http://www.mountainx.com/blogs/ en webmaster@mountainx.com Copyright 2007 2007-04-26T20:02:00+00:00 http://www.mountainx.com/ae/2008/brian_mcgee_interviews_aa_bondy_at_the_grey_eagle http://www.mountainx.com/ae/2008/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/news/2008/brews_news110504 http://www.mountainx.com/news/2008/brews_news110504#When:00:50:00Z Local beer lovers, rejoice! Yes, Highland Brewing’s Cold Mountain Winter Ale is out and about. The first batch (there will be two this year) is hitting stores now in one-liter and 22-ounce bottles (find it at Green Life, Bruisin’ Ales, Hops & Vines, Earth Fare, Appalachian Vinters, Asheville Wine Market, and Weinhaus — to name a few retail locales). Kegs of the nectar are being loaded at the bre… 2009-11-05T00:50:00+00:00 http://www.mountainx.com/news/2008/asheville_city_council_elections_as_reported_on_twitter http://www.mountainx.com/news/2008/asheville_city_council_elections_as_reported_on_twitter#When:22:55:30Z “Manheimer gets the bear vote: Four bears currently eating candy she left on her front porch in north Asheville,” @edgymama reported via Twitter on Oct. 31, in an early election report. “Don’t Vote, Don’t Complain,” tweeted @h0zae, who added, “11.16% of Asheville Voted in the Primary? In other words 11.16% of the people in Asheville make all the decisions for you.” @h0zae also wondered, “In other news… why do business owners within city limits NOT have a vote in Asheville? Are there places where biz gets a vote?” Nov. 3, Election day: @itswendylou: good morning and happy voting day. Get out there and vote, people! Asheville peeps, if you’re not sick/in crisis mode, you’ve got no excuse — I’ll be your poll-place taxi 6:18 am @drewreisinger: Only 23 people have voted at the Board of Elections today. Not cool precinct 20, not cool. early morn… 2009-11-04T22:55:30+00:00 http://www.mountainx.com/ae/2008/xpress_qa_with_warren_g http://www.mountainx.com/ae/2008/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/news/2008/see_and_be_seen_whats_new_in_the_xpress_photo_gallery http://www.mountainx.com/news/2008/see_and_be_seen_whats_new_in_the_xpress_photo_gallery#When:19:55:37Z The Mountain Xpress Photo Gallery is bursting with newly added images. Have a look — you might even see yourself: • The LaZoom Halloween tour, including a special on-the-bus performance by Now You Seem Them, by Joshua Cole. • Spookyblogapaloozananny — aka Asheville’s annual social-media shindig and awards, by Jonathan Welch. • The Runaway Circus yucks it up at a rehearsal, by Jonathan Welch. • Xpress’ Best of WNC Bash at the Orange… 2009-11-04T19:55:37+00:00 http://www.mountainx.com/news/2008/ashevilles_election_the_latest_results_will_be_reported_here http://www.mountainx.com/news/2008/ashevilles_election_the_latest_results_will_be_reported_here#When:16:00:41Z Click here to see the results of all the municipal elections in Buncombe County. 2009-11-04T16:00:41+00:00 http://www.mountainx.com/ae/2008/this_weekend_on_a_shoestring45 http://www.mountainx.com/ae/2008/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/news/2008/swannanoa_says_no_to_incorporation http://www.mountainx.com/news/2008/swannanoa_says_no_to_incorporation#When:02:21:24Z According to a full but unofficial tally by Buncombe Election Services, 61 percent of Swannanoa voters have said no to incorporation. 2009-11-04T02:21:24+00:00 http://www.mountainx.com/news/2008/4th_annual_blogger_awards_are_in http://www.mountainx.com/news/2008/4th_annual_blogger_awards_are_in#When:21:14:44Z The results from the SpookyBlogapaloozathon once again tally up the area’s best bloggers and online networkers. The awards were handed out at the Friday, Oct. 30, party at Phil Mechanic Studios. The list of winners, compliled at Blog Asheville, is below. But these weren’t the only winners: Proceeds from the party raised over $1,600 for Project AHOPE. And if you couldn’t be there on Hallows Eve-eve, you can find great photo evidence here and here. — Brian Postelle, staff writer 2009 BlogAwards winners: Best Food BlogShe Who Eats Best Craft Blog 2009-11-03T21:14:44+00:00 http://www.mountainx.com/news/2008/the_life_of_clouds_craggy_garden_sunrise_a_video_by_revpictures http://www.mountainx.com/news/2008/the_life_of_clouds_craggy_garden_sunrise_a_video_by_revpictures#When:14:19:43Z Time-lapse video shots looking down from Craggy Gardens on a sea of clouds depict their energy and feel as they roil and flow up against the mountainsides and sometimes over the ridges. Audio track by Dep, who originally hails from Weaverville, according to his Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/depmusic   “I shot this footage on the morning of oct 30 at craggy pinnacle,” commented Bob on this week’s Video a-go-go, who asked that we post his video. (Wi… 2009-11-03T14:19:43+00:00 http://www.mountainx.com/ae/2008/barbara_kingsolver_in_asheville_ive_never_had_time_for_writers_block http://www.mountainx.com/ae/2008/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/news/2008/buncombe_commissioners_preview_floods_and_sustainability http://www.mountainx.com/news/2008/buncombe_commissioners_preview_floods_and_sustainability#When:15:45:00Z While Ashevilleans are (hopefully) streaming to the polls on Nov. 3, the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners plan to hold its regular meeting. It’s a relatively brief agenda, but changes to the flood ordinances and a sustainability plan for the county are both on the table. The commissioners will vote on a series of changes to the county’s flood ordinances as well as a sustainability plan that advises the county to strive for LEED-certified energy efficient buildings and building up a vehicle fleet with lower emissions, among other initiatives. The county will also consider a $21 million financing partnership with the Health Adventure, which is building a new Health a… 2009-11-02T15:45:00+00:00 http://www.mountainx.com/ae/2008/edgy_mama_babies_are_cute_vampires http://www.mountainx.com/ae/2008/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/news/2008/video_a-go-go7 http://www.mountainx.com/news/2008/video_a-go-go7#When:13:33:30Z It’s Halloween weekend, and what better way to kick off this week’s video roundup than with a little spooky fun? Here’s a video of country singer and former American Idol contestant Kellie Pickler trying her hand at being a ghost hunter by visiting the Smith-McDowell House late at night. I’m a little surprised to see the house presented as “the most haunted mansion in Asheville”—I can’t say I’ve ever heard anyone claim it was haunted—but the night-vision shots and editing do make it look kinda creepy I guess. 2009-10-31T13:33:30+00:00 http://www.mountainx.com/news/2008/classic_cocktail_anyone http://www.mountainx.com/news/2008/classic_cocktail_anyone#When:18:56:48Z Downtown Asheville’s newest bar/eatery, Sazerac, opens today. Owners Jack and Lesley Groetsch, former managers of the Orange Peel, say that the venue is a classic-cocktail bar. Sazerac, at 29 Broadway in the space formerly occupied by Ambiance Interiors, is named after a cocktail created in New Orleans, where the Groetsches used to live. The bar leans heavily on New Orleans traditions, from the cocktail list to the cuisine, which is mostly Cajun-themed small plates.  Lesley says the focus is on the cocktails, especially those “that have in some cases gone out of style, but in some cases are rushing back into style.” Sazerac also boasts a rooftop terrace, which is pictured here. Visit http://www.ashevillesazerac.com for more information. — Gabe Chess, news intern 2009-10-30T18:56:48+00:00 http://www.mountainx.com/news/2008/asheville_city_council_brief_oct._27_meeting http://www.mountainx.com/news/2008/asheville_city_council_brief_oct._27_meeting#When:15:51:21Z The Transit Master Plan, developed with the help of an outside consultant, a long list of stake holders and a series of public-input sessions, was adopted by Asheville City Council at its Oct. 27 meeting. But implementation of the plan’s provisions will rely on budget work by city staff and Council’s consideration of the finer points. The TMP was supported in a 6-1 vote, with Council member Carl Mumpower voting “no.” Council will begin to hear budget options at its retreat in early January. In other developments: • Council also voted unanimously to continue bus service to Weaverville through the first week of November. The five daily bus trips between Asheville and Weaverville were scheduled to end on Nov. 1 after the announcement by the state Department of Transportation that it was pulling its funding for the route and the indication by Weaverville town leadership that it was letting the service expire. Council hope… 2009-10-29T15:51:21+00:00 http://www.mountainx.com/ae/2008/book_report_hands_in_harmony http://www.mountainx.com/ae/2008/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/2008/this_weekend_on_a_shoestring44 http://www.mountainx.com/ae/2008/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/news/2008/asheville_city_council_approves_transit_master_plan_twitter_report http://www.mountainx.com/news/2008/asheville_city_council_approves_transit_master_plan_twitter_report#When:00:14:00Z Asheville City Council voted this evening to approve the Transit Master Plan, without yet voting how to implement it. The following twitter-based report of the proceedings, by @ashevillebus, records much of the debate. However, readers should be aware @ashevillebus represents a group that has been advocating that Council approve the master plan. (A couple tweets were sent by Xpress reporter Brian Postelle, who was at the meeting also; his tweets are identified as coming from him). Immediately after considering the master plan, Council discussed and voted unanimously to postpone for one week the cancellation of Asheville’s bus route serving Weaverville. —————————————————————- Total cost of Asheville’s Transit Master Plan is $6.1 million, with the city being asked to provide $1.2 million. The price tag for Sun service… 2009-10-28T00:14:00+00:00 http://www.mountainx.com/ae/2008/pulitzer_winner_natasha_trethewey_to_read_in_asheville http://www.mountainx.com/ae/2008/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/2008/idiotarod_comes_to_asheville http://www.mountainx.com/ae/2008/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/news/2008/asheville_city_council_preview_oct._27_meeting http://www.mountainx.com/news/2008/asheville_city_council_preview_oct._27_meeting#When:19:06:04Z Two years in the making, the Transit Master Plan will make its big appearance Tuesday evening. The plan is intended to revamp the city’s bus routes in order to make them more efficient and to increase ridership. See the draft plan here. And while they are at it, Council members will also discuss continuing the Asheville/Weaverville bus route that is due to expire at the end of October. Also on Council’s plate is another installment in the long-running Asheville/Woodfin annexation-agreement discussion outlining the areas each party can annex in the future. On the public-hearing front, Council will hear plans for a level III, 106,646-square-foot building for an intermediate school on the same Overlook Road site that is currently home to Valley Springs… 2009-10-26T19:06:04+00:00 http://www.mountainx.com/news/2008/a_week_on_clues_still_sought_in_parkway_murder http://www.mountainx.com/news/2008/a_week_on_clues_still_sought_in_parkway_murder#When:18:11:38Z A week after the body of Misty Lynn Carter, 21, was found on the Blue Ridge Parkway, the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office is still seeking clues in the case. This afternoon, investigators revealed that blunt force trauma to the head was the cause of death. Around 6:30 a.m. Monday, Oct. 19, the sheriff’s office received a call (listen below) from a motorist who found Carter’s body — at that time unidentified — a few feet from the roadway close to milepost 395 near Glenn Gap. “Initially we classified it as a ‘suspicious death,’ but it became clear this was a homicide,” Lt. Ross Dillingham told Xpress. “We put information out to media to try to identify the body.” Eventually Carter’s family confirmed her identity. She was six weeks pregnant. The crime is the first recorded killing in unincorporated areas of Buncombe County this year, and Dillingham assert… 2009-10-26T18:11:38+00:00 http://www.mountainx.com/ae/2008/edgy_mama_having_a http://www.mountainx.com/ae/2008/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 http://www.mountainx.com/news/2008/ashevilles_haiti_connection_mission_manna_final_day_and_return_to_the_u.s http://www.mountainx.com/news/2008/ashevilles_haiti_connection_mission_manna_final_day_and_return_to_the_u.s#When:17:05:36Z Friday night, Oct. 23: In Montrouis, after the last clinic: “Back from Piyat — the team will inventory remaining meds, store them, pack, hoist a Prestige [Beer] and sleep well,” reports Todd Kaderabek, Mission MANNA’s point person in Asheville. This short (20 second) video from yesterday’s Piyat clinic, gives a good sense of the atmosphere. http://missionmannahaiti.posterous.com/piyat-clinic Saturday, Oct. 24: “And then, it’s off to airport in Port au Prince (there’s Colt 45 malt liquor in vending machines), check all the bags and wait,” Todd explains. “Landing in Miami is always surreal: culture shock of the developed world. At that point, all you want it to get home,” he adds. Later, Todd relays he has gotten word from Dr. Derek Dephouse that MissionMANNA’s team has arrived in Miami… 2009-10-25T17:05:36+00:00