Hot enough for you? Once again, the year now ending is projected to be one of the 10 warmest on record, according to preliminary data from the Asheville-based National Climatic Data Center. The 10 warmest years globally have all occurred within the last decade, the report notes (the full 2007 climate report is due Jan. … Read more
Sad but true: It’s easy to become blasé about the bounty of live music happening pretty much on any given night around Western North Carolina (and on any given street corner, for that matter). In fact, with singer/songwriters playing corners of crowded restaurants (like Americana with your pad thai?), indie groups banding together for fundraisers, … Read more
“My mama always said that I was a little bit cheeky,” explains British vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Mark Casson. Mama said it, so the admonishment became the tongue-in-cheek name of the band Casson fronts with his wife, Shannon Hines Casson. Cheeky monkeys: The Cheeksters bring plenty of energy and fun to their music. The Cassons, who … Read more
For The Avett Brothers, 2007 was a very good year. “[2007] was our biggest year,” says Seth Avett, who, along with his brother Scott and bassist Bob Crawford, comprise the Concord, N.C., trio. “It’s something that we are very proud of, for sure.” The group’s success has been fueled by a seemingly never-ending touring cycle … Read more
Red wool cap with small brim, $21. Exotic boutique A Faraway Place (16 Battery Park Ave., Asheville, 252-1891) has been a gift-shop staple for more then a decade, but it’s hardly stuck in time. From the shop’s earliest incarnation selling sacred items (Tibetan dorjes, Buddhist statuary) and a then-rare collection of Putumayo world-music CDs, A … Read more
“Billy, to me, is one of the coolest people I’ve ever met,” says singer/songwriter Richie Tipton—who just so happens to be discussing his own alter ego, Billy the Six. Billy is the front man of the just-formed rock band that shares its creator’s moniker. He’s also (by Tipton’s account), “anti-war, articulate, a spokesperson who can … Read more
As host of local talk shows Conversations, Evening Rounds and Byline, David Hurand is perhaps the most recognizable voice of public-radio station WCQS-FM. Every week, the station’s news director takes on phone calls and in-studio guests (including Xpress reporters). David Hurand After hanging around public-radio stations in San Francisco, Hurand got his first job at … Read more
With his first full-blown Asheville City Council meeting just a couple of weeks away, Bill Russell has a lot on his plate as he begins his four-year term—and his first foray into representative politics. As someone who ran to bring more political balance to Council, rather than address any specific hot-button issues, Russell admits that … Read more
The Biz loves puns. Not so much because we like to think we’re clever, but because even bad puns tend to draw in finicky readers and keep them reading a bit longer. And after sex shops and fat farms, what business could possibly inspire more puns than a head shop? Unfortunately for The Biz, Wonderland … Read more
Who knows when a country drive or backwoods day hike might suddenly turn into a multi-day ordeal? It’s one of those scenarios that most of us never really think about before heading out into the woods. But if you walk on the wild side often enough, sooner or later you’re bound to get lost. And … Read more
