The Suspect: Space Capone Frontman Aaron Winters has been praised by many incredible comparisons: his falsetto to Barry Gibb’s, his full-on singing voice to Michael McDonald. His band was called, “Kool and the Gang meets Rob Halford,” and, according to Wacbiz magazine, he’s bringing ‘70s soul back to his hometown of Nashville, Tenn. Sound too … Read more
Melissa Godfrey (not her real name) was a cool girl. Despite being a cheerleader and one of the best-looking girls at Northside Junior High, she was always nice to a dorky kid like me. Melissa would try to make conversation, but I had a problem: I knew that underneath her clothes, she was completely naked. … Read more
Yo Mama's Big Fat Booty Band Pervasive party act (because wherever they are, it's a party) the Booty Band takes a break from its tireless regional tour schedule to play on home turf: At the Orange Peel (which points out, "When the Booty Band hits the stage, everybody dances!") on Saturday, Nov. 20. 9 p.m., … Read more
What if you took the concept of "living green" literally? In Asheville, you'd certainly have plenty of options that could help make the case against Kermit the Frog's plaintive lament, "It's not easy being green." This area is thick with places that incorporate the term into their identities, from grocery stores and cafés to gas … Read more
Plastic beverage containers — usually made of polyethylene terephthalate, an inexpensive, shatter-resistant and recyclable resin — are ubiquitous. And these days, evolving green initiatives, new laws and changing consumer attitudes are feeding an expanding loop that converts our trash into products you can drink from, wear or even walk on. Last year’s statewide ban on … Read more
Across Buncombe County, schools are installing solar panels, building sustainable playgrounds and upgrading bathrooms. Here’s a rundown of current projects to conserve energy and reduce costs. Grants from Progress Energy and the State Energy Office enabled the Asheville City Schools to commission an energy audit. The study was completed a year ago, and the schools … Read more
“Sustainability” has cropped up frequently in city policy statements in recent years, often accompanied by pleas for denser, more affordable housing to promote a style of living that proponents maintain is more energy-efficient and compatible with mass transit. But Montford resident Bernard Carman says he’s not impressed. He's owned a historic home on Cumberland Avenue, … Read more
In the interest of full disclosure, Mountain Xpress figured it was only fair to take a stab at calculating the environmental impact of producing a single issue of the paper’s print edition. Despite such measures as using soy-based ink and recycled paper, we reached the sobering conclusion that Xpress is responsible for a staggering 2.17 … Read more
Small is beautiful — and green. And Barry Bialik’s “compact cottages” lend visceral meaning to the concept of shrinking your carbon footrpint. “Everyone’s fascinated by tiny houses,” says the south Asheville resident. And if some “green building” amounts to a mere marketing strategy, Bialik notes, he provides a pedigree. “We can build to NC HealthyBuilt-certified … Read more
