| Title |
Excerpt |
Author |
Date |
| Sen. Martin Nesbitt of Asheville elected NC Senate majority leader (AC-T) |
“Senate Democrats today unanimously chose Martin Nesbitt as Senate majority leader, picking an experienced legislator from Asheville to lead them into their most important election in a decade. Majority leader is the No. 2 post in the Senate and in recent years has been one of the most powerful positions… |
Steve Shanafelt |
11/18/09 |
| Elvis ring with Asheville connection to be sold (AC-T) |
“A 10-carat diamond ring given to an Asheville man by Elvis Presley during his 1975 concert here will be auctioned in Florida. Throughout the realm of Elvis fans, the news is out — the King’s ring is for sale. ... Included are all the news clippings, ticket stubs, photos and… |
Steve Shanafelt |
11/18/09 |
| Early Girl Gets Nod in St. Louis’ Riverfront Times Food Blog |
Asheville’s Early Girl Eatery recently got a nod from Kelli Best-Oliver’s Novice Foodie blog. |
Steve Shanafelt |
11/18/09 |
| Journalist Robert Campbell, Asheville native, dies at 88 |
Ex-AC-T reporter and board member Bob Campbell dies at age 88. |
Steve Shanafelt |
11/10/09 |
| A laptop for every student: Asheville High makes technology push (AC-T) |
“The day when every Asheville High School student has a laptop computer is getting closer.” |
Steve Shanafelt |
11/09/09 |
| Fairbanks Farms and Ashville, NY, meat recall connection (CORRECTED) |
Editor’s note: The article linked in this post incorrectly states that meat from Asheville, N.C., is being recalled; the processing company is located in Ashville, N.Y. “A New York company, Fairbanks Farms, was voluntarily recalling 546,000 pounds of ground beef. Some of this companies products may be linked to two… |
Steve Shanafelt |
11/03/09 |
| Swedish death metallers Soilwork to record at Echo Mountain |
“Swedish death metallers SOILWORK will enter the studio in January 2010. The long-awaited follow-up to 2007’s Sworn To A Great Divide will be produced by guitarist Peter Wichers and mixed by Jens Bogren (OPETH, KATATONIA, PARADISE LOST, BLOODBATH). Drums will be tracked at Echo Mountain in Asheville, NC. The rest… |
Steve Shanafelt |
11/03/09 |
| Asheville High debate team best finish ever (AC-T) |
“The Asheville High debate team had its best finish ever at the University of Florida Blue Key National Invitational, winning the Lincoln-Douglas championship as well as a number of other awards Senior Ari Zitin won the Lincoln-Douglas championship, winning all 11 of his rounds. He won the final championship round… |
Steve Shanafelt |
11/03/09 |
| Hotel Indigo opens in downtown Asheville (AC-T) |
“The 13-story Hotel Indigo stands out as the first major addition to the downtown skyline in years, and the hotel’s managers hope residents and visitors will embrace it as a sign of Asheville’s vibrancy. Scheduled to open this week, it is the first new downtown hotel in about two decades… |
Steve Shanafelt |
11/03/09 |
| Henderson County wants to gut vacant homes |
“Henderson County commissioners unanimously agreed Monday to seek grant money to help pay for the demolition of abandoned mobile homes. The grant, offered through the N.C. Department of Natural Resources, would reimburse the county $1,000 for the removal of each abandoned mobile home, according to Toby Linville with Henderson County… |
Steve Shanafelt |
11/03/09 |
| NC judges side with developer Stewart Coleman in Pack land case (AC-T) |
“Land near Asheville’s City Hall does not have to remain public, N.C. Court of Appeals judges ruled today, siding with developer Stewart Coleman. The decision by a unanimous three-judge panel reverses a Buncombe County Superior Court judge’s ruling that the county commissioners’ sale of land to Coleman was invalid. ...… |
Steve Shanafelt |
11/03/09 |
| Tyco Electronics Sells Asheville Industrial Property |
“Tyco Electronics Corp. sold 3165 Sweeten Creek Road in Asheville, NC, to Aeroflow Healthcare for $1.45 million, or approximately $59 per square foot. The property is a freestanding, fully air-conditioned manufacturing facility in south Asheville. The Class B industrial property is 24,521 square feet.” |
Steve Shanafelt |
10/21/09 |
| Many lament axing of Asheville-Weaverville bus route |
“The shutdown of an Asheville-Weaverville bus route following the loss of federal funding will snip a lifeline for some workers and students. The city is holding a public hearing Thursday on the planned cancellation of Route 54, which has an annual ridership of about 26,000 and includes stops at UNC… |
Steve Shanafelt |
10/21/09 |
| Asheville churches work together for Ignite rally (AC-T) |
“After more than three years of rallies attracting up to 2,000 young people a night in locations throughout Western North Carolina, the Ignite Christian youth event is coming to Asheville in 2010. Led each night by young N.C. evangelist Clayton King, Ignite will take over the Asheville Civic Center downtown… |
Steve Shanafelt |
10/21/09 |
| Meeting today for proposed Asheville riverfront commission |
“Community members have proposed a new commission to support the continued development and sustainability of Asheville’s riverfront. The proposed Asheville Riverfront Redevelopment Commission will provide policy recommendations to Asheville City Council and the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners. A public meeting to discuss the organization of the proposed commission will… |
Steve Shanafelt |
10/21/09 |
| Waynesville hotel wins 2nd place in Conde Nast Awards |
Conde Nast Traveler magazine’s 2009 Readers’ Choice Awards for top small hotels in the U.S. named Waynesville’s The Swag as second-place winner. Results will be published in November issue. |
Steve Shanafelt |
10/19/09 |
| Kids Voting needs volunteers on Election Day (AC-T) |
Kids Voting Buncombe County, a nonpartisan nonprofit that gives children a hands-on civics lesson every Election Day, needs community volunteers to serve as precinct captains, poll staffers and vote counters on Nov. 3. The Kids Voting program, a nationwide effort, encourages parents to bring their children along to polling stations,… |
Steve Shanafelt |
10/19/09 |
| Thomas Wolfe Literary Award goes to Bruce Johnson |
Bruce E. Johnson, author of “Grove Park Inn: Arts and Crafts Furniture,” has been named winner of the 2009 Western North Carolina Historical Association Thomas Wolfe Memorial Literary Award. |
Steve Shanafelt |
10/19/09 |
| Bear population booms, aim is to lessen encounters |
There are more black bears in Western North Carolina than there have been since the late 1800s, and the N.C. Wildlife Commission estimates bear populations have grown to a record 10,000 in the mountains this year. With a record number of humans also living in the mountains, officials are looking… |
Steve Shanafelt |
10/19/09 |
| Asheville VA to get $750,000 anti-terrorism wall (AC-T) |
Veterans Affairs Hospital in Oteen is building a $750,000 anti-terrorism fence meant to help secure the hospital’s perimeter and to prevent a vehicle, potentially loaded with explosives, from crashing into buildings. Some residents question the need for and expense of the project. |
Steve Shanafelt |
10/19/09 |
| Junk-car rule drives Asheville man nuts (AC-T) |
AC-T reports that West Asheville is a no-man’s land when it comes to junked cars because of ETJ rules, which translates into neither the city or county enforcing their ordinances. |
Steve Shanafelt |
10/19/09 |
| Canton, NC, church plans to burn Bibles, Christian books |
Canton-based Amazing Grace Baptist Church plans to burn non-King James versions of the Bible on Halloween night, citing them as “satanic” and “perversions.” Other religious works, including those by Christian authors such as Billy Graham, Mother Theresa and Rick Warren, will also be burned. “Pastor Marc Grizzard told Asheville TV… |
Steve Shanafelt |
10/16/09 |
| A solo cult hero is something to be |
“To be labeled anything is, I guess, a good thing,” Keller Williams breathes into the other end of the phone. “Whatever anyone wants to call me is great, as long as they come to the show.” Let him entertain you: Keller Williams “really, really” loves to play a free show.… |
Steve Shanafelt |
10/22/08 |
| Welcome to Bele Chere |
During the late 1970s — downtown Asheville’s ghost-town days — few area residents would have believed that a hastily planned street party could spark the city’s now-substantial reputation as a haven for tourism, live music and the arts. And yet, 29 years and 30 Bele Cheres later, that’s exactly what… |
Steve Shanafelt |
07/22/08 |
| Remembering John Payne |
There is a black hole in the local arts community. Yesterday, local artist and River Arts District visionary John Payne died after suffering a massive stroke. He was 58. He is remembered both for his work as a sculptor and as the owner of the Wedge building, an arts-friendly space… |
Steve Shanafelt |
07/18/08 |
| Going, going ... gone! LEAF tickets sold out |
Earlier this year, the Lake Eden Arts Festival announced that it would release the entire run of tickets for the fest, which runs from Friday, May 9 to Sunday, May 11, through online sales. The festival has traditionally made tickets available at the gate, allowing less-prepared fest-goers to pop by… |
Steve Shanafelt |
05/02/08 |
| Listening Party: Barrel House Mamas, Josh Phillips Folk Festival and Shannon Whitworth |
We start this week’s Listening Party with the Barrel House Mamas, an old-time-leaning folk band with a few decidedly modern twists. The three founding members of the group — Jane Kramer Edens, Molly Rose Reed and Eleanor Underhill — met in 2003 while attending Warren Wilson College. Five years later,… |
Steve Shanafelt |
04/23/08 |
| Listening Party: AxeRats, Richard D. Shank and Nikki Gunter |
This week, the Listening Party presents three groups suggested by Xpress Forums users. We start this week’s column with local hip-hop crew AxeRats. Due to the rather ambiguous relationship between AxeRats and their regular collaborators (which include local favorites like the Fist Family, the Ville Boyz and DJ Football), it’s… |
Steve Shanafelt |
04/16/08 |
| Listening Party: Knives and Daggers, Pierce Edens and The Dirty Work and Carpal Tullar |
What better way to break up a week of sullen and cloudy weather than with a band like Knives and Daggers? Of course, I kid — K&D specializes in crafting marvelously gloomy, downcast and melancholy songs. It’s perfect music for staring out into the damp void on the other side… |
Steve Shanafelt |
04/08/08 |
| Listening Party: Stephanie’s Id, BrieJon and Secret B-Sides |
We launch this week’s Listening Party with one of the best-known bands to emerge from Asheville in the last decade: Stephanie’s Id. Although generally referred to as an indie-pop band, their sound is actually far more complex and compelling than that genre label implies. Starting off as a darkly bittersweet… |
Steve Shanafelt |
04/01/08 |
| Listening Party: Wilson the Rocker, Descolada and Opal String Quartet |
This week, we press “play” and start the Listening Party with Wilson the Rocker, the brainchild of synth-loving songwriter Evan Hill (perhaps equally known for his work with now-defunct neo-New Wave band Congratulations!). Last year, Wilson The Rocker released Teenage Messiah, a concept album “thematically focused on the transition from… |
Steve Shanafelt |
03/24/08 |
| Listening Party: Nevada, The Green Fields and Dig Shovel Dig |
This week, we’re kicking off the Listening Party with local Western-leaning, moody-indie-rock act Nevada. The group has come a very long way since their first unstable steps onto the Asheville stage, and spent the better part of their first few years together in the shadow of vocalist Sean Robbins’ brother’s… |
Steve Shanafelt |
03/11/08 |
| Listening Party: Misgana, Darpa and Every Mother’s Dream |
We start this week’s Listening Party with local progressive reggae and dub act Misgana, a suggestion by Xpress forum user Andy Palast. With lyrics that reliably allude to classic themes —the “sacred ganja tree,” “the path to Mount Zion” and how “in Babylon, a bubble got you all up in… |
Steve Shanafelt |
03/06/08 |
| Death of a dungeon master |
When I called Alex Brown, owner of The Sword & Grail comic book and game shop today, he sounded remarkably cheery. It turns out that he hadn’t yet heard that visionary game designer Gary Gygax was dead from an unnamed cause at age 69, and his reaction was stunned. Among… |
Steve Shanafelt |
03/04/08 |
| Listening Party: Derek Astles, Laura Blackley and Nikki Talley |
We start this week’s Listening Party with the work of Derek “FolknRolln” Astles, a self-described “hardcore” and “folk rock” performer based in Asheville. There’s scant information on his MySpace page, but a quick web search reveals that Astles has quite a history as a cafe-circuit touring perfomer. His songs fall… |
Steve Shanafelt |
02/28/08 |
| Listening Party: Jonathan Ammons & the Electric Ghost Collective, Suttree and The Chops |
We start this week’s Listening Party with the Montreat-based rock of Jonathan Ammons & the Electric Ghost Collective. There’s a lot to like in Ammons’ work, walking the line as it does between the genres of moody, gothy emo and moody, bittersweet indie rock. While there are a number of… |
Steve Shanafelt |
02/21/08 |
| Listening Party: Brushfire Stankgrass, Don Breed and DJ Steezy Wonder |
We start this week’s Listening Party with local “electroacoustic bluegrass” outfit Brushfire Stankgrass. Actually, their music owes more to the likes of Leftover Salmon and Phish than to Bill Monroe or Earl Scruggs, but that’s not to say that they don’t have some honest mountain twang in their music. The… |
Steve Shanafelt |
02/07/08 |
| Friday forum recap |
Curious about the happenings on the Xpress forums, but too lazy to click on the Forums button? Oh, the dilemma! Thankfully, we’ve got you covered with this quick rundown of the recent highlights. Local What type of store does downtown Asheville really need? This half-serious discussion covers, not the Asheville… |
Steve Shanafelt |
02/01/08 |
| Listening Party: Queen Anne’s Revenge, Kareem Abdul Guitar and Silvergun Superman |
Starting off this week’s Listening Party, we have local old-time and roots-music band The Queen Anne’s Revenge. Taking their name from Blackbeard’s infamous pirate ship, the group seems to have a clear grasp on their musical inspirations, proudly claiming “roundpeak style old-time music, deep-South old-time, country blues, hokum, maritime music,… |
Steve Shanafelt |
02/01/08 |
| Listening Party: Miriam Allen, Ryan Whitted and Bandazian |
We begin this week’s Listening Party with the work of Miriam Allen, an acoustic performer with an impressive stylistic range. She turns in lament-filled bluegrass-tinged country on songs like “The Mountains of Mendoza,” and flirts with a number of Spanish folk styles on tracks like “La Despedida” and “Clandestino.” But,… |
Steve Shanafelt |
01/21/08 |
| Friday forum recap |
Although online for less than a month, the MountainX.com forums have become quite the internet hangout for our readers. Here are a few recent highlights: Local Are you using less water? — Xpress news reporter Brian Postelle started this lighthearted thread about water conservation. Fashion, Style & Shopping Who is… |
Steve Shanafelt |
01/11/08 |
| Listening Party: oddStar, Jason Ross Martin and Brad Sweitzer |
Opening the show this week is local “electrogothic spacerock” group oddSTAR. It’s a rare group that so openly admits their most obvious influences, yet this Asheville-based five-piece seems more than happy to own up to their love for the likes of The Cure, Depeche Mode, Nine Inch Nails and New… |
Steve Shanafelt |
01/09/08 |
| Listening Party: Gran Dios, Forge Mountain Diggers and Telepath |
This week, we’re starting things off with a suggestion from our Listening Party forum discussion. Local band Gran Dios claims to be a powerpop/post-punk outfit, but their music is actually a bit less straightjacketed that that. Songs like “Hypothesis” border on alt-country, while “Conversations uptight” lean more towards an early… |
Steve Shanafelt |
12/28/07 |
| Forum recap |
Although the MountainX.com forums have only been online for a little over a week, plenty of interesting discussions have already started. Here are a few of the highlights: Local News Medford fallout and Van Duncan What will be the impact of the Bobby Medford case on current Buncombe County Sheriff… |
Steve Shanafelt |
12/26/07 |
| Listening Party: Caroline Pond, Opus Grey and Silver |
This week’s Listening Party starts with the solo work of Caroline Pond, best known for her fiddle playing and singing with local all-star bluegrass/swing/novelty outfit Snake Oil Medicine Show. Not surprisingly, Pond’s solo work reveals an eclectic mix of elements, from jazz and bluegrass to pop and “psychobilly.” A frequent… |
Steve Shanafelt |
12/20/07 |
| MountainX.com forums are online |
While the blogs are a great place to discuss the topics of the day, in terms of overall discussion, they can be a little limiting. After all, readers are only allowed to talk about subjects Xpress puts up for discussion. But, what if you wanted to talk about local sports?… |
Steve Shanafelt |
12/18/07 |
| Listening Party: Millie Palmer, PAN and Talk Show Hosts |
This week’s opening act is Mille Palmer, a college-age singer/songwriter with strong pop leanings. The Asheville-based performer is also noteworthy for giving her faith equal billing with her talent. She’s even gone so far as to claim that her songs have a “Christian message behind them.” But faith isn’t Palmer’s… |
Steve Shanafelt |
12/12/07 |
| Listening Party: Ahleuchatistas, Tyler Ramsey and divineMAGgees |
We start off this week’s Listening Party with the Ahleuchatistas, a prog-rock trio with very strong jazz and punk influences. Formed in guitarist Shane Perlownin’s living room in 2003, the group is now on their fourth album, Even In the Midst and is anticipating the February rerelease of their second… |
Steve Shanafelt |
12/05/07 |
| Listening Party: Birds on the Ground, Afromotive and Shake It Like A Caveman |
This week’s Listening Party starts off with Birds on the Ground, an experimental group that claims to be influenced by “everything that is and will be dreamed.” In practice, this means that they sound like a lot of other psychedelic-infused shoegazer bands, with a little bit of Nico thrown in… |
Steve Shanafelt |
11/20/07 |
| Listening Party: Shake Azalia, Elijah Wyman and Brian Turner |
Local metal group Shake Azalia has the honor of launching this week’s Listening Party. The group claims to fall roughly between the “progressive” and “death metal” schools, but we prefer to think of them as being their own brand of thrashy, screamy and slightly whiny hardcore. (They’ve also been flatteringly… |
Steve Shanafelt |
11/17/07 |
