http://www.mountainx.com/ae/ en webmaster@mountainx.com Copyright 2009 2009-11-06T01:01:25+00:00 http://www.mountainx.com/ae/2009/brian_mcgee_interviews_aa_bondy_at_the_grey_eagle http://www.mountainx.com/ae/2009/brian_mcgee_interviews_aa_bondy_at_the_grey_eagle#When:01:01:25Z Brian McGee of local country-punk outfit Brian McGee and the Hollow Speed interviews A.A. Bondy before his show at the Grey Eagle on Wednesday, Nov. 4. Videographer Jesse Hamm shot and edited the footage. Bondy opened for Elvis Perkins in Dearland, and has a new album out on Fat Possum, When the Devil’s Loose. 2009-11-06T01:01:25+00:00 http://www.mountainx.com/ae/2009/xpress_qa_with_warren_g http://www.mountainx.com/ae/2009/xpress_qa_with_warren_g#When:21:50:57Z Xpress correspondent Jake Frankel and Par D caught up with West Coast rapper Warren G at New York Fashions (120 Merrimon Ave., Asheville). Here’s what Warren G (who performs at The Orange Peel tonight with Kidz In The Hall, U-N-I & Dow Jones) had to say: ... 2009-11-04T21:50:57+00:00 http://www.mountainx.com/ae/2009/this_weekend_on_a_shoestring45 http://www.mountainx.com/ae/2009/this_weekend_on_a_shoestring45#When:13:08:13Z Friday, Nov. 6 • The Merchants Association of downtown Asheville’s historic Grove Arcade (1 Page Ave., Asheville) continue the First Friday event featuring local music and food.  November kicks off with the Steve Davidowski Trio (Davidowski is pictured, below) performing jazzy standards. 5-8 p.m., $1 donation. • Vadim Bora Gallery (30 Battery Park Ave., Asheville, 254-7359) hosts the sixth annual juried exhibition of Mountain Sculptors in Metamorphosis: An exceptional gathering of ideas and objects. Artists include Ralph Berger, Vadim Bora, Marty Cain, Len Fury, Jim Kofalt, Dale McEntire, Catherine Murray, Linda Pannullo, Ripp Smith, Julia Stout, Tekla, Martin Webster. Opening reception from 5-8 p.m. • Pop singer/songwriter 2009-11-04T13:08:13+00:00 http://www.mountainx.com/ae/2009/110409the_reel_deal http://www.mountainx.com/ae/2009/110409the_reel_deal#When:04:00:35Z The Asheville Film Festival returns this year with a crop of short films, animation, documentaries, features and student works. That's in addition to the expected excitement of the opening and closing night films, the awards ceremony on Saturday and the free film-making workshops and talks happening all three days of the festival: from Thursday, Nov. 12, to Sunday, Nov. 15. Asheville Parks, Recreation and Cultural Arts organizers said this year's festival would focus on films, without the traditional special guests and red-carpet ceremonies. And they've stuck with that—there are only two events other than screenings (a Thursday premiere night reception and a Saturday night awards after-party, both at Pack Place). Read on for a guide to the feature-length films, along with some Xpress-recommended highlights, including films made by local directors (Paul Schattel's latest, a short film from Paul Bonesteel and others), or touch…... 2009-11-04T04:00:35+00:00 http://www.mountainx.com/ae/2009/cranky_hankes_take_on_the_2009_asheville_film_festival_competition_feature_ http://www.mountainx.com/ae/2009/cranky_hankes_take_on_the_2009_asheville_film_festival_competition_feature_#When:04:00:34Z There are fewer competing features in this year's festival, largely owing to the fact that the aggressive acquisition approach of the past two years – that snagged us such titles as Blood Car, Sita Sings the Blues and Bart Got a Room – was not taken this year. The natural result of that was fewer quality submissions, meaning that this year there are only eight competition entries in the final lineup. Charlotte's Fourth Ward Productions presents the multinarrative drama In/significant others. Photo courtesy John Schwert. Having spent a large chunk of a weekend going through the eight entries, I'm pleasantly surprised to be able to say that some worthy contenders made their way to us. Equally important is the fact that we…... 2009-11-04T04:00:34+00:00 http://www.mountainx.com/ae/2009/110409rave_on http://www.mountainx.com/ae/2009/110409rave_on#When:04:00:33Z It's too much to hope for that the film festival will score another coup like last year's closing-night feature, Slumdog Millionaire, but then again films like Slumdog just don't come along every year. What we do get this year, however, looks tasty indeed. For opening night, the festival offers Lone Scherfig's (Italian for Beginners) An Education starring Peter Sarsgaard, Alfred Molina and young Brit TV actress Carey Mulligan, who is being hailed as the "new Audrey Hepburn." The film – with a screenplay by novelist Nick Hornby (About a Boy) – is an unusual coming-of-age story. Set in 1961, the film tells the tale of teenage schoolgirl Jenny (Mulligan), who chooses the adventure and glamour of a dubious thirtysomething charmer (Sarsgaard) over an Oxford education. The film's focus is as much on the era in which it takes place – dreary, pre-Beatles, pre-swinging '60s England &#…... 2009-11-04T04:00:33+00:00 http://www.mountainx.com/ae/2009/110409want_to_get_a_distribution_deal http://www.mountainx.com/ae/2009/110409want_to_get_a_distribution_deal#When:04:00:32Z The Asheville Film Festival offers a bevy of free opportunities to learn more about filmmaking, from the artistic to the technical aspects. The educational sessions feature such notables as Paul Schattel of Harrow Beauty films and the accomplished documentarian Paul Bonesteel. A series of "coffee talks" are set up as experiential-based sessions on specific topics. And a variety of Mac-based workshops will center on software such as Final Cut Pro, led by an Apple senior system engineer. All of the following are free and open to the public. Educational sessions and coffee talks (held at YMI Cultural Center in Ray Auditorium) • Friday, Nov. 13 10:30-11:30 a.m. Creative Distribution. Session Host: Greg Gardner Your film has been on the market for a year. You've been to the festivals, got some awards and received great feedback from the audiences, but you still don't have a distribution deal. This ses…... 2009-11-04T04:00:32+00:00 http://www.mountainx.com/ae/2009/110409step_out_on_the_pier http://www.mountainx.com/ae/2009/110409step_out_on_the_pier#When:04:00:31Z Films with local ties include: Alison Alison examines the inner world of a pregnant, 30-something woman as she navigates the treacherous waters of self-doubt and self-destruction. Written and directed in collaboration with the cast, the movie explores a life at the point of no return — how we shape and are shaped, how the trying and transformational forces inside us and around us can sometimes do us good and sometimes do us harm. Mostly improvised, and captured in a quick storm of spontaneity in and around the Asheville area, the movie was realized without an actual shooting script, the filmmakers feeling their way through the collaborative process, trusting their instincts and allowing the story to sometimes shape itself. The result is a thoughtful and darkly compelling portrait of a woman in crisis — beautifully photographed and bravely acted, and told with a raw, unerring honesty. Director/Producer: Paul…... 2009-11-04T04:00:31+00:00 http://www.mountainx.com/ae/2009/110409seen_and_not_herd http://www.mountainx.com/ae/2009/110409seen_and_not_herd#When:04:00:30Z Sid the Sloth from this summer's Ice Age 3 made his off-screen debut as a tiny figurine in McDonald's Happy Meals; now he's appearing, for a much chillier price, on seasonal hoodies. And more than three years after he zoomed out of theaters, Lightning McQueen, the star of Pixar's Cars, is still flashing his winning grill on everything from pillowcases to toddler toilet seats. Parents aren't likely to see the petulant claymation creatures of Crank Balls emblazoned on any must-have merchandise. But that movie, and the 60-something others to be screened at this week's Asheville International Children's Film Festival, are designed to stick around in more meaningful ways. Happy journeys for all ages: The claymation stars of the …... 2009-11-04T04:00:30+00:00 http://www.mountainx.com/ae/2009/110409road_warrior http://www.mountainx.com/ae/2009/110409road_warrior#When:04:00:29Z When photojournalist Rob Amberg began work on his latest book, The New Road (The Center for American Places, 2009), he admits that he was "pretty decidedly against" the nine-mile section of I-26 that recently paved a swath through rural Madison County. And the photos, prose and interviews Amberg captured do detail the destruction in the wake of that project, which was the state of North Carolina's most ambitious earth-moving to date. Families were moved off land they'd held for decades. A cemetery was exhumed and relocated, a church razed and an apple orchard bulldozed. "Looking at I-26 and the Visitor's Center from Dale and Lurethra Fluty's front yard at Sprinkle Creek." But Road also tells another story. "Over time, talki…... 2009-11-04T04:00:29+00:00 http://www.mountainx.com/ae/2009/110409spork http://www.mountainx.com/ae/2009/110409spork#When:04:00:28Z Last November, a buzz was in the local music scene air: Music industry veteran Bob Hinkley and his partner Kimberly Hughes were renovating a former Chevrolet dealership in Black Mountain into a new venue. One year later, their White Horse Black Mountain (the logo of which came to Hughes in a vision) has become a town favorite, booking the likes of big-name acts the Lee Boys, Cowboy Jack Clement, BeauSoleil and many more. A former Chevrolet dealership has become an important music destination. Hinkley and Hughes have rallied the music community in the area. In a short time, White Horse has built a reputation as a true listening room, with its nonsmoking atmosphere, cabaret seating and great sound. Whether it's an open Irish jam or a sold-out world music show, you bet folks …... 2009-11-04T04:00:28+00:00 http://www.mountainx.com/ae/2009/smartbets.php http://www.mountainx.com/ae/2009/smartbets.php#When:04:00:10Z Peaches Not for the faint of heart, electronica musician/gender-identity-questioning performance artist Peaches makes an Asheville stop on her tour, supporting this year's I Feel Cream. All in the name of thought-provocation, a Peaches show is 90 minutes of sexually-charged bawdy talk. Get to know the performer on her "Peaches, ripe for picking" blog, which includes images and videos from current and past shows. Orange Peel, with openers Men. Wednesday, Nov. 11, 9 p.m. $18 advance, $20 doors. http://www.theorangepeel.net. Ol&#0…... 2009-11-04T04:00:10+00:00 http://www.mountainx.com/ae/2009/barbara_kingsolver_in_asheville_ive_never_had_time_for_writers_block http://www.mountainx.com/ae/2009/barbara_kingsolver_in_asheville_ive_never_had_time_for_writers_block#When:03:59:33Z Barbara Kingsolver spoke tonight at Asheville High School. Here’s the event, via Twitter. —————————- Rich Rennicks tweeted, “800 people going to Kingsolver’s event at Asheville HS right now & not one is tweeting? C’mon people. I want pics.” What Rennicks got was stream of tweets from @MountainXpress, who was on hand to cover the event. Here they are, pretty much as they happened, 140 characters at a time: Hiking a mile to get to Asheville High, which is slammed with barbara kingsolver fans.  6:55 pm kingsolver is making her first stop on her new book tour here in avl. She is reading from her new book tonight — “the lacuna.” kingsolver’s book is partly based in asheville. “Lacuna” means “what’s missing”. barbara kingsolver has taken the stage at asheville high. malaprop’s is th…... 2009-11-03T03:59:33+00:00 http://www.mountainx.com/ae/2009/edgy_mama_babies_are_cute_vampires http://www.mountainx.com/ae/2009/edgy_mama_babies_are_cute_vampires#When:15:25:11Z I recently had a conversation with a friend about how much life babies suck out of their mamas. Yes, they suck vast quantities of milk, but also, they suck away our time, energy, sleep and general equilibrium. Babies are cute vampires. The reason babies are so freaking adorable is because otherwise, parents would be like, “What the hell? Why would I devote so much to something that’s actually a vampire?” That’s why babies smile and gurgle and have itsy pink toes that are practically edible. Because otherwise we’d be swathing ourselves in garlic. As much as I love my kids, I sometimes wonder why I procreated. What’s the payback? Is there payback? Sometimes yes. Sometimes no. But people keep having babies anyway. We’re slaves to our DNA and can’t help replicating. Even when it ruins our quality of life, at least in the short term. And I’m in what I call the parenting “sweet spot.” I&#82…... 2009-11-02T15:25:11+00:00 http://www.mountainx.com/ae/2009/book_report_hands_in_harmony http://www.mountainx.com/ae/2009/book_report_hands_in_harmony#When:12:52:20Z Local photographer Tim Barnwell recently released Hands in Harmony: Traditional Crafts and Music in Appalachia (W.W. Norton, 2009). The collection of images and oral histories spans 30 years and offers a broad if not fully comprehensive look at the sonic and visual arts of the region and many of the masters of those genres. Aside from the written introduction, Barnwell’s tome divides the photography and text into the front and back halves of the book. It’s an interesting choice —- logic suggests that each carefully-composed black and white portrait would be followed by the edited interviews Barnwell completed with his subjects. Instead, the all-photos-no-text (except for captions) approach turns the book into a kind of Appalachian photo album. Taken as a whole, the collection begins to reveal something interesting: The likeness between…... 2009-10-29T12:52:20+00:00 http://www.mountainx.com/ae/2009/this_weekend_on_a_shoestring44 http://www.mountainx.com/ae/2009/this_weekend_on_a_shoestring44#When:12:02:01Z Wednesday, Oct. 28 • Make your own entertainment: Homeward Bound’s Community Performance Project offers a free weekly Wednesday night Community Acting Workshop at the Central United Methodist Church (297 Haywood St., Asheville). Led by UNC-A’s Lisa Kloeppel. 7 p.m. Info: 768-2456 or email bbinfo@hbofa.org. Thursday, Oct. 29 • Roots music quintet Woodford Creek is a bit of a super group what with vocalist Sara Day (pictured), guitarist Chris O’Neill, bassist ustin Powell (VJP), guitarist Will Saylor (Brushfire Stankgrass) and Keith Minguez (Johnson’s Crossroad) on mandolin. Check out their combines sound at The French Broad brewery (101 Fairview Rd., Asheville, 277-0222). 6 p.m., tips. • Singer/songwriter 2009-10-28T12:02:01+00:00 http://www.mountainx.com/ae/2009/102809spooktacular http://www.mountainx.com/ae/2009/102809spooktacular#When:04:00:35Z Dress up or just slap on a mask, grab your biggest trick-or-treat bag and head out — there are entertainment options for every age and persuasion of Halloween-celebrating ghost, goblin or fairy princess. Xpress tracked down four days' worth of plays, parties, bike rides, concerts, tours, carnivals, family-friendly gatherings and adult-specific indulgences. Start noshing on that candy corn — you'll need the sustenance. = Xpress Pick LaZoom brings the doom: "To hell with the hay ride," try a haunted tour of Asheville's River Arts district. Wednesday, Oct. 28 • N.C. …... 2009-10-28T04:00:35+00:00 http://www.mountainx.com/ae/2009/102409playing_dress_up http://www.mountainx.com/ae/2009/102409playing_dress_up#When:04:00:34Z Here it is, the eve of Hallows Eve, and you don't have a thing to wear. But never fear, your friendly neighborhood vintage and costume shops are rife with possibilities — and not just your typical witch hats, vampire fangs and fairy wings, either. Xpress challenged some of downtown Asheville's most alter-ego ready boutiques to come up with unique off-the-rack costume ideas. Vintage Moon (known for recycled designs and '20s-meets-'70s retro fashion) brought Flapper glam. Madame Butterfly (seller of vintage clothing and accessories, renter of costumes) turned out a "Once Upon a Time" theme. Honeypot (local designs, recycled wear and vintage fashions) envisioned some flag-waving Americana. The Costume Shoppe (renting festive guises to Asheville for 30 years, and holding an after-Halloween sale: call for details) showed off a fearsome pirate and a damsel in best dress. Hip Replacements (vintage and vintage reproductions) served…... 2009-10-28T04:00:34+00:00 http://www.mountainx.com/ae/2009/102809keep_that_creepy_feeling http://www.mountainx.com/ae/2009/102809keep_that_creepy_feeling#When:04:00:33Z Elvis once asked why every day can't be like Christmas. We'd like to know the same about the Halloween season. A zombie record, a zombie author, a haunting release, some wild art and a Dias De Los Muertos celebration to keep you in the spirit. • Zombie boogie is the latest craze, indeed. Ukeabilly dynamos Mad Tea Party released the Zombie Boogie EP earlier this month, and it's taken off. The lead track is a silly romp through zombie land, featuring fun lyrics ("Zombie, shuffling in the street / covered in blood, lost half his teeth / Doing the zombie boogie for eternity") over top MTP's patented uke-and-guitar rock. We dare you to listen without boogie-ing. Also awesome is the cover art, featuring a creepy-fun letterpress print. The four-track EP features tw…... 2009-10-28T04:00:33+00:00 http://www.mountainx.com/ae/2009/102809zeldas_neighbor_fridas_pen_pal http://www.mountainx.com/ae/2009/102809zeldas_neighbor_fridas_pen_pal#When:04:00:32Z When award-winning author Barbara Kingsolver was searching for the perfect place to set the American scenes of her new novel, The Lacuna (Harper, 2009), she considered D.C. and Virginia. Then, "It hit me that Asheville was perfect," she tells Xpress. Photo by Annie Griffiths Belt. Because of its long history as a tourist town, Asheville has been well-photographed: A boon to an historical researcher. Lacuna's main character, Harrison Shepherd, reaches the mountain city in 1941. When Kingsolver (who lives just two hours away) came to Asheville to study the town, she found that "I could go to Malaprop's and buy books of old post cards. I could walk around downtown and half of what I looked at was there in 1941. Likewise there are neighb…... 2009-10-28T04:00:32+00:00 http://www.mountainx.com/ae/2009/102809ferocity_urgency_timing http://www.mountainx.com/ae/2009/102809ferocity_urgency_timing#When:04:00:31Z "I certainly thought that would be it for the band," Ahleuchatistas frontman Shane Perlowin says matter of factly. He's referring to the loss of drummer and founding member Sean Dail last year, weeks before the band was scheduled to leave for tour. Ironically, as he talks about the band's near demise, Perlowin is preparing to leave for a three-week European tour in support of the band's just-released fifth album. It turns out that Ahleuchatistas was more resilient than Perlowin guessed. Hear what happens: Guitarist Shane Perlowin, drummer Ryan Oslance and bassist Derek Poteat create mind-numbingly complex song structures. Photo by Josh Rhinehart. "I had no delusions about how difficult it would be to find someone," he continu…... 2009-10-28T04:00:31+00:00 http://www.mountainx.com/ae/2009/102809junkers_blues http://www.mountainx.com/ae/2009/102809junkers_blues#When:04:00:30Z I see them all the time in the record bins at the thrifts or in the dollar bins at record stores – in the '50s and '60s there was a subgenre of LPs designed as incidental music for specific activities. "Music to study by," "music for dining," music for "that special feeling" (a subgenre dominated by famous lothario Jackie Gleason), "music to quit smoking by," "music to watch girls by," "music to dangle prepositions from." This was functional music, meant to slip into the background and allow the player (not the listener, this was not music to listen to music by) to go about their busy (or relaxed, there was lots of music to relax by) lifestyle with beat or lilt. Muzak would later bring this concept into the workplaces and elevator…... 2009-10-28T04:00:30+00:00 http://www.mountainx.com/ae/2009/pulitzer_winner_natasha_trethewey_to_read_in_asheville http://www.mountainx.com/ae/2009/pulitzer_winner_natasha_trethewey_to_read_in_asheville#When:16:10:33Z Natasha Trethewey, a Pulitzer Prize-winning poet and professor of English at Emory University, will read this Thursday, Oct. 29, at Posana Café (1 Biltmore Ave.) starting at 8 p.m. The event, which is sponsored by the Flood Gallery Poetry Reading Series, will also feature Black Mountain-based poet Katherine Soniat. The author of three poetry collections, Trethewey was awarded a Pulitzer for her most recent one, Native Guard (Houghton Mifflin, 2006). She was born in Gulfport, Miss., in 1966, into a house of poets: Her father was the author of three collections of poems and her stepmother was a poet as well. In addition to the Pulitzer, Tretheway won the Cave Canem Poetry Prize, an annual award for the best first collection of poems submitted by an African-American poet. Her first poetry collection, Domestic Work (Graywolf, 2000), centered on the often-mundane work of primarily black men and women in the Jim Crow South. Native Guard foc…... 2009-10-27T16:10:33+00:00 http://www.mountainx.com/ae/2009/idiotarod_comes_to_asheville http://www.mountainx.com/ae/2009/idiotarod_comes_to_asheville#When:21:07:27Z The Idiotarod — which has been a strange and hilarious success in New York City and Washington, D.C., among other locales — is coming to Asheville on Sunday, Nov. 22. Get your team, find your cart and start sewing the sequins on your matching capes. The event pits teams of five against each other for a 5k shopping cart race “filled with trickery, challenge and some of the dumbest/coolest/most amazing costumes you have ever seen,” according to an e-mail from the event’s local organizer. “The Idiotarod is a lot like the legendary Alaskan Sled Dog Race called the Iditarod, which is a dog sled competition that spans over 1,150 miles of Alaska’s roughest, most beautiful terrain. The Idiotarod is essentially the same thing, except it covers 5 kilometers and instead of dogs we use people (idiots) and instead of sleds we use shopping carts (super pods of wonder).” The racers choose a theme, decorate their carts and dres…... 2009-10-26T21:07:27+00:00 http://www.mountainx.com/ae/2009/edgy_mama_having_a http://www.mountainx.com/ae/2009/edgy_mama_having_a#When:16:46:32Z Witches and goblins and ghouls, oh my. Costumes and candy and kids, oh my. The spine-tingling thrill of watching people wandering around dressed up as monsters and villains makes me happy. What makes me less tingly is the rampant consumerism around Halloween. Last year’s pagan holiday spending was predicted to top $5.7 billion, according to the National Retail Foundation. And that was during a recession. While Halloween might be a bright spot for retailers, I personally would like to see more fun for less money and less disposable stuff, such as candy wrappers. Halloween celebrants spend their cash on costumes, candy, decorations and greeting cards, in that order, says the NRF. I had no clue that people send Halloween greeting cards. Do they say, “Have a terrifying day”? or, “I hope you’re eaten by a werewolf tonight”? If the ancient Celts could see what we’ve done with their Samhain, they&…... 2009-10-26T16:46:32+00:00