Spring is landscape season. And while landscapes have sometimes been maligned as the province of the uninspired, the precariousness of our landscape makes it a serious topic for serious artists. Lee Morgan, “Wisteria House” I still mourn the fat, spotted pony on a grassy hillside near the spot where Highway 74A starts. His pasture was … Read more
If you were to jump to conclusions based on the artwork on Acid Mothers Temple albums Absolutely Freakout and New Geocentric World—garish prints inspired by ‘60s poster artists such as Rick Griffin and Bob Masse—you might write them off as yet another Jerry-worshipping jam band. The songs are, at least initially, improvised—and I was certainly … Read more
Colonel Chuck Ross will be at the Block House Steeplechase in Tryon this weekend, checking the course and setting up fences. But you won’t find him wearing some goofy decorated hat. A win-win situation: The Tryon Riding & Hunt Club’s mascot, Morris the Horse, isn’t sweating the thought of having to compete in this week’s … Read more
• An artist has a lot of work to do if he or she responds to an invitation to submit a proposal for a work of art. First comes the idea, then a letter of intent, and then a detailed explanation of the proposal and its relevance. One’s résumé must be updated, and slides or … Read more
Female Vocalist, Summer CD Release: Part Local folk singer Kellin Watson recently posted a MySpace blog about the recording of her new, still-untitled album at the über-fancy Echo Mountain Studio. Evidently, Watson remains the darling of the local folk-music scene. You see, although she’d like to work full time on the album, she keeps getting … Read more
Sitting cross-legged on a grimy concrete floor, Luap Devlin-Garnatt tinkers with the bicycle wheel in his lap. His small workspace is part of a former glass factory in one of the seedier sections of Asheville’s River District, sandwiched between the railroad and the French Broad. Surrounding Devlin-Garnatt are bins overflowing with reflectors, derailleurs, saddles and … Read more
Just passing through: The 12th annual Trailfest will seize downtown Hot Springs on April 27, 28 and 29. It’s a celebration timed to coincide with the brief window when northbound Appalachian Trail hikers are stoically marching through the Madison County town. If only they’d step off the trail for a moment, hikers would get to … Read more
There are so many local events scheduled to celebrate Earth Day this year, you might need a wilderness retreat to unwind by the time it’s all over. Here’s a roundup of what our local “green scene” has in store to honor everybody’s favorite blue-green spinning sphere. • Living the green life: A host of local … Read more
What you get when you mix 6,600 jam-band fans, 250 paper masks of City Council member Carl Mumpower, police K-9 units and two weeks of pre-show hype about drug use in the Asheville Civic Center? Apparently, you get good, clean fun. That was gist of Mumpower’s conclusion after he attended last Friday night’s Widespread Panic … Read more
Despite a Feb. 27 vote supporting a ban on gated communities, City Council narrowly approved a conditional-use permit at its April 10 meeting allowing a 132-unit gated condominium development in North Asheville. The permit was needed because the proposed design calls for clustering the homes, which would exceed the allowable density under current zoning. Presto … Read more
