“I think what people are going to ask for is: ‘No eight lanes.’” — Betty Lawrence, member of I-26 Connector Awareness Group. Eight lanes or nothing. That’s the essence of the N.C. Department of Transportation’s recommendations for widening Interstate 240 through West Asheville, as part of the Interstate 26 Connector. But a grassroots community group … Read more
Of note Asheville-based singer/songwriter Ginny Wilder is currently working on a new album. Lessons in Life and Love is the third studio effort for Wilder, and her first collaboration with producer Fran McKendree. For more information, visit www.ginnywilder.com. Local punk group Junior Varsity is looking for a new drummer (longtime member Matt Ring has left … Read more
From the start, their love is doomed. He’s a reluctant soldier, trying to fight for his nation’s independence from a tyrannical king. She, by a cruel twist of fate, is a loyalist to the Crown. Though their feelings are true, destiny has placed a pair of seemingly insurmountable obstacles between them: (1) An epic battle … Read more
Throughout music’s constantly morphing genres, the truly powerful statements often wear unassuming masks. Folk, bluegrass or blues is frequently most effective when it is most naked — left alone by additional musical tricks or overproduction to stand unafraid in its own existence. Perhaps in no other form of music is this more evident than in … Read more
Relationships form the core of les caison III’s latest show. Day & Night yields coy glimpses into a world of flirtatious first encounters, newly established emotions, and firmly rooted togetherness. caison is based in Asheville, and you may have seen his large-scale works adorning the walls of local places such as The Golden Horn Restaurant … Read more
Towns Without Rivers by Michael Parker (Perennial, 2001) Michael Parker’s second novel more or less picks up where his first, Hello Down There, left off. The book’s main protagonist, Reka Speight (pronounced Spate), has just been released from prison for killing her lover, Edwin, a heroin addict. Reka’s method of execution in the first book, … Read more
Drive east out of Asheville, into the steep winding curves of 74A toward Lake Lure. Continue through the small hamlets and past the many craft shops selling quilts, handmade chairs and antiques. Drop down into the valley following the Rocky Broad River and it rises out of the trees on your right, one of the … Read more
“They picked the best kind of music,” says John Cockman, guitarist for the gospel group The Cockman Family. “It just fits.” On June 15, Chimney Rock Park will host the first of two outdoor concerts, collectively titled Music on the Mountain, as part of its 100th-anniversary celebration. Staged on top of the mountain (at the … Read more
When we lived in southern New England, we used to grow those big, honking tomatoes people think of when they think “tomato” — classic old-time varieties like Mortgage Lifter, Brandywine and German Pink. The kind you can bring in from the garden, carve a hefty slab off of, lay on a nice slice of bread … Read more
Being a vegetarian, my wife is one of those imaginative people who are always on the lookout for new fruits to bring to the table. A few years ago, the local food co-op was featuring some ripe mangos, and Jean bought five to use in desserts. The fruits were about 6 inches long with a … Read more
