“There was a time that we were about to throw in the towel,” Acoustic Syndicate drummer Fitz McMurry revealed during a recent phone interview. He’s almost nonchalant about it, as if he were talking about some half-remembered anecdote from another person’s life. And yet it’s true: For a brief period, the members of Acoustic Syndicate … Read more
Success: Some of us get a big fat slice, others an empty plate. And right now, Christine Kane’s fork is full. “It’s not like the Fairy Godmother came down and tapped me with a wand,” the Asheville-based singer/songwriter countered by phone recently, during a tour stop in Madison, Wis. “People [keep] coming up to me … Read more
This won’t be the first time Hannah Curtis’ voice will be compared to that of Rickie Lee Jones; Curtis has heard that one before. The thing is, she’s never actually heard Jones. It’s not that Curtis is uninformed, really. And it’s certainly not that she’s arrogant. The reason she’s oblivious to the beret-topped old-school songstress … Read more
Though he credits the Buena Vista Social Club’s tremendous popularity as part of the reason he went to Cuba three years ago, Habana Sax manager Stephen Bailey says his goal was to find a group or performer that exemplified the island’s current music. According to Bailey, Habana Sax reflects modern Cuban sounds and culture — … Read more
Of note The joy of throwing: Local heavy-music hybrid Throwing Myself — featuring former members of Estedy (Brien Worsham and Derek Anderson) and Send for August (Travis Moss and Brad Gaddy) — has recently launched its Web site. For more information about the group, which bills itself as “a band for all you love birds … Read more
There are any number of indigenous North American stories telling How Corn Came to The People. Sometimes it came as a gift. Sometimes it came in the form of a woman. Sometimes it was stolen. But in every case, Corn became intimately entwined with The People — economically, culturally and spiritually. Archaeological evidence suggests that … Read more
Almost everyone has grown an avocado in his or her day, but have you ever thought of starting a mango tree? With today’s supersonic delivery systems, fresh mangoes often turn up in local supermarkets, in between the pomegranates and the kumquats — and you can always ask someone in Florida to ship a pit north. … Read more
The Asheville City Council’s April 8 formal meeting was surprisingly brief, clocking in at just under two hours. The evening’s brevity was a marked departure from Council’s more typical endurance-testing legislative marathons. Indeed, based on length alone, one might conclude that the April 8 gathering was a walk in the park. But the evening’s light … Read more
“We’re passing the buck. … We need a comprehensive plan.” — Buncombe County Commissioner David Gantt Despite Buncombe County’s lengthy history of controversy over land-use regulations, a decision last week to establish community-based planning passed with only a few dissenting words. On April 8, the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners voted 4-1 to allow communities … Read more
A proposal to limit the number of homes that can be built on steep slopes won the Buncombe County Planning Board’s seal of approval last week. On April 7, the Planning Board unanimously recommended that the Board of Commissioners add hillside-development standards to the county’s subdivision ordinance. The proposed regulations, noted Planning Board members, aren’t … Read more
