North Carolina’s state legislators did a pretty good job for their lower-income citizens in 2007, according to analysts at a legislative briefing sponsored by United Way of Asheville-Buncombe County on Nov. 21 at A-B Tech’s Enka campus. Finding ways to “create strong communities for working families” was the framework for the analysis, explained North Carolina … Read more
The latest offering from the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce, Asheville: A Photographic Portrait, is a hefty slab of a book that’s here just in time for the holidays. With more than 250 pages of color photographs on glossy paper, the volume shares slices of life ranging from area artists and businesses to natural wonders … Read more
Local entrepreneur Avi Sommerville and her Woodfin-based company are intent on someday achieving global domination. “I believe in the cake”: Avi Sommerville (seated, in center) found a recipe for success with the World’s Best Carrot Cake, based on her mother-in-law’s family recipe. Photo By Jonathan Welch Her weapon of choice? Cake. But not just any … Read more
Daniel Meyer became music director of the Asheville Symphony two years ago at age 33, a time of life when many young men are still living with their parents and playing too much Guitar Hero. Daniel Meyer But then Meyer has always been precocious. He grew up near Cleveland, learning to play the piano at … Read more
Ozzy Osbourne used to kill puppies before his concerts. Alice Cooper passed around a goblet for audience members to spit into, and then drank from the overflowing cup. Marilyn Manson routinely shot dwarves in the head while reading verses from noted Satanist Anton LaVey’s books. These are some of the legends that surround these notorious … Read more
Something happened in the ‘70s with kids’ entertainment. Namely: Free to Be … You and Me, the star-powered sing-along record and TV special that clued children in to daring truths—it’s OK to cry, the princess doesn’t have to marry the prince if she doesn’t want to, and boys can play with dolls. Most of Generation … Read more
World music in the 1960s and ‘70s basically revolved around anti-establishment heads and academic mavericks producing LPs full of raw and rare field recordings for Smithsonian Folkways, Ocora, Nonesuch Explorer and a handful of other pioneering labels dedicated to sonic and cultural exploration of long-isolated lands. Party like a Bedouin: A still from the Sublime … Read more
Question: How many drummers does it take to screw in a light bulb? Answer: None, they’ve got a machine to do it now. And the beat goes on: Drummer Martin Atkins has worked with the likes of Ministry, Killing Joke and Public Image Ltd., but these days, he’s mostly interested in helping bands make the … Read more
The impulse toward mark-making is ancient and ever present. Give a kid a crayon and watch the walls in his or her room blossom with lines. The Asheville Art Museum’s current exhibit, Lines of Discovery: American Drawings, takes a chronological look at drawing in America. Isabel Bishop’s “The Ashcan.” The Oxford American Dictionary defines drawing … Read more
Black Mountain resident Harry Hamil was alarmed. According to new flood maps released by the N.C. Department of Crime Control and Public Safety in October, a 100-year flood would place much of his property at 151 Ridgeway Ave. underwater. River rising: New flood maps suggest that Ingles’ Swannanoa distribution center is at greater risk of … Read more
