Bands like Whitewater Bluegrass Co. are in woefully short supply. Here’s a veteran crew of WNC-mountain natives, playing in a seriously top-notch bluegrass outfit now in its 21st year of operation — but with little or no mainstream success to speak of. There are no big-label record contracts looming in their future. There are no … Read more
“Hip-hop has been my life,” revealed rapper Rachel Paulick, also known as MC Reality, during a recent interview. “I was five when I first put a boombox on my shoulder.” Of her moniker, she reveals, “MC and DJ names take on your persona. You have to earn your name. They call me Reality because I’m … Read more
The 76-year-old Walker Service Station sits just a block off of Main Street in Waynesville. Its windows are lined with old iron tools — and, less predictably, metallic fir trees and steel star ornaments. A mix of the functional and the visionary is at work here, and Grace Cathey’s metal sculptures balance and complement the … Read more
Views The Warren Haynes Christmas Jam, Asheville Civic Center; Saturday, Dec. 18. The super-sized wooly mammoth that was last month’s Christmas Jam tested the Class of 2004’s rock mettle more than most attendees probably bargained for. This year’s rendition clocked in at about 9 hours: a new Jam record, as far as I know. And … Read more
A revolution in the music business may be brewing right here in the quiet neighborhood of Montford. At least that’s what the creators of JukeboxAlive — a new Asheville-based multimedia network service on the Web — have in mind. Of course, a shake-up of sorts has been under way ever since the Internet burst on … Read more
Asheville gears up for disaster relief The devastation wrought by the recent earthquake and tsunamis in southern Asia is epic, and local relief agencies are scrambling to respond — both to the disasters themselves and to the outpouring of support by area residents. The Asheville-Mountain Area Chapter of the American Red Cross is accepting inquiries … Read more
Let’s talk some more I enjoyed your handy guide to alternative radio news programming [“Tuning in to Talk,” Dec. 22], but wanted to alert your readers that the list was incomplete. Most notably absent was the formidable reception of pirate low-power FM station 107.5, Free Radio Asheville, providing alternative talk-news programming locally now for almost … Read more
It’s all too easy to criticize whatever governments do, whether local or otherwise. Conversely, worthwhile projects and ideas that come from government are often buried in the little-read sections of the local newspaper. But sometimes, when the local, state and federal governments get together on a good idea, even the best of intentions end up … Read more
The mistletoe is wilted, the cookies are crumbled, and the tinsel is gradually getting ground into the carpet. The big ball has dropped, the eggnog’s all gone (along with, hopefully, the hangovers), and all those noble resolutions you made in the first flush of Jan. 1 are already beginning to look more intimidating than inspiring. … Read more
