Mountain Xpress 01.06.20

OUR 27TH YEAR OF WEEKLY INDEPENDENT NEWS, ARTS & EVENTS FOR WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA VOL. 27 NO. 22 & 23 JAN. 6-12, 2021

C O N T E NT S

FEATURES

FEATURE

16 MODIFYING THE MIND Ryan Bush examines psychology, spirituality and emotion in new book

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4 LETTERS 4 CARTOON: MOLTON 5 CARTOON: BRENT BROWN

8 NEWS 17 GET IT GONE Responsible recycling for New Year’s cleanup

10 XPRESSERS ALMANAC 12 CARTOON BONANZA 14 ASHEVILLE ARCHIVES 15 COMMUNITY CALENDAR

FOOD

18 BREAKING POINT Restaurants ponder the challenge of increased capacity restrictions

16 WELLNESS 17 GREEN SCENE 18 FOOD 20 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT 21 CLUBLAND

21 TIME MACHINE TUNES Dave Desmelik ruminates upon the months with ‘The Calendar Album’

A&E

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COVER ILLUSTRATION Brent Brown

6 COMMENTARY

from Vendor 2499

Find on Electric Ave.

It’s finally the new year, but we can’t resist taking a few last jabs at the old one in our annual Humor Issue. From a wry look at dating in Asheville during the pandemic to 100% fake news predictions for WNC, we’ve got humor and satire galore to start your year off with a chuckle.

COVER DESIGN Scott Southwick

GREEN

Waterfall Style Chest of Drawers

14 ILLUSTRATING MANY POINTS Billy Borne’s 1921 cartoons

WELLNESS

NEWS

8 TAKING STOCK Dogwood Health Trust releases first annual report; new jobs for Fletcher; more

STARTS ON PAGE 6 THE HUMOR ISSUE

22 FREEWILL ASTROLOGY 22 CLASSIFIEDS 23 NY TIMES CROSSWORD

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C O NT AC T U S: (8 2 8 ) 2 5 1 - 1 3 3 3 • F A X (8 2 8 ) 2 5 1 - 1 3 1 1 news tips & story ideas to NEWS@MOUNTAINX.COM letters/commentary to LETTERS@MOUNTAINX.COM sustainability news to GREEN@MOUNTAINX.COM a&e events and ideas to AE@MOUNTAINX.COM events can be submitted to CALENDAR@MOUNTAINX.COM or try our easy online calendar at MOUNTAINX.COM/EVENTS food news and ideas to FOOD@MOUNTAINX.COM wellness-related events/news to MXHEALTH@MOUNTAINX.COM business-related events/news to BUSINESS@MOUNTAINX.COM

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STAFF PUBLISHER: Jeff Fobes ASSISTANT TO THE PUBLISHER: Susan Hutchinson MANAGING EDITOR: Virginia Daffron ASSISTANT EDITOR: Daniel Walton OPINION EDITOR: Tracy Rose STAFF REPORTERS: Able Allen, Edwin Arnaudin, Thomas Calder, Molly Horak, Daniel Walton COMMUNITY CALENDAR & CLUBLAND: Madeline Forwerck CONTRIBUTING EDITORS: Peter Gregutt, Rob Mikulak REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS: Mark Barrett, Leslie Boyd, Bill Kopp, Cindy Kunst, Alli Marshall, Gina Smith, Kay West ADVERTISING, ART & DESIGN MANAGER: Susan Hutchinson LEAD DESIGNER: Scott Southwick GRAPHIC DESIGNER: Olivia Urban MARKETING ASSOCIATES: Sara Brecht, David Furr, Tiffany Wagner OPERATIONS MANAGER: Able Allen INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES & WEB: Bowman Kelley BOOKKEEPER: Amie Fowler-Tanner ADMINISTRATION, BILLING, HR: Able Allen DISTRIBUTION: Susan Hutchinson, Cindy Kunst DISTRIBUTION DRIVERS: Gary Alston, Tracy Houston, Henry Mitchell, Tiffany Narron, Kelley Quigley, Angelo Santa Maria, Carl & Debbie Schweiger

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3

OPINION

Send your letters to the editor to letters@mountainx.com. per $1 million, while the clean energy industry and infrastructure each support 9.8 jobs, health care supports 14.3, and education supports 15.2.

So for the same amount of spending, clean energy and infrastructure create 40 percent more jobs than the military, health care creates 100% more, and education 120% more.”

The common understanding that the defense industry is the source of the most and best jobs is false.

We should be giving tax incentives to local sustainable businesses, not to a multinational corporation that relies on fossil fuels and perpetuates a war industry that is the scourge of the world. And which will undoubtedly leave us with an environmental and health mess after it predictably moves on.

— Ken Jones Swannanoa

C A R T O O N B Y R AN DY M O L T O N

A better way to support jobs in Buncombe The public explanation for the decision of the Buncombe County commissioners to give tax incentives to Pratt & Whitney was that we need the jobs. There is a better way.

In 2011, researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst produced a peer-reviewed report about the comparative effects on job creation between investments in the military-industrial complex, on the one hand, and clean energy, education and health care, on the other.

The report’s conclusion was straightforward and unequivocal: “Investments in clean energy, health care and education create a much larger number of jobs across all pay ranges, including midrange jobs (paying between $32,000 and $64,000)

and high-paying jobs (paying over $64,000).”

In 2019, these findings were updated in a report from Brown University titled “War Spending and Lost Opportunities.” Here is its conclusion: “Including both direct and indirect jobs, the military creates 6.9 jobs

JAN. 6-12, 2021

MOUNTAINX.COM

Hats off to the Asheville Fire Department inspection division’s Jeff Payne for alerting us that two emergency lights needed to be replaced in our Montford building. While there, we replaced two broken smoke alarms and put all-new batteries in.

SURVIVAL TACTICS

Xpress changes for the coming year Dear readers, Thanks to your continued readership, plus the support of local businesses and contributions from community members, Mountain Xpress came through 2020 successfully — even with some panache.

As 2021 dawns, we need to adjust our operations in anticipation of what’s shaping up to be another challenging year. Our focus and commitment must be on positioning Mountain Xpress to continue serving the Western North Carolina community and preserving our ability to rebound when business conditions ease.

Inside our offices, we’ve announced several changes, which we want to share with the broader community. In the coming weeks, you will see the following shifts: • Our papers will be smaller through the winter.

• We will stop publishing movie reviews for the foreseeable future. When space is available in our print editions, we will direct readers to AshevilleMovies. com, where local reviewers Edwin Arnaudin and Bruce Steele will continue to share insights on the latest releases and happenings.

• Our Asheville Archives history feature will likewise go on hiatus.

• Our Food and Arts & Entertainment sections will be combined under the name Arts & Culture. Thomas Calder will lead that new section as its editor.

• We have had to say a fond farewell to Laura Hackett, membership and development coordinator, with much appreciation for her innovative work establishing Xpress’ reader support program and daily email newsletter.

While these changes are undeniably wrenching, we want to stress that they are made with the objective of ensuring Mountain Xpress’ ability to continue its contributions to the vitality and success of this community.

Onward, Jeff Fobes, founder and publisher X

4

Kudos to AFD — and check those smoke alarms

C A RT O O N B Y B R E N T B R O W N Everyone should check all alarms.

Tenants don’t tell you. The whole procedure took about two hours and cost about $100 to save lives and structure.

— Susan Roderick Asheville

Postal Service deserves our respect I think we don’t pay anywhere near the respect it deserves to our U.S. Postal Service.

They have been delivering the mail throughout this pandemic. I think our local mail carriers are really doing a great job in the face of awful problems — reduction of staff and equipment by this administration — and when I visit the Grace station (my neighborhood station), staff are always courteous and manage to process customers pretty quickly. And they are nice folks!

The other shippers seem to get all the acknowledgments, but honestly, where else can you pretty reliably get from New York to California for 55 cents?

Thank you to all these excellent folks. Please keep supporting our Postal Service.

— Patricia Wald Asheville

2021

2017

Wellness Issues

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JAN. 6-12, 2021

5

OPINION

From a distance What I’ve learned about dating in Asheville during a pandemic

BY KEVIN MILLER

Also, let’s just roll on the assumption I’m not an ax murderer and don’t have a third eye.

Hi! My name is Kevin, and I just moved back to North Carolina after a 15-year hiatus. West Asheville is now home to me, my two dogs and the worst dating scene since the bubonic plague.

No one said dating is easy. It’s one of the most written and sung about topics for a reason. Yet there’s not a ton of precedent for dating during a pandemic. The last time I checked, Dan Savage and Cheryl Strayed weren’t around during the Black Death or Spanish flu. Most of us single folks are in uncharted territory.

But, why, does it seem, is dating in Asheville as a new arrival during COVID-19 so particularly hard?

To channel Sacha Baron Cohen, I am a straight, cisgender, white male, and for that, I apologize. I acknowledge my dating life will be very different than many in the community due to my race, sexual preference and gender.

Additionally, after 10 years in a relationship, I’m not looking for anything serious. I’m mostly interested in having fun, meeting cool people and, of course, getting laid.

DOES IT ALL HINGE ON TINDER? How does a new arrival meet people during the worst pandemic in modern history? Most bars and restaurants in Asheville are at limited capacity, strongly discourage intertable mingling and close around 9 p.m. That leaves dating apps, of course. Or at least, that’s what worked in the Big Apple. So dating apps, it is! Or maybe it isn’t.

My first complaint is the chat-tomeet ratio. Most people seem more interested in gaining a new pen pal than a new partner. Why does one join an app if not to meet people?

I’m using Tinder (known for fostering hookups), Hinge (more of a young professional crowd) and Bumble (the woman makes the first move). The process for me has typically been match, chat, meet up. Seems simple enough.

However, there seems to be a misunderstanding of how to use the apps in AVL. I’ve never met so many people looking for self-val-

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KEVIN MILLER idation. I’ll match, we’ll chat for a day or two, and then when I want to meet up — or at the very least, exchange numbers — I’m told, “I’m not meeting new people right now” or “I don’t feel comfortable meeting strangers.” OK, what are we doing here, Karen? Was my distaste for olives really that interesting? Was the picture of me playing banjo with a mask on really that inspiring? There are plenty of ways to pass the time without involving my bruised ego. Might I suggest trolling recent arrivals to town on Asheville Riff-Raff? Or calling a friend?

I understand this isn’t Brooklyn, a place where you can swipe at 3 p.m., go on a date by 7 and be locking lips by 10. Was it wrong of me to expect the same out of the apps in Asheville? It looks like it. Perhaps it’s more conservative down here or maybe my aesthetic doesn’t hit the same south of the Mason-Dixon Line. Regardless, big city tactics aren’t working for me in my new home.

IS IRL A REAL THING ANYMORE? So, the apps suck. The other approach is just talking to people in real life. First, let’s state the obvious — masks make this an awkward proposition. There are a lot of butterfaces getting away with murder right now. How am I supposed to appropriately judge someone’s attractiveness with half their face covered? What if she has the top face of Gal Gadot but the bottom face of Glenn Quagmire?

Until that mask comes off, it’s hard to tell.

If you’re not that shallow, maybe you feel it’s truly what’s inside that counts. Great! Now you just have to approach someone during a pandemic when guidelines state to actually not do that at all! The CDC advises the public to limit

interactions with strangers, stay 6 feet away from people and to choose safe social activities. So even if you have the chutzpah to approach a table of strangers, don’t get too close, don’t take off your mask, and, of course, don’t touch.

Essentially, hitting on a stranger is a violation of CDC protocol and a general “screw you” to everyone trying to stay safe while living their lives. Simply put, I think it’s rude to approach strangers right now.

FRIENDS OF FRIENDS?

So at this point, you’re either commiserating or figuring out the best way to cancel me. Either way, glad you’re still here!

Normally, I’d say the best way to meet real people who you actually have something in common with is through friends. Your current friends’ single friends are often your best bet for meeting like-minded folk. Of course, if you live in Asheville, everyone is friends with everyone, so maybe that’s not the best idea. For example, despite all the roadblocks, I’ve been on dates with three women since I moved to the area. To my complete surprise, at some point in the dates, I discover they all know each other. This has never happened to me in NYC. I was shocked and, to put it bluntly, kind of embarrassed. It made me look superthirsty — which I am.

Clearly, dating is hard in general. Dating during pandemic? Even harder. Dating during a pandemic in Asheville? Wut? So in an effort to minimize the spread of COVID and to decrease my own depression, I’m going to pause all dating efforts. The apps are a sham, approaching strangers in real life seems to be in bad form, and I have no friends to introduce me to their hot single roommates. So for now, it’s just me, my two amazing dogs and this unused bearskin rug.

Come say hi! Actually, don’t. And can you put your mask over your nose, please?

Kevin Miller is a musician and writer based in West Asheville.

He lives with his dogs Elma and Nui. Do you have a poop bag he could borrow? X

MOUNTAINX.COM

JAN. 6-12, 2021

7

NEWS BRIEFS

Dogwood Health Trust releases first annual report After a tumultuous 2020, Western North Carolina’s biggest nonprofit is taking stock of its situation. The Dogwood Health Trust unveiled its first annual report on Dec. 30, which summarizes roughly $47 million in grants approved throughout the year.

The foundation’s work addressed a broad portfolio of social determinants of health, the foremost of which was the region’s COVID-19 response.

DHT disbursed $9 million toward that work across WNC’s 18 counties and the Qualla Boundary, including over $3 million for personal protective equipment and an unspecified amount toward coronavirus testing.

Other major items included $5 million to address substance use disorder, $3.7 million for racial equity and $3 million toward affordable housing.

The report also provides the first look at DHT’s financial holdings, about which the nonprofit has been reluctant to share details since its

COUNT ME IN: Dogwood Health Trust spent more than $1.5 million to encourage regional participation in the 2020 census. Photo courtesy of Dogwood Health Trust founding in February 2019. As of Dec. 31, 2019, the trust held just under $1.1 billion in net assets; by 2022, when the foundation is expected to take control of all proceeds

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CHEERS TO THE ENDLESS POSSIBILITIES!

Happy New Year!

from the sale of Mission Health to HCA Healthcare, that amount will approach $1.5 billion.

At the end of 2019, 55% of DHT’s investments were allocated in equities, 18% in unspecified “diversifiers,” 14% in fixed-income or cash investments and 13% in private investments. The nonprofit also spent more than $4.46 million on staff compensation and professional services in 2019.

Low Impact Technologies to bring 60 jobs to Fletcher

The Henderson County Partnership for Economic Development announced in a Dec. 16 press release that Low Impact Technologies, an Australian produc-

Voted one of the BEST OF WNC for 15 years in a row.

Thank you!

8

JAN. 6-12, 2021

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Asheville seeks input on Biltmore and McDowell plans As part of a corridor study on Biltmore Avenue and McDowell Street, Asheville city planners want to hear from the public about the future of the busy roadways. An online survey, available at avl.mx/8u3, includes questions about transportation and road design for motorists, bicyclists, pedestrians and transit riders.

The study, expected to conclude this summer, will complement existing citywide plans such as Asheville in Motion and the Transit Master Plan. The city currently expects to increase development density and affordability along the corridor, with matching improvements to bus and bike infrastructure.

Buncombe County reports more deaths in 2020 than any other year More people died in 2020 in Buncombe County than any other year in history, according to year-end birth and death statistics compiled by Drew Reisinger, Buncombe’s register of deeds. COVID-19 contributed to 274 of the 3,994 deaths analyzed, a figure that includes out-of-county residents who died within Buncombe limits. The previous high of 3,802 deaths was set in 2018, per data from the last two decades.

Birth and marriage rates declined in 2020. Just shy of 4,000 babies were born last year, and 2,457 couples got married, down from 2019 figures of 4,264 and 2,745, respectively.

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er of solar distillation equipment, will locate its first U.S. manufacturing facility in Fletcher. The company is expected to invest $5 million in new equipment, make $150,000 in renovations to an existing building and create 60 new jobs with an average wage of $65,000 by 2025.

According to Brittany Brady, president of the HCPED, Low Impact Technologies could receive over $160,000 in taxpayer subsidies as part of the agreement, pending the company’s fulfilment of its hiring and investment targets. The town of Fletcher has agreed to pay roughly $46,000 through 2025, while Henderson County has offered over $114,000. No state-based incentives were included in the deal.

MountainX.com/Newsletters

— Xpress Staff X

MOUNTAINX.COM

JAN. 6-12, 2021

9

NEWS

XPRESSERS ALMANAC

PREDICTIONS FOR THE COMING YEAR

BY XPRESS STAFF news@mountainx.com Editor’s note: The following story, unlike the rest of Mountain Xpress’ award-winning coverage of local news and events throughout the rest of the year, is 100% fake.

Top 10 New Year’s Resolutions from Asheville City Council

• Approve twice the hotels in 2021 to make up for lost time.

• Name a cat “Equity and Inclusion,” then adopt it.

• Move all seven Council members into the same house to open up more affordable housing.

• Host a season of The Bachelor in the above Council house, with the all-female board vying for the affections of hunky local real estate magnate Chris Peterson, and use the proceeds to fund waterline maintenance.

• Bring back Bird scooters.

• Allow in-person public comment at Council meetings again, but only for residents who can reach the end of an American Ninja Warrior course placed outside City Hall.

• Treat themselves to something nice, like a Tryon International Equestrian Center suite or a California wine tour.

• Dedicate the next Chow Chow festival exclusively to cuisine for dogs.

• Address sidewalk safety on Biltmore Avenue with community tightrope walking lessons.

• Board up one storefront per block, “for old time’s sake.”

Top five proposals to draw fair Buncombe County electoral districts

• Pin the tail on the county.

• Follow the tracks of three wild opossums released from the exact center of Asheville.

• Let parties take whatever territory they can personally mark with urine.

• Paintball.

• Hand crayons and paper to preschoolers.

Top five demands by Asheville protesters

• Invest in antimatter research to remove the Vance Monument at the subatomic level.

• Replace racist Council chamber paintings with Magic Eye posters for entertainment during long meetings. (“It’s a schooner!”)

• Cancel tourism-focused Maui Invitational, support locally grown Maui Wowie.

• Turn the Pratt & Whitney engine plant into a sunshine and rainbows factory.

• Establish a breeding program for a key endangered species: the Loud-Mouthed Buncombe County Republican.

Top 10 new Ashevillearea tourist attractions

• City safari, taking advantage of Asheville’s recent deer-hunting ordinance.

• The Pepper Cave, an alternative destination for those watching their sodium intake.

• Biltmore Manservant Experience, complete with gruel and starched collar!

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JAN. 6-12, 2021

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• Two words: bear yoga.

• Authentic human sacrifices at the Asheville Masonic Temple.

• Invasive piranhas released into the French Broad River.

• Downtown beer geyser.

Psychedelic boat ride through • French Broad Chocolate factory.

• The WNC Nature Center’s Country Red Panda Jamboree!

• Statue of buskers where buskers used to actually play — oh wait, that one’s real.

Top five rejected plans

for the Vance Monument

• Chisel into statue of Asheville’s real hero: Florida Man. Sell to Raytheon as prototype • cruise missile.

• Let tourists pay to engrave their names on individual bricks.

• Tetherball.

• Adorn base with two brass orbs dedicated to peace and tolerance.

Top five Asheville Police

Department reforms

• Contract with Johnson and Johnson for “no more tears” gas.

• Make officers who beat pedestrians write “I’m really, really sorry” on the blackboard 500 times before they’re allowed back on patrol.

• Replace detective division with four groovy teenagers and one stonedass dog.

• Wage war on obesity by stabbing soda bottles instead of water.

• Acting classes for Chief David Zack.

Top 10 gaffes from Madison Cawthorn’s first term

• Runs out of clean dress shirts in first week without his mom to do his laundry.

• Seen on the Capitol floor watching Schoolhouse Rock’s “I’m Just a Bill” to learn how this whole Congress thing is supposed to work.

• Caught in the National Archives trying to add his signature to the Declaration of Independence.

• Tries marijuana, inhales once, coughs for 10 minutes straight.

• Demands Capitol photographer retake his official portrait until boyish grin rendered sufficiently luminous.

• Violates House rules of decorum by constantly popping sick wheelies.

• Mistakes National Gallery for a gun range.

• Blows actual dog whistle to distract from racist dog whistles.

• Misses key votes while promoting his new hot sauce brand: Cry More, Lib. • Refuses to wear a mask and infects entire Congress with COVID-19.

• Asheville FM stops speciesist discrimination, lets flock of pigeons host talk show.

• Encouraged by cigarette ad sales, Mountain Xpress opens space to Iranian arms dealers, North Korean state propaganda and makers of knockoff handbags.

• Chad Nesbitt of Skyline News buys sweet flea market nunchucks in preparation for next encounter with “antifa supersoldiers.”

Top five uses for face masks once the pandemic ends

• Cheesecloth – already inoculated with funky microorganisms!

• Upcycled “herd immunity” artisan handbags.

• Straight-up bank robbery.

• Banana hammock. For an actual banana, you pervert.

• Hamster parachutes. X

dinner bar & patio Wishing you a New Year of hope, health & prosperity!

Thank you for your support!

Top five Asheville media phenomena

now open wed - mon 4:30 - 9

• After next round of Gannett buyouts, Citizen Times gets by with just Joel Burgess on 24/7 intravenous Adderall.

• Edible Asheville boosts circulation with all-chocolate print run.

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2021

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JAN. 6-12, 2021

11

FEA T U RE S

12

JAN. 6-12, 2021

THE FUNNY PAGES

MOUNTAINX.COM

BY BRENT BROWN

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JAN. 6-12, 2021

13

ASHEVILLE ARCHIVES

FEA T U RE S

by Thomas Calder | tcalder@mountainx.com

Illustrating many points Billy Borne’s 1921 cartoons

In this year’s Humor Issue, we return to Billy Borne’s cartoons. Though his work was published in The Asheville Citizen for over 20 years, our focus is on 1921. As his illustrations exhibit, the Roaring 20s did not actually kick off with a bang but rather an economic recession-turned-depression. By the end of 1921, however, things picked up, and the party officially began. (Until another depression crashed its fun in 1929.)

Yet despite these early economic woes, Borne’s cartoons illustrate how Western North Carolina had big, progressive aspirations throughout the year — from environmental cleanup to education reform. X

Published Jan. 1, 1921

Published Jan. 3, 1921

Published Jan. 22, 1921

Published Jan. 26, 1921

Published March 5, 1921

Published March 6, 1921

Published April 5, 1921

Published May 15, 1921

Published June 4, 1921

Published Sept. 2, 1921

Published Oct. 10, 1921

Published Oct. 15, 1921

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JAN. 6-12, 2021

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COMMUNITY CALENDAR JAN. 6-15, 2021 For a full list of community calendar guidelines, please visit mountainx.com/calendar. For questions about free listings, call 828-251-1333, ext. 137.

For questions about paid calendar listings, please call 828-251-1333, ext. 320.

In-Person Events = Shaded All other events are virtual

ART Asheville Art Museum: Art "Travels" Tour of the Columbus Museum.

TH (1/7), 7pm, Registration required, $20, avl.mx/8t2 Slow Art Friday: Humans Interacting Discussion led by master docent Doris Potash at Asheville Art Museum.

FR (1/8), 12pm, Registration required, $10, avl.mx/8t3 River Arts District Second Saturday Open studios and galleries with live demonstrations.

SA (1/9), 10am-5pm, Depot St Jackson Art Market Live, outdoor demonstrations by local artists.

SA (1/9), 1-5pm, 533 W Main St, Sylva

Slow Art Friday: Views of the World Discussion led by touring docent Barbara Pressman at Asheville Art Museum.

FR (1/15), 12pm, Registration required, $10, avl.mx/8u9 Center for Craft: Ask the Curator Q&A on the exhibit Sleight of Hand with Angelik Vizcarrondo-Laboy.

FR (1/15), 4pm, Registration required, Free, avl.mx/8tu

MUSIC Mark Sterbank Group Jazz performance and artist talk presented by Tryon Fine Arts Center.

SU (1/10), 4pm, $15, avl.mx/8ui Pack Library: Jazz by Request

TH (1/7), 3:30pm, avl.mx/8ua

Featuring pianist Michael Jefry Stevens.

WE (1/13), 5:30pm, Registration required, Free, avl.mx/8u0

Asheville Downtown Commission Regular meeting.

FR (1/8), 9:30am, avl.mx/85u

Thursday Night Live: Jeremy Loeb In-gallery French and Chinese piano concert.

TH (1/14), 6pm, Included with admission, Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square

Planning & Design Review Committee of the Asheville Riverfront Commission Regular meeting.

FR (1/8), 11am, avl.mx/8ub

FILM WNCHA Documentary Screening: Julian Price Featuring director Erin Derham.

TH (1/14), 6pm, Registration required, $5, avl.mx/8tt

CIVICS & ACTIVISM Asheville Planning & Zoning Commission Regular meeting.

WE (1/6), 5pm, avl.mx/8b6 Asheville Affordable Housing Advisory Committee Regular meeting.

TH (1/7), 9:30am, avl.mx/8re Asheville Greenway Committee Regular meeting.

BUSINESS Mountain BizWorks Orientation Info on lending and learning opportunities for business owners.

WE (1/6), 10am, Registration required, Free, avl.mx/8ta NCWorks Guidance Job search assistance, skill assessment and resume workshop. Register: avl.mx/8tf.

FR (1/8), 10am, Free, Jackson County Public Library, 310 Keener St, Sylva Explore Asheville: Oneon-One Wednesday 30-minute Q&A sessions on marketing, promotion and group sales initiatives.

WE (1/13), 9am-5pm, Registration required, Free, avl.mx/8tc

CLASSES, MEETINGS & EVENTS Asheville Wisdom Exchange Featuring Sufi contemplative José Said Osio.

WE (1/6), 7pm, Free, avl.mx/8u5 MemoryCare: Caregiver College Six-module series for caregivers of people with memory disorders. Meets Thursdays through 2/11.

TH (1/7), 2pm, Registration required, Free, avl.mx/8t5 Pack Library: Spanish Conversation Group For adult language learners.

TH (1/7), 5pm, Registration required, Free, avl.mx/8ty Sierra Club Awards Program & Year in Review Recognition of environmental efforts.

Registration required, TH (1/7), 7pm, Free, avl.mx/8u8 MountainTrue Holiday Recycling Collecting trees, wreaths, lights and greeting cards.

SA (1/9), 9am-2pm, Jackson Park, 801 Glover St, Hendersonville Fairview Library: Trying to Canoe the Grand Canyon Storytelling by Pat Stone.

TU (1/12), 7pm, Registration required, Free, avl.mx/8tv Asheville Wisdom Exchange Open forum on spiritual renewal.

WE (1/13), 7pm, Free, avl.mx/8u5 Asheville Friends of Astrology Monthly meeting.

FR (1/15), 7pm, avl.mx/8ud

EMPOWERING THE LEADER IN EACH BOY Journeymen supports adolescent boys on their paths to becoming men of integrity.

Our cost-free program is now enrolling young men 12-17. Mentees participate in bi-weekly mentoring groups and a semi-annual Rites of Passage Adventure Weekend facilitated by men in the community.

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FOOD & BEER

SPIRITUALITY

Swannanoa Valley Museum: Fermentation Made Easy Home fermentation workshop.

MO (1/11), 6:30pm, Registration required, $12, avl.mx/8tr

WELLNESS Pack Library: Mixed Level Pilates Mat Class Beginner-friendly class hosted by Cisco Pilates.

SA (1/9), 11am, Registration required, Free, avl.mx/8tz Steady Collective Syringe Access Outreach Free naloxone, syringes and educational material on harm reduction.

TU (1/12), 2pm, Firestorm Books, 610 Haywood Rd

Jewish Power Hour Hosted by Rabbi Susskind.

TH (1/7), 6pm, Free, chabadasheville.org/zoom Groce UMC: A Course in Miracles Group Study Register to get Zoom link: 828-712-5472.

MO (1/11), 6:30pm, Free Bahá'ís of Buncombe County: Freedom & Responsibility Devotional with prayers and music.

TU (1/12), 7pm, Registration required, Free, avl.mx/8ts

VOLUNTEERING American Red Cross Blood Drive Free COVID-19 antibody tests for donors. Register: avl.mx/8u7.

WE (1/6), 11am-3pm, Asheville Outlets, 800 Brevard Road

BUYING OLD PAPER MONEY 10 yrs WNC/ETN notes, bonds, maps, currency etc.

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15

WELLNESS

Modifying the mind

Ryan Bush examines psychology, spirituality and emotion in new book

BY MOLLY HORAK mhorak@mountainx.com Ryan Bush’s new book is “probably not for you” — unless you’re one of the rare few itching to reframe your reactions to everyday life and rebuild your worldview. In that case, Bush is ready to welcome you into his self-crafted mindset of wisdom and well-being.

The Asheville-based author makes that sentiment clear in the opening line of his first full-length publication, Designing the Mind: The Principles of Psychitecture. It’s not a typical self-help book, full of tips to lose weight or advance a stalled career. Nor is it a spiritual guide to unlock the secrets of the human soul.

Instead, Bush’s book builds on the philosophies of Buddhism and Stoicism to describe a system for

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MIND OVER MATTER: In his new book, local author Ryan Bush looks to ancient philosophers and modern technology to teach readers how to reframe their perspectives and find wisdom. Photos courtesy of Book Publicity Services rewiring the brain’s response to external events, a method Bush dubs “psychitecture.” “I describe it as essentially the act of designing and optimizing one’s own mind,” he explains. “It’s this kind of contrast between the ancient idea that true happiness comes from within [and] the modern, almost futuristic metaphor of the mind as an operating system or a piece of software.”

As a teenager, Bush recalls writing thousands of notes on his cell phone tracking his emotional response to daily events. His obses-

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sion with psychology faded briefly as he pursued a degree in industrial design from Auburn University and a series of product design jobs with Western North Carolina technology startups. Over time, he became convinced that the same protocols used by computers to process information could be applied to the human mind.

He points to his own social anxiety as a psychitecture success story: In his youth, Bush frequently thought others perceived him as weird. He started writing down his

thoughts, what caused them and any emotions they triggered. A pattern of distorted thinking emerged from those notes, he says, and he gradually began exposing himself to potential triggers, pushing him outside his comfort zone and helping overcome his fears.

This take on cognitive reappraisal, a common approach to cognitive behavior therapy used by psychologists to help control fluctuating emotions, is Bush’s favorite of the many tools he provides for readers to rewire their ways of thinking.

“We have the power to change the way we habitually respond to the things that happen to us, be it anxiety or anger or grief,” Bush says. “For those who really want a rational, philosophical approach to spirituality, who really want to not just get better circumstances in their life, but to really become a better, happier person — that’s who I’m writing for.”

It’s a timely message as the COVID-19 pandemic rages on, throwing any sense of normalcy out the window. One person can’t control the spread of the coronavirus, political conflict or any of the other uncertainties swirling around, Bush argues, but anyone can control their own thoughts and attitudes.

“We have these automatic responses and tendencies to catastrophize and to do everything we can to prevent something from happening, even though a lot of the time all we’re doing is ruminating and causing something bad to happen to us,” he says. “If we try our best to understand how our own thoughts and emotions emerge and actually install these ideas into that cycle so that they disengage, we can break free from these habits of anxiety and worry.” X

GREEN SCENE

Get it gone

HEMP & HEALTH January is National CBD Month

Responsible recycling for New Year’s cleanup

BY DANIEL WALTON

This week’s Featured Product: Full Spectrum CBD Salve

dwalton@mountainx.com Holiday celebrations are invariably accompanied by the giving and receiving of new stuff — and the obligation to properly dispose of old stuff. Even the festivities marking the end of 2020, a year that brought major economic hardship for many in Western North Carolina, appear to be no exception.

According to Mastercard SpendingPulse, a retail data network, total U.S. retail sales Nov. 1-Dec. 24 were up 2.4% compared with the same period last year, with online sales up 47.2% year-over-year for the same period. Although WNCspecific data for that time isn’t yet available, taxable retail sales in the four-county Asheville metropolitan area were up 1.9% on 2019 from July through September, suggesting momentum for local retailers as they entered the holiday season.

As 2021 dawns, the glow of the holiday season fades and social distancing continues in cluttered homes, many will make resolutions to clean up their space. Here’s a look at the area’s more environmentally friendly ways to handle unwanted items.

RECYCLE RIGHT

Some of the packaging in which holiday goods arrive can be recycled through the standard curbside pickup programs operated by Asheville and Buncombe County. But items like tissue paper, plastic gift bags, bubble wrap and puffy mailing envelopes cannot — and can end up as contaminants in the recycling stream. In July, Asheville’s recycling contamination rate hovered around 8%, up from a low of 5% several years ago.

The statewide Recycle Right NC campaign, supported by local governments including Asheville and Hendersonville, urges residents to “When in doubt, throw it out.” Mixed recycling should not be placed in bags and should include only the following items: • Plastic bottles, tubs, jugs and jars • Metal cans and tins • Glass bottles and jars • Paper documents, cartons and flattened cardboard

20% OFF

Expires Sunday, 1/10/2021

Come see our budtenders or check location for curbside pick up

ASHEVILLE (8 2 8) 5 0 5 -7 10 5

SOU TH ASHEVILLE TRUCK YEAH: Habitat for Humanity volunteers pick up a donated snowblower from a home in Weaverville. Photo courtesy of the Asheville ReStore For those who don’t have curbside recycling pickup, Buncombe County accepts mixed recyclables at both the landfill in Alexander and the transfer station in West Asheville.

The Curbside Management dropoff recycling center in Woodfin only accepts flattened cardboard.

POWER PLAY

Broken electronics can’t be recycled as part of standard mixed recycling, and they contain heavy metals like mercury and lead that can contaminate landfills. But Buncombe County does offer electronics recycling on specific days at the county landfill, including Friday, Jan. 8.

Residents can recycle old cellphones, computers, keyboards and other electronic waste through the landfill at no charge. According to Buncombe’s Electronics Management Plan, those items are then sent to recyclers with R2 or e-Stewards certification. Old TVs and computer monitors are also accepted at a cost of $10 for each item. The complete schedule of electronics recycling days is available at avl.mx/8tx.

Other local options for recycling electronics include Biltmore Iron & Metal Co. in Biltmore Village, Ecycleme in Swannanoa and the Hard2Recycle events sponsored by Asheville GreenWorks. The next such event takes place Saturday, Jan.

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GIVE IT AWAY NOW

As previously reported by Xpress (see “Out with the old,” Nov. 11), area thrift stores have been overwhelmed with donations since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. But with the exception of the Blue Ridge Humane Society, which stopped accepting new donations on Oct. 30, those resale outlets are still taking old items in good condition for a chance at reuse.

Options for gently used holiday excess include the Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity ReStore in Asheville and Weaverville, the region’s multiple Goodwill Industries of Northwest North Carolina stores and the WNC Bridge Foundation thrift stores in Biltmore Village and Weaverville.

And several area organizations work to get specific types of donated goods directly into the hands of those who need them. The Haywood Street Congregation takes seasonal attire like coats and boots for its God’s Outfitters clothing closet; Homeward Bound of WNC gives old furniture and household items to clients moving out of homelessness; and the POP Project redistributes books to schools, shelters and prisons. X

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JAN. 6-12, 2021

17

FOOD

Breaking point

Restaurants ponder the challenge of increased capacity restrictions during the coldest season

BY KAY WEST

Anderson agrees. “These regulations continue to hit the same group of businesses,” she says. “I have said this dozens of times: The safest places I go in Buncombe County are AIR restaurants.”

According to CDC guidelines, however, indoor dining remains a “higher risk” activity for the spread of COVID19, even with reduced capacity and social distancing measures in place.

kwest@mountainx.com It wasn’t exactly the holiday greeting Jane Anderson, executive director of Asheville Independent Restaurant Association, was expecting three days before Christmas. The phone call from Tim Love, director of economic development and governmental relations for Buncombe County, certainly didn’t bring any cheer to Asheville’s beleaguered food and beverage industry.

Since March, Love has coordinated the online meetings — at first, held daily, now twice weekly — of the county’s COVID-19 Business Response Workgroup, which consists of city and county officials and representatives from the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce, Explore Asheville and AIR. His Dec. 22 call to Anderson was a heads-up that Asheville City Council and the Buncombe County commissioners were planning to lower restaurant capacity to 30% from the previously mandated 50%.

“He wanted my input,” she says.

“But I had the impression it was a done deal, to be announced Dec. 23 at 4 p.m. and go into effect at 5 p.m. Christmas Eve.” Anderson voiced strongly to Love that the lack of notice didn’t provide restaurant owners with adequate time to respond. She also expressed grave concern that the mandate, which deviates from state policies implemented by the governor, would go into effect just as restaurants were grabbing the last chunk of good business before the traditional and expected January downturn. She urged officials to rethink the order, particularly the timing.

The next morning, Love let her know that Buncombe County Board of Commissioners Chairman Brownie Newman, Asheville Mayor Esther

BENCH PRESS: Kevin Westmoreland, left, and Joe Scully, co-owners of Corner Kitchen and Chestnut restaurants, say the orders effective Jan. 2 to decrease indoor dining capacity from 50% to 30% in Buncombe County will negatively impact businesses and staff. Photo by Matthew Westmoreland Manheimer, Buncombe County Public Health Director Stacie Saunders and Emergency Preparedness Director Fletcher Tove would still issue the reduced-capacity announcement at end of day on Dec. 23, but it would not be implemented until 5 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 2. (Xpress reached out to Love for comment, but he was unavailable.)

“In the scheme of things, it was better than Christmas Eve, but Jan. 2 is also a Saturday night in a holiday weekend,” says Anderson, noting that some local restaurants were already booked at 50% capacity for that weekend and were forced to cancel reservations.

“In my nearly eight years at AIR, I have never had so much reaction [from AIR member restaurants] to anything — calls, texts, emails day and night.

There’s so much anger and so much frustration. People are hot.”

UNAVOIDABLE LAYOFFS

In response, Anderson sent an email the morning of Christmas Eve to AIR members with the county’s full declaration, encouraging them to express their concerns to City Council and the county commissioners.

Among those who took that advice were Joe Scully and Kevin Westmoreland, co-owners of Corner Kitchen and Chestnut. “Kevin and I both sent a letter,” Scully says. “Kevin’s letter was diplomatically and beautifully written, and mine was your basic Jersey rant. Vanessa [Salomo, co-owner and director of operations] edited and helped rewrite it.”

The messaging of the two letters may have been different, but they were both meant to convey the same thing: 18

JAN. 6-12, 2021

MOUNTAINX.COM

The reduced-capacity order would have a dire effect on their business and employees.

“There is no way we can keep the staff we have now at further reduced capacity, so no matter what, we will have layoffs, and staff will have to go back on unemployment,” says Scully.

Eric Scheffer, owner of Jettie Rae’s and Vinnie’s Neighborhood Italian, says the new restrictions put his restaurants in the same boat as Scully’s. “What this means for my restaurants is more layoffs, more hardship, more loss, more heartbreaking conversations, more sleepless nights and no relief from the city, county or state,” he wrote in an email to Xpress. “You can’t mandate that business owners shut their doors and lay people off without compensation to the owner of a business and the employees — compensation that should be worked out before the mandate is put in place, not to be figured out when it is too late.”

A September report from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention linked restaurant dining with increased risk for COVID-19 infection. But Scheffer, like many in the local industry, believes Buncombe County’s new restriction, which is inconsistent with the state’s current dine-in capacity of 50%, unfairly targets restaurants as sources of community spread. Food businesses, he says, have been adhering to stringent safety protocols and policies, and several local restaurants — including Jettie Rae’s — have voluntarily reported positive coronavirus cases or exposure among staff and subsequently closed for deep cleaning and testing of all employees before reopening.

UNCERTAINTY AND ANXIETY

The new mandate, paired with winter sabbaticals already planned by AIR members, including Smoky Park Supper Club, Avenue M and El Gallo, means that for at least in the first part of 2021, there will be fewer AIR restaurants to visit.

John Tressler, co-owner of Blackbird restaurant, made the hard decision to fully suspend operations from Jan. 2 through Feb. 3. On Christmas Eve, Tressler reached out to the officials who issued the reduced-capacity order, letting them know that as a result of closing, Blackbird would be forced to furlough its 30 employees.

“At this time,” he wrote, “there are zero measures in place to give extra assistance to these wonderful people who are all residents of Buncombe County. So, our question is this: What do you all plan to do in order to make it possible for our staff to survive on unemployment alone?”

Tressler says that as of Dec. 28, the only response he had received was from Commissioner Terri Wells, who wrote that it was her intent “to continue to assess how to best address the needs of the community.” (Xpress reached out to Newman but did not receive a response.)

In a recent press release from Buncombe County government, Newman declared that officials will reevaluate the policy by Friday, Jan. 22. In the meantime, uncertainty and anxiety are sure to be pervasive among restaurant owners as they struggle to make decisions that will impact their businesses and staffs. “The plan now is to go forward, follow the rules and try the 30% capacity,” Scully says. “It’s real money we will lose, and it’s real people we have to lay off. I can’t even say I’m cautiously optimistic at this point.

All I can say is we’re going to bear down and try to make it through to the other side.” X

Five virtual food-related classes for and after COVID-19

JUDO KICK: Whether you’re looking to improve your safety strategies while grocery shopping in 2021 or simply eager to rediscover who you were before sweatpants became your everyday attire in 2020, our local, fictitious experts have you covered. Getty Image; photo doctored by Scott Southwick Editor’s note: The following story, unlike the rest of Mountain Xpress’ award-winning coverage of local news and events throughout the rest of the year, is 100% fake.

Feeling a little sluggish after 2020?

Curious how you’ll readjust once things eventually return to normal? These five fictitious classes might be your answer.

• Please and Thank You: With vaccines in sight and hopes for a more social 2021 on the horizon, this virtual class will reintroduce people to standard dining etiquette. Wiping greasy fingers against matted chest hair is so 2020! Napkins, utensils and clothing are all the new rage!

• Get In, Get Out: Strategies for Grocery Shopping During COVID19: This two-hour course includes detailed maps of store layouts for all major grocery chains along Merrimon Avenue, Tunnel Road and Patton Avenue. In addition, the virtual class provides tips on ideal times to shop and the best jiu-jitsu techniques for dislodging fellow shoppers who do not adhere to oneway aisle guidelines.

• In the Weeds: This 45-minute course is designed specifically for furloughed or laid-off chefs missing the high-energy pressure that comes with working in a kitchen. Virtual participants should sign in with a meal ready to cook. As you slice, dice, boil and bake your main dish and sides, our virtual instructor will provide a soundtrack of clattering pans, sizzling meats, scrapping spatulas and internment shouts of “Order up,” “86 scallops” and “Are you f*cking kidding me!?!”

• #Authentic: True authenticity is overrated and slightly underdressed.

For foodies and other social media influencers who may have lost a step during quarantine, this course will help you rediscover your former, pre-COVID, inauthentic-authentic self. Do you remember those days of sitting in a restaurant and having an unmasked server or date take five — sometimes 10 — seemingly identical shots of you with your poached egg and caramel latte (head slightly tilted more in each frame)? Well, those days will soon return. Don’t be caught by surprise. Sign up today for #Authentic. Along with refocusing your social media color palette and online persona, the course includes 15 inspirational quotes that have nothing to do with food but feature diverse political, intellectual and social figures whose mere mention will certainly add a sense of depth to your otherwise shameless vanity.

• Drinking in Public: Maybe you had one too many during that last friends Zoom call. Perhaps during the gathering your spouse reminded you that you don’t need to shout into the computer — everyone can hear you. Similar embarrassments are bound to crop up once bars and breweries return to their former days of unrestricted socializing. Join us in this virtual session to learn how to quench your thirst in a responsible manner and without letting the fermented gods get your spirits too high.

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— Thomas Calder X MOUNTAINX.COM

JAN. 6-12, 2021

19

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Mime plot silenced

Proposed city noise ordinance updates traced to Marceauists

BY EDWIN ARNAUDIN earnaudin@mountainx.com Editor’s note: The following story, unlike the rest of Mountain Xpress’ award-winning coverage of local news and events throughout the rest of the year, is 100% fake.

Silence may be golden, and its sound indeed rocketed Simon & Garfunkel to No. 1 on the Billboard charts, but for the Asheville music community, the disciples of a noiseless society have provided the opposite of a good night’s sleep.

Like a sharp “shush” in a movie theater, all that came to an end on Dec. 30 when the Asheville Police Department announced that proposed changes to the city noise ordinance were part of a nefarious, multiyear plot by mimes,

MOVIE LISTINGS The Mountain Xpress Movie section’s run has come to an end, but reviews by hosts Bruce Steele and Edwin Arnaudin — aka the Asheville Movie Guys — will continue online at AshevilleMovies.com.

This week’s reviews of new films available to view via local theaters and popular streaming services include: WONDER WOMAN 1984: Writer/director Patty Jenkins and star Gal Gadot reunite for this goofy but intelligent second installment in the popular DCEU series. The film’s “Me First” decade setting and greed-centric storyline feel especially relevant in 2021. Grade: B. Rated PG-13

MUTE MAYHEM: This is the future that mimes want. hell-bent on monopolizing the vibrant arts scene with their quiet ways. Chief David Zack revealed that a splinter cell of Marceauists — former librarians turned mute extremists — had blackmailed members of the Development Services Department and City Council with threats of revealing their internet browsing histories if their agenda wasn’t adopted.

Mike Rangel, co-owner of South Slope outdoor venue Rabbit Rabbit and an admitted metamfiezomaiophobe — someone whose fear of

Why I support Xpress:

THE EMOJI STORY: This insightful and entertaining documentary delves deep into the history of seemingly frivolous emoticons while exploring such unexpectedly deep topics as their impact on modern language. Grade: B. Not rated

Find full reviews and local film info at ashevillemovies.com patreon.com/ashevillemovies

20

JAN. 6-12, 2021

MOUNTAINX.COM

mimes also extends to clowns and people in disguise — says he’s not surprised that “those sickos” are to blame. On further examination, he notes that the city’s call for comically low decibels and a permitting process that would allow a performance space to host a maximum of 20 events that exceed whisper levels “flat-out reeks of dirty gloves and suspenders,” and is something he feels he should have caught earlier.

“And here I thought it was transplants and developers throwing their

“Local news is so important for the community. I want to make sure it keeps happening for me, my neighbors, my students, and all.”

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influence around,” Rangel says.

“Shame on me.”

The would-be coup was uncovered by noted amateur sleuth Julian Dreyer.

The detective — who says he “slums it” producing and engineering albums for the likes of Steve Martin, Mandolin Orange and The Avett Brothers at Echo Mountain Recording “until I can gumshoe full time” — noticed suspicious activity while downtown monitoring another subset of society.

“It’s true. I was clamming,” Dreyer says, pausing to give a 35-minute PowerPoint presentation on what he calls “the great American pastime” of covertly photographing men wearing reddish/pink shorts or pants.

“Everywhere I went, a goofball with a painted face, striped shirt and beret was trapped in an invisible box or peeling a banana that didn’t exist.”

Having noted the bizarre pattern, Dreyer discovered “an especially suspicious” performer who “played air guitar all wrong” and, keeping a Sherlockian distance, followed him to a door on the back of the Urban Outfitters building. The mime knocked a coded rhythm (“Which is totally cheating,” Dreyer says), a woman in a near-identical costume opened the door and our hero shouted, “Freeze!” That, he says, “worked way better than [he] expected,” allowing him to enter a subterranean space that had the elaborate plan written out on dry-erase boards, “just like in the movies.” Summoned by Dreyer, APD officers soon arrived and arrested the perpetrators, who Zack admits were “operating right beneath our noses.”

“Thanks to the efforts of Mr. Dreyer, we can all breathe a very loud sigh of relief,” he said, making good on his suggestion and throwing in a raspberry, followed by some improv hambone and an underarm flatulence symphony. “Hopefully, he can produce my album next.” X

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CLUBLAND

Time machine tunes Dave Desmelik ruminates upon the months with ‘The Calendar Album’

ANNUAL GIFT: The Calendar Album represents both the completion of a 7-year-old project and a technological leap forward in songwriter Dave Desmelik’s approach to recording. Photo by Vickie Burick Since the late 1990s, Penrose-based singer-songwriter Dave Desmelik has released more than a dozen albums, but his latest, long-gestating project is especially noteworthy. As its title suggests, The Calendar Album is a collection of 12 songs, one representing each month of the year — but not necessarily 2020.

Desmelik explains that the songs were written as a project seven years ago. He discovered early on that giving himself a prompt was a useful strategy for songwriting. “When I tell myself, ‘I’m gonna do this, and I’m gonna commit to it,’ that definitely motivates me to do it,” he says. “I’m one of those people: If I start something, I want to finish it. Even if it’s vacuuming the house.”

In the case of the songs that would eventually end up on The Calendar Album, Desmelik’s goal was a bit more ambitious than keeping his home tidy. The songs capture the zeitgeist of each month in a way that resonates with the songwriter.

And while there are hints of melancholy, the record explores a wider range of human emotions and experiences.

“I would get to the end of each month and then reflect on it,” Desmelik recalls.

By design, his writing style is open ended, allowing the listener to personalize the songs. But even if it’s not overt, each of the tunes has a specific meaning for its composer. “‘June’ is about the month when we lost our golden retriever,” he says. “But to someone else, that song might be a completely different story.

And that’s great.”

A songwriter’s perspective can change with the passing of time, so it’s fair to wonder if the lyrics of songs written in 2013 still resonated with Desmelik as he began the process of recording them in 2020. “You hear the old saying, ‘There’s no such thing as a time machine,’” he says. “But really, if there is such a thing, it would be music.” He says that as he

revisited the songs, each one “took [him] right back into the moments when [he] was writing it.” And that experience reinforced his desire to complete the project.

Of course, 2020 being what it was, Desmelik had time on his hands. “When the pandemic started, I realized, ‘This is going to be more than a short period when I’m not doing my normal gigging,’” he says. “So I thought, ‘I’ve had this written. I’ve been meaning to get this recorded, and now is my time to do it.’”

With that decision made, Desmelik says that he holed up in his home studio “and didn’t come out for a little while.”

But The Calendar Album isn’t a one-manband effort. Blues guitarist David Philips’ leads are key components of four songs.

“David is originally from England, and he lives in Barcelona, Spain,” Desmelik says. The two first digitally crossed paths even before the songs for the new album were written. “David had heard my music, and somehow we made a connection via Facebook,” he says. “We’ve never met face to face, but I consider him a good friend.”

As Desmelik began his solo recording sessions, he sent Philips an offhand message: ”It would be great if I could get your guitar playing on a few songs.“ It was nothing more than idle musing — Desmelik’s preferred way of working puts all the musicians in a room together — yet Philips encouraged him to try something new.

“I had never done file sharing before,” Desmelik admits. “I’m very primitive in my home studio. I don’t consider myself a fancy engineer who knows a lot of technology. I just want to be able to capture a song.” But with Philips’ help, he integrated the guitar overdubs seamlessly into the musical fabric of The Calendar Album.

A limited number of CDs have been pressed and can be purchased directly from Desmelik — “when we get back to gigging,” he notes. “But in light of current times, I’ve been making a digital push.” Part of The Calendar Album, however, is currently available in physical form. Desmelik found that making a vinyl LP would be cost prohibitive, so instead he released “December” as a limited-run, 45 RPM single. “I got 30 done at American Vinyl Co. here in Asheville,” he says. “They’ve been getting snatched up.

I literally have less than five left now!” davedesmelikmusic.com

— Bill Kopp X

Online Event = q WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 6 RABBIT RABBIT Outdoor Movie: Moana, 4pm HIGHLAND BREWING CO. Woody Wood (folk, blues), 6pm

SATURDAY, JANUARY 9 BURNTSHIRT VINEYARDS Brian Ashley Jones (blues, country), 2pm SAINT PAUL MOUNTAIN VINEYARDS Hope Griffin (solo acoustic), 2:30pm

12 BONES BREWING Robert’s Totally Rad Trivia, 7pm

SWEETEN CREEK BREWING Dirty Dawg (Grateful Dead tribute), 3pm

CATAWBA BREWING SOUTH SLOPE General Trivia Night, 7pm

ONE WORLD BREWING WEST Asheville Winter Grass w/ Songs from the Road Band & Steve McMurry, 4pm

THE GREY EAGLE q Travis Book Happy Hour feat. Lyndsey Pruett & Kyle Tuttle, 7pm, avl.mx/8u6 THE PAPER MILL LOUNGE Karaoke X, 7pm SOVEREIGN KAVA q Poetry Open Mic, 8pm, avl.mx/8uc

THURSDAY, JANUARY 7 OKLAWAHA BREWING CO. Izzi Hughes (solo acoustic), 6pm TRISKELION BREWING CO. Jason's Technicolor Cabaret: Music & Comedy, 6pm THE 2ND ACT Myron Hyman (solo acoustic), 7pm ICONIC KITCHEN & DRINKS Dinner & Beats w/ Phantom Pantone DJ Collective, 8pm

FRIDAY, JANUARY 8 ONE WORLD BREWING WEST Falcon4 (improvisational), 5:30pm DRY FALLS BREWING CO. Just Rick (solo acoustic), 7pm EL GALLO Dinner & Beats w/ Phantom Pantone DJ Collective, 7pm OKLAWAHA BREWING CO. Blue Ridge Pistols (rock), 8pm

BATTERY PARK BOOK EXCHANGE Dinah's Daydream (jazz), 5pm THE DUGOUT SPORTS BAR Carolina Kin Band (folk, country), 6pm GUIDON BREWING CO. David Payne (folk, country), 6pm EL GALLO Dinner & Beats w/ Phantom Pantone DJ Collective, 7pm LAZY HIKER BREWING SYLVA Live Karaoke w/ Joel Plays Drums, 7pm OKLAWAHA BREWING CO. Trio de Janeiro (rock), 7pm

SUNDAY, JANUARY 10

MIGHT AS WELL JUMP: Asheville-based jump blues ensemble Virginia and the Slims has seen member turnover since its inception in 2013, but frontwoman Joanna Best doesn’t think that’s a bad thing. “Each person brings their own little bit of expertise and experience, and that colors [the music] in a new way,” she says. The group showcases this synergy in its 2020 album Busman’s Holiday, a collection of original songs with an intentional vintage flavor. The band plays a breakfast show at Triskelion Brewing Co. in Hendersonville Sunday, Jan. 10, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Photo courtesy of the band WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 13

FRIDAY, JANUARY 15

HIGHLAND BREWING CO. Woody Wood (folk, blues), 6pm

GUIDON BREWING CO. Tim Lee (solo multi-instrumentalist), 6pm

SWEETEN CREEK BREWING Witty Wednesday Trivia Night, 6:30pm

TRISKELION BREWING CO. Virginia & The Slims (blues, swing), 11am

CATAWBA BREWING SOUTH SLOPE General Trivia Night, 7pm

HAZEL TWENTY Boutique Beats w/ Phantom Pantone DJ Collective, 12pm

THE PAPER MILL LOUNGE Karaoke X, 7pm

JACK OF THE WOOD Jack’s Bluegrass Brunch feat. Supper Break, 12pm SAINT PAUL MOUNTAIN VINEYARDS Ken & Nicole (pop, country), 2pm SWEETEN CREEK BREWING The Lads (acoustic originals), 2pm

TUESDAY, JANUARY 12 MAD CO. BREW HOUSE Trivia Night, 6pm

SOVEREIGN KAVA q Poetry Open Mic, 8pm, avl.mx/8uc

THURSDAY, JANUARY 14 THE 2ND ACT Mr Jimmy (blues), 6pm TRISKELION BREWING CO. Jason's Technicolor Cabaret: Music & Comedy, 6pm ICONIC KITCHEN & DRINKS Dinner & Beats w/ Phantom Pantone DJ Collective, 8pm

MOUNTAINX.COM

MAD CO. BREW HOUSE The Southern Ghost (Appalachian roots), 6pm TRISKELION BREWING CO. Carver, Carmody & McIntire (roots, blues), 6pm ONE WORLD BREWING WEST Kid Billy Litz (solo multi-instrumentalist), 6pm 185 KING STREET 49 Winchester (Southern rock, blues), 7pm EL GALLO Dinner & Beats w/ Phantom Pantone DJ Collective, 7pm ISIS MUSIC HALL The Darren Nicholson Band (bluegrass), 7pm

JAN. 6-12, 2021

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FREEWILL ASTROLOGY ARIES (March 21-April 19): The pandemic has made it challenging to nurture our communities.

In order to make new connections and keep our existing connections vibrant, we’ve had to be extra resourceful. I hope you will make this work one of your holy quests in 2021, Aries. In my astrological opinion, you should be ingenious and tireless as you nurture your web of allies. Your assignment during our ongoing crisis is to lead the way as you show us all how to ply the art of high-minded networking.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Taurus actor George Clooney is worth $500 million. Yet his dazzling opulence is puny compared to that of Taurus entrepreneur Mark Zuckerberg, whose fortune exceeds $100 billion. It’s my duty to inform you that you will probably never achieve either man’s levels of wealth. Yet I do hold out hope that in the next 12 months you will launch plans that ultimately enable you to have all the money you need. 2021 will be a favorable time to formulate and set in motion a dynamic master plan for financial stability.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): One of your main themes for the next 12 months comes from Leonardo da Vinci. He wrote, “To develop a complete mind: Study the science of art. Study the art of science. Learn how to see. Realize that everything connects to everything else.” If you use da Vinci’s instructions as a seed for your meditations, you’ll stir up further inspirations about how to make 2021 a history-making epoch in the evolution of your education. I hope you will treasure the value of “learning how to see” and “realizing how everything connects to everything else.” They should be at the root of your intention to learn as much as you can.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): An extensive study by psychiatric researchers suggests that well more than half of us experienced a potentially disabling trauma in childhood. You’re in the minority if you didn’t! That’s the bad news. The good news is that 2021 will be a time when you Cancerians will have more power than ever before to heal at least some of the wounds from your old traumas. You will also attract extra luck and help to accomplish these subtle miracles. To get the process started, make a list of three practical actions you can take to instigate your vigorous healing.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Leo author Isabel Allende says, “We are in the world to search for love, find it and lose it, again and again. With each love, we are born anew, and with each love that ends we collect a new wound. I am covered with proud scars.” I appreciate Allende’s point of view and understand that it’s useful, even inspirational, for many people. But my path has been different. As a young man, I enjoyed my endless quest for sex and romance. It was thrilling to keep leaping from affair to affair. But as I eventually discovered, that habit made me stupid and superficial about love. It prevented me from having to do the hard psychological work necessary to continually reinvent intimacy — and become eligible for deeper, more interesting versions of love. I bring this to your attention, Leo, because I think 2021 could be your time for a personal rebirth that will be made possible by deep, interesting versions of love.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Occultist Israel Regardie (1907–1985) was an accomplished author and influencer. To what did he attribute his success? I’ll let him speak for himself: “Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.” I hope you will write out this quote and tape it to your bathroom mirror for the duration of 2021, Virgo.

22

JAN. 6-12, 2021

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): The Kabbalistic Tree of Life is a mystical symbol of the hidden structure of creation. At its heart, in the most pivotal position, is the principle of beauty. This suggests that the wise teachers who gave us the Tree did not regard beauty as merely a luxury to be sought only when all practical business is taken care of. Nor is it a peripheral concern for those who pursue a spiritual path. Rather, beauty is essential for our health and intelligence. In accordance with astrological omens, I invite you to take a cue from the Tree of Life. During the next 12 months, give special attention to people and things and experiences and thoughts and feelings that are beautiful to you. Meditate on how to nurture them and learn from them and draw inspiration from them.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): According to motivational speaker Les Brown, the problem for many people is not that “they aim too high and miss,” but that “they aim too low and hit.” I’m conveying this to you just in time for the Reach Higher Phase of your long-term astrological cycle.

According to my analysis, you’ll generate good fortune for yourself if you refine and expand your personal goals. Here’s a key detail: Don’t borrow anyone else’s standards of success.

Home in on your own unique soul’s code and give it fuller, deeper, wilder expression.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): One of my primary pleasures in reading books is to discover thoughts and feelings I have never before encountered. That’s exciting! But it’s hard to force myself to keep plowing through an author’s prose if it’s full of stuff that I already know about from my own life or from books, movies and other art.

Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky’s novels fit the latter description. I realize that many people love his fiction, but for me it is monumentally obvious and boring. What about you, Sagittarius? Where do you go to be exposed to thrilling new ways of looking at the world? Judging from the astrological omens, I conclude that this quest will be especially fun and crucial for you in the coming months.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): “I only want people around me who can do the impossible,” said Capricorn businesswoman Elizabeth Arden.

In that spirit, and in accordance with your astrological potentials, I hereby authorize you to pursue two “impossible” goals in 2021. The first comes to you courtesy of fashion writer Diana Vreeland, who wrote, “There’s only one thing in life, and that’s the continual renewal of inspiration.” Your second “impossible” goal is from actor Juliette Binoche, who said, “My only ambition is to be true every moment I am living.”

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Your past is becoming increasingly irrelevant, while your future is still a bit amorphous. To help clarify the possibilities that you could harvest in 2021, I suggest you suspend your theories bout what your life is about. Empty yourself out as much as you can. Pledge to reevaluate everything you think you know about your purpose. Once you’ve accomplished that, meditate on the following questions: 1. What experiences do you truly need and passionately long for — not the experiences you needed and longed for in the past, but rather those that are most vivid and moving right now. 2. What are the differences between your fearful fantasies and your accurate intuitions?

How can you cultivate the latter and downplay the former? 3. What are your nightly dreams and semi-conscious fantasies telling you about how to create the most interesting version of the future?

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Author Gunter Grass wrote, “Writers know that sometimes things are there in the drawer for decades before they finally come out and we are capable of writing about them.” I would universalize his thought in this way: Most of us know that possibly useful ideas and dreams are in the drawer for years before they finally come out and we know how to use them. I believe this will be an ongoing experience for you in 2021, Pisces.

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MARKETPLACE

BY ROB BREZSNY

REAL ESTATE & RENTALS | ROOMMATES | JOBS | SERVICES ANNOUNCEMENTS | CLASSES & WORKSHOPS | MIND, BODY, SPIRIT MUSICIANS’ SERVICES | PETS | AUTOMOTIVE | XCHANGE | ADULT EMPLOYMENT GENERAL

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Necessary skills include clear and professional communications (via phone, email, and in-person meetings), detailed record-keeping, and working well in a team environment. While no outside sales experience is required, experience dealing with varied and challenging situations is helpful. The position largely entails account development and lead generation (including cold-calling), account management, assisting clients with marketing and branding strategies, and working to meet or exceed sales goals. If you are a high energy, positive, cooperative person looking to join an independent, community-minded organization, please send a resume and cover letter (no walk-ins, please) explaining why you are a good fit for Mountain Xpress to: advertise@mountainx.com ASHEVILLE AREA HABITAT FOR HUMANITY JOB OPPORTUNITIES Asheville Habitat is looking for an Operation Associate, a FT and PT ReStore Associates, and a VP Finance and Operation. Please visit our website for detailed job descriptions: https://www. ashevillehabitat.org/careers.

JOB OPPORTUNITY FOR SECTION 3, LOW-INCOME PERSONS Minority Participating Commercial Contractor seeking to offer Section 3, Low Income and Very Low Income eligible Businesses, Vendors, Subcontractors, or individuals’ economic opportunities of job training, employment, and contracting work to promote local economic development and individual self-sufficiency. We will provide economical units to allow for minority participation as well as provide assistance for bonding and insurance for Section 3 businesses. Also, quick payment policies to help minority suppliers and contractors participate will be available. We are committed to satisfy Section 3 obligations and our goal is to provide opportunities for Section 3 Businesses throughout this entire housing project. If you are a Section 3 Business or resident in the County area and seeking work, please contact us at 828-548-3675, email to ad949@bidsec3.com, or via fax at 828-548-3682 to become part of our HUD-assisted project and help promote quality housing and community development in this area. Plans are available at: https://parker. box.com/v/Jasper-Section-3.

HUMAN SERVICES FULL-TIME POSITION: COMMUNITY MENTOR Onsite position(s) at treatment center for LGBTQ+ folx struggling with substance abuse and co-occurring mental health issues, opening early 2021. Exp req/33-36k. Day and overnight positions available.

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PROFESSIONAL/ MANAGEMENT PROGRAM DIRECTOR, BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS OF WNC Responsible for agency compliance with standards, training staff, supervising staff.

A regular, full-time, exempt position. Regional travel and occasional evening/ weekend hours. Resume and cover letter to leliad@bbbswnc.org. Detailed information provided on website: www.bbbswnc.org.

VICE PRESIDENT OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT What does it take for us to Live United?

Co-create/lead our community engagement strategy in pursuit of a united, resilient community where everyone belongs and everyone thrives. unitedwayabc. org/employment-opportunities.

XCHANGE WANTED BUYING OLD PAPER MONEY Asheville, WNC, ETN over 10 years. Fair, open, and responsive. Buying currency, bonds, maps, documents, etc. Email papermoneybuy@gmail.com, or call/text 865-207-8994. Member SPMC, NCNA, SCNA, TNA.

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(AAN CAN)

NOTICE OF DISPOSITION The following is a list of unclaimed and confiscated property at the Asheville Police Department tagged for disposition: audio and video equipment; cameras; clothing; lawn and garden equipment; personal items; tools; weapons (including firearms): jewelry: automotive items; building supplies; bikes and other miscellaneous.

All items will be disposed of 30 days from date of posting. Items to be auctioned will be displayed on www.propertyroom.com.

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Anyone with a legitimate claim or interest in this property has 30 days from the date of this publication to make a claim.

Unclaimed items will be disposed of according to statutory law.

For further information, or to file a claim, contact the Asheville Police Department Property and Evidence Section, 828-232-4576.

POSITIVE HYPNOSIS | EFT | NLP Michelle Payton, M.A., D.C.H., Author | 828-681-1728 | www.MichellePayton.com | Mind Over Matter Solutions books, online and in-person education, workshops and sessions.

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27 31 33

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1 Breaking of mirrors, some think 6 Warty critter

10 Film genre that includes “Moonlight” and “Call Me by Your Name” 14 Film auteur Miyazaki 15 Own

54 57

58

ACROSS

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49

51

47 “Oh, brother!”

21 London district whose name sounds like a letter

49 A hyperbola has two

23 Major credit card, briefly 25 Tennis star Nadal

36

42

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16 It’s at the southern end of the Caspian Sea 17 Classic 1960 platinum-selling Miles Davis album

No. 1202

20 Green

22 Prevailed

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46

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12

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11

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37

9

edited by Will Shortz

50 “Not gonna happen” 52 ___ Honor 54 Shirt with a slogan, often 55 “Like … now!”

27 Prefix with afternoon

58 Sicilian erupter

29 Small stones used for driveways

60 Type of food whose outsides are suggested by the outsides of 17-, 29-, 43- and 55-Across

31 Hand, in Honduras 32 Fulminated (against) 33 Things to right

59 Jekyll’s bad side

61 Like blue hair, presumably

35 Pharma products

62 Vegas casino beside the Bellagio

36 What surrounds the pupil

63 Big name in food service

37 Is a shining star 40 Popular gay dating app 42 Green suits?

43 Spirit of the age 46 Petrostate’s reserves

DOWN 1 Comment after a zinger 2 “You and whose army?!”

3 Shades and such

puzzle by Will Nediger 4 Rebel Turner 5 Item sometimes “lost” in a clothes dryer 6 Virginia Woolf novel with interludes set on a beach 7 Defense grp. since 1948 8 Declaration 9 “Robinson Crusoe” novelist 10 Slimming surgery, for short 11 Creator of Hollywood’s Chinese Theater 12 Deliberately provoking 13 Channel that became Spike TV 18 Royal messengers 19 “Weekend Update” show, in brief 24 Competition with skateboarders 26 U.S. central bank, with “the” 28 20% of diez 30 Cambodian cash

31 Rapper who forms one half of the duo Black Star 33 Squirms 34 Item found in “The Hobbit” 36 Locale of the Isle of Man 37 Green: Prefix 38 Comcast subsidiary 39 Calvin Klein’s Eternity, e.g.

40 “Golly!”

41 Rip-roaring

43 Gentle breeze 44 Picturesque 45 Connected with 47 Drunkard 48 Kind of yoga 51 Variety of herring 53 Flag tossers, informally 55 Like Kentucky, Indiana and Illinois Avenues, in Monopoly 56 Dictator Amin 57 Overreact to spilt milk

ANSWER TO 12/23/20 NY TIMES PUZZLE R O S T R A

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A C B A E R T Y E S E L D M O N E T S

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