Downtown Asheville Blog

Sept. 10, 2010  The great majority of artists spend their formative years, if not their entire careers, working to shake off the gravitational pull of their predecessors, and the many masters and masterpieces that came before them. Rare indeed is the artist who outgrows their early influences, and instead become one of the markers by which other groups are measured. Almost alone among bands of the last two decades, Tortoise is a group that resists easy metaphors and analogies, who can be described as sounding like only themselves and no one else. Twenty years after its founding, the band’s signature and singularly inimitable sound-a fluid intersection of dub, dance, jazz, techno, rock, and classical minimalism, with no part overwhelming or dominating the whole-remains an American and international original. Even more unusually, they seem to have arrived at their sound with almost no apprenticeship to speak of; to judge from their early singles and albums alone, they seem to have come into being with their musical identity and DNA fully formed, like Athena from the forehead of Zeus. Further, while the group has spawned countless imitators, heirs, and followers-sincere, flattering, and otherwise-Tortoise remains unique in the world of contemporary music for their boundless intellectual curiosity, their unmistakable compositional voice, and their synthesis of seemingly contradictory sound worlds far from their doorstep. Tortoise at the Peel

Sept. 11, 2010 Summer has come to an end along a peaceful southern Appalachian valley as we prepare to slip our Old Town canoes into the water. Standing along the riverbank you can feel a cool autumn breeze caressing your cheek as the river beckons you to come and discover its natural beauty. Gazing up, the sky is spotted with white puffy clouds camouflaging the crisp Carolina blue, a color so common in the fall. The rustle of fall leaves cheerfully swirls through the air and softly lands on the river before the gentle current carries them off. Nature is preparing to settle in for a long winters nap and offers a magnificent array of colors strewn across a larger-than-life canvas. Experience the fall leaf season from the rivers point of view! This 3 hour guided canoe trip by Headwaters Outfitters will take you down the valley with the explosion of fall color for your entertainment!

Sept. 12th, 2010 Dark Star Orchestra’s shows are built off the extensive catalog of the Grateful Dead. On any given night the band will perform a show based on a set list from the Grateful Dead’s 30 years of extensive touring or use the catalog of original songs and often played covers to create a unique set list for the show. This allows music fans both young and old to share in the experience. Dark Star Orchestra presents its critically acclaimed live show at esteemed venues from coast to coast and internationally. Grateful Dead classics are performed in the same way that an orchestra interprets music of classical composers. The composer spirit is derived and channeled as the players capture the excitement and innovation of the original performances and compositions. Touring nationwide for eleven years to the tune of over 1700 shows since forming, the band’s determined commitment to “raising the Dead” has drawn national media attention. The Orange Peel

July 29th, 2010 See more stars in more locations with the 2010 Biltmore Concert Series. Enjoy performances on the South Terrace with its breathtaking sunset views. And, new this year, take in live music at our Diana at Biltmore location—set on a high hill with sweeping views of Biltmore House framed by the Blue Ridge Mountains. Steve Miller Band

July 30th, 2010 Native sons of Tulsa, Oklahoma, Hanson has been making music together for nearly two decades. Thirteen years ago, their out-of-the-blue, soul-inspired brand of American pop-rock‘n’roll was introduced to the world. Unaffected by charts or fads, they’ve spent more than a decade building a community of fans connected to one another and fueled by the energy and craftsmanship of three brothers and their music. Their fifth studio album, Shout It Out, is set to be released on June 8th 2010 on their label 3CG Records. They deliver a powerful group of soulful, melodic tunes that will leave you with a contagious sense of optimism for the future and welcomed reminiscence for American rock ‘n’ roll. The Orange Peel

Aug. 1st, 2010

The Work of Julie Armbruster, Tiffany Ownbey and Patty Bilbro August 1st-31st, 2010; Opening Reception Friday August 6th 5pm to 7pm Three mediums, three perspectives, three unique approaches to narrative expression. Come meet the many characters inhabiting the minds of painter Julie Armbruster, papier-mâché sculpture Tiffany Ownbey and ceramic artist Patty Bilbro. “Imaginary Friends” will be on display at Clingman Avenue Café, 242 Clingman Avenue, during the month of August with an opening reception planned on Friday, August 6 from 5 to 7pm. Each artist uses narrative imagery to evoke curiosity, self-reflection, imagination and emotion challenging the viewer to place themselves in the midst of the story whether dark, humorous or absurd. Julie Armbruster has a Masters in painting from New York University. Armbruster has participated in solo and group exhibitions in galleries throughout the east coast and abroad including The School of Architecture in Venice Italy, 80 Washington Square Gallery in New York, and Rebus Works in Raleigh, North Carolina. She is currently a River Arts District Artist with a studio in the Wedge Building. Tiffany Ownbey is a self-taught papier-mâché artist and holds a BFA in ceramics and printmaking from Western Carolina University. Ownbey travels the country with her art exhibiting in galleries and art fairs such as The Houston Center for Contemporary Craft. She is a native to Western North Carolina and her work was recently shown in Yokohama, Japan. Patty Bilbro holds an Associate Degree in Clay from Haywood Community College Craft School as well as a BA in Psychology from the University of North Carolina, Asheville. Bilbro has exhibited throughout the southeast and east coast including The Society For Contemporary Craft in Pittsburgh, PA and The Greenhill Center for NC Art in Greensboro, NC. She is a River Arts District Artist whose work can be found locally at Curve Studios and Garden. Clingman Cafe

July 9th, 2010 Featuring BBQ ribs, chicken and pulled pork prepared by world class, award winning bbq rib vendors from around the country. A full line up of top name musical entertainment will perform each day. Enjoy the full carnival with adult and children’s rides and games as well as arts and crafts and commercial exhibits. Saturday has a Bike Show and Sunday has the Custom and Classic Car Show. Food & Fun for the whole family. The Carolina Ribfest is a featured event in Southern Living magazine’s “Big Book of Barbecue”.

July 9th, 2010  Dateline- Anytown,USA. Time-4:30 am. We find our heroes back at any random hotel in any random city -they all run together for a group of entertainers that average 200 shows and 60,000 miles a year on the road. Notquiteaxl [Chad Atkins] has disappeared -in true GNR fashion. Notquiteduff and Notquiteslash are nursing a bottle of Jager in preparation for the next day’s hangover. Notquiteizzy riffs out on the hotel room couch to Notquiteadler’s [Mike Ropelewski] drum patterns played on phonebooks and cityguides. Appetite For Destruction, the ultimate tribute to Guns N’ Roses, has lived this lifestyle since its inception in 2000. The current incarnation of the band (together since 2006) is still based around Chad Atkins’ amazing voice. AFD travels the country delivering the most authentic tribute to Guns N’ Roses, circa 1987-1993, most will ever see. Material is drawn from Appetite for Destruction through Use Your Illusion 1and 2, including Lies, and The Spaghetti Incident? with stage banter derived from a variety of live shows and videos. Appetite For Destruction plays all the favorites – Sweet Child o’ Mine, Paradise City, Patience and many, many more. In venues large and small, Appetite For Destruction has played to rave reviews for aural and visual authenticity. And they will continue until they have brought their rock and roll circus to every corner of the United States. Orange Peel

July 11th, 2010 Join us this summer for a Storytelling Retreat & Adventure – 7 days of practice and performance, day-trips and discovery. It is an in-depth storytelling and story-listening workshop, designed for all levels of expertise; from beginner to experienced teller. We will work on finding, developing, learning, and polishing stories in a supportive and encouraging atmosphere. Delving deeply into story, we will focus on integrating the voice with images, gestures and emotion. Also included are companion listening, Tai Chi, and individual feedback sessions; and all the while, paying attention to and nurturing our creativity. There will be free time to work on our stories, relax, or explore Asheville. During the week, we will journey to the Hicks home – the birthplace of Ray Hicks who was the patriarch of Southern Traditional Storytelling. Along the way we’ll see breathtaking views and waterfalls on the Blue Ridge Parkway and stop for lunch at a funky general store. We will spend the afternoon with Ray’s widow Rosa and their son Ted, who open their home and hearts to us. During our time there, we’ll hear traditional stories and ballads and enjoy Rosa’s field of dahlias in full bloom. We will also visit Ray’s final resting place and arrive back in Asheville as the sun is setting. This full week of story work and story adventure prepares us for a performance opportunity on Friday evening for invited guests, family and friends. Saturday will be an occasion for feedback and critiquing Friday evening’s performance and reviewing the week. And then a closing ritual on Saturday afternoon before we say our good-byes.

June 10th, 2010 The rugged feel of steel guitar and fiddle, the images of growing up in a world of fields and farms, of heartbreak and hard work … You can’t miss the fact that Lee Brice is country all the way. It’s in his voice – think of it as honey trickling through lines of melody etched in leather – and in the images it conjures, of “country girls and redneck boys” anticipating the night to come in the sunset glow of a Dairy Queen (“Sumter County”), of growing up “on the edge of a cornfield” (“Picture of Me”). And that makes one detail in his dream seem especially surprising. “Ten years from now,” he says, smiling at the idea, “I’d love to hear my songs on the radio – on the rap stations, not just country.” This sounds absurd, but only until you remember what makes Lee’s debut one of the strongest debuts in any genre over these past several years. That’s when you realize that if anybody can make this happen, it’s this young man from backcountry South Carolina. His voice, his sound, even his wide-open grin are as country as they come – but his view of life is much broader than that. The Orange Peel

June 11th, 2010 Spend the weekend (June 11th and June 12th) with the supernatural at The Reynolds Mansion in Asheville, North Carolina. Experience a (friendly) Séance, Readings with Psychic Medium Kristy Robinett and a Paranormal Investigation. Spend the night in this very haunted Mansion, which dates back to 1847. The Reynolds Mansion is newly owned and boasts three floors, rooms with hot tubs, two cottages and four acres of haunted history. Witness first hand how renovations can stir up ghostly activity. The Reynolds Mansion 100 Reynolds Heights Asheville, NC 28804 Room Rates vary. Contact the B & B owners at 904-705-1681 to book your room. EVENTS A Supernatural Séance - $35 per person Friday, June 11, 2010 - 10 p.m. – 11:30 p.m. Paranormal Investigation - $40 per person Saturday, June 12th, 2010 - 9:00 p.m. - midnight 30 Minute Reading with Kristy Robinett - $70 5 appointments available for Saturday, June 12, 2010 - Please specify which time you would like: 11:00 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 12:00 p.m., 12:30 p.m., 1:00 p.m. Visit www.hauntedhideaways.com to purchase event tickets.

June 12th, 2010 The sun’s warming rays will soon reawaken the creative spirits in downtown Asheville. For three Saturdays this June, Pack Square Park will be transformed into an artistic garden of wondrous diversity. Grown from the seeds of October’s successful market, Asheville Art in the Park will offer regional art and craft as vibrantly beautiful as the summer’s blooms. Artists working with materials from the planet’s very marrow – including glass, ceramics, woodworking, metalsmithing and the fabric arts – will personally exhibit their creations. From pottery to jewelry to sculpture and two-dimensional art, the market promises a tantalizing bouquet of contemporary and traditional mountain art and crafts. We invite you to come on out to Asheville Art in the Park. Take a summer stroll around the Vance Monument and Hoss Haley’s marvelous fountain and experience the textures and forms of a truly unique garden. You will not only be participating in an art market, but you will be part of a cycle of giving as 10% of the proceeds from the event will be donated to a local art non-profit.

June 12th, 2010  The River Arts District Studio Stroll is the first (since 1994!), biggest, and easiest to navigate tour of working artist studios in the region. More than 120 studios are open from 10AM to 6PM both days, including painting, pottery, glass, photography, drawing, jewelry, quilts, encaustic, ironwork, sculpture, clothing, book arts, weaving, woodworking and more! Explore studios inside the revitalized old factories and warehouses along the French Broad River, just minutes from downtown. Local artist/entrepreneurs welcome you into their studios to learn more about their process and their art. You might learn what rice paper is really made of. Or how to paint with a blowtorch. The Studio Stroll is free and open to the public. The River Arts District has plenty of parking, and you can ride free on the Asheville Historic Trolley between studio buildings. Board the Trolley at the Asheville Visitor Center on Montford Ave or hop on anywhere along the route. Directions, maps and more information at River Arts District

May 21, 2010 The North Carolina Arboretum’s Baker Exhibit Center will host Balance and Beauty: A Visual Celebration of Rural Life, an exhibit featuring work by Tennessee artist Margaret Scanlan, who has been painting color fields for more than 35 years. Scanlan’s focus on the quiet beauty of the pastoral rural landscape is just one reason why the Arboretum chose to host the exhibit. The North Carolina Arboretum is a natural treasure that cultivates connections between people and plants, and Scanlan’s work entices viewers to have a personal relationship to the rural scenes. Personal connections with nature resonate throughout the Arboretum’s exhibits, programs, and research. Visitors to the Baker Exhibit Center Greenhouse will have a chance to learn about color in a unique living exhibit planned in conjunction with Balance and Beauty. Living Color: A Color Study Illustrated with Plants will feature a color wheel created out of flowering plants and provide opportunities to study color theory through plant combination vignettes.

May 21, 2010 Downtown after 5 Now in it’s 22nd year, come on downtown for the best festival around. The event series kicks off in May with headliner StephaniesID and opener Jennie Arnau. The May wristband charity will be the YMCA’s Strong Kids Campaign. Food and beverages available for purchase onsite.

May 22, 2010 The 7th annual Montford Music and Arts festival will be a day of great music and crafts in a historic neighborhood setting. Dancing by world famous Ira Berstein accompanied by John Hermann and oldies music by West Sound are just a hint of the quality entertainment free to everyone. Also there will be tasty food and family activities.

May 23, 2010 Butch Walker may be remembered as the lead singer from the now broken-up Marvelous 3, who had a 1999 hit with “Freak Of The Week.” But he’s also been an in-demand producer in recent years. He was involved with Pink’s “I’m Not Dead” album as well as her rendition of Stevie Wonder’s “Tell Me Something Good,” which will be on the upcoming Happy Feet soundtrack. Pink returned the favour by contributing vocals to Rise & Fall’s “Song Without A Chorus.” The list of acts that Walker has produced, mixed or written with also includes Avril Lavigne, Simple Plan, Bowling For Soup, Sevendust, American Hi-Fi, and The Donnas. He recently finished working with Pete Yorn and will be kept busy with Hot Hot Heat and The All-American Rejects this summer. Orange Peel

May 14th, 2010 In the summer and fall of 2005, three young black musicians, Dom Flemons, Rhiannon Giddens, and Justin Robinson, made the commitment to travel to Mebane, N.C., every Thursday night to sit in the home of old-time fiddler Joe Thompson for a musical jam session. Joe was in his 80’s, a black fiddler with a short bowing style that he inherited from generations of family musicians. He had learned to play a wide ranging set of tunes sitting on the back porch with other players after a day of field work. Now he was passing those same lessons on to a new generation. When the three students decided to form a band, they didn’t have big plans. It was mostly a tribute to Joe, a chance to bring his music back out of the house again and into dance halls and public places. They called themselves The Chocolate Drops as a tip of the hat to the Tennessee Chocolate Drops, three black brothers Howard, Martin and Bogan Armstrong, who lit up the music scene in the 1930’s. Honing and experimenting with Joe’s repertoire, the band often coaxed their teacher out of the house to join them on stage. Joe’s charisma and charm regularly stole the show. The Orange Peel

May 15th, 2010 Asheville, NC will play host to Fanaticon, a convention for fans of comic books, science-fiction, fantasy, gaming and collectibles. The event will take place at the Asheville Art Museum and will feature local comic book vendors, artists, panel discussions, costume contests and special guests from the comic book industry. Fanaticon is suitable for the whole family. For more information, please visit www.Fanaticon.org

May 16th, 2010 Join us for the premiere of this important new film, Awaken, with the producer/director on hand for Q&A! The recently released documentary “Awaken,” featuring Barbara Max Hubbard and others, is a groundbreaking, transformational film which documents the presence and wisdom of an array of teachers from diverse spiritual backgrounds on the significance of this crucial time of planetary shift, and shares with us how the current global crisis is an impetus to awaken to oneness, thus revealing the true esoteric meaning of the year 2012. AWAKEN takes you on an intense and intimate transcendental journey of awakening while sitting in the presence of a mystic sage, to experience the shift of 2012 without ever having to leave the comfort of your own home. It features a documentary style portrayal of the teachers sharing their insights, interspersed with beautiful imagery, creating a vivid film that is both meditative and inspiring. “Awaken is a gift to the spiritual awakening through direct and immediate contact with awakeners. A very special contribution to our conscious evolution.” -Barbara Marx Hubbard www.awakenthefilm.com Renaissance Hotel 31 Woodfin Street Asheville , NC 28801