The Pure Heart Ensemble is the quintet of local visionary composers and musicians Richard Shulman, Adriana Contino, Kate Steinbeck, Dielle Ciesco and Bob Hinkle. The group has just released Bliss of Being, "a deeply relaxing and expansive music to dive into for your natural inner alignment," according to press. It's a collaborative work of piano, … Read more
“I feel like I have a rock ‘n’ roll heart, but it comes out as country,” says Salley Williamson, bassist of local Americana trio Underhill Rose. Songs on the band’s new album, Something Real, are true to the group’s roots music foundation, while also subtly drawing on each of the three musicians’ backgrounds. Vocalist and … Read more
Thank you, Asheville Downtown Association, for 25 years of harassment dancing at Downtown After 5. Back then you wanted only pretty young women in front of the bands dancing. Now you call me a security risk dancing on the pavement on the side: the law-enforcement guys I work with will find that humorous. The band’s … Read more
Nonprofit arts organization Opera Creations holds the next performances in its Dueling Soprano series on Friday, May 31 and Saturday, June 1. "The show is a comedy with singing that involves two sopranos (Karen Svites and Simone Vigilante) wanting to land a role in a fictional opera company run by an eccentric impresario (Timothy Wilds) … Read more
These days, “punk rock” encompasses a lot. Lending a snarling edge and dense distortion to lithe orchestrations that take cues from classic rock titans like The Who and U2, Toronto’s F—-ed Up has been one of the most visible bands to twist punk in ways that have pissed off more than a few genre devotees … Read more
Maybe you don’t want to miss a single Asheville Beer Week happening. Maybe you want to plan a strategic approach to the dozens of events that culminate in Beer City Festival on Saturday, June 1. Maybe you simply enjoy the enticing smell of local print media. Whatever your reasons, be sure to pick up the … Read more
When in doubt, throw an egg on it — that's the tack Another Broken Egg Café seems to take, judging by the menus of its two dozen (or so) locations throughout the Southeast. The brunch chain will open a café in Asheville's Biltmore Park in early fall, according to spokesperson Heather Freeman. The address, 27 … Read more
"Ziggy played guitar / jamming good with Weird and Gilly / and the Spiders from Mars." We can't say for sure who, in this David Bowie tribute lineup, is Weird or Gilly or the Spiders from Mars, but we have it on good authority that Cheeksters frontman Mark Casson will be channeling Mr. Stardust himself. … Read more
Electronic/metal band Kings of Prussia got its start in Miami before relocating to Asheville in '06. According to the group’s bio, "The band’s show covers a wide range of territory, with beautiful melodic structures and movements intertwined with thrashing heavy explosiveness, an intricate visual display and lighting show and distinctly original artistic style." Kings of … Read more
