Mountain Xpress 01.20.16 by Mountain Xpress

January 20 - January 26

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January 20 - January 26, 2016

January 20 - January 26

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January 20 - January 26, 2016

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PaGe 12 what’s the biG idea? This week, Xpress takes a look at some of the big ideas and amazing things local people and institutions are dreaming up and trying out — from resilient agriculture to strategies to help middle school students succeed. A special advertising section features even more local big ideas. cover design Norn Cutson

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16 beyond stalemate New decision-making models foster better solutions

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28 ain’t misbehavin’ Local schools teach kids better ways to manage trauma

get info on advertising at advertise@mountainx.com place a web ad at webads@mountainx.com

32 in-house advantage Behind the scenes at local brewery tours

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question about the website? webmaster@mountainx.com find a copy of xpress jtallman@mountainx.com

21 community calendar

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23 conscious Party 36 winter warmers Comforting drinks for Asheville’s chilly season

26 asheville disclaimer 27 news of the weird 28 wellness 32 food 34 small bites

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40 Performers without borders Asheville Fringe Arts Festival defies genres

40 arts & entertainment 47 smart bets 50 clubland 56 movies

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59 screen scene 42 all that jaZZ Asheville band leader launches yearlong concert series

61 classifieds 62 freewill astrology 63 ny times crossword

Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. Mountain Xpress is available free throughout Western North Carolina. Limit one copy per person. Additional copies may be purchased for $1 payable at the Xpress office in advance. No person may, without prior written permission of Xpress, take more than one copy of each issue. To subscribe to Mountain Xpress, send check or money order to: Subscription Department, PO Box 144, Asheville NC 28802. First class delivery. One year (52 issues) $130 / Six months (26 issues) $70. We accept Mastercard & Visa.

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Send your letters to the editor to letters@mountainx.com.

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Publisher & managing editor: Jeff Fobes assistant to the Publisher: Susan Hutchinson a&e editor/writer: Alli Marshall food editor/writer: Gina Smith wellness editor/writer: Susan Foster

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oPinion editor: Tracy Rose staff rePorters/writers: Able Allen, Hayley Benton, Virginia Daffron, Max Hunt calendar editor: Abigail Griffin clubland editors Hayley Benton, Max Hunt movie reviewer & coordinator: Ken Hanke

carto o n B y r a n d y mo lt o n

“Gray Baby: Life, Death and Slippery Slopes” [Jan. 6, Xpress],

Norn Cutson, Alane Mason, Scott Southwick online sales manager: Jordan Foltz marKeting associates: Thomas, Allison, Megan Archer, Sara Brecht, Bryant Cooper, Jordan Foltz, Tim Navaille, Brian Palmieri

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Smith leads us toward decent living for all Looking for a great opportunity to put people power on the Buncombe County [Board of Commissioners]? Gordon Smith is the real deal. When “affordable” housing is considered to be $816 a month for a onebedroom apartment, and bankers have the audacity to appear at Kiwanis to preview an opening for a bank teller

booKKeePer: Alyx Perry administration, billing, hr: Able Allen, Lisa Watters distribution manager: Jeff Tallman assistant distribution manager: Denise Montgomery distribution: Jemima Cook, Frank D’Andrea, Leland Davis, Kim Gongre, Adrian Hipps, Clyde Hipps, Jennifer Hipps, Joan Jordan, Marsha Mackay, Ryan Seymour, Ed Wharton, Thomas Young

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Gordon [Smith] is experienced and informed. Since he has spent several years effectively serving on City Council, he truly knows how Buncombe County and the city of Asheville intertwine. He can tap into that natural synergy to improve both the city and the county. During his tenure, I have witnessed thriving small business, increased and improved public transportation, and some muchneeded improvements to my neighborhood in West Asheville. I don’t know anyone who cares more about the future of our beautiful corner of the world and the people who live here and make it what it is. Please join me in voting for Gordon Smith for Buncombe County Board of Commissioners on March 15! — Billy Doubraski Asheville

Abigail Hickman’s piece on the death and funeral of 2-year-old Abagail Newman, struck me deeply. Ms. Hickman presented an intensely personal and anguished account that was by turns moving, revealing and thought-provoking. Gone was the normal journalistic remove we are used to seeing when reading about such horrific occurrences. Instead, Ms. Hickman gently and assuredly brought her readers into the very heart of the story, revealing the players — and her own reactions — with honesty and guts. This was a masterful piece of writing, and I thank her for it. — Gordon Clark Woodfin

regular contributors: Able Allen, Jonathan Ammons, Edwin Arnaudin, Pat Barcas, Jacqui Castle, Scott Douglas, George Etheredge, Jesse Farthing, Dorothy Foltz-Gray, Jordan Foltz, Doug Gibson, Steph Guinan, Rachel Ingram, Cindy Kunst, Lea McLellan, Kat McReynolds, Clarke Morrison, Emily Nichols, Josh O’Conner, Thom O’Hearn, Alyx Perry, Kyle Petersen, Rich Rennicks, Tim Robison, Aiyanna Sezak-Blatt, Kyle Sherard, Toni Sherwood, Justin Souther, Krista White

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Smith offers experience, knowledge

contributing editors: Chris Changery, Peter Gregutt, Rob Mikulak, Margaret Williams

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Editor, Mountain Xpress, 2 Wall St., Asheville, NC 28801 or by email to letters@mountainx.com.

that pays $7 an hour, we need clear-minded leadership. Do the numbers: That’s $1,142 a month salary for a position that requires a professional wardrobe and clerical skills well above high school level. Are you kidding me? How disastrous. A single person can’t hold an entry-level job and live alone in an “affordable” apartment without a government subsidy! Gordon Smith was once a lone voice on the City Council for planning for the increasing population pressure, which will impact housing costs as more people come to our area, until the recent election when others began to face up to reality. He led the way. Now we have city leadership that is looking seriously at people problems and not just the grasping hand of the hotel/tourist industry. We have Gordon Smith to thank for kicking this off. Now he’s standing for a District 1 seat on the County [Board of Commissioners]. What can he do for us there? Standing for living wages, bus service on weekends, more flexible housing standards that can include small and “tiny” houses, he leads us toward decent living for all. Vote for Gordon Smith. We’ll all win! — Larry Vickers Asheville

c art o o n By Br e n t Br o w n

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INVISIBlE YEt EVERYWhERE

miKe l. cZecZot Wait! White privilege? Me? I’m no more privileged than anyone I know... It was Week 3 of a nine-week lesson in awareness that I hope I’ll never forget — and wish I’d taken years ago. Building Bridges of Asheville is one part awakening, two parts “whack upside the head” and nine parts “meet you halfway,” as in “This is what life is like for us AfricanAmericans here in the Asheville area. If you want to help change that, will you meet us halfway?” We were given a worksheet titled “White Privilege” and asked to score each of the 26 statements with a 5 if “always true,” 3 if “sometimes true” and 1 if “seldom true.” Statements like: “i can do well in a challenging situation without being called a credit to my race.” Well, no one’s ever said to me, “Great job! You’re a credit to Caucasians everywhere!” Gets a 5. “i can swear, dress in secondhand clothes or not answer letters without having people attribute those choices to bad morals or the poverty or illiteracy of my race.” OK: Another 5. “if a police officer pulls me over, i can be sure i haven’t been singled out because of my race.” Won’t argue that one: 5. When we’d finished, all 100-plus participants were told to line up side by side, based on our total scores (highest to lowest). My total (107) put me deep in white territory, while the AfricanAmericans, whose scores ranged from

January 20 - January 26

30 to 70, were to the far left. I’d racked up enough friggin’ points to be in the White Privilege Hall of Fame (if there was one). It also made me realize how much I didn’t know about being black. I’ve had black friends, neighbors and/or co-workers all my life, but I’ve never lived a black life. That night, I realized that white privilege isn’t what I’m aware of but what I’m not aware of — something that’s been going on since long before white slave owners penned the words “All men are created equal.” This privilege manifests itself as “microaggressions” — saying or doing things that may seem well-intended but come across as the exact opposite. Saying things like “When I look at you, I don’t see color” may seem harmless, even generous. But what an African-American likely hears is a denial of his or her racial and ethnic experience. If you think there’s no validity to this then why, more than 50 years after Selma, Martin Luther King and civil rights, do we have Black Lives Matter? Or, at the local level, the countless groups and events striving for racial equality, such as the Racial Justice Coalition, the YWCA’s Stand Against Racism and the YMI Cultural Center… the annual MLK prayer breakfasts and Montreat Conference Center’s August 2015 “Dr. King’s Unfinished Agenda”? And websites and blogs like the State of Black Asheville, The Urban News and Asheville Action? And why did a recent CNN/Kaiser Family Foundation poll find that racism is a bigger problem now than 20 years ago, when O.J. Simpson and Rodney King commanded headlines? Back then, 41 percent called racism a “big problem.” Last November, 49 percent said it. “White privilege” and racism “are systemic,” says Audrey Yatras, co-chair of Building Bridges’ board. They’re also “an umbrella. Underneath is everything else: housing, education, jobs, criminal justice, health care,” and they extend “into neighborhoods, our youth.” To whites who claim they’re blameless for racism’s continued prevalence, Yatras says, “Just because you didn’t own slaves...” What might set Building Bridges apart is that it goes deep — really deep — into a person’s psyche, to help identify what’s needed to bridge the racial gap. When white privilege is truly history, when the microaggressions are history, then both races will be able to meet with identities intact. The program brings local signs of discrimination to light and turns it all

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maKing connections: Participants in a 2015 Building Bridges session, in which people are challenged to recognize white privilege. Photo courtesy of Building Bridges

deeply, maybe painfully inward, until we can feel discrimination. The sessions are split in two: For the first hour, everyone listens to speakers and views statistics about the topics mentioned by Yatras. Then we form small groups led by two facilitators (one white, one African-American), and that’s when it gets down ’n’ dirty. As co-facilitator Scott Owens told me, African-American participants know and live those stats. In the small-group sessions, whites hear how their privilege and microaggressions can cut to the quick. Owens says blacks, in effect, can say, “I’m so sick of what you’re doing to me! Whew! I feel better.” Of course, it doesn’t always play out that way. Some participants drop out, some sit on their hands and watch the clock, and some passively twiddle their thumbs. Because a lot of what’s discussed is, to varying degrees, painful or embarrassing. During one small-group session, an African-American told of being late to meet a visiting friend at a downtown res-

taurant. When she called to say she’d be there in 15 minutes, the friend asked softly, “Is it OK if I wait here?” The woman said, “Why wouldn’t it be OK?” and her friend said, more softly, “There are no other blacks here. Will I be safe?” In another session, an AfricanAmerican told of being in a supermarket checkout line. The white woman in front of her paid by swiping her debit card; the clerk handed her the receipt and smiled. But when the black woman was about to swipe her debit card, the clerk sternly asked for an ID. That was in Asheville — a city where white residents display “coexist,” “diversity” and other such bumper stickers. A city whose roughly 500 eateries serve everything from barbecued ribs to baba ghanoush, but no soul food (Chameleon Soul Food restaurant closed in 2011). It’s not just a question of racist comments, Yatras told Xpress last March. “Not being able to get a loan for your

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house, only being able to live in certain places, only being able to put your children in certain schools — those are institutional things that are much harder to overcome.” During those nine weeks, a retired banker told us how rampant such practices as mortgage redlining were until recently. A woman gave a gut-wrenching account of how her grandmother was subtly forced out of the “squeaky-clean” home she’d owned “like, forever” to make way for “affordable housing.” An educator talked about black high schoolers having to drop out and get full-time jobs to support a single parent. So, now that I’ve “seen the enemy, and he is me,” what am I going to do about it? Have I purged white privilege and started walking over the bridge? Let’s find out! Before writing this article, I had a chat with Yatras. I told her that I know two interracial couples, that I’d lived in a public housing project as a kid and that, back then, “I didn’t know color.” OK, so I still have some “white privilege” within, which is why I’m writing this. Who knows? Maybe others who are like the pre-Building Bridges me will want to find out just how unintentionally privileged they are. It’s too late to sign up for the next nine-week session, but there’ll be another one in the fall. And if you can’t wait that long, consider the last statement in the “White Privilege” handout: “i can choose blemish color or bandages in ‘flesh’ color and have them more or less match my skin.” I gave it a 5. What about you? Mike L. Czeczot is a forcibly retired newspaper writer and editor now living with the love of his life in Black Mountain. For more info about the program, visit buildingbridges-ashevillenc.org. X

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What’s the big idea?

In Asheville and beyond, creative problem solvers are hatching new solutions

By aBle allen aallen@mountainx.com

Resilience BRilliance: “We know a lot already about how to deal with climate change,” says Laura Lengnick, author of Resilient

Agriculture. She offers a solution in the form of sustainable, nature-based practices. Photo courtesy of the Organic Growers School aBle allen

aallen@mountainx.com Carl Sandburg called Chicago the “city of the big shoulders”; if he were alive today, he might describe Asheville as “the city of the big thinkers,” acknowledging the passion so many area residents display in seeking out new solutions to the issues we face. On many fronts, creative new approaches are being hatched and put in play. Big ideas can seem small at first, but even the huge tulip poplars of Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest germinated from tiny seeds. These solutions may address problems small or

January 20 - January 26

large; they may also be a new way of looking at something that seems to be working reasonably well. Sometimes, the key to a difficult question seems too slippery to grasp; other times, they just bubble up, as easy as falling off a log. Sometimes a big idea appears to be the answer, and sometimes it just helps us ask better questions. What follows is only a small sampling of the many big ideas and amazing things local people and institutions are dreaming up and trying out. And while we’ve undoubtedly missed some equally important examples, it’s worth noting that the promising ideas presented here are either being implemented now or will be soon. Today, big ideas are more likely to

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be small steps with big potential than immediate giant leaps. They’re a better mousetrap, not the steam engine, and the people representing the ideas presented here would all readily admit that they’re standing on the shoulders of giants. With that in mind, we invite you to join us in taking a small step toward some big future outcomes. Resilient agRicultuRe The planet is changing, and inevitably, we will change with it. Earth’s average temperature is rising, and Swannanoa resident laura lengnick is one of the supermajority of scientists

worldwide who are convinced that humans are significantly responsible for the concentration of heat-trapping gases, such as carbon dioxide and methane, that are piling up in the atmosphere. Disturbances linked to climate change include unusual weather patterns (drought/flooding) and changes in the growth of crops and livestock. And, long term, says Lengnick, our very existence will depend on how we respond. But she’s no prophet of doom. Instead, Lengnick comes to the table with an idea: Apply “resilience science” to agriculture. “We know a lot already about how to deal with climate change,” she says, and more sustainable, nature-based approaches such as increasing soil quality can “buffer” our food systems from all sorts of damage, including the disruptions caused by climate change. Lengnick is also a practicing soil scientist: Besides teaching about and studying soil, she’s a farmer herself. A former professor of environmental studies at Warren Wilson College, a consulting scientist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture and a recent delegate to the Paris climate talks, she released a book last year called Resilient Agriculture. The book includes a lot of information about food systems (the entire cycle of food creation, distribution, consumption and return), because “Eaters are participating in agriculture,” Lengnick maintains. Her work considers how climate change could trigger changes in the way the world does agriculture — which, she says, is often damaging not just environmentally but also economically and in terms of global health. “We can use resilience thinking,” argues Lengnick, “to bounce forward to an agriculture and food system that contribute multiple benefits: generating high-quality, nutrient-dense food, stimulating local/regional economies, regenerating natural resources and rebuilding community.” Resilient systems, she maintains, have three essential qualities: diversity, self-reliance and “a balanced portfolio of high-quality assets,” which can be natural, human, social, financial or technological.

“All indications are that 20th-century industrial solutions will not sustain our way of life into the 21st century,” Lengnick concludes. “Not just because of climate change, but also because we are running out of all kinds of critical resources: water, fish, land, metals and so on.” Together, that makes for some terrifying math, and as Legnick sees it, “We can’t build or burn our way out of these problems as we have in the past: Thus the importance of nature-based adaptation and resilience solutions. These offer us a different way to think about solving problems and defining progress.” To help put these ideas into action, Lengnick has a slew of collaborators. She’s been working as a consultant and teacher with the Organic Growers School’s new Farm Beginnings program, which aims to encourage and support farm startups in WNC. The program, says Lengnick, is the first of its kind in the Southeast, though the principles have been successfully taught elsewhere for nearly two decades. And because it emphasizes the use of ecological farming practices and adaptive management strategies, it also “promotes climate-resilient agriculture,” she explains. Each year, the program hopes to help launch 15 to 20 new farm and food businesses, which Lengnick says will make the region’s food system more resilient “by increasing producer diversity and enhancing regional self-reliance.” She’s also teamed up with Asheville-based producer and director dayna reggero to create the Climate Listening Project, a series of video shorts about ways to cultivate resilience, spotlighting some of the farmers and ranchers featured in Lengnick’s book. The videos, says Lengnick, are “designed to spread awareness among the general public and the agricultural community of the resilience benefits of sustainable agriculture and food systems through the experiences of awardwinning sustainable farmers growing fruits, vegetables, grains, meat and dairy across the U.S.” Meanwhile, as a consultant and board member at Ashevillage, she’s helping develop programs that teach resilient living skills such as foraging, fermenting and making herbal medicines. This spring, Ashevillage is planning a Community Resilience Challenge in collaboration with a Daily Acts, a California-based nonprofit, and other groups across the country.

BoRn BRight: Judy Major, coordinator of WNC Birth Center initiative (right) accepts congratulations from Ann Geisler, President of the American Association of Birth Centers Foundation after the foundation awarded a grant to the ﬂedgling birth center. The WNC Birth Center will offer women a middle option between home and hospital for birthing. Photo courtesy of Judy Major

non-hospital BiRths The WNC Birth Center wants to give expectant mothers another option. The new facility, slated to open in late spring, is on South French Broad Avenue, less than a mile from Mission Hospital. “This is basically just responding to a longtime demand from the consumer,” says judy major, chair of the nonprofit’s board of directors. Between 2010 and 2014, 1.5 percent of WNC births happened outside a hospital setting, most of them at home, according to the North Carolina State Center for Health Statistics. That’s the highest rate of home births for any of the state’s six regions; Buncombe County’s rate is five times the state average. Even among those who did opt for hospital births, many (11.2 percent of the region’s total births) chose to have a nurse midwife in attendance rather than a doctor. Currently, only one WNC facility, New Dawn Midwifery, offers home birth services with state-certified nurse midwives. New Dawn, MAHEC and some other providers have certified nurse midwives who attend in-hospital births. Some trained but uncertified midwives will illegally deliver babies at home; if there are complications, however, this can have tragic results, as in the high-profile 2012 case of Tina (Rowan) Bailey. There are also many

doulas in the area, but unlike midwives, they play only a support role. The WNC Birth Center will offer a different way to have a baby. Mothers, says Major, have long asked, “Why don’t we have an option for women who, for some reason, choose not to be in a hospital but don’t want to be at home when they have their baby?” And though Mission Hospital does a wonderful job, she continues, some women simply don’t want a hospital birth, whether this is due to concerns about environment and comfort, procedure, cost or simply “the ability of the family and the mother to have birth treated as a normal life experience rather than a medical event.” Birth centers are designed to feel more like a home environment. “They’re very family-oriented,” Major explains. “Women … cannot even be there unless they meet the criteria of low-risk pregnancy. Birth centers don’t offer pain medication or any kind of surgical intervention; basically, it’s for normal, vaginal birth.” Another important difference is that “All the woman’s prenatal, during-birth and postpartum care happen in that place: It’s familiar to her.” The new facility will also offer basic women’s health care to women of all ages. The big idea behind a birth center is finding the most effective balance of safety and comfort while offer-

continues on paGe 14 mountainx.com

January 20 - January 26, 2016

n e ws

stReet smaRts: Executive director Micheal Woods embraces a graduate of Western Carolina Rescue Ministries’ men’s recovery

program. The shelter is trying new approaches to keep people from having to return to a shelter after they transition to life in a home. Photo courtesy of Western Carolina Rescue Ministries

ing expectant mothers a middle path between in-hospital and home births. helping students succeed An innovative pilot program spearheaded by United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County aims to cut the high school dropout rate by identifying atrisk students and getting them the help they need before it’s too late. A 2011 study by robert balfanz of Johns Hopkins University identified three warning signs that dramatically increase middle schoolers’ risk of dropping out before graduating from high school: missing 10 percent of school days in a single year, incurring two or more behavioral referrals, and failing a core subject such as English or math. Without intervention, the study found, any one of those indicators cuts a student’s chances of graduating on time by 75 percent. “It is during the middle grades,” Balfantz wrote, “that students either launch toward achievement and attainment or slide off track and are placed on a path of frustration, failure and, ultimately, early exit from the only secure path to adult success: leaving high school prepared for postsecondary education and career training.” Yet middle school students typically

January 20 - January 26

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have less access to resources and extracurricular support than elementary or high school students, says elisabeth bocklet, marketing and communications director for the local United Way chapter. To change that, she explains, the partners in the Asheville Buncombe Middle Grades Network, a coalition that includes the Asheville and Buncombe County schools as well as assorted local nonprofits, are asking one another, “How do we work together differently? How do we change how we approach working with students so that we catch them earlier and are able to intervene more strategically?” The network is breaking new ground with an Early Warning and Response System, the first of its kind in the state. The digital dashboard tracks individual students’ performance in relation to the risk factors and makes that information available to both parents and out-of-school support systems in real time. When a student starts missing school, having behavioral problems or getting lower grades, the dashboard immediately alerts the people best positioned to help. They can also determine what other support those students are getting. In addition, this unique program tracks the effectiveness of the resulting interventions and facili-

tates communication among both school and outside professionals and volunteers. Recent changes in the law allow institutions to share more information. Meanwhile, the network is also placing “resource coordinators” in local schools to help address the external factors that cause students to struggle, such as hunger, health problems and economic issues. These coordinators will help connect students with needed services, including financial education and job training. This semester, the early warning system is being introduced in Asheville, Enka and Erwin middle schools. But while everyone involved is excited about the program, cautions Bocklet, implementation shouldn’t be rushed. “Any tool can be really exciting when it’s shiny, right out of the box,” she says, “but the link between data and intervention has to be done well.” Although the costs and benefits of a college education are sometimes debated, the practical value of a high school diploma is seldom questioned. The overwhelming evidence shows that completing high school correlates statistically to a higher quality of life. Students who drop

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out can expect to get lower-paying jobs and be unemployed more frequently. Dropouts are more likely to commit crimes, abuse substances, become teenage parents and even take their own life. And according to a 2009 study out of Northeastern University, each dropout costs taxPressure Washing • Painting payers an average of Interior/Exterior $292,000 over their •lifetime. Assembly Welding • Remodeling • Landscaping

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More than a decade after “Looking Homeward: the 10-Year Plan to End Homelessness in Asheville and Buncombe County” was adopted, this community is still struggling to get everybody housed. The Great Recession dealt the program a significant blow, and though chronic homelessness in the city has plummeted, the total population has grown. Meanwhile, the area’s critical lack of affordable housing is hampering the effectiveness of the plan’s housing-first model. But even as the plan is being revised, local agencies continue to roll out new initiatives. micheal woods, executive director of the Western Carolina Rescue Ministries, says his organization is pushing into new territory in several ways. A new building in the nonprofit’s Patton Avenue complex will offer overnight shelter for about 70 to 75 women and children. Due to open this winter, it will include classroom space. Upstairs and slated to open later, Abba’s House (“abba” means “father” in Hebrew) will provide longer-term living space for some&40PRE-OWNED women and women with NEW AUTOS children. Residents will be brought in through the new Abba’s Love HONDA: 242 Underwood Rd program, which helps women struggling with past and other PRE-OWNED: 195trauma Underwood Rd psychological issues NC as well as drug Fletcher, and alcohol addiction. 828-684-4400 Although the overall number of appletreeautos.com local folks experiencing homelessness is holding steady, a rising percentage are women and children, he explains. “The need has grown to epidemic-sized numbers,” says Woods, whose Christian-based organization runs Asheville’s largest emergency shelter and also operates a yearlong addiction recovery program for men. “Our desire was to create a facility that was more of a learning type center and a comforting place instead of just a sterile and institutional place.” Homeless women and children, he continues, tend to experience more trauma than homeless men. “We’ve coordinated care with other

agencies and organizations to create a new center that’s really going to be geared toward reducing that trauma and helping them through the process.” The goal, notes Woods, is to “transition them out of poverty, never to return: We don’t want repeat customers. We’re not interested in just warehousing the homeless; we don’t enable people anymore. We don’t have long-term homeless, because everyone who stays here is required to have a plan.” Clients in the short-term emergency shelter can work with Joshua Program staff to develop a written plan with measurable goals. Plans usually involve education or work as well as a mechanism for putting energy and resources back into the program to benefit others. As long as they’re on track with those goals, they can continue to receive shelter and other support services. The program, notes Woods, is “making everybody accountable. People absolutely love it: They’re grateful for it, because we believe in them and we’re helping them save money.” Some participants, he reports, have saved thousands of dollars to help them build a future with a home, pay off debts and become more financially stable. “We’re trying to create a system where we can move people from a place of poverty to productivity in their lives.” There’s also a key health component. Beginning next month, the shelter will host a permanent, on-site medical clinic through Appalachian Mountain Community Health Centers, a new federally qualified health agency. The approach makes sense, says Woods, since most of the 500-plus people experiencing homelessness in Asheville on a typical day filter through the ministries on a weekly if not a daily basis. The primary care clinic will have two exam rooms staffed by medical professionals who can diagnose and begin treatment for illnesses and wounds that might otherwise be ignored. The hope is that early action can keep some cases from ending up in the emergency room. To that end, they’ll also offer preventive care. “Every year, when the flu starts here, it runs through this population two or three times: It just never stops,” says Woods. “But if we could get on the front end of this thing and get the majority of people vaccinated ... they’re gonna trust the process.” X

mountainx.com

January 20 - January 26, 2016

news

by Virginia Daffron

vdaffron@mountainx.com

BEYOND STALEMATE Across the country, entrenched differences make issues such as gun control, immigration, abortion and budget priorities seem essentially unsolvable. In Raleigh, the two major political parties tussle over expanding Medicaid, moving toward clean power, funding public education and investing in infrastructure. Closer to home, neighbors and city officials argue about the fate of the vacant city lot across from the U.S. Cellular Center and whether property owners should be allowed to rent out their homes to short-term guests. At every level, it seems, Americans find themselves locked in ideological conflict, with few useful solutions in sight. And faced with polarization and a culture of siloed thinking, we resort to all kinds of destructive strategies, says local consultant tracy Kunkler. “We use a whole range of tactics: trying to convince, digging in, pitting one group against another and stalemate,” she explains. But the root of the problem isn’t corrupt politicians, self-serving special interests or even incivility in online forums like Facebook. “This is the outcome of the systems that are in place,” she asserts. Instead of business as usual, we need a new process that recognizes the complexities of decision-making in an interconnected world that’s facing significant shared challenges, Kunkler and her business partner, michelle smith, maintain. changing the inFRastRuctuRe One of the millions of American jobs lost to the Great Recession in 2009 belonged to Smith. To fill her days and reclaim a sense of control, she began working as a volunteer organizer to support passage of the Affordable Care Act. “And then, at the end of it, to see what we got for all that effort...” her voice trails off. Smith pauses and then says, “The process was horrible, and no one liked what we ended up with.” “If this is the best we can do, how are we going to address the enormous issues facing humanity?” she wondered. Smith concluded that achieving the kind of change people want is not about changing leadership or policies: “It’s the infrastructure of decisionmaking that has to change.” To that end, Smith and Kunkler now focus on what they call a “key leverage

January 20 - January 26

New decision-making models foster better solutions

point” in changing the way systems of power work: the rules that govern how organizations gather information and make decisions. And they’re not alone: Asheville is emerging as a center for thought leaders and facilitators promoting new decision-making strategies that aim to incorporate the entire community’s experiences, desires, creativity, concerns and objections. cRaFting BetteR solutions Three years ago, Asheville entrepreneur ty hallock, the founder of TopFloorStudio, sold the business and traveled to Bhutan to think about what would come next in his life. In what he describes as “literally an epiphany,” Hallock realized he wanted to use his technical skills to broaden participation in the decision-making process. Upon his return, Hallock founded the Asheville Creative Facilitators Meetup; today, the group boasts some 200 participants; monthly meetings draw 30 to 50 attendees. To Hallock’s surprise, however, he discovered that Western North Carolina was already home to many luminaries in the field. juanita brown and david isaacs, who now live in Burnsville, created the World Café approach, which has been used by such high-profile organizations as the United Nations, the European Union, many U.S. government agencies and international corporations. cheri torres, co-author of the 2005 book Dynamic Relationships: Unleashing the Power of Appreciative Inquiry in Daily Living, makes her home in Asheville and works on projects locally and across the country. Asheville resident chad littlefield is co-author of a recent book on team-building activities. And Flat Rock residents maureen mccarthy and Zelle nelson are known for developing “collaboration documents” to replace traditional business contracts. According to Hallock, other nationally and internationally recognized facilitators who’ve worked in Asheville include jim rough, creator of the Dynamic Facilitation model; tom atlee, author of The Tao of Democracy; and dominic barter, creator of the Restorative Circles process. dana roberts, a retired nuclear submarine commander and former inspector general of the Atlantic Fleet, owned a piece of property in Avery’s Creek for

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change agent: Shuvonda Harper, pictured at the Edington Center, uses dynamic

facilitation techniques to encourage public housing residents to participate in selfgovernance for their communities. Photo by Virginia Daffron

several years before relocating here. “I’ve been amazed at how much facilitation knowledge and background exists in the Asheville area,” says Roberts, who’s now the director of online education for the Mid-Atlantic Facilitators’ Network. “I’ve been blown away by it. I didn’t expect it at all when I moved here.” In describing their methods, individual facilitators use different terminologies; the common thread, says Kunkler, is a commitment to inclusive processes. “Nobody has the complete picture,” she explains, but including diverse perspectives creates better solutions that more people can support. Beyond RoBeRt’s Rules “The assumption gets made that the process in place now is there because it’s the best one,” says Smith. But while Robert’s Rules of Order and other governance models may have been useful tools at one time, Smith believes we’ve moved on. “Right now, people have to make a big effort to participate in the process. In Asheville, if they want to make their voice heard, they have to sit in City Hall for hours until their issue comes up in front of Council,” she points out. That requires free time and an inclination for public speaking that many people just don’t have.

“We want to create the conditions for collaboration,” continues Smith. “When we empower people to talk to each other, they will come up with solutions that integrate the interests of all, rather than pushing one interest to the exclusion of others.” Kunkler agrees, saying facilitative leadership methods could make government task forces and advisory committees more effective. “It’s possible to work through conflicts,” she asserts. “We have the opportunity to create a different outcome by working together to solve our own problems. We could be a model for other places.” Government, they maintain, has a key role in creating the conditions for this kind of shared decision-making to happen. In the Netherlands, where a form of participative governance called Sociocracy was first developed, principles of consent and circle-based decision-making processes are widely used in public, private and nonprofit organizations. In Austria, the Wisdom Council method of soliciting public input is being used to address such difficult issues as Europe’s immigration crisis. otheR voices, otheR Rooms In Asheville, notes Kunkler, a few pioneering groups are already using

the dynamic governance methods she and others teach. The Asheville Housing Authority’s Residents Council is a prime example. With funding from the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, Kunkler trained a group of public housing residents in the Circle Forward method. shuvonda harper, a mother of two who grew up in public housing in Asheville, moved to the Walton Street community after a stint living in Florida. Dissatisfied with the violence and other negative behaviors she encountered, however, Harper decided “This can’t happen around my kids” and resolved to become “that community mom like I grew up with.” When Harper first saw the Circle Forward approach used at a meeting of the Walton Street Community Association, she recalls, “I thought, now this is cool.” Using a “scribe” to capture participants’ input, says Harper, “made me feel like my voice is being heard and recorded. You could see it, and that opened up a whole new world for me.” But though she was eager to sign up for the Circle Forward training, she laughs about some aspects of it. “They have this one video with a sailboat. Well, people who live in housing, they can’t really relate to a sailboat,” says Harper, adding, “But that was good feedback for [Kunkler]: Now she can tweak things for this audience.” It wasn’t a big problem, though, and Harper now uses those skills to facilitate various group meetings. Five days a week, she works out of the Residents Council’s offices in the Arthur R. Edington Education & Career Center on Livingston Street. Changing the decision-making and community-input dynamic hasn’t been easy, says Harper. “It’s taken some effort to get everybody in the loop and to understand this process. When you’re used to doing things one way and then you switch it up, it does kinda drag things out,” she concedes. “But it saves time over the long run, because you don’t have to go back and revisit things. You can go ahead and hash it out up front.” In the past, continues Harper, “Sometimes one person would make decisions for everybody. That destroys trust, and now we’re left cleaning up that mess.” And a year into the new process, the Residents Council leaders’ efforts are starting to pay off. “We’ve got our feet on the ground, and we’re showing that we’re about business. We’re going to make stuff happen. ... People are starting to get stirred up now,” she reports. One group of residents Harper coor-

dinated competed for and won a contract to provide curbside trash pickup in the public housing neighborhoods for items that don’t fit in the city’s collection bins, and to clean out apartments after someone’s moved out. “We went through that process to get that contract, and now we’re rolling,” notes Harper. Another successful effort was the My Community Matters Empowerment Program, which the Residents Council proposed to the Housing Authority. Last summer, 30 kids attended a fiveweek camp that included such community service activities as cleaning up trash and painting murals, alongside educational and goal-setting exercises. Participants each earned $50 per week for their service. This summer, the residents are aiming for eight weeks of similar programming. Food matteRs The Asheville Buncombe Food Policy Council has also adopted a dynamic governance model, says mary lou Kemph, a registered nurse who’s volunteered with the group since its inception late in 2011. During meetings, she says, discussion moves in a circle; after hearing everyone’s viewpoint, the group fashions a proposal, gets additional input and modifies the proposal accordingly. “It’s the facilitator’s role to ensure that everyone’s concerns have been heard and addressed,” Kemph explains. The goal, she says, is not necessarily consensus but arriving at a compromise that everyone can live with. Food Policy Council member jillian wolf describes the difference this way: “An intentional community might spend weeks stuck on the color to paint the house. Meanwhile the process comes to a halt,” while community members wear themselves out trying to reach complete agreement. Dynamic governance, by contrast, aims for “good-enough” decisions. “If we need to amend it after we try it out, we can come back to it later,” notes Wolf. Group members participate in “clusters” focused on specific topics such as land use, pollinators, water and access to food. Each cluster uses the circle process to develop recommended actions and then selects two representatives: One takes the proposals to the full council; the other reports back to the cluster. Separating those two roles, says Kemph, reduces the likelihood that individual agendas will influence the process. For newcomers, the idea of compromise can seem challenging, she reveals. “We’re so used to a strong person saying, ‘This is what we are going to do.’ But in this model, it’s important for people to understand that everyone’s ideas matter.” And once they become comfortable

with the method, continues Kemph, “It opens up the creative process. People are more willing to brainstorm solutions. If they have a concern, instead of being labeled ‘not a team player,’ they can be seen as raising an important concern that no one else saw.” And while it can be hard for those who haven’t used the method to appreciate how effective it can be, she says, the benefits outweigh the extra effort. “This is a healthier way of making decisions. Emotionally, it brings people together in a creative way. I wish more organizations did this.” coming into the myth Cheri Torres has been working to encourage the development of more sustainable social, environmental and economic systems since 1998. “When we really involve all the stakeholders in the designing process, it’s easy for them to make the leap to implementation: People commit to what they help create,” she explains. In 2011, Torres helped facilitate a two-day Children First/Communities in Schools summit attended by 120 participants: representatives of local organizations, community leaders, low-income individuals and interested community members. The resulting Success Equation program works to eliminate the root causes of child poverty. Local governments, says Torres, have traditionally worked by soliciting public input, and “Then we wait for government to make something happen.” In a participative model, the public is involved in both creating and implementing solutions. Of course, some issues don’t readily lend themselves to that degree of public participation. Torres cites the Interstate 26 connector project as an example. “Because citizens can’t build interstates,” she explains, the connector is the type of issue better managed through existing public input processes. Nonetheless, says Torres, meaningful public engagement can help address a broad range of issues, from poverty to transportation to jobs to housing. “Anytime you engage people in something they care about, you set the stage for the possibility to co-create the future. It’s a powerful, positive approach.” Smith, too, sees tremendous possibilities for changing the rules of the game and creating solutions that residents from many different backgrounds can feel good about. “This is a chance for Asheville to come into its myth of itself,” she declares. X

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828-424-1879 January 20 - January 26, 2016

if someone told you they had a big idea, would you brush them off? it takes special people and institutions to move us beyond the status quo â&#x20AC;&#x201D; by thinking of new ways of doing things and making them work. for this special advertorial section, we offered businesses a chance to explain their big idea.

BIG IDEAS

give â&#x20AC;&#x2122;em a read. they might change the way you live.

Subhead subhead New solutions for childhood traumas

January 20 - January 26

mountainx.com

Fringe Arts Festival keeps Asheville weird

special adveRtising section

Imagine there are 100 people in a room.

Now imagine asking each of these 100 people to brainstorm one amazing idea to strengthen Asheville. Thereʼs a good chance they already have, and theyʼve just been waiting to be handed the microphone to tell you — and the rest of us. Asheville is full of people with great ideas-turned-businesses. Letʼs spotlight them. ArtSpace has two big ideas for 2016 — Gratitude and Innovation. Gratitude because of the overwhelming support we have received as our campus recovers from disastrous flooding. We are a small part of an amazing community. Thank you! Innovation because no school is more innovative than ArtSpace Charter School n the 21st century, students must get more out of their education than just knowledge. They must also learn to be creative and think critically while communicating and collaborating effectively. At ArtSpace, daily practice in the arts, combined with rigorous academics and a focus on the whole child, ensures every child experiences the joy of learning while mastering the tools they need to achieve.

If this sounds like the school for your child, find out more at our New Family Open House Tuesday, Feb. 2, at 6 p.m. RSVP by contacting michelle.migyanka@artspacecharter.org or calling 828-298-2787.

In 2016, Bright Planning Marketing Strategy will help 100 innovative individuals and companies market and tell their stories to the city, the state and the country. This help is free. If you want a marketing consultation for your great idea-turned-business, join us. Step into the room.

Hereʼs how it works:

• Go to www.brightplanning.com/the-100. • Fill out a very short form. • If youʼre selected, weʼll meet and make an initial marketing plan for you.

We will schedule 25 free local plans each business quarter. Once theyʼre booked, thatʼs it.

One hundred ideas. Letʼs start.

Bright Planning Marketing Strategy Serving Asheville and Western North Carolina 828-335-0787 info@brightplanning.com www.brightplanning.com/the-100

Seeking Senior Standouts! DO YOU KNOW A SENIOR IN OUR COMMUNITY WHO DESERVES CHAMPION STATUS?

Did you know? The 65-and-over age group is the fastestgrowing population in Buncombe County? The Council on Aging of Buncombe County is planning its ﬁrst county-wide recognition of this very important population group with the Breakfast of Senior Champions — an event that is certain to become a legacy to our community. This inaugural event will provide an opportunity for people of all ages to express their gratitude to notable older members of the community by nominating Senior Champions and coming

together in celebration of their invaluable contributions. Everyone gets 15 minutes of fame — or so the story goes. But some go their entire lives without any recognition at all. Wonʼt you give someone their 15 minutes? Champions and nominees will be acknowledged on local television and radio broadcasts, as well as through social media and at the event. To nominate a Senior Champion or sponsor this very special event, visit www.coabc.org/seniorchampions.

HONOR THEM WITH A NOMINATION OR EVENT SCHOLARSHIP! FIND DETAILS BY VISITING: COABC.ORG To request a hard copy of the nomination form, call 828-277-8288 ext. 308

MAY 3

at 7:00 am

IN THE TOP ROOM AT THE RENAISSANCE HOTEL The Council on Aging of Buncombe County is an organization that works toward assuring access to resources that help adults age with choice. Education, innovative programming and coordination of resources for aging adults are top priorities of the organization.

special adveRtising section

In 2010, Stuart Cowles had a big idea to create a place where locals and visitors alike could enjoy and experience a multitude of both outdoor and indoor adventures “SMAC” in the middle of Asheville. The dream has come to fruition in the beautiful, new Smoky Mountain Adventure Center (SMAC) on Amboy Road. The building features a second home to Climbmax Climbing Center, yoga and fitness classes, smoothies, coffee and — since we’re in Asheville — several taps of local beer and cider. In addition, other local partners provide rental boats, stand-up boards, inner tubes and bikes. SMAC’s official grand opening will be the weekend of Jan. 30. Featuring a unique, “flood-proof” design, natural wood reclaimed from the property and an ecofriendly design, SMAC has been created to be a warm and friendly destination for all to experience and enjoy. Come down and see!

Smoky Mountain Adventure Center (SMAC) 173 Amboy Road Asheville, NC 28806 828-505-4446 stuart@climbmaxnc.com www.smacasheville.com mountainx.com

January 20 - January 26, 2016

Asheville Fringe Arts Fe

stival

Visit our communitycentered teaching clinic At Daoist Traditions College Acupuncture Clinic, years of theory, cultivation and enrichment all come together for the beneﬁt of our Asheville community. Our clinical interns, in the ﬁnal phase of a rigorous four-year program, treat patients under the direct supervision of clinical faculty who are North Carolina-licensed acupuncturists. Interns treat patients in the clinical setting — both on campus and throughout our community — to develop their skills as practitioners while offering affordable health care. Working within the community is at the heart of what drives our future practitioners. We believe your healing goes beyond the appointment itself, and we have an extensive herbal dispensary to help facilitate good health after you leave our clinic. Contact us by telephone, or simply drop by during our scheduled hours. We welcome you to come in for a treatment or join us for one of our community days scheduled throughout the school year.

222 S. French Broad Ave. Asheville, NC 28801

January 20 - January 26

If you’re curious about the programs we offer, please visit us online; we would love to discuss your options. Daoist Traditions is honored to be part of such an open-minded and progressive community. We hope that our neighborhood-oriented college clinic and other local events demonstrate that appreciation.

828-253-8669

clinic@daoisttraditions.edu

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The Asheville Fringe Arts Festival, started by Susan & Giles Collard of the Asheville Contemporary Dance Theatre, is really part of a world-wide movement. The first Fringe Festival began in 1947 in Edinburgh, Scotland, when a group of artists were excluded from an international performing arts festival, but wanted to have places to show their new work. The Collards recognized the value of the Fringe concept and the unmet artistic need in Asheville: to provide artists with opportunities to explore the edges of their work, collaborate across genres and bring innovative performances to culturally adventurous audiences. In 2016, the 14th year of Asheville’s Fringe, artists from Mexico, and across the country will add to the local artists’ offerings. Audiences can catch the Fringe excitement by attending multiple performances over four days this January 21–24. Tickets and info at www.ashevillefringe.org.

20 Commerce St. Asheville, NC 28801 828-254-2621 info@ashevillefringe.org• ashevillefringe.org

special adveRtising section

community calendaR januaRy 20 - 28, 2016

Calendar guidelines In order to qualify for a free listing, an event must benefit or be sponsored by a nonprofit or noncommercial community group. In the spirit of Xpress’ commitment to support the work of grassroots community organizations, we will also list events our staff consider to be of value or interest to the public, including local theater performances and art exhibits even if hosted by a forprofit group or business. All events must cost no more than $40 to attend in order to qualify for free listings, with the one exception of events that benefit nonprofits. Commercial endeavors and promotional events do not qualify for free listings. Free listings will be edited by Xpress staff to conform to our style guidelines and length. Free listings appear in the publication covering the date range in which the event occurs. Events may be submitted via email to calendar@ mountainx.com or through our online submission form at mountainx.com/calendar. The deadline for free listings is the Wednesday one week prior to publication at 5 p.m. For a full list of community calendar guidelines, please visit mountainx.com/calendar. For questions about free listings, call 251-1333, ext. 137. For questions about paid calendar listings, please call 251-1333, ext. 320.

animals asheville humane society 828-761-2001 ext. 315, ashevillehumane.org • FR (1/22), 11am-2pm - Animal adoption event. Free to attend. Held at Tractor Supply, 14 Old Brevard Road • SA (1/23), 11am-2pm - Animal adoption event. Free to attend. Held at Tractor Supply, 14 Monticello Road, Weaverville Blue Ridge humane society 692-2639, blueridgehumane.org • WE (1/20), 6pm - Pints for Pets: Animal adoption event. Free to attend. Held at Sanctuary Brewing Company, 147 1st Ave., Hendersonville • SATURDAYS, 10:30am - Yoga with cats. Proceeds benefit the Blue ridge Humane society. Free Held at Sanctuary Brewing Company, 147 1st Ave., Hendersonville BRotheR WolF animal Rescue 505-3440, bwar.org • WE (1/27), 6pm - Pints for Pets: Animal adoption event. Free to attend. Held at Sanctuary

scigiRls: The Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute (PARI) hosts an exciting monthly science program one Tuesday per month for girls ages 9-14. Each month’s program leads young girls to explore different facets of science with hands on activities and connections to local, state, national and international opportunities to explore science. This month’s program, “Deep Sea Diver,” will take place on Tuesday, Jan. 26 from 6-8 p.m. at the Transylvania County Extension Office and, according to PARI, focuses on designing and building “a neutrally-buoyant device like the submersibles used to investigate underwater ecosystems and collect samples from the deep sea.” Photo courtesy of PARI. (p. 24)

Brewing Company, 147 1st Ave., Hendersonville

BeneFits Wnc Bee school (pd.) The Center for Honeybee Research. Folk Art Center, March 5th: 9-5pm, Mar 6th: 12:304:30pm. $45. Info & registration: chbr.org. Bees from hive to honey. Beat the WinteR Blues Ball purplepass.com/beatwinterblues • TH (1/28), 6-10pm - Proceeds to this ball featuring music from Rockell Scott and Motown Blue, reception and silent auction benefit rotary club charities. $30. Held at Asheville Masonic Temple, 80 Broadway hot chocolate 10K BeneFit hotchocolate10k.com • SA (1/23), 8am - Proceeds from this 10k run and kids fun run benefit Isaac Dickson Elementary School PTO. $37/$5 kids races. Held at Isaac Dickson Elementary, 125 Hill St. neW yeaR nia dance paRty 697-7449, NiaNow.com

• SA (1/23), 11:30am - Proceeds from this Nia dance party benefits mainstay. $15. Held at Henderson County Athletics and Activity Center, 708 South Grove St., Hendersonville

g&W investment cluB klcount@aol.com • 3rd WEDNESDAYS, 11:45am General meeting. Free to attend. Held at Black Forest Restaurant, 2155 Hendersonville Road, Arden

pancaKe BReaKFast BeneFit 259-5300 • SA (1/23), 8-10am - Proceeds from this pancake breakfast benefit the Hominy Valley crisis ministry. $7. Held at Fatz Cafe, 5 Spartan Ave.

Wnc natuRal health & Wellness meetup.com/WNC-Natural-HealthWellness • 3rd WEDNESDAYS, 3pm Networking event for natural health & wellness practitioners. Free to attend. Held at Western North Carolina School of Massage, 131 McDowell St. Suite 302

Business & technology a-B tech small Business centeR 398-7950, abtech.edu/sbc Registration required. Free unless otherwise noted. • WE (1/20), 10am - “Doing Business with the Government,” seminar. Held at A-B Tech Enka Campus, 1459 Sand Hill Road, Candler • WE (1/27), 3pm - “An Entrepreneur’s Guide to Bridging the Digital Divide,” seminar. Held at A-B Tech Enka Campus, 1459 Sand Hill Road, Candler

classes, meetings & events aBout the tRanscendental meditation techniQue: FRee intRoductoRy lectuRe (pd.) The most effortless meditation technique is also the most effective. Learn how TM is different from other practices (including common “mantra” methods). An evidencebased technique for going beyond the active mind to access deep inner reserves of energy, creativity and bliss — dissolving stress,

awakening your highest self. The only meditation recommended for hypertension by the American Heart Association. NIH-sponsored research shows decreased anxiety, improved brain functioning, heightened well-being. Reduces insomnia, ADHD, PTSD. Personalized training, certified instructors, free follow-up classes. Thursday, 6:30-7:30pm, Asheville TM Center, 165 E. Chestnut. 828-254-4350 or TM.org or meditationasheville.org Basic mediation sKills tRaining (pd.) At The Mediation Center. An interactive, hands-on training ideal for anyone looking to improve their conflict resolution skills. For more information and to register: (828) 251-6089 or www.mediatewnc.org Be FeaRless - speaK With conFidence WoRKshop (pd.) Blue Ridge Toastmasters Club offers a speak and lead with Confidence Workshop. 4 Mondays: Feb. 1, 8,15, 22 from 12:15 to 1:25 pm at the Asheville Chamber of Commerce. 36 Montford Avenue, Room 317. Hone your speaking skills. Registration ends 1/30. To register contact vppr@blueridgetoastmasters.com.

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Learn more: http://blueridgetoastmasters.com/be-fearless-workshop/. essentials oF Resilient living and peRmacultuRe thRough the seasons W/ Wild aBundance (pd.) A hands-on course in permaculture, organic gardening, building, primitive skills, wild food foraging, animal husbandry & more! Meets 1 weekend per month throughout the year (starts March 2016). 775-7052, wildabundance.net. hands on culinaRy classes at the FaRm (pd.) You want to, but you’re not sure how to go about cooking local, organic produce and meats. Chef Ferrari will awaken the Chef within you! The Farm, 215 Justice Ridge Road, Candler, NC 28715. 828-6670666. info@thefarmevents.com www.thefarmevents.com linda pannullo mosaics and WoRKshops (pd.) The best instruction for all levels • Mosaic Mirror workshop for Beginners, February 13-14 w/Linda Pannullo • Sacred Geometry/Mosaic Mandala workshop, March 5-6, w/ Dianne Sonnenberg • Building a Landscape with Texture and Color, May 14-15, w/Laura Redlen • Pets,

January 20 - January 26, 2016

com m u n i ty ca len da R

Creatures and Imaginary Beings, April 16-17, Yulia Hanansen. More classes see website. Call Linda at 828-337-6749. Info and registration at lindapannullomosaics.com nvc paRenting class (pd.) “Compassionate Communication within Our Families” Thursdays, Jan. 7, 14, 21, 28 4-6 p.m. Rainbow Community School, West Asheville $100, childcare ($12), tuition aid available. Info/ Registration: (828) 775-6333, polly. medlicott@gmail.com oRganic gRoWeRs school 23Rd annual spRing conFeRence (pd.) March 11-13, 2016, UNC Asheville. 70+ sessions per day: practical, affordable, regionallyfocused workshops on growing, permaculture, homesteading, and urban farming. Trade show, seed exchange, kid’s program. Organicgrowersschool.org. asheville doWntoWn association 251-9973, ashevilledowntown.org • WE (1/20), noon-1:30pm Annual State of Downtown Luncheon. $16.82. Held at US Cellular Center, 87 Haywood St. asheville timeBanK 348-0674, ashevilletimebank.org • TUESDAYS, 4-6pm - Orientation session. Free to attend. Held at Firestorm Cafe and Books, 610 Haywood Road Big ivy community centeR 540 Dillingham Road, Barnardsville, 626-3438 • 4th MONDAYS, 7pm Community center board meeting. Free. Blue Ridge toastmasteRs cluB blueridgetoastmasters.com/membersarea, fearless@blueridgetoastmasters.org • MONDAYS, 12:15-1:25pm - Public speaking and leadership group. Free. Held at Lenoir Rhyne Center for Graduate Studies, 36 Montford Ave. BuncomBe county puBlic liBRaRies buncombecounty.org/governing/ depts/library • FR (1/22), 6pm - “Practicing Connection,” learn interactive communication skills with Cathy Holt. Free. Held at West Asheville Library, 942 Haywood Road FiRestoRm caFe and BooKs 610 Haywood Road, 255-8115 • WE (1/20), 10:30am - Wisdom Council meeting for people interested in “dynamic facilitation” in support of community diverse needs. Free to attend.

January 20 - January 26

mountainx.com

by Abigail Griffin

holistic healing day 252-312-7322 • SA (1/23), 11am-3pm - Healing arts fair with classes and sample therapies. Free to attend. Held at Center for Spiritual Living Asheville, 2 Science Mind Way just peace FoR isRael/ palestine mepeacewnc.com • WE (1/20), noon - General meeting. Free. Held at Brooks-Howell Home, 266 Merrimon Ave. mills RiveR pResByteRian chuRch 10 Presbyterian Church Road, Mills River, 891-7101, millsriverpresbyterianchurch.orgl • SU (1/24) through SU (1/31) “Puzzlefest,” weeklong puzzle event for all ages. Contact for full schedule. Free. ontRacK Wnc 50 S. French Broad Ave., 2555166, ontrackwnc.org Registration required. Free unless otherwise noted. • THURSDAYS through (1/28), 5:30pm - “Manage Your Money Series,” seminar. • FR (1/22), noon - “Budgeting 101,” seminar. • TU (1/26), 5:30pm - “What to Do With Your Tax Refund,” seminar. • WE (1/27), noon-1:30pm “Understanding Credit. Get it. Keep it. Improve it.” Seminar. puBlic events at Wcu 227-7397, wcu.edu • TH (1/21), 7pm - “Then and Now: Different Times, Same Struggles, ” community discussion. Held in Illusions at the University Center. • FR (1/22), 10pm - “Race Microagression,” community discussion. A cultural mixer will follow at 11 p.m. Held in the multipurpose room in the University Center. Free. Reynolds/FaiRvieW scRiBBle cRiBBage cluB • WEDNESDAYS, 12:30pm Scrabble and cribbage club. Free to attend. Held at Mountain Mojo Coffeehouse, 381 Old Charlotte Highway, Fairview shoWing up FoR Racial justice showingupforracialjustice.org • TUESDAYS, noon-2pm Educating and organizing white people for racial justice. Free to attend. Held at Firestorm Cafe and Books, 610 Haywood Road

dance studio Zahiya, doWntoWn dance classes (pd.) Monday 5pm Ballet Wkt 6pm Hip Hop Wkt 7:30pm

Bellydance 8pm Tap • Tuesday 9am Hip Hop Wkt 6pm Intro to Bellydance 7pm Bellydance 8pm Hip Hop Choreo 2 •Wednesday 5pm Bhangra Wkt 7:30pm Bellydance 8pm Contemporary • Thursday 9am Hip Hop Wrkt 4pm Kid’s Dance 5pm Teens Hip Hop 7pm West African 8pm West African 2 • Saturday 9:30am Hip Hop Wkt 10:45am POUND Wkt • $13 for 60 minute classes, Wkt $5. 90 1/2 N. Lexington Avenue. www.studiozahiya.com :: 828.242.7595 joyFul noise 649-2828, joyfulnoisecenter.org Held at First Presbyterian Church of Weaverville, 30 Alabama Ave., Weaverville • MONDAYS, 7:30-8:15pm Intermediate/Advanced clogging class. Ages 7 through adult. $10 • MONDAYS, 6:45-7:30pm Beginner clogging class. Ages 7 through adult. $10. sWing asheville swingasheville.com • THURSDAYS, 7:30pm Beginner & intermediate swing dance lessons. 8:30-11pm - Open dance. Live music regularly. $7/$5 members. Held at Club Eleven on Grove, 11 Grove St.

eco asheville gReen dRinKs ashevillegreendrinks.com Free to attend. • WE (1/20), 5pm - Sustainability and social justice meet-up on the topic of the Asheville Timebank and Transition Asheville. Free to attend. Held at The Spot, 76 Biltmore Ave. • WE (1/27), 5pm - Sustainability and social justice meet-up on the topic of Asheville Beyond Coal. Free to attend. Held at The Spot, 76 Biltmore Ave. cReation caRe alliance oF Wnc creationcarealliance.org • TH (1/28), 5:30pm - General meeting. Free. Held at First Baptist Church of Asheville, 5 Oak St. mountaintRue 611 N. Church St., Hendersonville, 258-8737, mountaintrue.org • TH (1/21) - Paddle-n-Plant along local riverbanks to prevent erosion with French Broad Riverkeeper. Contact for details and registration. Free. mountaintRue 258-8737, wnca.org • TU (1/26), 7pm - Public hearing on Duke Energy’s proposal to

c o n s c i o u s pa R t y By Kat McReynolds | kmcreynolds@mountainx.com

blues, not boredom AD copy: The Holiday Season is here, and with it comes special hazards to our furry, feathered, and scaled family members. REACH and AVS are here 24/7 to help during the holidays! Check out our website www.reachvet.com for tips on winter hazards to avoid.

motoWn sound: According to Motownblue’s online bio, the Black Mountain quartet’s mission is “to make you happy, enjoy life, love one another and be at peace through our music.” The band plays at the forthcoming Beat the Winter Blues Ball and shares the bill with vocalist Rockell Scott. Photo by Laverne Stafford

what: The Rotary Club of Asheville-Metro’s inaugural Beat the Winter Blues Ball where: Masonic Temple when: Thursday, Jan. 28, 6-10 p.m. why: “With the weather and general letdown after the holidays, this will be an opportunity for people to get out and have some fun,” says john russell, secretary for The Rotary Club of Asheville-Metro and planner of the nonprofit’s first Beat the Winter Blues Ball. Western North Carolina is home to about 50 Rotary chapters, which range from a few members to hundreds of participants. Since his 12-person club covers its operational costs through dues, event proceeds will benefit several charities. In a collective effort, chapters

across the Southeast are funneling money toward an internal fund, Coins for Alzheimer’s Research Trust, which awards grants for scientific research. The fundraiser will additionally support Asheville Buncombe Community Christian Ministry’s Veterans Restoration Quarters and its Transformation Village project, which aims to provide 150-200 units of affordable housing for the homeless. But first, Russell’s team is tasked with rousing Ashevilleans from hibernation — a duty he’s passed along to vocalist Rockell Scott and quartet Motownblue, two local acts that will “sing the blues to beat the blues,” he says with a chuckle. The dance’s opento-interpretation dress code, he continues, is “Asheville chic,” and admission includes heavy hors d’oeuvres from Corner Kitchen Catering

plus one complimentary drink from the cash bar. For the silent auction, Russell has sourced guitars signed by B.B. King and Eric Clapton. Montford Park Players, for whom Russell serves as managing director, is also giving away a picnic package that includes a picnic basket, season tickets to see the Shakespearean theatrical group, free beer and “the opportunity to make your stage debut in a walk-on role in one of our outdoor productions.” “There are a number of other gifts, mostly having a blue theme to them,” Russell says, noting that lighting and decor will also reflect the proper hue. Tickets for Beat the Winter Blues Ball ($30) are available at purplepass.com/beatwinterblues. X

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January 20 - January 26, 2016

com m u n i ty ca len da R

construct a 752-Megawatt Natural Gas-Fueled power plant in Buncombe County. Free. Held at the Buncombe County Courthouse, 60 Court Plaza RiveRlinK 170 Lyman St., 252-8474 ext.11 • TH (1/21), 11:45am-2pm RiverLink riverfront bus tour. Registration required: www. signupgenius.com/ go/10c0e4caea82ba1f49-february. $20.

FaRm & gaRden living WeB FaRms 176 Kimzey Road, Mills River, 5051660, livingwebfarms.org • TU (1/26), 6pm - Tomato Grafting for Better Yields," class. $10. polK county FRiends oF agRicultuRe BReaKFast polkcountyfarms.org • WE (1/20), 7-8pm - Breakfast and talk from the Agency Manager of the Polk County Farm Bureau. Admission by donation. Held at the 4-H Center, Locust St., Columbus

Food & BeeR valentine Five couRse dinneR at the FaRm (pd.) Stimulate your senses by enjoying an intimate dinner for two by the fireplace at The Farm. Saturday February 13, 2016, 6pm, $100/person, includes wine pairings. Continue the romance in one of our rustic, elegant cabins for the night. The Farm, 215 Justice Ridge Road, Candler, NC 28715. 828-6670666. info@thefarmevents.com www.thefarmevents.com FletcheR chili cooK-oFF FletcherParks.org • Through WE (1/20) - Applications accepted for the 2016 Fletcher Chili Cook-Off. Contact for application: FletcherParks.org. Free. the loRd’s acRe thelordsacre.org • THURSDAYS, 11:30am - The Fairview Welcome Table provides a community lunch. Free. Held at Fairview Christian Fellowship, 596 Old Us Highway 74, Fairview

goveRnment & politics city oF asheville 251-1122, ashevillenc.gov • TU (1/26), 5pm - Public City Council meeting. See website for agenda. Free. Held at the Asheville

January 20 - January 26

mountainx.com

by Abigail Griffin

City Hall, 70 Court Plaza hendeRson county senioR democRats 692-6424 • WE (1/20), noon - General meeting and discussion. Bring your own lunch. Free. Held at Henderson County Democratic Party, 905 S. Greenville Highway, Hendersonville honK & Wave FoR BeRnie • SA (1/23), 1-3pm - Bernie Sanders for President public support event and voter registration. Free to attend. Held at Pack Square Park, 121 College St. jacKson county RepuBlicans 743-6491, jacksonctygop@yahoo.com • MO (1/25), 6pm - Monthly meeting with the two republican candidates who are running for Commissioner in Jackson County. Free to attend. Held at Ryan’s Steakhouse Sylva, 374 Walmart Plaza, Sylva nancy nehls nelson campaign KicKoFF electnancynehlsnelson.org, n3@ electnancynehlsnelson.org • MO (1/25), 6-8pm - Kickoff campaign and fundraiser with live music from Mojomatic’s Butch Giusto, pizza and ice cream. Admission by donation. Held at Blue Mountain Pizza & Brew Pub, 55 North Main St., Weaverville

String Orchestra for intermediate players. $10. Held at West Asheville Presbyterian Church, 690 Haywood Road • MONDAYS, 6:15-6:45pm “Movement and Dance,” class for 5 and 6 year olds. $10. Held at First Presbyterian Church of Weaverville, 30 Alabama Ave., Weaverville pisgah astRonomical ReseaRch institute 1 PARI Drive, Rosman, 862-5554, pari.edu • TU (1/26), 6-8pm - SciGirls “Deep Sea Diver” program for girls 9-14 building buoyant objects. Registration required. $10. spellBound childRen’s BooKshop 50 N. Merrimon Ave., 708-7570, spellboundchildrensbookshop.com • SATURDAYS, 11am - Storytime for ages 3-7. Free to attend. uRBan dhaRma 29 Page Ave., 225-6422, udharmanc.com • SU (1/24), 10am- Meditation for children with a Buddhist tale, contemplation, meditation and snack. Free.

outdooRs

pisgah aRea soRBa

Kids attic salt theatRe company 505-2926 • SATURDAYS through (1/23), 10am - Echo, Narcissus, Icarus and Friends: Greek Myths, theater production. $5. Held at The Magnetic Theatre, 375 Depot St. BuncomBe county puBlic liBRaRies buncombecounty.org/governing/ depts/library Free unless otherwise noted. • FR (1/22), 4pm - Teen Awesome Group meeting. Held at Weaverville Public Library, 41 N. Main St., Weaverville • MO (1/25), 4-5pm - Lego club, with legos provided. Ages 5 and up. Snacks welcome. Held at Weaverville Public Library, 41 N. Main St., Weaverville FletcheR liBRaRy 120 Library Road, Fletcher, 6871218, library.hendersoncountync.org • WEDNESDAYS, 10:30am - Family story time. Free. joyFul noise 649-2828, joyfulnoisecenter.org • MONDAYS, 6-7:30pm - Capriccio

pisgahareasorba.org • TH (1/28), 6pm - “An Introduction to Sustainable Trails,” presentation by Woody Keen. Registration required: rei.com/asheville. Free to attend. Held at REI Asheville, 31 Schenck Parkway ymca oF Wnc 210-2265, ymcawnc.org • WE (1/20), 8:45am - Easy, 4.2 mile hike at the Pink Beds in Brevard. Registration required: 658-0047. Free/$5 optional carpool. Held at YMCA - Woodfin, 30 Woodfin St.

paRenting

caRolina day school 1345 Hendersonville Road, 2740757, alawing@carolinaday.org • TH (1/21), 8:30am - Inside the Classroom: Interested families can observe middle and upper grades. Free to attend. FRanKlin school oF innovation 318-8140, 21 Innovation Drive • TH (1/21), 5:30pm - High School Tour and information session. Free to attend.

puBlic lectuRes puBlic lectuRes at unca unca.edu Free unless otherwise noted. • TH (1/21), 7pm - Terry Bellamy -“ Creating a Culture of Inclusion,” MLK week keynote speech by former mayor Terry Bellamy. Held in Lipinsky Auditorium • WE (1/20), 4:30pm - OLLI Stem Lecture: “The Science of Harmony,” by pianist and physics Professor Michael Ruiz. Held in the Reuter Center. • FR (1/22), 11:30am - OLLI Fab Friday Lunch & Learn Lecture: Dr. Kim Walters presents about macular degeneration and blue light danger. Held in the Reuter Center. puBlic lectuRes at Wcu wcu.edu • WE (1/20), 6:30pm - MLK Jr. presentation by Walls-LaNier, the youngest of the Little Rock Nine. Free. Held in the A.K. Hinds University Center.

spiRituality asheville insight meditation (pd.) Introduction to Mindfulness Meditation. Learn how to get a Mindfulness Meditation practice started. 1st & 3rd Mondays. 7pm – 8:30. Asheville Insight Meditation, 29 Ravenscroft Dr, Suite 200, (828) 808-4444, www. ashevillemeditation.com. astRo-counseling (pd.) Licensed counselor and accredited professional astrologer uses your chart when counseling for additional insight into yourself, your relationships and life directions. Readings also available. Christy Gunther, MA, LPC. (828) 258-3229. open heaRt meditation (pd.) Experience and deepen the spiritual connection to your heart, the beauty and deep peace of the Divine within you. Increase your natural joy and gratitude while releasing negative emotions. Love Offering 7-8pm Tuesdays, 5 Covington St. 296-0017 OpenHeartMeditation. com. centeR FoR aRt & spiRit at st. geoRge 1 School Road, 258-0211 • WEDNESDAYS, 3:30pm & 6:30pm - Sitting meditation and daily mindfulness practice. Info: kenlenington@gmail.com. Admission by donation. • Last Tuesdays, 7-9pm -

Aramaic, Hebrew and Egyptian vocal toning, breath work and meditation. Admission by donation. centRal united methodist chuRch 27 Church St., 253-3316, centralumc.org • WEDNESDAYS through (4/27), 6-7pm - Christian yoga and meditation series. Free. chaBad house 660 Merrimon Ave., 505-0746, chabadasheville.org • TH (1/21), 7-9pm - Asheville Jewish Women’s Circle hosts “Canvas, Cocktails, and Kabbalah!” social. Reservations: Chana@ChabadAsheville.org. $18. cloud cottage community oF mindFul living 219 Old Toll Circle, Black Mountain, 669-6000, cloudcottage.org • 2nd & 4th TUESDAYS, 7-8:30pm - Mindfulness training class. Admission by donation. • WE (1/27), 6-7:30pm - “A Happy Life Starts with a Happy Mind,” talk by Ven. Drolje Karuna. Admission by donation. FiRst congRegational ucc oF hendeRsonville 1735 5th Ave. W., Hendersonville, 692-8630, fcchendersonville.org • FRIDAYS through (4/1), 10am - “Great World Religions,” lectures teaching about Islam, Judaism and Buddhism. Free. • SATURDAYS through (2/27), 11am-2pm - Basic meditation class. Admission by donation. gRace lutheRan chuRch 1245 Sixth Ave. W., Hendersonville, 693-4890, gracelutherannc.com • Through WE (2/3), 7pm - “The Path to the Cross,” a DVD discussion-based Bible study. Free/$5 for dinner. jeWish community centeR 236 Charlotte St., 253-0701, jccasheville.org • SU (1/24), 1pm - Tu B’shvat Celebration or the “birthday of the trees” celebration with up cycling crafts for adults and games, crafts, and film screening of The Lorax for kids. Free. listen FoR a change conFeRence trinityasheville.org/news/trinityinstitute • TH (1/21) through SA (1/23) - Asheville area Episcopal churches sponsor the Trinity Institute’s 45th National Theological Conference, “Listen for a Change: Sacred Conversations for Racial Justice.” Registration

required. Free. Held at Trinity Episcopal Church, 60 Church St. mountain Zen pRactice centeR mountainzen.org • TUESDAYS, 7:15-8:45pm “Zen Awareness Practice,” weekly meditation followed by group discussion. Orientation required, contact for details: mountainzen@bellsouth.net. Free. nouRish & FlouRish 347 Depot St., 255-2770, nourishflourishnow.com • TUESDAYS, 7:30pm - Kirtan with Sangita Devi. $10-$15. pRama yoga and meditation 712-9326 • TUESDAYS, 6:30-8:30pm - All levels yoga and meditation class. Proceeds benefit the Women’s Welfare and Development Foundation. Registration required. $5. Held at Asheville Therapeutic Yoga, 29 Ravenscroft shamBhala meditation centeR 60 N Merrimon Ave. #113, 2005120, asheville.shambhala.org • THURSDAYS, 7-8:30pm & SUNDAYS, 10-noon Meditation and community. Admission by donation. the cove 1 Porters Cove Road, 298-2092, thecove.org • TUESDAYS through (2/23), 9:45-11:45am - “Love That Makes a Difference,” Bible study group. Free/$12 optional buffet. • TUESDAYS through (2/16), 6:30-8:30pm - “Portrait of a Disciple,” biblical study group. Free.

spoKen & WRitten WoRd 35BeloW 35 E. Walnut St., 254-1320, ashevilletheatre.org • TH (1/28), 7:30pm - Listen to This Storytelling Series: “Now That’s Cold: Chilling Tales of Total Lack of Compassion,” stories and original songs from locals. $15. BlacK Box stoRytelling theateR 808-1150, davidjoemiller.com • WE (1/20), 7pm - Chuck Brodsky - singer, writer, storyteller. $10. Held at Buffalo Nickel, 747 Haywood Road FiRestoRm caFe and

BooKs 610 Haywood Road, 255-8115 Free unless otherwise noted. • Third WEDNESDAYS, 7pm - ReVisioning History Book Group. • SA (1/23), 2pm - Asheville Animal Rights Reading Group. • 4th WEDNESDAYS, 7pm - Other Worlds Are Possible Book Group. • Last THURSDAYS, 7pm Liberty Book Club. gReat smoKies WRiting pRogRam 250-2353, agc.unca.edu/gswp • Through SA (1/30) Submissions accepted for the Thomas Wolfe Fiction Prize. Contact for guidelines. $25/$15 NC Writer’s Network members. malapRop’s BooKstoRe and caFe 55 Haywood St., 254-6734, malaprops.com Free unless otherwise noted. • WE (1/20), 7pm - Alexandra Bracken presents her book, Passenger. • FR (1/22), 7pm - Luke Hankins presents his book The Work of Creation: Selected Prose. • SA (1/23), 7pm - Ann Hite presents her book Where the Souls Go. • SU (1/24), 5pm - Beth Revis presents her book Paper Hearts. • SU (1/24), 3pm - UNC Asheville’s Great Smokies Writing Program Writers at Home Series featuring local authors. • MO (1/25), 7pm - Taylor Brown presents his novel, Fallen Land. • TH (1/28), 7pm - Linsday Starck presents her book, Noah’s Wife. noRth caRolina WRiteRs’ netWoRK ncwriters.org • Through MO (2/15) Submissions accepted for the 2016 Doris Betts Fiction Prize. See website for full guidelines. the WRiteRs’ WoRKshop 254-8111, twwoa.org • Through (2/28) Submissions accepted to the 26th Annual Poetry Contest. See website for full guidelines. $25 per entry.

spoRts amateuR pool league (pd.) Beginners welcome & wanted! Choose Asheville, Arden, Hendersonville or

Black Mountain. HAVE FUN. MEET PEOPLE. PLAY POOL. 828-329-8197 www.BlueRidgeAPA.com ONGOING – weekly league play

volunteeRing liteRacy council oF BuncomBe county tutoRing adults (pd.) Information sessions for volunteers interested in tutoring adults in basic literacy skills including reading, writing, math and ESOL on January 27 from 9-10:30am or January 28 from 5:30-7pm at the Literacy Council office. Email (volunteers@litcouncil. com) for more information. Big BRotheRs Big sisteRs oF Wnc 253-1470, bbbswnc.org • WE (1/20), noon Information session for those interested in volunteering to work with young people from single-parent homes twice a month and for those interested in mentoring elementary school students 1-hour per week after school. Free. Held at United Way of Asheville & Buncombe, 50 S. French Broad Ave. FouR seasons compassion FoR liFe 571 S. Allen Road, Flat Rock, 692-6178, fourseasonscfl.org • WE (1/20), 1-4pm - Patient care volunteer training session. Registration required. Free. • MO (1/25), 1-4:30pm Patient care volunteer training session. Free. • WE (1/27), 1-4:30pm Patient care volunteer training session. Free. homeWaRd Bound oF Wnc 218 Patton Ave., 258-1695, homewardboundwnc.org • 3rd THURSDAYS, 11am “Welcome Home Tour,” tours of Asheville organizations that serve the homeless population. Registration required. Free to attend. pisgah legal seRvices 62 Charlotte St., 253-0406 • FR (1/22), 1-3pm - Volunteer information session regarding history, services and volunteer opportunities available. Free. For more volunteering opportunities visit mountainx.com/ volunteering

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news of the weird by Chuck Shepherd

The New Grade Inflation

Latest Religious Messages

They are simply "'spas' designed to attract teenagers," according to one university official — plush, state-ofthe-art "training" complexes built by universities in the richest athletic conferences to entice elite 17-year-old athletes to come play for (and, perhaps, study at?) their schools. The athletesonly mini-campuses include private housing and entertainment (theaters, laser tag, miniature golf) — but, actually, the schools are in a $772-million-plus "arms' race" (according to a December Washington Post investigation) because soon after one school's sumptuous, groundbreaking facility opens, some other school's moreinnovative facility renders it basically second-rate. And of course, as one university official put it, the "shiny objects" have "nothing whatsoever to do with the mission of a university." (Donors and alumni provide much of the funding, but most schools by now also tap students' "athletic fees.")

• Islam Rising: (1) A geography class at Riverheads High School in Augusta County, Virginia, alarmed some parents in December when students were assigned to copy an Arabic script to experience its "artistic complexity." However, the phrase the teacher presented for copying was the "shahada" ("There is no god but Allah"). District officials called that just a coincidence — that the phrase was presented only for calligraphy and never translated. (2) A Washington state uncle complained in December that a WolVol toy airplane he bought for his nephew on Amazon.com, instead of making engine noises, recited spoken words — which a Whatcom County Islamic Society spokesman said was actually a prayer that hajj pilgrims speak when they journey to Mecca. (Wolvol said it would investigate.) • Wait, What? NPR's "Morning Edition," reporting on the violent tornadoes that hit North Texas on the night after Christmas, interviewed one woman who said she was luckier than her neighbors because of her faith. She was entertaining 10 relatives when she heard the "train-like" sound of the winds approaching and took everyone outside to confront the storm: "We ... started commanding the winds because God had given us authority over ... airways. And we just began to command this storm not to hit our area. We spoke to the storm and said, go to unpopulated places. It did exactly what we said to do because God gave us the authority to do that."

Redneck Chronicles • Police in Monticello, Kentucky, charged Rodney Brown, 25, with stealing farm animals and equipment from a home in December — but offering to return everything if the victim (a man) had sex with him. Brown allegedly took 25 roosters, a goat and some rooster pens and other rooster-care equipment. (Because Brown also supposedly said he'd beat the man up if he called police, a "terroristic threatening" count was added to "promoting prostitution.") • Made in Heaven: William Cornelius, 25, and his fiancee, Sheri Moore, 20, were arrested at the Bay City (Michigan) Mall in January, charged with theft. Police found a pair of earrings and a necklace swiped from Spencer Gifts on her, but she refused to "snitch" on Cornelius, who had minutes earlier proposed to her via a Wal-Mart loudspeaker and given her a ring, to applause from onlooking shoppers as she accepted. Cornelius, holding $80.93 worth of goods (a watch, an edible thong, a vibrator and "BJ Blast" oral-sex candy), was apprehended at the mall food court, having apparently (according to the police report) "fallen asleep at a table while tying his shoe."

hypothesized that the purpose was to free up the shells' calcium in "vomitable" form so that they could pass it to females before mating, to help improve their offspring's health outcomes. The Continuing Crisis National Pride: (1) Factory worker Thanakorn Siripaiboon was arrested in December in a Bangkok suburb after he wrote a "sarcastic" comment on social media about the dog that belongs to Thailand's king. For the crime of "insulting the monarch," Thanakorn faces 37 years in prison. (2) Michael McFeat, a Scottish man working on contract for a mining company in Kyrgyzstan, was arrested in January after he (on Facebook) jokingly called the country's national dish "horse penis." ("Chuchuk" is indeed a sausage made from horsemeat.) The crime he was charged with carries a five-year prison term. Leading Economic Indicators The government of the Netherlands, seeking to boost the economy while simultaneously improving highway skills, enacted legislation in December to allow driving instructors to be paid in sexual services provided the student is at least 18 years old. Though prostitution is legal, the transport minister cautioned that the "initiative" for the new arrangement must be with the instructor so that the country gains better-trained drivers as a result.

Weird Science

Great Moments in Leadership

• The most promising current concussion-prevention research comes from a study of ... woodpeckers (according to a December Business Week report). Scientists hypothesize that the birds' apparent immunity from the dangers of constant head-slamming is because their neck veins naturally compress, forcing more blood into their craniums, thus limiting the dangerous "jiggle room" in which brains bang against the skull. A team led by a real-life doctor portrayed in the movie "Concussion" is working on a neck collar to slightly pinch the human jugular vein to create a similar effect. • Researchers from the University of York and the University of St. Andrews wrote in the journal Biology Letters in December that they observed wild male parrots using pebbles in their mouths to help grind seashells into powder and

(1) In November, the president of Mauritania, Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, in the stands but "bored" with his country's "Super Cup" soccer final that had been tied, 1-1, for a long stretch, ordered officials on the field to stop play abruptly and proceed to a game-ending 10-kick "shootout." (The Tevragh-Zeina team won.) (2) Jorge Servin, Paraguay's head of indigenous affairs, was fired in November after he apparently kneed an indigenous woman in the stomach as she protested her people's treatment by the government. (3) The head of Croatia's human rights committee, Ivan Zvonimir Cica, posing alongside President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic to commemorate International Human Rights Day in December, had his pants inexplicably come loose and fall to his ankles.

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Least Competent Criminals Most Recent Net-CashLoss Theft: The manager of the Nandos Riccarton restaurant in Christchurch, New Zealand, is pretty sure that he knows who swiped the contents of the store's tip jar that December evening (based on surveillance video), but the man denied the theft and walked out. The manager told police there was less than $10 in the jar at the time — but also that the man had paid his $14.90 tab for food, yet hurried off without eating it. Recurring Themes Approaching Maximum Capacity: The Smoking Gun website suggested in December that the Fairbanks, Alaska, counterfeiting arrest of Chelsea Sperry, 31, might have set a woman's "record" for orifice-concealed contraband. Her vaginal inventory included 16 counterfeit bills (face value $890), one genuine $10 bill (in a different orifice), two baggies of meth, another containing seven morphine pills, two baggies of heroin and 40 empty baggies (apparently anticipating further sales, although it was not reported why the empty baggies — and the $10 bill — were not stored openly, for example, in her pocket). A News of the Weird Classic (October 2011) London Fashion Week usually brings forth a shock or two from cutting-edge designers, but a September (2011) creation by Rachel Freire might have raised the bar: a floor-length dress made from 3,000 cow nipples (designed to resemble roses). Initial disgust for the garment centered on implied animal abuse, but Freire deflected that issue by pointing out that the nipples had been discarded by a tannery and that her use amounted to "recycling." Freire, 32, distracted by the animal-abuse angle, was spared having to explain the other issue — why anyone would want to wear a dress made with cow nipples. X

January 20 - January 26, 2016

Wellness

ain’t misbehaVin’

Local schools teach kids better ways to manage trauma

By leslie Boyd

toxic stRess

leslie.boyd@gmail.com The little boy disrupting his kindergarten class by insisting on doing what he wants most likely isn’t doing it out of spite. The little girl having a fullblown tantrum because she wants to play with a toy someone else already has probably isn’t just a spoiled brat. Until recently, though, most school personnel would have punished them for acting out. But studies of the developing brain have shown that trauma and stress cause changes that leave children in fight-or-flight mode for the rest of their lives, making it difficult for them to react calmly to even seemingly normal situations. The research has led to changes in the way kids are assessed and treated in some local schools (preschools, the Buncombe County Schools and several of the Asheville City Schools) and by the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office. These institutions are now guided by the findings of the 1995-97 Adverse Childhood Experiences Study, which surveyed and continues to track more than 17,000 people’s medical status. A cooperative effort between the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta and Kaiser Permanente’s Health Appraisal Clinic in San Diego, the ACE study looked at what traumas the participants had experienced as children. Most of those taking part were middle- and upper-middle class and had insurance, but for some, the traumas included the indignities of living in poverty or in a home where there was violence (directed either at the child or at someone else), witnessing violence on the streets, having a parent in jail or assorted other problems. The more such experiences children have, the study found, the more likely they are to have psychological and physical problems later in life, including substance abuse issues, obesity and its related problems, sexually transmitted diseases, and even chronic respiratory and pulmonary problems. “The problem is the effect of the stress hormone cortisol,” says laura martin, mental health and disabili-

January 20 - January 26

GETTING A HEAD START: Laura Martin and Maya Zuniga, 2, talk about the colors on Martin’s bracelet. Martin is a mental health and disabilities specialist at the Verner Center for Early Learning, which is an Early Head Start facility. Photo by Leslie Boyd

ties specialist at the Verner Center for Early Learning in Asheville. “It’s a real eye-opener to see the effects on the developing brain.” The Verner Center is an Early Head Start facility, and many of the children there come from low-income families. Some also have other stressors. Martin has seen children who’d experienced domestic abuse at home and whose trau-

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ma was so severe that they were thought to have developmental disabilities. “It turned out to be trauma, a term we use interchangeably with stress,” she explains. “They have the same effect on the brain. To the naked eye, the aggression appears unprovoked, but the triggers can be so minor — the smell of macaroni, for example, because that’s what was there when the child was beaten.”

Pediatrician olson huff, the founder of Mission Children’s Hospital and the author of several books on child rearing, has worked extensively on what he calls “toxic stress” in recent years. Like many child advocates, he’s familiar with the results of the ACE study, one of the largest such investigations ever conducted. “The changes in the brain are permanent, and if children aren’t taught coping strategies, they’re much more likely to land in the justice system,” says Huff. “Teachers are on the front lines of this effort.” Unfortunately, says Martin, early childhood education workers are often paid poverty wages, causing trauma for the very people tasked with helping children overcome the effects of their own toxic stress. Huff believes more resources must be put into early childhood education, so children who’ve experienced trauma can be identified early and taught ways to deal with the damage caused by toxic stress. Older children can still be helped, though, says david thompson, director of student services for the Buncombe County Schools. Two years ago, the county system received a three-year, $1.2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education to train teachers and counselors in how to identify children who need help and teach them effective coping strategies. “When we look at it as biology instead of bad behavior, it changes our entire perspective,” he points out. To achieve this, the county is using the Community Resiliency Model developed by the Trauma Resource Institute, a Claremont, Calif.-based nonprofit. Although it can’t restore the brain’s original structure, the model does help children and adults understand what triggers outbursts and other negative behaviors. “We call that a trauma-informed approach,” notes Martin. For example, says Thompson, teachers are trained to look at their own chronic stressors, such as commuter traffic, and consciously change the way they deal with them. Maybe they can take a longer but less crowded route or listen to music while driving. Or they might employ things like “tapping therapy” (tap-

ping lightly on acupuncture points), yoga or mindfulness. “It’s about using self-regulating skills to try to bring yourself back down,” he explains. Once school personnel become adept at using the skills themselves, they can more effectively teach them to children. To date, more than 15 county schools staffers have been trained in these techniques, and the goal is to train all the system’s teachers over the next three to five years. Already, a tiered-response program is providing more interventions for children with greater needs. By the end of the five-year implementation period, all children will be learning these strategies at some level. “Some of what we’re doing is for everyone,” notes Thompson. “You can take these methods and intensify them for children with some issues, and for kids with more serious issues, we can put in place more strategies.” a neW Beginning Buncombe County Sheriff van duncan is sold on the idea.

“A lot of the old ways of disciplining these kids just added to their trauma,” he says. “When we use a traumainformed approach, we see more success: higher grades and higher graduation rates.” When the new Family Justice Center opens this spring, he adds, all the people working there will be trained in these techniques. Fully implementing the new methods will take time, however. “This is an entire shift in the way we do things,” stresses Thompson. “The transition will take three to five years, because we’re changing everything about how we respond. When you look at the impact of trauma on learning, it causes a shift in the way you think. It can’t be done overnight.” To learn more about the Adverse Childhood Experiences Study, visit acestudy.org. For information on the method being used in the Buncombe County Schools and by the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Department, go to traumaresourceinstitute.com. To take the ACE survey and get help in assessing your score, visit acestoohigh.com/got-your-ace-score. X

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January 20 - January 26, 2016

wel l n ess ca l en da r

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Q: Why are you opposed to fluoride in your holistic dental practice? A: Several studies have shown that fluoride is toxic to the thyroid gland and may adversly effect the levels of iodine available to the immune system. See www.fluoridealert.org for more details.

Wellness have you had a neaR death expeRience? (pd.) Mountain Xpress is looking for WNC residents who have had an NDE and who are interested in sharing their experience. Please email wellness@mountainx.com RestoRative yoga RetReat (pd.) Release, refresh, and restore - all levels welcome. Sunday 1/24, 2-4p $25 Happy Body 1378 Hendersonville Road. Registration required, www.ashevillehappybody.com 277-5741

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locally owned & operated since 1996 Q: I keep hearing about CBD Oil. What is it? A: CBD stands for “cannabidiol” and is extracted from hemp. Marijuana and hemp both contain a host of what we call cannabinoids, each one having a different effect in our bodies. The main difference is that hemp contains very low amounts of THC, the active that gives the euphoric effect of marijuana. There is no euphoria with CBD Oil, however according to studies it may help with many conditions. We now stock CBD Oil. Come by for more info.

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secRets oF natuRal WalKing (pd.) Workshop, Sunday, 1/31, 9-5pm. Proper alignment = healthy joints, energized body, calm minds. Let your walking be your healing. Join Us!! $150 - Call to Register: 828-2156033. natural-walking.com asheville community yoga centeR 8 Brookdale Road, ashevillecommunityyoga.com • THURSDAYS through (1/28), 6-7:30pm - “Yoga for Healthy Weight Loss,” yoga workshop. $40/$12 per class. council on aging oF BuncomBe county 277-8288, coabc.org • WE (1/20), 2-4pm - “Medicare Choices Made Easy,” information session. Registration: 277-8288. Free to attend. Held at Fairview Library, 1 Taylor Road, Fairview • TH (1/28), 2-4pm - “Medicare Choices Made Easy,” information session. Registration: 277-8288. Free to attend. Held at Weaverville Public Library, 41 N. Main St., Weaverville hayWood Regional health and Fitness centeR 75 Leroy George Drive, Clyde, 4528080, haymed.org • MO (1/25), 9am-4:30pm Marketplace insurance information and enrollment event. Free to attend. Red cRoss Blood dRives redcrosswnc.org Appointment and ID required. • WE (1/20), 11am-3:30pm Appointments & info: 581-2200. Held at Asheville Christian Academy, 74 Riverwood Road, Swannanoa • WE (1/20), 11am-3:30pm Appointments & info: 645-6619 ext. 202. Held at Emerald Ridge Rehabilitation and Care Center, 25 Reynolds Mountain Blvd. • FR (1/22), 11am-3:30pm - Appointments & info.: 1-800RED CROSS. Held at Genova

Diagnostics, 84 Peachtree Drive, Suite 200 • SU (1/24), 10am-2:30pm Appointments & info: 1-800-RED CROSS. Held at Petco, 825 Brevard Road • MO (1/25), noon-4:30pm Appointments & info: 670-5018. Held at Candler Elementary School, 121 Candler School Road, Candler

suppoRt gRoups adult childRen oF alcoholics & dysFunctional Families adultchildren.org • Visit mountainx.com/support for full listings. al-anon/ alateen Family gRoups 800-286-1326, wnc-alanon.org • A support group for the family and friends of alcoholics. For full listings, visit mountainx.com/ support. alcoholics anonymous • For a full list of meetings in WNC, call 254-8539 or aancmco.org asheville Women FoR soBRiety 215-536-8026, womenforsobriety.org • THURSDAYS, 6:30-8pm – Held at YWCA of Asheville, 185 S French Broad Ave. aspeRgeR’s adults united facebook.com/ WncAspergersAdultsUnited • 4th SATURDAYS, 2-5pm Occasionally meets additional Saturdays. Contact for details. Held at Earth Fare South, 1856 Hendersonville Road aspeRgeR’s teens united facebook.com/groups/ AspergersTeensUnited • For teens (13-19) and their parents. Meets every 3 weeks. Contact for details. BRainstoRmeR’s collective 254-0507, puffer61@gmail.com • 3rd THURSDAYS, 6-7:30pm - For brain injury survivors and supporters. Held at Kairos West Community Center, 742 Haywood Road BReast canceR suppoRt gRoup 213-2508 • 3rd THURSDAYS, 5:30pm - For breast cancer survivors, husbands, children and friends. Held at SECU Cancer Center, 21 Hospital Drive codependents anonymous 398-8937 • TUESDAYS 8pm - Held at

Asheville 12-Step Recovery Club, 370 N. Louisiana Ave. Suite G4 • WEDNESDAYS, 7-8pm & SATURDAYS, 11am – Held at First Congregational UCC of Asheville, 20 Oak St. deBtoRs anonymous debtorsanonymous.org • MONDAYS, 7pm - Held at First Congregational UCC of Asheville, 20 Oak St. depRession and BipolaR suppoRt alliance 367-7660, depressionbipolarasheville.com • WEDNESDAYS, 7pm & SATURDAYS, 4pm – Held at 1316C Parkwood Road. diaBetes suppoRt 213-4788, laura.tolle@msj.org • 3rd WEDNESDAYS, 3:30pm - In Room 3-B. Held at Mission Health, 509 Biltmore Ave. ehleRs-danlos syndRome suppoRt gRoup ednf.org/support-groups • 4th SATURDAYS, 10-11:50am Monthly meeting. Held at Mission My Care Plus, 310 Long Shoals Road, Arden Food addicts anonymous 423-6191 or 301-4084 • THURSDAYS, 6pm - Held at St. George’s Episcopal Church, 1 School Road • SATURDAYS, 11am- Held at Asheville 12-Step Recovery Club, 370 N. Louisiana Ave. Suite G4 FouR seasons compassion FoR liFe 233-0948, fourseasonscfl.org • THURSDAYS, 12:30pm - Grief support group. Held at SECU Hospice House, 272 Maple St., Franklin • TUESDAYS, 3:30-4:30pm - Grief support group. Held at Four Seasons - Checkpoint, 373 Biltmore Ave. gamBleRs anonymous gamblersanonymous.org • THURSDAYS, 6:45pm - 12-step meeting. Held at Basillica of St. Lawrence, 97 Haywood St. gRieF pRocessing suppoRt gRoup 452-5039, haymed.org/locations/ the-homestead • 3rd THURSDAYS, 4-5:30pm - Bereavement education and support group. Held at Homestead Hospice and Palliative Care, 127 Sunset Ridge Road, Clyde honoRing gRieF ciRcle blackmountainvideo.com/ honoring-grief-circle.html • 2nd & 4th TUESDAYS, 6pm Layperson support group for grief. Held at Swannanoa Valley Friends Meetinghouse, 137 Center Ave., Black Mountain

liFe limiting illness suppoRt gRoup 386-801-2606 • TUESDAYS, 6:30-8pm - For adults managing the challenges of life limiting illnesses. Held at Secrets of a Duchess, 1439 Merrimon Ave. mindFulness and 12 step RecoveRy avl12step@gmail.com • WEDNESDAYS, 7:30-8:45pm - Mindfulness meditation practice and 12 step program. Held at Asheville 12-Step Recovery Club, 370 N. Louisiana Ave. Suite G4 mountain mamas peeR suppoRt gRoup facebook.com/mountainmamasgroup Peer support group for pregnant and postpartum mothers led by birth professionals. • Third WEDNESDAYS, 4-6pm - Held at Community Service Building, 98 E. Morgan St., Brevard naR-anon Family gRoups nar-anon.org • WEDNESDAYS, 12:30pm - Held at First United Methodist Church of Hendersonville, 204 6th Ave. West, Hendersonville • TUESDAYS, 7pm - Held at West Asheville Presbyterian Church, 690 Haywood Road national alliance on mental illness Wnc 505-7353, namiwnc.org, namiwc2015@gmail.com • 4th MONDAYS, 11am - Connection group for individuals dealing with mental illness. Held at NAMI Offices, 356 Biltmore Ave. ouR voice 44 Merrimon Ave. Suite 1, 28801, 252-0562, ourvoicenc.org • Ongoing drop-in group for female identified survivors of sexual violence.

Stay On Track transition in careers or relationships. Contact for location. smaRt RecoveRy smartrecovery.org • THURSDAYS, 6pm - Info: 407-0460 Held at Grace Episcopal Church, 871 Merrimon Ave. • SUNDAYS, 7pm - Info: 925-8626. Held at Crossroads Recovery Center, 440 East Court St., Marion sunRise peeR suppoRt volunteeR seRvices facebook.com/sunriseinasheville • TUESDAYS through THURSDAYS, 1-3pm - Peer support services for mental health, substance abuse and wellness. Held at Kairos West Community Center, 742 Haywood Road suppoRtive paRents oF tRansKids spotasheville@gmail.com • 4th WEDNESDAYS, 6pm - For parents to discuss the joys, transitions and challenges of parenting a transkid. Held at First Congregational UCC of Asheville, 20 Oak St.

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t.h.e. centeR FoR disoRdeRed eating 337-4685, thecenternc.weebly.com • WEDNESDAYS, 7-8pm – Adult support group, ages 18+. Held in the Sherill Center at UNCA. undeReaRneRs anonymous underearnersanonymous.org • TUESDAYS, 6pm - Held at First Congregational UCC of Asheville, 20 Oak St.

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oveRcomeRs oF domestic violence 665-9499 • WEDNESDAYS, noon-1pm - Held at First Christian Church of Candler, 470 Enka Lake Road, Candler oveRcomeRs RecoveRy suppoRt gRoup rchovey@sos-mission.org • MONDAYS, 6pm - Christian 12-step program. Held at SOS Anglican Mission, 1944 Hendersonville Road oveReateRs anonymous • Regional number: 277-1975. Visit mountainx.com/ support for full listings. RecoveRing couples anonymous recovering-couples.org • MONDAYS 6pm - For couples where at least one member is recovering from addiction. Held at Foster Seventh Day Adventists Church, 375 Hendersonville Road ReFuge RecoveRy 225-6422, refugerecovery.org Buddhist path to recovery from addictions of all kinds. • FRIDAYS, 7-8:30pm & SUNDAYS, 6-7:30pm - Held at Urban Dharma, 29 Page Ave. • TUESDAYS, 7pm - Held at Shambhala Meditation Center, 60 N Merrimon Ave. #113 s-anon Family gRoups 258-5117, wncsanon@gmail.com • For those affected by another’s sexual behavior. Confidential meetings available; contact for details. shiFting geaRs 683-7195 • MONDAYS, 6:30-8pm - Group-sharing for those in

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January 20 - January 26, 2016

Food

the in-house adVantage Behind the scenes of Sierra Nevada and Wicked Weed Funkatorium tours

taste and leaRn: Although offering tours was not a top priority when Wicked Weed Brewing opened its Funkatorium, the By scott douGlas and brewery’s educational one-hour tours and guided tastings led by Jesse Van Note, far left, have become very popular with both edwin arnaudin out-of-town visitors and locals. Photo bywncbeertoday@gmail.com Matthew Spaulding

Editor’s note: This story is the second in a two-part series by Scott Douglas and Edwin Arnaudin about brewery tourism in Western North Carolina. From the largest national-scale stalwarts to the most promising local up-and-comers, craft breweries all share a passionate consumer base of people as thirsty for knowledge as they are for beer. To satisfy this demand, most Asheville breweries offer in-house tours that strive to both educate and entertain their craft-curious customers. inFoRmed and cReative Consistent with the range of

January 20 - January 26

beers in Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.’s portfolio, tours of its facility likewise specialize in variety, starting with the guides themselves. Hired through an online application process, the 13 current members of the tour team sport such diverse backgrounds as hydrology, business and journalism and come from an array of states, including Alabama, California and New York, but they all have one quality in common. “I can train you on the brewing process and beer styles, and you can learn chemistry, but you can’t teach your content, your character and personality — so we really look for that first and foremost,” says Mills River tour supervisor scott randall.

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In the two months of fairly extensive training before giving their first tour and leading its concluding beer tasting, guides study a comprehensive manual, shadow veteran guides and meet with supervisors and managers of other departments to get a firm understanding of day-to-day operations. Once the time comes to take a group around the brewery, guides are given the freedom to craft the tour in their own unique way. Sierra Nevada’s history and sustainability practices are among the standard details covered, but the order of information and focus of the tour changes with each person. “We might not know enough to brew a beer from start to finish, but we know

a lot about every single department, whether it’s brewing or the natural resources department, to packaging to logistics of trucks going in and out,” Randall says. Supplementing the 90-minute Brewhouse Tour, which Randall calls the department’s “bread and butter, kind of our [Sierra Nevada] Pale Ale,” the Natural Resources Tour returns in spring. A customized offshoot of the original Chico, Calif., brewery’s Sustainability Tour, it focuses on features implemented for the brewery’s pending Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification, such as water recovery. But for the rest of the specialty

tours, guides are invited to develop a concept and run it by general manager brian grossman for approval. Current offerings created by the team are the two-hour Bigfoot Vertical Tour, in which eight different years of Bigfoot Barleywine are sampled and compared, and the three-hour Beer Geek Tour. Upcoming additions include a Belgian beer night with the Ovila Abbey Ales series in February and March, an IPA tour in the fall, separate nights featuring German and barrel-aged beers, and possibly a chocolate and beer evening around Valentine’s Day. one man Band When he’s not touring exotic European stages with his metal band, Bask, jesse van note is leading tours of his own at The Funkatorium. Though tours were not a top priority when Wicked Weed Brewing decided to open a taproom in its dedicated production space for sour and funky barrel-aged beers, as interest in wild-fermented ales has exploded, so too has demand for a behind-the-scenes look at how these complex beers are made. When Van Note started working crowd control at The Funkatorium, he found that his passion for beer and his background in the industry as a beer buyer for Whole Foods put him in a unique position to help educate consumers on the alchemy taking place inside all those barrels. Word got back to Wicked Weed owners walt and luke dickinson, and soon Van Note found himself leading official 60-minute tours (half of which are guided tastings) four days a week. “I try to make it educational without being too scientific,” said Van Note of his approach to developing tours that meet the needs of his varied clientele. “I’m trying to tell the story of these beers more than what goes into making them. I feel like it’s really romantic when you see how much time and love goes into it.” While the groups Van Note leads are predominantly composed of visiting tourists, he has been surprised by the number of locals who have availed themselves of his services. The common thread uniting those looking for back-stage access is a passion for craft beer — specifically an interest in lambic and farmhouse styles — and an

awareness of Wicked Weed’s growing national reputation for its unique take on these traditional European brews. However, not everyone who takes the Funkatorium tour is wellversed in sour and funky beers, and Van Note says converting novices into wild-fermented beer aficionados is the most rewarding part of his job. While Van Note is currently Wicked Weed’s sole tour guide, he predicts expansion in the future. And while space constraints in the production area at the original brewpub make tours there unlikely, he expects that tours of the brewery’s new EnkaCandler production facility should be available soon, along with training tours for new employees and a variety of more in-depth tour packages that might include food pairings. Van Note’s thoughts on the bright future of Wicked Weed and the Asheville beer community as a whole are overwhelmingly appreciative and optimistic: “I feel very fortunate to be a part of this community. This ever-growing beer scene is amazing, and I can’t wait to see where it goes from here.” X

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food

small Bites by Kat McReynolds | kmcreynolds@mountainx.com

Wine and dine: After a health scare shifted their priorities in life, Katrina and Daniel O’Donell completely revamped their just-opened fast-casual restaurant, Arancini, into a wine bar with Italian-inspired small plates. The warm, low-lit ambiance complements the couple’s new mission to host stress-less bonding opportunities among friends, they say. Photo by Pat Barcas

FiFth season gaRdening co.’s FRee BeeR FRidays and Feast FundRaiseR Fifth Season’s new location — a regular event space in addition to a retail store — now houses a free weekly tasting for beer lovers. On Friday, Jan. 22, participants can compare unadulterated brews with samples that are tainted using an off-flavors kit before discussing solutions to undesirable brewing results. The following Friday, Jan. 29, the meeting will cover the pros and cons of serving beer warm versus cold. Finally, Fifth Season’s inaugural Community Harvest, an in-store fundraiser for a local nonprofit planned for the last Saturday of each month, will benefit FEAST on Saturday, Jan. 30. Representatives from the youth-focused healthy-eating organization attend an open house at the shop, receiving 10 percent of the day’s sales plus the entire month’s tips from the beer and coffee bar (at the staff’s suggestion). Fifth Season is at 4 S. Tunnel Road. Visit fifthseasongardening.com for additional information. tomato gRaFting FoR BetteR yields

Arancini transforms into a wine bar Moments of clarity come in all shapes an sizes. And for Katrina o’donell — who recently opened Italian eatery Arancini with her partner daniel in West Asheville — deep realization also came with curious timing. Katrina was processing her recent diagnosis of ovarian cancer when the couple’s fast-casual concept launched in November 2015, but after the first day of service, “It didn’t feel right,” she says. The health scare “changed the way I wanted to live my life in general,” Katrina says. “I am in charge of the food and that creative process, and I didn’t want to just bang stuff out anymore. I really wanted to slow life down and enjoy the moment.” Likewise, Katrina says she wants her customers to take on a savoring mindset, bonding with loved ones over leisurely sips and bites. Accordingly, Arancini’s new concept, which went into effect in mid-December, focuses on wine and small plates. “There’s no wine bar on the west side. We felt like it was underserved,” Katrina says, noting that Arancini’s selection of 20 (and counting) wines stems largely from personal

January 20 - January 26

tastes and outside advice. She points out a San Marzano and an organic grenache as favorites. Bottles are half-off on Wednesdays, and sangria specials are en route. “And I’ve always enjoyed small plates,” Katrina says, noting that she favors organic ingredients and steers away from typical Italian pasta dishes. Instead, the rotating menu offers core items like charcuterie plus house-made specialties, including inventive salads, a gluten-free spaghetti-squash dish with housemade ricotta and herbs, and several iterations of the signature dish, arancini — rice balls stuffed with cheese and other items, then fried. Soonto-come desserts will all be made in-house. An added benefit of the calmer pace, according to Daniel, is that it “allows us to get to know the people of Asheville a little better. ... The dishes we create come from a place of passion, because we are able to take more time to research the local ingredients. We’re able to get to know some of the vendors and purveyors.” Arancini’s popular meatball slider, for example, is made with beef from Hickory Nut Gap Farm and brioche from West End Bakery, in addition to a homemade take on bolognese. “We really want to know our

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community, and that’s what we’re about now,” Katrina says. “It’s a way better format.” Arancini is at 643 Haywood Road. Winter hours are 5:30-10:30 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. The wine bar will host its first live music night on Saturday, Jan. 23, at 7 p.m., when acoustic bluegrass act Fly By Night Rounders plays a free show. asheville maRdi gRas cajun cooK-oFF Professional and amateur chefs will compete to win the popular vote for best dish at the Asheville Mardi Gras Cajun Cook-off — a costumed fundraiser for the AMG parade. An event description prepares attendees for vast variety, reading: “Past dishes have included everything from alligator étouffée to lobster beignets.” Bayou Diesel will provide New Orleans-inspired live music for the occasion, which also offers drinks and a silent auction with eclectic art and “handmade oddities.” The Cajun Cook-off is 2-7 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 24, at the Millroom, 66 Asheland Ave. General admission, which includes samples and voting rights, costs $15 per person ($5 for AMG members). For details, visit ashevillemardigras.org.

“Grafting tomatoes onto productive and disease-resistant root stock has been shown to increase yields by over 50 percent,” reads a description of Living Web Farms’ forthcoming course on the subject. Led by Patryk battle, the workshop covers grafting techniques and why they work, aftercare and selection of tomato varieties. Battle’s grafting course ($10 suggested donation) is 6-7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 26, at Living Web Farms, 176 Kimzey Road, Mills River. Visit livingwebfarms. org for details or to register. BeeR dinneR and WinteR Wines at isa’s BistRo Isa’s chef duane fernandes will host Charleston-based chef jacques larson (of Wild Olive Restaurant and Obstinate Daughter) to create a four-course dinner that’s paired with Pisgah Brewing Co.’s seasonal selections. Before hitting the kitchen, both chefs will mingle with patrons, sharing the inspiration underlying their menu. Also at Isa’s each Thursday, wines are half-price throughout winter (end date to be determined). The joint beer dinner is at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 28, at Isa’s, 1 Battery Park Ave. The cost is $65, not including tax or gratuity. Visit isasbistro.com for details. X

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January 20 - January 26, 2016

food

by Lea McLellan

Winter Warmers

Est. 1992

Comforting drinks for Asheville’s chilly season

Sometimes being a journalist is hard work. Other times not so much. Going around town, drinking wintry beverages and writing about them falls into the latter category. From classic hot chocolate to seasonal eggnog lattes to orange- and cayenne-infused espresso drinks, these beverages are sure to warm you up and keep spirits high.

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• 2 ounces Fairgame Beverage Co. Ferris port-style wine • 1/2 ounce Averna Amaro • 1 bar spoon Demerara sugar syrup (two parts raw Demerara sugar dissolved in one part water) • 6 drops house cinnamon dram (instructions below) • 1 slice grapefruit • 1 Luxardo cherry Muddle the cherry and grapefruit in a rocks glass with the Demerara and cinnamon dram. Add the Port and Averna to the glass and stir. Top with crushed ice and enjoy by a warm fire.

cinnaMOn draM • 10 sticks cinnamon • 2 cups overproof Demerara rum (such as Lemonhart 151 or Hamilton 151) • 1/4 cup Demerara sugar Let the cinnamon sticks sit together in a covered jar for at least one week (but the longer, the better). After the sticks have macerated, strain them out and stir in the sugar until dissolved.

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French Broad Chocolate Lounge maple, caRamel and smoKed-salt dRinKing chocolate The French Broad Chocolate Lounge has melted down its famous chocolate truffles and mixed them with half and half to create a drinkable treat that has become a shop signature. The shop offers drinkable chocolate three ways: as hot chocolate, which is house-made ganache steamed with organic milk; the liquid truffle, which is a thicker version made with half and half; and the chocolate sip, which is dark chocolate steamed with just enough water to make it liquid. Not surprisingly, co-owner jael rattigan says the hot chocolate is “wildly popular in the winter when it’s cold out,” but the treat is available year-round. “In the summer we still make all eight flavors because it’s something that we have become known for. … People come here for the liquid truffle even when it’s 90 degrees,” she adds. Rattigan’s favorite variety is the maple, caramel and smoked-salt — and for good reason. The sweet maple flavor in this thick, creamy drink is tempered by the dark chocolate and not-too-subtle smokiness of the salt sprinkled on top. Add a few house-made marshmallows or a dollop of fresh whipped cream for the full effect. Price: $4.50. French Broad Chocolate Lounge has locations at 10 S. Pack Square and 21 Buxton Ave.

Dobra Tea masala tea Dobra Tea has such an extensive tea menu that it would be easy to be a regular customer and never try its specialty masala tea. Don’t let this happen to you. The masala is based on an Indian recipe and tastes like all the good parts

a devil oF a dRinK: The Diablo at High Five Coffee puts a twist on the classic Americano with spices including cinnamon and cayenne. Photo by Lea McLellan of winter in a cup. Its mixture of fragrant spices — ground ginger, cardamom, white pepper, anise and cloves — transforms into a beverage that is creamy and sweet with the addition of milk and honey. The masala is available with a black tea or herbal rooibos base, depending on your caffeine needs. Dobra employee abbey becker says the drink warms “from the inside out,” adding, “Some people find it invigorating, and some people find it calming. I think it just depends on where they are in their day.” Because of it’s full-bodied and creamy flavor, its also highly recommended for coffee lovers on a tea break. Price: $5.25. Visit Dobra Tea at 78 N. Lexington Ave. downtown, 707 Haywood Road in West Asheville and 120 Broadway St. in Black Mountain.

MG Road laZy RiveR OK, so this drink isn’t hot, but if you are looking for a wintry drink that is a bit more ... adult, this cock-

tail will hit the spot. With its cinnamon-y flavor, it may even have some warming effects. MG Road bartender erin hawley describes the Lazy River as a wintry version of sangria, which provides a nice alternative to a more classic mulled wine. It combines North Carolina-based Fairgame Beverage Co.’s Ferris port-style wine, Italian liqueur Averna Amaro, housemade cinnamon dram and muddled grapefruit and cherry. For those making it at home (see recipe in sidebar), Hawley recommends that the Lazy River be “topped with crushed ice and enjoyed by a warm fire.” Price: $10. MG Road is at 19 Wall St.

High Five the diaBlo If you’re in search of a winterfriendly beverage that’s spicy, caffeinated and packs a punch, look no further than the Diablo at High Five. This 10-ounce drink lives up to its name, in the best way. The recipe starts with a classic Americano base (two espresso shots in water) and gets more interesting and tasty from

there. The subtle addition of sea salt, not-too-sweet honey, warming cinnamon and the perfect hint of cayenne pepper has made this drink one of the most popular beverages at High Five. Cinnamon and pepper seem to be a theme here for our winter warmers, for good reason. These spices pair particularly well with espresso in this drink. The Diablo is an ideal choice for coffee lovers who want to try something a little different. Price: $3.45. High Five has locations at 190 Broadway St. and 13 Rankin Ave.

Chocolate Fetish euRopean-style sipping chocolate If you’re craving a classic hot chocolate that will put Swiss Miss to shame, the Chocolate Fetish offers a European-style sipping chocolate made from chunks of rich dark chocolate melted into half and half. Chocolate Fetish manager Elizabeth Foley explains the difference between European-style hot chocolate and the hot chocolate most of us

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grew up with: “In America, most hot chocolate is made by mixing cocoa powder, sugar and water. When you use chocolate instead of cocoa powder and sugar, you’re including the cocoa butter, which gives the end product a better mouth feel.” The sipping chocolate at the Chocolate Fetish is offered only in the fall and winter, however, you can buy its make-at-home package year round. Price: $2.95. Chocolate Fetish is at 36 Haywood St. X

LOVE YOUR LOCAL advertise@mountainx.com January 20 - January 26, 2016

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January 20 - January 26

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If there is a more contentious meal than barbecue, perhaps it is chili. Not only is there raging debate over what constitutes proper chili, but there is even an argument as to where it came from. Was it cattle drivers on the road from Laramie? Or Aztecs feasting on the corpses of invading conquistadors, seasoned generously with spicy peppers? The legends abound, and the facts are scant, to say the least. What is known is that by the mid1800s, there were chili outposts all over the Southwest and Midwest. And according to the International Chili Society, an unnamed legend out of Marfa, Texas, regarded by many as the Johnny Appleseed of chili, famously planted herbs and spices along the well-worn cattle trails to provide an endless supply of flavors wherever he drove his chuck wagon. The mix of meat, chili peppers and seasonings has earned the title of Texas chili. This cowboy cuisine is traditionally composed of the aforementioned ingredients and nothing else, and many purists will swear by it and decry any variation as not “real chili.” However, variations of the dish predate even the settlement of the United States, with mixtures of meat, beans and chili peppers being staples of Aztec and Incan diets long before the conquistadors. Green chiles can even be traced back to dishes in Spain, France, China and Middle Eastern countries as early as the 1400s, infiltrating our foods by way of the Silk Road. But the American version of chili is most assuredly a Texan thing, and while its staggering simplicity is as delicious as it is fiery, equally tasty evolutions have popped up through the years. Beans and tomatoes were added somewhere in the heart of the South in the early 1900s. By 1918, Peter “George” Koufougeorgas, a god among men, created his “Texas wiener,” in, of all places, Pennsylvania, by layering chili and hot sauce on a common hot dog. Chili even famously, if controversially, became a topping for spaghetti in Cincinnati with the addition of cinnamon and Mediterranean spices in the 1920s. By the 1930s, chili had made it’s way to the South as a burger and hot dog condiment. Dubbed Carolina-style, the idea of adding chili, slaw, onions and mustard to burgers and franks originated around coastal North Carolina. It wasn’t until the 1960s, when vegetarianism became a trend

in America, that the meatless variety was developed. More recently, chili has come to be known by its ancillary seasonings. Cumin, chili powder and dense black pepper have become mainstays for both homemade and restaurant offerings, as have garlic and onion, ingredients hardly considered an option for the trail-riding Texans of yesteryear. And even here in Asheville, the dish has its own breadth of variation. Let’s face it, when it’s blustery and cold outside, there is no more nurturing, rib-sticking happiness than a big bowl of chili. Even if it isn’t the classic Texas style or the way your mother made it, a bowl of chili is still a great meal that can taste a thousand different ways. On a recent cold and rainy winter day, I made my way into the new Edna’s location down on Amboy Road, where the beancentric beef chili proved to be a mild, cheese-laden offering. Dense and flavorful, it is best consumed with extra cheese and fresh onion. I also recommend pairing it with a beer from the lovely Cascade Lounge next door. If that bean-heavy style is just your speed, you might also want to check out Lucky Otter’s Tex-Mex-inspired bowl, replete with a dollop or two of sour cream. This one has a nice spiciness to it as well. If you’re looking for something meatier, try Roman’s chicken chili. White beans and chicken make up what I’ve found to be one of Asheville’s only white chili offerings. Or for an intensely hearty dish, head to Luella’s for a bowl of smoked brisket chili: smoky strands of beef with chunks of sausage and kidney beans, rather mild in spice. Over at Creekside Taphouse in Haw Creek, the menu offers a traditionally seasoned beefcentric bowl of Southwestern chili with kidney beans — a perfect pairing with a properly poured pint. For the vegetarians in the crowd, hippie chili abounds as well. Nine Mile’s Ras Rootz chili is a spicy and colorful mixture of various beans, squash and bell peppers. While Loretta’s is a more traditional and nostalgic flavor wheel, it is heavy enough to make two meals. If you’re looking for the heat, try Rosetta’s tomato-laden veggie-and-bean chili. To make it even more eclectic, I like to ask for it topped with kimchi. Sadly, there aren’t many places willing to make the investment to cook a truly traditional Texas chili. The costly meatcentric recipe is a rarity now. To find that, I highly recommend checking out any of Asheville’s neighborhood chili cook-offs. Hosted at

churches and community centers throughout the area, a chili cook-off is a great way to meet your neighbors and try dozens of homemade recipes — and there’s always the one guy from Texas who does it the “right way.” X

c h i L LY chaLLenGe 8K and chiLi cOOK-OFF Chili fans (and runners) wanting to sample some of Western North Carolina’s homegrown recipes should mark their calendars for the fourth annual north buncombe middle school chilly challenge 8K on Saturday, Feb. 27. A fundraiser hosted by the school’s PTO, the event will feature an 8K race and 1-mile fun run followed by a chili cookoff and live music. For a $5 admission fee, guests can sample the cook-off entries, as well as chili from Luella’s Bar-BQue, along with toppings and cornbread or a biscuit. A vegetarian option will be available. Runners eat for free. Community members are invited to compete in both the races and the chili competition. Prizes will be awarded for the top three recipes. All proceeds from the event will benefit the North Buncombe Middle School PTO. The Chilly Challenge 8K and Chili Cook-Off happens 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 27, at North Buncombe Middle School, 51 N. Buncombe School Road, Weaverville. For details about the race or the chili cook-off, visit nbms8k.wix. com/chillychallenge8k. Do you know of any neighborhood chili cook-offs happening in the near future in the Asheville area? Let us know! Send details to food@mountainx.com.

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January 20 - January 26, 2016

a R t s & e n t e R ta i n m e n t

Performers Without borders The Asheville Fringe Arts Festival defies genres

Fringe festivals provide platforms for artists working in experimental mediums, with challenging ideas or pushing boundaries that might disturb as much as delight. Mackie calls Polly Panic her “different-drummer walk through life,” and her songs draw from her personal experiences with addiction and depression. “I feel like I go into a shamanic trance when I’m on stage. I feel like I step into another person,” she says. “I can do onstage what I can’t do off. I can speak onstage in a way that I can’t speak offstage.” Mackie (who will be releasing a new album on Gold Shift Records this spring) ups the ante of her performance by taking her act — which is currently without a drummer while she works with a loop station — on the LaZoom bus as part of the Fringe Tour. The traveling show includes dancer claire dima and installations by grayson morris and carolina williford. Keith shubert of Toybox Theatre hosts.

By alli marsHall amarshall@mountainx.com If a dance recital typically involves a theater, a stage, choreography and a clear distinction between artists and audience, The Accidentals — a local guerrilla-style performance troupe — kind of flies in the face of that tradition. In August, as part of the Lindsey Kelley Dance Summer DanceFest, “We did this piece where we slow-motion jogged down the sidewalk,” says Accidentals member sharon cooper. “By people being outside and us going past them, they got involved. They started slowmotion cheering … some people joined in and started slow-motion jogging with us. They became involved because they were there as it was happening, and they became a part of it.” Those atypical elements — unusual settings, audience participation and improvisation — are all key to The Accidentals’ art. The troupe (including Karen george, sara Keller, jamie mcdowell and alexis miller) unveils new work as part of The Asheville Fringe Arts Festival, which runs Thursday to Sunday, Jan. 21-24. In fact, so fringe is The Accidental’s production that, rather than being onstage at one of the four Asheville Fringe venues, it will take place in and around Realta Salon on Wall Street. (The performance, held twice, is part of the festival’s Random Acts of Fringe free programming.) WeiRd and WondeRFul The very nature of a fringe festival assures that the various acts occur outside of customary constructs. “This true Asheville oddity offers [more than] 30 local and imported performing artists the opportunity to create and showcase new work,” says a press release for the annual festival, now in its 14th year. Taking its cues in part from the Edinburgh Festival

January 20 - January 26

impRov FoR the people

deep and daRK: “I always knew I was on the fringe. I knew I didn’t fit into the status quo,” says Jenette Mackie, whose theatrical cello-rock project Polly Panic performs as part of the LaZoom Bus Fringe Tour. Photo courtesy of Mackie Fringe — the world’s largest fringe fest, it included more than 3,314 shows last year — the Asheville event’s roster includes “a variety of performance art that defies genre categories, as well as being just plain weird.” Among this year’s new eschewers of convention is jenette mackie, who describes her project as cello-rock, though she adds, “but that doesn’t even begin to explain it because [I] keep pushing boundaries.” While studying classical performance at the Crane School of Music — “obviously that was not my area, but I wanted to learn to play the cello” — Mackie started Polly Panic, which

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morphs from band to one-woman-show to alter-ego. The experimental music-meets-performance-art endeavor evolved as Mackie relocated to Portland and then Asheville. She briefly abandoned both Polly Panic and Western North Carolina for Ecuador. “But I ended up taking my cello with me to South America,” she says. As far as a response to her playing, she says, despite cultural differences, “It was the same thing there as here. People always look. The hard thing is getting them to stay.” That’s the struggle for any performer — how to engage an audience but also bring them along for the ride.

There’s an element (or several) of the unknown to The Accidentals’ production, too. It was jocelyn reese, an Asheville Fringe coordinator, who paired the group with salon owner lala essex. “We’re really inspired by the space,” Cooper says of how The Accidentals plan a performance. “Usually we’ll go see a space and just play. It starts as total improv a lot of times.” She adds, “We have lots of ideas of what we can do in a salon.” Rehearsals revolve around structure and transitions rather than specific moves, since much of the dance happens in the moment. “We might draw a certain motif, mood or style,” says Cooper. “It depends on the piece. We might only want to use big jumps and turns.” For the Asheville Fringe, the performance may include lip-syncing, Whitney Houston music, hair tools used in surprising ways and, perhaps, someone

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The Asheville Fringe Arts Festival runs Thursday to Sunday, Jan. 21-24. Tickets are $12 for each show and are available in advance at ashevillefringe.org. Remaining tickets can be purchased the week of Asheville Fringe, through Jan. 23, noon-6 p.m., at 14 Battery Park Ave., or at the venue up to one hour before showtime. the bebe theatre • The Asheville Fringe Dance Showcase, hosted by Lindsey Kelley — Thursday and Saturday at 7 p.m. • Fringe Unique Voices Double Feature: This is Now/This is How by The Cardboard Sea and Love Fighting by In/Visible Theatre — Thursday and Saturday at 9 p.m. • At This Time/ Who We Are by Amanda Levesque and Tom Kilby — Friday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 4 p.m. • Ergo Sum by Roger Pech Sansores — Friday at 9 p.m. and Sunday at 6 p.m. the magnetic theatre • Willie Filkowski Welcomes You to Florida the Sunshine State — Thursday and Saturday at 7 p.m. • Mothertongue, by Julian Vorus — Thursday and Saturday at 9 p.m. • La Lune De Femme and The Seance Show by Caroline Kingsley Rau — Friday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 4 p.m. • A Tonguey Kiss for Samuel Davidson by Anam Cara Theatre — Friday at 9 p.m. and Sunday at 6 p.m.

haiR-Raising: “If you’re doing improv, you have to be in tune with your audience and feed off them,” says Sharon Cooper of dance-improve troupe The Accidentals. The group will perform as part of Random Acts of Fringe at Realta Salon on Wall Street. Photo courtesy of The Accidentals might even have their hair styled. The Accidentals’ members met as performers and faculty of Asheville Contemporary Dance Theatre. Inspired by prank collective Improv Everywhere and daniel alpuche of Kuns Collective, Cooper, George, Keller, McDowell and Miller decided to form their own troupe. “We’re really interested in bringing dance to the general public — people who may not ever go to a theater to see a show but may just happen to be somewhere downtown where we’re doing a piece,” says Cooper. So what exactly makes The Accidentals’ performance a fringe act? “It’s not what people would expect to see, even if they knew they were going to see a dance piece in a hair salon,” says Cooper. “Each time we do it, it’s a different piece. It’s a surprise to us each time, too.” X

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the mothlight • Do You Know Me? by Mina Samuels — Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. the altamont theatre • Ruts! The Oregon Trail Experience — Thursday and Saturday at 7 p.m. • Poetry Cabaret: Asheville Fringe Edition — Thursday and Saturday at 9 p.m. laZoom bus fringe tour • Hosted by Keith Shubert with Polly Panic (music), Claire Dima (dance), Grayson Morris (installation), Carolina Williford (aperture) — Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 4 p.m. random acts of fringe The following events are free. • Sacraments of Saga: The Healing Mead of Poetry, by Brianna Gardner — ZaPow! Gallery, Thursday, Jan. 21, at 4:30 p.m. • Zugar Refinido, by Susan and Giles Collard — In front of Bebe Theatre, Thursday, Jan. 21, at 6 p.m. • The Accidentals perform at Realta Salon (12 1/2 Wall St.) — Friday, Jan. 22, at 6 p.m., and Saturday, Jan. 23, at noon. • Butoh Parade on Lexington Avenue — Saturday, Jan. 23, at 2:07 p.m. • Chat with Fringe artists — Back room at Lexington Avenue Brewery, Saturday, Jan. 23, at 3:30 p.m. — A.M.

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All thAt jAzz Asheville band leader launches yearlong concert series

amBitious undeRtaKing: One of the busiest musicians in Asheville will be busier still this year, heading Russ Wilson’s History of Jazz concert series. The dozen events take their cues from Paul Whiteman’s concert, An Experiment in Modern Music, staged nearly a century ago. Photo by Brad Nathanson On Feb. 12, 1924, jazz bandleader Paul whiteman staged a concert at New York City’s famed Aeolian Hall. That event, billed as An Experiment in Modern Music, featured George Gershwin’s premiere performance of “Rhapsody in Blue.” Whiteman (sometimes called the King of Jazz) would go on to stage many more concerts in the Experiment series, and the shows would become an important part of jazz history in the U.S. This year, Asheville’s godfather of jazz, russ wilson, is mounting a similar concert series that he calls Russ Wilson’s History of Jazz. The yearlong Sunday

January 20 - January 26

evening series at Isis Restaurant & Music Hall kicked off with a Jan. 3 set, and the next installment, “The Roots of Jazz,” takes place Jan. 24. Pausing between three back-to-back gigs within the space of 24 hours, Wilson explains the idea behind the concert series. “Almost every style of jazz is being played” here in Asheville, he says. He goes on to list some of the many jazz ensembles currently playing in and around town. This city of under 100,000 people is host to no fewer than three larger-scale jazz groups, he says. “There’s my orchestra, there’s the Asheville Jazz Orchestra, there’s steve alford’s

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Rational Discourse. That’s three fabulous big bands just in Asheville!” Wilson is also putting together yet another big band, the Euphonic Ragtime Orchestra, specifically for the series’ Sunday, Feb. 7, show. “So I thought, ‘OK, since we’ve got all these styles of jazz being played, why don’t we take that and feature all the local talent?’” Wilson says. “Let’s show the people that we can do this chronological history of jazz.” He notes that the 12-plus concerts in this History of Jazz series will exclusively feature WNC musicians. “There are no national acts, no ‘headline’ names” on the bill, he says. Taken as a whole, the series will guide audiences

through the developments in jazz, from pre-jazz gospel vocal to Dixieland to swing, bop and many other styles. “There is such a cool, eclectic, vibrant jazz scene going on,” Wilson says of Asheville. “You would expect something like this, maybe, in Charlotte. But it’s not happening there, it’s happening here.” He notes that out-of-town visitors at his shows tell him that there’s not a jazz scene like this unless you go to somewhere like New York. While most of the shows in Russ Wilson’s History of Jazz will take place at Isis (variously upstairs and downstairs, depending on the size of the act), plans are underway for a special Saturday, Nov. 12, show at the Diana Wortham Theatre, titled Russ Wilson’s Experiment in Modern Music. Taking the baton from Whiteman’s concerts of nearly a century ago, this show will feature the premieres of five orchestral jazz works, commissioned specially for the event. Local composers richard shulman, michael jefry stevens, henry westmoreland (aka Hank West), alan theisen and ben hovey will each contribute new works. Connecting to the 1924 event, the show will also feature a performance of “Rhapsody in Blue.” The Diana Wortham event is contingent on acquiring funding. “I’m talking to grant writers, and I may do a crowdfunding campaign, but I would love to find a sponsor,” Wilson says. The longtime Asheville resident (and Hendersonville native) feels that the time is right — both for himself and Asheville — for a concert series such as this. “I’ve gotten to the point of running my own business, Wilson Music Company, and running 12 bands of my own. This [concert series] is the biggest thing I’ve tackled so far. And I’m ready. And if I don’t do it, who will?” Wilson asks. He believes that Asheville “always has been a kind of bohemian community, one full of music lovers.” He notes that while other cities have had their own music scenes, “right now it’s Asheville’s turn. And I think it’s going to be so for quite a while.” Wilson quotes his friend and musical associate hank bones: “We’re in the golden age of music gigs here in Asheville,” but takes mild issue with that assertion. “I don’t think we’ve even seen [that golden age] yet,” he says. Wilson’s concert series is an ambitious undertaking, involving booking space and working with the schedules (and temperaments) of dozens of musicians. “People tell me I’m one of the hardest-working people in show business,” Wilson says. “I tell ’em, ‘I’ve got

a mortgage, a car payment and a wife!’ But honestly, I wouldn’t have it any other way. This is what I do.” Wilson will emcee all of the concerts and will perform at several of the dates. Attending Russ Wilson’s History of Jazz, “You’ll get a little bit of a history lesson along with being entertained,” Wilson says, while admitting that the concerts won’t explore “every single detailed genre of jazz.” But then there’s always next year — and beyond — for those. X

what “The Roots of Jazz,” the second installment in the Russ Wilson’s History of Jazz concert series where Isis Restaurant & Music Hall isisasheville.com when Sunday, Jan. 24, 7:30 p.m. $15

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January 20 - January 26, 2016

a &e

by Jason Gilmer

gilwriter@hotmail.com

sense of PlaCe Taylor Brown’s fallen land was inspired by Asheville

high adventuRe: The first half of Taylor Brown’s novel, Fallen Land, takes place in the Blue Ridge as a pair of orphaned lovers flee a group of bounty-seeking marauders. The book began as the title short story from Brown’s collection, The Season of Blood and Gold. Author photo by Harry Taylor The time that taylor brown spent in Asheville wasn’t the easiest of his life, but it spawned the idea for his debut novel. He and his then-wife moved to town in 2009 without knowing anyone and without much money. They lived on the outskirts of downtown in a rented bungalow. Calling it unsafe would be an understatement. “The landlady told us that it had been an old whorehouse. That was her word,” the author says. “We thought she meant in the days of Thomas Wolfe or some-

January 20 - January 26

mountainx.com

thing. ... Hell no, it was a whorehouse or crackhouse much more recently than that. I saw seven people arrested basically off our front porch in the first two weeks.” While it was the first time for Brown to see such unlawful activities, it was also the first time he saw leaves change colors. The Georgia coast native is more accustomed to pine needles falling than orange oak leaves fluttering to the ground in October. The autumn landscape and the mountains moved him, he says, and

it pushed him to write Fallen Land, a Civil War-era story published by St. Martin’s Press. Brown presents the novel at Malaprop’s Monday, Jan. 25. The setting is appropriate as the bookstore was a writing haunt when Brown began his novel in October 2009. Currently based in Wilmington, the author moved to Asheville after spending several years in San Francisco. The reason for the move was to be closer to family, and Asheville shared some attributes with the Bay area: a music and writing community, good food and beer and strong support of the arts. Brown penned the Fallen Land between Malaprop’s, his home, Pack Memorial Library and The Dripolator (now High Five Coffee) on Broadway. “You write this thing in private and don’t think about people reading it all that much,” says Brown, who previously wrote two novels that weren’t published. “You want to get someone to publish it, and then they decide to publish it, and then it’s, ‘God, I hope people like it.’ ... Not even [that] they like it, but you hope they don’t hate it. I did have some anxiety about that.” He wasn’t into the Civil War as much as his childhood friends were, but did become intrigued when he learned about the fractured loyalties in some mountain communities and the guerrilla fighting that occurred. The story is about a pair of orphaned lovers who are fleeing, on horseback, a group of bountyseeking marauders. The first half of the book takes place in the Blue Ridge Mountains and the second half takes place from Atlanta to the Georgia coast, on the same trails that General Sherman took as he burned the countryside. “I wasn’t trying to write a history book,” Brown says. “The way I tried to do it, a lot of times I say they crossed a river. [The reader] won’t know what river. There’s no omniscient narrator to tell readers. You know about as much as [the characters] know. I know which river it is. If someone knows their history, they can tell.” He actually hadn’t planned to write the novel at all; the first chapter of the book was the title offering in his acclaimed book of short stories, The Season of Blood and Gold. That version of the story had a hanging ending (literally and figuratively), and Brown kept thinking about the character.

“When I finished the story, I thought I was done with it,” he says. “Usually I get done with a story and I can put it behind me. In this case it just kept on coming back around.” He adds, “At the end of the short story, [the character is] about to be hanged. Is he hanged? Does he get away? ... If you read the short story it seems like the end for the character.” Brown didn’t want that to be the end, so Fallen Land continues the tale. In November, St. Martin’s Press optioned Brown’s subsequent two novels, which he has already completed. The next book, The River of Kings, is set on the Georgia coast. He’ll then release another book based in the North Carolina mountains. Gods of Howl Mountain (a fictitious place near Blowing Rock) is set in the 1950s against the backdrop of bootlegging and early days of stock-car racing. “Fords and Mason jars,” Brown says. Brown could easily take a break from his passion, except that isn’t his style. “I don’t take a break that well,” he says. “I’m about 100 pages into something else already. I like to work. I’ve always worked hard at writing.” X

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January 20 - January 26, 2016

a &e

by Edwin Arnaudin

edwinarnaudin@gmail.com

tar heel odyssey Phil Cook’s Mothlight show continues commitment to N.C. music Phil cook’s Southland Mission is thoroughly a North Carolina album, so much so that at any of the junctures in its creation when it seemed he would exit the state, he was promptly pulled back in. The latest step on this Tar Heel odyssey is a return to The Mothlight Thursday, Jan. 21, a venue the multiinstrumentalist folk rocker last played in April 2015 as part of Hiss Golden Messenger. That date coincided with the decade anniversary of moving from Wisconsin to Durham so that Cook could immerse himself in the N.C. music scene and its history. The show also marked just more than a year since he had recorded his newest album in Asheville. But while label and PR descriptions, and even the insightful essay by Cook’s wife, Heather, vaguely refer to the location of those sessions as, “a studio in the Blue Ridge Mountains,” Cook himself makes it no secret that the mystery site is Echo Mountain Studios. “I think it’s kind of the recording heart and soul of a lot of the important and relevant music that’s come out of North Carolina in the last 10 years, which is why it was a big goal for me to get there and actually make my record there,” Cook says. “It was really important for me to stay in North Carolina to make the record that I needed to make instead of leaving and going somewhere else.” In the album’s infancy, such priorities weren’t as clear cut. Cook debated using his many recording connections and “bro deals” in the Midwest and also considered going to New Orleans, where he planned to recruit exclusively local players. A year later, seeking the time and solitude to work on songs that his modest house and parental responsibilities to his young son didn’t afford, he blocked off four days at a friend’s cabin high in the mountains of Ennice, N.C., situated on a breathtaking overlook. After fol-

January 20 - January 26

lowing a road that crosses into Virginia before winding back into the state he’d just left, Cook set up his gear and recording equipment. Knowing he was needed back in Durham in less than a week, he embarked on an experience he likens to being in a sweat lodge. Accompanied solely by his dog, and making no contact with the outside world, Cook repeated a cycle of recording for four hours, then taking a 15-minute walk. Each night, he ate a bowl of soup and slept between four and five hours, rising poised to resume playing. On the fourth day of total meditative focus, he listened back to his recordings — and what hit his ears brought him pure happiness. “It was the first time I’d actually heard something complete that I did that completely came out of me, or came through me, and came out the other side. [I] listened to it as, like, an outsider,” Cook says. “It was the first time I was overcome with an emotion that I had made something beautiful — and made something that was so true to me as a human being and my existence on this planet. It was a really unifying moment for me.” The experience convinced him that Southland Mission yearned to be recorded in North Carolina, at which point he says the only answer was to take it to Echo Mountain. Cook had previously been to the studio for separate Daytrotter sessions with his former band megafaun and the blind boys of alabama, as well as albums with amy ray (Indigo Girls), New York-based songwriter doug Keith and Asheville country roots band the honeycutters. Stoked to work with studio engineer jon ashley, one of Cook’s “favorite dudes,” he recorded the collection’s nine songs over a week in March 2014. He worked with a handful of N.C. musicians, including vocalist amelia meath of Durham indie-pop duo Sylvan Esso. Cook says she and his other in-state collaborators all gave him a particular spark when

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good times: When he pulls into Asheville on Jan. 21 and parks his van at The Mothlight, Phil Cook looks forward to “letting his shoulders drop.” This immense degree of comfort with the city dates back to 2005, when Cook and his then-girlfriend, now-wife, Heather, spent a memorable Halloween weekend in the WNC mountains. Photo by Nick Helderman they previously played together, and that their mix of musical inspiration and fun personalities were essential in realizing his vision. “The record radiates joy and that’s really what it’s supposed to do — have this kind of fist-pumping, triumphant feel to it,” Cook says. It’s the same with the record cover, inspired by the back of Taj Mahal’s The Real Thing. “If you walk into a record store and my record’s on the wall, I wanted to make it be like, ‘Hey, this is different than all the drab sh*t that’s next to it. Trust me: It’s totally a different vibe.’ You can tell. Then you bring

it home and put the needle down and listen to it; it’s exactly what the cover says.” X who Phil Cook and The Guitarheels with The Dead Tongues where The Mothlight, themothlight.com when Thursday, Jan. 21, 9:30 p.m. $10 advance/$12 day of show

smaRt Bets by Kat McReynolds | Send your arts news to ae@mountainx.com

Django Reinhardt’s Birthday Party Following a home fire that immobilized two of his fingers, Django Reinhardt invented his own method of navigating the guitar’s fret board — a style later popularized as “hot jazz.” Although the legendary musician died in 1953, Asheville’s Gypsyjazz enthusiasts come together each year to celebrate Reinhardt’s life and music on his birthday. For the seventh annual party, The Grey Eagle will host Gypsy Swingers in the bar room along with stage performances by One Leg Up, The Page Brothers, Hot Point Trio and headlining act Howard Alden. Now praised as a virtuoso in his own right, Alden’s online bio credits Reinhardt as one of the artists who inspired him to pick up a guitar at age 10. The birthday bash takes place Saturday, Jan. 23, at 6:30 p.m. $17/$20. thegreyeagle.com. Image courtesy of the organizers

Nick Dittmeier & the Sawdusters After releasing EPs in 2013 and 2014, Nick Dittmeier & the Sawdusters are touring the band’s first full-length album Midwest Heart/Southern Blues — a 10-song collection “full of characters who were developed while staring over the dash of a beat-up Ford van, cruising through towns in the South and Midwest,” according to a press release. Tracks are fueled with spirited attitude, though, lyrically, Dittmeier spends significant time imagining the goings on of a less-than-glamorous existence: romantic separation, uninspiring jobs, lingering debt and a “wind-beat trailer with a kicked-in door.” Perhaps it’s those sore subjects that temper the Louisville, Ky.-based quartet’s lively sound with some Southern scruff. The independent musicians play a free show at One Stop Thursday, Jan. 21, at 10:30 p.m. ashevillemusichall.com. Photo courtesy of the band

Koresh Dance Company Based in Philadelphia and supported by numerous arts endowments, Koresh Dance Company “explores dance as an eternal language that predates spoken language as a visceral, universal form of physical expression,” according to a press release about the touring ensemble’s ev•o•lu•tion production. With influences including classic ballet, hip-hop, Israeli folk dance and more, the company is known for its “earthy, emotionally direct, physically intense and eccentric approach to shows.” The troupe’s residency at the Diana Wortham Theatre begins with a lecture on Israeli culture by choreographer Ronen Koresh Thursday, Jan. 21, at 5 p.m., followed by performances of ev•o•lu•tion Friday and Saturday, Jan. 22 and 23, at 8 p.m. Pre-performance discussions with dancers and staff take place at 7 p.m. both nights, and post-performance Q&As follow each show. $42 general/$20 children. dwtheatre.com. Photo courtesy of Koresh Dance Company

Palehound It’s a well-known if infrequently discussed phenomenon: From a young age, girls are taught to shave, tone, tighten, cover up, accessorize, tweeze, squeeze and otherwise contort their way to acceptance. That’s one subject of Palehound’s message to listeners that’s particularly transparent in recent single “Healthier Folk.” In the song’s music video, guitarist and singer Ellen Kempner expresses her displeasure with these societal pressures, pairing an exasperated tone with imagery that portrays imposed hygiene routines in unflattering ways. The Boston-based musician says she began writing songs in elementary school as a way to impress people between social struggles. She calls her 2015 album Dry Food “a snapshot of a weird time for me, where I was transitioning” and cites Asheville singer-songwriter Angel Olsen as an influence. Opening for Nashville rockers Bully, Palehound plays The Mothlight Sunday, Jan. 24, at 9:30 p.m. $10/$12. themothlight. com. Photo by Chad Kamenshine mountainx.com

January 20 - January 26, 2016

a& e ca l e ndar

by Abigail Griffin

Send your event listings to calendar@mountainx.com

BRoaden youR musical hoRiZons: The Haywood County Arts Council and the Haywood County Friends of the Library are offering a unique opportunity to see the Finnish folksong duo, Vellamo. Made up of Pia Leinonen on lead vocals, and Joni Tiala on stringed instruments, the group enjoys mixing things up musically, combines Finnish folksong in a “retro acoustic sound package” and, according to the Arts Council, will offer a show that is sure to be “culturally broadening, educational, and a great deal of fun.” They will be playing at the Waynesville branch of the Haywood County Library on Saturday, Jan. 23 at 3 p.m. Photo courtesy of Vellamo. (p. 48)

• Through SU (1/31) - Open call for play proposals from directors or playwrights for the 2016/17 season. Contact for full guidelines. Free.

aRt sip and doodle (pd.) “everyone leaves with a painting” Sip your favorite drink and have fun painting. Ask about - Private Parties (Birthday, Anniversary, etc.) $25.00 with this AD. (828) 712-1288 BlacK mountain college museum & aRts centeR 56 Broadway, 350-8484, blackmountaincollege.org • SA (1/23), 11am - Discussion between Dr. Theodore E. Stebbins Jr., curator of Ray Spillenger: Rediscovery of a Black Mountain Painter, and Paul Spillenger, the artist’s son. $5. gRand Bohemian galleRy 11 Boston Way, 877-274-1242, bohemianhotelasheville.com • FR (1/22) through SU (1/24) - Art of the Heart and Soul, jewelry exhibition and trunk show of Amber Higgins. Free to attend. tRyon Fine aRts centeR 34 Melrose Ave., Tryon, 859-8322, tryonarts.org • 2nd & 4th TUESDAYS through (5/24), 10:30am - The Great Courses, dvd discussion and presentations. Registration required. Free.

auditions & call to aRtists anam caRa theatRe 545-3861, anamcaratheatre.com

January 20 - January 26

aRt at asu 262-3017, tcva.org • Through TH (2/18) - Entries accepted for the 30th Anniversary Rosen Sculpture Competition. Contact for guidelines: rosensculpture.org/prospectus-2016.php. Free. Blue Ridge oRchestRa blueridgeorchestra.com • Through TU (1/26) - Open auditions for violin, viola, and contrabass for spring season. Contact for full guidelines. Flat RocK playhouse studio 52 1855 Little River Road, Flat Rock, 693-3517, frpstudio52.org • FR (1/22), 5-7pm & SA (1/23), 10am-noon - Open auditions for Alice in Wonderland, the Musical. Contact for guidelines. sidney lanieR poetRy competition lanierlib.org • Through TU (3/1) - Open submissions for annual poetry competition for adults and high school students. Contact for full guidelines: lanierlib.org. $10 per entry/$5 per entry for students.

comedy 35BeloW 35 E. Walnut St., 254-1320, ashevilletheatre.org

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• WE (1/20), 7:30pm - “The SuperHappy Trivia Challenge,” live comedy game show. $12.

music cathey’s cReeK community centeR Island Ford Road, Brevard • SA (1/23), 7pm - Split Rail Bluegrass. $5/$3 children under 12. centeR FoR cultuRal pReseRvation 692-8062, saveculture.org • TU (1/26) - “Reflections on Madison County’s Musical Heritage: An Afternoon and Evening with Joe Penland.” Class and lecture at 1pm in the Patton Building room 150. Evening concert and storytelling at 7pm in the Thomas Auditorium. $15 each/$25 for both programs. Held at Blue Ridge Community College, 180 West Campus Drive, Flat Rock FiRestoRm caFe and BooKs 610 Haywood Road, 255-8115 • TH (1/21), 8pm - Empty Walls and Friends, pop-punk. $5. hayWood county aRts council 452-0593, haywoodarts.org • SA (1/23), 3pm - Vellamo, retro-acoustic Finnish folksongs. Free. Held at the Waynesville Branch of the Haywood County Library, 678 S. Haywood St., Waynesville music at Wcu 227-2479, wcu.edu • SU (1/24), 3pm - Pam Tillis, country. $21/$13 students

& children. Held in the Bardo Center. old RocK school auditoRium 400 West Main St., Valdese, 879-2120, townofvaldese. com/pages/bluegrass-at-the-rock • FR (1/22), 7:30pm - Lonesome River Band, bluegrass. $22/$20 advance. puBlic lectuRes at unca unca.edu • FR (1/22), 3pm - Opera Talk: “History of AfricanAmericans in Opera,” presentation by Asheville Lyric Opera General Director David Craig Starkey. Free. Held in the Reuter Center.

theateR 35BeloW 35 E. Walnut St., 254-1320, ashevilletheatre.org • FRIDAYS through SUNDAYS until (1/24) - Oleanna. Fri. & Sat.: 7:30pm. Sun.: 2:30pm. $15. hendeRsonville community theatRe 229 S. Washington St., Hendersonville, 692-1082, hendersonvillelittletheater.org • FRIDAYS through SUNDAYS (1/22) until (1/31) Ordinary Days, musical comedy. Fri. & Sat.: 7:30pm. Sat. & Sun.: 2pm. $26/$20 students/$15 children. the magnetic theatRe 375 Depot St., 279-4155 • THURSDAYS through SATURDAYS (1/28) until (2/6), 7:30pm - Mothertongue, dark comedy by Julian Vorus. $24/$21 advance.

MOUNTAIN XPRESS & OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS PRESENT: mountain Xpress & our Gallery d irectory

Community partners present: M O U N TA I N X P R E SS & O U R CO M M U N I T Y PA R T N E R S P R E S E N T:

ananda West 37 Paynes Way Suite 5, 236-2444, anandahair.com • Through TU (3/15) - Recent Work, paintings by Larry Turner. aRt at maRs hill mhu.edu • Through FR (2/5) - Paintings and drawings by Deanna Chilian and Genie Maples. Held in the Weizenblatt Gallery. aRt at unca art.unca.edu • Through FR (2/12) - Drawing Discourse: 7th Annual International Exhibition of Contemporary Drawing. Held in Owen Hall. • Through FR (2/26) - Protecting the Environment through Cultural Traditions: Sacred Groves of Sierra Leone and India, photography exhibition by Alison Ornsby. Held in the Ramsey Library Blowers Gallery. • Through FR (2/12) - Art and photography exhibition by UNC Asheville and Virginia Commonwealth University students. Held in the Owen Hall Second Floor Gallery. asheville aRea aRts council 1 Page Ave., 258-0710, ashevillearts.com • Through SA (2/20) - Point of View Exhibition: The Asheville Stockyards, From Brownfield to Brewery curated by Ken Abbot. • Through SA (2/20) - ARC Gallery: Paintings by Lisa De Girolamo. Opening reception: Friday, Jan. 22 from 5-8pm. asheville aRt museum 2 N. Pack Square, 253-3227, ashevilleart. org • Through SA (4/30) - Vault Visible: Behind the Scenes at the Asheville Art Museum, behind the scenes views into curatorial work. BlacK mountain college museum & aRts centeR 56 Broadway, 350-8484, blackmountaincollege.org • FR (1/22) through SA (5/21) - Ray Spillenger: Rediscovery of a Black Mountain Painter, painting exhibition. Opening reception: Friday, Jan. 22 5:308pm.

Blue spiRal 1 38 Biltmore Ave., 251-0202, bluespiral1. com • Through SA (2/27) - Andy Farkas, wood engravings and handset type exhibition. Artist talk: Friday Jan. 29, 3pm. BuncomBe county puBlic liBRaRies buncombecounty.org/governing/depts/ library • Through TU (2/2) - Winter Blooms, a bit of summer in January, retrospective photo exhibit of the West Asheville Garden Stroll. Held at West Asheville Library, 942 Haywood Road FolK aRt centeR MP 382, Blue Ridge Parkway, 298-7928, craftguild.org • SA (1/23) through SU (5/8) - Through the Needles Eye, embroidery exhibit from The Embroiderers’ Guild of America. n.c. aRBoRetum 100 Frederick Law Olmsted Way, 665-2492, ncarboretum.org • Through WE (4/17) - Botanica, botanical monoprint exhibit by Sandee Johnson.

3rd Annual

Get it! Guide A GUIDE TO

Resilient Communities & Sustainable Living in Western North Carolina

Get it! Guide Partners:

odyssey coopeRative aRt galleRy 238 Clingman Ave., 285-9700, facebook.com/odysseycoopgallery • Through SU (1/31) - Ceramic artworks by Chiwa Clark and Andrea Freeman. the centeR FoR cRaFt, cReativity & design 67 Broadway, 785-1357, craftcreativitydesign.org • FR (1/22) through SA (5/21) - Recorded Matter: Ceramics in Motion, exhibit of eleven artists who integrate video into their studio practice. Opening reception: Friday, Jan.22, 5-7pm. ZapoW! 21 Battery Park Suite 101, 575-2024, zapow.net • Through SU (3/13) - Fringe, official exhibition of visual art for the Fringe Festival with public David Bowie art submissions. Open submissions for David Bowie art (not for sale) during the exhibition dates. Contact the galleries for admission hours and fees

COMING IN MARCH!

COMINg IN MARCh! Coming in marCh!

mountainx.com

January 20 - January 26, 2016

cluBland Heavy Night w/ DJ Butch, 10pm

Wednesday, januaRy 20

lex 18 Alex Taub (jazz piano), 7pm

185 King stReet Movie Night, 7pm

loBsteR tRap Hank Bones (“The man of 1,000 songs”), 6:30pm

5 Walnut Wine BaR Sean Gaskell (world), 5pm Les Amis (African folk), 8pm

maRKet place Ben Hovey (dub jazz, beats), 7pm

550 taveRn & gRille karaoke, 6pm

moe’s oRiginal BBQ WoodFin Typical Mountain Boys (bluegrass), 6pm

altamont theatRe Noble Kava presents: The Poetry Open Mic (poetry & music open mic), 8pm

o.henRy’s/the undeRgRound Game Night, 9pm Drag Show, 12:30am

Ben’s tune-up Honky Tonk Wednesdays, 7pm

odditoRium The Independents w/ Pleasures of the Ultra Violent & Electric Phantom (punk), 9pm

BlacK mountain ale house Play to Win game night, 7:30pm

oFF the Wagon Dueling pianos, 9pm

Blue mountain piZZa & BReW puB Open mic, 7pm ByWateR Billy Cardine & North of Too Far Downs w/ Jeff Sipe (acoustic), 9pm coRK & Keg Jackomo & The Running of the Winos (Cajun music), 8pm douBle cRoWn Honky-Tonk, Cajun, and Western w/ DJ Brody Hunt, 10pm FunKatoRium John Hartford Jam (folk, bluegrass), 6:30pm

gRey eagle music hall & taveRn 2nd annual Indie Songsmiths In The Round w/ Joe Novelli, Andy Herrod & more, 8pm gRind caFe Trivia night, 7pm highland BReWing company Woody Wood Wednesdays (rock, soul), 5:30pm isis RestauRant and music hall Jeff Black w/ Steven Pelland (singer-songwriter, folk rock), 7pm jacK oF the Wood puB Old-time session, 5pm Honky-tonk dance party w/ Hearts Gone South, 9pm laZy diamond Killer Karaoke w/ KJ Tim O, 10pm

tallgaRy’s at FouR college Open mic & jam, 7pm Wu-Wednesdays (’90s hip-hop experience), 9pm the BlocK oFF BiltmoRe Jason Cline (Americana, roots), 7:30pm the joint next dooR Bluegrass jam, 8pm

the southeRn Disclaimer Comedy open mic, 9pm

o.henRy’s/the undeRgRound “Take the Cake” Karaoke, 10pm

timo’s house “Spectrum AVL” w/ DamGood & rotating DJs, 9pm

odditoRium Odd Karaoke, 9pm

toWn pump Open mic w/ Billy Presnell, 9pm

oFF the Wagon Piano show, 9pm olive oR tWist Intermediate swing dance lessons w/ Bobby Wood, 7pm Beginning swing dance lesson w/ Bobby Wood, 7:30pm 3 Cool Cats (vintage rock), 8pm

January 20 - January 26

sol BaR neW mountain World Wednesdays, 8pm Asheville Drum & Bass Collective presents Axiom Launch Party w/ ADBC residents, 9pm

the social lounge Phantom Pantone (DJ), 10pm

noBle Kava Open mic w/ Caleb Beissert, 9pm

sly gRog lounge Word Night (trivia-ish), 8pm Cards Against Humanity Game Night, 10pm

the phoenix Jazz night, 8pm

mountain mojo coFFeehouse Open mic, 6:30pm

oRange peel Jamey Johnson (country), 9pm

scully’s Sons of Ralph (bluegrass), 6pm

the mothlight Asheville Tango Orchestra, 9pm

loBsteR tRap Ben Hovey (dub-jazz, trumpet), 6:30pm

one WoRld BReWing Billy Litz (Americana, singer-songwriter), 8pm

playing By eaR: Spawned from southwest Louisiana’s dancehalls and Hurricane Katrina’s diaspora, indie-pop group GIVERS combines the local flavors of Cajun music, zydeco and jazz with improvisational, new wave overtones. The Lafayette natives have played everywhere from The Jimmy Fallon Show to Carnegie Hall, earning the praise of legendary weirdo Neil Young along the way. GIVERS touches down at Tiger Mountain in downtown Asheville on Tuesday, Jan. 26, for an 8 p.m. show. Room ix Fuego: Latin night, 9pm

good stuFF Karaoke!, 6pm

one stop deli & BaR Geeks Who Drink Trivia, 6pm The Apes of Wrath (jam, rock), 10pm

olive oR tWist Dance lesson w/ Ian & Karen, 8pm DJ Mike (eclectic mix, requests), 8:30pm

tRailhead RestauRant and BaR Acoustic jam w/ Kevin Scanlon (bluegrass, old-time, folk), 6pm tRessa’s doWntoWn jaZZ and Blues Blues & soul jam w/ Al Coffee & Da Grind, 8:30pm White hoRse BlacK mountain Wednesday Night Waltz, 7:30pm

thuRsday, januaRy 21 5 Walnut Wine BaR Pleasure Chest (blues, rock, soul), 8pm

mountainx.com

altamont theatRe Fringe Festival presents: Ruts! The Oregon Trail Experience, 7pm Fringe Festival presents: Poetry Cabaret - Asheville Fringe Edition, 9pm

one stop deli & BaR Streaming Thursdays (live concert showings), 6pm Nick Dittmeier & The Sawdusters (Americana), 10:30pm one WoRld BReWing Mother McCree’s String Band, 8pm oRange peel Liquid Stranger w/ Aligning Minds (downtempo, dubstep, DnB), 9pm pacK’s taveRn Jason Whitaker (acoustic rock), 9pm pisgah BReWing company The Big Deal Band (Americana, bluegrass), 6pm

BaRley’s tapRoom AMC Jazz Jam, 9pm

pulp Slice of Life comedy open mic, 9pm

Ben’s tune-up Guy Blakeslee w/ AJ Gaither & Ian Fitzgerald (singersongwriter, folk, psychedelia), 4pm

puRple onion caFe Mare Wakefield & Nomad (singer, songwriter), 8pm

Blue mountain piZZa & BReW puB Larry Dolamore (acoustic), 7pm

Renaissance asheville hotel Chris Rhodes (jazz, R&B, blues), 6:30pm

Blue Ridge tapRoom Beyond Chicken (Americana), 8pm

Room ix Throwback Thursdays (all vinyl set), 9pm

cataWBa BReWing south slope Ashleigh Flynn w/ Caine McDonald (folk, Americana), 5:30pm

sanctuaRy BReWing company Billy Litz (Americana, singer-songwriter), 7pm

cluB eleven on gRove Sparrow & Her Wingmen (jazz, swing), 7:30pm cReeKside taphouse Singer-songwriter night w/ Riyen Roots, 8pm cRoW & Quill Carolina Catskins (ragtime jazz), 10pm douBle cRoWn Sonic Satan Stew w/ DJ Alien Brain, 10pm elaine’s dueling piano BaR Dueling Pianos, 9pm FiRestoRm caFe and BooKs Empty Walls & friends (pop, punk), 8pm FRench BRoad BReWeRy Jake Book (folk), 6pm gRey eagle music hall & taveRn Legendary Open Mic (comedy, poetry, all genres welcome), 7pm highland BReWing company Community night w/ Colburn Science Museum (benefit), 4pm isis RestauRant and music hall Songwriters’ Showcase w/ Rissi Palmer, Steven Pelland & Brittany Ann (singer-songwriter), 7pm jacK oF the Wood puB Bluegrass jam, 7pm laZy diamond

scandals nightcluB DJ dance party & drag show, 10pm sly gRog lounge Open mic (musicians, poets, comedians & more welcome), 8pm sol BaR neW mountain Open Mic Nights w/ Arjay Sutton & Melissa Blazen (folk, singer-songwriter), 6pm southeRn appalachian BReWeRy Vintage Vinyl (classic rock, Americana), 7pm spRing cReeK taveRn Open Mic, 6pm tallgaRy’s at FouR college Open jam night w/ Jonathan Santos, 7pm the BlocK oFF BiltmoRe Thursday night open mic night, 7pm the mothlight Phil Cook & The Guitarheels w/ The Dead Tongues (folk), 9:30pm the social lounge 80s night w/ DJ Kyuri on vinyl, 8pm timo’s house Thursday Request Live w/ Franco Nino, 9pm toWn pump Derek Astles (country, singer-songwriter), 9pm tRailhead RestauRant and BaR

Cajun & western swing jam w/ Steve Burnside, 7pm

jeRusalem gaRden Middle Eastern music & bellydancing, 7pm

o.henRy’s/the undeRgRound Drag Show, 12:30am

tRessa’s doWntoWn jaZZ and Blues The Westsound Revue (Motown, soul), 9pm

laZy diamond Totes Dope Tite Sick Jams w/ (ya boy) DJ Hot Noodle, 10pm

odditoRium Drunk In a Dumpster w/ Shehehe, Valence & Flashbang (punk), 9pm

lex 18 HotPoint Trio (gypsy swing), 6:30pm

oFF the Wagon Dueling pianos, 9pm

maRKet place The Sean Mason Trio (groove, jazz, funk), 7pm

one stop deli & BaR Free Dead Fridays w/ members of Phuncle Sam (jam), 5pm Josh Roberts & The Hinges (rock), 10pm

tWisted lauRel Karaoke, 8pm WxyZ lounge at aloFt hotel Mark Schimick & Drew Matulich (bluegrass, Americana), 8pm

FRiday, januaRy 22

neW mountain theateR/ amphitheateR Asheville drum circle (at Blue Ridge Tap Room), 6pm

one WoRld BReWing Hustle Souls (southern soul), 10pm

185 King stReet The Honeycutters (Americana, honky-tonk), 8pm

Mon.-Thur. 4pm-2am • Fri.-Sun. 2pm-2am

87 Patton Ave., Asheville

5 Walnut Wine BaR Eleanor Underhill & Friends (Americana, soul), 9pm 550 taveRn & gRille Old School (classic rock), 6pm altamont theatRe Mark & Maggie O’Connor (Americana), 8pm asheville music hall Laura Reed w/ Preach Jacobs & members of The Secret B-Sides (soul, R&B), 10pm athena’s cluB Dave Blair (folk, funk, acoustic), 7pm DJ Shy Guy, 10pm Ben’s tune-up Woody Wood & the Asheville Family Band (acoustic, folk, rock), 5pm BlacK mountain ale house The Big Deal Band (bluegrass), 7:30pm Blue mountain piZZa & BReW puB Acoustic Swing, 7pm Blue Ridge tapRoom Asheville Drum Circle (bring your drums!), 6pm Blue Wheel Drive w/ Ben Phan (bluegrass), 9pm cataWBa BReWing south slope Fireside Fridays w/Fireside Collective (bluegrass/ Americana), 5pm classic WineselleR Dulci Ellenberger (pop, Americana), 7pm coRK & Keg The Resonant Rogues (Gypsy jazz, folk, blues), 8:30pm cRoW & Quill One Leg Up (gypsy jazz), 9pm douBle cRoWn DJ Greg Cartwright (garage & soul obscurities), 10pm elaine’s dueling piano BaR Dueling Pianos, 9pm FRench BRoad BReWeRy Asheville Bluebirds (bluegrass, folk), 6pm good stuFF Phourist & the Photons w/ Ronnie Lee Band & The Shadow Show (indie, prog, neo-classical), 8pm gRey eagle music hall & taveRn SeepeopleS w/ East Coast Dirt (rock), 9pm highland BReWing company Bayou Diesel (dance, Cajun, zydeco), 7pm The Priscilla Project fundraiser w/ Caleb Johnson, The Stump Mutts & Aaron LaFalce (rock, soul), 8pm isis RestauRant and music hall An evening w/ Sarah Clanton (cello, pop, rock), 7pm Free For All Friday w/ The Hermit Kings (indie, rock), 9pm jacK oF the Wood puB A.J. Gaither (“one man junk blues band”), 6pm Bryan Marshall & The Payday Knights w/ Sigmon Stringers (outlaw country, honky-tonk, bluegrass), 8pm

mountainx.com

January 20 - January 26, 2016

cl u Bl a n d

Thurs • January 21 Flights & Bites ft.

Hops-N-Nuts and Community Night w/ Colburn Science Museum

Fri • January 22 Bayou Diesel @ 7pm /

Check website for details about the Priscilla Project Fundraiser w/ Caleb Johnson

Sat • January 23

Asheville Jazz Orchestra @ 7pm

Send your listings to clubland@mountainx.com

oRange peel Abbey Road Live! (Beatles tribute band), 8pm

BlacK mountain ale house Hustle Souls (neo-soul, blues), 7:30pm

osKaR Blues BReWeRy You Knew Me When (indie, folk-rock), 6pm

Blue mountain piZZa & BReW puB Bob Zullo (acoustic), 7pm

pacK’s taveRn DJ MoTo (pop, dance hits), 9pm

Blue Ridge tapRoom Dust & Ashes (American folk), 9pm

pisgah BReWing company Yarn w/ Aaron Burdett Band (Americana), 9pm

BoileR Room 1st annual U-R-Who-U-R Ball, 7pm

sanctuaRy BReWing company Chris Wilhelm (folk, indie, singer-songwriter), 7pm

cataWBa BReWing south slope Letters to Abigail (folk, rock), 6pm

scandals nightcluB PechaKucha night, 7pm DJ dance party & drag show, 10pm

classic WineselleR Joe Cruz (covers, piano), 7pm

scully’s DJ, 10pm

Sun • January 24

coRK & Keg Buddy Davis & The Session Players (honky-tonk, country), 8:30pm cRoW & Quill Young Pine, Erico Russo & Darien Crossley (singer, songwriter), 9pm

Reggae Sunday ft.

southeRn appalachian BReWeRy Petty Cash Band (classic rock, Americana), 8pm

Dennis “Chalwa” Berndt

tallgaRy’s at FouR college Fine Line (classic rock), 9:30pm

Tue • January 26

the BlocK oFF BiltmoRe The Kavalactones w/ Charlie Rauh & Caleb Beissert (“experimental drip noise”), 8pm

elaine’s dueling piano BaR Dueling Pianos, 9pm

the dugout Marcel Anton (boogie-woogie), 9:30pm

FRench BRoad BReWeRy Bob Burnette (indie, alternative), 6pm

the millRoom Sick of Stupid Comedy tour w/ Cliff Cash, Tom Simmons & Stewart Huff (comedy), 8pm

good stuFF Bull Moose Party (bluegrass, country), 7:30pm Pleasure Chest (blues, rock ’n’ roll, soul), 9pm

the social Steve Moseley (acoustic), 6pm

gRey eagle music hall & taveRn 7th annual Django Reinhardt’s Birthday Party w/ Howard Alden & more (Gypsy-jazz), 6:30pm

@ 1pm

Team Trivia w/ Dr. Brown @ 6pm

the social lounge DJ Kyuri on vinyl (funk, soul, disco), 10pm tigeR mountain Dark dance rituals w/ DJ Cliffypoo, 10pm

JACK OF THE

WOOD PUB

#1 Pub Grub #2 Bar for Live Music

FRI 1.22

SAT 1.23

SIGMON STRINGERS

FRI 1.29 SAT 1.30

6PM $5

SOUTHBOUND TURNAROUND

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9PM $5

THROWING PLATES

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LAURA BLACKLEY AND THE WILDFLOWERS

9PM $5

RED HONEY W/ HEIDI HOLTON

DUBBED THE SECRET LOVE CHILD OF JOHNNY CASH & GRACE SLICK

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OPEN AT NOON DAILY

SATURDAY Parker & Smith (old-fashioned blues), 2-4pm SUNDAY Celtic Irish session 3-9pm MONDAY Quizzo! 7:30-9pm • WEDNESDAY Old-Time 5pm SINGER SONGWRITERS 1st & 3rd Tuesdays THURSDAY Scottie Parker (old-fashioned blues) 2-4pm, Bluegrass Jam 7pm

95 PATTON at COXE • Downtown Asheville

252.5445 • jackofthewood.com

January 20 - January 26

tWisted lauRel Live DJ, 11pm White hoRse BlacK mountain Cabaret Jazz w/ Pam Jones Trio, 8pm

WxyZ lounge at aloFt hotel Ben Hovey (soul-jazz-tronica), 8pm ZamBRa Zambra Jazz Trio, 8pm

BLUEGRASS

ONE MAN JUNK BLUES BAND

TUE 1.26

8PM

OUTLAW HONKYTONK

ONE MAN JUNK BLUES BAND

toWn pump Lilli Jean (singer-songwriter), 9pm

Wild Wing caFe south A Social Function (acoustic), 9:30pm

BRYAN MARSHALL & THE PAYDAY KNIGHTS A.J. GAITHER EARLY 6PM SHOW

timo’s house DJ Fame Douglas (dance, R&B, hip-hop), 9pm

mountainx.com

satuRday, januaRy 23 185 King stReet The Dangerous Gentlemen (50s blues, swing), 8pm 5 Walnut Wine BaR Resonant Rogues (Balkan, gypsy, old-time), 6pm The Big EZs (New Orleans soul, R&B), 9pm altamont theatRe Mark O’Connor Master Workshop (Appalachian, bluegrass, classic fiddle), 10:30am Fringe Festival presents: Ruts! The Oregon Trail Experience, 7pm Fringe Festival presents: Poetry Cabaret - Asheville Fringe Edition, 9pm asheville music hall An evening w/ The James Brown Dance Party (funk), 10pm athena’s cluB Michael Kelley Hunter (blues), 6:30pm DJ Shy Guy, 10pm Ben’s tune-up Gypsy Guitars (acoustic, Gypsy-jazz), 2pm Savannah Smith (southern soul), 8pm

douBle cRoWn Pitter Platter w/ DJ Big Smidge, 10pm

highland BReWing company Asheville Jazz Orchestra, 7pm isis RestauRant and music hall An evening w/ The Kennedys (folk, pop), 7pm Saturday night dance party w/ Jim Arrendell (classic Motown, soul), 9pm jacK oF the Wood puB Southbound Turnaround w/ A.J. Gaither (outlaw country, honky-tonk), 9pm jeRusalem gaRden Middle Eastern music & bellydancing, 7pm laZy diamond Sonic Satan Stew w/ DJ Alien Brain, 10pm lex 18 Michael John Jazz (classic jazz), 6:30pm loBsteR tRap Sean Mason Trio (jazz), 6:30pm maRKet place DJs (funk, R&B), 7pm odditoRium The Girly Girl Revue Audition Show (burlesque), 9pm oFF the Wagon Dueling pianos, 9pm olive oR tWist 42nd Street Band (big band jazz), 8pm Dance party (hip-hop, rap), 11pm one stop deli & BaR Unihorn w/ members of Empire Strikes Brass (brass), 10pm oRange peel Abbey Road Live! (Beatles tribute band), 12pm Donna The Buffalo w/ City Of The Sun (folk rock, country, zydeco), 9pm pacK’s taveRn Lyric (soul, funk, pop), 9pm pisgah BReWing company Phuncle Sam (Grateful Dead covers), 9pm puRple onion caFe Jay Brown (Americana, roots), 8pm Room ix Open dance night, 9pm

Dinner Menu till 10pm Late Night Menu till

sanctuaRy BReWing company Two Dollar Pistol (Americana, rock, acoustic), 7:30pm

Tues-Sun

5pm–12am

Full Bar

12am

scandals nightcluB DJ dance party & drag show, 10pm scully’s DJ, 10pm sol BaR neW mountain Earthtone & Junxtion Music Present Venture Nights (house), 8pm southeRn appalachian BReWeRy King Possum (folk, Americana), 8pm tallgaRy’s at FouR college A Social Function (rock, country), 9:30pm the admiRal Soul night w/ DJ Dr. Filth, 11pm the BlocK oFF BiltmoRe Midnight Willo & Sacral Crown (DJ, downtempo, electronic), 6pm the dugout Twist of Fate (rock), 9pm the social lounge Phantom Pantone (DJ), 10pm

North Carolina’s First Cider Bar Family Owned & Operated Seasonal, craft-made hard ciders and tasting-room delights from local farmers & artisans. Sunday Dollar Off Dips Monday $2 Off Flagship Growlers Tuesday Dollar Off Pints of Cider AND Beer Wednesday 1/2 Off Bottles of Wine

timo’s house Kri w/ Tonell, DJ Lamorte & Krista G (house, trance, DnB), 9pm toWn pump The Big Deal Band (bluegrass), 9pm tWisted lauRel Live DJ, 11pm White hoRse BlacK mountain AmiciMusic: Piano Trios, 3pm Akira Satake & Duncan Wickel (world music, jazz, Celtic), 8pm Wild Wing caFe Karaoke, 8pm WxyZ lounge at aloFt hotel Siamese Jazz Club (R&B, soul, funk), 8pm ZamBRa Zambra Jazz Trio, 8pm

sunday, januaRy 24 5 Walnut Wine BaR The Moon & You (cello folk/soul), 7pm 550 taveRn & gRille Fine Line (popular rock), 6pm Ben’s tune-up The All-Arounders (blues), 3pm Reggae night w/ Dub Kartel, 8pm Blue mountain piZZa & BReW puB Mark Bumgarner (Americana), 7pm ByWateR Cornmeal Waltz w/ Robert Greer (classic country, bluegrass), 6pm douBle cRoWn Killer Karaoke w/ KJ Tim O, 9pm gRey eagle music hall & taveRn Larry Campbell & Teresa Williams w/ Peter Mulvey (Americana, rock ’n’ roll, gospel), 8pm isis RestauRant and music hall Sunday Classical Brunch, 11am Amicimusic presents Transcendent Trios (classical), 6pm Sunday Jazz showcase, 7:30pm

COMING SOON WED 1/20

7:00 PM – JEFF BLACK

THU 1/21

5PM-9PM – ALL YOU CAN EAT SNOW CRAB LEGS 7:00 PM – MOUNTAIN SPIRIT & ISIS PRESENT: SONGWRITERS’ SHOWCASE w/ RISSI PALMER

AND BRITTANY ANN TRANBAUGH AND STEVEN PELLAND FRI 1/22 – 7:00 PM AN EVENING WITH SARAH CLANTON

2016

Wellness Issues

9:00 PM – FREE FOR ALL FRIDAY!

210 Haywood Road, West Asheville, NC 28806

(828)744-5151

www.urbanorchardcider.com

THE HERMIT KINGS, BRAVE BABY SAT 1/23 7:00 PM – AN EVENING WITH THE KENNEDYS 9:00 PM – SATURDAY NIGHT DANCE PARTY

W/ JIM ARRENDELL SUN 1/24 6:00 PM – CLASSICAL DINNER & A CONCERT: AMICIMUSIC PRESENTS “TRANSCENDENT TRIOS” 7:30 PM – THE ROOTS OF JAZZ: FEAT RHODA WEAVER,

ROCKWELL SCOTT, BILL BARES

WED 1/27 7:00 PM – AN EVENING WITH TJ GEORGE 8:30 PM – SIDEWALK CHALK:

AN EVENING OF FUNK, HIP HIP, SOUL, JAZZ THU 1/28

5PM-7PM – ALL YOU CAN EAT SNOW CRAB LEG CLUSTERS

7:00 PM – AN EVENING WITH LOS ABROJITOS 9:00 PM – THE CIRCLE OF THE SONG FEAT. ED JURDI (BAND OF HEATHENS), SETH WALKER & EDWARD DAVID ANDERSON

Jan. 27th & Feb. 3rd Contact us today! 828-251-1333 advertise@mountainx.com

TAVERN DOWNTOWN ON THE PARK Eclectic Menu • Over 30 Taps • Patio 13 TV’s • Sports Room • 110” Projector Event Space • Shufﬂeboard Open 7 Days 11am - Late Night

13 TV’S, Football, Burgers, Pizza, an d Beer! THU. 1/21 Jason Whitaker

(BACKYARD TIRE FIRE)

(acoustic rock)

FRI 1/29 – 7:00 PM AN EVENING WITH AMY SPEACE 9:00 PM – FREE FOR ALL FRIDAY!

FRI. 1/22 DJ MoTo

Every Tuesday

7:30pm–midnite

BLUEGRASS SESSIONS

Every Sunday

6pm–11pm

JAZZ SHOWCASE

(pop, dance hits)

SAT. 1/23 Lyric

(soul, funk, pop)

jacK oF the Wood puB Irish session, 5pm laZy diamond Tiki Night w/ DJ Lance (Hawaiian, surf, exotica), 10pm loBsteR tRap Hot Club of Asheville (swing ’n’ grass), 6:30pm

743 HAYWOOD RD 828-575-2737 ISISASHEVILLE.COM mountainx.com

20 S. SPRUCE ST. • 225.6944 PACKSTAVERN.COM January 20 - January 26, 2016

cl u B l a n d odditoRium Big Eyes & True Sportsmanship (punk), 9pm

DJ dance party & drag show, 10pm southeRn appalachian BReWeRy Hip Bones Two Bass Hits (jazz, fusion), 5pm

oFF the Wagon Piano show, 9pm one stop deli & BaR Bluegrass brunch w/ Woody Wood, 11am Sundays w/ Bill & Friends (Grateful Dead tribute, acoustic), 5pm

Featuring 46 BEERS ON TAP 6 Sour Beers at all Times

tallgaRy’s at FouR college Jason Brazzel (acoustic), 6pm the BlocK oFF BiltmoRe Bernie Bash & Brews (open jam), 2pm

oRange peel Waltz night, 6pm

the mothlight Bully w/ Palehound (indie rock), 9:30pm

pisgah BReWing company Sunday Travers Jam (open jam), 4pm

the omni gRove paRK inn Lou Mowad (classical guitar), 10am Bob Zullo (pop, rock, blues), 7pm

scandals nightcluB

the social Get Vocal Karaoke, 9:30pm

FEATURING

the social lounge DJ Kyusi on vinyl (old school trip-hop, deep house, acid jazz), 8pm

Jan 21 - Hawaiian Night featuring Avery Liliko’i Kepolo. Wear your Hawaiian Gear!

the southeRn Yacht Rock Brunch w/ DJ Kipper, 12pm timo’s house Bring Your Own Vinyl (open decks), 8pm Dance Party w/ DJ Franco Nino, 9pm

Jan 28- Fox Hill Meadery Pint Night

toWn pump Elspeth Tremblay (singer/songwriter), 9pm

$4 Mimosa Sundays!

sUN

1/23 1/24

6PM doors

800 Haywood Road P o u r Ta p R o o m . c o m Monday - Thursday 12-11pm • Friday & Saturday 12-1am • Sunday 12-11pm

7PM doors

sAT

On Tap!

Wedge BReWing co. Vollie McKenzie & Hank Bones (acoustic jazz-swing), 6pm

monday, januaRy 25 185 King stReet Open mic night, 7pm 5 Walnut Wine BaR Siamese Jazz Club (soul, R&B, jazz), 8pm altamont BReWing company Old-time jam w/ Mitch McConnell, 6:30pm

ByWateR Open mic w/ Rick Cooper, 8pm

w/ the melons, abominable creature

free!

1/26 tue harvey leisure's interstellar

installation! wnc string ensemble

w/villages, naanviolence, aloonaluna

1/27

wed

1/28 thu

the moon & you

January 20 - January 26

1/30

cReeKside taphouse Trivia, 7pm douBle cRoWn Country Karaoke, 10pm good stuFF Open mic w/ Laura Thurston, 7pm gRey eagle music hall & taveRn Contra dance (lessons, 7:30pm), 8pm jacK oF the Wood puB Quizzo, 7pm lexington ave BReWeRy (laB) Kipper’s “Totally Rad” Trivia night, 8pm loBsteR tRap Bobby Miller & Friends (bluegrass), 6:30pm o.henRy’s/the undeRgRound Geeks Who Drink trivia, 7pm

w/ j.w. teller

odditoRium The Go Devils & Sammy Guns (rockabilly, country), 9pm

dylan leblanc

olive oR tWist 2 Breeze Band (Motown), 6pm

w/ wayne robbins

1/29 fri frank fest! hotline w/

library of babel, mount mitchell, def option

7PM doors

1/24 sun bully w/ palehound

1/29

8PM doors

phil cook and the guitarheels w/ the dead tongues

FrI

1/21 thu

1/25 mon kingdoms & classes

Read local.

couRtyaRd galleRy Open mic (music, poetry, comedy, etc.), 8pm

1/20 wed asheville tango orchestra

sAT

Eat local. Buy local.

Ben’s tune-up Eleanor Underhill (acoustic), 5pm

mountainx.com

one WoRld BReWing Beats & Brews w/ DJ Whistleblower, 8pm osKaR Blues BReWeRy Mountain Music Mondays (open jam), 6pm soveReign Remedies

Stevie Lee Combs (acoustic), 8pm the mothlight Kingdoms & Classes w/ The Melons & Abdominable Creature (rock, jazz, blues), 8:30pm the omni gRove paRK inn Bob Zullo (pop, rock, blues), 7pm the valley music & cooKhouse Monday Pickin’ Parlour (open jam, open mic), 8pm tigeR mountain Service industry night (rock ’n’ roll), 9pm timo’s house Movie night, 7pm

cReeKside taphouse Old School Low Down Blues Tues. w/ Matt Walsh, 6pm cRoW & Quill Chinquapin Duo (folk, old-time), 9pm douBle cRoWn Honky-Tonk, Cajun, and Western w/ DJ Brody Hunt, 10pm good stuFF Old time-y night, 6:30pm gRey eagle music hall & taveRn Scott H. Biram w/ Strahan & The Good Neighbors (country, punk, blues), 8:30pm iRon hoRse station Open mic, 6pm

uRBan oRchaRd Old-time music, 7pm

sanctuaRy BReWing company Team trivia & tacos, 7pm tallgaRy’s at FouR college Jam night, 9pm the joint next dooR Open mic w/ Laura Thurston, 7pm the mothlight Harvey Leisure’s Interstellar Installation w/ WNC String Ensemble, Villages, Naan Violence & Aloonaluna, 9pm the social lounge Phantom Pantone (DJ), 10pm tigeR mountain GIVERS (indie, pop, worldbeat), 8pm

tRessa’s doWntoWn jaZZ and Blues Funk & jazz jam w/ Pauly Juhl, 8:30pm tWisted lauRel Tuesday night blues dance w/ The Remedy (lesson @ 8), 8pm uRBan oRchaRd Billy Litz (Americana, singer-songwriter), 7pm White hoRse BlacK mountain Irish sessions & open mic, 6:30pm Wild Wing caFe south Tuesday bluegrass, 6pm Trivia w/ Kelilyn, 8:30pm

isis RestauRant and music hall Tuesday bluegrass sessions, 7:30pm

tuesday, januaRy 26

jacK oF the Wood puB Throwing Plates (roots, folk rock), 9pm

5 Walnut Wine BaR The John Henrys (hot jazz), 8pm

laZy diamond 50s & 60s Country and Blues w/ DJ Big Smidge, 10pm

altamont BReWing company Open mic w/ Chris O’Neill, 8:30pm

lex 18 Bob Strain & Bill Fouty (romantic jazz), 7pm

asheville music hall Tuesday Night Funk Jam, 11pm BacK yaRd BaR Open mic & jam w/ Robert Swain, 8pm Ben’s tune-up Gypsy Swingers (swingjazz, swingblues), 7pm BlacK BeaR coFFee co. Round Robin acoustic open mic, 7pm BlacK mountain ale house Trivia, 7pm

loBsteR tRap Jay Brown (acoustic-folk, singer-songwriter), 6:30pm maRKet place The Rat Alley Cats (jazz, Latin, swing), 7pm odditoRium Year of the Vulture, Unihabitable & Swamp Rot (punk), 9pm oFF the Wagon Rock ’n’ roll bingo, 8pm

Blue mountain piZZa & BReW puB Mark Bumgarner (Americana), 7pm BuFFalo nicKel Trivia, 7pm

one stop deli & BaR Turntable Tuesdays (DJs & vinyl), 10pm

cataWBa BReWing south slope Reverend Finster (R.E.M. covers), 6:30pm

one WoRld BReWing OWB Trivia w/ Zak, 7pm

coRK & Keg Honky Tonk Jamboree w/ Tom Pittman, 6:30pm

oRange peel Reel Big Fish w/ Suburban Legends & The Maxies (ska, punk, alternative), 8pm

1.21

9PM SHOW

1.22

9PM SHOW

SATURDAY

1.23

8PM SHOW

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Open 7 days

Sun-Thur 8am-midnight Fri-Sat 8am-3am

828.684.8250

2334 Hendersonville Rd

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

olive oR tWist Tuesday night blues dance w/ The Remedy (blues, dance), 8pm

Join Our LOYALTY PROGRAM for discounts & FREE offers! Text BED to 51660

Jan-Feb 2016

SATURDAY

SOL BAR

MISTER F

+ THE MCLOVINS BLUE RIDGE TAP ROOM

BLUE WHEEL DRIVE + BEN PHAN THEATER

BASS 4 BERNIE

feat. ELECTROCHEMICAL + XERO GOD BLUE RIDGE TAP ROOM

1.23

DUST AND ASHES

FRIDAY

THE CONGRESS

9PM SHOW

THEATER

9PM SHOW

1.29

+ TRAVERS BROTHERSHIP

SATURDAY

THEATER

9PM SHOW

1.30

PHUNCLE SAM

FRIDAY

THEATER

2.5

CHILL HARRIS

SATURDAY

THEATER

9PM SHOW

2.6

7PM SHOW

+ RA

VANESSA CARLTON + SKYE STEELE

Coming Up:

EVERY MONDAY - $3 EVERYTHING AT SOL BAR EVERY FRIDAY - SOL VIBES ELECTRONIC SHOWCASE AT SOL BAR FRI - 2.12: MARCUS KING BAND + DEAD 27s SAT - 2.13: TREEHOUSE! + ROOTS OF A REBELLION THU - 3.10:

THRIFTWORKS + LIVE ANIMALS

(S. Asheville/Arden)

bedtymestories.com

mountainx.com

January 20 - January 26, 2016

movies

CranKY HanKe reVieWs & listings BY KEN HANKE, JUSTIN SOUTHER & SCOTT DOUGLAS

HHHHH =

C O N TA C T AT P R E S S M O V I E S @ A O L . C O M

M A X R AT I N G

PicK OF the weeK

Michael (voiced by David Thewlis) and Lisa (voiced by Jennifer Jason Leigh) star in Charlie Kaufman’s existentialist drama, Anomalisa, a stop-frame animated film — and a very different, very worthwhile, very adult use of animation.

Anomalisa HHHHS director: Charlie Kaufman (Synecdoche, New York) & Duke Johnson players: (Voices) David Thewlis, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tom Noonan existential animated drama Rated R tHe story: A customer-service guru on a business trip meets a timid yet alluring woman in his hotel. tHe lowdown: Simple in many ways (at least as far as plot goes) but deep and resounding in its examination of the search for human connection.

January 20 - January 26

As a follow up to 2008’s Synecdoche. New York, director Charlie Kaufman’s Anomalisa can seem a bit disappointing. I’m not sure this is totally the fault of Anomalisa, since Synecdoche is one of the great films of the last decade (sometimes I think of all time, but that’s a long list): Synecdoche is complex, layered and constantly folding over on itself, a wholly ambitious film that works on every single level. Topping it would be nearly impossible and, in some ways Kaufman, along with co-director Duke Johnson, aren’t really trying to. What they’ve created is an incredibly simple movie,

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something that’s almost the opposite of Synecdoche, with only a handful of characters and a plot that’s simple and unfussy. Based on Kaufman’s play of the same name, it’s a deep and resounding examination of the search for human connection. The film’s stop-motion animation adds distinct visual style to a story that can feel bare at times. The film is about Michael (voiced by David Thewlis), an author, public speaker and customer-service guru (not to mention married man) who — while on a business trip — meets Lisa (voiced by Jennifer Jason Leigh), a quiet, awkward and slightly disfigured woman who’s a fan of Michael’s books. Michael quickly finds himself charmed by and deeply attracted to this quiet woman, though the root of his desires — a profound sense of

loneliness and a desperate need for human connection — render his feeling toward Lisa insincere, something neither of them seems to want to admit, or possibly realize. That’s basically it. It’s pretty straightforward. Other than one dream sequence, an antique Japanese sex doll and the fact that the rest of the characters are voiced by the same person (Tom Noonan), there’s nothing terribly strange or noteworthy in the film, at least when you consider Kaufman’s pedigree. There is also a lot of buildup to Anomalisa’s main point, and once it’s made, there’s very little else left. But there is something innately — and perhaps uncomfortably — human in Kaufman and Johnson’s little puppets and their need just to find solace in others, even if it means humiliation in the process.

This notion is perhaps the most fascinating part of Anomalisa — although not simply within the context of film, but because of where the idea fits in Kaufman’s filmography, specifically in relation to Synecdoche. That film was about theater director Caden Cotard (Philip Seymour Hoffman) attempting to find brutal truth in the mundane (“None of these people are an extra. They’re all the leads of their own story,” he says at one point while considering the world at large) — a perfectly apt sentiment for Kaufman’s latest offering. Anomalisa could be one of Cotard’s plays within a play within a play of everyday life, literally in miniature, as depicted by Kaufman and Johnson’s puppets. What’s more, there’s a scene in Synecdoche when a minister — in the middle of a long monologue — comments, “And so you spend your time in vague regret or vaguer hope that something good will come along. Something to make you feel connected, something to make you feel whole, something to make you feel loved” — which sums up Anomalisa perfectly. Viewed in this light, as an appendage to Synecdoche, the film becomes a bit more fascinating than its quiet, ribald facade suggests. Rated R for strong sexual content, graphic nudity and language. Starts Friday at Fine Arts Theatre. reviewed by Justin Souther jsouther@mountainx.com

13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi H Director: Michael Bay Players: John Krasinski, James

Badge Dale, Pablo Schreiber, David Denman, Dominic Fumusa, Max Martini, David Costabile Fact-based Action Rated R The Story: The supposedly true story of the attack on the embassy in Beghazi. The Lowdown: Michael Bay blows up stuff, unleashes massive firepower and concludes not much of anything in this jingoistic mess of a movie. When a movie starts with the words “This is a true story,” your skepticismometer ought to kick in to overdrive. Michael Bay’s 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi is most assuredly no exception. The film does its damnedest to be nonpolitical by mentioning Obama just once (and only as “the POTUS”) and Hillary not at all — something being roundly ignored by reddest of the red state-minded, of course. It is, however, clearly designed to instill maximum armchair-warrior outrage with a minimum of thought. Well, it’s a Michael Bay movie, so this is no big surprise. Anyone who slogged through his Pearl Harbor (2001) knows the drill by now — right down to the bomb point-of-view shot. A lot of bang for a lot of bucks with a broad, highly colored, audience-pandering account of history and not a scintilla of nuance. Nuance is unknown to Bay, whose idea of characters is pure cardboard and whose sense of humor seems to begin and end with animals having sex. Remember the rats who would copulate on cue in 2003’s Bad Boys II? Their equivalent can be found here — twice. I am unclear as to whether he finds running over dead bodies funny or just cool, but that is also recycled from Bad Boys II. What we get here is a mind- (and butt-) numbing 144 minutes of Michael Bayhem — interspersed with appallingly clunky stabs at heart-string tugging and dime-store jingoism. The movie takes 45 minutes to get to the actual story that, according to the film, took 13 hours. Bay makes it feel like no more than four or five hours, thanks to the almost constant barrage of shooting and explosions. The only relief we get from this comes in the form of flashbacks to the family back in the U.S. or pseudo-deep conversations among the six mostly interchangeable “secret soldiers.” All such scenes are underscored with the same dreary “emotive chords.” It scarcely qualifies as music, just as a set of sounds to tell the viewer what to feel. It is a film filled with noise and firepower and shameless bombast. It’s

The Green Berets (1968) for the 21st century, which is to say that letters from home have been replaced by Skyping with the family. The other, somewhat puzzling, change is that these soldiers (who are actually paid contractors and not U.S. troops) are presented as almost completely at sea regarding what they’re doing in Libya in the first place. Is it money? Is it an addiction to warfare? (That might have made for an interesting take, despite the fact that The Hurt Locker got there back in 2008.) Unfortunately, John Wayne’s not there to tell some appealing little Libyan boy, “You’re what this war’s all about.” But there’s not exactly a war. And, goodness knows, there are no appealing little Libyan boys in 13 Hours. Since the film tries to be strictly apolitical, it opts to take a vague stance against any and all thumb-twiddling, pencil-pushing bureaucrats who keep these soldiers from rushing in. He’s embodied here by the head of the local CIA (their boss) and is merely named “Bob” in the film, strongly suggesting that the character played by David Costabile is constructed specifically for the film in order to provide someone to order them to “stand down.” (Since there has been no evidence that they were ever told to do this, it’s clearly the safest approach — just ask any legal department.) In the end, this is just another bad Michael Bay movie. You get a handful of well-executed action scenes, even more incomprehensible ones where it’s impossible to tell who is doing what to whom (or even who is who) and about a dime’s worth of dialogue. (Our heroes call each other “bro” — a lot.) I freely concede that the scene where the embassy compound is set on fire is brilliantly executed and nightmarish but struck me as empty posturing in the service of blowing “stuff up real neat.” Its apparent target audience will undoubtedly disagree with this assessment and insist on viewing the movie as a political game changer, but before enumerating unborn poultry they might also note that 13 Hours is coming in fourth at the box office, and it’s a long, long way from so much as breaking even. Rated R for strong combat violence throughout, bloody images and language. Playing at Carmike 10, Carolina Cinemas, Epic of Hendersonville, Regal Biltmore Grande. reviewed by Ken Hanke khanke@mountainx.com

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T HEATER LISTINGS Friday, january 22 Thursday, january 28 Due to possible scheduling changes, moviegoers may want to confirm showtimes with theaters.

Asheville Pizza & Brewing Co. (254-1281) Bridge of Spies (PG-13) 7:00 Hotel Transylvania 2 (PG) 1:00, 4:00 Krampus (PG-13) 10:00

Carmike Cinema 10 (298-4452) Carolina Cinemas (274-9500) Owing to the Monday holiday, showtimes are not available at presstime The 5th Wave (PG-13) 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi (R) The Big Short (R) The Boy (PG-13) Bridge of Spies (PG-13) Brooklyn (PG-13) Carol (R) Daddy's Home (PG-13) Dirty Grandpa (R) The Hateful Eight (R) Norm of the North (PG) The Revenant (R) Ride Along 2 (PG-13) Room (R) Spotlight (R)

Co-ed Cinema Brevard (883-2200) The Revanent (R) 12:30, 4:00, 7:30

Epic of Hendersonville (6931146) Fine Arts Theatre (232-1536) Anomalisa (R) 1:00, 4:00, 7:00, Late Show Fri-Sat 9:00 Carol (R) 1:20, 7:20 Trumbo (R) 4:20, Late Show Fri-Sat 9:50

Flatrock Cinema (697-2463) Spotlight (R) 3:30, 7:00 (Closed Monday)

Regal Biltmore Grande Stadium 15 (684-1298) United

Artists

Beaucatcher

(298-1234) January 20 - January 26, 2016

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Norm of the North S

players: (Voices of) Rob Schneider, Heather Graham, Ken Jeong, Bill Nighy, Colm Meaney animated family “comedy” Rated PG tHe story: An oddball polar bear sets out to save his Arctic home from gentrification. tHe lowdown: Low-end computer animation showcases an even lower quality script that inexplicably conflates tourism with climate change, offering an even more incomprehensible solution: social media and impromptu dance parties.

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January 20 - January 26

Short of embracing nihilism, it’s difficult to comprehend why Norm of the North exists. I saw this film in an empty theater, at least until a beleaguered couple stumbled in 20 minutes late with their two young daughters. These children are significant because the infant alternated between dozing and wailing loudly, and the elder actually made a pretty legitimate escape attempt before her mother caught on to her absence. To say that I sympathized deeply with these two children should give you some indication of my opinion of Norm of the North — I wanted to sleep, I wanted to cry and ultimately I just wanted to leave. When the highlights of a of film’s E-list cast are Rob Schneider and Heather Graham, it could easily be assumed that said film would never be graced with a wide theatrical release. Even for the cinematic wasteland that is January, Norm should never have been seen beyond the greasy, Cheeto stained iPads of bored second-graders struggling through a long car ride. That Bill Nighy is featured as a seagull therapist in approximately two scenes of this film is all the evidence I need to know that someone, somewhere, has some pretty compelling dirt on him and was therefore able to extort from him a day’s work in a recording booth. Ken Jeong, as a former

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medical doctor, clearly violates his Hippocratic Oath with his cringeinducing turn as the film’s ponytailed villain, as his persistent hamming harmed not only my sanity for 90 minutes, but my faith in humanity for some time after. What drew these actors to this project? I may never know, but I can state with confidence that it could not have been the script. For some inexplicable reason, Norm tells the story of a polar bear with an affinity for the human world, who is nevertheless concerned enough by the prospect of wealthy New Yorkers building pre-fab homes in his Arctic domain that he hitches a ride to the big city to put a stop to their scheme. Now, this set-up doesn’t make much sense even for a kid’s movie, but it gets lazier from there. Every cliche that has come to dominate lesser children’s fare is present, from an army of highly marketable nonverbal sidekicks (lemmings in this case, because why not) to a profusion of bathroom humor of all varieties. But easily the most baffling aspect of this script is its aspiration toward social consciousness. A tenuous connection is made between the arrival of the gentrifying homes and climate change, but this connection is never even cursorily developed. Jeong’s villain is named Greene, making his company Greene Homes, meaning that the ostensible adversary to the ice caps is directly associated with an environmentally sensitive housing movement. This was a confusing choice to my adult mind, so I can only imagine the perplexity it must cause among the film’s intended audience. The only aspect of Norm more offensive than its inane and convoluted plot is its low-rent computer animation, the quality of which would have been unacceptable 10 years ago. The film’s depiction of New York looks like something out of a German Expressionist film, with bizarrely angled buildings defying all laws of physics and a distinct lack of spatial reasoning leading to a subtle sense of dread and disquiet in the viewer. During impromptu dance parties shoehorned into the plot in order to promote whatever popular songs the producers thought might appeal to the film’s target demographic, Schneider’s Norm alternates between motions so slight that you can almost see the underfunded animators napping at their workstation and violent seizures that would imply these same animators were actively trying to frighten the audience. In the words

of a fellow reviewer, this film is visually “ugly.” Despite all its shortcomings, I can say unequivocally that Norm of the North is a film that exists. It was completed, and is available for public consumption. If all you require of a moviegoing experience is that you see something, anything, projected on a screen for an hour and a half, then Norm of the North might just be for you. All those with higher expectations should steer clear. Having now been victimized by a bear, Leonardo DiCaprio’s role in The Revenant has taken on a greater emotional resonance for me. I suspect that taking your children to that film might be less psychologically damaging than Norm of the North. Rated PG for mild rude humor and action. Playing at Carolina Cinemas, Epic of Hendersonville, Regal Biltmore Grande, UA Beaucatcher. RevieWed By scott douglas jsdouglas22@gmail.com

Film

Film at unca 251-6585, unca.edu • WE (1/20), 6pm - Tested, documentary. Free. Held in Alumni Hall in the Highsmith Union • FR (1/22), 8pm - Selma, film about the 1965 MLK march through Alabama. Free. Held in the Highsmith Union Grotto mechanical eye micRocinema mechanicaleyecinema.org • TH (1/21), 7pm - The Interior, an observational documentary about interior worlds. Free. Held at North Asheville Library, 1030 Merrimon Ave. puBlic events at WWc 298-3325, warren-wilson.edu • FR (1/22), 7pm - Film screening of Selma. Free. Held in the Canon Lounge.

m oVies

by Edwin Arnaudin

edwinarnaudin@gmail.com

screen scene 01/31/16

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high scoRe: The documentary Tested will be screened at UNCA’s Highsmith Union’s Alumni Hall. • British Invasion Week takes place Monday, Jan. 18, to Saturday, Jan. 23, featuring musical films at Asheville Brewing Co.’s Merrimon Avenue location. A Hard Days Night starts things off Jan. 18, followed by Gimme Shelter (Jan. 19), Tommy (Jan. 20) and Across the Universe (Jan. 21). Each film begins at 7 p.m. and admission is $3, or free with a wa,rm clothing item donation. ashevillebrewing.com • UNC Asheville hosts a screening of the documentary Tested Wednesday, Jan. 20, at 6 p.m. in Highsmith Union’s Alumni Hall. Director curtis chin will be in attendance to discuss his film about how the Specialized High Schools Admissions Test (SHSAT) is used to select students for admission in elite New York City public schools, including Stuyvesant, Bronx Science and Brooklyn Tech, and the impact of these methods on youths of differ-

ent racial backgrounds. ava duvernay’s Oscar-winning film Selma – a dramatization of the 1965 march through Alabama led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to demand voting rights – will be shown in Highsmith Union’s Grotto Friday, Jan. 22, at 8 p.m. Both events are free and open to the public. unca.edu • The Orange Peel presents a ski movie double feature Wednesday, Jan. 27. The evening begins at 6:30 with Pretty Faces, which celebrates women who thrive in the snow. It’s followed by Fade to Winter at 7:15 p.m., a look at 10 skiers who go to extreme lengths for their favorite sport in Alaska, Iceland, British Columbia, Japan, Colorado, Italy and New England. Tickets are $12 advance and $15 the day of the show. theorangepeel.net • Submissions are now being accepted for the 9th Annual Music

Video Asheville, a showcase that celebrates collaborations between Asheville musicians and filmmakers. In 2015, 65 local artists sent in videos for consideration, and 30 were selected for a public screening. For 2016, the best 90 minutes of videos will be picked for a viewing and awards ceremony at Diana Wortham Theatre Wednesday, April 13. Prizes include a free day of studio time at Echo Mountain Recording Studios and a $500 cash prize. musicvideoavl.com • After filming in Asheville, Marion and Old Fort, The Legacy of a Whitetail Deer Hunter shifted its production to Rosman the week of Jan. 4. The film is inspired by the life of Oklahoma outdoor television pioneer roger raglin, stars josh brolin and danny mcbride, and is directed by jody hill (Observe and Report). It is currently slated to open Dec. 25, 2017. X

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MOVIES

by Edwin Arnaudin

edwinarnaudin@gmail.com

STARTIN G FRIDAY

SPECIAL SCREENINGS

The 5th Wave A director you never heard of leads a decent cast through this apparently low-rent sci-fi thriller that Sony describes thus: “16-year-old Cassie Sullivan tries to survive in a world devastated by the waves of an alien invasion that has already decimated the population and knocked mankind back to the Stone Age.” (Remember, creating the Stone Age is cheap — like a trip to Bronson Canyon cheap.) Presumably star Chloë Grace Moretz is Cassie. Someone made the mistake of letting a few reviews get out. They are pretty brutal. (PG-13)

Devil and the Deep HHHH

Director: Marion Gering (Thirty Day Princess) Players: Tallulah Bankhead, Gary Cooper, Charles Laughton, Cary Grant EXOTIC DRAMA Rated NR A legacy from that brief period when Paramount was determined to make Tallulah Bankhead into a movie star (they gave up after this one), Marion Gering’s Devil and the Deep was also meant to introduce the movie world to Charles Laughton. Back in 1932, it wasn’t especially effective at either, but today it plays as deliciously overheated — even slightly demented — pop trash. The idea is that Diana Sturm (Bankhead) is unhappily married to the clearly psychotic submarine commander Charles Sturm (Laughton), who is insanely jealous of her for no good reason. Suspecting her involvement with a young officer (Cary Grant, no less), Sturm manages to destroy the innocent young man’s career. His jealousies do, however, send Diana running into the streets of the film’s North Africa setting and into the arms of yet another navy man, Lt. Sempter (Gary Cooper). Amidst soundstage exotica, they two make chaste love with impossibly awkward dialogue (“You look, to me, very lovely”), while Diana remains loyal to her husband, although, of course, she’s really smitten. Unfortunately, it also turns out that Sempter is the replacement for the ruined officer. It only gets worse — and how could it not with a crazed Laughton, a sultry Bankhead, a gorgeous Cooper and a submarine involved? All in that special luster that only classic-era Paramount could provide. The Asheville Film Society will screen Devil and the Deep Tuesday, Jan. 26, at 8 p.m. in Theater Six at The Carolina Asheville, hosted by Xpress movie critic Ken Hanke.

Goya’s Ghosts HHH

Anomalisa See Justin Souther’s review in “Cranky Hanke”

The Boy Four years ago, director William Brent Bell made January a little gloomier with the execrable The Devil Inside. Now he’s back with this peculiar sounding horror film: “a frightening thrill ride directed by William Brent Bell starring Lauren Cohan (TV’s The Walking Dead). Greta (Cohan) is a young American woman who takes a job as a nanny in a remote English village, only to discover that the family’s 8-year-old is a life-sized doll that the parents care for just like a real boy, as a way to cope with the death of their actual son, 20 years prior. After violating a list of strict rules, a series of disturbing and inexplicable events bring Greta’s worst nightmare to life, leading her to believe that the doll is actually alive.” Yeah, it actually sounds kind of interesting, but... (PG-13)

Last — and very possibly least — we have Dan Mazer’s Dirty Grandpa, an R-rated raunchy-com starring Robert De Niro as a libidinous, foul-mouthed old man and Zac Efron as the grandson saddled with taking care of him. The jokes just write themselves, don’t they? (R)

January 20 - January 26

Sisters HHHH

Director: Brian De Palma Players: Margot Kidder, Jennifer Salt, Charles Durning, Bill Finley, Lisle Wilson, Barnard Hughes HORROR THRILLER Rated R Sisters (1973) is by no means the first Brian De Palma film, though it might fairly be called the first De Palma film as we know them. The theme is, in part, voyeurism — so we’re right at home from the onset. The tone is set as much by Michael Powell’s Peeping Tom (1960) as it is by Hitchcock, which is a pretty heady mix. The most surprising thing about the film, however, is not that it looks forward to future De Palma, but that it has a distinct air of David-Cronenberg-to-come about it. The story concerns a young French Canadian actress (Margot Kidder), who was separated from her conjoined twin. Living in New York City (well, Staten Island), she is trying to start a new life away from her past and her creepy ex-husband (Bill — later William — Finney of Phantom of the Paradise fame). The problem is that she has mental issues and also (maybe) has an even more unbalanced and murderous twin. The situation becomes more dire when a local reporter (Jennifer Salt) happens to see the murderous twin in action from the window of her apartment. The Thursday Horror Picture Show will screen Sisters Thursday, Jan. 21, at 8 p.m. in Theater Six at The Carolina Asheville, hosted by Xpress movie critics Ken Hanke and Scott Douglas.

Walkabout HHHH

Dirty Grandpa

Director: Milos Forman Players: Javier Bardem, Natalie Portman, Stellan Skarsgård, Randy Quaid, Jose Luis Gomez, Michael Lonsdale FACT-BASED DRAMA Rated R Chances are you’ve never heard of this 2006 release. Then, it’s even money that you’ll look at the fact that it’s from Milos Forman, and that it stars Javier Bardem, Natalie Portman and Stellan Skarsgård, and wonder why you’ve never heard of Goya’s Ghosts. A couple of hours with the film will pretty thoroughly answer why. You may assume this is a movie about the painter Francisco Goya (Skarsgård), but it really isn’t. Goya is more an observer than an actual participant here, and the movie is no kind of biopic. Rather, what we have here is a largely unpleasant story about the Spanish Inquisition — and largely lacking any discernible point. There are fleeting elements of Ken Russell’s The Devils (1971) and Peter Brook’s Marat/ Sade (1967), but without the power or stylization of either one. Instead, this is a tawdry melodrama of a priest of the Inquisition (Bardem) becoming fixated on one of Goya’s models (Portman). Naturally, he uses his position to have her imprisoned (what a way to get women!) so he can have his way with her. There’s more — a good deal more — and it gets very melodramatic and grubby. I can’t say it isn’t well made, but I’m still trying to understand why it was made and for what possible audience. The Hendersonville Film Society will show Goya’s Ghosts Sunday, Jan. 24, at 2 p.m. in the Smoky Mountain Theater at Lake Pointe Landing Retirement Community (behind Epic Cinemas), 333 Thompson St., Hendersonville.

Director: Nicolas Roeg Players: Jenny Agutter, Luc Roeg, David Gulpilil, John Meillon, Robert McDarra DRAMA Rated PG Prior to Walkabout (1971), Nicolas Roeg had co-directed (with Donald Cammell) only one film, the astonishing Performance, so a good deal was riding on the cinematographer-turned-filmmaker’s second outing. Could Roeg pull off a solo film? Indeed, he could. In so doing, he established himself as a filmmaker with a unique, if not always completely penetrable, vision. Nowhere is this more evident than in Walkabout, where we’re given a story predicated on a father taking his children (Jenny Agutter and Luc Roeg) on a wilderness picnic — where he proceeds to try to shoot them before setting his car on fire and committing suicide. There are intimations from the onset that things are not as they should be, but that’s all — and the setup seems mostly designed to get us to the basic story of the children wandering through the Australian outback in the most disturbing manner possible. Classic World Cinema by Courtyard Gallery will present Walkabout Friday, Jan. 22, at 8 p.m. at Phil Mechanic Studios, 109 Roberts St., River Arts District (upstairs in the Railroad Library). Info: 828-273-3332, www.ashevillecourtyard.com

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maRketplace rea l e s tat e | r e n ta l s | r o o m m ates | serv ices | Job s | a n n ou n cements | m i nd, bo dy, spi r i t cl as s e s & w or k s hop s | m u s ic ia n s’ serv ices | pets | a u tomotiv e | x c hang e | adult Want to advertise in Marketplace? 828-251-1333 x111 tnavaille@mountainx.com • mountainx.com/classifieds If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Remember the Russian proverb: “Doveryai, no proveryai,” trust but verify. When answering classified ads, always err on the side of caution. Especially beware of any party asking you to give them financial or identification information. The Mountain Xpress cannot be responsible for ensuring that each advertising client is legitimate. Please report scams to ads@mountainx.com REAL ESTATE Real estate HOmES FOR SALE SPACEOUS LUXURY HOmE Prestigious Jewell Acres property - East Asheville Private and secluded yet convenient Owner pre-marketing for viewing on January 21 Over 4000 Square feet on 1.7 acres of partially wooded mountain with a small stream 4 bedroom, 3.5 bath, den, office, large pantry Wood burning fireplace, central air, large storage shed, oversize garage $454,900 828 337-0873 828 337-0873 sbrfast@bellsouth. net

Rentals COmmERCiAL/ BUSinESS REnTALS OFFICE • WAYNESVILLE DOWNTOWN 200 +/- sqft. $300/month. Utilities included. Public parking across street. (828) 216-6066. UNIQUE WAYNESVILLE DOWNTOWN SPACE Above Beverly-Hanks Realtors at 74 N Main. Impressive open 3rd floor of 4000+ sqft., high ceiling, wonderful natural light, separate HVAC, elevator from entrance on Wall St. Many uses: storage/office/showroom but ideal for loft apartment. Available soon, but view now to see if it fits your needs. Bill: 828-216-6066.

SHORT-TERm REnTALS 15 MINUTES TO ASHEVILLE Guest house, vacation/short term rental in beautiful country setting. • Complete with everything including cable and internet. • $150/day (2-day minimum), $650/week, $1500/ month. Weaverville area. • No pets please. (828) 658-9145. mhcinc58@yahoo.com

Roommates ROOmmATES ALL AREAS ROOmmATES. COm Lonely? Bored? Broke? Find the perfect roommate to complement your personality and lifestyle at Roommates. com! (AAN CAN)

employment GEnERAL GRAY LinE TROLLEY SEEKS CDL DRIVERS FOR 2016 SEASOn Tour Guide- CDL Drivers: If you are a "people person" you could be a great TOUR GUIDE! Seasonal FULLTIME and part-time available. Training provided. MUST have

a Commercial Driver's License (CDL). www.GrayLineAsheville.com; info@GrayLineAsheville.com; 828-251-8687 GRAY LinE TROLLEY SEEKS DiESEL mECHAniC Opening for experienced diesel mechanic; minimum 5 years verifiable experience; certifications a plus; must have own tools; part-time, possible fulltime. Jonathan@GrayLineAsheville.com; 828-251-8687; www.GrayLineAsheville.com JUST A QUiCK nOTE... ...to say thank you for your help from Mountain Xpress. I had a dozen calls about my ad and it is only Friday. I now know the best route is through your paper. I will definitely place another ad... Mountain Xpress is an excellent paper. Keep up the excellent work. Libby W. WAREHOUSE EMPLOYEE nEEDED Golden Needle Acupuncture, Herbal & Medical Supply is hiring a part time warehouse employee to join our team. Hours are Mon-Fri 1-5 pm with little flexibility. Duties include but are not limited to, pulling orders from the shelves, cleaning and cross training in all warehouse tasks. Must be comfortable in a warehouse environment performing a job that is very repetitive. We are looking for an individual that is hard working and able to work well with others as part of a team. Must be fast, efficient, organized and pay close attention to details. Knowledge of alternative medicine is a plus but not required. Send resumes with cover letter to kevin@goldenneedleonline.com

SALES/ mARKETinG BiLinGUAL SALES REPRESENTATIVE Asheville based international consulting firm is looking for a sales representative. The sales rep is responsible for connecting our employees located in South America with multinational businesses. The ideal candidate should be outgoing, highly motivated, and fluent in Spanish. We offer work flexibility, including the option to work from home. Job Requirements: Fluent in Spanish. Knowledgeable in Microsoft Office. Preferred business background. If interested, send resumes to: jessica.martin@basefirma.com www.basefirma.com

RESTAURAnT/ FOOD APOLLO FLAME • WAITSTAFF Full-time. Fast, friendly, fun atmosphere. • Experience required. • Must be 18 years old. • Apply in person between 2pm-4pm, 485 Hendersonville Road. 274-3582.

JOBS NEW YEAR! NEW OPPORTUniTY! Join the New Team in town! Char Bar 7 staffing new restaurant, all positions. • Apply in person: 2 Gerber Road in the Gerber Village Plaza.

HUMAN SERVICES AFL PROVIDERS SOUGHT –Asheville Area HomeCare Management Corporation is now seeking Alternative Family Living (AFL) to provide support to an individual(s) with Developmental Disabilities in their home, i.e. couple or single person with no children, in the Asheville area. For more information Call HomeCare Management Corporation 828-247-1700

AVAILABLE POSITIONS • MERIDIAN BEHAVIORAL HEALTH Haywood County Psychiatric Nurse - Assertive Community Treatment Team – (ACTT) Meridian Behavioral Health Services is seeking an RN, or LPN to join our Haywood/Buncombe County Assertive Community Treatment Team (ACTT) in the beautiful mountains of Western North Carolina. The ACTT nurse is responsible for conducting psychiatric assessments; assessing physical needs; making appropriate referrals to community physicians; providing management and administration of medication in conjunction with the psychiatrist; providing a range of treatment, rehabilitation and support services; and sharing shift-management responsibility with the ACTT Coordinator. Employee must have a valid driver's license without violations or restrictions, which could prevent completing all required job functions. Full or part-time applicants welcome. Haywood and Buncombe Counties Clinician, Team Leader Assertive Community Treatment Team – (ACTT) We are seeking a passionate, valuesdriven and dynamic professional to oversee our Assertive Community Treatment Team (ACTT), which primarily serves Haywood County. ACTT is an evidence-based, multi-disciplinary, community-based service which supports individuals with severe psychiatric disorders in remaining in the community and experiencing mental health recovery. We have a deep commitment to our ACTT services because, over the years, we have seen that is a service that truly makes a difference in the lives of the people that struggle the most with mental health challenges. Our ACTT staff have been known to describe the work as the “hardest job that you will ever love”. Come be part of our rural team and experience if

for yourself! Master’s Degree in Human Services required. Two years’ experience with adults with Mental Health, Substance Abuse or Development Disability required. Clinician – Assertive Community Treatment Team (ACTT) Seeking an energetic and passionate individual to join the Assertive Community Treatment Team (ACTT) in the beautiful mountains of Western North Carolina. Come experience the satisfaction of providing recovery-oriented services within the context of a strong team wraparound model serving Haywood and Buncombe counties. If you are not familiar with ACTT, this position will provide you with an opportunity to experience an enhanced service that really works! Must have a Master’s degree and be licensed/ license-eligible. Jackson County nurse – Assertive Community Treatment Team (ACTT) Seeking an RN, or LPN to join our Jackson County Assertive Community Treatment Team (ACTT) in the beautiful mountains of Western North Carolina. The ACTT nurse is responsible for conducting psychiatric assessments; assessing physical needs; making appropriate referrals to community physicians; providing management and administration of medication in conjunction with the psychiatrist; providing a range of treatment, rehabilitation and support services; and sharing shift-management responsibility with the ACTT Coordinator. Employee must have a valid driver's license without violations or restrictions, which could prevent completing all required job functions. Full or part time applicants welcome. Support Services Coordinator The responsibilities of this position include technical support for all support staff, conducting monthly on-site support/training with all support staff and quarterly support staff meetings. This individual will be directly responsible for supervising and assuring coverage in Jackson County and assist in orchestrating coverage for support staff agency wide when they use PTO or need emergency leave. Applicants must demonstrate strong verbal and written communication skills, have strong computer literacy skills and a minimum of two years supervisory experience. This position requires travel throughout all counties that Meridian serves. Clinician – Recovery Education Center (REC) Seeking passionate, values-driven and dynamic professional to join our Jackson County Recovery Education Center (REC). This program reflects a unique design which integrates educational, clinical and peer support components in a centerbased milieu. To be considered, an applicant should be familiar with the recovery

paradigm of mental health and substance abuse services. A Master’s degree and license eligibility are also required. Peer Support Specialist – Recovery Education Center (REC) Meridian is seeking a Peer Support Specialist to work in our Recovery Education Centers in Haywood and/ or Jackson County. Being a Peer Support Specialist provides an opportunity for individuals to transform their own personal lived experience with mental health and/or addiction challenges into a tool for inspiring hope for recovery in others. Applicants must demonstrate maturity in their own recovery process, have a valid driver’s license, reliable transportation and have moderate computer skills. Part-time work may be available. macon and Haywood Counties Employment Support Professional (ESP) Supported Employment The ESP functions as part of a team that implements employment services based on the SE-IPS model. The team’s goal is to support individuals who have had challenges with obtaining and/or maintaining employment in the past and to obtain and maintain competitive employment moving forward. The ESP is responsible for engaging clients and establishing trusting, collaborative relationships that result in the creation of completion of individualized employment goals. The ESP will support the client through the whole employment process and provide a variety of services at each state to support the individual in achieving their employment goals. Transylvania County Clinicians & Team Leader Child and Family Services Seeking licensed/associate licensed therapist for an exciting opportunity to serve youth and their families through individual and group therapy, working primarily out of the local schools. Certified medical Assistant (CmA) Graduate of an accredited Certified Medical Assistant program and CMA certification with AAMA or AMT required. Two years of related experience preferred, preferably in an outpatient medical office setting. Peer Support Specialist – Community Support Team (CST) Being a Peer Support Specialist provides an opportunity for individuals to transform their own personal lived experience with mental health and/or addiction challenges into a tool for inspiring hope for recovery in others. We currently have a vacancy for a Peer Support Specialist on our Community Support Team (CST), serving Transylvania County. CST is a communitybased mental health and substance abuse rehabilitation service, which provides support through a team approach to adults. Applicants must demonstrate maturity in their own recovery process, have a valid driver’s license, reliable transportation and have moderate computer skills. AGEnCY-WIDE Peer Support Specialist Peers Assisting in

Community Engagement (PACE) Being a Peer Support Specialist provides an opportunity for individuals to transform their own personal lived experience with mental health and/or addiction challenges into a tool for inspiring hope for recovery in others. Applicants must demonstrate maturity in their own recovery process, have a valid driver’s license, reliable transportation and have moderate computer skills. Clinician Peers Assisting in Community Engagement (PACE) Clinician will be providing ongoing therapy with individuals and clinical support to the peer support team. The position will involve travel and community-based work in multiple counties. A Master’s degree, license eligibility and experience are required. PACE provides structured and scheduled activities for adults age 18 and older with a diagnosis of Mental Health and Substance Use disorders. This could be a part time or full time position. For further information and to complete an application, visit our website: www.meridianbhs.org CHiLD mEnTAL HEALTH POSITIONS IN TRANSYLVANIA & HAYWOOD COUNTiES Jackson County Psychological Services (in partnership with Meridian Behavioral Health) Is currently recruiting for a Therapist and 2 QPs for an Intensive In-Home team in Transylvania County, as well as 1-2 QPs for our Intensive In-Home team in Haywood County. Intensive In-Home service is a team approach designed to address the identified needs of children and adolescents, who due to serious and chronic symptoms of an emotional/behavioral disorder, are unable to remain stable in the community without intensive interventions. QPs must have a Bachelor's degree in Human services with 2 years of full-time post degree experience with this population. Interested candidates please submit a resume and cover letter to telliot@jcpsmail.org COUnSELORS nEEDED BEHAVIORAL HEALTH GROUP provider of opioid addiction treatment services, needs mental health counselors. For qualifications and to apply, visit www.bhgrecovery.com. Or fax your resume to 214-365-6150 Attn: HRCNSLAS FULL-TimE LiCEnSED COUnSELOR In Home Team Lead to work with children and families in the community and home. Providing therapy to families in need. Competitive salary and benefits. Contact: tricia.hinshaw@rhanet.org FULL-TimE QUALiFiED PROFESSiOnAL Member of a community based team serving kids and families in Buncombe. Bachelors degree and 2 years experience required. Contact: tricia.hinshaw@ rhanet.org

mountainx.com mountainx.com

GOLDEN LIVING - CERTIFiED nURSinG ASSiSTAnT / CNA POSITION AVAILABLE, $1,000 SIGN ON BONUS OFFERED! Golden Living is looking for compassionate and experienced CNA's to join our team! We would love to speak with you about opportunities we have in our Living Center in Asheville. For a limited time we are offering a $1,000 sign on bonus for qualified candidates. To apply please go to jobs.goldenliving.com/Asheville-jobs.aspx or contact Alyson at 828-318-8388 for more information.

TEACHinG/ EDUCATiOn

GREAT OPPORTUniTY, GREAT PEOPLE, GREAT SUPPORT. Behavioral Health Group a leading provider of opioid addiction treatment services, is seeking Counselors & Nurses. For more information please call 214-365-6146 or fax your resume to 214-3656150 Attn: HR-CNSLASH

NAVITAT CANOPY ADVENTURES-HiRinG CAnOPY GUIDES FOR 2016 Seeking qualified candidates for the Canopy Guide position for the 2016 season. Learn more at www.navitat.com. Please send cover letter, resume and references to avlemployment@ navitat.com. No phone calls please.

INTERESTED IN WORKING AT A-B TECH? Full-Time, PartTime and Adjunct Positions available. Come help people achieve their dreams! Apply for open positions at https:// abtcc.peopleadmin.com

CAREGIVERS/ nAnnY

mOnTFORD HALL EXTEnDED CARE RESiDEnTIAL RECOVERY SCHOOL FOR TEEnAGE BOYS SEEKinG DiRECT CARE STAFF Montford Hall is seeking enthusiastic and motivated inaugural team members for our Direct Care Staff. Mentors/Counselors/Peer-Support Specialists. Clinical Director Nathan Lee Tate - ntate@ montfordhall.org - www. montfordhall.org - Cover Letter/CV/Resume

PROFESSiOnAL/ mAnAGEmEnT PROPERTY mAnAGER Position for the right person! Property Manager needed for multi-state regional property management company, located in Greensboro, N.C. Solid company with over 70 years of apartment management experience. Good pay and benefits package for career-minded individual. 2-5 years experience of managing multi-family properties would be a plus. This position requires managing multiple communities in western N.C. The right candidate will need to: • be willing to travel 3 to 4 days/week, plus overnight stays avg. 1-2 nights/month • be highly organized with excellent communication skills • have the ability to handle multiple projects • have supervisory experience • demonstrate a solid work history • have exceptional math and learning skills • computer proficient in Word and Excel • have a positive attitude. Fax resumes only to: 336-544-7723 or email to: bstevens@partnershippm.com • No phone calls please! Equal Opportunity Employer.

CAREGIVER NEEDED AT HEART AnD HEARTH Heart and Hearth Family Care Home needs a caregiver to work 3 days per week, 24 hr shifts. Duties include care of residents, cooking, cleaning, laundry, medication administration. $150/day 1stephenruggles@gmail.com heartandhearthforelders.com

BUSinESS OPPORTUniTiES PAID IN ADVANCE! Make $1000/week mailing brochures from home! No experience required. Helping home workers since 2001! Genuine opportunity. Start immediately! www.TheincomeHub.com (AAN CAN).

ARTS/mEDiA GRAPHiC ARTiST, DESiGnER & PHOTO EDiTOR Entry level creative artists with Photoshop experience. Full time fast paced, fun environment. Must be able to work independently and communicate with clients. 828-859-7415 karlw@purecountry.com www.funeralhomegifts.com

REPORTER, LiSTinGS/CALEnDAR ASSiSTAnT Writer, reporter, listings data-entry assistant, with social-media skills who writes quickly and enjoys a fast-paced newsgathering environment. Should know AP style and have extreme attention to detail; some editing experience a plus. Must have a keen interest in arts and food; interest in local business, news and culture a plus. Must have a knowledge of Asheville and WNC and be communityminded. Must enjoy repetitive

January2020- January - January26, 26,2016 2016 January

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FreewiLL astrOLOGY

ADVERTISE YOUR TAX SERVICES

- By RoB BReZny

aRies (march 21-april 19): The next four weeks could potentially be a Golden Age of Friendship . . . a State of Grace for Your Web of Connections . . . a Lucky Streak for Collaborative Efforts. What can you do to ensure that these cosmic tendencies will actually be fulfilled? Try this: Deepen and refine your approach to schmoozing. Figure out what favors would be most fun for you to bestow, and bestow them. Don't socialize aimlessly with random gadabouts, but rather gravitate toward people with whom you share high ideals and strong intentions.

involved aren't actually trying to make a baby, but their contraceptive measure fails or isn't used at all. According to my analysis, you heterosexual Libras are now more prone to this accidental experience than usual. And in general, Libras of every sexual preference must be careful and precise about what seeds they plant in the coming weeks. The new growth you instigate is likely to have far-reaching consequences. So don't let your choice be reckless or unconscious. Formulate clear intentions. What do you want to give your love to for a long time?

tauRus (april 20-may 20): On a clear day, if you stand at the summit of Costa Rica's Mount Irazú, you can see both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. It's not hard to get there. You can hop a tourist bus in the nearby city of San José, and be 11,200 feet high two hours later. This is a good model for your next assignment: Head off on a stress-free jaunt to a place that affords you a vast vista. If you can't literally do that, at least slip away to a fun sanctuary where you'll be inspired to think big thoughts about your long-range prospects. You need a break from everything that shrinks or numbs you.

scoRpio (oct. 23-nov. 21): I was a rock musician for years, which meant that I rarely went to bed before dawn. I used to brag that my work schedule was from 9 to 5 -- 9 p.m. to 5 a.m., that is. Even after I stopped performing regularly, I loved keeping those hours. It was exhilarating to be abuzz when everyone else was asleep. But two months ago, I began an experiment to transform my routine. Now I awake with the dawn. I spend the entire day consorting with the source of all life on earth, the sun. If you have been contemplating a comparable shift in your instinctual life, Scorpio -- any fundamental alteration in your relationship to food, drink, exercise, sleep, perception, laughter, love-making -- the next few weeks will be a favorable time to do it.

gemini (may 21-june 20): A filmmaker working on a major movie typically shoots no more than four pages of the script per day. A director for a TV show may shoot eight pages. But I suspect that the story of your life in the near future may barrel through the equivalent of 20 pages of script every 24 hours. The next chapter is especially action-packed. The plot twists and mood swings will be coming at a rapid clip. This doesn't have to be a problem as long as you are primed for high adventure. How? Take good care of your basic physical and emotional needs so you'll be in top shape to enjoy the boisterous ride. canceR (june 21-july 22): The city of Paris offers formal tours of its vast sewer system. Commenting at an online travel site, one tourist gave the experience five stars. "It's a great change of pace from museums full of art," she wrote. Another visitor said, "It's an interesting detour from the cultural overload that Paris can present." According to a third, "There is a slight smell but it isn't overpowering. It's a fascinating look at how Paris handles wastewater treatment and clean water supply." I bring this up, Cancerian, because now is a favorable time for you to take a break from bright, shiny pleasures and embark on a tour of your psyche's subterranean maze. Regard it not as a scary challenge, but as a fact-finding exploration. What strategies do you have in place to deal with the messy, broken, secret stuff in your life? Take an inventory. leo (july 23-aug. 22): "When I look at a sunset, I don't say, 'Soften the orange a little on the right hand corner, and put a bit more purple in the cloud color.'" Pioneering psychologist Carl Rogers was describing the way he observed the world. "I don't try to control a sunset," he continued. "I watch it with awe." He had a similar view about people. "One of the most satisfying experiences," he said, "is just fully to appreciate an individual in the same way I appreciate a sunset." Your assignment, Leo, is to try out Rogers' approach. Your emotional well-being will thrive as you refrain from trying to "improve" people -- as you see and enjoy them for who they are. viRgo (aug. 23-sept. 22): The future is headed your way in a big hurry. It may not be completely here for a few weeks, but even then it will have arrived ahead of schedule. Should you be alarmed? Should you work yourself into an agitated state and draw premature conclusions? Hell, no! Treat this sudden onrush of tomorrow as a bracing opportunity to be as creative as you dare. Cultivate a beginner's mind. Be alert for unexpected openings that you assumed would take longer to appear. liBRa (sept. 23-oct. 22): More than one-third of all pregnancies are unintended. The two people

January mountainx.com January 20 20 -- January January 26 26, 2016 mountainx.com

sagittaRius (nov. 22-dec. 21): You Sagittarians are often praised but also sometimes criticized for being such connoisseurs of spontaneity. Many of us admire your flair for unplanned adventure, even though we may flinch when you unleash it. You inspire us and also make us nervous as you respond to changing circumstances with unpremeditated creativity. I expect all these issues to be hot topics in the coming weeks. You are in a phase of your cycle when your improvisational flourishes will be in the spotlight. I, for one, promise to learn all I can from the interesting detours that result from your delight in experimentation. capRicoRn (dec. 22-jan. 19): Capricorn worldchanger Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested and sent to jail on 29 different occasions. His crimes? Drawing inspiration from his Christian faith, he employed nonviolent civil disobedience to secure basic civil rights for African Americans. He believed so fiercely in his righteous cause that he was willing to sacrifice his personal comfort again and again. The coming months will be a favorable time to devote yourself to a comparable goal, Capricorn. And now is a good time to intensify your commitment. I dare you to take a vow. aQuaRius (jan. 20-Feb. 18): The birds known as mound-builders are born more mature than other species. As soon as they peck themselves out of their eggs, they are well-coordinated, vigorous enough to hunt, and capable of flight. Right now I see a resemblance between them and many of you Aquarians. As soon as you hatch your new plans or projects -- which won't be long now -- you will be ready to operate at almost full strength. I bet there won't be false starts or rookie mistakes, nor will you need extensive rehearsal. Like the moundbuilders, you'll be primed for an early launch. pisces (Feb. 19-march 20): You are not purely and simply a Pisces, because although the sun was in that astrological sign when you were born, at least some of the other planets were in different signs. This fact is a good reminder that everything everywhere is a complex web of subtlety and nuance. It's delusional to think that anyone or anything can be neatly definable. Of course it's always important to keep this in mind, but it's even more crucial than usual for you to do so in the coming weeks. You are entering a phase when the best way to thrive is to know in your gut that life is always vaster, wilder, and more mysterious than it appears to be on the surface. If you revere the riddles, the riddles will be your sweet, strong allies.

listings-entry work. Duties include feature and blog writing, data entry, reporting and reviewing. Flexible availability to cover afterhours and weekend events is desired. 20-40 hours/week. Send cover letter, resume and clips/links to employment@mountainx.com

Career Training neW Year, neW airLine CareerS Get training as FAA certified Aviation Technician. Financial aid for qualified students. Career placement assistance. Call Aviation Institute of Maintenance: 800725-1563 (AAN CAN)

HoTeL/ HoSpiTaLiTY HoUSeKeeperS neeDeD Housekeepers/ Laundry workers needed for a hotel in downtown Asheville Must be able to work weekends, and have no criminal record. Email: kaylapatterson443@gmail.com

reTaiL BoUTiQUe Co-DireCTor Please email resume to debra@ porterandprince.com. www. porterandprince.com

SaLon/ Spa eXperienCeD Hair STYLiST aT FULL CirCLe SaLon Seeking an education-focused stylist to join our team of highly trained professionals. Established 1996. Downtown AVL, 34 Wall Street. Please email or stop by salon with résumé. 828-251-1722 fullcirclesalon@gmail.com fullcirclesalon.com eXperienCeD STYLiST Seeking professional stylists for booth rental or commission. Established in 2003. Free customer parking. All inquiries will be kept confidential. 783 Haywood Rd. West AVL 28806 beautyparadesalon.com terrabeautyparade@gmail. com

home improvement HanDY Man HIRE A HUSBAND • HANDYMan SerViCeS Since 1993. Multiple skill sets. Reliable, trustworthy, quality results. $1 million liability insurance. References and estimates available. Stephen Houpis, (828) 280-2254.

announcementS annoUnCeMenTS pregnanT? THinKing oF aDopTion? Talk with caring agency specializing in matching Birthmothers with Families Nationwide. Living Expenses Paid. Call 24/7 Abby’s One True Gift Adoptions. 866-413-6293. Void in Illinois/New Mexico/ Indiana (AAN CAN) pUBLiC noTiCe Community Action Opportunities is applying for the 2016-2017 Office of Economic Opportunities Community Service Block Grant for Buncombe County for $471,121 and Madison County for $49,388. The application is to assist low-income residents to become self-sufficient through intensive case management and support services which provide education and training opportunities, promote positive work ethic, and provide access to permanent employment, reliable transportation, adequate childcare, economic literacy and financial assistance. The Board of Directors Executive Committee will review the proposal on February 5, 2016 at 10:00 a.m. at Community Action Opportunities offices at 25 Gaston Street, Asheville, NC 28801. For any additional information, call 828.252.2495.

claSSeS & WorkShopS CLaSSeS & WorKSHopS

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ServiceS CoMpUTer aVaLon'S CYBer TeCH SerViCeS Wifi and Internet Issues • First Time Computer Setup • Computer Cleanup and Virus Removal • Building/Designing Custom PC's • Phone Repair • Evening Hours • Reasonable Rates avalonstechservices@ gmail.com

VegeTaBLeS 101: a CLaSS in VegeTaBLe appreCiaTion A weekly Vegetable class in the making; free of charge, full of interesting facts, recipes, and ideas. If you are interested in joining, please contact me at traceyjdesigns@gmail.com.

mind, Body, Spirit BoDYWorK

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LOCAL INDEPENDENT MASSAGE THERAPY CENTER OFFERING EXCELLENT BODYWORK 947 Haywood Road, West Asheville.(828) 5523003 ebbandflowavl@charter. net Highly skilled massage therapists.Customized sessions. Integrative, Deep Tissue, Hot Stone, Prenatal, Couples, Aromatherapy. Gift Certificates available.Complimentary tea lounge. Lovely relaxed atmosphere.$50/hour. Chair massage$1/minute. RELAXING AND INTUITIVE MASSAGE Beth Huntzinger, LMBT#10819 offers $50/hour massage in downtown on Saturday/weekdays. Swedish, focus-work, Hot Stones, Reiki Energy Healing. 7 years with Reiki. Find inner peace. 828279-7042. ashevillehealer.com

COUNSELING SERVICES

SPIRITUAL

CLOUD COTTAGE COMMUNITY OF MINDFUL LIVING: Mindfulness practice in the Plum Village tradition of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, 219 Old Toll Circle, Black Mountain. Freedom, Simplicity, Harmony. Weds. 6-7:30 PM; Sundays 8-9:00 AM, followed by tea/ book study. For additional offerings, see www.cloudcottage.org or call 828-669-6000.

FOR MUSICIANS MUSICAL SERVICES ASHEVILLE'S WHITEWATER RECORDING Mastering • Mixing • Recording. • CD/DVDs. (828) 684-8284 • www.whitewaterrecording.com PRIVATE PIANO LESSONS Learn how to play Piano or Guitar with a very experienced Instructor. Your home or my studio. Children or Adults. 8576157690 yana_sorokina@ yahoo.com

PETS LOST PETS A LOST OR FOUND PET? Free service. If you have lost or found a pet in WNC, post your listing here: www.lostpetswnc.org

PET SERVICES ASHEVILLE PET SITTERS Dependable, loving care while you're away. Reasonable rates. Call Sandy (828) 215-7232.

AUTOMOTIVE HYPNOSIS | EFT | NLP Michelle Payton, D.C.H., Author | 828-681-1728 | www.MichellePayton.com | Dr. Payton’s mind over matter solutions include: Hypnosis, Self-Hypnosis, Emotional Freedom Technique, Neuro-Linguistic Programming, Acupressure Hypnosis, Past Life Regression, Sensory-based Writing Coaching. Find Michelle’s books, audio and video, sessions and workshops on her website.

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ADULT ADULT

ACROSS 1 Xbox alternative 4 Salinger’s “For ___ — With Love and Squalor” 8 Assail with expletives 14 Elect (to) 15 Do perfectly 16 Off the ship 17 *Colorful North American waterfowl 19 Symbol of busyness 20 Rioter’s haul 21 *Fleet operator 22 *Class determinant in boxing 26 Gamboling spots 27 New Age Grammy winner 28 Aussie hoppers 29 “___ luck!” 30 New beginning? 31 Inner: Prefix 32 ___ bran 33 Part of a student’s address 34 Cul-de-sac … or what either part of the answer to each starred clue is? 36 Very loud, on a score 39 Law grads, briefly 40 “The stars” 41 Not 100%

42 What a back door may open to 45 Helluva party 46 Christmas ___ 47 Big brand of sports equipment 48 *Top on official stationery 50 *Observe closely 52 Entry on a sports schedule 53 “You’ve got that all wrong!” 54 *Swimmer with a prehensile tail 58 Is a bad winner 59 ___-Seltzer 60 Asset for a gunfighter 61 Kitt who sang “Santa Baby” 62 Central Park’s ___ Boathouse 63 Stores for G.I.s DOWN 1 Bowl over 2 Facebook had one in 2012, for short 3 “See?!” 4 Fund 5 Sweet white wine from Bordeaux 6 Input jack abbr. 7 Member of a fraternal group

edited by Will Shortz

No. 1216

8 Let a hack do the driving 9 ___-friendly 10 Food item often caramelized 11 Old political council 12 Concert venues 13 Mother ___ 18 1977 hit by 55-Down 21 Understanding sounds 22 Nota ___ 23 Linear, for short 24 It’s not much 25 Olive oil and nuts have this 29 Put on 31 Vortex in the sink 32 Ambitious and unscrupulous 35 Middle ___ 36 It can easily go up in flames 37 Pet pest 38 Took to the hills 39 Propellerless craft 42 Exact satisfaction for 43 New Orleans university 44 Property claim holder 45 Unit of sound named for an inventor 46 Van Gogh’s brother 48 Novelist Mario Vargas ___

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE

6 1 20

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January JANUARY2020- January - JANUARY26, 26,2016 2016

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