In a marathon meeting that started with a 3 p.m. work session and wound through several public hearings that didn’t wrap up till about 11:30 p.m., Asheville City Council members voted 5-2 to table annexation decisions for the next 12 months. That puts the Royal Pines annexation on hold. For more meeting highlights, read on…
Photo by Jonathan Welch
Local filmmaker Paul Schattel has a big project up his sleeve: Thinking man's horror/suspense picture, The Mourning Portrait, set in Appalachia and staring Wentworth Miller, Dermot Mulroney, Melissa Leo and Diane Ladd. But, while that movie waits for backing to come through, Schattel decided to embark on a micro-budget undertaking just to, as he says, … Read more
On Coal River, the new documentary by Asheville-based filmmakers Francine Cavanaugh and Adams Wood, shows that North Carolina is the largest consumer of coal in the United States. The film shows how the mining industry has negatively affected residents in the Appalachian region. But Cavanaugh and Woods are optimistic over the possibilities of change in … Read more
“Basically,” says Andy Herod, “I write songs. I don’t necessarily write records.” He’s referring the release of Cullowhee Songs, the first in a series of EPs from the Electric Owls. After striking a deal with his label to take over physical merchandise (they will continue to handle digital distribution and promotion) in exchange for the … Read more
For long-time Asheville music fans, watching the Mad Tea Party develop its sound has been a consistently fascinating delight. On the occasion of their second Halloween 7”/download, Rock ‘N Roll Ghoul, I sat down and geeked out with Ami Worthen and Jason Krekel on a variety of topics, including the liberating aspects of writing about … Read more
"Kim has a constant smile on her face during shows because she loves beating the shit out of the drums," says the bio of indie-dance duo Matt & Kim. But really, both percussionist/vocalist Kim Schifino and keyboardist/vocalist Matt Johnson smile all the time. Look at the Flickr photos: They're smiling while signing a record deal, … Read more
The Suspect: Grace Potter & the Nocturnals Released earlier this summer, Grace Potter & the Nocturnals is actually the fourth studio album for the band. This self-titled release represents the first real push for commercial and international success; previously the band had been earning its reputation by heavy touring and appearing at lots of festivals … Read more
HardLox Jewish Food & Heritage Festival More than just a cleverly named festival, HardLox — now in its eighth year — is an opportunity to celebrate Jewish heritage, learn more about the traditions and sample tasty kosher snacks (potato knish, maztso ball soup, noodle kugel and babkas are on the list). There's also Israeli dancing, … Read more
[Editor’s note: Mountain Xpress doesn’t generally accept commentaries endorsing individual candidates. But given the authors’ status and the unusual fact that six of them (none of whom is currently up for re-election) saw fit to join forces this way, we opted to provide a forum for expressing their views in more in-depth fashion than is … Read more
