Yes, it seems pretty quiet right now, and only four movies open this week — including a couple of pretty terrific ones — but do not be deceived. By Christmas Day (that’s Dec. 25 by most calendars) movie theaters will look very little like they do now as concerns what is on the screens. We … Read more
“Our Hempeh Kickstarter was successfully funded, and we thank you all from the bottom of our hearts,” reads a December newsletter from Smiling Hara Tempeh. Some 278 backers raised $25,035 for the local tempeh company, surpassing the original $20,000 target. Backer rewards ship in January, and the Hempeh product is scheduled to line grocery store … Read more
Asheville chef William Dissen, owner and executive chef at The Market Place, championed states’ rights to enforce genetically modified organism (GMO) food labeling during an activist trip to Capitol Hill earlier this December. Dissen and about two dozen other renowned chefs spoke against the DARK Act (or “Denying Americans the Right to Know”), a proposed bill … Read more
Though it’s in many ways an informal affair, the Warren Haynes Christmas Jam has been growing in a deliberate fashion. Thanks both to concertgoer demand and the long line of musicians wishing to be involved in this fundraiser event, the festival — now in its 26th year — expanded to two nights a few years … Read more
When eight years passes between a musician’s albums, it’s natural to wonder what he’s been up to during that time. For Asheville songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Chris Rosser, however, it’s almost easier to diagram what he hasn’t been doing. On top of steady solo gigs and collaborations, Rosser has stayed busy with percussionist River Guerguerian and … Read more
Asheville native Amalia Rowan doesn’t know the first thing about dog sledding, but if her crowdsourcing plan works, she’ll be flown overseas to participate in a guided 300-kilometer expedition through Norway and Sweden next April. “I have to try new things, test myself, get dirt (or snow) under my fingernails,” reads her event application profile. Rowan’s … Read more
My twin sister gets cranky every time she visits Asheville. She is from the big hot city of Atlanta. When I say “hot,” I do not mean in the sophisticated cool sense; I mean in the literal sense. The blistering nonsensical heat is one of the things that pushed me out of the neighborhood we … Read more
