“Vineyard work is farming, plain and simple, and weather is always a consideration in agriculture,” says Jeff Frisbee. Frisbee and his family own Addison Farms Vineyard, an Appalachian Grown farm in Leicester. And since Western North Carolina (and much of the rest of the nation) experienced a mild winter this year, all of Addison’s varieties … Read more
Local foodie, bartender and man-about-town Jonathan Ammons is also a musician (in case you didn't know), formerly heading up Americana act Electric Ghost. After taking some time off from performing, he went into the studio to record his solo EP, Swinging for the Fences. An early listen reveals steel guitar, an easy two-step, hints of … Read more
Brooklyn trio Bear in Heaven may be filed under psychedelic, electronic and even krautrock, but the sound, as much as it's parts of all of these, is also something altogether different. The band is fronted by Jon Philpot; its offerings are moody, dreamy, brooding, booming, mechanical, other worldly and at turns dark and expansive. Bear … Read more
Really, the press release says it all: "You're walking down a dark alley, then suddenly, you're hit from behind. Wham, bam, puppet slam! Your funny bone is broken by a furry little creature with a large shadow. Don't worry, though, soon you're left sobbing from a poignant piece constructed entirely from foam and pantyhose." Asheville's … Read more
As part of YWCA of Asheville's Stand Against Racism campaign, local performing arts collective Different Strokes is staging A Lesson Before Dying (in Black and White), the theatrical adaptation of Ernest J. Gaines' 1993 novel. The story is told from the perspective of an educated black man living in the racially-charged American south in the … Read more
Along with the prospect of a new case of the brews, the Asheville site proposed for New Belgium Brewing Co.’s new East Coast facility would get cleaned up: Part of the Craven Street property qualifies for North Carolina’s brownfields program, a federal and state initiative that streamlines the redevelopment of property that may be contaminated. … Read more
I am a resident of North Carolina’s 10th District and will be a new Medicare recipient in May of 2012. That makes me very supportive of the Medicare guarantee. Without it, I’m not sure that I’d be able to afford health care. I am not a wealthy individual; therefore, I need all the help I … Read more
What interesting times we live in. Extremists are focusing on women, as they always do, both here and abroad. The right wing wants to control decisions women make about their health and their bodies. Even here at home, even in the 21st century, we still have to stand up for women’s rights. Patsy Keever and … Read more
As we approach the May 8 North Carolina primary, I strongly encourage people to vote against Amendment One. While people are free to their own thinking about gay/lesbian relationships, they should not be free to impose this thinking on others, especially when what is at stake has much broader implications than gay marriage. While proponents … Read more
I am concerned that many people do not understand the consequences of Amendment One. The way it is written, many heterosexual people, as well as gay and lesbian people, will probably lose benefits and rights if it is passed — those who have domestic partnerships (gay, lesbian, heterosexual), children, those abused and not legally married, … Read more
