“Lightning struck and the muse jumped on my shoulder,” declares arts pioneer John Cram in describing the impetus for Scenic Overlook: Blue Ridge Parkway, an upcoming exhibit at his Blue Spiral 1 Gallery. Of course, there are also less mystical aspects to the show’s beginnings. “I’m fond of landscapes and so are a lot of … Read more
Sidney Barnes is a genial man, thoughtful and full of laughter. Yet even though everything coming out of his mouth when we talk is apparently true, his stories seem too fantastic to have ever possibly taken place. “We got a call from these people in New York,” Barnes says, absentmindedly playing with his sunglasses, as … Read more
“He’d had affairs with Bianca Jagger, the princess of Savoia and some runway model turned singer named Annie Lennox,” announces name-dropper Lucia Sanchez, a character in Valerie Ann Leff’s debut novel. Leff, a local writer, set her Better Homes and Husbands in New York’s Upper East Side, at fictional 980 Park Ave. — a pre-war … Read more
After seeing The Rebelles perform their debut show Through Sick and Sin last July, a friend and I were so inspired that, a few days later, we marched ourselves on up to the downtown workplace of Christine DiBenedetto, the burlesque troupe’s founder. Our mission: to beg her to please, please, let us join her troupe … Read more
Front-row review: the anticlimax blues Who: Michelle Malone & Kevn KinneyWhere: The Grey EagleWhen: Sunday, June 20 Michelle Malone is a lit-and-sparking dynamite fuse of a musician. She burns through songs, her vocals rising from the glowing-red embers of folk into white-hot, crackling explosions of bluesy bar rock. She’s also a fantastic guitarist, blazing through … Read more
Some of us prefer to learn by doing. We’re inclined to take a chance and plant a new seed variety, or fool around with computer software for a while before cracking the manual. Others do everything by the book. Still others learn best from a talented teacher, seeking out classes (either formal or informal) to … Read more
Waynesville– Front-page stories about returning veterans tend to focus on celebratory welcomes, with little discussion of the hard facts of war. But Haywood County resident Jimmy Massey has a different tale to tell. A Marine Corps recruiter in Sylva for three years before the war, Staff Sgt. Massey also trained new recruits during his lengthy … Read more
Paul Rockwell: You spent 12 years in the Marines. When were you sent to Iraq? Staff Sgt. Jimmy Massey: I went to Kuwait around Jan. 17 [2003]. I was in Iraq from the get-go, and I was involved in the initial invasion. PR: What does the public need to know about your experiences as a … Read more
In poker, four of a kind will always beat three of a kind — hands down. And in politics, four votes will always prevail over three votes, whether you’re counting ayes, nays, raised hands or noses. Such was the case at the Asheville City Council’s June 22 formal session, when city leaders adopted an operating … Read more
