Front-row reviews What: Mofro w/The Avett Brothers Where: Stella Blue When: Friday, Mar. 28 The Avett Brothers have done a remarkable thing: They’ve made traditional tunes feel as exciting as pop songs. To a casual listener, the Avett’s songs might sound like typical — if energetic — bluegrass. But underneath the music’s worn-out-blue-jean-and-week-old-beard exterior, there … Read more
“All the world’s a stage,” penned Shakespeare. And while the Bard certainly wasn’t referring to modern dance, for members of the Ailey II troupe, his famous words are hardly mere rhetoric: They’re reality. While most dancers don’t feel they live on stage — and that’s despite the long hours they put in, and the intense … Read more
Why did the chicken cross the road? To get to the chopper to strafe the coppers who were tracking the cow that was packing the Uzi. At least that’s how that old joke goes in Dana Lyons’ world. Except that the Washington state singer/songwriter/activist’s version is barnyards beyond your usual chicken yarn — it’s actually … Read more
The biggest surprise, Virginia Holman’s sister told her, is how funny the book is. The book in question is Rescuing Patty Hearst: Memories From a Decade Gone Mad (Simon & Schuster, 2003). In it Holman recounts a childhood spent with a schizophrenic mother. As you’d expect, it’s a harrowing tale — the experience was, as … Read more
Small-press magazines — or zines — hide ideas and stories that will never appear in the high-gloss mainstream marketplace. One of the better-known examples of independent ink is the self-published Doris, a zine that’s chronicled the life and trials of writer Cindy Ovenrack (yes, it’s a pen name) in cartoons and essays for more than … Read more
This time of year, I’m ready to garden. Yet even though air temperatures are already peaking into the low 70s, night temperatures are still cold, and soil temperatures remain well below 50 degrees. Planting seeds in such cold garden soils often results in greatly delayed or reduced germination — or even, at times, complete crop … Read more
“It’s really critical for them to understand what this community looks like, feels like.” — Laura Copeland, Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce As the latest session of the N.C. General Assembly cranks up, there’s been no shortage of efforts to bend legislators’ ears about local concerns. But the strategies employed vary widely — and so … Read more
“Word is spreading like wildfire; people are really rallying around this.” — Wally Bowen, Mountain Area Information Network Like many cities nationwide, Asheville has had its airwaves dominated by broadcast giant Clear Channel Communications, leaving little room for locally produced, alternative programming. That could change this summer, when two new low-power FM stations come online. … Read more
Although “pirate” radio activists and broadcasters — who defy FCC licensing procedures under the flag of civil disobedience and a desire to get on the air — were the primary movers in advancing the cause of low-power radio, they generally haven’t benefited from the law. The FCC prohibited pirate stations from applying for low-power licenses … Read more
While many of the nonprofit groups receiving low-power FM licenses will enter the radio business boasting little or no experience, John R. Hayes, president and CEO of the Empowerment Resource Center (see main story), has a pretty good idea of what he’s getting into. Hayes was religious director and announcer for WBMU, an Asheville gospel … Read more
