Many in the political landscape are like tumbleweeds, blown by the prevailing winds of current opinion. I want to endorse a candidate for Buncombe County school board who is solid as an oak — Max Queen. He is rooted in conservative convictions. His roots are in these mountains. He grew up here, went to school … Read more
Early this year, following a 15-year hiatus, Raleigh-based roots rockers 6 String Drag got back together. The band originally formed in 1993 and was signed by Steve Earle’s E-Squared Records. The band toured with the likes of The Jayhawks, Whiskeytown, Buddy and Julie Miller and Son Volt before the musicians turned their focus to careers … Read more
With a resume that reads like a Food Network roundup of the best Southern-inspired restaurants, chef Scott Ostrander will feel right at home as the newly ordained executive chef in the Grand Bohemian Hotel’s restaurant, Red Stag Grill. “With chef Ostrander at the helm,” says Grand Bohemian’s general manager John Luckett, “guests of the restaurant … Read more
The New Pornographers’ Together was one of 2010’s standout albums, but compared with Vampire Weekend’s Contra, Sufjan Stevens’ The Age of Adz and Broken Bells’ self-titled debut — all of which successfully incorporated electronic elements into their creators’ indie sounds — its string-aided rock was a bit of an outlier. Four years later, arpeggiators and … Read more
In the six short months that Terry Van Duyn has served in the North Carolina Senate, she has clearly demonstrated her focus and priorities. She supports the following: strengthening the educational system, protecting the environment, bolstering the economy, increasing accessibility to health care and housing for the most vulnerable populations and holding the Legislature accountable for … Read more
Michele D’Aprix fell in love with winemaking in the late ’90s. Now, armed with a University of California-Davis degree in enology and viticulture, years of hands-on winery experience and an attitude that mixes equal parts charisma and quick wit, D’Aprix makes the perfect American ambassador to France. D’Aprix, currently the only female American winemaker in … Read more
Asheville made Huffington Posts’s list of the “13 Greatest Destination Food Towns in America.” “Asheville is having a major ‘moment,’ most notably for its handfuls of breweries and a used book exchange that pairs wine with literature,” reports the popular national online outlet. “Everything is innovative here — you’ll find snacks like house-made potato chips … Read more
With song titles like “High Mountain Pass” and “Land of the Sky,” you might think that American Hollow, the latest effort from local four-piece Bask is a bluegrass offering. You would be wrong. From the opening guitar riffs of “High Mountain Pass,” the album asserts itself with coiling intensity and crushing percussion. On its Bandcamp … Read more
