Patterson Hood rarely looks in his rear-view mirror. As the ever-unapologetic Drive-By Truckers retread after the departure of important member Jason Isbell, the band’s swaggering, whiskey-bent fountainhead displayed his forward-thinking disposition in a recent talk with Xpress. “It kind of got to the point where, in my opinion, [Jason] outgrew being one-fifth of this thing,” … Read more
Nikki Talley Claims Carolina Stardom Local singer/songwriter Nikki Talley recently won the Asheville-based, American Idol-knockoff show Carolina Star. Her win has already been announced on live TV, so this is somewhat old news. Then again, given how utterly lax the show’s promotional team has been, chances are they haven’t gotten around to doing much with … Read more
The 15 members of Joe Ahuna’s family dance troupe are likely to thrill the thousands of local spectators who will watch them bravely reenact a Samoan knife dance, which practitioners refer to by the cuddly nickname of “Dance of Death.” All-American boy: This young Hawaiian fire dancer apparently prefers flames to video games. But for … Read more
Unexpected accessories Hats, shoes, belts, bags: Everyone knows the drill. But sometimes it’s fun to step out of the usual accessory routine. • Tim poses with a retro suitcase that matches his tomato-colored T-shirt. “I just like red,” he says. • Found at the French Broad Antique Mall (794 Riverside Drive, Asheville, 225-0772): These unusual … Read more
When Frank Adams talks to prospective clients, he frequently starts by citing the Magna Carta. Commonly remembered for its codification of civil liberties, the historic document also guaranteed—at least on paper—workers’ rights to such things as their jobs, tenancies, equipment and work vehicles. Today, Adams goes so far as to claim that “our rights as … Read more
My husband I maintain a 4.9-mile piece of the Appalachian Trail from Rice Gap to Devils Fork Gap along the Tennessee border. We clip brush that’s obstructing the trail, pick up garbage, weed-whack the sides of the trail and refresh the white blazes. When we run into something we can’t handle, we go up a … Read more
At press time, Buncombe County was considered to be in a “severe drought”—just a notch below the “extreme drought” in the westernmost counties, according to state Department of Environment and Natural Resources nomenclature. photo by Jonathan Welch Color-coded charts aside, the real-world effects of drought are obvious. Plants are droopy. You have to drink more … Read more
Walking through gardens, you’ll often find a sculpture of St. Francis, a pious-looking man wearing a cloak. Still, I always dismissed St. Francis out of hand as the patron saint of gardening: Tradition, I figured, would demand that any saint accorded that honor would have to have been buried alive, mauled by a pair of … Read more
Flavor: Tastes like summer on a plate Ambiance: Laid-back (surprise!) I’m sure the owner of One Love Jamaican, the sunny eatery that set up shop in Hendersonville late last year, is trying to do right by his family by pressing pamphlets for his uncle’s resort hotel in Montego Bay on customers. But if the fellow … Read more
Not hot enough for you?: If you’re one of those folks who just can’t get enough of that sweet stuff your habaneros get behind, listen up. Hot peppers get hotter when they’re thirsty. Danise Coon, assistant director of the Chile Pepper Institute at New Mexico State University, recommends cutting the plants’ water intake in half … Read more
