“I was born and raised in a small town and grew up in church,” says vocalist Paul Janeway. “I feel bad, because it’s kind of a cliché now.” Then again, he’s in good company: Fellow Alabama natives Wilson Pickett, Martha Reeves and Percy Sledge also got their start in choirs. And taking a cue from … Read more
Neighbors may share greetings and laughs, and they may share stories. More concretely, they may even share a sidewalk, shrubbery or a fence. However, neighbors don’t often share ownership of a community restaurant. But those are not the neighbors of High Vista, a golf-course community on the border of Buncombe and Haywood counties. From pub … Read more
The Grow Down Kitchen is located in an unassuming building nestled on a side street in Black Mountain, directly across from the post office. As I navigate the street-side parallel parking, I am greeted by a gang of six or seven enthusiastic young men. Friendly introductions are made as we enter the commercial kitchen these … Read more
"Today I go back and forth between painting and writing, on two different floors of my house in Brooklyn," Basil King says on his website. "One feeds the other and in both I bring disparate things together." An immigrant to the U.S. from England, he discovered Black Mountain College at age 16. He went on … Read more
Trucker-turned-comedian Julie Scoggins describes her comedy as observational — a day-to-day take on things. And, while she admits her husband is often the brunt of her jokes (“I can tell by how much he rolls his eyes whether it’s a keeper or not”), on a five-hour drive from her hometown of Charlotte to a performance … Read more
This note is in reference to Michael Ivey’s letter “Carbon Dioxide Does Not Cause Global Warming” [Dec. 25 Xpress]. Mr. Ivey states, “Even the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change admits that there has been no warming over the last 16 years.” Please see the excerpt below, from the report “Climate Change 2013: The physical science … Read more
Come one, come all — Asheville Vaudeville kicks off the second half of its 2013-14 season with two shows at the Toy Boat Community Art Space. Watch as circus artists, jugglers, musicians, storytellers, puppeteers, burlesque dancers and more awe-inspiring (or at least laughter-inducing) acts carry on the historic vaudeville tradition while displaying some of Asheville's … Read more
In the second verse of “Farewell Transmission,” one of the late Jason Molina’s finest compositions for his band Songs: Ohia, his voice starts to shake. “After tonight, if you don’t want this to be,” he sings, trembling on the word “be,” as if it’s all he can do to shape these words, to hear his … Read more
