Capital at Play October 2018

Alicia Armstrong

Selling, But No Sellout p.18

Gar Ragland

Production Line p.74

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ChARTing a Way Forward For the Arts

A Seat At the Table: Funding & Boards of Directors p.48

Will our region’s growing arts reputation make us the new Austin? p.37 annual m u s ic & arts edition

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{ Pictured: Echo Mountain’s showers are used as a space to record new tracks. } October 2018

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| October 2018

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Editor’s Thoughts

W

elcome to Capital at Play’s third annual Music & Arts Edition, which we publish each October in order to pay tribute to Western North Carolina’s thriving arts community and to highlight how important that community is in terms of the regional economy. As I personally come from a music background, having written about music and musicians since the late ‘70s, doing this special Music & Arts issue each year is personally gratifying on several levels, not the least of which is how it gives me a chance to say “thank you” to the many artists who have inspired me over the years.

Pulling the lens back a bit: Whether discussing our visual artists, our filmmakers, our writers and poets, or our performing artists (musicians, actors, dancers, comedians, etc.), one thing that is key to remember is how art, while certainly an avocation and an outward expression of creativity, is also a career and a means to keep a roof over one’s head. Seriously, who even subscribes to the tired “starving artist” cliché anymore? Having constant hunger pains is not a catalyst for making good art, but rather a potentially crippling distraction. As one of the people interviewed in this issue rightly points out, just because you happen to be an artist doesn’t mean you are not trying to make a living supporting your kids and your household.

To further underscore the foregoing, one of the stories in this issue, “ChARTing A Way Forward For The Arts,” is a report on the regional creative sector. What do our visual, literary, and performing scenes bring to the table, both in terms of aesthetics and economics (quite a bit, it turns out, and we can actually quantify the latter)? What effect do those scenes have on Western North Carolina in the larger reputational sense, i.e., attracting visitors and new residents? And what are the challenges our arts community faces—from the basic paycheck sense to affordable housing issues—alongside governmental, nonprofit, and private sector responses to those challenges?

These are things that I genuinely hope you start thinking about. So, where do you fit in? Thanks for asking! After you finish reading this issue, consider doing something more than simply nodding your head and thinking, “We are soooo lucky to have so many talented, creative artists among us.” Go visit some artists’ studios with the intention of finding something you want to bring home with you; check out a reading by a local author at your favorite bookstore, and don’t forget to pick up a book and get it signed; attend a concert, the theater, or a stand-up show, additionally buying some merch before you leave the venue; hell, if nothing else, toss a few bills into the hat for that busker, dancer, or mime who’s helping to make your evening stroll through downtown all the more memorable.

And then tell a friend how lucky we are to have so many talented, creative artists among us, and suggest to them everything I just suggested to you in the preceding paragraph…

Sincerely,

Fred Mills

6

| October 2018

October 2018 | capitalatplay.com

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ECHO MOUNTAIN Recording takes singing in the shower to a new level. photo courtesy of Echo Mountain Recording

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F E AT U R E D vol. viii

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SELLING, BUT NO SELLOUT

ed. x

74

PRODUCTION LINE GAR RAGLAND

ALICIA ARMSTRONG

October 2018 | capitalatplay.com

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C ON T E N T S o c t o b e r 2 018

photo courtesy Echo Mountain Recording

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lo c a l i n d u s t r y

ChARTing a Way Forward For the Arts

53

Will our region’s growing arts reputation make us the new Austin?

insight

l e i s u r e & l i b at i o n

Tale of the Tape

Recording Studios are thriving in Western North Carolina

colu m n

14 T ryon Fine Arts Center

48 A Seat At the Table:

Funding & Boards of Directors

Written by Michael Palermo

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For 50 years The Tryon Fine Arts Center had a mission: “To be the creative driving force for performances, exhibits, arts in education, and community partnerships in the Foothills.”

W

estern North Carolina is, without a doubt, blessed to have such a robust arts-related infrastructure. And since 1969, Polk County’s Tryon Fine Arts Center (TFAC), located in the heart of downtown Tryon, has been one of the more prominent supporters of the arts in our region.

Each year scores of concerts (featuring regional, national, and international acts), theater, dance, and visual arts events are hosted—since 2012, attendance has increased by nearly 200%, with 2017 bringing more than 16,000 people to TFAC. And with 2019 looming, expect a series of special events to mark the 50th anniversary.

Observes Marianne Carruth, executive director of TFAC, “From the bluegrass and old-time music classes taught by local traditional musicians of Pacolet Junior Appalachian Musicians, to the world-class classical music presented by Tryon Concert Association, there’s truly something for everybody in Tryon.

We are fortunate for the founders’ vision that placed a 315-seat auditorium in this small county.”

The founding of TFAC was spearheaded by a prominent Tryon citizen, Violet Erskine Parish-Watson, who had taken notice of the fact that, at the time, the local arts scene lacked a center of gravity, leaving local arts and crafts organizations to fend for themselves at whatever spaces might be available on any given date; the town’s two performing arts groups, Tryon Little Theater and Tryon Concert Association, had to stage their plays and concerts in what was charitably described as “less-thanideal” venues. Parish-Watson felt a central civic auditorium where those plays and concerts, along with lectures, films, arts demonstrations, and meetings could be held, was the answer, and she devised an ingenious means of achieving her vision by tapping into community engagement: Her $25,000 bequest came with the stipulation that it be matched within one year via a public subscription model of a minimum of 100 gifts.

(Think of this strategy as an early example of Kickstarter-style 14

| October 2018

WINDSYNC per forming

DANCE ABOUT Any thing Program

Jeremy Tufts, Southern Cross Pictures

JAMES PAYNE, Tr yon civic leader, in the TFAC Galler y

crowdfunding.) Partnering with Tryon Little Theater, the executors of Parish-Watson’s estate rolled out the plan, and in late 1967 ground was broken for a 315-seat auditorium, gallery, meeting, and classroom space.

Nowadays, a half-century later, TFAC is a hugely popular destination that regularly presents concerts and theater alongside themed exhibits, collaborations between arts

“We are home or sometimes home away from home to many arts organizations when they are reaching out to a big audience.” groups, and special arts-in-education classes and hands-on experiences for the public. In 2013 TFAC also opened the 200seat Peterson Amphitheater, which features an impressive view of the Blue Ridge Mountains. In 2016 TFAC joined with Spartanburg District One Schools in the Partners in Education program of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, a program that operates upon the premise; “Teachers’ professional learning is an essential component of any effort designed to increase the artistic literacy of young people.”

An additional point of pride: TFAC was recently named a Designated Partner of the North Carolina Arts Council (NCAC) and will serve as the official arts council of Polk County; as an area grantmaker, TFAC is involved in subgranting Grassroots Arts Program grants from the NCAC. October 2018 | capitalatplay.com

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insight

“We are home or sometimes home away from home to many arts organizations when they are reaching out to a big audience,” says TFAC’s Carruth, proudly.

“We are home base for Children’s Theater Festival, an all-volunteer organization which produces an annual one-day event bringing professional theater and music from all over the country for families.

Tryon Concert Association provides programming in classical music from top-notch international musicians.

“The beauty of this area has drawn a population who are artistically and community minded.

Many artists are homegrown, having a background in traditional arts and crafts, and many artists have moved here for the beauty and the lifestyle.”

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Tryon Little Theater brings live theater often in their own black box theater, but partners with us twice a year to produce musicals that involve local talent.”

Carruth notes that visual artists, both professional and avocational, abound throughout Polk County, and explains, “These artists collaborate with three organizations, Tryon Arts and Crafts, Tryon Painters and Sculptors, and the Upstairs Artspace. Tryon Arts and Crafts was originally under the umbrella of Tryon Fine Arts Center, but is a thriving 501(c)(3) with a professional staff, a gift shop, and programs that draw from throughout the Southeast. Tryon

SUNSET SERIES AT PETERSON Amphitheater, with per formers Fayssoux McLean & Brandon Turner.

Painters and Sculptors, also once under our roof, now has a storefront on Trade Street with a busy class schedule and a beautiful gift shop. The Upstairs is a stunning contemporary art space of regional note, featuring many themed exhibits throughout the year.”

Along with the upcoming anniversary celebration, there’s a capital campaign underway to raise funds for a major renovation of TFAC. The board of directors indicated that the campaign, whose initial phase will involve raising $1.5 million, is intended “to address three major areas: flexibility, accessibility, and efficiency. The three-stage renovation will increase storage facilities, streamline operations, address issues of accessibility for physically impaired patrons, [and create] a new flexible use space for small performances, lectures, classes, and meetings.”

In Polk County interest in the arts is as strong as it has ever been. “The arts scene here has a broad-based level of

community support that's unusual for a rural county of 19,000,” notes Carruth. “The beauty of this area has drawn a population that are artistically and community minded. Many artists are homegrown, having a background in traditional arts and crafts, and many artists have moved here for the beauty and the lifestyle. Many of our new neighbors have moved here because of the availability of quality arts in the area. Retirees from major cities come to the area and have an appreciation for the arts, and are very supportive of visual and performing arts and crafts, both as patrons and volunteers.”

For nearly 50 years, Tryon Fine Arts Center has played a major part in helping drive that interest in the arts. Here’s to the next 50.

Schedules and more details can be found online: www.tryonarts.org

October 2018 | capitalatplay.com

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ALICIA ARMSTRONG | October 2018

Selling, BUT NO Sellout written by marl a hardee milling

|

photos by anthony harden

In-demand artist Alicia Armstrong’s career is a shining example of someone who decided one day to take the proverbial leap.

October 2018 | capitalatplay.com 19

ARMSTRONG TAKING a canvas off the wall for stretching on stretcher bars.

licia Armstrong defies the cliché of a “tortured artist” who struggles to make a living. The Asheville artist has forged a successful career through hard work, visualization, and an awareness that she can’t do everything herself. Throughout the journey, she takes time to ponder the right questions, such as, “Are you going to be authentic with your work even though there is no guarantee it will pay the bills?”

“A lot of artists kvetch about selling and marketing and ‘selling out,’ so to speak, but they also complain that they’re not selling work,” observes Alicia. “There’s also this notion or idea people have of a starving artist—that if you are an art maker, you are suffering or it’s going to be hard. I love making art that I think is beautiful, but also contemplative. It feels good to share it with the world and have it in people’s homes. I will say, in terms of speaking of business, there’s no way I could do it without a team. I have people that make frames for me, stretch canvases, and I have someone who does administrative work and makes deliveries. You can’t realistically do all of that alone. If you are going to have a business and make a living supporting your kids and your household, you have to have a group or a team or some sort of support system.”

20

| October 2018

She sources local businesses for all of the work she needs that she says is outside of her wheelhouse of talents—the frames, panels, administrative work, and website/brochure copywriting: “I’m supporting the circle of people in business for themselves in Asheville, which is sweet.”

Her support of local businesses even shows in her clothing choices. On this day, she’s wearing a tank top from Homegrown, a popular local restaurant in Asheville. Her hair is tied back, with blonde wisps framing her slender face.

Alicia’s oil paintings flow in two different directions: figurative and abstract. Examples of each are in varied stages of creation around her studio. She normally has about 10 paintings going at once and adorns her canvases with bold designs—some show intricate floral patterns, with figures of people intertwined in the blossoms. Her abstract paintings showcase landscapes, as well as images of people walking hand-in-hand on a beach, or a human and canine friend strolling across a path. Some of her landscapes have a surreal patchwork quilt quality with bold, vibrant colors.

“Having two bodies of work keeps me really engaged in working consistently, and it keeps me interested in the work I’m making,” she explains. “It also allows me to have different markets in terms of galleries. Some show just the figurative work; others show just the abstract.”

She paints daily in her studio, located in the same building as the Attic Salt Theatre Company on Riverside Drive near Woodfin. It’s a few miles away from the community of artists in the River Arts District, but she prefers it that way. She’s close enough to collaborate with other artists, including the three that she shares studio space with, but she enjoys the privacy of creating without a lot of interruptions.

She has been sharing space with artist Spencer Herr for a long time, but she also enjoys the camaraderie with the other artists who share the space, Kevin Palme and Fox Smith. They discuss colors, composition, and whether or not a certain piece is working.

“I look at it as an office space where we’re all working for different companies,” she says. “We are all working for ourselves, but we all have the same end goal in mind. We all do it differently.

Spencer sells a lot more direct to clients and works less with galleries than I do, but his work is also very different.”

Trial and Error Alicia was born in Michigan and moved with her family to Columbia, South Carolina, when she was five. After graduating from high school, she spent a year at the University of South Carolina, but then took a year off from college after her sister October 2018 | capitalatplay.com

21

FINISHED FIGURATIVE Pisces from recent “Emergence” series.

was paralyzed in a bad car accident. She then made her move to Asheville to attend the University of North Carolina. She had spent time in the area attending summer camps and remembered it with fondness. “I know it sounds weird, but I remembered the smell of Asheville,” she says. “You know how you come up the mountain and it has that smell? I just remembered it and how lush it was.”

During her years completing her Bachelor of fine arts degree at UNC-Asheville, she really didn’t have a concrete plan for how she would market her work, but she knew she wanted to be a studio artist instead of a teacher.

“I thought I might be one of those who waited tables and tried to hustle my art work.”

She landed a full-time job with a studio, working on image editing during studio hours as well as doing wedding shoots on weekends.That work went on for a decade, but after marrying and having her first son, in 2003, she transitioned to a part-time schedule, which freed some time to return to painting. It was an outlet for her to have something of her own, but it soon became 22

| October 2018

a money-making venture. She realized she could contribute to the family income while being home with her boys—her second son came along three years after the first—doing something she loved.

Meanwhile, finding buyers for her art became a trial and error process. She rented space in places like the Kress Emporium in downtown Asheville. She set up booths at art fairs and festivals, and she reached out to galleries, and eventually started selling in a small gallery in Columbia.

“I had my hands in a lot of different baskets trying to piecemeal something together, and as time went on, and as I got into more galleries, that became a more streamlined way of working for me,” she recalls. “When you start out, you say ‘yes’ to everything, but you can spread yourself too thin. I think the closer and more honed in your vision is for your career, you start saying ‘no’ to more things. That starts clarifying your vision, and then when you say ‘yes’ it’s in alignment with your vision.”

At this point in her career, Alicia is primarily focused on selling her work through galleries, although she occasionally has individuals contact her for a commissioned piece. About 75 to 80 percent of her business comes through gallery sales, while 10 to 15 percent is from selling direct to consumers. Most of the galleries she works with span the East Coast, but she also has some paintings in Canada and California.

Her work is currently featured in 11 galleries—including the Haen Gallery on Biltmore Avenue in Asheville; Sozo Gallery in Charlotte; Jules Place in Boston; The Shayne Gallery in Montreal; Gardner Colby Gallery in Naples, Florida; and Bryant Street Gallery in Palo Alto, California—and she doesn’t plan on adding more. “If each gallery has between five and eight paintings, that’s over 70 paintings of art out in the market. That feels like my cap,” she says. (Galleries along with examples of her art can be found at www.aliciaarmstrong. com. It doesn’t contain her full body of work, but it does contain solid representations of her diversity and talent.)

Failure is Inevitable Finding a path as a self-employed artist leads to stumbling blocks along the way, but Alicia October 2018 | capitalatplay.com 23

MITR A SADEGHIAN (R) works with Alicia Armstrong

says that’s part of the process. “You have to take a step and you will fail,” she says. “You’ll say, ‘I won’t try that again,’ and do something different.

Selling a few of her images to an art publishing company ranks as one of her biggest self-professed failures. She sold a handful of prints of her artwork to a company that makes

up in the search. Needless to say, she didn’t view Walmart as the ideal showcase for her work.

Alicia had sold the images for two reasons—she saw it as a potential form of income and also as a way to allow people access to her work even if they couldn’t afford to buy an original.

“I would say it was a failed experiment,” she admits. “It didn’t work out very well either way.”

She has also experienced failure after forcing ideas on a series of paintings when her inspiration well had run dry. The wistful paintings had sort of a fantasy/ surreal vibe to them—one showed a dog jumping through hoops impossibly high in the air; another shows an image of her son.

“I did 21 paintings, and toward the end, I wasn’t 100% engaged in what I was making,” she says. “It felt really bad. I was putting work out there that wasn’t super authentic. That’s the trick of money and art.

They were selling really well, so I was doing more of them. I started feeling the pressure that these are selling so I should make more, but the ideas had expired within me.

I kept going and they didn’t sell. I guess the last 10 I did, I ended up painting over or I still have a couple around.”

“A whole new relationship starts with your work. We need each other to thrive.

It becomes a partnership. I developed a much more personal relationship with my work after I invested more in it.” posters, but that company also sells to other companies, and unbeknownst to her, one of her prints landed on Walmart’s website. That created some gnashing of teeth when a prospective client Googled her name and the print came 24

| October 2018

LINING UP A canvas over stretcher bars prior to stapling it on

CUT TING EXCESS canvas af ter being stretched

A PIECE ON display at the Haen Galler y in Asheville

HANGING A PAINTING to determine any needed f inishing details

Alicia contended with failure in her personal life as well when her marriage fell apart. Yet this ultimately yielded a positive result by propelling her into a serious relationship with her art. She realizes that without her divorce, she may not have reached the success she currently enjoys as an artist. It made her dig deep and become committed to using her talent to pay the bills.

“When I was married, I found myself making excuses for why I wouldn’t be able to make it,” she says.

Facing life as a single mom, she pushed those thoughts aside and realized she could join the rat race and start waiting tables or working in an office, or she could do what she loves most and make it work. Between those two scenarios, she realized she didn’t even have a choice.

“You really don’t have room for thoughts other than it will work out. Then a whole new relationship starts with your work. It’s like we need each other. I need you, you make me sane, and you need me. We need each other to thrive. It becomes a partnership. I developed a much more personal relationship with my work after I invested more in it. I invested more financially in it. I invested more emotionally in it. It became more of a commitment.

October 2018 | capitalatplay.com 25

“ W he n I l o ok a t s u c c e s s f u l entrepreneurs and people in business who are multi-millionaires, they didn’t view it as a choice to make it work or not to work,” she continues. “That’s what I glean the most from people who made it. They said, ‘I’m going to do this.’ What people misunderstand about artists is that bills and your children and healthy food and having and paying for shelter are the biggest motivators in the world.”

She also knows she is the guiding example for her two sons, who are 12 and 15 years old. She’s fine with whatever career path they choose, but wants to be an example of following a dream to show them that it can be a reality.

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Crunching the Numbers The gallery price tag of Alicia’s work can be a bit deceiving when it comes to her income as an artist. That’s because the galleries take 50 percent of the retail price. Then you have to take in consideration all of the overhead—the supplies, materials, shipping, taxes, etc.

“If you sell a $10,000 painting, you’re probably going to wind up with three grand in your pocket,” says Alicia. “I feel like you wind up with 30 to 40 percent at the end of the day of the retail value... I think the general public doesn’t realize why art is so expensive.”

She has a set pricing structure for her paintings so there will be consistency among the galleries. Sometimes a client might spot a painting on her website that is in another state, so she wants to make sure the pricing is the same across all the galleries.

“I pretty much stick to a formula,” she explains. “It’s around $3.30 per square inch, give or take, based on the size or whether it’s framed.”

Here are some examples: a 30”x 30” painting sells for $3,100 ($3.50 per square inch), while a 60”x 60” piece of Alicia’s art retails for $10,800 ($3 per square inch). “I feel like the main price range I sell in is between $4,000 and $6,000,” she says. “That’s my hot spot.”

READY TO SHIP a new painting to Studio E galler y in Palm Springs, FL October 2018 | capitalatplay.com 27

Her pricing has increased as she’s honed her skills and reputation as a professional artist. When she started, she sold paintings for $1.50 per square inch.

While the pricing follows a formula, sales are much more impossible to predict. Some of her best months have been in February. It’s hit or miss every year in terms of which gallery is selling the most. One year, Haen in Asheville was her top seller.

Gallery director Chris Foley notes that Alicia’s work, which was referred to them by “a very well-respected artist friend,” has been on display there for five years, has sold very well, and that they hope to continue the relationship for years to come.

“I am constantly delighted by her fresh and inventive approach to her work,” says Foley. “We receive very positive feedback to Alicia's work. Her paintings seem to stimulate the imagination of the viewer and leave room for individual interpretation.”

Other years, it’s been a gallery in Florida or Charleston where Alicia struck a deep chord among fans and collectors. “There has been no rhyme or reason to the season or month,” she says.

“In places like Montreal or Boston, the winters are slower, but that’s not always true. Sometimes people are nesting and want to redo their house in the winter. Art is a timeless commodity.”

Because her boys are still in school, she tries to carve out a lot of free time in the summer to spend with them. This means CAPOct18

9/4/18

2:56 PM

that she increases production of her paintings in the late winter and early spring. Fall is usually a time of generating new ideas and preparing for the increased workflow.

Continually Evolving as an Artist Her growth as an artist includes re-evaluating her content choices and discovering what she is most passionate about.

When something stops feeling fun to her, she steps back and reconsiders. Her goal is to work smarter, not harder.

“I really don’t like painting small, but I was doing it,” she says as an example. “It’s tricky because the price point is lower and they have a higher chance of selling, but they take me longer than the big ones. I was struggling more because it was causing a bottleneck of getting work done. If it’s causing issues and you’re not coming at it with the joy and freshness you have for painting, then it’s not going to have that feeling that my work has, which is fresh, organic, and flowy. That’s one area I’m trying to figure out now. Monthly, there are similar questions that I grapple with.”

She has also learned to be flexible when approached with special requests. At first she felt hesitation when a couple asked her for a commissioned work. It was patterned after a painting

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| October 2018

she had completed, but they wanted the girl to wear a pink dress and a pink bow. “At first I was resistant,” she says, “Then I was

“Whether it’s a relationship or business, when you do something new it’s like stepping off into the unknown and it’s super uncertain and scary; so it’s hard to make that leap, especially when you are making your own work.” like, ‘You know what—the composition and narration are my idea and she wants this color—is that worth getting my panties in a wad?’ I asked myself, ‘How do I feel about that?’ I realized that I didn’t mind. When people make strange requests, as an

artist I feel that you can see it as an offense or as a challenge.

I totally just see it as a challenge, and I’m happy to take it on.”

She’s content working in her Asheville studio, but she doesn’t rule out packing up her oil paints and canvases and creating in other locations.

“I would always want to keep a residence here,” she says, “but I do think about traveling more and living parts of the year in other places. I don’t feel married to only working in Asheville, but I certainly do consider it home.”

She has a law of attraction approach to growing and sustaining her business, and that includes being laser focused on her desired outcome, as well as not being afraid to take a leap.

“Whether it’s a relationship or business, when you do something new it’s like stepping off into the unknown and it’s super uncertain and scary; so it’s hard to make that leap, especially when you are making your own work,” she says.

“You have to have faith that you’re a good painter and you will make new work. You’ll get doors shut. Knock on another one.

“Like anything in life, if you keep at it, it will come to you.

You’re calling it to yourself.”

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CAROLINA in the

WEST [

news briefs

Outlaws avery county

A very popular business, given five stars on Facebook, Google, and TripAdvisor, where it was ranked the #1 Thing to Do in Beech Mountain, has packed up and relocated. The decision to move followed the Beech Mountain Town Council’s vote to enforce its ordinance governing off-road vehicles. Off the Grid Mountain Adventures was running a utility task vehicle business; the vehicles, which are also known as side-by-sides, are fourwheel-drive vehicles designed for driving off-road. For $89, guests could rent a Honda Pioneer 500 and go mud-splashing through wild forests, enjoying streams, wildlife, and spectacular views. The vehicle offered automatic and manual options and terrain sufficiently accessible or challenging for drivers of any level. Off

]

the Grid also runs a zipline operation in Elizabethton, Tennessee. It features a 3,000-ft. line, 300 feet above a canyon floor; dual lines for racing; a 50-ft., 50mph swing; and a 60-ft. tower jump. Owners Monie and Janice McCoury began their outdoor adventure business career running the first commercial zipline in Boone. The attraction was acclaimed by the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and USA Today. Given a month to get off the mountain, the McCourys moved operations to Banner Elk, where they opened for business in August.

WideOpen Online macon county

The Town of Highlands hopes to sign a broadband contract with WideOpen Networks in October. Highlands is among

many areas in Western North Carolina with terrain challenging for internet access. It sits high above the Cullasaja Gorge, accessible only by twisty, turning roads. Topography was similarly prohibitive when the town was trying to get electricity in the early 1900s. Then, there were the legal difficulties. In 2011 the North Carolina courts ruled municipalities couldn’t compete with private internet providers. The decision was reversed in 2014, due to a complaint from, among other municipalities, Highlands; but the reversal was struck down in 2016.

During that two-year window, Highlands swung into action and created Altitude Community Broadband. Altitude installed 10-miles of fiberoptic cable providing 50 Mbps to over 300 customers. Unlike in other Western North Carolina communities, money was no object for Highlands, an affluent retirement community. The network is still active, but to make it accessible, superfast, and legal, Highlands and WideOpen will both invest $3 million in new broadband infrastructure. Once the buildout is complete, WideOpen will pay the town a percent of profits until its investment is repaid. WideOpen will eventually own the entire business, providing internet and selling or leasing unused fiber capacity. The transition is expected to take 18 months. (Check the

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To Home-Grow the Right Stuff western north carolina

A problem local governments have discovered with recruiting high-powered job creators to their jurisdictions is that those employers aren’t hiring from the local population. To better connect the people they represent with jobs, the Mountain Area Workforce Development Board has partnered with chambers of commerce and economic development coalitions to launch The State of Our Workforce, a survey of businesses in ten Western North Carolina counties.

The 20-minute, confidential survey is patterned after one conducted last year in the Triangle area. It asks employers to describe the size, type, and location of their business and how many employees they expect to hire over the next three years. It asks what credentials will be needed for those jobs, what positions the company typically has the hardest time filling, and what qualities in employees – like punctuality or flexibility – are most

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wanting. The survey went live July 16 with ambitions to receive at least 700 responses by September. Responses will be analyzed to identify trends that will inform the state’s workforce development programs.

Retiring with Books henderson county

Shelley’s Jewelry, a mainstay in downtown Hendersonville, is closing. After a second heart attack, owner Stan Shelley decided he wanted to spend his remaining years focusing on what he really wanted to do. Shelley first considered selling the business, but brokers convinced him this would likely take longer than he intended to remain engaged with it.

So, he worked with a liquidator to wind the business down. All merchandise was marked-down 30%-70%, and previous customers were invited to a presale. The sale would continue until the inventory was gone. Shelley and his wife, Jane, are now focusing on their other passion: rare books. They own Shelley and Son Books, which, while doing most of its business online, has been operating out of the same building as the jewelry store.

They also recently acquired Noah’s Ark Book Attic in Tryon, which carries a

carolina in the west

wealth of rare books, many dating back to the 15th, 16th, and 17th centuries.

The move will also afford the Shelleys more family time. Shelley said the part of the jewelry business he will miss most will be working with people during the happiest times of their lives. Shelley’s was opened by Stan’s father, Keith, in 1973, and Stan has worked there since 1979. Stan became the owner in 2010 when his dad passed.

All Under One Roof henderson county

During a capital improvement projects update at a regularly-scheduled meeting of the Henderson County Commissioners, Commissioner Tommy Thompson was surprised to learn the new emergency management headquarters would bear his name. The facility, located at the former location of the Balfour School, will combine the county’s ambulance, rescue, and EMS services under one roof. The consolidation is a trending best-practice that allows emergency service providers to pool state-of-theart facilities and resources. Planning for the 57,000-sq.-ft. facility began in 2014 with a $13.67 million estimate capped at $14.5 million. It finished on-time and

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carolina in the west

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The North Carolina Department of Transportation (DOT) has decided to construct two roundabouts at the entrance to Pisgah National Forest on the US 64/NC 280 corridor between Hendersonville and Brevard. Planning for improvements began over ten years ago, when the DOT foresaw an increase in traffic of about 30% of today’s levels by 2040. The alternative would have been to add turn lanes at the intersections that currently have traffic signals.

During the project’s public comment period, 37 citizens voiced their preferences. Most favored the roundabout, as did the traffic engineers, for its aesthetics, safety protections, and superior capacity for maintaining a smooth traffic flow. The next steps will be for the DOT to draft a detailed design and perform an environmental impact study.

To what extent adjacent properties will be affected as rights of way are acquired has yet to be determined, but it is likely two residences will be bought out and some parking space for commercial activities will be acquired. Right-ofway acquisition will begin in 2019, and construction should start in 2021.

| October 2018

Life’s Simple Pleasures henderson county

Hendersonville’s 72nd annual North Carolina Apple Festival was a hit. The

rain held off, and temperatures reaching the high 80s only helped chilled cider sales. An estimated 275,000 showed up to celebrate the apple industry’s multi-million-dollar impact on Henderson County’s economy, beating last year’s total of 227,000. In the opening ceremonies, state and local dignitaries sang the praises of regional apple growers, one of whom, Marvin Lively of Lively Farms, was named Apple Farmer of the Year for 50 years of hard work and generosity with his expertise.

Display winners were announced; and Olive Vasquez, a 6-year-old with cancer, was honored for traveling all the way from Jacksonville, Florida, with the help of Dreams Come True, to realize her life’s ambition of picking a fresh apple off a tree. For four days, visitors enjoyed the offerings of over 100 vendors. Some sold apple ice cream or apple doughnuts, and others sold crafts like jewelry or demonstrated their arts. The stores on Main Street remained open. As always, the event closed on Labor Day with the King Apple Parade. An estimated 60,000 lined the street to watch floats, bands, community groups, and antique cars celebrate the harvest.

Lost Among the Reptiles haywood county

A minor, technical change to state law slipped by leadership in Waynesville.

The town manager, assistant town manager, town attorneys, and director of development services didn’t catch the change in legislation passed October 1 of last year requiring a stated rationale in motions to approve or deny zoning amendments. The town appears to be unique in missing the change. The measure was somewhat obscure, having been passed in a 44-page bill covering 50 unrelated items including private well permitting, Wildlife Resources Commission privacy policies, antique automobile definitions, school recycling programs, and the regulation and disposition of certain reptiles. But it was

discussed in, among other venues, a state planners’ conference in Greenville, an update published by the North Carolina Chapter of the American Planners Association, a University of North Carolina School of Government blog, and a blog by the North Carolina Home Builders Association. Regardless, the town has decided to redo five rezoning measures enacted since then. The town is not admitting any wrongdoing, having maintained the “spirit of the law.” However, it is less expensive to repeat the procedures, with the statutory noticing delays, than to pay $40,000 per lawsuit should somebody decide to challenge the town.

Awarding Agencies western north carolina

M i s sion He a lt h’s C om mu n it y Investment Program awarded over $965,000 to a total of 24 agencies serving community needs in Western North Carolina this year. Awardees were selected for their alignment with this year’s priorities, which were decided through conversations held in each of the 18 counties Mission serves. This year’s priorities were: (1) behavioral health, including substance abuse, and its role in interpersonal violence; (2) chronic disease; and (3) social drivers of health risks, especially homelessness and food-insecurity. The agencies selected showed strength in partnering with other agencies to demonstrably improve health outcomes among the region’s most vulnerable. Awardees ran the gamut from the YMCA and YWCA, MANNA FoodBank, homeless agency Homeward Bound, workforce developer Green Opportunities, and Transylvania Christian Ministry. President and CEO Ron Paulus, M.D. says the grants are, “just one of the many ways Mission Health works to impact the health and well-being of Western North Carolina residents.” Mission runs six hospitals and multiple satellite centers and employs 12,000.

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carolina in the west

No Drive-Thru Games - Yet

Come and Get It!

Thoughtful Food

cherokee county

buncombe county

swain county

Tarts! Pasties! Shrimp and tangerines!

Heart-shaped pone! The Folk School Cookbook: A Collection of Seasonal Favorites from John C. Campbell Folk School is now available. Since the last one was compiled over 25 years ago, the release warranted a special party at the school. For the new edition, author and Resident Artist in Cooking Nanette Davidson curated over 200 recipes from the dining hall. Arranged by season, they include Southern Appalachian favorites, as well as main courses, sides, and treats shared from around the world in courses taught at the school through the years. The book is illustrated with high-quality, colorful photography by Keather Gougler, as well as old-fashioned handmade illustrations

by Sara Boggs. It also includes a history of the school featuring high-quality photographs culled from the archives.

The 336-page book retails for $29.95, and it is available online and at the school’s Craft Shop. The Folk School has been operating for over 90 years, offering community-building opportunities through classes in “song, art, nature, gardening, cooking, storytelling, and writing.”

Western Carolina University (WCU), Eblen Charities, and Ingles Markets have entered into a partnership to provide a food pantry for graduate students tak ing classes at WCU ’s Biltmore Park campus. One of the biggest proponents of the concept was Beth Copeland, a graduate student at WCU who is also a World Wrestling Entertainment professional. The idea came about while talking to a fellow graduate student about shopping on a budget. WCU’s Center for Service Learning was onboard with the idea, which is consistent with the university’s concern for all aspects of student wellness; and Eblen Charities’ CEO Bill Murdock agreed students trying to better their lives shouldn’t have to worry about procuring adequate food. The program will be an extension of the Ingles/Eblen Food for Thought program that has been helping to fight hunger in public schools throughout Western North Carolina. The food pantry will be stocked with first-rate, full-menu selections – not discount groceries – for graduate students and their families.

It will also stock items for personal hygiene and household goods.

The Cherokee Tribal Council unanimously agreed to transfer 4.7 acres of tribal land to the Tribal Casino Gaming Enterprise for a parking lot. The plot is located across the street from the existing parking area for Harrah’s Cherokee Casino. More space was needed to accommodate visitors to the amenities offered by new expansions. In January the tribe announced plans to invest $200 million in 600-800 new hotel rooms and 100,000 square feet of convention space.

The expansion was warranted because the casino’s existing 1,100 hotel rooms were running a 1% vacancy rate yearround. The tribe recently acquired the land as a first step in acquiring all the run-down properties across the street.

This parcel was the site of the old Soco Valley Motel owned by Norma Rae Hardin and Ursula Anne Hardin Maunder. The Hardins were the first to sell to the tribe for the appraised value of the land only, which was $3.575 million. The buildings had depreciated to the point they were a liability, in need of removal. The land price is especially high, as the properties are located in Paint Town, an area known for its prime real estate.

FA LL: A PER F EC T TIME TO PL A N T

34

| October 2018

Instead of Debating Esoteric Philosophies

Caring Is Sharing

henderson county

Madison County was identified as a “Bright Spot” in a study assessing the health of Appalachia. Research published by the Appalachian Regional Commission, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky also noted Henderson and Alleghany counties performed better than expected for rural mountain areas.

Appalachian counties typically have higher rates of child poverty, diabetes, uninsured patients, drug and alcohol use, preventable hospitalizations, teen birth, infant mortality, suicide, and more. By contrast, Madison County had impressive outcomes in 13 of the 19 categories probed. Suggested explanations include the four primary and urgent-care clinics run by Hot Springs Health Program. With extended evening and weekend hours, the program provides laboratory services, X-rays, home health, prescription filling, outpatient physical therapy, and other services not typically available from clinics. Another strength is the sense of community that pervades assistance programs like the Lord’s Harvest, which collects donations from throughout the state to provide food staples to food-insecure children. Even the sheriff’s

Henderson County Public Schools was one of 16 school districts to receive second-round funding from the North Carolina General Assembly’s Coding and Mobile App Development Grant Program.

The $40,000 received will support the district’s Community of Code program.

Community of Code is a partnership in which high-school freshmen and sophomores enroll in a North Carolina Department of Public Instruction course called creative coding through games and apps. Completion of the course will give students the prerequisites for a 16-semester-hour course, career and college promise, which high-school students may take to earn certificates from Blue Ridge Community College in simulation and game development with credits applicable toward the college’s Associate in Applied Science degree in simulation and game development. In addition to coding coursework, enrollees in the Community of Code enjoy internships, mentoring, summer camps, college visits, and hackathons where they solve real-world problems for their school and local businesses.

madison county

department helps by carrying donated supplies to the schools. The county also has a proactive health department.

Title 15 henderson county

Pardee UNC Health Care has applied to the state for a Certificate of Need to construct an ambulatory surgery center in Mills River. The hospital purchased the parcel in question in 2015 for $1.75 million, and at the time was noncommittal in specifying a purpose. President and CEO James Kirby only said the hospital would engage in due diligence to respond appropriately to increasing demand from a growing population. Pardee has since opened an urgent-care facility on the property. The new surgery center would help the hospital deal with an increasing volume of outpatient surgery. In the application the hospital proposed decertifying two inpatient operating rooms at its main facility and bringing two rooms for outpatient surgery and two rooms for medical procedures online in Mills River.

The state should make a decision about the hospital’s application sometime this winter.

Pardee is a nonprofit community hospital with several satellite facilities, and UNC Health Care manages its operations.

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Lower School Q&A October 17 Key School Open House October 24

Middle School Open House October 24 Upper School Open House October 24

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sheville and Western North Carolina may be known for beer, but we’re $$$also making our name in music and the rest of_ the creative arts, according to recent studies that for the first time provide + tools that =the region can use to build its “creative sector.”

The studies suggest what residents already know—Asheville’s reputation as a national arts center is growing, drawing “creatives” from all over the world. The downside, the studies (and experience) suggest, is that the area is becoming too expensive for many arts professionals already here. For better or worse, the region is booming.

Take the Asheville-area music scene.

Employment in the sector grew four times faster than expected between 2010-2016, according to a study of the local music industry, conducted by the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce Economic Development Coalition (EDC) and the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce Research Center (more on that below). In eight years’ time, the core of music industry employment, led by musical groups, artists, and instrument manufacturers, grew

_

$$$ a “staggering” 76%—778 jobs—according to _ an Asheville-Buncombe County Economic + Development Coalition study = that cites a tool that brought together never-before-compiled data on the region’s creative sector.

And consider the Asheville-area visual arts and literary scene. The tool cited above— the$$$ Creative Vitality Suite—counted 2,629 photographers, writers and authors, graphic _ designers, and fine artists in 2016. They were among the+7,993 “creative jobs” in Buncombe = year, according to the Creative County that Vitality Suite, a software tool that analyzes “creative” industry labor data of nonprofit and for-profit organizations, as well as of self-employed artists. By comparison, there were 2,571 jobs in the local brewery industry, according to the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce. (According to CVSuite.org, “The Creative Vitality Index compares the per capita concentration of creative activity in two regions. Data on creative industries, occupations, and cultural nonprofit revenues are indexed using a population-based calculation. The resulting CVI Value shows a region’s vitality compared to another region.”)

October 2018 | capitalatplay.com 37

$$

local industry

$ 2016 Creative Jobs $

OCCUPATIONS WITH THE GREATEST NUMBER OF JOBS

$$$ $$$ _ _ + =

PHOTOGRAPHERS $$$

1,036

_ + =

+ =

MUSICIANS & SINGERS

WRITERS & AUTHORS

GRAPHIC DESIGNERS

FINE ARTS

769

752

513

328

$$$

_

+ =

Statistics from Snapshot of the Arts in Buncombe County 2016 by Creative Vitality Suite created 3/26/2018

Also compare the earnings by local brewery workers to those made by “creatives.” Earnings by the region’s creative sector in 2016 dwarfed that of the beer industry in 2017—$398 million vs. $111 million. Asheville may have more breweries per capita than any other city in America, according to Explore Asheville Convention & Visitors Bureau (jobs in the local brewing industry grew 754 percent from 2011-2016), but it has considerably more people working in the creative arts sector compared to the alcohol sector. Research by the Chamber of Commerce indicates that if the economy continues as it has, the area will continue to attract creatives at the same rate for the next three to five years, the Chamber’s CEO Kit Cramer says.

“A s t a lent e d a s ou r re g ion i s i n entrepreneurial activity and creativity, there is no reason this part of our economy cannot continue to grow,” she says. The arts are so important to Asheville and Buncombe County that they are a “support structure,” along with infrastructure, education, and community development, in AVL 5X5 Vision 2020, a local five-year job creation plan that the Economic Development Coalition unveiled in 2015.

All that growth could be imperiled, however, by the area’s high cost of living—and its impact on artists and other creatives.

“We know that Asheville has a tremendous creative sector that has significantly shaped 38

| October 2018

the region’s identity and culture for the past 100 years,” Stephanie Moore, executive director of the Center for Craft Creativity & Design (CCCD) in Asheville, has said. “We also know that many artists and creatives are leaving due to the rapidly increasing cost of living, putting Asheville’s culture at risk.”

Growing… and Growing Pains Lots of metrics point to Buncombe County’s swelling reputation nationally as an arts center. The arts are a significant reason why Asheville was called a “Best Place to Go” by Frommer’s in 2015 and a “Top City for Art Lovers” by AARP in 2015.

They’re why the National Center for Arts Research pegged Asheville eighth among its 10 most vibrant medium-sized arts communities. Nearly two out of three nonBuncombe County residents surveyed in 2016 said the main reason they visited the Asheville area was to attend an arts event, Americans for the Arts reported.

Meanwhile, Rolling Stone magazine has cited the Orange Peel, a music venue with a 1,000-plus capacity, as one of the leading music venues in the Southeast. In 2017, Fast Company magazine named Moog Music Inc., an electronic music gear creator and innovator in Asheville since 1978, as one of the “World’s Most Innovative Companies.”

With a population of 256,090, Buncombe County has a “creativity vitality” index—a per-capita concentration of creative activity— one quarter higher than the national average, according to the aforementioned Creative Vitality Suite. That’s likely true in part because of the number of creative professionals who prefer Asheville, a collaborative city of 92,000 that the United States Census predicts will grow seven percent by 2022, to crowded, competitive job markets elsewhere.

The number of artists that Stefanie Gerber, executive director of the Asheville Area Arts Council, has seen in the two and a half years she has lived here “has just exploded,” she says. Asheville and Western North Carolina have long been known for the arts, but this recent explosion of fine artists and craftspeople follows the development of the Asheville’s River Arts District, as well as the region’s storied history as a national center of craft, she says.

Between 2010-2016, a time when jobs in the music industry in the United States grew 12%, Buncombe County’s music sector grew 52%, greatly outpacing the 16% overall industry job growth in the county during the same period, according to a 2016 study (the “Asheville Music Industry Cluster Analysis and Economic Impact”) conducted by the EDC with assistance from the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce Research Center.

The Tennessee city, of course, is another music mecca, and the Nashville Chamber assisted because the researcher there “agreed something noteworthy was happening in music in our region,” the Asheville Chamber’s Cramer says.

But with growth comes growing pains.

As is true in San Francisco and New York City, Asheville has a decreasing amount of housing that many of its residents, including artists, consider affordable. And the lack of it is keeping some creatives away or driving them out of town.

“I have no idea why an artist would move to Asheville now. It’s not sustainable at all,” says singer/songwriter Chelsea Lynn LaBate (a/k/a Ten Cent Poetry), who not long ago moved to Africa from Asheville, a place she used to consider affordable. “Rent is more than what I paid in New York City before the 2008 recession.”

A study done in 2015 for the CCCD, in partnership with the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce, cites a dire need for affordable space that artists can live and work in. Done

by Artspace Consulting, a Minneapolis-based, national nonprofit real estate developer of affordable space for the arts, the study indicates artists can afford up to $750 a month for space they can live and work in. But the average monthly rent for a one-bedroom apartment in Asheville is $985, and $1,195 for a two-bedroom apartment, according to Rent Jungle, an online search engine portal for people hunting places to rent. Too many once-affordable spaces in town are being converted to short-term rentals, a focus group told Artspace.

The cost of real estate in Asheville is driving creative communities outside of Buncombe County. The counties of Mitchell and Yancey have a vibrant scene, partly because housing and studio space are much more affordable and partly because of Penland School of Crafts, a nationally known school in Mitchell County that has prompted many of its instructors and students to move to the area. (See “Learning To Be A Maker” in the October 2017 issue of this magazine for a profile of the Penland School.)

Some of what has drawn the new in labor income was accounted transplants to those two counties is for, adding to household income the support they’ve received from in Buncombe County. fellow artists, says Robin Dreyer, Penland School communications manager. “People like to be around From the study on Music Industry other people who are doing the same thing Asheville-Buncombe County they’re doing,” he says. “Especially when Economic Impact, conducted you’re trying to make a living through art and by the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce Economic craft—not an easy thing to do—it’s helpful Development Coalition (EDC) to have friends trying to do the same thing.” and the Nashville Area Chamber The art scene in Jackson County has of Commerce Research Center grown in the eight years that Denise Drury Homewood has been there. Western Carolina University’s Bardo Arts Center, of which Homewood is executive director, has a 1,000seat performance hall, as well as the Fine Art Museum that draw visitors from several surrounding counties.

The museum’s collection of contemporary Native American Art is helping raise the

$

$96.4 Million

October 2018 | capitalatplay.com 39

local industry

discourse about art locally while providing a national platform for Native American artists, Homewood says. “What’s happening here is that we have a variety of visual art and craft galleries who, like us, are not just throwing art up on the wall. We’re doing research to learn more about the work. There’s a wave of education happening.”

She noted a recent Fine Art Museum exhibition by Joshua Adams, an Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians carver who had just curated an exhibition at the Museum of the Cherokee Indian, in Cherokee, of millennial-generation artists who are also members of the Eastern Band.

“I would say there are a lot of people out here doing research,” Homewood says.

She couldn’t say whether the Native American art alone is drawing creatives to Jackson County. But something that is, she believes, is the Jackson County Green Energy Park, a county-run facility that uses methane from an old landfill to power a forge, a glass studio, and other spaces for artists. Situated “at the intersection of art and engineering, it’s attracted many artists to the area who are interested in reducing their carbon footprint in making their work,” Homewood says.

Another regional draw is Polk County’s Tryon Fine Arts Center, which hosts an impressive range of concerts, theater, dance, and visual arts, additionally offering

arts in education opportunities to the public and operating as a regional grantmaker.

It originally opened in 1969 as a 315-seat auditorium, gallery, meeting, and classroom space and has grown steadily over the years; in 2013 the 200-seat Peterson Amphitheater opened, and currently a capital campaign is underway to fund a much-anticipated expansion. (Go to page 14 to read our separate profile of the Fine Arts Center.)

“The arts scene in Polk County is incredibly strong,” says the Center’s executive director, Marianne Carruth, “with a broad-based level of community support that’s unusual for a rural county of 19,000. The beauty of this area has drawn a population that are artistically and community minded. Many artists are homegrown, having a background in traditional arts and crafts, and many artists have moved here for the beauty and the lifestyle. Many of our new neighbors have moved here because of the availability of quality arts in the area. Retirees from major cities come to the area and have an appreciation for the arts and are very supportive of visual and performing arts and crafts both as patrons and volunteers.”

“A Lot of Individual Hustle” Andrew Fletcher’s life is typical of a successful musician in Asheville who is able to support himself playing music, but

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though he has worked in the area for nearly a decade, even he struggles at times. Tall and slender, the piano player showed up for a midafternoon interview in a downtown Asheville coffee shop recently sporting a well-groomed, pencil-thin moustache. Ordering a breakfast of a bagel and iced coffee (he’d just recently gotten up, having played a late-night gig),

the Grove Park Inn. Recently, at a benefit he played for “some very high rollers,” he was asked to play at Mar-a-Lago, President Donald Trump’s resort in Florida, he says.

Nearly all of Fletcher’s work is local, he says, counting himself fortunate to be among the Asheville musicians who make a living without leaving home. That said, it’s not all

“I like to joke that we are blessed with the curse of too much talent. So many people are creating in this town that there’s starting to be a bit of competition and over-saturation with the number of music venues.” he looked sharp as always, in a black suit with narrow lapels, a crisp white shirt, and a skinny tie with a wicker weave motif. Black hair swept up and away, Fletcher spoke clearly and convincingly about the challenges faced by many area musicians.

It’s not all bad. Like them, he is “riding the wave” of the region’s burgeoning tourism, he says. Playing in several bands and performing solo in between, Fletcher works regularly each week. He has worked himself up to a decent pay grade, generally asking that he and his bandmates each be paid whatever a venue’s fire code is (150=$150). He jokes that he plays places that range from dive bars to

great (late breakfasts aside). He Ubered to the coffee shop, and he was going to Uber to the night’s gig. His car was on the fritz, and he was going to Uber to the parts store so he could fix it himself. He was spending money trying to save money.

“Basically, we’re all freelancers,” Fletcher says of his peers, “so there’s a lot of individual hustle.” In January he has to take a couple weeks off for some work on his right hand, and that means two weeks with no pay. If the convalescence stretches to four weeks, “I’ll be in serious danger of losing everything I’ve worked for—a place to live, a car payment, all that stuff,” he says.

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New hotels in town pay about $100 for a three-hour gig, fellow musician LaBate adds. “If you talk to ‘old school’ songwriters in Asheville, they were getting paid more to perform 20 years ago,” she says in her email from Africa.

“Many of the gigs are tourist gigs now.”

The pay at the hotels is “small beans, but they are friendly and sometimes feed us.”

“I like to joke that we are blessed with the curse of too much talent,” says Danielle Dror, founder of Sabra Music, an artist management and consulting agency in Asheville. “So many people are creating in this town that there’s starting to be a bit of competition and over-saturation with the number of music venues.

“What’s happening,” she continues, “is more people from the outside are coming in that are not aligned with how it’s been. As soon as one establishment says there’s a certain maximum guarantee that they’re going to pay, that becomes the standard elsewhere. And because there are so many musicians here that want a gig, it means the difference between playing in a place for $50 or not playing on a Saturday night at all.

For every musician that dismisses an offer like that, there are twice as many people that will take it. It makes it hard for them to make a living.”

Andrew Fletcher thought about moving to New York City a few years ago.

The reason he didn’t, he says, “is what I fear about the future of Asheville—it is so difficult to afford to live in New York that it’s going to choke off the supply of new people showing up that want to be elevated by the experienced players living there. If Asheville continues on this track of decreasing affordability for working class people like myself, people are going to stop showing up with the work ethic and talent.”

Plus, he says, “government institutions are bailing on arts institutions right now, even though the creative sector is such a contributing factor to major industries such as beer and tourism.”

$

Pulling the Plug… but Opening a Door

Bu ncombe Cou nt y f u nded no ar t s organizations this fiscal year, the first time its staff determined that has happened, according to Rachael Nygaard, the county’s director of strategic partnerships. Among the organizations that county commissioners elected not to renew support this year are the Asheville Area Arts Council, the Asheville Art Museum, and Asheville Community Theatre.

“Cutting funds for the arts was one of several reasons I voted against the budget this year,” says Brownie Newman, the Commission chairman. “You would need to speak with one of the members that voted for the budget to get their perspective on why they decided to do that.”

Emails sent to the other commissioners were not returned. Neither were emails sent to six of seven Asheville City Council members about why they reduced their funding for the arts this year (Vice Mayor Gwen Wisler suggested checking with another office). Mayor Esther Manheimer did offer a statement in which she noted, “The arts are a vital part of Asheville, and truly a part of our identity as a city. The city is investing millions of dollars in the River Arts District, for example, an area with an industrial history, which is now a thriving arts community with studios, store fronts, and education facilities (the RAMP). With regard to the CCCD’s effort to build housing for artists, the city remains a partner in that effort. The city is actively studying the ice house property [on Riverside Drive] for the feasibility of using it for affordable housing.”

This fiscal year, Asheville City Council awarded $7,500 to the Asheville Art Museum, which is undergoing a significant expansion and renovation. It gave the Asheville Area Arts Council $2,500 – down from $5,000 the year before and from $10,000 the year before that. City Council also awarded $40,000 for programming by LEAF Community Arts, an Asheville-based nonprofit organization that brings the arts to communities locally and globally through festivals, community events, and education programs.

“I definitely see Asheville being another Nashville or Cincinnati,” Dror says, “but by

not pouring enough resources into our artists and arts in general, they are making Asheville the opposite of what is so attractive about this town, which is its culture and thriving arts.”

Part of growing the local arts industry is exposing the community to diverse ar tistic her itages, obser ve s Jen n i fer P icker i ng, founder and executive director of LEAF Community Arts. The more inclusive the regional arts scene is, the more successful it will be in cultivating and attracting creatives and others, she believes.

“I’m seeing little signs of it,” she says. “We’re really becoming much a more multicultural, thriving community at all layers and levels.

But the struggle is still there.” were created or supported A few years ago, she went to the by music industry fields.

Orange Peel to hear Baaba Maal, an Employment growth in the internationally known Senegalese music industry outperformed musician, and was disappointed at expectations and grew 4X faster how few people showed up. “So, than expected 2010-2016. some of [growing the local arts industry] is cultivating the larger From the study on Music Industry audience curiosity for the arts Asheville-Buncombe County they don’t know,” Pickering says. LEAF Economic Impact Community Arts is doing that through its LEAF Schools & Streets program that puts international musicians and artists in Buncombe County schools.

“In Asheville we’ve advanced in lots of ways really fast. But some of the pieces haven’t advanced at the same rate,” she says. “The top of the list is housing and the cost of living compared to earnings.”

Before conducting a survey of creatives in town, Artspace Consulting suggested the city of Asheville study the feasibility of an 80-unit housing/studio complex for artists. Artspace looked at 10 sites owned by governmental and institutional organizations and concluded the most probable one is at 81-91 Riverside Drive in the River Arts District—the former ice house that Mayor Manheimer mentioned.

Its subsequent survey of the creative community revealed a much larger need than it had assumed, however—503 of those surveyed said they needed help with housing, prompting Artspace, through its formula, to suggest the city needs up to 168 live/work

3,391 Jobs

October 2018 | capitalatplay.com 43

local industry

units and up to 81 affordable studios, Mike Marcus, project manager at the CCCD, said in August. In the next couple of months, he and other project participants would present the findings to Asheville City Council, since the proposed building site on Riverside Drive is in the city, he said.

No other decisions have been made about the Artspace recommendation, Asheville city community and economic development director, Sam Powers, says. “We realize people in the creative sector add a lot of vitality to the community,” he says. However, the City Council hasn’t singled out any single sector for help with housing, other than low-income residents. The city is addressing affordable housing for artists by addressing it for everyone, he explains.

Powers notes that city voters in $$$ 2016 overwhelmingly approved _ a $74 million bond referendum + that includes $25 million to build = 2,800 affordable housing units by mid-2021. Possible sites for new affordable housing, the city The music industry community development division generated approximately has said, are on six tracts of land the city owns, including one in the River Arts District.

One aspect of the $74 million bond in state and local ($10M) and referendum is the improvement of federal ($22M) tax revenues from the city’s transportation network, transactions such as taxes on including its greenways and bike production and corporate profits. lanes, as well as its parks and These may in turn go towards recreation facilities, Powers says. public services such as public “All the things that creatives and safety, public works, parks, etc. millennials look for when they want to find a place to live are the things the city is concentrating on.”

From the study on Music Industry The city has identified four Asheville-Buncombe County areas—downtown, the South Slope, River Economic Impact Arts District, and north Charlotte Street— as “innovation districts,” a designation that will give the city favorable borrowing rates to enhance the infrastructure of these creative clusters. Innovation districts are hubs of related businesses that typically support each other and grow together. New Belgium Brewing Co.’s decision to build its East Coast brewery (and popular tasting room) on the old stockyard in West Asheville created a hub of outdoor recreation and

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entertainment venues that has given a boost to the riverway masterplan.

“It’s just incredible how many more people are using the river now. New Belgium changed everything,” he says. The city’s role in this creative sector attraction was developing public infrastructure such as river accesses and stormwater drainage.

One thing limiting local music is the cover charge many venues impose to hear local bands, says Matt Peiken, an arts journalist at Blue Ridge Public Radio who moved to Asheville about a year ago from Minneapolis, a city known for its music. He also lived in Cincinnati, where a half-dozen clubs showcase local music for free, contributing to the city’s expansive homegrown music scene, he says—one that Asheville could have too if it presented its music to visitors and residents at a price they’d love.

Mothlight in West Asheville has good audiences for its free local music nights on Mondays. Peiken wonders why other clubs don’t do the same. Music lovers will spend what they would have paid on a cover charge for a high profit-margin drink, he says.

Everybody wins.

Peiken observes that Minneapolis has a lively professional dance scene not only because of the caliber of dance programs at universities there, but also because of the large corporate and philanthropic foundations that provide grants. “That’s a deep canyon of dollars that artists in other cities have,” he says. “We don’t have a philanthropic, corporate scene here when it comes to the arts.”

Setting an Example Chattanooga, Tennessee, does. The Lyndhurst Foundation there helped turn the “wasteland” of south Chattanooga into an electrifying district of art businesses, restaurants, and coffee shops, says Dan Bowers, president of ArtsBuild, Chattanooga’s leading organization for arts programming funding. The foundation also created a program, CreateHere, that was successful in retaining and attracting creative types to the city. Backed by the Lyndhurst Foundation, CreateHere helped entrepreneurs launch more than 110 local businesses that projected sales at more than $8 million.

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local industry

As in Asheville, the arts have played a big role in Chattanooga’s development, Bowers says, but they were led by “a few old-line anchor institutions” that lacked much breadth. Several years ago, when the city decided to recreate its waterfront and when its prestigious Tennessee Aquarium was built, Chattanooga decided to diversify its offerings, the arts among them, he says.

ArtsMove portrayed Chattanooga as “a community that values the arts and artists.”

One reason the arts are so successful in Chattanooga, he says, is a shift in philosophy. Instead of thinking what the community could do for the arts, artists, and arts organizations that created the Imagine Chattanooga 20/20

“People love this city and want to see it thrive. If we keep ‘Asheville spirit’ like Asheville, we can be the next Boulder or Denver. We just can’t forget people with lesser incomes, like our artists, along the way.”

Through its ArtsMove program, ArtsBuild’s predecessor created incentives to lure artists to town, including forgivable mortgages and moving expenses for artists who located downtown and stayed five years. Thirty artists took the offers and added life to the area. More importantly, Bowers says,

plan, they decided to emphasize what the arts could do for job creation, crime prevention, neighborhood revitalization, and other aspects of life in the city. If it hadn’t been for the city’s vibrant arts scene—and some $800 million in federal, state, and local tax incentives—Chattanooga may not have

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been shortlisted for the Volkswagen assembly plant it has now, Bowers believes.

Asheville, too, is growing its visual artists, the Area Arts Council’s Gerber says. Because it’s a beautiful place to live, it attracts fine artists working at a high level, she notes. Building a base that supports them takes time and will likely happen as the city’s reputation as an arts center grows, she says. As the number of visitors increases, so too will the number of buyers, and that in turn will attract additional, highly accomplished painters, sculptors, and new media creators, she says.

Nearly three decades old now, Blue Spiral 1 gallery in downtown Asheville is “like a museum,” Matt Peiken says.

New-ish art and performance galleries like Revolve in the River Arts District and Momentum downtown are building up the city’s fine arts scene. Revolve, barely a year old, exists largely because of one couple’s largess, but it also has a membership program by which supporters chose the amount of money they want to give each month—a novel idea for Asheville and one that is successful in other cities, Peiken says.

Ehren Cruz, performing arts director for LEAF Community Arts, believes many of the obstacles to growing the creative sector in the region can be worked out. “People love this city

and want to see it thrive,” he says. “If we keep ‘Asheville spirit’ like Asheville, we can be the next Boulder or Denver. We just can’t forget people with lesser incomes, like our artists, along the way.”

The key to growing the arts in Asheville maybe part of the thing the city (and to lesser extent, the region) celebrates– diversity, LEAF’s Pickering says. “The more that our community at large is open and supportive of a wide diversity of artists, the more that we will all thrive.

“We are still a city that has ‘isms’ and challenges and possibilities. Music and the arts really open doors that can help inform and educate. They can be the catalyst for change.”

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column

A Seat at the Table

The price of outside funding may be ceding some control of your company—should you add an outside Director to your Board of Directors in order to get financing?

M

M

michael palermo

is a business attorney practicing in Western North Carolina (and Chicago).

48

ANY SUCCESSFUL COMPANIES

at some point face the question, “Should we add an outside Director to our Board of Directors?” It usually means your business is growing and new money is interested in investing with you and has asked for a seat on your Board in exchange for the investment.

The question is usually followed by, “What, exactly, is a ‘Board of Directors’ and what do they do?” All good questions. Let’s start at the beginning.

Two Layers of Authority

In North Carolina all businesses are run by their Board of Directors. This is by statute: “All corporate powers shall be exercised under the authority of, and the business and affairs of the corporation managed under the direction of, its board of directors...” This rule surprises a lot of the mid-sized business owners I meet, who think the president runs the company (themselves usually). Directors may delegate the running of the company to the officers, but the responsibility for most corporate decisions rests with the Board.

Why the two layers of authority? At some point founders need to take a more strategic

| October 2018

decision-making role and forego day-to-day management. Let someone else decide what kind of pens to buy for the office, while you focus on expansion, new products and markets, and customer acquisition. This sort of strategic decision making is done at the Director level—“Should our company expand into Greenville with three new stores?” for example; or, “Should we invest $500k in a new production line that will double our output?” The Board then delegates the execution of their strategy to the chief executive, i.e., the company president.

It becomes the president’s job to figure out how to design, purchase, and get that new production line up and running. The Directors “direct” and the chief executive “executes.”

This, then, is what your outside investors expect when they ask for a seat on your Board in exchange for their money: the right to influence strategic decision making for the company.

M Align your So, who’s asking for that seat? Most often it’s a big chunk of private money.

Equity or debt, it really doesn’t matter. If a group of investors is investing serious money in your business, you bet they’ll want a say in how that money is used.

You may have sold them on your vision for the company to get the money; they want to be sure it happens. That means a seat on the Board setting corporate strategy for the use of their funds.

Seek Value Beyond Just the Dollar Sign

Giving with your

PASSIONS. Whether it’s the environment, education, the arts, or animal welfare, you can make a difference.

— Elizabeth Brazas Executive Director of the Community Foundation of WNC

Which gets us back to our initial question, “Should we add an outside Director to our Board of Directors?”

That’s a question you’ll have to answer for yourself based on serious discussions with your shareholders, business partners, advisors, and other

ALWAYS WEIGH THE VALUE THE NEW DIRECTOR BRINGS TO YOUR BOARD BEYOND JUST THE DOLLAR SIGN. lenders. Fundamentally it means giving up some control over the direction your business takes, inasmuch as the Board acts by voting on these high-level issues, and the outside Board member will get a vote. With that in mind, the details of how to structure these transactions can get complicated; but that’s why you bring in trusted advisors like an experienced corporate attorney.

First principle (often honored in the breach…) is that fresh money isn’t always good money. An investor who wants to force his own vision onto your company through a Board seat rarely benefits either party. On the contrary, though, a Director who has successfully grown a business like yours can be an

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incredible resource; and private equity groups may offer a Board the investor gets to choose its own Director. Once that investor member who has such experience. Always weigh the value the divests, though, either by selling its shares or getting bought new Director brings to your Board beyond just the dollar sign. out in a subsequent financing round, that Director seat might Earlier this year I had to help a small expire. If an investor is purchasing, company get rid of an obstructionist for example, one-third the value of Board member. Nothing could get the company, it’s not an unreasonable ADDING AN OUTSIDE done because the Board member was request. But if it’s your Uncle Bob who’s making himself unavailable to vote and investing $1,000 “just to help out,” he’s DIRECTOR... SHOWS working behind the scenes at odds to the not getting a dedicated Board seat.

THE WORLD THAT Board members who were running the I recently helped a client by creating a YOUR BUSINESS company—and thus the Board couldn’t new class of preferred shares for a small IS GROWING AND restructure its debt so the company could investor group, and part of the share move forward. It took over two months preference was that the holders of the AT TR ACTING THE and several thousands of dollars in fees preferred shares got to choose their own INTEREST OF THE that could have been avoided by choosing Director. That Director then had equal PEOPLE WHO KNOW the Director more carefully. voting rights to the other Directors on a HOW TO INVEST Second principle is that the agreement three-person Board. That’s a tremendous to bring on the new Director can be amount of decision making authority the AND MAKE MONEY. structured in any way the parties agree, business traded away, but the company to either limit or expand the effect of needed the money. the new Director. As an example, if the Another kind of transaction I’ve done new money is equity, the investor will likely want to have a was where the investment money was in the form of a loan. The dedicated Director on the Board, “dedicated” meaning that lender got a seat on the Board so long as the loan was outstanding.

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Once the loan was paid off, the lender no longer had an interest in how the business was run, so the lender’s seat on the Board ended. Adding an outside Director doesn’t have to be permanent and can be structured to meet the needs of both parties.

Clear Bylaws and Compatibility Are Key How is an outside Director brought into your company?

Your corporate bylaws should state how many Directors your company has, and how to add new Directors. Unfortunately, the bylaws I’ve seen over the years are generally so poorly written that we had to overhaul them before even starting the technical part of adding a Director. Always involve your trusted advisors: legal, CPA, even insurance, and the earlier the better so that the advisors can help you to understand the process and consequences, work through options, and have time to structure the transaction properly.

Talk about the transaction with all interested parties to make sure everyone has compatible expectations: your other shareholders and partners; other lenders; the new investor.

Meet and talk with the proposed Director: Do you have similar goals for the business, and you get along with each other? Are you adding a new seat on the Board? It makes a difference when it comes time to vote: For example, are you giving the

new Director one vote out of three directors, or one out of five?

I’ve seen two businesses this year almost ruined by taking “fast money” without working through this process. In both cases compatibility between the owner and lender was the problem, but neither business saw that coming because they rushed into taking the funds.

Be clear that the investors know what a “seat on the Board” means. It’s been my experience that smaller or newer investors don’t know what a Board of Directors actually does. Private investment groups know all about corporate Boards and may even dictate changes to the number of Directors, the method of removing them, or Board voting majorities. The investor may ask you to make significant changes to your corporate structure.

Adding an outside Director can be a boon to your company.

It shows the world that your business is growing and attracting the interest of the people who know how to invest and make money. The process takes time and hard work. Most important, the outside Director must be compatible with the existing Board members, owners, and the long-term goals of the business.

Michael Palermo is a lawyer who has represented billiondollar companies and two-person cupcake shops. If your business fits between those, he can probably help you.

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photo courtesy of Echo Mountain Recording

Tale of THE

Tape With numerous professional recording studios dotting Western North Carolina, artists in the region can readily take their music to the next level. written by bill kopp October 2018 | capitalatplay.com

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“Music discovery and delivery have changed drastically in the past ten years, and they’ll keep changing,” says Jeff Collins of Crossroads Recording Studios in Arden. “It’s hard for an artist to keep up with the newest and latest approaches.” Helping artists achieve that goal are some twenty professional recording studios in the 18-county Western North Carolina region.

Looking across the arc of human history, sound recording is a very recent invention. The first known recordings of the human voice were made in France just over a century and a half ago; Thomas Edison patented his wax cylinder phonograph in 1878. Gramophone records wouldn’t dominate the market until after World War I. And though he’s best known for the iconic electric guitar that bears his name, Les Paul began experimenting with soundon-sound—or multi-track—recording in the 1930s.

By the 1980s another musical revolution began to take shape. Wedding widely available consumer hardware to studio technology, California-based TASCAM, the professional audio division of TEAC Corporation, introduced the Portastudio, a device that represented the first truly practical (and affordable) means by which musicians could create home recordings. In some ways the Portastudio unlocked the magic of the recording studio, putting it in the hands of the everyday musician and hobbyist alike. The four tracks (simultaneous recording surfaces) afforded by a tape-based TASCAM unit equaled the number of tracks available to the Beatles fifteen years before when they recorded Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Even today, in an era of crystal-clear digital recording gear, vintage TASCAM units are in use by some artists who want to create “warm” sounding analog recordings without booking studio time.

Do or Don’t Yourself That DIY (Do It Yourself) aesthetic is one prized by many musicians. And modern digital equipment has further broken down and blurred the line between home recording and professional studio projects. photo courtesy of Echo Mountain Recording

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SOURCE KEY: Collins = Jeff Collins Crossroads Recording Studios, Arden

Reese = Alex Reese Hilltop Studios, Boone

Harrington = Kenny Harrington Echo Mountain Recording, Asheville

Rudolph = Brad Rudolph Falling Waters Recording Studio, Pisgah Forest

Mixerman = Eric “Mixerman” Sarafin Independent producer/engineer, Asheville

Reed = Andrew Reed Sedgwick Studios & Artists International Songstage, Flat Rock/Hendersonville

Murray = Donovan Murray Saloon Studios Live, West Jefferson Dorion = Anthony Dorion Good Flow Productions, Asheville

Bishop = Andy Bishop Giraffe Studio, Hendersonville George = Robert George Sound Temple Studios, West Asheville

photo courtesy of Crossroads Recording Studios

Even experts will admit that there are many advantages to recording at home. Brad Rudolph, owner of Falling Waters Recording Studio in Pisgah Forest, agrees. “Typically, it’s a good idea, as long as you understand your limitations. Home recording is a great way to figure out your arrangements, learn some new tools, and have fun,” he says.

But even in the face of low-cost home solutions, there are many reasons why professional recording studios continue to flourish. First among those is the fact that while the skill sets required to play and record music do overlap, they remain very different. Expertise in one is not a reliable predictor of success with the other.

Sales = Bruce Sales 2Bruce Studio, Asheville Williams = Matt Williams The Eagle Room, Weaverville

Donovan Murray is entertainment director of Saloon Studios Live in West Jefferson. He says that while some amazing things come out of home studios, “you just can’t get the array of sounds possible in a good studio. For example, you can’t get high-quality sound captures of ‘real’ authentic live tracking in a small studio or bedroom.” Saloon Studios Live has a special focus on that live tracking; the complex is both a listening room and pro studio, and since opening in May of this year, it has hosted sessions by Steve Cropper, Dave Mason, Rick Derringer, and other classic artists.

And with home recording, there’s the challenge of doing two very different things at once, says Anthony Dorion.

Alongside his production manager duties at Asheville Music Hall, he runs a downtown studio, Good Flow Productions. “As someone who considers himself both a fairly skilled musician and recording engineer, I have a difficult time playing and recording simultaneously,” he admits. “If I’m focused on the technical side of recording, I’m not able to commit fully to the artistic side of making music. And the inverse is true as well.”

That perspective squares with observations made by Alex Reese, co-owner of Hilltop Studios in Boone. Artists often “choose to record with a professional studio because they do not have the necessary skills to turn their ideas into musical assets,” he says. “Most of the artists I’ve worked with either have no interest in recording themselves, or they’ve tried it and not gotten the results they were looking for.”

While at its most basic a recording studio is simply a recording device and a means (such as a microphone) of capturing the sound onto it, the reality is that good recordings often require October 2018 | capitalatplay.com

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much more. “Unfortunately, getting professional results is a lot more complicated than just throwing some [acoustic] foam on the walls,” says Reese.

In fact, “the room is the number one reason that people have problems with recording,” says Eric “Mixerman” Sarafin, an Asheville-based independent producer with multiple Gold- and Platinum-selling albums to his credit. (Mixerman was profiled in the October 2017 issue of this magazine.) He works in many of the region’s top studios. “The room is literally half of your recording, because instruments aren’t captured in isolation,” he explains. “If I want big rock drums, I need a big room. For tight R&B drums, I need a somewhat ‘dead’ room. And if I want to record an entire band at once, I need a sizable room with plenty of equipment.”

“Our belief is that the artist should concentrate on being an artist, honing their music skills in songwriting, performance, and delivery,” says Jeff Collins. His advice: “Let a team of people who are creating the curve in the ever-changing world of music discovery do the rest.” Collins and Crossroads have been doing just that since the mid 1980s, making it one of the most successful and longest-running studios in the region. Focusing primarily on gospel and Christian acts, Crossroads aims to stay current with the latest innovations in digital recording technology.

Ultimately, recording your music in a pro studio with skilled engineers ensures that “the job gets done to a higher standard, more quickly, and with less hassle,” says Andy Bishop, of Giraffe 56

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KIN C I P ’

GRINNIN’

A NIGHT AT THE OPRY RECORDING AT The Eagle Room photo by Kristen Marie Greene of KMG*Photography

Studio in Hendersonville. Bishop hand-built his studio in his backyard, and his all-digital setup with two discrete recording rooms yields impressive results.

The bottom line in favor of using a professional studio instead of recording at home may be an intangible one. “The vibe of a pro studio can be much more inspiring than your bedroom,” says Robert George, of Sound Temple Studios in West Asheville. “Having a professional engineer/producer with years of experience can help guide a project to a more professional presentation.”

Recording Back in the Day The industry has a long (if relatively modest and not widelyknown) history in the region. In the earliest days of audio recording, a little-known recording device was transported all across the country—including Western North Carolina—and used to make scores of field recordings of folk and roots artists.

Bernard MacMahon’s award-winning PBS documentary, American Epic, chronicles the history of that device. In 1928 Asheville lawyer and musician Bascomb Lunsford’s “I Wish I Was a Mole in the Ground” was one of the musical works captured for posterity.

Yet decades later—when the British Invasion and garage rock waves spread across the country—musicians in Western

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photo courtesy of Echo Mountain Recording

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North Carolina didn’t have local options for recording their songs. “There were no proper recording studios in Asheville during the 1960s,” says Vance Pollock, music historian, disc jockey at WSFM-LP (Asheville FM), and moderator of the “Carolina Rock ‘n’ Roll Remembered” Facebook group.

Pollock notes that a handful of primitive home recordings were made in and around Asheville during that period, but the closest thing to a professional session would have been the 1965 recording of “Don’t Be Surprised” and “Blue Blue World” made by garage rockers the Satyrs. Pollock says that those tunes were cut “after hours at Hi-Fidelity Sales, a home audio

“People are making cool records on their own all the time now. But once they’re ready to bring their sound to the next level, a professional studio is where they need to be.” shop located where the ABC store across from McCormick Field is now.” Those performances were captured with just two microphones.

By 1969 Asheville was home to a semi-professional studio run by Chuck Taylor. His Taylor Made Studio consisted mostly of a four-track Ampex recording machine; the most well-known session to come out of Taylor’s studio was “Acid Raga” by Asheville psychedelic rockers Sunn Cycle.

So, in those days, most musicians in Western North Carolina wanting to document their music on tape had to travel to larger cities. Many went to Arthur Smith Studios in Charlotte, the studio where James Brown cut “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag,” and where beach music legends the Swinging Medallions recorded “Double Shot (of My Baby’s Love).” Pollock says that other options included Mark V Studios in Greenville, South Carolina, and Galaxie III in Taylorsville.

Professional-level local recording studios simply didn’t exist, Pollock says. “When an Asheville musician showed promise, they were usually lured away to larger markets such as Nashville, Atlanta, or Memphis; the regional market was quite small.” Other than bluegrass, Pollock says that until Echo Mountain Recording opened its doors in 2006, “no local musical enterprise ever captured what might be called the Asheville vibe or sound.” And even if they had, few would have been “able to promote it on a viable commercial or popular scale.”

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photo courtesy of Sound Temple Studios

photo courtesy of Giraffe Studio

BALAZS SZENDE of Ozric Tentacles at The Eagle Room photo by Kristen Marie Greene of KMG*Photography

The success of Echo Mountain has helped put Western North Carolina on the map as a recording destination of some note; while a few studios (most notably Crossroads) had been in operation long before Echo Mountain opened, the last decade has seen a substantial increase in the number of quality audio recording studios in the region; there are nearly 20 professional-class studios here.

“People are making cool records on their own all the time now,” says Kenny Harrington, engineer at Echo Mountain. “But once they’re ready to bring their sound to the next level, a professional studio is where they need to be. Home setups still cannot compete with the acoustics, equipment, and experience of professional recording studios.

“It’s a whole other world,” Harrington says.

But Which Studio?

If and when an artist makes the decision to go the professional route rather than DIY, there remains the matter of choosing from among the variety of studios. Proximity is a consideration, but it’s probably not the primary criteria. For an Asheville-based musician, for example, the most distant studio in Western North Carolina would be Saloon Studios Live in West Jefferson.

But even that represents a scenic drive of just over two hours each way. Most of the region’s recording studios are in or close to Asheville, Boone, Columbus, or Hendersonville.

For most musicians considering a studio session, cost is often a deciding factor. Rates vary widely

depending on the facility and services offered, but in general, musicians can expect to pay anywhere from $20 per hour to over $100 (most fall into the middle of that range). Most studios publish their rates on their websites, but because every project is different, there are exceptions. If the session calls for extra gear rental—say, a fully functional Hammond B3 organ like the ones at Echo Mountain Recording, something that a smaller studio might not own—then costs go up accordingly. Independent producer-engineer Mixerman says that in his case, “there’s no hourly rate; I sell my services, not time.”

So, like many producers and studios, he quotes on a per-project basis.

Nearly all of the studios in the area are singleor two-person operations; Echo Mountain and Crossroads have slightly larger full-time staffs plus part-time employees. Most note, however, that they also make regular use of session musicians working as contract labor.

One notable studio with a larger staff is Sedgwick Studios and its satellite facility, Artists International Songstage. Run by Jim Georgeson and recording artist Andrew Reed, Sedgwick employs five full-timers and seven part-time staffers. Sedgwick is secluded deep on an expansive property in the middle of the Green River Reserve near Flat Rock. The more accessible Songstage (on the Asheville Highway not far from downtown Hendersonville) is “where we capture live performances,” says Reed. “It’s set up like the old Midnight Special TV show.”

In terms of facility, at the most versatile end of the scale is Echo Mountain Recording. Not only

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photos by Fred Mills

A Visit to the Wax Museum: American Vinyl Company Once Thomas Edison’s wax cylinder was rendered obsolete by the phonographic disc, the era of records began. The prevailing medium for the first half of the 20th century was the 78 r.p.m. record. However, the fragile shellac discs could only hold about three minutes’ worth of music per side, so eventually some recording artists’ releases were put into sleeves and compiled into bound volumes. These multiple-disc “albums” were the forerunner of the modern-day vinyl album.

Vinyl long-playing records (LPs) began to appear after World War II. Rotating on turntables at 33 1/3 revolutions per minute, they could hold about 22 minutes of sound per side, and thus the LP became the format of choice for commercial pop throughout the rock era. Only after Philips and Sony introduced the compact disc did vinyl’s lock on the marketplace begin to fade. By the mid 1990s, records were widely seen as a dead format.

But those records never quite went away. A generation raised on digital technology began to recognize that something important was lost in the transition from the tactile and interactive experience of buying, playing, and collecting vinyl records. Visit the merch table at shows by most of today’s touring artists, and you’re likely to find their latest album available on the good old 12” vinyl format (with a download card included, of course—fans want their artifacts and flexibility for their listening sessions).

In fact, resurgent demand for vinyl has created a problem for many artists: Because nearly all of the rock-era vinyl pressing plants have long since gone the way of the dinosaur, it falls on the relatively few currently operating plants to fulfill demand. There’s often a substantial backlog, meaning that it’s sometimes difficult for an artist to make a new album available on vinyl in time for simultaneous release with its CD version.

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American Vinyl Company is located on the edge of Asheville’s Biltmore Village in the London District Studios. And while American Vinyl hasn’t positioned itself to fill that level of production gap, the tiny two-person operation provides an important and very much in-demand suite of services.

The original idea came to Ryan Schilling and musical partner (and now fiancée) Christy Barrett when the pair was traveling the country as rock duo Triumph of the Wild. “We wanted to sell something more than our T-shirts and CDs,” Schilling says. “I heard that there were vinyl records made from picnic plates and thought, ‘That is the answer!’ At that moment I started down a wormhole of research that still hasn’t reached the other side.”

The business started in 2015 “in a kind of grassroots fashion,” he says. The couple purchased the equipment needed to cut vinyl records, and they eventually set up a mobile recording studio housed inside a truck. Schilling describes the mobile unit as a “walk in, sing into the can, walk out with a record” truck. The equipment is centered around vintage gear and includes a 1940s record lathe. Hedging his bets only slightly, Schilling adds, “We also offer an option to capture to digital at the same time, and text it to you right after the session.”

But it’s that vintage feel that American Vinyl aims for. And the couple hit the mark. They provide musicians with an experience very much like the one enjoyed by Elvis Presley in August 1953, when he played guitar and sang two songs onto an acetate disc—a gift for his mother—at Memphis’ now-legendary Sun Studio. Today, musicians can gather ‘round the microphone and create one-off recordings that evoke a similar feel.

American Vinyl offers more than just that, though. The business provides in-house record cutting of up to 25 copies.

“Each record is hand-made in real time,” Schilling says. For larger jobs up to 2000 units, the company farms work out to larger plants.

But it’s those single-run records that remain American Vinyl’s most popular offering. “People order them for all occasions: their new album, their friend’s new album, anniversaries, proposals, proms, voice messages… you name it,” Schilling says. And the projects vary widely, from bands cutting extremely limited singles for sale at shows, to more esoteric assignments: “We’ve done sheep sounds, gift wrapping sounds, and even Chili’s jingles.”

Customers can compile custom mix tapes and have a single vinyl record pressed, and American Vinyl can create hand-made, letterpress sleeves. The company will soon debut a second, larger mobile unit with expanded capabilities.

“The original concept,” recalls Schilling, “was just to make getting a vinyl record more accessible to everyone. As we started getting busier, I realized I also wanted to make it more public and interactive.

And now we have plans to do all kinds of activities—with vinyl as the medium.”

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does the downtown Asheville studio feature four sizable main rooms for recording (one of which is an old church sanctuary, featuring stained glass windows and boasting superb acoustic qualities), but the two-building complex features seemingly countless rooms, all of which serve dual purposes. For example, thanks to a complex custom wiring system, a bathroom featuring tiled floors and corrugated metal walls doubles easily as a recording booth with natural echo. Even the lounges and game rooms are set up for recording, meaning that Echo Mountain can accommodate nearly anything, from a voice-over narration project to the Asheville Symphony.

Most studios are much more modest, yet they still offer isolation rooms for good sound separation, top-notch recording consoles, and outboard effects gear. While most studios today offer a mix of digital and analog technology, a few of the larger studios feature full-analog recording on tape as an option for artists.

Even though there’s an impressively high standard of facilities, engineering staff, and gear at the recording studios in Western North Carolina, some studios are better suited for specific types of music. Robert George says that at Sound Temple, he tends to “record and mix music that is either acoustic or rootsy.”

At Sedgwick Studios, Andrew Reed often works with artists and bands who have an ambitious musical vision. “We specialize in artists who want to make records like Pink Floyd, 62

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ED WYNNE of Ozric Tentacles at The Eagle Room photo by Kristen Marie Greene of KMG*Photography

SEDGWICK STUDIOS photo courtesy of Artists International

Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, and even the Beatles,” he says. Other studios focus on a narrower slice of the recording business.

“I specialize in adding orchestral sampled instruments,” says Bruce Sales, of 2BruceStudio in downtown Asheville.

(Instead of “real” instruments, today many musicians use digital captures of the original sounds, manipulated and played back via computer or keyboard; lower cost and higher reliability mean that sample playback is widespread in both live and studio situations.)

Hilltop Studios in Boone was designed specifically for vocal work. “We don’t typically work with bands,” says co-owner Reese. In contrast, says Matt Williams, of the Eagle Room studio in Weaverville, “The Eagle Room is best suited for a band with a four-piece rhythm section.” And Saloon Studios Live focuses on recording live performances.

Most studio professionals in the region, however, emphasize their ability and willingness to take on most any kind of audio project. “We do it all,” says Falling Waters’ Rudolph. “We have recorded bluegrass, Americana, gospel, Christian rock, pop rock, and metal.”

“I do metal, rock, rap, country, some jazz, and even classical klezmer,” Giraffe’s Bishop says. He chuckles inwardly when he looks at his current schedule. “I spent the first half of today mixing a band that refers to its music as ‘gothic f**k jams.’

Next, a lady will come in and record flute on a Christmas song.

Tomorrow, I’ve got a couple rap sessions. Friday, I’m off, and this weekend I start on a heavy rock, metal EP session.”

That kind of versatility is a hallmark of the region’s audio recording pros. “I work in any genre,” says Mixerman. “All that matters is that I adore the music.”

Nearly all of the studios in the Western North Carolina region offer a full array of services that extends beyond recording. Mixing (balancing the multiple recorded tracks for a finished product), mastering (transferring finished recordings to a data storage device), and editing are the most widely available services, but some area studios can provide remote recording, songwriting, vocal and instrumental talent, physical and digital distribution, promotion, retail placement, and even technical training.

Pro Tips on Preparation Recording at home means a musician can proceed at relative leisure, essentially making things up as he or she goes along. But working in a studio, the well-prepared artist is likely to end up with a recording session that is both more enjoyable and more productive. The producer, managers, and engineers of studios in the region willingly offer some professional tips; much of this advice applies equally to the seasoned recording artist as it does to first-time visitors to a professional recording facility.

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Not su r pr i si n g ly, t he s e bu sy professionals are largely of one mind when it comes to the most important piece of advice for artists planning a session. That advice can be summed up in a single word: practice.

“Rehearse with a metronome, and record yourself at home first, listening critically,” says Sound Temple’s George. “You should be able to deliver

“Just practice,” he says.

“It makes the studio cheaper, easier, and more fun if you’re not having to go to war with your own parts.” your material as if you’re doing a real performance,” says Hilltop’s Reese.

Echo Mountain’s Harrington notes that artists “should be ready to knock out their songs within three takes.” “ Wo r k o u t yo u r vo c a l s a n d harmonies,” advises Rudolph, of Falling Waters. “Play the songs live as much as you can.” Giraffe’s Bishop reiterates the point. “Just practice,” he says. “It makes the studio cheaper, easier, and more fun if you’re not having to go to war with your own parts.”

But all of the studio pros agree that there are times when the recording studio will serve as a more basic part of the creative process; in those cases, artists arrive with a more open-ended, undefined mindset that allows them to explore ideas instead of laying down a fully thought-out collection of songs.

“It really depends on what the artist is trying to accomplish,” says Matt Williams. Though he often works with seasoned bands who know exactly what they want to do during their Eagle Room session, he welcomes and enjoys the less-defined projects. “Some artists are

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leisure & libation

working with me one-on-one to produce their record, which may mean that they’ve only prepared rough demos, snippets of song ideas and lyrics, and basic ideas for tempos,” he says.

Yet even then, a certain level of preparation is very useful. “I preface all sessions with an off-the-books meeting where we talk about the artist’s vision for their project,” says Anthony Dorion. “[At Good Flow] we sort of map out what will be necessary to get there. This helps us both set expectations for the individual sessions and the project as a whole.”

No matter which studio he’s working in, Mixerman takes a similar approach with his clients. “We start with rehearsals, then we hone the basic arrangements during pre-production,” he says. “Then we go into the studio where I lead them through the process of making their record.”

What Not to Do Artists who spend time in pro studios learn some lessons the hard way. But the region’s engineers and producers are happy to run down a list of rookie mistakes best avoided.

“Don’t stay out partying the night before your session,” advises Harrington, of Echo Mountain. “Come in well rested and ready to work.” agrees Hilltop’s Reese, who warns that drinking too much alcohol the night before and not eating anything, plus only getting a few hours of sleep, probably will not yield a productive session. (It’s not a great idea to schedule a recording session for the morning after a late-night gig.)

Reese offers another bit of widely agreed-upon advice: “Don’t bring anyone to your session who may end up being a distraction.” Adds Dorion, “The most common faux-pas I’ve seen people make over the years is bringing too many friends with them.” He notes that different artists have different motivations for bringing people along, saying, “Some are nervous about going alone into a new environment, and others just want to be ‘seen’ in the studio by their peers. But, inevitably, that becomes distracting to the artist’s creativity, and in more extreme cases, it’s a hindrance to the decision-making process.”

Several of the producers and engineers offer some advice that they all-too-often see ignored. “Don’t hire your friends who will play for free,” says George, of Sound Temple. “Don’t hire them to play on your record if their playing isn’t up to snuff,” agrees Harrington. “It sounds like a great idea to share the studio experience with your buds, but if they can’t hack it, that adds up to a lot of wasted time and stress on your relationships.”

Good Takes Take Time Coming in for a studio session with unrealistic expectations can also be a mistake, and a potential recipe for dissatisfaction. “Don’t bite off more than you can chew,” says Harrington. “Be realistic about how many songs you can record within the time you have booked, and always think about quality over quantity.”

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SEDGWICK STUDIOS photo courtesy of Artists International

Bruce Sales, of 2BruceStudio, points out, “Recording a good take usually takes longer than expected. Mixing and mastering can take as long as the recording. So, it’s best to be prepared with enough time and budget to achieve the best results.”

While acknowledging that every session is unique, Good Flow’s Dorion says that a useful guide is to allow “eight hours per song for full-band recordings, with roughly half of that being post-production.” Hilltop’s Reese works with a lot of rap artists and says, “It’s not uncommon for our rappers to come in and do a basic tracking session for one song in about an hour. But it’s also very typical for them to spend two to three hours on a more complex vocal tracking session for a single song.” Sessions involving improvisation or vocal freestyling tend to go on longer, he explains. If multiple takes are recorded, even more time is needed to review and select the best from among those.

If you’re not sure that your budget will allow recording, mixing, and mastering a full album or EP’s worth of material, Giraffe’s Bishop has a simple suggestion: “Just plan on recording one song and see what’s up. Then try again with realistic

expectations—and maybe a better understanding of how the process works for you.”

“Don’t think it’s going to go quickly,” warns Crossroads’ Jeff Collins. “It’s not.”

Part of the Region’s Commerce Engine Audio recording is a relatively small yet vibrant part of the regional economy. According to data provided by Heidi Reiber, director of research for the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce’s Economic Development Coalition for AshevilleBuncombe County, the sound recording industry provides at least 110 jobs in the metro region. For the period 2012-2017, the sound recording industry demonstrated job growth of more than 13%, outpacing the national growth rate (8%), and the rate of growth in North Carolina (4%). For the metro area, Reiber also estimates 92% more jobs compared to an average region.

(See our story about the regional arts scene and its economic impact on page 37.)

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leisure & libation

Revenue generated by recording studios is difficult to estimate, as most studios are privately held and not willing to share revenue data. But it stands to reason that the local economy benefits not only from the studios’ operation, but by the money spent by out-of-town artists who come to Western North Carolina to record, stay at hotels, dine out, and sometimes even hire local musicians to play on their sessions.

While most of the artists booking time in the region’s recording studios are based in and around our region, the high-quality studios attract national talent as well. Much of the music for last year’s television remake of Dirty Dancing was recorded at Sound Temple Studios; the studio hosted vocal sessions for actor-singers, including Bruce Greenwood and Sarah Hyland. The late R. Lee Ermey, the actor immortalized in the boot camp sequence of Stanley Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket, had done voiceover work at 2BruceStudios.

Good Flow’s Dorion has done remote recordings with many high-profile artists, including Shovels & Rope, Ike Stubblefield, and Big Sam’s Funky Nation. Working in the gospel idiom, Crossroads Studio has worked with some of

The Do-It-Yourself method of recording music is likely to continue and grow, but so, too, is the tried-and-true method of professional studio recording. Digital technology is streamlining many of the processes that used to require substantial time and effort. that genre’s biggest names, including the Kingsmen; the studio has also hosted sessions by acclaimed roots bands Balsam Range and the Grascals. Popular family band Dave’s Highway has recorded at Sedgwick Studios.

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Eric “Mixerman” Sarafin has produced sessions as widely varied as the Pharcyde, Barenaked Ladies, Hilary Duff, Amy Grant, and Tone Loc. The high-profile Echo Mountain Recording has drawn the biggest national talent to its studios, including Steve Martin, White Denim, Flogging Molly, the Avett Brothers, producer Peter Asher, Band of Horses, and many more. The long-running “Daytrotter Sessions” live music podcast series was produced at Echo Mountain’s studios, as was a Stephen King audiobook.

The Eagle Room’s client list has included the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and the Weaverville studio is a favorite for national-level Asheville artists such as the Broadcast, Jonathan Scales Fourchestra, and Ben Phan. British psychedelic instrumental band Ozric Tentacles actually used the Eagle Room as a recording and rehearsal space prior to embarking upon a recent tour.

The Future of Audio Recording

is streamlining many of the processes that used to require substantial time and effort. “Mixing in the box” refers to creating final mixes more or less on the fly, as opposed to during post-production. Many studio professionals report an increase in artists bringing in rough tracks made at home; combined with work done at the studio, these projects result in a hybrid home/studio finished product.

In what may be a distressing development for session musicians, Hilltop’s Reese says he has noticed “a decrease in demand for live instrument recordings,” with more artists opting for digitally-generated instrumental sounds. That observation may be purely anecdotal, though; Giraffe’s Bishop has observed that more acts want to record in the studio with real instruments. “It’s been a little more fashionable lately to track live,” he says.

Meanwhile, there’s nothing at all wrong with recording at home. But for the Western North Carolina-based musical artist looking to take one’s career to the next level, a solid group of local and professional studios can help make those goals a reality.

The Do-It-Yourself method of recording music is likely to continue and grow, but so, too, is the tried-and-true method of professional studio recording. Digital technology

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THE OLD

NORTH lanes for handling simple transactions, and some will get dedicated road test teams so examiners won’t have to leave their desks. The department will also set up a call center to help people needing to schedule an appointment find a nearby office with openings. DOT spokespeople say that to fulfill their commitment to fast and accurate service, they will make sure new hires are fully trained.

120 subjects. The results were published in the Journal of Drugs in Dermatology under the title, “Evaluation of the Performance of Nature-Based Sensitive Skin Regimen in Subjects with ClinicallyDiagnosed Sensitive Skin.” The subjects were all diagnosed with rosacea, eczema, or cosmetic intolerance. The participants that applied Burt’s Bees’ facial cleanser, moisturizing cream, and night cream for sensitive skin as directed were judged to experience a 34% improvement in their skin, compared to a 4% improvement in the control group. Characteristics like smoothness, clarity, and radiance were evaluated. Skin hydration for the Burt’s Bees users was deemed optimum, while skin in the control group was overhydrated. None of the test subjects showed signs of intolerance toward either product line.

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Burt’s Bees, a manufacturer of natural health and beauty products, announced its regimen for sensitive skincare outperformed a dermatologist-recommended synthetic line in a four-week, double-blind, randomized test involving

Following a wild success in July, Norwegian Cruise Line announced a second round of hiring exclusively in the Piedmont Triad area of Winston-Salem, Greensboro, and High Point. During the first round, over 1,500 applications were

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No more Waiting at the DMV? statewide

The North Carolina Department of Transportation’s Division of Motor Vehicles has announced changes to reduce waiting times at offices across the state. Longer lines have resulted largely from federal requirements, going into effect in 2020, that citizens have a REAL ID card to fly commercially or enter federal buildings. The DMV will hire 100 new license examiners to fill 80 vacancies. New hires will be assigned to some of the busiest offices, a new function being walking long lines and serving water, making sure customers have their paperwork in order, and referring appropriate transactions to the agency’s online services. Some offices will get express

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received. Successful applicants would work from home, serving as the first point of contact for guests and travel agents interested in booking travel on one of Norwegian’s ocean liners that travel to 300 destinations. This marked the first time the cruise line had hired work-from-home personnel outside of Florida and Arizona.

Norwegian’s long-term goal was to employ about 200 in a work-from-home cluster.

The first round, at first, was designed only to select 30-45 candidates for a pilot project. Within a couple months, Norwegian came back to hire another 60. Persons interested in working for the company were first asked to complete an online series of screening questions. Those passing the screening then received an email with details about the latest hiring event.

Successful candidates would then take a four-week training course to qualify for an entry-level position.

forced operations to wind down. Under the code name “Project Axis,” the town council approved plans from Hillman, a Dallas-based developer that has worked on other Amazon projects. The design called for a four-story building with a total of 2.6 million square feet. Amazon will invest almost $200 million in the center; the town will pay out $600,000 in incentives; the North Carolina DOT will spend up to $4.5 million on road improvements; and Wake County will reimburse the company for $300,000 in water and sewer upgrades. Becoming Garner’s largest employer, Amazon will create 1,500 jobs, 1,381 of which will pay $12.50/hour plus benefits. Earlier this year, it was announced Amazon would be building another 1,500-job distribution center north of the Charlotte Douglas International Airport. Both centers are expected to open in the fall of 2019.

who usually use their services for three to four years. The 269-acre farm was donated by Colonel William C. Breeze to North Carolina State University. The university leases the land to Breeze Farm for free, and Breeze Farm charges tenants $500 per acre plus their share of the greenhouse gas bill. Operations to date have been supported through fees, grants, fundraisers, and $10,000 a year from Orange County. Unfortunately, the farm’s largest fundraiser, the Farm to Fork NC picnic, has not been generating much revenue in recent years. That’s why the Orange County LocalFest has launched.

The first $30,000 in sales, sponsorships, and booth fees from the event have been promised to Breeze Farm to continue its work of incubating agricultural initiatives.

Breeze currently supports three farms, for which it expects expenses this year to run around $17,270.

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Amazon will be building a new distribution center at the former ConAgra plant on Jones Sausage Road in Garner. The building had remained vacant following a fatal explosion in 2009 that eventually

It is hoped a new festival will raise funds for agricultural novices. The Breeze Farm has helped over 40 farmers get their start in Orange County since 2008. It provides land, tools, and workshops to startups,

The North Carolina School of Medicine was one of five schools selected to help develop a healthcare informatics search engine that scans clinical notes. An ongoing source of consternation in the industry

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fessionals may want to look for something as simple as the name of a medication a patient used three years ago, or adequately screen prospects for a clinical trial. While this information is in the record, it can’t be picked up by software because the notes aren’t encoded in natural language. To address this, developers at the University of Michigan created the Electronic Medical Record Search Engine in 2005. It was designed to work on the school’s own systems, but then the developers built it again from scratch to allow its use in other systems. Feedback from the five schools will help them make the search engine user-friendly to a broader base. While the search engine is being given away to anybody who asks for it, institutions are slow to adopt it, largely because it is not packaged in a manner familiar to medical purchasing departments. Another challenge, which developers have striven to simplify inasmuch as possible, is complying with confidentiality regulations governing patient records.

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The Carolina BioOncology Institute (CBI) will start using San Francisco-based Xcell Bioscience’s (XcellBio’s) AVATAR systems to grow material from parent cells extracted from patients for pre-clinical trials. The AVATAR system allows laboratory technicians to fine-tune growth rates, preferentially grow select cell types, and extract only certain cells for transferring back to a patient. They can do this by tightly regulating a sample’s temperature, pressure, and concentrations of oxygen and carbon dioxide. These minor changes to cellular environments prove more effective in controlling growth than more expensive methods using chemical reagents. While AVATAR has typically been used to carefully grow cells for drug development and regenerative medicine, CBI is specifically interested in deploying the technology in tests involving tumor abatement and immunotherapy. CBI provides therapy to cancer patients that includes access to high-profile clinical trials. It has a reputation for providing well-managed, patient-centric care.

Is This Your Kind of Place? statewide

McDonald’s announced it will be spending $214 million to modernize 430, or most, of its North Carolina restaurants in 2018 and 2019. The move is part of a $6 billion initiative to be completed by 2020. Many of the changes, which have been live in the McDonald’s store in Orlando for years, keep the fast-food giant current with trends in amenities-based, fast-casual success stories. First, exteriors will be given an architectural wow factor. Interior furnishings will combine local and global appeal, and menu boards will feature even sharper digital imagery. Dine-in customers will build their own meals 72

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at touchscreen kiosks and be seated to wait for their meals.

Hospitality workers will come out from behind the counter to help with navigating the kiosks and wait tables. Coinciding with demand for sophisticated meal experiences, McCafé will, of course, be expanded. Outside, parking spots will be added to accommodate curbside pickup by customers preferring to order on their phones. McDonald’s has also forged a partnership, McDelivery, with Uber Eats at 5,000 of its locations.

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The visitor center at the Wright Brothers National Memorial is scheduled to reopen September 29, after having been closed for almost two years. During its closure, the National Park Service (NPS) invested $5.8 million in restoring the building and another $1.5 million on interactive exhibits. The 58-year-old building had been looking “tired,” and the structure suffered a leaking roof. The First Flight Centennial Foundation actually spent $250,000 on designs for a new, $17 million attraction, with intentions to tear the existing structure down. They did not know the NPS was pursuing historic designation for a classic structure from the Philadelphia School of modern architecture and representative of the park service’s Mission 66 initiative. Prevailing with its plans, the Park Service upgraded the building’s mechanical and electrical systems and returned it to its orange-trimmed retro roots in a new, LEED-certified incarnation. As for the exhibits, a replica of the Wright Brothers’ plane has been returned from its temporary home at the North Carolina Museum of History, and a 16-screen video displays images of the Wright Brothers, flying machines, quotes, and other memorable scenes from the history of aviation.

Out of Stone’s cary

Following the lead of Toys “R” Us in closing all its stores in the United States, Stone’s Education & Toys is exiting the business. The decision was forced by the same factors: growing consumer preference for online shopping opportunities, the ability of Walmart to undercut mom-and-pop shops with its vast purchasing power, and a shift in interest from manipulatives to electronics. Stone’s had been in business since the 1940s, but it was purchased by its current owners, Carol and David Madison, 13 years ago. It was a favorite shopping place for teachers, as it offered everything from classroom furniture and décor to workbooks and games. As recently as 2013, the Madisons moved the store to a larger location to offer a wider assortment of toys. At last, the couple decided it wasn’t worth the effort to make the business profitable anymore, and they turned to liquidation. The store stayed open only to the end of the back-to-school season.

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GAR R AGL AND getting to work at Echo Mountain Recording.

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Gar Ragland wears multiple hats— recording studio rat and producer, owner of a record label and an annual songwriting competition, board chair of the Asheville Area Arts Council—yet he’s not feeling overextended in the least. “More often than not I feel like my professional journey is still in its infancy,” he says. “I’m just getting started.”

October 2018 | capitalatplay.com 75

A

sheville-based producer Gar Ragland is deeply immersed in multiple endeavors that skillfully combine commerce and creativity.

The ripple effects of his efforts are often farreaching, providing tangible encouragement and assistance to rising musical talents. Some of his projects are high-profile, while others are understated, even under wraps. And though his career path has had its share of twists and turns, with the benefit of hindsight it looks remarkably linear; each step forward appears a logical progression.

Ragland was born and raised in Winston-Salem, where he quickly developed an interest in all things musical. “I fell in love with music—and the performance aspects of it—at an early age,” he recalls. He took guitar lessons and became more serious about playing music while in high school.

“When I went to the University of Virginia in the early ‘90s,” he continues, “I started playing gigs for the first time.” He mostly played cover songs on acoustic guitar, performing at coffee houses and bars. “But I was getting paid!” Ragland pauses, then laughs. “I was drinking for free, though I wasn’t even 21 yet. And I thought, ‘Yeah, I could get used to this.”

Virginia is for Players The music scene in Charlottesville was thriving at the time, and Ragland became part of it. “I was very active playing in different bands and solo projects,” he says. Hometown heroes the Dave Matthews Band was starting to come together, and most of the local musicians knew each other. As Ragland puts it, “I knew Dave when he was still a bartender downtown.”

By his senior year, Ragland was getting gigs both on and off campus, and out of town. “We were working with two agencies that were booking us for private parties and clubs from Auburn, Alabama, all the way up to Princeton, New Jersey,” he says. “We did a lot of fraternity parties, and the money was great for a college 76

| October 2018

kid. We played a combination of covers and originals; it was party music.”

Things took a turn after Ragland graduated in 1993. He had studied pre-med as an u nderg raduate, eventua l ly major ing in environmental science. He enjoyed the field research that was part of his studies. “I spent a lot of time in Shenandoah National Park, studying chemical hydrology and the effects of acid rain on the native trout population,” he says.

But by the time he was set to take the MCAT (Medical College Admission Test), he realized he didn’t want to continue in that direction. “I just did not have the focus, the discipline, and the passion for that anymore. I was all-consumed with music.” So, he decided not to go to medical school.

“In retrospect, it was a great decision,” he says, reflecting on what a career in medicine might have meant. “I think I would be a much less happy person than I am now. I’d probably have more financial security, but that’s the trade-off, right?”

Ragland remained in Charlottesville for the next four years. (“I decided that I wasn’t ready to enter the workforce.”) So, using the college town as his base of operations, he continued to play music and tour. “And that’s when I started to get interested in the production side of things,” he says, adding that his interest in physics led him to become intrigued with the scientific aspects of audio recording technology. “So, I would just pick up a piece of outboard [recording] gear here and there.”

Digital recording technology was in its infancy, but that’s the direction Ragland pursued as he learned his craft. “At the time, we used ADAT machines that took VHS tapes,” he says, with a chuckle. “Not a very sexy medium. But then the Hi-8 format came out, and I got a lightweight multitrack machine.”

Ragland notes that his interest in (and appreciation for) traditional tape-based analog recording technology wouldn’t come until much later, saying, “I’ve come sort of full circle, I guess.

I recently bought a quarter-inch, two-track machine, and that’s what I print all of my mixes on now.”

Conservation to Conservatory During that period, as he developed his audio engineering and production skills, Ragland was mostly recording his own music. “I didn’t get into producing other people until later,” he says.

October 2018 | capitalatplay.com 77

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And at the same time, he began to get restless, thinking it might be time to enter the “straight” workforce. “I started to get hungry for the real world.

I was thinking, ‘What does a real job look like?’”

He found balance. Ragland lived three days a week in Charlottesville, working on music, and lived with his girlfriend in Washington, D.C., the other four days. There he worked for an environmental policy think tank, Resources for the Future. “It’s not an advocacy organization,” he emphasizes.

“They just look at the numbers and call it like it is.” His work involved costbenefit analysis of regulatory scenarios for power plant sulfur emission.

Ragland characterizes the think tank’s activities as “super-important work done by really cool, down-to-earth economists. And a lot of the work that I was doing required keen attention to detail,” he says. “That really honed that sort of muscle in my brain. So now, for every project I apply a sort of economic

modeling perspective.” He finds that the discipline of looking holistically at problems and issues serves him well in his music business endeavors, and in life in general.

The economists were very supportive of Ragland’s music career. “So, when I came back to Virginia, I still rented

He began to think about graduate studies in music, and then he learned about a program at the New England Conservatory in Boston. It was a course of study under pianist/composer Rand Blake, based on what Ragland calls Blake’s “very eccentric methodology of intensive ear training.” He applied to the two-year program and was accepted. And repeating his pattern of sticking around longer than expected, Garland ended up working and studying in Boston for eight years, and was able to plunge deeply into the production side of music. He set up a recording studio in a space inside a large warehouse used by bands for rehearsal.

“It was transformative,” he remembers, of his extended Boston stint. “Working with my classmates and members of the department, I had an incredible opportunity to do a lot of recording work, and to hone my skills. I’d just bring all my friends over [to the studio]—a lot of rock bands and whatnot—and I really cut my teeth as a producer.”

“I had an incredible opportunity to do a lot of recording work, and to hone my skills.

I’d just bring all my friends over [to the studio]—a lot of rock bands and whatnot— and I really cut my teeth as a producer.” my little cottage on the outskirts of Charlottesville on this beautiful horse farm,” he says. “The guest bedroom was my recording studio.” But as much as he enjoyed the work—not to mention the steady paycheck—at Resources for the Future, music still exerted a strong pull: “It was something that I couldn’t shake; I needed to engage more deeply in my relationship with it.”

A New Song At the same time, parts of his past were calling him.

“Having grown up in Winston-Salem, Boston was far away October 2018 | capitalatplay.com 79

GAR R AGL AND

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(L-R) ASCAP VP/Creative Director Erik Philbrook, musician Rachael Kilgour and Gar Ragland at Sundance's ASCAP Music Café. photo cour tesy Gar Ragland

from home,” Ragland says. His family did have roots a bit closer, with a small family farm in rural West Virginia, near the New River Gorge, that had been in the family since the 1700s. As he grew to adulthood, Ragland had found himself more interested in his Appalachian heritage. And while he was in Boston, his parents made the decision to renovate the Antebellum farmhouse.

Ragland knew he wanted to be involved in the restoration project. He asked himself, “How can I find some music-related work that would give me an opportunity to spend time in West Virginia?” The answer was found in connecting with the producers of NPR and West Virginia Public Broadcasting’s immensely popular Mountain Stage.

Ragland proposed an annual, nationally-promoted, singersongwriter festival done under the auspices of the program; thus was born the Mountain Stage NewSong Festival. “In 2001, some partners and I started an LLC around this, a private production company,” he says. But he admits that none of his prior experience prepared him for the challenge: “I had never done anything on the entrepreneurial side before. But I was traveling down there while still taking classes, performing in Boston, raising money, and doing pitches.”

The festival drew big names like Nickel Creek along with up-and-coming talent. “It was really a celebration of the art and craft of performance and songwriting,” Ragland says.

Unfortunately, the annual festival was never able to turn a profit. “We had some great coverage,” Ragland says. “The Washington Post wrote about us. We were in the weekend entertainment guide, and USA Today did a really nice feature on us.” But bad weather wrecked a few festivals in a row. “We weren’t well-capitalized enough to survive some of those tough early years. And after a few years of producing the festival, doing a lot of work remotely on the ground, traveling and trying to fund raise, I wasn’t really enjoying the work. So, we decided to discontinue the festival.

“I learned a lot from the experience. Failure is part of the process.”

A Newer NewSong Part of the festival had included a performance and songwriting competition. And Ragland decided to keep that part of the venture going. Now in its 16th year, the annual NewSong Music Performance & Songwriting Competition is an incubator for rising talent from across the musical landscape. “Over the last ten or so years, it has become an increasingly well-respected competition for emerging artists,” Ragland says. “Last year we had five thousand artists enter the competition. I’m continually surprised by the caliber of the artists we attract.”

October 2018 | capitalatplay.com

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For the last five years, the competition’s final event has been at Lincoln Center in New York City. A partnership with performing rights organization ASCAP means that each year’s winners earns a performance slot during the Sundance Film Festival’s music showcase.

“I get to go out there every January or February. It’s wonderful to bring these unknown artists that I’m working with out there.”

Another part of the prize package is a fully-funded six song EP produced and recorded at Echo Mountain Recording in Asheville, a sponsor of the competition. 2014’s winner, the duo Max Hatt/ Edda Glass, was the first to take advantage of the studio package.

“There are other competitions out there that are like, ‘We’ll give you $10,000 worth of studio gear,’” Ragland notes. “But we structure things in a way that tries to give artists some meaningful, high-

IT CAN BE a "holy" experience, working at Echo Mountain.

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“I’m sort of on the entry-level of the music industry food chain.

And that’s really where my passion is. I love working with emerging, talented artists and helping them, in as many ways as I can, try to rise above the noise. Because that’s probably as difficult now as it ever has been.” credibility performance opportunities. I’d like to think that’s what the program is all about: career boosting.”

Virginia-based roots musician Crys Matthews was the winner of the 2017 NewSong competition; she just completed an Echo Mountain session in July, with Ragland producing. Like all previous winners, her submitted recording gained the judges’ approval, but winning the NewSong competition requires much more.

“We have a very limited number of spots to perform in the finals,” Ragland explains. “So, if there is [an] equal level of talent and ability illustrated through the entrants’ song submissions, and we’re trying to decide between them, then we do a much deeper dive.”

The judges review the artists’ social media presence, their booked performance schedule, and other factors that indicate potential.

“We approach it like this: ‘Which of you is better suited to actually capitalize on this opportunity?’”

Ragland reflects a moment, then laughs. “I’m sort of on the entrylevel of the music industry food chain. And that’s really where my passion is. I love working with emerging, talented artists and helping them, in as many ways as I can, try to rise above the noise. Because that’s probably as difficult now as it ever has been.”

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Ragland appreciates the challenges facing artists in today’s ever-changing musical landscape. “You have to hustle so hard nowadays. There’s so much unrewarded genius out there that will never be heard of, because they don’t have the business acumen or the work ethic to really sit down and say, ‘I need to spend four hours a day promoting myself.’” The NewSong competition aims to support and encourage those creative artists who recognize that reality.

NewSong also presented this year’s annual LEAF Festival Singer-Songwriter Competition for which seven finalists played at the spring LEAF event in Black Mountain in order to land a paid, featured performance slot at the subsequent fall LEAF. This year’s winner was Asheville songstress Carly Taich, who also advanced as a finalist in the 2018 NewSong competition. (“I love Gar!” enthuses Taich. The LEAF competition was crazy—I was just blown away at winning and I’m stoked to play LEAF [in October] with my band.”)

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Studio Serendipity “Even in college, I was hopeful that I would be able to make a living in music,” Ragland says. “I’ve always had aspirations of trying to make a living as a creative person. So, it doesn’t come as a surprise that I’m doing what I’m doing now. What’s more of a surprise, though, is that I never anticipated being lucky enough to be here in Asheville, North Carolina.”

Garland had met his future wife, Meg, while in Boston, the pair eventually getting married in 2003. Two years later they relocated to Brooklyn, where Ragland again expanded his ventures. He launched an independent record label, NewSong Recordings, primarily to release the music of contest winners.

In April 2012 Ragland decided to tag along for a few dates on NewSong winner Arthur Alligood’s tour in support of his album One Silver Needle. “Arthur had a show in Asheville,” Ragland recalls. “Growing up in Winston-Salem, I was familiar

with Asheville, and my wife and I had come here to celebrate an anniversary or two.” He had heard about Echo Mountain’s studio and decided to pay an impromptu visit. “I had some time to kill before the show,” he says.

“I just walked down to the building, rang the buzzer, and as luck would have it, the studio manager, Jessica Tomasin, answered the door.” Ragland introduced himself, explaining that he ran a label and a songwriting competition, and asked if he could check out the studio.

He didn’t know it, but Tomasin was on the NewSong mailing list and was very familiar with him and his work. “It was so serendipitous,” Ragland says. “I mean, she could’ve been at lunch or in a meeting, or an intern could have answered the call.” He and Tomasin spent about an hour talking. At one point in the conversation, the studio manager told Ragland, “We’re looking for new ways to promote the studio, and I’ve been meaning to reach out to you to talk about doing a partnership.”

In the course of that one short hour, the partnership was established. “We ended the tour on the roof of Echo’s API Studio, the Old Salvation Army building,” Ragland recalls.

Tomasin was showing him the panoramic view of the Blue Ridge Mountains. “And I said, under my breath, ‘God, what I wouldn’t do to live in Asheville, North Carolina.’ And she heard me. She said, “Why don’t you move in?” It had turned out that studio owner Steve Wilmans was looking for a tenant for one of the studio’s corner offices.

“My wife and I had just had our twin boys a year earlier,” Ragland recalls. “We were living in and loving New York. But we were feeling a financial and a space squeeze. We didn’t really see ourselves living there forever.” After leaving the Asheville studio, he called his wife: “Meg, you’re not going to believe this...” He says that his wife’s adventurous spirit fit perfectly with the opportunity.

“We knew that we were going to find a way to do the move, but I wanted to play a little hard to get,” says Ragland, with October 2018 | capitalatplay.com 85

a laugh. He contacted the Economic Development Coalition (EDC) of the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce, asking if they had any resources to help facilitate a relocation of his wife’s unique publishing business. (Meg Ragland and her Plum Print business would wind up being profiled in the November 2016 issue of this magazine.) “I got connected to the EDC and Pam Lewis, who was running Venture Asheville at the time, and I made several trips down here,” he says. The family moved to North Carolina in 2012, a mere two days before their daughter started first grade at Claxton Elementary.

“I immediately moved into Echo Mountain,” says Ragland, “I do all of my record production work there, and I do all the other stuff out of there, too.”

A New Spin on Music and the Arts Ragland is a serious fan of what used to look like a dead music format: vinyl records. And he’s not alone. “Millennials are the fastest-growing demographic for purchasing vinyl,” he notes. He thinks he knows why: “The tactile, experiential art form that it is, with its emphasis on the visual as well, makes it a multimedia purchase.” Vinyl’s resurgence gives him faith in humanity, because young people “who grew up in a completely digital environment are recognizing that there’s something

missing in this world of zeros and ones. They’re looking for more authentic experiences.

“I think society as a whole is experiencing some degree of ‘digital fatigue,’ and perhaps for the first time in human history, we’re beginning to recognize the limitations of our digital, online experiences. That’s why house concerts are so popular, and why vinyl albums are making a tremendous comeback.”

It might dovetail nicely with Ragland’s creative career path—playing music, recording, producing, curating concerts, supporting new artists, and launching an indie label—to start a record-pressing business. And while the details remain under wraps for now, plans are moving forward for a music vinyl pressing plant in Asheville. “It could be a really timely opportunity to get into,” he says, with a broad smile. “It’s a work in progress, but pretty far along.”

But whether that venture spins into life or not, Gar Ragland remains busy with plenty of other pursuits that combine creativity and commerce. He’s approaching his three-year anniversary as Board Chair with the Asheville Area Arts Council. In that time, the organization has experienced a revitalization, launching the Refinery Creator Space on Coxe Avenue in the city’s resurgent South Slope district. (See page 37 in this issue, for a report on the state of the arts in our region.)

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Thinking back to his youngest days, Ragland recalls the work of the Arts Council of Winston-Salem & Forsyth County. “It was a big fundraising machine,” he says. But when he moved to Asheville, Ragland recognized both the enormity of the city’s creative capital and a troubling

concern about the sustainability of our creative class here. People just assume that the creative culture will just organically prosper.” He believes that a plan is essential.

“Unless we as a community address this and have more financial support for the arts, we’re going to wake up in a few years and wonder: ‘Where did all the creatives go?’”

In his role with the Arts Council, Ragland aims to address those issues. “It’s our job as an organization to connect the dots,” he says.

“People’s quality of life is directly correlated to the support of the arts. We’ve got a kickass board, and we’re all concerned about this dynamic.” In a fundamental way, his work with the Arts Council follows on directly from everything he’s done before in support of music and the arts.

Ragland is happy and fulfilled with the various components of his professional life. “I really love what I do,” he says. “I feel grateful to be able to do it, which makes it super easy to stay motivated. More often than not I feel like my professional journey is still in its infancy; I’m just getting started.”

“Unless we as a community address this and have more financial support for the arts, we’re going to wake up in a few years and wonder: ‘Where did all the creatives go?’” disconnect: “I was surprised that this community didn’t have a representative advocacy organization commensurate in profile and support.”

Striking a serious tone, Ragland articulates his concern, proposing, “I think that we are at risk as a community.

Too many people—and most importantly, our community leaders—are not being proactive enough to address the

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People Play at

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1. Food is served family style on Boston Way. 2. Jeff Anderson, Stu Helm, & friend 3. Brian & Gail McCarthy

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4. Nancy Maher laughing with friends.

5. Robert Foster sharing food.

6 . (R) Stephanie Brown is enjoying her dinner.

7. Simple Folk band performing 8. Kevin Westmoreland, Joe Scully, Josh Chapman, & Rachel Morgan

2018 Farm to Village Dinner, Benefiting MANNA FoodBank The Historic Biltmore Village | Asheville, NC | September 6, 2018 Photos by Anthony Harden 8

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9. Steve Klein of The Wine & Oyster serving up some wine to guests 10. Bonnie Snyder and Ben Hamrick

11. Alisa Hixon & Scott Kerchner 12. Rezaz, Corner Kitchen, Red Stag Grill, Dining Innovations, The Cantina, and Village

Wayside food was served.

13. Jeff Covington 14. The table was set for 100 diners.

October 2018 | capitalatplay.com 89

events

october

EVENTS – october 31 “Renewal of the Ancient: Cherokee Millennial Artists” october 1

9AM-5PM Museum of the Cherokee Indian 589 Tsali Blvd, Cherokee, NC

A collection of ancient and modern arts and crafts from 18 artists, all under 40 years old, will celebrate Cherokee culture and tradition.

>Tickets: Adult $11, Child (6-12) $7, Infant FREE > 828-497-3481 > cherokeemuseum.org

The quintet is praised for their musical talent and stage presence. They’ve traveled the world, playing all kinds of festivals, making several appearances on big-name TV shows, and teaching masterclasses.

> Four Concert Series: $110 > 828-859-8322 > tryonconcerts.com

Canadian Brass

The keynote speaker will be Iditarod Champ Pete R ipmaster. Topics of discussion will run from mechanical design to work force development, funding, and stewardship. Workshops, networking, presentations.

> Registration: $159 > 828-227-7211 > wcu.edu

- 31 “Cameras: Interpreters of Reality”

10AM-6PM (Mon-Sat), 12-5PM (Sun)

october 5

Bender Gallery 29 Biltmore Ave, Asheville, NC This art exhibition by Joshua Hershman consists of glass replicas of antique cameras. The original cameras are destroyed in the mold-making process.

october 5

8PM Tryon Fine Arts Center 34 Melrose Ave, Tryon, NC

Western Carolina University, 1 University Way, Cullowhee, NC

october 5

> FREE to wander > 828-505-8341 > bendergallery.com

october 4

8AM-6:30PM

Outdoor Economy Conference @ WCU

Believe in Abundance

“Transformation” Artist Reception 5-8PM

Momentum Gallery 24 N Lexington Ave, Asheville, NC Meet painter Mariella Bisson and woodturner David Ellsworth, both featured in the gallery’s “Transformation: Earth, Water & Wood” exhibition, which also includes works from Vicki Grant, Ron Isaacs, and Ron Layport. The exhibition will run through October 31.

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FABRIC • SEWING MACHINES

BERNINA • BABY LOCK • HORN 1378 Hendersonville Road, Asheville (next to Fresh Market) 828-277-4100 • Mon-Sat, 10a-5:30p

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october 6 & 13

october 6

American Craft Week

october 8

Homestead Dreams

12-4PM Firefly Craft Gallery 2689-D Greenville Hwy, Flat Rock, NC

10AM-5PM Creekside Farms Education Center 339 Avery Creek Rd, Arden, NC

American Craft Week is now celebrated from October 5-14 across the United States with more than 1,000 events. Firefly Craft Gallery will celebrate Saturdays with free live demonstrations in fiber art, wood carving, and stained glass.

Start where you are to make more sustainable choices, big or small. A one-day workshop can boot the ball down the pitch.

> Registration: $65 > 828-680-0661 > organicgrowersschool.org

> 828-231-0764 > fireflycraftgallery.com

Bascom Lamar Lunsford Festival

Asheville Oktoberfest

10AM-7:30PM Mars Hill University 100 Athletic St, Mars Hill, NC

1-6PM Pack Square Park 1 Pack Square, Asheville, NC

Fabric center

Seven all-star chefs cook up a fourcourse tribute to their friend and mentor prior to an exclusive screening of The Many Lives of Louis Osteen. Proceeds underwrite the dinner and film.

Host $1,250/couple > 828-787-2697 > honorlouis.com

october 10

The Literary Ecosystem:

your complete your complete Fabric center Sounds will be created by the Mountain Top Polka Band. Tastes will be provided by a growing list of pourers. It includes local favorites and Chateau Ste. Michelle.

VIP tickets get you, among other things, a private portajohn.

6-8PM Old Edwards Inn and Spa 445 Main St, Highlands, NC

>Tickets: Dinner & Premiere $275,

october 6

october 6

A Celebration of Louis Osteen

For the 51st annual free celebration of the Minstrel of Appalachia, musicians will share open jams, a ballad swap, workshops, and formal concerts. The festival takes place the same time and place as the Madison County Heritage Arts Festival.

> Workshops: Adult $10, Youth (0-18) $5 >Tickets: GA $49.56, VIP $134.02, Designated Driver $12.61 selection Largest Fast, > 828-689-1298 friendly > ashevilledowntown.orgof upholstery > mhu.edu argest selection Fast, fabric in WNC service of upholstery friendly fabric in WNC service

How It Works and the Writer’s Role 6-8:30PM Flatiron Writers Room 5 Covington St, Asheville, NC

Caroline Christopoulos and Lauren Harr, co-owners of Gold Leaf Literary Services, will coach writers on how to sell their work: sharpening goals, pitching, and knowing the difference between an agent

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events

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and a publicist. The five-week course is sponsored by the UNC Asheville Great Smokies Writing Program and will meet Wednesdays.

> In-state tuition: $155.81 > New student application fee: $20 > 828-251-6099 > unca.edu/gswp october 13 -14

Spruce Pine Potters Market

10AM-5PM Historic Cross Street Building 31 Cross St Commerce Center, Spruce Pine, NC Quality potters from the Mitchell/ Yancey creative class sell their wares in the twelfth annual.

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october 13

MasterWorks II: Mozart

8-10:30PM Thomas Wolfe Auditorium 87 Haywood St, Asheville, NC

Violinist Adele Anthony will be featured in Mozart’s Turkish concerto. Other performances, conducted by Darko Butorac, include Beethoven’s Egmont Overture and Schumann’s Fourth Symphony.

> Single Tickets: $24-$69 > 828-254-7046 > ashevillesymphony.org october 13 & 14

Oktoberfest at Sugar Mountain Resort

10AM-5PM Sugar Mountain Resort 1009 Sugar Mountain Dr, Sugar Mountain, NC 92

| October 2018

The 15-piece Harbour Towne Fest Band and Valle Crucis Middle School Band will keep the 28th annual event live and authentic. Barrels will flow to chase down German and American food. Crafts, costumes, harvest games, outdoor adventure.

> 800-SUGAR-MT > skisugar.com october 13

Asheville Humane Society Taste of Compassion Auction & Gala 6-9PM A-B Tech, Mission Health Conference Center 16 Fernihurst Dr, Asheville, NC

The annual event raises funds for the furry friends in the society’s care.

Patrick Lopez will DJ a night of fine dining, dancing, and auctions with trumpet and piano.

>Tickets: General $75, VIP $125 > 828-761-2001 > ashevillehumane.org october 13

6th Annual Cider Fest NC

1-5PM Salvage Station 466 Riverside Dr, Asheville, NC

It is to the apple what Octoberfest is to the hop. Proceeds benefit the Green Built Alliance.

>Tickets: General $35.64, VIP $58.74, Designated Driver $16.74 > 828-254-1995 > greenbuilt.org

october 14

15th HardLox Jewish Food and Heritage Festival

11AM-4PM Pack Square Park 80 Court Plaza, Asheville, NC The fifteenth annual festival shares Jewish culture with food, dance, song, and instruction in history and tradition.

> 828-335-7868 > hardloxjewishfestival.org

MULCH | SAND | GRAVEL | MASONRY TOOLS | BOULDERS | BUILDING STONE | THIN STONE | FLAGSTONE

october 18

Mountain Treasures: Bobby McMillon and Glenn Bolick

2-4PM Harvest House Performing Arts Venue 247 Boone Heights Dr, Boone, NC

Joe Shannon’s Mountain Home Music presents two veterans of Appalachian storytelling, ballad, and song.

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> Donation: Suggested > 828-263-4171 > mountainhomemusic.com october 18 -28

Pickin’ and a Grinnin’ Flat Rock Playhouse Mainstage 2661 Greenville Hwy, Flat Rock, NC The Grand Ole Opry receives a cornfield sa-lute for growing greats like Hank Williams, Minnie Pearl, String Bean, Cash, Parton, Wynette, and Nelson.

Bluegrass, honky-tonk, Tin Pan Alley, and more.

>Tickets: $20-$52 > 828-693-0731 > flatrockplayhouse.org october 20

Bernstein, Barber, and Brahms

7:30-9PM Blue Ridge Community College

October 2018 | capitalatplay.com 93

One City Block

events

Local Shopping, Dining & Essentials In a Uniquely Asheville Atmosphere

Concert Hall 180 West Campus Dr, Flat Rock, NC Pianist Douglas Weeks will be the Henderson Symphony Orchestra’s guest artist. Selections include Bernstein’s Symphonic Suite from On the Waterfront, Barber’s “Second Essay,” and Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 1.

>Tickets: $40 > 828-697-5884 > hendersonvillesymphony.org october 20

Bearfootin’ Public Art Auction

3-6PM Historic Hendersonville Courthouse 1 Historic Courthouse Square, Hendersonville, NC Once a year, you get the chance to buy the perfect gift for the man who has everything. The painted bears that have been decorating the streets of downtown Hendersonville, some psychedelic, some in character, are going to be auctioned off to raise funds for each bear’s designated nonprofit.

> 828-233-3205 > downtownhendersonville.org october 20

The Valle Country Fair

9AM-4PM NC 194 across from Holy Cross Church 122 Skiles Way, Banner Elk, NC Organizers describe the event as an overgrown church bazaar, having its roots authentically in the celebration of harvest in one of the area’s most beautiful valleys for viewing the seasonal color change. Proceeds support local families in need.

> Parking: Car $10, Van $25, Bus $50 > 828-963-4609 > vallecountryfair.org

GROVE

ARCADE

october 23

[Food + Beverage] Collider

DINE • WINE • SHOP Open Daily

94 GA_Capital_Oct18_v4.indd 1

•

8:30AM-6:30PM The Collider: 1 Haywood St, Asheville, NC

One Page Avenue • Downtown Asheville www.grovearcade.com

The conference asks: How are leading food and beverage companies identifying and addressing climate risk? What

| October 2018 9/7/18 3:45 PM

solutions are available to management teams today? How can data yield more insights, greater efficiency, lower costs, and higher profits? A coinciding hackathon will be held October 21; culinary field trips, October 22.

> Registration: $149 > 828-254-6283 > thecollider.org october 26

Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation Gala & Fundraiser 5-8PM

Zealandia: 1 Vance Gap Rd, Asheville, NC The Blue Ridge Parkway and Saints of Paint are celebrating the art of nature in a show, “Of Valley & Ridge: A Scenic Journey through the Blue Ridge Parkway.” More than 20 artists are contributing creations to raise funds for the foundation. The show will be open to the public 11AM-5PM (Sat) and 11AM-3PM (Sun).

>Tickets: $100 > 866-308-2773x245 > brpfoundation.org october 27-28

Beaverdam Art Studio Tour

10AM-5PM (Sat), 12-5PM (Sun) Beaverdam area

Self-guided tours visit 30 artist studios in the Beaverdam area.

See website for brochure and map.

> beaverdamstudiotour.com october 27-28

Hot Works 3rd Asheville Fine Art Show

10AM-5PM Pack Square Park: 80 Court Plaza, Asheville, NC

150 juried professional visual artists show their own work and compete for cash prizes. The event features a Youth Art Competition.

> Donation: Appreciated > 941-755-3088 > hotworks.org

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events

SCORE, in partnership with Carol L. King & Associates, is offering three free seminars to coach small business owners on new tax laws. In the third, attendees who have been in business for at least three years will get insights into how they might restructure their organization or change accounting practices to pay less taxes and win IRS approval.

october 30

Taking the Long Way Home: A Creative Nonfiction Workshop 6-8:30PM Flatiron Writers Room 5 Covington St, Asheville, NC

november 2

Blindside

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> Adult $35, Student $30, Child $20 > 828-257-4530 > dwtheatre.com

11:30AM-1PM Lenoir Rhyne, Asheville campus 36 Montford Ave, Asheville, NC

Stephen Becker & Jerry Sewell Big Bridge Design p.18

Josie Mielke & Family

Kevin & Christie Merrill

Urban Orchard Cider Co. p.84

Stan Cross & Matthew Johnson

Oxbow River Snorkeling p.16

Graham and Andrea DuVall

Brightfield Transportation Solutions p.72

Western North Carolina's Free Spirit of Enterprise

Pre-Closing Due Diligence p.50

plus Listing of Alcohol Producers in Western North Carolina p.43

Young Bat Company p.76

Slingers Outdoor Outfitters in Western North Carolina

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l o c a l i n d u s t ry

Creditworthiness, Collateral, & Capital Funding Options for Entrepreneurs & Star tups p.37

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Leisure & Libation

Biblio p.18

Collectors & Collecting p.57

Mixerman p.76

Western North Carolina's Free Spirit of Enterprise The Wine Column: What the Professionals Drink for the Holidays p.12

What Went Wrong With Chardonnay? p.50

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Home Grown & Hand Made: Farmers Markets in Western North Carolina p.35 colu m ns

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Festival Flair: Success and Growth Strategies p.48

Gardening Summer Doldrums p.28 Data Breach: Technology & Protection p.44 King of Grapes p. 64

Song l e i s u r e & l i b at i o n

Show Me The Money: Cash Flow & Business p.70

Summer OF

Volume VII - Edition VIII complimentary edition

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August 2017

JULY 2017 - VOL. 7 ED. 7

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Gift Baskets

by Melissa p.56

savory

Western North Carolina's Free Spirit of Enterprise

November 2017

Jack Devereux is a gifted fiddler for an award-winning bluegrass band, as well as an in demand violin maker.

AY e PL od AT ssc VE Pa LO uary br Fe

AUGUST 2017 - VOL. 7 ED. 8

Fox Hunting in Western North Carolina

Strings OF Life

Connecting the Dots: Buying and Selling Land p.70

Gift

2017 s w ee t p.76

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p.76

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H&H Distillery p.18

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l e i s u r e & l i b at i o n

Horses, Hounds, & Hunting

OCTOBER 2017 - VOL. 7 ED. 8

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Leisure & Libation

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Above & Beyond: Accommodating Breastfeeding Employees p.68 Taking Care of Your Employees p.86

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Millennials and the Craft Aesthetic p.68

Thwarting Postal: Preventing Workplace Violence p.60

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Quantifying the Arts p.88

Romantic Gifts & Getaways

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Diner’s Choice: How to Get the Most from a Wine List p.48

Local Industry

Tales from the Back of the House p.39

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Keyword: Legacy Working with Family in Business p.68

DECEMBER 2017 - VOL. 7 ED. 12

Eric Sarafin

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May 2018

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A look back on Real Estate Growth for Western North Carolina. p. 39

JANUARY 2018 - VOL. 8 ED. 1

Local Businesses Shaking up Your Workout Routine.

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Defining Sustainability p.50

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COMPLETE LIST OF MANUFACTURERS IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA

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Fitness

Spring On the Brain p.70

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The Garden Column: Garden Retro p.36

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Faces of Enterprise

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Western North Carolina's Free Spirit of Enterprise

April 2018

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p.

Soil Is Wealth p.68

Dancing Bear Toys p.22

Celtic Sea Salt p.56

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Are Expensive Wines Worth It? p.30

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Sarah, Erika, Mary, and Dave Evers

Selina Delangre

Hoffman Blacksmithing p.16

The Flip Side of Murphy’s Law p.66

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The Homesteading Equation p.34

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Jael and Dan Ratt and opera tions igan talk fund for Fren ch Broa ing, expa d Choc nsion, olates. p.76

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Asheville Yoga Center p.16

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discusses growing and managing his businesses.

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Virtual Realty is Better Than Unicorns

July July 2018 2018

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Tax Time 2018

Operation Simulation

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AvL Technologies p.78

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Jim Oliver and Mike Proffit

The top 15 questions about the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act p.34

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Off-roading with Marshall Grant, of Blue Ridge Expeditions

Traction

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MAY 2018 - VOL. 8 ED. 5

Young, Siniard, & Young

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The Garden Column Plants Don’t Read Plant Tags. p.30 Entrepreneurs – Find Your Next Act p.64

JUNE 2018 - VOL. 8 ED. 6

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From Pavement To Bricks p.51

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Diane English

The Great Cosmic Happy-Ass Card Co. p.16

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7 TRUTHS & 1 LIE About Bar Ownership

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Weddings

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Alcohol Rules and Regulations

The Garden Column: Weeds to Keep p.62

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Coworking Spaces in Western North Carolina p.39

If your organization has any local press releases for our briefs section, or events that you would like to see here, feel free to email us at events@capitalatplay.com.

Please submit your event at least six weeks in advance.

l e i s u r e & l i b at i o n

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The Wine Column: Off (the) Road Dining & Drinking p.80

Local Industry

Mother Earth Produce p.18

Western North Carolina's Free Spirit of Enterprise

> ncstoryguild.org

Motivational speaker Stephanie MorinRobert storytells her memoir, of a childhood cancer survivor with a glass eye. A 10AM matinee is directed toward children.

october 31

The Mother of Good Luck: Part 2 p.30

10AM-4PM Henderson County Public Library – Kaplan Auditorium 301 N Washington St, Hendersonville, NC

8-9:30PM Diana Wortham Theatre 2 South Pack Square, Asheville, NC

> In-state tuition: $155.81 > New student application fee: $20 > 828-251-6099 > unca.edu/gswp

colu m ns

Tar Heel Tellers Storytelling Festival

The statewide guild brings its annual free festival to Hendersonville for the first time. Scheduled activities include workshops, folk music, open mic, and all-star presentations.

> 828-271-4786 > asheville.score.org

Led by Audra Coleman, students will survey a range of narrative structures by rewriting stories to find which work best.

This is a five-week course, sponsored by the UNC Asheville Great Smokies Writing Program, that meets Tuesdays beginning on the posted date.

november 3

p. 50

Explore Small Mountain Lakes Throughout Western North Carolina

Volume VII - Edition VII complimentary edition

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July 2017

Visit the Secret Corners of Provence Sylvie Delaunay | 828-423-3148 | provencedetours.com

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