⢠Mary Charles Griffin’s paintings in the Focus Gallery at Blue Spiral 1 are outstanding: fresh and non-formulaic. Her series, called “Edge of the Woods,” deals with seasonal changes in nature, and every work in it is lyrical and alive. ⢠The Fringe Festival is looking better every day. Check the Web site for a … Read more
Theater On The Move It’s hard enough to be an edgy, professional dance troupe in a town like Asheville — where seemingly countless arts groups drink from the same smallish well of funding — but try doing it when you don’t even have a home. Yet, for four years, Terpsicorps has been putting on highly … Read more
I’ve never cut a tree to improve a view. I wonder at the hubris of those who believe a view can be improved by the absence of a tree. I wonder, too, about the one-sided thinking of those who would clear a view so they could look out on distant ridges unimpeded. These are the … Read more
Headlines speak louder than words by Bill Fishburne Mountain Xpress columnist Jerry Sternberg has taken The Asheville Tribune and myself to task for jumping all over City Council regarding the Army Reserve rent increase (see “The Gospel According to Jerry: Patriots Come in All Stripes,” Dec. 20, 2006 Xpress). The opportunity to reply is too … Read more
Control your own energy I attended the county commissioners’ [Jan. 16] “public hearing” — or what was set up to look like one — concerning leasing over 70 acres at the old landfill site in Woodfin to Progress Energy to build a peak-use oil-burning power plant. This land is owned by the public. Why [should] … Read more
The flames have gone out at Wild Fire, the much-heralded Waynesville institution that wooed locals and tourists alike with its spicy Pad Thai and incomparable chocolate cake. The restauarnt served its last meal at its Main Street location earlier this month: According to a restaurant staffer, the owner plans to set up shop in a … Read more
Conducting themselves accordingly: The Cleveland Orchestra ranks among the top-10 orchestras on the planet. She’s not referring to a visit from Itzhak Perlman or Yo-Yo Ma when she calls Asheville Bravo! Concerts’ next show “a huge thing.” Bravo! Executive Director Jan Milin is talking about the Cleveland Orchestra. If you didn’t know better, you might … Read more
Power plant lease approved Worth a thousand words: Julie Brandt used Progress Energy’s illustration to raise questions about Woodfin’s future viewshed. photos by Jonathan Welch An overflow crowd spilled out of the chamber at the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners’ Jan. 16 meeting. Almost all were there to oppose leasing county-owned land to Progress Energy … Read more
Flavor: Just like Nonna used to make Ambiance: Hamishe with a flair I’m willing to wager Sorrento d’Italia’s regular customers won’t read this review. Not because they aren’t Xpress readers — although the diners I saw certainly didn’t fit the stereotype of alternative news junkies — but because they’re already convinced Sorrento’s serves the best … Read more
The greening of striking red-hot iron photo by Jonathan Welch Ever heard the phrase “too many irons in the fire”? William Rogers, who has been a metal smith for 30 years, says it’s derived from the craft of blacksmithing: Stacking too many iron rods in the forge at one time could cause a smith to … Read more
