“The bands that really do something worthwhile,” says singer, songwriter and sometime actor John Doe, “are the ones that take music to a different level or sideways and create some kind of hybrid.” He should know. As co-front man of legendary Los Angeles band X, Doe helped forge a new alliance between punk and country/rockabilly … Read more
For most of us, the finer points of litigation only grow interesting in human form. Or so says Australian author John Bailey, who recently told Xpress by e-mail, “If the injustice of the law is brought home to an individual case, then it becomes interesting and vital. “I saw myself as writing not so much … Read more
Georgi 2005, by Ben Betsalel The oversized heads on the walls at Ananda take over even that vast space. Rising Asheville artist Benjamin Betsalel, known for his murals, titles his exhibit Dynamic Lines Within Us. Just so: The works are spontaneous, alive with energy — the paint is swathed onto the paper with a fearless, … Read more
Flavor: World-influenced, with a focus on regional, seasonal ingredientsAmbiance: Lovely and intimateService: Generally professional and well-informed “One of the joys of life is that special marriage between food and wine,” proclaims the Web site of the Market Place, the Asheville fixture that chef Mark Rosenstein has operated since 1979 – and I couldn’t agree more. … Read more
Let’s do lunch: The Greenery Restaurant at 148 Tunnel Road, which specializes in “casual fine-dining,” will host three-course luncheons on three upcoming Wednesdays: March 30, April 13 and April 27. The luncheons run from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. and cost $13.50. The restaurant will also host a special Easter Sunday lunch on March 27 beginning at … Read more
Got it made: Asheville is home to increasingly well-known designers, including Kelledy Francis (work shown above). Wearing something handmade to school used to mean social suicide. And while teens may still be label-obsessed, in the past 20 years, the idea of DIY has gone from the unhip ministrations of unicorn-themed latch-hook to the tasty trimmings … Read more
Richard Tomaskovic doesn’t seem like the kind of guy who’d bother with a support group. At 71, the former technical writer and engineer is a witty and engaging talker who seems more active than a lot of people half his age. The man positively radiates a sense of purpose and competence. Yet every week for … Read more
photo by Megan Shepherd Lopped limbs: The topped tree on the left will never regain normal growth–instead it will send out a tuft of weak, spindly limbs, prone to storm damage and disease. For almost half the year, our deciduous trees stand leafless, revealing either graceful silhouettes or a bunch of ugly brown-and-gray branches, depending … Read more
Mere months before the many-headed Hydra that is the Regional Water Agreement is scheduled to expire, the central questions remain: Will Asheville and Buncombe County negotiate a settlement tying up all the loose ends? Will their lawyers wind up duking it out in court? Or will the General Assembly, like some legislative deus ex machina, … Read more
