North Carolina job growth would be hurt if the Legislature passes House Bill 298. This bill would dismantle the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Portfolio Standard established by a bipartisan legislature in 2007. The reason for the REPS was to offer a way for utilities to diversify fuel choices by having a small percentage of … Read more
“April is the cruelest month for poetry,” Charles Berstein wrote in his essay/polemic, “Against National Poetry Month As Such.” “National Poetry Month is about making poetry safe for readers by promoting examples of the art form at its most bland and its most morally ‘positive.’” Asheville Wordfest, started in 2007 by Laura Hope-Gill, was not … Read more
The past year has been a busy one for Michael Trent and Cary Ann Hearst. The husband-and-wife duo released O' Be Joyful to great reception from an eager fanbase. Relentless touring has helped propel their single, "Birmingham." Appearing on The Late Show With David Letterman and opening for Dave Matthews Band, Jack White and Dawes … Read more
Spring is blooming, and that means event season is kicking off. Here’s a quick rundown of some of the smaller-town art events that offer further incentive to explore the region’s art communities. Black Mountain and parts East: Blue to Black Art Weekend May 2-5 (also Oct. 11-13) Thursday night opens a weekend combining a walking … Read more
"Though Leon Redbone's iconic guise of white fedora, jacket and sunglasses has been thoroughly satirized (anybody remember the “Leon Redbone workout” Far Side cartoon?), it’s easy to overlook what a genuinely gifted artist he remains — a role he inevitably tries to downplay," says press for Redbone's Saturday, May performance at The Altamont Theatre. The … Read more
L.A.A.F.F. — Love Asheville Arts and Fun Festival. Though the event will stay on the eclectic thoroughfare that gave LAAFF its original name, “Lexington Avenue” has been officially dropped from the festival’s title. Once a fundraiser for the nonprofit Arts2People and its programs, the festival lost enough money last fall to put its future in … Read more
It seems like blues-rock mega-outfit Tedeschi-Trucks Band, 11 members strong, must have played in Asheville before. And, in a way they have. Husband and wife duo Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi have, between them, made appearances at Bele Chere, Christmas Jam and various venues (dating back to when Trucks was a teen). But they've never … Read more
One reviewer described Rhode Island-based Brown Bird as "‘30s-era Ellington flirting with Cuban and Middle Eastern tropes in a proverbially dusty middle-America barn." The duo is David Lamb and MorganEve Swain, and their newly-released album, Fits of Reason is a continuation of the band's quest for innovation paired with literary savvy and esoteric musings. Brown … Read more
Friday, May 3 is a big night for Asheville’s progressive arts scene. Satellite Gallery (55 Broadway St.) hosts the opening of Apopalypse, featuring new work from Peter Parpan, Alli Good, Andy Herod, Joti Marra Ramsey and Nick Turkette, “five artists working in a similar pop culture influenced style,” for a show that “attempts to speak … Read more
