Ex-Western Carolina University art-department head Robert Godfrey has always defended the place of women artists in the establishment. He began 15 years ago to collect paintings for a women’s-studies collection — works by largely ignored, or at least undervalued, artists. Along with the current efforts of Martin DeWitt, the first director of WCU’s new Fine … Read more
“You don’t know what Waffle House is?!?!,” asks an incredulous Wammo, leader and co-lead vocalist of the calamitous all-acoustic Austin ensemble the Asylum Street Spankers. “It’s basically the IHOP of the South,” he explains. “We have one song that has a joke about Waffle House, and sometimes that joke doesn’t fly in the North. That’s … Read more
Even though coffee-table books were around long before Cosmo Kramer introduced his compendium (a coffee-table book about coffee tables) on Seinfeld, it was Kramer’s venture into the world of oversized gift volumes that pointed out the eccentricity — and occasional lunacy — of these special-interest treatises. So even though current fashion dictates the leatherette ottoman … Read more
At an age when most surviving pop groups grind out a living with warmed over retreads of greatest hits, the Bobs still shine, breaking new ground each time they tunnel out of the sanitorium. Twenty-four years together qualifies as geriatric in the music biz and it’s clear that the group never kept all its marbles … Read more
Skeletons in the jukebox “Skeletons” provides a forum for local musicians, artists, record-store owners, etc., to erase cool points by expressing their unseemly affection for an unhip album from their past. Sandy Nelson, by David Holt “As a young 14-year-old drummer in 1960, I loved the records of Sandy Nelson. He got right to the … Read more
Flavor: Fresh-focused Thai Ambiance: Somewhat sparse, but comfortable enough Service: Decent to good My first foray to Thai Basil, a restaurant in the Grove Arcade promising “fine Thai food cooked in a natural, healthy way,” was shortly after it opened about a year ago. I enjoyed the food, the obvious reverence for fresh ingredients, and … Read more
Smart chicken: MBA Brand Smart Chicken is teaming up with Earth Fare to help those in need. What is Smart Chicken? It’s all-natural chicken raised without the use of growth hormones or antibiotics. Here’s the kicker: Now through Jan. 1, each time Earth Fare sells 10 pounds of Smart Chicken, MBA will donate one pound … Read more
Winter-beater • Who she is: Meg Gordon • What she’s wearing: A vintage faux-fur trimmed coat purchased, years ago, at Time Warp in Atlanta. • Why we love it: One of the best things about vintage wear is that it never goes out of style — unlike the season’s latest coat designs which, though likely … Read more
With the Buncombe County commissioners’ recent appointment of a local oil-company executive to the board of the Western North Carolina Regional Air Quality Agency, candidates promoted by the Council of Independent Business Owners now hold all three county-appointed seats — a voting majority — on the five-member board. The highly visible and often controversial agency … Read more
