Six voices, speaking in unison, can make quite a noise. But when Asheville City Council member Brian Peterson attempted to convince his colleagues to exercise their collective voice on the issue of the DOT’s eight-lane proposal for I-240 through West Asheville, he found not harmony, but discord. Council’s June 18 work session convened less than … Read more
Of note Jamehlo goes Collapseable: Asheville-based jam-metal band Les Jamehlo is currently working on its new CD at Collapseable Studios. The group expects to release the currently unnamed album in late August. For more information, visit www.lesjamehlo.com. Holiday Rd. gets Warped: Local punk trio Holiday Rd. was recently chosen as one of four North Carolina-based … Read more
The often stoic stage presence of Tony Rice — disturbingly unemotional and stylishly, if stiffly, presented in three-piece suits (even on 100-degree midsummer festival stages) and slicked-back hair — offers a stark contrast to the fluid runs released from his 1935 Martin D-28. For nearly 30 years, the guitarist has been perhaps the most prominent … Read more
North Carolina is famous for barbecue and Piedmont-style blues, not the birth of bebop. But without its contributions, jazz would be a horse of an entirely different color. The supernatural Thelonius Monk was born in Rocky Mount, N.C. John Coltrane — considered by many jazz historians the most influential jazz musician of the 20th century … Read more
It seems obvious to say so, but there’s nowhere to buy paint in prison. Or brushes. Or canvas. Or any of the other supplies to which one naturally assumes the average artist has ready access. In prison, artists have to improvise. Arnold Davila, an inmate from Texas who was paroled two years ago, describes the … Read more
It was a New Year’s Eve party in Montford, some 30-odd years ago. Three strawberry daiquiris, two sheets to the wind, and one stroke of luck later, Hazel Robinson’s vision for Shakespeare in Asheville came alive. Hazel’s husband, John, had recently challenged his wife. She’d been complaining that Shakespeare was nowhere to be found in … Read more
The Eskimo are said to have many words for snow. It is such a vital part of their life that they have invented words to describe its different states and various natures. You would think that in 10,000 years of gardening, we would have come up with a similar variety of words to describe soil. … Read more
Thomas Frederick AardemaTracy Wendell AldridgeMark Lee AllenWillie Alexander AllenDonald Dexter AllisonMark Arthur AllisonBobby Joe AndersAimee Irene AquinoSharon Diane ArcherJoseph Eugene AustinRobin Douglas AustinDarrell Wayne AyersRobert BacoatePaul Richard BaileyBenson Lee BallardTony Frank BallardGary Lindsey BancroftJanis Colvin BanksBryan Keith BarberJimmy BarberBobby William BarcaferJames Vernon Barker JrPatricia Redman BarnesPaula Spalding BarnesBarry Gene BartonThomas Leroy BattleDavid Alexander BeasleyRandall Stephen … Read more
Ice cream and music under one roof Ice cream is not just food — it’s an experience. Ice cream eaters have loyalties to flavors and brands that go far beyond their feelings for ordinary foods. And for many, the association of ice cream with good times runs deep. Just ask people what their favorite ice … Read more
You can’t throw a turnip in this town without hitting a small-farm grower. The same goes for entrepreneurs. With Asheville’s notoriously tight job market, the area has become known for those going — and growing — into business for themselves. For farmers and small food-business owners who grow and process food, building and equipment costs … Read more
