Alderson Women’s Prison in West Virginia was not a well-known institution prior to Martha Stewart’s recent commitment there. But, at one time or another, Alderson has housed Billie Holiday, Squeaky Fromme and generations of political activists convicted of federal offenses. In 2001, one of these was Clare Hanrahan, who served six months there for trespassing … Read more
The second annual Asheville Film Festival has come and gone, and in most ways it was a distinct improvement over the first one. This round, the entries were certainly of a higher caliber — at least most of the ones I saw. In many respects, I was glad not to be a judge this time. … Read more
There are ballet slippers, yes. But they’re teamed with sports jerseys. And you will hear Chopin. More often, though, it’ll be hip-hop or techno. The first thing that’s apparent about a Hubbard Street 2 performance is that this is no Tchaikovsky show. Three men in white T-shirts gyrate on the floor, athletically and somewhat suggestively. … Read more
“I find it’s a great way to pick up guys,” local musician Lin Llewellyn recently confided to Xpress. Her advice for the lovelorn? Strum a ukulele. Llewellyn, a hula dancer and member of lei-festooned party band the Hula Cats, is a long-time player and fan of the diminutive instrument, made famous by 1920s-era vaudeville bands, … Read more
This week, The Grey Eagle presents a chance to catch Leo Kottke and John Hammond just two days apart. Both veteran guitarists, Kottke and Hammond are icons of folk and the blues, respectively — and thus, metaphorically speaking, they strum to different drummers. But their roots run deep in one another’s territory. Kottke and Hammond … Read more
Views Halloween, Sunday, Oct. 31; downtown Asheville. It seems a number of forces conspired this year — in both darkness and light — to thwart the usually delightful revelry of a good Halloween in Asheville. For starters, a number of area celebrations shook down a day early on Saturday’s “Devil’s Night,” including the rescheduled Brewgrass … Read more
Here’s a sign of the times: An Xpress staffer is currently searching for a roommate, but she’s having a hard time finding one. It’s nothing personal — she’s easygoing, fun and responsible. It’s just that she lives in east Asheville, and a lot of prospective roomies gently decline, saying they’re trying to find digs in … Read more
“I could live for probably two years on what they spent just to coax some words out of my mouth.” — Asheville activist Clare Hanrahan Local activist and writer Clare Hanrahan was out mowing her lawn in late September when ABC called, asking her to be a guest on Good Morning America the next day. … Read more
Touch-screen voting machines in at least two Buncombe County precincts failed to display one of the races on the ballot in the Nov. 2 election. And because the county’s Sequoia electronic machines don’t provide a paper record, it’s impossible to determine how many votes — and which ones — were lost. At the time, Lucy … Read more
