of Melancholy. With a face resembling an African mask and a body like a wooden doll, Strawbridge’s male puppet spies Myoi’s female puppet standing on the other … Read more
“Hatred felt long enough and deeply enough no longer feels like hatred. It feels like economics, or religion, or tradition, or simply the way things are.” — Derrick Jensen Imagine that you were offered the chance to examine our society through a special kind of microscope. You could see so clearly that normally invisible structures … Read more
Ian Anderson rose to rock stardom writing tales about hard-luck oafs — such as the horny slob in the classic-rock staple “Aqualung,” and, in “Locomotive Breath,” the “world’s all-time loser” who’s clutched by the “all-time winner.” Now 54, Jethro Tull’s legendary front man says he empathizes most with his downtrodden characters. “It’s easier to relate … Read more
Sometime before 1910, a paper-shuffler from the Bureau of Indian Affairs decided that the problem with agriculture on the Hopi and Pueblo reservations in the Southwest was that those people just weren’t growing the right type of corn. Their corn was about 3 feet tall, and while each plant produced a respectable number of ears, … Read more
Mountain Xpress prides itself on being a community newspaper that offers a clear look at local issues. But what sometimes gets lost in the shuffle are the people whose lives are affected by those issues. So we’ve decided to turn the tables somewhat and cast a glance at folks who aren’t making news, clawing for … Read more
“What would be the ultimate cost of not having a regional approach?” — Nelda Holder, president,Asheville-Buncombe League of Women Voters Just get everything out on the table, and maybe everyone involved will feel obligated to address the stated problems. So says Gary Semlak, a former board member of the Regional Water Authority of Asheville, Buncombe … Read more
Down on Main Street Some folks have likened the charming little town of Weaverville to “a small Black Mountain.” A whole lot has been happening there recently, with new shops opening up and others moving to new locations. In conjunction with the upcoming Weaverville Art Safari (April 27-28, see Smart Bets elsewhere in this issue), … Read more
