Mountain Xpress 02.15.17 by Mountain Xpress

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PAGE 24 OUR BARNS, OUR HISTORY The Rural Heritage Museum highlights the evolution of WNC barns — from Cherokee structures to those of European settlers to the impact of tobacco’s rise and fall. On the cover: Adam Reda and Taylor Barnhill during the 2014 restoration of a rare, centuryold, log, flue-cured tobacco barn in the Grapevine community. COVER PHOTO Jerry Staab, barn owner COVER DESIGN Scott Southwick

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In a letter [“Women’s Marches Lack Mature Focus,” Feb. 1, Xpress] Dr. Carl Mumpower states his opinion that the women recently marching in Asheville, Washington and other cities were not calling attention to unjust treatment but were, to use his word, “pouting.” These women, he says, are “members of the most blessed batch of liberated women in history.” That may well be true. But statistics show that women are denied the same opportunities as men to find employment in satisfying jobs that match their talents and to receive equal pay for equal work. Too, these “liberated” women are not safe from the indignity of “pussy-grabbing” by men who feel entitled to give themselves some real live sexy fun at women’s expense. The marchers wearing pussy hats — “vagina headgear,” Dr. Mumpower calls them — were referring to Donald Trump’s boasting on that subject. Dr. Mumpower claims the marching women were “hungry for an opportunity to discredit the president.” It seems to me that Mr. Trump does a great job of discrediting himself. Let’s think back to the centuries before the advent of “women’s liberation,” centuries when social and religious attitudes led men to believe it

was good to subjugate women. Those were the bad old times when a devastatingly high percentage of youngsters died before they were old enough to help carry on the human race. For the survival of our species, it was crucial that women be encouraged, cajoled, shamed, or forced into having a lot of pregnancies. Fecundity, not their personal development, was what was needed from women. Nowadays, the situation is quite different. Because modern sanitation and modern medicine permit a high percentage of youngsters to live into and beyond their reproductive years, our planet is burdened by more human beings than ever before. More and more of the planet’s resources are needed — in some cases, are burned — to give these people satisfying lives. For the survival of not only our species but every species, it is crucial that women all over the planet have fewer pregnancies. Social and religious attitudes everywhere should support the use of contraceptives. Women’s ideas and skills rather than their fertility should be praised. The indignity of women’s bodies being used as public sex toys should be universally regarded as shameful, not manly. Dr. Mumpower writes that women and men should be only “building a future that finds our nation fed, sheltered, employed and free,” not calling attention to injustice by public demonstrations. He thus repudiates many significant moments in American history.

Women’s marches spoke to important issues

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Perhaps Dr. Mumpower is pouting. — Virginia Ramig Asheville

Women’s March was full of meaning

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Carl Mumpower wrote a letter to the Mountain Xpress about the Women’s March [“Women’s Marches Lack Mature Focus,” Feb. 1]. My first response to Carl’s angry letter was anger. Of course. The ego always speaks first. Dr. King’s words lent me a hand. “An eye for an eye leaves everybody blind.” My activist friend Nancye, who heads a mixed political group that raises money for disadvantaged women, had called in early December to tell me about the pink hats that Carl ridiculed. “Come by and get some yarn,” she said. My Colorado friend Cathy, a paragon of generosity and decency, a lifelong Republican from a Republican family, the mother of two daughters, was so appalled at Trump’s comments about grabbing women that she crocheted 50 hats. Neither Nancye nor Cathy could march. This was a way they could support the protest. Three friends and I went to [Washington] D.C. together. One of us four wore a pink fleece hat she’d sewn, and she brought another to give away. The other three of us declined to wear a hat. We three weren’t fond of the very word Trump used that inspired the pink hats. Not that we minded anyone else wearing them. We understood and respected the choices of others. The pink hats made a great look to the march. They were fun to see. But I can understand Carl’s negative reaction. I saw very few of the “profanityladen” signs that Carl highlighted. The signs were one of the best parts of the day. The vast majority were humorous or meaningful, or both, and to me embodied the human desire to create that goes all the way back. I thought of those out-of-this-world cave paintings when I saw all the signs. I made a sign and thought about the wording for weeks. “SisterhoodBrotherhood-Solidarity-Kindness” was the final version, rimmed with “Kindness-Kindness-Kindness...” in a colorful border. It was a small, busy sign, and I was happy with it. On the crowded Metro ride out of the city after the March, a black man, standing and looking as tired and happy as I felt, carried his large white sign down at his side. In the center of the sign, in neat black block letters, was written, “Power without love is reckless and abusive. Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice.” Underneath were the initials “MLK.” “That’s a great sign,” I said. He smiled. “My son, who is 26, told me how to do it. He’s an artist. He told

me, ‘You don’t want it too busy.’”We both laughed. That was one moment out of a day full of wonderful, loving, human moments. Peace be with us all. — Anne Bevilacqua Waynesville

Marching: mature women’s movement toward justice A response to Carl Mumpower’s attempt to silence American women’s advocacy-through-marching is almost too easy to write [“Women’s Marches Lack Mature Focus,” Feb. 1, Xpress]. However, I write this letter not to him but to all women who have felt silenced by such voices, whether external or internal (i.e., “I have it good, don’t I? So I shouldn’t be saying anything, right.”). Such doubts about the validity of women’s voices are unfortunately infused with the all-tooAmerican belief that we have the “most” and “best” of everything. First, not all American women have the same experience of privilege, so marching together can be an act of solidarity and support. Second, when comparing American women to the world at-large, the U.S. falls short in multiple measures of gender equality and health. The United States ranked 65th in wage equality for similar work, according to a 2014 World Economic Forum study of 142 countries. When it comes to female members of parliament/house and senate, according to the Inter-Parliamentary Union, the U.S. Congress is ranked in 72nd place out of 139 spots, trailing behind Uganda, Algeria, Afghanistan, Iraq, China, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. Next, the World Policy Analysis Center reported that only 32 constitutions in the world do not include an explicit gender equality guarantee. The U.S. Constitution is one of them. Other measures such as maternal and infant mortality, literacy and guaranteed paid maternity leave show the U.S. trailing behind. Have we come a long way, baby? Mature women rightly honor their foremothers in the women’s movement by continuing to march, organize, write and act. Make no mistake —everything we do matters. Marching is not pouting: It is an integral part of the mature women’s movement toward justice. (Source of compiled data: http://avl.mx/3dy) — Sharon Bigger Haw Creek

Marchers expect more balance [In regard to the letter, “Women’s Marches Lack Mature Focus,” Feb. 1,

Xpress:] Is our script tired? I would offer instead that we are still working toward balance as people of every generation before us have done and that the movie simply isn’t over when you want it to be. It sounds more like you are tired of our voices. As I occasionally have to tell my children — too bad. [The] letter suggests that because Western women have made strides toward fairness that we should now be satisfied enough and comply with your wishes. Were the souls of Asheville “Spellbound”? They were certainly interested. Involved. Active. They have concerns about their health care, their safety, their legal rights, their land and their future. A likely reason a conservative, white gentlemen such as [the letter writer] does not feel the impulse to disrupt [his] life to call attention to injustice is because [he has] a president who represents your interests. If, for example, someday you find yourself on the receiving end of incessant street harassment and your friends are also tired of it, I encourage you to protest. So do the Founding Fathers. It is the most direct path to change. Wouldn’t you agree? I am privileged. My parents brought me to America when I was a year old. That privilege has afforded me an education which led to compassion and perspective. Compassion and perspective teach that being privileged should not be a signal to become complacent toward others in pain. It means we are able to work more effectively for those who do not have the resources. That is what we have chosen to do with our opportunities. As for language and the hats: Who should we call for instructions as to how [the letter writer] would like to see it all go down. T-shirts and dance-offs?Umbrellas? Magic tricks? Traditionally, people complaining about people protesting have had little to do with the flair and design of the event in advance. If you are interested in that sort of thing, you should get involved on the front end of the organizing next time. Also, traditionally, people curse when they are angry. However, I saw no pouting of any kind. [The letter writer] claims maturity. I am also mature. A grown-up with a job, a mortgage, a family — the works. So let me offer you some clarity. While you suggest that we focus on building a future that finds us “fed, sheltered, employed, secure and free,” that is precisely what protests do. They focus attention on the fact that many women in this country do not feel secure; they are not paid properly for their work; they are finding it hard to feed their families; and the government is openly threatening to make it damn

C A RT O O N B Y B R E NT B R O W N near impossible to control the size of those families. Protest is fundamental to America. It got your attention, didn’t it? Even if it’s only to know that women are expecting some more balance from their government. You do not get to decide what women want. Especially when the things they are asking for are so obvious any child could understand it. Do you have Internet access? Google some stuff. [The] letter was simply a childish echo of the current administration’s mood on women’s issues. So, no. I’m not going to support them. — Nicole Diamantis Weaverville

Kids inspired at Women’s March Carl Mumpower, in his letter commenting on the recent Women’s March in Washington [“Women’s Marches Lack Mature Focus,” Feb. 1, Xpress], never said whether he actually was in Washington and saw it or made up his opinion based on what he saw in the media. I was there and photographed it for The Villager newspaper in New York City. I saw signs and groups that supported everything from women’s health care to immigrant rights to “no DAPL” and almost every issue that

women seem to be concerned about because of the Trump election. I thought it was a big success and enjoyed photographing women participants of all ages. I was especially inspired by the homemade signs of children, which were beautiful and showed great intelligence. Because of the many, many female children and their signs, it gave me hope that our future will not be controlled by people like Carl Mumpower and Donald Trump. Thanks to all who participated and organized it. ... Organizers of the Women’s March just announced that they will be calling for a general strike on an as-yet-unannounced date in the near future. Might I suggest that Mr. Mumpower watch how this develops because, in my opinion, the whole country will shut down on that day. — John Penley Asheville

A push for real campaign finance reform I’m disgusted with politicians. With a few rare exceptions, none of my representatives are working for me. They are working for billionaires and corporate donors. And I don’t think the answer is to flood [Sen. Thom] Tillis and [Sen.

Richard] Burr’s offices with my daily list of grievances. They aren’t listening. What we need is real campaign finance reform so that you don’t need wealthy donors in order to run for public office. And then elected officials should be able to actually keep their campaign promises because they aren’t in conflict with some PAC or lobbyist group’s agenda. We need to change the system that has you and me donate money and time only to be ignored once our votes are cast. I felt hope that this is possible the first time I heard Bernie Sanders speak. I was moved by the integrity of his smalldonor fundraising. He couldn’t prevail because the system of the Democratic National Committee is skewed in favor of party insiders. But that system can be changed, and there is a group right now called Our Revolution that is doing it. Starting at the precinct level, progressives now control the Democratic Party in California. We can do it here, too. We need all progressives in Buncombe County who want to see what it’s like to have candidates who speak for and work for and fight for us to join. If this is what you want, please come to the next meeting of Our Revolution Asheville on Feb. 18 at 2 p.m. at the Rainbow Community Center, 60 State St. Hope to see you there. — Lee Wolfe Candler MOUNTAINX.COM

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O PINION

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Monster mash BY SUSAN HUTCHINSON In 2009, Antoinette Davis was convicted of handing her 5-year-old daughter over to a known pedophile (allegedly to cover a minor drug debt). The child was subsequently raped, asphyxiated and the body found dumped in a ditch. The media vilified Davis as a monster with no soul; the pedophile was convicted and sentenced to death. It’s impossible to read Davis’ story, as chronicled by Ashevillearea author Abigail Hickman in This, That and the Third, and emerge unchanged. This is not, however, a simple tale of Davis’ life leading up to her arrest, trial and incarceration. Hickman interweaves her own life narrative, ultimately creating a tale of redemption and grace — and a call for humility when it comes to judging others. Published late last year by Asheville-based Grateful Steps, the book challenges readers’ beliefs about race issues in the South, the U.S. criminal justice system, the Fayetteville Department of Social Services, personal responsibility, guilt, shame, pedophiles and religion. It’s an ambitious undertaking that’s worth the wade into its deep, dark waters. This, That and the Third is a fractured and sometimes disorienting tale that raises substantial questions about Davis’ 2013 conviction. By the end, readers (especially white, suburban readers) will have a better understanding not only of the subculture of poverty and desperation that Davis grew up in, but also of the world of shame inhabited by a broad swath of society who see themselves as victims. Hickman draws parallels between her own childhood of abuse and neglect and Davis’, contrasting society’s different reactions to the two damaged women: one poor and black, the other white and educated. The author pulls no punches in exploring the events of Davis’ life and is equally unsparing in her first-person account of what it was like to survive her own severe childhood abuse. Through trial and error, both women were challenged to rise above victimhood.

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Half-confession, half-documentary, Hickman’s nonfiction narrative wanders into and out of many stories. The style can be disorienting, confronting the reader with alternating, chaotic tales of desperation, but it can be seen as a metaphor for the nightmarish confusion that both Hickman and Davis endured. Readers are first plunged into Hickman’s life as an abandoned/sexually abused child growing up in Georgia, her adult life in a Christian cult where she committed regrettable mistakes (including endangering her own kids) in the guise of “missionary work,” her later epiphany and subsequent escape into something better. Cross-cut throughout this, though, are episodes concerning the author’s unlikely parallel-universe counterpart, Antoinette Davis — who also experienced a childhood lacking in basic care and safety, but for whom epiphany and escape did not come. Instead, she was launched into a nightmare of loss, accusation, betrayal and incarceration, with one child dead and two taken away by the DSS. Hickman, meanwhile, recently completed graduate school and sent her youngest child off to college.

This, That and the Third explores the boundary between convict and convent The author meticulously researched the events surrounding the crime that shattered the Fayetteville community in 2009, when 5-year-old Shaniya Davis disappeared. The book traces Davis’ traumatic childhood, teenage pregnancy, employment as a private stripper and ordeal as a suspect in a high-profile murder case. Against that backdrop, Hickman argues that Davis’ confession may have been forced, that the extenuating circumstances surrounding the crime were never examined, and that the verdict was deeply flawed. In the end, the reader is left to question her guilt and to ponder society’s sometimes fatal inequities. Hickman’s book concludes with the author’s visit to Davis — the first time anyone has come to see her in the four years she’s been behind bars. Tall, quiet and reserved, Davis would prefer to forget the past and hope that everyone else does, too. The book’s cover photo is both a commentary on the peculiar prison visitation rules and a metaphor for the thin but profound barrier that separates the visitor from the imprisoned. Davis has now completed her GED diploma and is working on the prison grounds crew, a job she finds relatively enjoyable. She has 12 more years to serve. Xpress spoke with Hickman recently; here are excerpts from that conversation. Mountain Xpress: What do you consider to be the takeaway from your book? Abigail Hickman: I think we all are guilty of horrible things, and when we cast judgment on a person who is easily vilified, it somehow seems to lessen or alleviate our own [sense of guilt], and so we kind of rally round the bad guy. I think the book is written to expose the bad guy in all of us. My goal was to show that each one of us has a little worm in our shiny apple. But your apple wasn’t very shiny. We all want to belittle the things we’ve done wrong in light of the mammoth things others have done wrong. The reader has to put on a cloak of honesty, and if they’re not willing to do that, to say, “This is who I truly am, and I do acknowledge that I stand guilty,” then the book isn’t really for them anyway.

Why did you choose Antoinette Davis? Because I don’t think you can find somebody more evil, or kind of a throwaway … I don’t need to know if Antoinette is guilty or innocent. In fact, my premise works better if she’s guilty. Because I’m trying to compare myself — I stand in for the reader — to someone who is really horrible and rotten, easily identified as “other” or “bad.” In some ways, though you don’t dwell on it in the book, this is a scathing indictment of our judicial system, which will take someone who’s psychologically very injured, the “wrong” color, had the wrong education, the wrong address — and basically torture them for four days to get a confession. And she’s pregnant, and her kid is missing, and she’s lost custody of her older kid. She probably hasn’t slept in four nights. It was pretty horrifying, what happened to her. But even her defense attorney said there wasn’t any way they would choose to go to trial. I was thinking, “Gosh, if you’d just taken her to trial, there was nothing against her except that confession — nothing” — and with no evidence, I feel like she could have walked away. In effect, the defense attorney said: “No, not with the hype and the frenzy and the chaos of the sharks, the blood in the water. She was facing three life sentences, and she would have gotten them.” Antoinette was already considered guilty. People … already have their bad guys: They’re not going to look at these other players. It’s a closed story for her. They took a plea; now she’s got 17 to 21 years. X

Abigail Hickman will read from and sign copies of her book This, That and the Third, the Shaniya Davis Kidnap, Rape and Murder: The Space Between Monster and Saint on Saturday, Feb. 18, at 6 p.m. at Malaprop’s.

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BEYOND ADDICTION

Finding sobriety in WNC

BY THOMAS CALDER

SOBER PEAK EXPERIENCE

tcalder@mountainx.com Todd Stebbing was a 22-year-old heroin addict when he enrolled in Red Oak Recovery’s program on Sept. 14, 2014. The primary treatment facility in Leicester serves men ages 18-30 who have substance abuse and mental health issues. Stebbing shot up for the first time during his freshman year of college in Norfolk, Va. Within six months, he was hooked. “It’s like this warm, comforting hug,” says Stebbing. “And then it just gets tighter and tighter and tighter, and it doesn’t let go. That’s what heroin addiction is like.” Stebbing remembers his final year of addiction as the toughest time of his life. His tolerance continued to build, his withdrawal symptoms intensified, and he began using every day. “I would shoot heroin and I wouldn’t even get hig`h,” he says. “I would just not feel sick.” That year, Stebbing overdosed twice. His parents had paid for therapy in the past, but they made it clear that this was his last chance: Stebbing could either get help or be disowned. When he arrived at Red Oak, the 6-foot-1-inch Stebbing weighed 135 pounds. “I was skin and bones. I was yellow. I looked sick. I had track marks all over my arms,” he recalls. It took him 30 days to detox and recover from the illnesses brought on by withdrawal. After that, he immersed himself in the program. “Not only was I getting sober, I was learning how to have fun again,” he says. “I was learning how to connect with nature and with the people around me.”

Like Montford Hall, Red Oak emphasizes experiential education to help clients achieve sobriety. “It’s supported by research as the most effective way of learning,” says CEO Jack Kline. “Basically, we’re going to have you learn something, and then have you practice it and do it enough times until it becomes internalized.” In addition to its Leicester location, the program has a sister operation in Fairview that is exclusively for women. Both opened in April 2014. These outdoor activities, he says, provide empowerment, confidence and help in overcoming fears while showing clients that sobriety and pleasure aren’t mutually exclusive. “Just because they’re living a drug- and alcohol-free life now doesn’t mean life sucks and they’re not going to have any more fun,” says Kline. “We call it a sober peak experience.” OVERCOMING THE STIGMA

STARTING OVER: Todd Stebbing poses with his dog, Gunther. In 2014, Stebbing enrolled in treatment at Red Oak Recovery, after spending the previous four years battling a heroin addiction. Photo courtesy of Red Oak Recovery

KEEPING IT REAL “The idea is, you get sober in a place that looks like a place you’re going to go home to and a place from which you came,” explains Alex Kirby, founder and executive director of Montford Hall. The nonprofit’s “true-to-life” residential recovery program — a term the organization actually trademarked before opening last March — serves teenage boys struggling with substance abuse.

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And Asheville, notes Kirby, is a great place to run such a program. Unlike similar treatment facilities based in remote parts of Utah, Montana, Idaho and Washington state, Montford Hall can offer residents the best of both worlds — city life and natural splendor. Activities such as whitewater rafting, rock climbing, mountain biking and backpacking are crucial to the program, he explains. Besides building self-confidence and selfreliance, they foster teamwork while demonstrating an invaluable lesson: It’s possible to have fun while sober. Asheville’s New-Agey side doesn’t hurt either. “If I say to a colleague, ‘Hey, do you know a shaman we could use to help one of our kids?’ they don’t look at me like I have three heads,” says Kirby. “That’s really helpful, because convention hasn’t worked for these kids.

… We’re looking for alternative pathways, and Asheville is the most amazing resource for finding that.” Other local facilities — including primary and extended care, recovery homes and wilderness programs — echo that sentiment. And together, they’ve made Asheville and environs a mecca for substance abuse` treatment. It’s not cheap, however: These programs carry price tags ranging from $2,000 to $16,000 a month, and patients typically stay for anywhere from 90 days to a year. Some facilities offer a limited number of scholarships, but insurance plans typically don’t cover such services (see sidebar, “The Money Question”). Furthermore, that treatment is only the first step. Once clients leave the facility, finding a support group is crucial. And many local people in recovery say that’s another reason they continue to call Asheville home: The recovery community here is tightknit and strong.

“Experts say that 10 to 20 percent of the population suffers from the disease of addiction,” notes LisaGaye Hall, president and founder of Asheville North Star Recovery, a home for women ages 25 and older. Drug and alcohol addictions, she says, are just like any other treatable disease. Often, though, the stigma surrounding addiction keeps those who are struggling with it from seeking help — and those close to an addict from offering it. “I don’t think any of us would stay quiet if we had a friend who was ignoring a diabetic condition or skin cancer,” Hall points out. “But somehow, we think addiction is different, and we’re afraid to offer loving help. Addiction is not a moral issue: It’s a disease, and help is available.” Pride played a part in keeping Brandi Medlin from trying to get help. “My whole life, I’ve liked to tell myself I could handle anything I came up against,” says the 34-year-old former methamphetamine addict. “But that’s not true with addiction: It’s a battle I lose every time.” Last month, Medlin celebrated a year of sobriety. The arduous journey included periods of homelessness, an eight-month stint in jail, probation, losing custody of all three of her children and falling off the wagon several times.

That’s a great reason to go use; that’s a great reason to go get a drink. That was our defense mechanism in the past, and we don’t have that anymore. So I want guys to come in and have those emotions ... and have to work through it.” FAMILIAR FACES

STAYING CLEAN IN WNC: After seeking primary treatment for addiction, Brandi Medlin, right, moved into Infinite Sober Living, a recovery home based in Candler. Stevie Williams, left, is founder and operator of the recovery home. Photo courtesy of Medlin It’s a common story. Between 40 and 60 percent of those seeking treatment for substance abuse have periods of relapse, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. But according to the organization’s website, relapse does not necessarily mean failure: “Successful treatment for addiction typically requires continual evaluation and modification as appropriate, similar to the approach taken for other chronic diseases.” For Medlin, however, each relapse only added to her sense of shame. Back in her hometown of Dunn, she was “that girl who’s been to rehab.” But this stigma, says Medlin, didn’t come from the community. “It wasn’t even what my hometown believed,” she explains. “It was what I believed my hometown believed.” In 2016, Medlin left Dunn for Pavilion, a center for the treatment of alcoholism and drug addiction in Mill Spring. After six weeks in primary care, she spent an additional six weeks in extended care. Then, rather than return to Dunn, Medlin enrolled at Infinite Sober Living, a halfway house in Candler. HALFWAY HOME Halfway houses, experts say, are a key component of successful recovery. “Ninety days is considered an optimal time to spend in treatment,” says Kline. “That’s what [Red Oak] targets. We also recommend that everybody go to some sort of step-down or transition program as a kind of ongoing support or aftercare, so they don’t go back home to the

same people they were drinking and drugging with. They go to a different environment that can help them with their recovery skills.” Infinite Sober Living opened in 2015, serving women ages 18 and older. All residents have gone through a primary treatment program before they arrive. Infinite offers clients continued guidance and support via 12-step integration, yoga, meditation and structured, sober living. It’s also a zero tolerance program, meaning any substance abuse will result in expulsion. Owner/operator Stevie Williams, however, stresses that her organization tries to help those residents find their way back into primary treatment. She also emphasizes the importance of letting clients stumble as they navigate the stress of finding work, enrolling in school and continuing their recovery. “I have to allow them to make mistakes and have their own learning experience and know that they’re going to fall and get back up,” she explains. “It’s hard to see them go through the struggles, but I know that it’s a process.” Brian Nolan, admissions director at Next Step Recovery in Asheville, says that’s one of the greatest benefits a recovery residence provides. Next Step is a transitional living community for young adult men recovering from alcohol and substance abuse. “I like when a guy comes into our program and does some job searching, finds a job he really wants, goes after it and doesn’t get it,” notes Nolan. “Because that will bring up those emotions of ‘I’m less than; I’m not worthy,’ and so on.

In 2012, Danner Marsden completed a 90-day program in Sevierville, Tenn., for opioid addiction. He spent the next nine months living at Next Step and has continued to call Asheville home. “Having people around you that know what you’re going through, I think that’s imperative,” he says. “I have two or three absolutely best friends that I can rely on with my life. It takes a couple of years to get to that; I think that’s part of the reason I haven’t left Asheville yet.” Marsden’s previous attempts to achieve sobriety in Atlanta, were difficult due to the city’s size, he explains. When he attended Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous meetings in his hometown, there was a good chance that he wouldn’t recognize a single face. “One of the major things that can ultimately lead people astray is isolation,” notes Marsden. “If you come into [a meeting] and you’re not feeling part of the group and you see all these cliques of people and everybody has a friend, but you don’t know anybody, that’s not going to make you feel very comfortable with where you are. “In a bigger location, I might go to a meeting on Sunday night and talk to somebody, but there’s a decent chance I wouldn’t see that person again for a month. Then I’m stuck the next day with the same issue: I don’t know anybody.” In Asheville, on the other hand, the local recovery community has been an additional source of strength and support. No matter the day or time, he says, when he attends a meeting, there’s always at least one familiar face.

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GIVE WHAT YOU GET In addition to attending AA and NA meetings, recovering addicts are often encouraged to do volunteer work. Red Oak clients, for example, put in time at the Sandy Mush Community Center and Full Sun Farm; they also do cleanups on Willow Creek Road. “Addiction is a very self-centered disease,” says Mark Oerther, the facility’s director of admissions and referral relations. “When we start to do service for others, it creates something in us that makes us feel better about ourselves.” Besides giving back, volunteering also provides learning opportunities, says

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N EWS

FINDING COMMUNITY: Danner Marsden moved into Next Step Treatment in 2012. Originally from Atlanta, he now considers Asheville home. “People come here and get clean and end up staying,” he says. “It has a lot to do with the recovery community in Asheville.” Photo courtesy of Marsden Rick Pollard, the executive director of Solstice East. “Those moments allow clients to practice and really make certain that they’re internalizing the work they’re doing in regard to their healing,” he explains. The Weaverville facility, which opened in October 2012, serves girls ages 14-18 who are dealing with varying levels of depression, anxiety, impulse control and substance abuse. MANNA FoodBank is one of the organizations Solstice volunteers support. Since 2013, Solstice clients have clocked 780 hours at MANNA, notes Matt Farr, the nonprofit’s volunteer manager. “It’s a great opportunity for folks trying to get through a rough patch to come out and do good for the community,” he says. “I think a lot of these programs view this as an opportunity to surround their residents with goodness and positivity.” Local businesses also partner with treatment programs. CrossFit

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Pisgah, for example, gives Montford Hall clients a discount. Hayette Bouras, CrossFit Pisgah’s business manager and coach, says it’s part of the business’s overall commitment to community involvement. Bouras has had her own struggles with substance abuse. “I’ve been sober five years,” she says, adding that CrossFit is an ideal activity for those seeking to reinforce lessons encountered in recovery. “They’re learning to work together, learning self-efficacy, confidence, integrity,” she points out. “They’re also integrated into our community: They’re seeing what’s possible. I think that’s beautiful.” BUILDING A RÉSUMÉ The all-consuming nature of addiction, and the fact that it often tends to start fairly early in life, mean that many

Now 40% Off Winter Items people in recovery lack the kinds of basic life skills that “normies” take for granted. Even simple things like balancing a checkbook or preparing a grocery list may be foreign practices. This is true for job hunting as well. To help address the problem, Goodwill’s Career Connections program offers various free services, including résumé building, mock interview sessions and job fairs that connect individuals with employment opportunities. Lack of experience often translates into lack of self-confidence, says Liz Knight, career connections coordinator at the organization’s Patton Avenue location. At the same time, clients who’ve gone through recovery programs and had extensive therapy, notes Knight, may be overly open about their past, which isn’t always a good idea during an initial job interview. “We coach folks about this,” she says, adding that full disclosure “may not be something that the employer needs to know right away.” Still, explaining that gap in your employment history can be challenging. “I came up with a story,” says Nolan, Next Step’s admissions director. Sober for seven years now, the New Jersey native remembers telling potential employers that he came to Asheville due to a family illness. “Nobody needed to know I was the one that was sick, or what I was sick with,” he points out. “I wasn’t lying, but I wasn’t absolutely telling the truth. I’ve shared that with other guys that have come through our program who share the same concerns.” Over time, he continues, the uncertainty and discomfort tend to lessen. The further a person gets from addiction, the easier it is to address it. These days, he says, “Nobody in Asheville knows me for anything but a person in recovery. If I needed to go get a job now and it came up, it came up.”

Treatment Center in Weaverville. His experience with addiction, he says, “really gives me an opportunity to build a solid foundation with my clients. It helps that they know I’ve been there. … I think it breaks down barriers that might exist between a client and the counselor.” Medlin, meanwhile, is still a client at Infinite Sober Living, but she’s recently

begun serving as a mentor to other residents. “It’s very humbling,” she says, and it helps her make sense of her past. “I don’t think my story would be worthwhile if I wasn’t letting someone else know where I’ve been. … If that can help them see or stop from making that same mistake, then it’s all worthwhile.” X

The money question

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Many local residential treatment programs cost thousands of dollars a month, though most offer a limited number of scholarships. For low-income individuals who don’t have insurance, Vaya Health, a state-supported agency with an office in Asheville, manages government-funded behavioral health and developmental disability services in Western North Carolina. And for those who don’t qualify for the free programs, there are other possibilities. “We support a variety of treatment services and facilities for substance-use recovery, including many options outside our publicly funded network,” notes Rachel LeonardSpencer, the organization’s marketing and communications coordinator. If you need help and are on a tight budget, she says, Vaya can help you find treatment. “At the end of the day, all types of quality treatment contribute to building a grassroots recovery community and culture here in WNC.” Those programs, she continues, “help countless individuals enhance their health and quality of life.” Vaya offers a toll-free, 24/7 access-to-care line at 800-849-6127. It’s available to all WNC residents seeking treatment information or help in a behavioral health crisis. For more information, visit vayahealth.com. — Thomas Calder X

FROM STUDENT TO TEACHER Nolan isn’t the only former addict who’s using the insights gained from his struggles to help others. In October 2015, Stebbing returned to Red Oak — not as a client, but as a guide who led small groups of residents on camping trips. He later obtained his license as a substance abuse counselor and has worked as a clinical case manager at Red Oak ever since. Stebbing now sees himself as an advocate for his clients, saying, “I’m always there for them; I’m an open ear.” Marsden followed a similar path. A certified substance abuse counselor, he now works at the Crossroads

MOUNTAINX.COM

FEB. 15 - 21, 2017

B U N C O M B E B E AT

City and county hold joint session Whitesides questions commission, Fryar sees window for criticism

SAME BOAT: Asheville City Council members and Buncombe County commissioners sat down to discuss collaborations and goals for the upcoming year. It was the first time in more than a year that the two governing bodies have held an official meeting. Photo by Dan Hesse Elected officials from city and county government met in a special joint session on Feb. 7. While the meeting’s agenda contained no action items, city and county staffers provided updates on various collaborative efforts. County Manager Wanda Greene highlighted partnerships between the city and the county such as the public safety training center, consolidated dispatch center, criminal information system and the county-maintained Geographic Information System property database. The public library system is another area of collaboration, Greene said. Though operational responsibility for the system was transferred to the county in the 1980s, some branch facilities continue to be owned by the city of Asheville. Greene provided an update on plans for a new library in East Asheville, saying a community input process and conceptual designs are underway. “We partner in so many ways and serve the community seamlessly,” said Greene’s counterpart,

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City Manger Gary Jackson, of the county-city relationship. Assistant City Manager Cathy Ball gave an update on joint capital projects in the works and on the docket. Public safety requires close coordination between the two government entities, she said. “One of city’s big initiatives is to add a fire station in the North area.” Improving multimodal transportation infrastructure has also been a key concern. “We are focused on making sure our community can be accessed by anyone, choosing any mode of transportation,” Ball said. City and county staff members are trying to leverage state and federal funds for those efforts. Lastly, Ball said city and county staffs are providing input to the Department of Transportation on the Interstate 26 connector. Assistant County Manager Jon Creighton outlined recent school projects, which include the new Isaac Dickson Elementary and Asheville Middle schools. A $25 million renovation at Asheville High School is

on track to start by May, he said. Replacing the roof will be a three-year process, Creighton explained. The average cost of one mile of greenway comes in around $1.2 million, said Josh O’Connor, the county’s recreation manager. Funding for city and county greenways has come from a mix of federal and state dollars, with additional contributions from local governments, nonprofits and businesses. On average, he said, the federal government bears about 80 percent of the cost of the greenways and the county covers around 20 percent. The Energy Innovation Task Force, comprised of Duke Energy and representatives from the county, city, business stakeholders and nonprofits, is being billed as a “nationally unique partnership,” by City Council and task force member Julie Mayfield. “It doesn’t exist any other place in the country … a municipality working with a regulated monopoly. Eyes are on us to see how successful we will be,” she explained.

The goal of the task force, according to Commission Chair and task force member Brownie Newman, is to protect the environment while saving customers money. Duke Energy has received approval from state regulators to build two natural gas plants to replace aging coal-fired generators at its Lake Julian power station. Duke says it will also need a third gas-fired unit to handle growing peak demand for energy. The task force is looking for ways to reduce energy consumption to minimize the need for that third plant. Commissioner Mike Fryar criticized the city’s requirements for windows in new buildings. “The city is full of windows, windows don’t insulate,” he said. Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer responded, “I don’t want to get into a debate right now. It’s a state building code.” “It’s not a state code, it’s yours,” Fryar shot back. The joint county-city AfricanAmerican Heritage Commission, said Manheimer, was established to recognize and honor AfricanAmerican residents’ contributions to Western North Carolina in a tangible way. A Feb. 18 commission retreat will explore the next steps in developing a community vision for the commission. “My family has been in Buncombe County for seven generations. I was on commission for a short term and I got off because I didn’t feel we were serious. I felt it was more window dressing than anything else,” said county commissioner Al Whitesides. Speaking as a member of the black community, Whitesides said, “I want to see us do something concrete with this. It’s like we don’t exist in Buncombe County. It’s time to change it and to show we are serious about what we are doing. A lot of the African-American community doesn’t feel like they exist.” Manheimer responded that she shares Whitesides’ concerns and hopes having a facilitator will act as a catalyst to move the process forward. Whitesides noted that local issues go beyond race. “It doesn’t matter what color they are, we have poor people. Until we address the poor people we are going to continue to have problems, and they will be more expensive as they go on. We’ve kicked the can far enough, now we’ve got to do something. We can’t afford to kick it anymore,” he said. — Dan Hesse

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FEB. 15 - 21, 2017

COMMUNITY CALENDAR FEBRUARY 15 - 23, 2017

AMERICAN ADVERTISING FEDERATION ASHEVILLE 658-0281, aafasheville.org • TH (2/16), 6:30pm - "American Advertising Awards," honoring WNC creative talent. $30/$25 members. Held at US Cellular Center, 87 Haywood St.

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. 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.

ASHEVILLE TOASTMASTERS CLUB 914-424-7347, ashevilletoastmasters.com • THURSDAYS, 6:15pm - General meeting. Free. Held at YMI Cultural Center, 39 South Market St. BUNCOMBE COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARIES buncombecounty.org/governing/ depts/library • FR (2/17), 4pm - Board game day for all ages. Free. Held at Black Mountain Public Library, 105 N. Dougherty St., Black Mountain • WE (2/22), 4pm - "Coloring and Conversation," for teens and up. Free. Held at Swannanoa Library, 101 West Charleston St., Swannanoa

ANIMALS BALSAM MOUNTAIN TRUST 81 Preserve Road, Sylva, balsammountaintrust.org • Through TH (2/16) - "Outrageous Opossums," presentation with Oscar the oppossum followed by a tour on SA (2/18), 2-4pm. Registration required. Free. TRANSYLVANIA COUNTY LIBRARY 212 S. Gaston St., Brevard NC, 884-3151 • TH (2/16), 6:30pm - "Wildlife of Transylvania County," presentation by the Friends of DuPont Forest. Free. • TH (2/23), 6:30pm - "Wildlife of Transylvania County," presentation by the Friends of DuPont Forest. Free.

FOR THE LITERATURE STARVED:Downtown Books & News is hosting its first Juniper Bends Reading Series of 2017 on Friday, Feb. 17, at 7 p.m. The series features readings from original works by authors Lucy Corin, Rachel Lee Campbell, Rob Jacoby and Mary Ellen Lough-Phillips. Photo of Lucy Corin, author of One Hundred Apocalypses and Other Apocalypses, The Entire Predicament and Everyday Psychokillers: A History for Girls, courtesy of the organizers. (pg. 20) WNC NATURE CENTER 75 Gashes Creek Road, 298-5600, wildwnc.org • SA (2/18), 1:45-3:15pm - "Wild Walk," behind-the-scenes tour of the Nature Center. Registration required. $30/$15 children under 16.

BENEFITS BLUE RIDGE ROLLERGIRLS BENEFIT • TH (2/16), 6:30-9:30pm - Donations and a portion of proceeds from ice cream sales benefit the Blue Ridge Rollergirls. Free to attend. Held at The Hop West, 721 Haywood Road LPC FROSTBITE RACE 6840812, support@idaph.net • SU (2/19), 2pm - Proceeds from the "LPC Frostbite Race" 10K, 4K and fun-run benefit the United Way Big Brother, Big Sisters Program. $55 for 10K/$40 for 5K/$20 for fun-run. Held at Lelia Patterson Fitness Center, 1111 Howard Gap Road, Hendersonville OUR VOICE BENEFIT 252-0562, ourvoicenc.org/trauma-education-series • TH (2/16), 5:30pm - Proceeds from this dialogue on human trafficking in WNC with wine and chocolate benefit Our Voice. $10. Held at Metro Wines, 169 Charlotte St. THE VANISHING WHEELCHAIR 645-2941, vanishingwheelchair.org

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• SA (2/18), 2-4pm - Proceeds from the "Live Your Dreams Magic Show," family event benefit the Swannanoa Valley Montessori School. $10/$5 children. Held at thee Carver Center Gymnasium, 101 Carver Avenue

BUSINESS & TECHNOLOGY A-B TECH SMALL BUSINESS CENTER 398-7950, abtech.edu/sbc • WE (2/15), 1-4pm - "The New Option for Local Financing in NC," seminar. Registration required. Free. Held at A-B Tech Enka Campus, 1459 Sand Hill Road, Candler • TH (2/16), 6-9pm - "QuickBooks Online for Natural Products Businesses," seminar. Registration required. Free. Held at A-B Tech Enka Campus, 1459 Sand Hill Road, Candler • SA (2/18), 9am-noon - "SCORE: Making Your Business Legal," seminar. Registration required. Free. Held at A-B Tech Enka Campus, 1459 Sand Hill Road, Candler 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 SMOKY PARK SUPPER CLUB 350 Riverside Drive, 350-0315, smokypark.com/ • MO (2/13), 5:30-7:30pm - Gathering

of Asheville business community with presentations by local business organizers. Registration required. Free.

CLASSES, MEETINGS & EVENTS A NEW ERA IS DAWNING (PD.) Hope in a Time of Chaos - a Spiritual Perspective. The World Teacher, Maitreya, is in the world. His galvanizing energy is inspiring people to stand up for justice and equality...to see that we are one human family. Find out the role you can play in the coming time. Saturday, February 18 - Asheville Friends Meeting. 227 Edgewood Rd. 2pm. Free. 828-3980609. CARMINE BLACK INTENSIVE AT EMPYREAN ARTS (PD.) Carmine Black is “The Low Flow Queen” of Pole Dance. She combines her unique style of pole dance and floorwork in this dance intensive that is happening February 17th 7:00-9:00pm, February 18th 5:007:00pm, and February 19th 7:00-9:00pm. $225 for the entire intensive or $75 drop in. Carmine will also be guest instructing the following group classes which students can use their existing class credits for or purchase a drop in class credit: FloorWerk - February 18th 11:45am-12:45pm, Exotic Fundamentals - February 19th 5:456:45pm, Pole Spins & Combos - February 20th 6:45-7:45pm, and Exotic Pole Dance - February 20th 8:00-9:15pm. More information at Empyreanarts.org or call/text 828.782.3321.

CATAWBA SCIENCE CENTER 243 3rd Ave., NE Hickory, 322-8169, catawbascience.org • SA (2/18), 8:30am-4:30pm - "BoBFest," regional gathering of amateur astronomers. Pre-registration encouraged. Free. CITY OF ASHEVILLE 251-1122, ashevillenc.gov • SA (2/18), 9am-1:30pm - "National Girls and Women in Sports Day," event for women to try new sports or fitness classes. For girls and women ages 6 and up. Registration: tinyurl.com/zeaztwe. $15 includes lunch and afternoon basketball game. Held at UNC Asheville ETHICAL HUMANIST SOCIETY OF ASHEVILLE 687-7759, aeu.org • SA (2/18), 2-3:30pm - “Keeping a Moral Compass when Society seems to have Lost its Own,” presentation by Bill Walz. Free. Held at Asheville Friends Meetinghouse, 227 Edgewood Road HENDERSON COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 301 N. Washington St., Hendersonville NC, 697-4725 • 3rd TUESDAYS, 2-4pm - Apple Users Support Group. Free. HOMINY VALLEY RECREATION PARK 25 Twin Lakes Drive, Candler, 242-8998, hvrpsports.com • 3rd THURSDAYS, 7pm - Hominy Valley board meeting. Free. LEICESTER COMMUNITY CENTER 2979 New Leicester Highway, Leicester, 774-3000, facebook.com/Leicester.Community. Center • 3rd THURSDAYS, 7pm - The Leicester History Gathering general meeting. Free. MOMS DEMAND ACTION momsdemandaction.org • TH (2/16), 4pm - Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America meeting. Free to attend. Held at Catawba Brewing

South Slope, 32 Banks Ave., Suite 105 • 3rd MONDAYS, 4:30pm - Moms Demand Action For Gun Sense in America, general meeting. Free. Held at St. Mary's Episcopal Church, 337 Charlotte St. OLLI AT UNCA 251-6140, olliasheville.com • FR (2/17), 5-6:30pm - "Death Café," discussion, storytelling and exploration of ideas and feelings about death. Free. Held in the Reuter Center. ONTRACK WNC 50 S. French Broad Ave., 255-5166, ontrackwnc.org • TH (2/16), 5:30-7pm - "Understanding Reverse Mortgages," class. Registration required. Free. • TH (2/23), noon-1:30pm - "Budgeting and Debt Class." Registration required. Free. SHARE INTERNATIONAL SOUTHEAST 398-0609, share-international.us/se/ • SA (2/18), 2pm - "A New Era is Dawning: Hope in a Time of Chaos, a Spiritual Perspective," presentation regarding Maitreya, The World Teacher. Free to attend. Held at Asheville Friends Meetinghouse, 227 Edgewood Road SHOWING UP FOR RACIAL JUSTICE showingupforracialjustice.org • 3rd TUESDAYS, 7pm - Coalition building session. Free. Held at Kairos West Community Center, Haywood Road, Asheville WNC PHYSICIANS FOR SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY wncpsr.org • 3rd FRIDAYS, noon-2pm - Monthly meeting. BYO lunch. Free. Held at First Congregational UCC of Asheville, 20 Oak St.

DANCE POLE FITNESS AND DANCE CLASSES AT DANCECLUB ASHEVILLE (PD.) Pole Dance, Burlesque, Jazz/Funk, Flashmobs! Drop in for a class or sign up for a series: • 4 Week Beginner Jazz/Funk to Missy Elliott - Begins Feb. 23 • 6 Week Intro to Pole - Begins Feb. 28 • Tues., Thurs. and Fri. at 12PM - Pole class for $10 • Memberships available for $108/ month • 1st class free with the mention of this ad DanceclubAsheville.com 828-275-8628 Right down the street from UNCA - 9 Old Burnsville Hill Rd., #3 STUDIO ZAHIYA, DOWNTOWN DANCE CLASSES (PD.) Monday 12pm Barre Wkt 4pm Ballet Wkt 5pm Bellydance Drills 6pm Hip Hop Wkt 7pm Classical Ballet Series 8pm Bellydance with Veils Series • Tuesday 9am Hip Hop Wkt 6pm Intro to Bellydance 7pm Bellydance 2 8pm Advanced Bellydance • Wednesday 12pm

80/90s Hip Hop Wkt 5pm Hip Hop Wkt 5pm Bollywood 6pm Bhangra Series 7pm Hula 8pm Lyrical Series • Thursday 9am Hip Hop Wkt 4pm Girls Hip Hop 5pm Teens Hip Hop 6pm West African Drumming 7pm West African • Friday 9am Hip Hop Wkt 4:30pm Kids Jazz • Saturday 9:30am Hip Hop Wkt 10:45 Buti Yoga Wkt • Sunday 4:30pm Dance party 6:45pm Electronic Yoga Wkt • $13 for 60 minute classes, Wkt $6. 90 1/2 N. Lexington Avenue. www.studiozahiya.com :: 828.242.7595 CAMILLE A. BROWN AND DANCERS 254-1995 • TH (2/16), 4pm - Camille A. Brown and Dancers, community workshop celebrating African-American social dance. Free. Held at the Arthur R. Edington Education and Career Center, 133 Livingston St. & FR (2/17), 10am - Pre-performance discussion regarding Camille A. Brown and Dancers led by poet, artist and community activist DeWayne Barton. Free to attend. Held at The Block off Biltmore, 39 S. Market St. ASHEVILLE MOVEMENT COLLECTIVE ashevillemovementcollective.org • FRIDAYS, 7-9pm - Community ecstatic dance waves. $8-$20. Held at Terpsicorps Studios, 1501 Patton Ave. • SUNDAYS, 8:30-10:30am & 10:30am12:30pm - Community ecstatic dance waves. $8-$20. Held at Asheville Masonic Temple, 80 Broadway SOUTHERN LIGHTS SQUARE AND ROUND DANCE CLUB 697-7732, southernlights.org • SA (2/18), 6pm - "Mardi Gras Parade," themed dance. Advance dance at 6pm. Early rounds at 7pm. Squares and rounds at 7:30pm. Free. Held at Whitmire Activity Center, 310 Lily Pond Road, Hendersonville SWING ASHEVILLE swingasheville.com • TUESDAYS, 8-11pm - Jazz N' Justice: Beginner swing lessons at 8pm. Open swing dance with live jazz at 9pm. $10 beginner lesson/$5 open dance. Held at The BLOCK off biltmore, 39 South Market St.

ECO 24TH ANNUAL SPRING CONFERENCE (PD.) March 10-12, 2017. Keynotes: Gabe Brown & Matthew and Althea Raiford. UNCA. 140+ practical, affordable, regionally-appropriate sessions on organic growing, homesteading, farming. Trade show, seed exchange, kid’s program. Organicgrowersschool.org. ASHEVILLE GREEN DRINKS ashevillegreendrinks.com • 3rd WEDNESDAYS, 7pm - Ecopresentations, discussions and community connection. Free. Held at Lenoir Rhyne Center for Graduate Studies, 36 Montford Ave.

BUNCOMBE COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARIES buncombecounty.org/governing/depts/ library • TU (2/21), 5:30pm - "Save the Hemlocks," presentation by Margot Wallston and Sara deFossett regarding the Hemlock Restoration Initiative. Free. Held at West Asheville Library, 942 Haywood Road FRIENDS OF THE SMOKIES 452-0720, friendsofthesmokies.org, outreach.nc@friendsofthesmokies.org • TH (2/16), 7pm - "Salamanders and Storms: Climate Change in the Smokies," presentation. Free to attend. Held at Blue Ghost Brewing Company, 125 Underwood Road. Fletcher GREEN GRANNIES avl.mx/0gm • 3rd SATURDAYS, 4pm - Sing-a-long for the climate. Information: singfortheclimate.com Free. Held at Pritchard Park, 4 College St. RIVERLINK 252-8474, riverlink.org • TH (2/16), 11:45am-2:30pm - Riverfront bus tour. Registration required. $20. THE CENTER FOR CULTURAL PRESERVATION 692-8062, saveculture.org • TH (2/23), 7pm - The Savior of the French Broad River- The Wilma Dykeman Story, film screening. Registration required: 692-8062. $5. Held in Thomas Auditorium. Held at Blue Ridge Community College, 180 West Campus Drive, Flat Rock

FARM & GARDEN WILD MOUNTAIN BEES GRAND RE-OPENING (PD.) Saturday February 25th 10am-5pm. Bee Talks with Sarah McKinney at 11am and 2pm, henna, mead and honey tastings, crafts! Support your local beekeeping supplier! BUNCOMBE COUNTY EXTENSION MASTER GARDENERS 255-5522, buncombemastergardener.org, BuncombeMasterGardeners@gmail.com • TH (2/16), 11:30am-1pm - "Healthy Soil for Healthy Plants," workshop with master gardener Mary Hugenschmidt. Bring your own lunch. Registration required: 2555522. Free. Held at Buncombe County Cooperative Extension Office, 49 Mount Carmel Road, Asheville BUNCOMBE COUNTY FRIENDS OF AG BREAKFAST 250-4794, dixon@buncombecounty.org • TU (2/21), 7am - Local food breakfast and presentation about energy grants for small farmers. Registration: 828-250-4794 or ariel.zijp@buncombecounty.org. Free. Held at WNC Agricultural Center, 1301 Fanning Bridge Road HAYWOOD COUNTY MASTER GARDENERS 456-3575, sarah_scott@ncsu.edu • Through FR (3/17) - Plant sale. Order

forms available by calling 828-456-3575 or by email at mgarticles@charter.net. MEN'S GARDEN CLUB OF ASHEVILLE 683-1673, mensgardenclubofasheville.org • Through FR (3/17) - Open registration for a container garden contest for Buncombe County Kindergarten through fifth grade classes. Registration details: heidelad@yahoo.com. Free. POLK COUNTY FRIENDS OF AGRICULTURE BREAKFAST polkcountyfarms.org • 3rd WEDNESDAYS, 7-8am - Monthly breakfast with presentations regarding agriculture. Admission by donation. Held at the 4-H Center, Locust St, Columbus

FOOD & BEER ASHEVILLE BEER EXPO avlbeerexpo.com • SA (2/18), 1-4pm & 5-8pm - Beer expo with presentations, tastings and more than 40 Western North Carolina breweries. $30. Held at The Venue, 21 N. Market St. ASHEVILLE VEGAN SOCIETY meetup.com/The-Asheville-Vegan-Society/ • 1st TUESDAYS & Third SATURDAYS, 10am - Social meeting. Free to attend. Held at Firestorm Cafe and Books, 610 Haywood Road DOWNTOWN WELCOME TABLE haywoodstreet.org/2010/07/ the-welcome-table/ • SUNDAYS, 4:30pm - Community meal. Free. Held at Haywood Street Congregation, 297 Haywood St. FAIRVIEW WELCOME TABLE fairviewwelcometable.com • THURSDAYS, 11:30am-1pm Community lunch. Admission by donation. Held at Fairview Christian Fellowship, 596 Old Us Highway 74, Fairview LEICESTER COMMUNITY CENTER 2979 New Leicester Highway, Leicester, 774-3000, facebook.com/Leicester. Community.Center • WEDNESDAYS, 11:30am-1pm Welcome Table meal. Free. • 3rd TUESDAYS, 2:30-3:30pm - Manna FoodBank distribution, including local produce. Free.

GOVERNMENT & POLITICS CITY OF ASHEVILLE 251-1122, ashevillenc.gov • WE (2/15), 5:15pm - Special meeting for the Community Advisory Team to advise the Asheville City Board of Education in conducting public forums in the search for a new superintendent for Asheville City Schools. Free. Held at Asheville City Schools Administrative Offices, 85 Mountain St. • TH (2/16), 5:15pm - Special meeting for the Community Advisory Team to advise the Asheville City Board of Education in conducting public forums in the search for

MOUNTAINX.COM

FEB. 15 - 21, 2017

Nurture Brilliance. Broaden Horizons. Change The World.

C O N S C I O U S PA R T Y

Become a Teacher.

By Kat McReynolds | kmcreynolds@mountainx.com

UNC Asheville has a teacher licensure program for professionals who already have a bachelor’s degree. Fall 2017 applications are due by June 2, 2017.

Bike Love

Learn more at education.unca.edu teach@unca.edu 828-251-6304

IN THE WHEELHOUSE: The 11th annual Bike Love features local live music, small plates, drinks, a raffle and lots of bike-related silent auction items. Asheville on Bikes director Mike Sule calls the event “a great opportunity to let the love roll forward.” Photo of AOB co-founder Yuri Koslen by Carrie Turner WHAT: An annual fundraiser by Asheville on Bikes WHERE: Salvage Station WHEN: Saturday, Feb. 18, at 8 p.m. (7 p.m. early reception) WHY: “Bike Love sort of kicks off the season of cycling,” says Asheville on Bikes director Mike Sule. “It’s our first big event of 2017, spring is right around the corner, and we want to share with the community and our supporters some of our successes in 2016 — and where the organization is moving in 2017.” Among other recent accomplishments, the nonprofit co-hosted the N.C. Bike Summit and Open Streets Asheville and partnered with the city of Asheville and the N.C. Department of Transportation to implement two on-street bicycle parking facilities on Haywood Road and Banks Avenue. “In a space that you can generally park one car ... you can now park 15 bicycles,” he says. Two additional corrals are planned for 2017 with locations depending on business owner interest. AOB also purchased a trailer and a “proper fleet” of bikes in 2016, enabling the expansion of its after-school program at Asheville Middle School. “We’re going to be able to move to two days of bicycle instruction as opposed to just one,” Sule 18

FEB. 15 - 21, 2017

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adds, “so we’re doubling the students we’ll be able to serve.” These activities plus AOB’s advocacy priorities will be supported in part by funds raised at the 11th annual Bike Love, which, after selling out at various venues for its first decade, is moving to Salvage Station’s larger space. Attendees with a ticket to the early reception ($60) will get a complimentary drink and small plates as well as an early look at silent auction items, which amount to “close to $7,000 in merchandise,” Sule says. Perhaps best of all, the early reception offers a more intimate set by local musician Stephanie Morgan, whose band includes drummer Patrick Armitage, guitarist Drew Heller, bassist Ryan Reardon and keys player Rich Brownstein. They’ll play into the general admission hours ($20), followed by DJ Marley Carroll and DJ Dr. Filth. “We will also be raffling off a $500 bicycle voucher from the WNC Bike Dealers Association, so the winner of that voucher can go into any of the participating local shops and put that toward the purchase of a new bicycle.” Visit salvagestation.com for more information or tickets, which include an AOB membership discount. Tickets are also available from select local retailers. X

C OMMU N IT Y CA L E N D AR

by Abigail Griffin

a new superintendent for Asheville City Schools. Free. Held at Asheville Primary School, 441 Haywood Road

Lagoon and other storybooks, by Theatreworks USA. Recommended for Grades K–4. $7.50.

DEFUND DAPL • SU (2/19), 3-5pm - Community meeting regarding defunding the Dakota Access Pipeline. Free. Held at Kairos West Community Center, 604 Haywood Road

FLETCHER LIBRARY 120 Library Road, Fletcher, 687-1218, library.hendersoncountync.org • WEDNESDAYS, 10:30am - Family story time. Free.

OUR REVOLUTION - ASHEVILLE ourrevolutionavl.com • SA (2/18), 2-4pm - General meeting focused on educating citizens about where their precinct is and how to participate in their precinct meetings. Free. Held at Rainbow Community School Auditorium, 58 State St.

MALAPROP'S BOOKSTORE AND CAFE 55 Haywood St., 254-6734, malaprops.com • WEDNESDAYS, 10am - Miss Malaprop's Story Time for ages 3-9. Free to attend.

PRITCHARD PARK 4 College St. • SU (2/19), 4:30pm Demonstration against Donald Trump's agenda on the one month anniversary of his inauguration. Free.

KIDS ASHEVILLE COMMUNITY THEATRE 35 E. Walnut St., 254-1320, ashevilletheatre.org • SA (2/18), 10am-noon - Winter Workshop Session: Youth improv for 10-15 year olds. $15. BUNCOMBE COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARIES buncombecounty.org/governing/ depts/library • WE (2/15), 10:30am-noon "Preschool Storytime & Valentine's Tea Party." Free. Held at Leicester Library, 1561 Alexander Road, Leicester • WE (2/15), 3:30pm - "Makers and Shakers: We Love Shrinky Dinks," activity for ages five and up. Free. Held at Leicester Library, 1561 Alexander Road, Leicester • SA (2/18), 11am - "Calling All Bird Watchers," workshop for ages 8-14 facilitated by the N.C. Arboretum EcoExplorer program. Free. Held at West Asheville Library, 942 Haywood Road • SA (2/18), 2pm - Zumba class for school aged kids. Free. Held at West Asheville Library, 942 Haywood Road • MONDAYS, 10:30am - "Mother Goose Time," storytime for 4-18 month olds. Free. Held at Skyland/ South Buncombe Library, 260 Overlook Road DIANA WORTHAM THEATRE 2 S. Pack Square, 257-4530, dwtheatre.com • FR (2/17), 10am - Camille A. Brown and Dancers, performance. Recommended for Grades 5–12. $9.50. • TU (2/21) & WE (2/22), 10am & noon - The Teacher from the Black

PROM PARTY EXTRAVAGANZA cityofhendersonville.org • SA (2/18), 9am-noon - “Prom Party Extravaganza,” featuring stylists, door prizes, information from Safelight, on-site alterations and free prom dresses. Open to Henderson County junior and senior girls. Sponsored by the Henderson County Junior Welfare Club. Free. Held at St. James Episcopal Church, 424 W State St., Black Mountain RIVERLINK 252-8474, riverlink.org • Through MO (3/20) - Submissions accepted for the annual Voices of the River Art and Poetry Contest for pre-K to 12th grade students. Contact for full guidelines. SPELLBOUND CHILDREN'S BOOKSHOP 640 Merrimon Ave., #204, 708-7570, spellboundchildrensbookshop.com • FR (2/17), 6-7pm - Teen Book Club: Midwinterblood by Marcus Sedgwick. For ages 14-18. Free to attend. • SATURDAYS, 11am - Storytime for ages 3-7. Free to attend.

OUTDOORS FOOTHILLS CONSERVANCY OF NORTH CAROLINA 437-9930, foothillsconservancy.org • SA (2/18), 10am - Guided easy hike on conservancy-owned property in the South Mountains of Burke County. Registration required: bwillardpatton@foothillsconservancy. org. $10/Free for members. LAKE JAMES STATE PARK 6883 N.C. Highway 126 Nebo, 584-7728 • SA (2/18), 10am - "Animals in Winter," ranger led hike with a focus on winter animals. Free. • SU (2/19), 1:30pm - "Amazing Eagles," ranger-led bird watching. Free. SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN HIGHLANDS CONSERVANCY 253-0095, appalachian.org • SA (2/18), 10am - Guided challenging 6-mile hike with views of the

Sandy Mush farming community. Registration required: haley@appalachian.org or 828-253-0095 ext. 205. $10/Free for members.

PARENTING FRANKLIN SCHOOL OF INNOVATION 21 Innovation Drive, 318-8140, franklinschoolofinnovation.org • TH (2/23), 5:30-7:30pm Information session and tour for prospective students. Free to attend. RAINBOW COMMUNITY SCHOOL 574 Haywood Road, 258-9264 • WE (2/15), - Open house for grades K-8. Free to attend. • WE (2/15), 4-6pm - Open house for prospective elementary and middle school students. Free to attend. SENIOR OPPORTUNITY CENTER 36 Grove St., Asheville • WE (2/22), 1-3pm - "Grand Day Out," grandparents can bring children to participate in games and crafts with other families. Free/$1 per child. SWANNANOA VALLEY MONTESSORI SCHOOL 130 Center Ave., Black Mountain, 669-8571, swanmont.org • TH (2/16), 9:30-10:30am - Monthly tour for prospective students. Free to attend. • 3rd THURSDAYS through (5/18), 9:30am - School tour. Registration required. Free to attend. • SU (2/19), 2-3pm - Open house for prospective students. Free to attend YOUTH OUTRIGHT 866-881-3721, youthoutright.org • 3rd SATURDAYS, 11am - Middle school discussion group. Free. Held at First Congregational UCC of Asheville, 20 Oak St.

PUBLIC LECTURES BEVERLY HILLS BAPTIST CHURCH 777 Tunnel Road • TH (2/16), 7pm - Historian Rob Neufeld presents stories of the people and events that shaped the history of East Asheville. Free to attend. BUNCOMBE COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARIES buncombecounty.org/governing/ depts/library • TU (2/21), 7pm - “Touching the Face of History: The Story of the Plott Hound, North Carolina's Official State Dog,” presentation by author and historian Bob Plott. Free. Held at Weaverville Public Library, 41 N. Main St., Weaverville

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FEB. 15 - 21, 2017

C OMMU N IT Y CA L E N D AR PUBLIC LECTURES AT BREVARD COLLEGE 884-8251, raintrlh@brevard.edu • WE (2/15), 3:30pm - Great Decisions Lecture Series: Lecture by Jim Lenburg about China’s attempts to achieve regional dominance in the South China Sea. Registration: 8848251 $10. Held in McLarty-Goodson Room 125. • WE (2/22), 3:30pm - Great Decisions Lecture Series: "Nuclear Security," lecture by Major General Richard Devereaux, former U.S. Air Force director of operational planning, policy and strategy.

by Abigail Griffin

Registration: 884-8251 $10. Held in McLarty-Goodson Room 125. PUBLIC LECTURES AT UNCA unca.edu • TH (2/16), 7pm - "Nazi Persecution of Homosexuals 1933-1945," keynote lecture by Miami University Associate Professor of European History Erik Jensen. Free. Held in the Humanities Lecture Hall • TH (2/16), 7:30pm "Morgantina in Sicily and Studying Ceramics at a Large Archaeological Site," lecture by archaeologist Shelley Stone. Free.

Send your event listings to calendar@mountainx.com Held in Ramsey Library's Whitman Room. • TU (2/21), 7pm - “Nuclear Security,” lecture by Major General Richard Devereaux, former U.S. Air Force director of operational planning, policy and strategy. $10. Held in the Reuter Center PUBLIC LECTURES AT WCU wcu.edu • MO (2/20), 4-5:30pm - Global Spotlight Series: Presentations with a focus on the illicit global drug trade. Free. Held in room 101 of the Forsyth Building

Paint, Sip, Relax!

Need a new fun night out? Let us help! 2 hour Guided Painting Classes every Tues-Sat. Private Parties available anytime. All experience levels encouraged! Check online for pricing & details.

640 Merrimon Ave • (828) 255-2442 • wineanddesign.com/asheville

WAYNESVILLE BRANCH OF HAYWOOD COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 678 S. Haywood St., Waynesville, 452-5169 • TU (2/21), 4pm - "Fake News: How to Determine Fact from Fiction," presentation. Free.

SENIORS SERVICES AND SUPPORT FOR SENIORS (PD.) • Companionship and respite care • Accompaniment to appointments • Monitoring and family liaison • Meal preparation • Nursing home visits • Housesitting • Consultation and Mentoring • Conscious Aging Workshops. Evalina Everidge, RN (828) 577-7841. SeasonedPathways.com AARP 380-6242, rchaplin@aarp.org • WE (2/15), 3:30pm - "HomeFit Workshop," focused on aging while continuing to live at home. Free. Held at Weaverville Public Library, 41 N. Main St., Weaverville BUNCOMBE COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARIES buncombecounty.org/governing/ depts/library • TU (2/15), 4pm - Care Partners Present: "I Don’t Want to Move into a Skilled Nursing Facility…What Are My Options?" Free. Held at EnkaCandler Library, 1404 Sandhill Road, Candler COUNCIL ON AGING OF BUNCOMBE COUNTY, INC. 277-8288, coabc.org • TU (2/21), 6-8pm - "Medicare Choices Made Easy," workshop. Registration required. Free. Held at Skyland/South Buncombe Library, 260 Overlook Road SENIOR OPPORTUNITY CENTER 36 Grove St., Asheville • THURSDAYS, 1-2pm Contemporary line dancing class. Join anytime. $5 per class. • FRIDAYS, 12:30-3:30pm "Canasta," group card game gathering. Free. • 1st & 3rd FRIDAYS, 1:30-3:45pm - "Charitable Sewing and Yarn Crafts." Complete your own projects in the company of others. Free. • TUESDAYS, 2-3pm - "Senior Beat," drumming, dance fitness class. For standing or seated participants. $3. • WEDNESDAYS, 1:30-4pm - "Bid Whist," card players club. Free.

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SPIRITUALITY A COURSE IN MIRACLES (PD.) A truly loving, open study group. Meets second and fourth Mondays. 6:30pm, East Asheville, Groce United Methodist Church. Information, call Susan at 828-7125472. 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. MOVING TOWARDS PRESENCE (PD.) February 25th, 4-5pm. Gurdjieff said by developing attention in movement, there is the possibility of "awakening" to something deeper. Workshop will offer exercises and opportunities with local members Info: gfofwnc@gmail. com or 828.551.0116. ASHEVILLE AMMA SATSANG avlammasatsang@gmail.com • SU (2/19), 2-4:30pm - Spiritual talk & devotional music with Br. Ramanand, Senior Disciple of Mata Amritanandamayi. Free. Held at Asheville Yoga Training Center, 62 Orange St. CENTER FOR ART & SPIRIT AT ST. GEORGE 1 School Road, 258-0211 • 3rd SATURDAYS, 7-9pm Dances of Universal Peace. Free. CREATION CARE ALLIANCE OF WNC creationcarealliance.org • MONDAYS through (3/6), 7-8:30pm - Conversations on climate change and the poor and discussing Pope Francis’s Laudato Si’: On Care for Our Common Home. Free. Held at Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church, 789 Merrimon Ave. GRACE LUTHERAN CHURCH 1245 Sixth Ave., W. Hendersonville, 693-4890, gracelutherannc.com • Through MO (2/20) - Open registration for group sessions offering a music-oriented exploration of consciousness. Sessions take place on Mondays from Feb. 27 through April 3 from 10:30am-noon. Registration required: Free. GREAT TREE ZEN TEMPLE 679 Lower Flat Creek, Alexander, 645-2085, greattreetemple.org • 3rd SATURDAYS, 4-5:30pm Women’s zen practice circle with meditation, discussion, study, creative expression and building community. Admission by donation.

KAIROS WEST COMMUNITY CENTER Haywood Road, Asheville, 367-6360, kairoswest.wordpress.com • 3rd SUNDAYS, 11am-12:30pm - Introduction to Buddhism meeting. Sponsored by Soka Gakkai International - Asheville. Free. SHAMBHALA MEDITATION CENTER 60 N Merrimon Ave., #113, 2005120, asheville.shambhala.org • WEDNESDAYS, 10-midnight, THURSDAYS, 7-8:30pm & SUNDAYS, 10-noon - Meditation and community. Admission by donation.

SPOKEN & WRITTEN WORD 35BELOW 35 E. Walnut St., 254-1320, ashevilletheatre.org • WE (2/15), 7:30pm - "The Best of Listen to This," storytelling series hosted by Tom Chalmers. $15. BUNCOMBE COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARIES buncombecounty.org/governing/ depts/library • TH (2/16), 2:30pm - Skyland Book Club: The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen. Free. Held at Skyland/South Buncombe Library, 260 Overlook Road • SA (2/18), 2-4pm - Book repair lecture by Dea Sasso of Light of Day Bindery. Free. Held at Pack Memorial Library, 67 Haywood St. • TU (2/21), 7pm - Fairview Evening Book Club: The Greenlanders by Jane Smiley. Free. Held at Fairview Library, 1 Taylor Road, Fairview • TU (2/21), 7pm - Black Mountain Mystery Book Club: Accused by Lisa Scottoline. Free. Held at Black Mountain Public Library, 105 N. Dougherty St., Black Mountain • WE (2/22), noon-1pm - In Celebration of Black History Month: Poetry Reading, storytelling and singing with Roy Harris & Sheneika Smith. Bring a bag lunch. Free. Held at Pack Memorial Library - Lord Auditorium, 67 Haywood St. CITY LIGHTS BOOKSTORE 3 E. Jackson St., Sylva, 586-9499, citylightsnc.com • FR (2/17), 6:30pm - Natalie C. Anderson presents her young adult novel, City of Saints and Thieves. Free to attend. DOWNTOWN BOOKS & NEWS 67 N. Lexington Ave., 348-7615, downtownbooksandnews.com • FR (2/17), 7pm - The Juniper Bends Reading Series with Lucy Corin, Rachel Lee Campbell and Mary Ellen Lough-Phillips. Free to attend.

GRATEFUL STEPS 30 Ben Lippen School Road, Suite 107, 277-0998, gratefulsteps.org • MONDAYS, 6:30-9pm, THURSDAYS, 9:30am-noon & SATURDAYS, 9:30-noon, (2/20) through (4/29) - "Writing Secrets of the Pros," fundraiser class series helps writers discover professional techniques for writing fiction, non-fiction or poetry. Registration required: 828-505-9221 or weirwnc417@gmail.com. $25 per class. MALAPROP'S BOOKSTORE AND CAFE 55 Haywood St., 254-6734, malaprops.com • WE (2/15), 6pm - Authors for Action! Event featuring Timothy Tyson presenting his book, The Blood of Emmett Till. Free to attend. • FR (2/17), 6pm - Rev. Carol Howard Merritt presents her book, Healing Spiritual Wounds: Reconnecting with a Loving God After Experiencing a Hurtful Church. Free to attend. • SA (2/18), 6pm - "Grateful Steps Publishing Event," features authors Mike Krecioch, Tena Frank, Abigail Hickman, and Wayne G. Cox presenting their books. Free to attend. • SU (2/19), 3pm - Writers at Home Series: Reading series featuring work from UNCA’s Great Smokies Writing Program and The Great Smokies Review. Free to attend. • MO (2/20), 6pm - Joe Halstead presents his novel, West Virginia. Fre to attend. • TU (2/21), 6pm - Helen Simonson presents her novel, The Summer Before the War. Free to attend. • WE (2/22), 6pm - "Authors in Conversation," event featuring authors Susan Rivers, Nancy Peacock and Frye Gaillard in conversation regarding America's slave history and racial divide. Free to attend. NORTH CAROLINA WRITERS' NETWORK ncwriters.org • Through WE (2/15) - Submissions accepted for the Doris Betts Fiction Prize. Contact for full guidelines. PUBLIC EVENTS AT WCU 227-7397, wcu.edu • TH (2/16), 5-6pm - “Jack Tales," multimedia presentation as part of the Appalachian Living series. Free. Held in the Hunter Library center gallery

SPORTS APA POOL LEAGUE (PD.) Beginners welcome & wanted! Choose Asheville, Arden, or Brevard. HAVE FUN. MEET PEOPLE. PLAY POOL. 828-329-8197 www. BlueRidgeAPA.com ONGOING – weekly league play

VOLUNTEERING BLUE RIDGE RAIDERS facebook.com/ BlueRidgeRaidersFootball/ • SATURDAYS (2/11) through (5/6) Volunteer to help with ticketing, concessions and apparel for Blue Ridge Raiders home games. Contact for full guidelines. HANDS ON ASHEVILLEBUNCOMBE 2-1-1, handsonasheville.org • SA (2/18), 2-5pm - Volunteer to help accept donations at a nonprofit resale store. Registration required. • SU (2/19), 1-2:30pm - Volunteer to knit hats for community members in need. All skill levels welcome. Registration required. • MO (2/20), 6-8:30pm - Volunteer to help bake homemade cookies for hospice patients and their families. Registration required. • TH (2/23), 11am-12:30pm Volunteer to serve a homemade lunch to veterans. Registration required. • TH(2/23), 4-6pm - Volunteer to assist with unpacking and pricing merchandise in a fair-trade retail store. Registration required. 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.

for heart health by the American Heart Association. NIH-sponsored reduced stress and anxiety, improved brain functioning and heightened well-being. Thursday, 6:30-7:30pm, Asheville TM Center, 165 E. Chestnut. 828-254-4350. TM.org or MeditationAsheville.org NEW MOON MEDITATION & SPIRIT MEDICINE CIRCLE (PD.) We invite you to gather and sit with the Spirit Medicine of the Flowers,

The

Sustainability

CELEBRATING EARTH DAY 2017

Every week in April

Series

grounding Full Moon guided medi-

Thank you for voting us #1!

tation and several silent shamanic journeys. This is sure to be a magical evening with one full hour of bliss! Reservations required: 828-236-5999. Space is limited! Feb. 25, 6-7PM, $36. ASHEVILLE COMMUNITY YOGA CENTER 8 Brookdale Road, ashevillecommunityyoga.com

Downtown 95 Cherry Street North 828.258.2435

• SU (2/19), 12:30-2:30pm - “Easy Partner Yoga & Thai Bodywork,” workshop. $20. BUNCOMBE COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARIES buncombecounty.org/governing/ depts/library • WE (2/22), 11:30am - “Laughter Yoga,” class for ages 18 and up. Free.

Craft - Service - Value An experienced, friendly staff with the largest selection of in-stock moulding in Asheville

Arden 2145 Hendersonville Rd. 828.687.8533

Visit frugalframer.com to learn more

Held at Swannanoa Library, 101 West

MOUNTAINTRUE 258-8737, wnca.org • WE (2/15), TU (2/21), WE (2/22), TH (2/23), 10am-4pm - Volunteer to help plant live-stakes along eroding riverbanks. Registration: mountaintrue. org/eventscalendar/

Hearing. Free.

frugalframer.com

CARE PARTNERS MAIN CAMPUS 68 Sweeten Creek Road, 277-4800 • SA (2/18), 10:30am - Monthly meeting with presentation by Marilyn Edwards from the NC Division of

Visit

Services for the Deaf and Hard of

HAYWOOD REGIONAL HEALTH AND FITNESS CENTER 75 Leroy George Drive, Clyde, 452-8080, haymed.org/ • TU (2/21) & TH (2/23), 9-11am “Know Your Numbers,” heart health screenings. HAYWOOD REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER

ABOUT THE TRANSCENDENTAL MEDITATION TECHNIQUE • FREE INTRODUCTORY TALK (PD.) The authentic TM technique, rooted in the ancient yoga tradition—for settling mind and body and accessing hidden inner reserves of energy, peace and happiness. Learn how TM is different from mindfulness, watching your breath, common mantra meditation and everything else. Evidence-based: The only meditation technique recommended

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Biltmore Park, 2 Town Square Blvd., #180 • www.inspiredchangeyoga.com • 230.0624

Stones and Trees. You’ll experience a

Charleston St., Swannanoa

WELLNESS

BE THE SPA RK .

research shows deep revitalizing rest,

LITERACY COUNCIL OF BUNCOMBE COUNTY 31 College Pl., Suite B-221 • WE (2/22), 9am & TH (2/23), 5:30pm - Information session for those interested in volunteering two hours per week with adults who want to improve reading, writing, spelling, and English language skills. Free.

For more volunteering opportunities visit mountainx.com/volunteering

SEE OUR EXCITING EVENTS HERE!

262 Leroy George Drive, Clyde, 456-7311 • TH (2/16), 5pm - Presentation about leg vein health. Registration required: 828-452-8346. Free.

for the LARGEST SELECTION of Diamonds • Jewelry Custom Designed Jewelry and more!

QIGONG/CHI KUNG COMMUNITY PRACTICE GROUP

3 LOCATIONS

allen@ashevilleqigong.com • FRIDAYS, 9:30am - Qigong/Chi Kung class. All levels welcome. Free to attend. Held at The Alternative Clinic, 23 Broadway

1186 Patton Avenue 828-254-8681 M-S 9-7 • Sun 1-6

736 Tunnel Road 828-299-4440 Mon-Sat 9-7 MOUNTAINX.COM

Cherokee • Open 24 Hours Across from the Casino (828) 554-0431 FEB. 15 - 21, 2017

WELLNESS

ONE EXAM AT A TIME

Keeping Ashevilleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pets healthy

BY NICKI GLASSER nickiglasser@hotmail.com Ensuring your pet has an annual exam as well asÂ vaccinations and parasite treatment can prevent many serious illnesses, say a number of Asheville-area veterinarians and pet care professionals. â&#x20AC;&#x153;A good checkup is probably the most important thing you can do to get started,â&#x20AC;? says Mark Ledyard, veterinarian and owner of Charlotte Street Animal Hospital in Asheville. An exam covers every aspect of the animalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s health and care, and, he says, â&#x20AC;&#x153;gives us that opportunity to have a discussion with the client about [their petsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;] history, if there are things they are noticing, any changes, any questions they have as far as nutrition and all those kinds of things.Â Then weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re [also] looking to see if thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s any issues as far as infections, masses that might be tumors, looking for heart murmurs, any orthopedic problems.â&#x20AC;? Vaccines and parasite control are another important part of preventive care.Â Beth Jones, a veterinarian and owner of Asheville Animal Acupuncture and Wellness Clinic agrees, noting thatÂ the early vaccines, such as parvo and distemper for puppies and feline leukemia and upper respiratory viruses for kittens, as well as rabies for both, are especially important. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Another part of prevention is parasite prevention, like heartworm, roundworm, fleas and that sort of thing, because we see a lot of intestinal worms in this area,â&#x20AC;? says Jones. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Intestinal parasites like roundworms,

CHECK IT OUT: Veterinarian Christina Munn examines a boxer patient. Photo by Sarah Garbade

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hookworms, whipworms and tapeworms â&#x20AC;&#x201D; those are the big four.â&#x20AC;? Exams, vaccines and parasite treatment are important because many conditions, including parasites, can remain hidden until they become a serious health threat, says Ledyard. â&#x20AC;&#x153;By the time you see an animal sick from heartworm, the reason youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re noticing it is because they are essentially going into heart failure,â&#x20AC;? he says. They can be treated to get rid of the heartworms, but Â by that point â&#x20AC;&#x153;you canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t fix the damage to the heart.â&#x20AC;? Pet owners may feel silly brushing their catâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s or dogâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s teeth, but three of the four veterinariansÂ Xpress spoke with say dental hygiene is an important part of preventive care. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The healthier you keep their teeth, the healthier theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be in the long run,â&#x20AC;? says Christina Munn, veterinarian at Skyland Animal Hospital in Asheville. â&#x20AC;&#x153;When you have plaque and tartar built up on the teeth and gum line, a lot of bacteria live in there, and that bacteria can go into bloodstream, which

can affect the heart and the kidney. Keeping their teeth healthier helps them have less pain or irritation in the mouth, and it also keeps their organs healthier.â&#x20AC;? In addition to vaccines and parasite prevention, â&#x20AC;&#x153;biologically appropriate foodâ&#x20AC;? is in Jonesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; top three recommendations for keeping pets healthy. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Foods that are biologically appropriate, that have the right amount of protein and the right kind of protein for carnivore animals like dogs and cats ... can prevent so many things down the line, just like for us,â&#x20AC;? says Jones, an Asheville native. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Nutrition is now a big part of how I treat my patients for sure,â&#x20AC;? she says. After nearly 20Â years of practicing regular veterinary medicine, JonesÂ now exclusively offers veterinary acupuncture, Chinese herbs, cold laser therapy and nutrition therapy. The wild animals at the Western North Carolina Nature Center in Asheville also reap the benefits of preventive care, says the centerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s veterinarian Ross Prezant. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We literally do an exam, as much as is

possible, on every animal,â&#x20AC;? he says, referring to the Nature Centerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 300 crittersÂ â&#x20AC;&#x201D; a diverse mix of indigenous species that includes timber rattlesnakes, otters, gray wolves, Eastern newt, red fox and North American black bears. For example, he says, â&#x20AC;&#x153;The cougars get knocked out once a year. We clean their teeth. We go over them head to toe. We take blood and urine samples. â&#x20AC;&#x153;A big part of the annuals, and this is kind of funny to a lot of people, is dental cleanings,â&#x20AC;? Prezant continues. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Just like dogs and cats get their teeth cleaned, we do everything from getting tartar off to dealing with broken teeth, because no one is going to be able to tell [that something is wrong] until we get in there. I actually do a lot of dental work.â&#x20AC;? Thanks to suchÂ preventive care, the animals at the Nature Center â&#x20AC;&#x153;often live double or triple the years they would live in the wild,â&#x20AC;? says Prezant, who also gives kudos to the keepers who are with the animals every day. â&#x20AC;&#x153;A deer, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been told by the biologists, lives four to six years in wild; a 6-yearold deer is an old deer in the wild. We have a deer who is 17 [years old] this year and is still doing pretty good.â&#x20AC;? What is the cost of preventive care for cats and dogs? â&#x20AC;&#x153;The prices for these services vary tremendously, and the things that vets consider essential also vary,â&#x20AC;? says Jones. According to Ledyard, the average annual cost can be $1,300 for a healthy dog and $1,100 for a healthy cat. Denise Bitz, founder and president of Brother Wolf Animal Rescue, says, â&#x20AC;&#x153;We usually tell people to save about $500 to $600 a year for preventive care for their dogs or cats.â&#x20AC;?Â Some veterinary clinics such as Banfield Pet Hospital in Asheville offer monthly plans, she mentions. Banfieldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s plans run fromÂ $20 to $40 a month for a range of preventive and chronic care for dogs and cats. Charlotte Street Animal Hospital also offers a monthly payment plan for preventive care that costs $42 to $44 a month, according to the website. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The wellness plan where you pay a set amount each monthâ&#x20AC;? can be helpful, says Ledyard, because â&#x20AC;&#x153;instead of getting a bill of $250 when you come in for a visit, you can pay a little bit along the way.â&#x20AC;? Meanwhile, skippingÂ preventive care can be risky for both a petâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s health and the pocketbook, says Bitz.Â For

example, treating a heartworm-positive, 40-pound dog costs Brother Wolf between $300 and $500, she says. And treating a dog who was on “death’s doorstep” from parvo cost the organization close to $4,000. It “could have all been prevented if he would have been given a series of very inexpensive vaccines,” she says. For people who are facing financial hardship, the Asheville Humane Society offers low-cost vaccine clinics in a number of Western North Carolina locations. The nonprofit also provides information to help owners access other low-cost veterinary services, says Kim Roberts, associate director of community engagement. “All our community programs are really focused on doing what we can to help people keep their pets in their home,” she says. A 2015 study by American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals showed that people with incomes below $50,000 were significantly more likely to rehome their animals as a result of cost and housing issues. To help keep pets out of the shelters, Roberts explains, “The low-cost vaccine clinic not only helps people get in compliance with the law, because rabies vaccines are required by law, but

also allows them to get other vaccines as well to help prevent diseases [thereby preventing] the need for high vet bills,” says Roberts.

Preventive care can save money in the long run, says Ledyard. “It’s the same on the human side: If you spend a little money on preventive care, you’ll

save money, because if you’re able to prevent disease, it’s definitely cheaper than having to get sick and having to pay for a hospitalization.” X

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GREEN SCENE

LIKE BUILDING THE PYRAMIDS Rural Heritage Museum highlights history of WNC barns BY MAX HUNT

THE WHITE MAN COMETH

mhunt@mountainx.com

Early European incursions brought new ideas and building designs to the region. In the 16th century, the expeditions of Hernando de Soto and Juan Pardo explored WNC, and Pardo established the area’s first European forts. By the late 18th century, Scots-Irish and English homesteaders had begun carving out settlements, using whatever materials were at hand. Stone was familiar to many settlers, says Barnhill. “If you look at Scotland, Ireland and England, they had already cut over all their forests, so they built things out of rock. Obviously, there was lots of rock here.” Evidence of early stonework can still be seen in Madison County. Near Hot Springs, for example, stands a barn with a 2-foot-thick stone foundation; Barnhill believes it may be the original base of William Nielsen’s barn, built in 1800. “You also come across these stone walls — not as many as you see up in New England, but occasionally you see a thick stone wall they used for fencing in animals.”

Ever since the first humans ventured into the valleys and hollows of what’s now Western North Carolina, they’ve had to contend with the Southern Appalachians’ forbidding terrain and the resulting isolation. Over time, the various groups that inhabited the area learned to subsist on what was available to them in the surrounding wilderness, often drawing on traditions handed down from their ancestors. And as European settlers developed agrarian communities, barn design and usage came to symbolize the evolving efforts to carve out an existence here. Shelter on the Mountain: Barns and Building Traditions of the Southern Highlands, an exhibit at Mars Hill University’s Rural Heritage Museum, traces the evolution of local building practices. Beginning with the Ani Katuah, or Cherokee, people, it continues through the coming of European settlers and the rise and fall of tobacco as a staple crop. At every step, the show illuminates the ways that barns and other structures have reflected the cultures that produced them. Madison County alone is home to more than 10,000 barns, many of them facing an uncertain future, and the curators hope this exhibit will shed light on these structures’ place in the relationship between WNC’s inhabitants and the mountains they call home.

BUILT TO LAST: With little access to tools and the outside world, many early white settlers of Western North Carolina utilized the age-old tradition of notching corners for barns and early structures, as can be seen on the left side of the Carson Roberts barn, above. The evolution of built structures in WNC is the subject of The Rural Heritage Museum’s latest exhibit in Mars Hill. Photo by EarthSong Photography, Don McGowan

AGRARIAN HERITAGE “I’ve always loved old barns,” says architect Taylor Barnhill, who moved to Madison County nearly 40 years ago. “When I moved up here, I made a point of learning the culture and the building traditions,” notes Barnhill, the lead researcher for the Appalachian Barn Alliance. The alliance was formed in 2012 when Ross Young, who heads the Madison County Cooperative Extension office, got together with other residents concerned about documenting and preserving the region’s agrarian heritage. Barnhill was eager to help. “We began talking about a possible exhibit a couple of years ago,” he recalls. “It 24

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was just a natural fit for the Rural Heritage Museum.” Les Reker, the museum’s director, also serves on the alliance’s board. The exhibit, he says, is “about more than just Appalachian barns of the 19th and 20th centuries. We’re telling the story of the built environment in the mountains.” NATIVE WAYS That story begins long before the first Europeans even laid eyes on the Blue Ridge. The precursors of the Ani Katuah lived along the French Broad and Catawba rivers, and Shelter on the Mountain draws on early accounts as well as archaeological evidence to imagine the kinds of structures erected by those first inhabitants. “These people arranged their environment for themselves for many rea-

sons, whether ceremonial or for living,” says Reker. The early explorers, he continues, found arranged rock formations and pictographs like those at Paint Rock, near Hot Springs, but “No one knows the purpose. The Cherokee don’t know; no one does.” Ani Katuah “barns” often consisted of poles driven into the ground and walled in with wattle and daub, with roofs of thatch or bark and raised floors to keep rodents and moisture away from the grains stored within. “It’s kind of a universal structure,” notes Barnhill. “You would find those in just about any culture in the world that you look at.” Those barns are long gone, of course, but archaeologists, he says, “are looking for the stained earth where those posts were set in the ground. That stain stays for hundreds to thousands of years; that’s how they determine where a settlement was.”

FROM FOREST TO FARM By the mid-1800s, however, most mountain structures were made of hewn logs laid on their side and notched in the corners, reducing the need for nails. The abundant ash and chestnut trees were a readily accessible source of building materials for settlers as they cleared land for farming purposes, says Barnhill. Often, the structure’s lower level housed livestock, with hay and grain stored up above. The logs used for these early barns could be up to 30 feet long and weigh 2,500 pounds, says Reker. “It was like building the pyramids!” he exclaims, “and it’s right here, in the history of this area.” Settlers had to rely on their neighbors for help, so communities developed their own barn designs. “They’d have regions of the Southern Highlands where a certain kind of barn would appear, and then a couple mountains over, it’d be something else. They all influenced one another,” says Reker. The exhibit also features the myriad tools — often handcrafted by settlers — used in construction and daily farm

used to funnel water and snow off quickly and deter rot, Reker explains. The introduction of the less-laborintensive burley tobacco from Kentucky, and the passage of the Agricultural Adjustment Act under President Franklin Roosevelt in the 1930s, cemented tobacco’s role as WNC’s primary economic driver for the rest of the 20th century. (See “Smoke and Mirrors: the Death of Tobacco in WNC,” Feb. 25, 2016, Xpress.) HONORING THE PAST

TOBACCO DAYS: The introduction of flu-cured tobacco, and later, burley tobacco, to the Southern Appalachians in the late 1800s drastically changed the form and function of local barns. Tobacco would remain the region’s staple crop until 2004. Photo by the Farmers’ Federation; courtesy of Taylor Barnhill work. “You might have blacksmiths do the forging, but people for the most part hewed their own wood” for these tools, he says, adding, “Everything emanated from the forest.” In the mid-19th century, encroaching outside influences began bringing other building ideas to popular tourist locales like Hot Springs. Grand hostelries such as the Warm Springs and Mountain Park hotels, says Reker, “were independent of the log tradition, though this was being done at the same time as the barns.” Access to sawmills, bricks and other modern building materials from Tennessee spurred further development and helped make Hot Springs “an oasis for the wealthy in the wilderness” before and after the Civil War. Amenities such as one of the region’s first golf courses drew affluent vacationers and the political elite, notes Reker, “and, of course, folks came for the springs. It was the resort to go to in the Southeast.” NEW DIMENSIONS The arrival of the railroad in the late 1800s further opened up the mountains to the outside world and revolutionized both farming and construction in the Southern Appalachians (see “Coming Round the Mountain: Rural Heritage Museum Opens WNC Railroad Exhibit,” July 1, 2015, Xpress). Portable sawmills created new options for construction. “People would travel around with the sawmills, set up shop, and [residents] would bring their logs there,” Reker explains. It was slow going — producing a few pieces could take an entire day — but dimensional

lumber enabled locals to add a little flair to their barn designs. One example is the emergence of cantilevered barns, which feature an overhanging roof that’s not supported by columns or posts. Some barns, Reker reveals, “were actually cantilevered on both sides. I’ve asked why they did that, and the answer is because they could. It was kind of showing off, in a way.”

The fortunes of many local farms, however, took a drastic turn with the passage of the 2004 Fair and Equitable Tobacco Reform Act, which ended the New Deal-era quota system. And with tobacco now less lucrative, many historic barns across Madison County and WNC began to fall into disrepair. “We’re losing them all the time to the environment,” says Reker. “It’s the story of farming in America: The people who own that property are usually older couples who aren’t farming anymore, and they don’t have the funds to keep up their barns.” Thus, he maintains, the efforts of the museum and the Barn Alliance to docu-

ment these structures are a key to preserving the region’s agrarian and cultural heritage. “The mountains enhanced this idea of individualism and independence, living separate from everything else. That’s why the people here differed from everyone else in terms of their response to the Civil War and a host of other changes in the country.” Barnhill also hopes that highlighting mountain people’s ingenuity will help dispel negative stereotypes about Appalachian culture. “Mountain culture is all about having the hope that something can eventually be reused, rather than going out and paying good money to buy something new,” he says. “There’s a lot to teach the rest of the country when it comes to taking good care of your tools, your barns, your vehicles.” Shelter on the Mountain: Barns and Building Traditions of the Southern Highlands will be on display at the Rural Heritage Museum through Sunday, May 28. The museum is open Tuesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free. For more information, call 828689-1400, or visit mhu.edu/museum. To learn more about the Appalachian Barn Alliance’s work, including their historic tours, visit appalachianbarns.org. X

DAWN OF THE GOLDEN LEAF The introduction of tobacco cultivation wrought more profound changes. Beginning with a wartime agricultural stimulus program instituted by Abraham Lincoln in 1862, tobacco from Virginia was brought in during Reconstruction to help rebuild the shattered mountain economy. By the dawn of the 20th century, tobacco had taken hold as the main crop in the mountains. Madison County, for example, became the state’s leading producer of flue-cured tobacco and, later, burley tobacco, says Barnhill. “They had to have a different type of barn, because it had to be heatcured,” he explains. “It’s still a log barn, but it has a square footprint: It’s very tall, and the spaces in between the logs were chinked with mud, like log cabins. They would hang the tobacco inside the barn, and afterward would build a rock furnace on the floor and keep a fire going to heat the barn and dry the tobacco.” The new design and the access to modern building materials led many farmers to opt for gently pitched, metal gambrel roofs rather than the steep, wood-shingled roofs they’d previously MOUNTAINX.COM

FEB. 15 - 21, 2017

FOOD

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“I don’t make honey, and neither do my bees,” explains Carl Chesick as he passes a plate to a server clearing the table. “Bees just make wax; the honey is nectar from flowers. They may put in some enzymes to cure it, but bees didn’t make it — they are just incredible collectors.” Those left at the table seem to be talking a little faster than usual, despite a twohour lunch. But seeing as we’d spent the last few hours tasting samples of honey and silently weighing their merits, the frenetic sugar high is understandable. It was a long morning at the Renaissance Asheville Hotel, tasting sample after sample in hopes of tallying a consensus for the winner of the sixth annual International Black Jar Honey Contest. Chesick is executive director of the Asheville-based Center for Honeybee Research — an international organization that supports long-term pollinator research. He founded his organization in 2010 and has been hosting global honey competitions in Asheville since 2011. This year, he and his volunteers organized a panel of judges for the final evaluation event on Feb. 7, including chef Katie Button of Cúrate and Nightbell, food writer Stu Helm, Phyllis Stiles of Bee City USA, FEAST co-founder Cathy Cleary and yours truly. Thirty honeys from around the world were selected as the 2017 finalists from among hundreds of submissions. At the final judging, numbered samples were arranged into regional categories and doled out to the judges by bee-costumed volunteers in a blind-tasting format in an effort to provide an unbiased assessment of each entry. Judges rated each honey on a scale of 1-10, based purely on enjoyment. The scores were then averaged to produce a regional champion for each category and one overall winner. A ticketed public cocktail reception that followed the judging on Feb. 9 allowed guests to taste the entries and vote for a People’s Choice winner. But the coveted Black Jar trophy is awarded each year to the judges’ selection as best overall. The Black Jar competition differs from other honey evaluations in that it puts an emphasis on flavor, celebrates terroir and aims to solicit each judge’s subjective reactions. “State fair [contests] — where a lot of honey is ranked — look at the jar,

A MATTER OF TASTE: The Center for Honeybee Research’s annual International Black Jar Honey Contest is unique in that it asks judges to evaluate through a blind tasting based solely on flavor and enjoyment. Photo by Jack Sorokin look at the honey, and they see if there are air bubbles, etc., and all of these things tick off points,” says Chesick. “So you can wind up with a best-in-show honey that tastes like crap because taste is not part of their judging process. “But as beekeepers,” he continues, “we’ve always felt that honey is about taste. So our deal is, if you can’t see it, and all you have to go on is a sense of taste, then that’s how we want to evaluate it. There’s no right or wrong in a sense of taste.”

Chesick also notes that the event is, as far as he knows, the only contest of its kind in the world that honors honeys from all over the globe. “You may not realize it, but there are a lot of beekeepers in almost every country, and their honey is unique to the flowering plants around them,” he points out. “There are 4 million beekeepers in Turkey, for example — compared to about 2.2 million in the U.S. — which is a country about the size of Texas. So we are just scratching the surface.” He shares the story of a winner from a few years ago, a retired Merck Pharmaceutical representative from Knysna, South Africa. After winning the Black Jar trophy, Eddie Hart became perhaps the most famous beekeeper in South Africa, a particular shock to him, having simply packed his product in a plastic milk jug for safe keeping during the airmail journey to the other side of the world. But the annual honey competition isn’t the focus of the Center for Honeybee Research; it is just a fundraiser. The daily work for Chesick and his volunteers is to monitor bee colonies around the world using tiny computers called Raspberry Pi, which record data and video of the hives. Chesick says there are up to 150 hives around the world that regularly broadcast data to the CHBR, with participants in Australia, Ireland, France, Belgium, Norway and Italy, and he expects many more to join the initiative in the coming year. “We don’t charge dues or have a membership,” he says of the organization. “It is open to anybody who is interested in bees.” And, appropriately, he has modeled the CHBR on the configuration of a hive. “Honeybees don’t have structured leadership,” he explains. “They see something that needs doing, and they do it — so some of the alpha bees that start something convince others to follow their example so that everything gets done. We’ve modeled the center around the same thing. If someone has the energy to volunteer, we let them take it away.” That liberty allows for lengthier studies on pollinators. Long-term, unbiased research is a rare thing in the world of apian analysis, he says, noting that many bee researchers are facing drastic limitations that affect the

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QUEEN BEE: In the 2017 Black Jar competition, the grand prize of $2,000 and the Black Jar trophy went to Rachel Coventry of Champaign, Ill. Photo by Jack Sorokin scope of their studies. “They now have to find their own funding, they have to publish on a timeline to keep their jobs. So as a practical matter, they don’t want to spend time fundraising and applying for grants, so they usually find something simple that they can finish in six months,” Chesick says. “Well, none of those studies are very helpful in finding out what is really going on with bees. There’s no real incentive to tackle the harder problems.” Beyond that, he adds, much of the funding for existing research was provided by companies that might have a vested interest in curating results rather than generating impartial research. “We need something that is a little bit more objective than our current system.” The 2017 grand prize of $2,000 and the Black Jar trophy went to Rachel

Coventry, a beekeeper with the Curtis Orchard farm in Champaign, Ill. This was Coventry’s second time to take home a prize at the Black Jar Honey Contest, but her first grand prize at the event. The people’s choice winner was Francesco Colafemmina of Puglia, Italy. Regional and category winners hailed from places as far-flung as Israel, Italy and California. But local folks won accolades as well. The Southeast regional champion was Leigh Knott of Burnsville, the Clubs’ Champion for wildflower honey was Buncombe County Beekeepers member Colleen Thomas of Leicester, and the top prize for sourwood honeys went to “Sourwood” Sharry Mikell of Old Fort. Each category winner received $150. X

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Crockpots will line the tables in the Noble Cider taproom Sunday, Feb. 19, as the cidery hosts its second Chili Cookoff. This year’s categories include best traditional, best vegetarian and most creative chili. Cost to enter the event is $15; admission is $5. Wristbands for contestants and attendees include samples from all competing bowls, along with complimentary cornbread. All proceeds will benefit Girls on the Run, a nonprofit that empowers girls through experiencebased activities that integrate running. “It always means a lot when we have community partners who host fundraising events for us,” says Amy Renigar, executive director of Girls on the Run. She notes that last year’s inaugural fundraiser exceeded expectations. “We weren’t sure how it would go, but my goodness, we ran out of chili.” Trevor Baker, co-owner of Noble Cider, notes that attendance last year totaled close to 150 people. He anticipates a similar turnout at this year’s event. “It’s amazing how many people are into chili,” he says. Because of this, Noble Cider is requesting that all participants prepare 1½-2 gallons of chili before arriving at the contest. Electrical outlets will be available for keeping the dishes warm, but cooking on-site is prohibited. In addition to sampling the goods, those who attend (including competitors) will have the opportunity to vote on each category. Winners will walk away with a variety of gift cards to local businesses, as well as a wooden spoon trophy courtesy of Noble Cider. Last year’s most creative dish was a chipotle chicken chili with lime cream, and a smoky chipotle dish was awarded best vegetarian. When it comes to traditional chili, ground beef is a must as is red sauce, but Baker notes that unlike the Texas standard, Noble Cider permits beans in the recipe. Beyond raising funds for Girls on the Run, both Renigar and Baker are eager to sample some of this year’s entries. “Sadly, I was not able to partake in very many of the chilis at all last year,” says Baker.

BRING THE HEAT: Returning for its second year, Noble Cider’s Chili Cookoff invites both home cooks and professional chefs to make a slow cooker full of their best chili recipe to vie for prizes and support Girls on the Run. Pictured is vegetarian chili from Lucky Otter. Photo by Cindy Kunst Meanwhile, Renigar went without a single cup. “We were so busy helping work the event, I literally didn’t try any,” she says. “I’m going to make sure that doesn’t happen this year.” Noble Cider’s Chili Cookoff runs 3-5 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 19, at 356 New Leicester Highway. $15 to enter, $5 to attend. Cash bar for beer and cider. Visit noblecider.com for rules and registration details. MOUNTAIN COOKING CLUB AT FOLKMOOT FRIENDSHIP CENTER Chef Ricardo Fernandez, former owner and operator of Lomo Grill in Waynesville, will host Mountain Cooking Club, his monthly educational and social culinary class, at Folkmoot Friendship Center on Saturday, Feb. 18. According to Fernandez’s website, these monthly gatherings are to “celebrate the foods of the season” while offering helpful tips and techniques to those who attend. The upcoming class will feature Thai

mussels with green curry, lemongrass and coconut milk; pan-seared hangar steak au poivre with roasted rosemary potatoes; and bourbon coffeecake with espresso-walnut glaze. Mountain Cooking Club meets 10:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 18, at Folkmoot Friendship Center, 112 Virginia Ave., Waynesville. Tickets are $66. For details and tickets, visit avl.mx/3dn. WEEKLY HAPPENINGS AT MG ROAD BAR & LOUNGE MG Road Bar & Lounge has scheduled some new weekly, reccurring events. Keep it Classic Tuesdays will feature personally curated menus from bartender Sam Thompson, along with five $8 classic cocktails ranging from stirred stiff drinks to classic tiki creations. Tuesdays will also showcase the talents of DJ Jesse McSwain of Static Age Records. Wednesday Salsa Night will offer salsa dancing lessons with DJ El Mexicano Isaac from 7-8 p.m.,

followed by an open salsa dance session from 8 p.m.-midnight. Bottomless chips and salsa will be served all night. Thursday Movie Night will include free popcorn, while Saturday Late Night Dance Parties will feature DJ Lil Meow Meow. For more information on the events at MG Road, visit mgroadlounge.com. NO EVIL FOODS EXPANDS TO MIDWEST Sadrah Schadel and Mike Wolians, who founded No Evil Foods in 2014, recently announced that their Asheville-based vegan protein company has signed a contract with Co-op Partners Warehouse, a distribution company based in St. Paul, Minn. The partnership will allow No Evil Food to expand its distribution to seven Midwestern states, increasing its overall reach to 18 states. With ingredients like organic garlic powder, organic fennel seed, vital wheat gluten, chickpea flour and more, the company recreates the flavor and texture of meat products with plant-based protein. Visit noevilfoods.com for more information. FOOD POLICY FORUM Carolina Public Press will host a free public forum on food deserts and food policy in Western North Carolina on Friday, Feb. 17. Panelists will be Charlie Jackson, founder of the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture

Project; Hannah Randall, CEO of MANNA FoodBank; Kiera Bulan, coordinator of the Asheville Buncombe Food Policy Council; and Laura Sexton, registered dietitian with UNC Asheville. A moderated panel discussion will be followed by an audience Q&A. Space is limited, and RSVPs are required for both in-person and online attendance. The forum happens 8:30-10:30 a.m. Friday, Feb. 17, at Lenoir-Rhyne University’s Center for Graduate Studies of Asheville, 36 Montford Ave. To reserve a seat, visit carolinapublicpress.org. X

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FEB. 15 - 21, 2017

CAROLINA BEER GUY

FOOD

by Tony Kiss | avlbeerguy@gmail.com

February brings new brews

New beers and events are on the schedule this month at Asheville breweries

February is shaping up as a busy time on the craft brew scene, so we’re rounding up some of the many events to watch for.

HABITAT BEERS ARE COMING Habitat Brewing Co. at 174 Broadway next to Moog Music, will have its own house beers on tap by the end of this month. In the meantime, the taproom is pouring a wide variety of craft beers by local breweries. After 5 p.m., parking is available in the Moog lot next door.

AVL BEER EXPO The AVL Beer Expo is Saturday, Feb. 18, at The Venue, 21 N. Market St., and we’ve got the complete beer list for this event, which is produced by the Asheville Brewers Alliance. Each of the participating brewers is a member of the alliance and is bringing one special beer. Here’s the list as it stands now: Asheville Brewing Co. — Nottoway River, a rye bock made in collaboration with Deschutes Brewing of Bend, Ore. Appalachian Brewing of Boone — Pom Pom Gose, a chocolate pomegranate gose Bhramari Brewing — Good Fight pale ale Boojum Brewing, Waynesville — Jalapeno IPA Catawba Brewing — Astral Bootie IPA Currahee Brewing, Franklin — Frankenstark Belgian golden strong ale Ecusta Brewing, Brevard — Points North Porter Green Man Brewing — Green Man and the Chocolate Factory breakfast stout Highland Brewing Co. — Highland IPA Hi-Wire Brewing — Enchanter Baltic porter Lazy Hiker Brewing, Franklin — Lazy Englishman English strong ale Lexington Avenue Brewery — Thumper Belgian tripel Nantahala Brewing, Bryson City — Midnight Topher espresso stout New Belgium Brewing — 8 Hop Pale Ale Oskar Blues, Brevard — Deviant Dale’s Imperial IPA One World Brewing — Citra Bomb IPA Pisgah Brewing Co., Black Mountain — Pisgah Mole Stout chili pepper beer Sanctuary Brewing, Hendersonville — Weekend Joe imperial coffee stout

FEB. 15 - 21, 2017

HI-WIRE AT THE MONK Want to try the three collaboration brews that Asheville’s Hi-Wire Brewing has released? The Thirsty Monk will have them on Thursday, Feb. 23. The beers are Pimm’s Berliner Weisse made with NOLA Brewing of New Orleans, Oatmeal Brown Ale with Hardywood Park Craft Brewery of Richmond, Va., and Carolina Coastal Black Rye Lager brewed with Holy City of Charleston, S.C. These beers are also available in a 12-pack box.

RUSSIAN ACCENT: Be on the lookout for Highland Brewing’s Imperium Russian Imperial Stout. This latest entry in the brewery’s Warrior Series will be available in bottles in select local beer stores and groceries. Photo courtesy of Highland Brewing Co.

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Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. — Side Car orange pale ale Thirsty Monk Brewery — a smallbatch, seasonal IPA Tipping Point Brewing, Waynesville — Let It Linger tart cranberry-cherry Berliner weisse Twin Leaf Brewery — Cosmic Inquiries barrel-aged saison made with local blackberries Wedge Brewing Co. — Dragul Belgian strong dark ale Wicked Weed Brewing Co. — Pernicious West Coast-style IPA Bold Rock Hard Cider — India Pressed Apple dry-hopped cider Urban Orchard Cider — Blue Moon Rising fruit and spice cider Two sessions are scheduled — 1-4 and 5-8 p.m. — with each including panel discussions on beer. Tickets for the expo are $30 at avlbeerexpo.com. NEW RUSSIAN STOUT Highland Brewing Co. has released its potent Imperium Russian Imperial

Stout. This dark, rich brew includes hand-cut vanilla, toasted coconut and Octane coffee and is 8.5 percent alcohol. The latest entry in Highland’s Warrior Series, the bottled brew will be sold in four-packs that will mostly go to specialty beer stores and a few groceries, we are told. Don’t delay in getting some — this will sell out fast. BEER AND SCIENCE The next Beer City Science Pub explores anthropology on Friday, Feb. 24, at The Collider, 1 Haywood St., with a program called “Out of Africa 1: The Story of Homo Erectus” with Don Lewis. Free beer is provided to the audience. There’s no charge to attend, but leave a donation at the door if you want. At 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 28, The Collider hosts Oskar Blues Movie Night with episodes of the climate-change series “Years of Living Dangerously.” The suggested donation is $5, and guests get free Oskar Blues beer and popcorn.

OSKAR BLUES MURALS Oskar Blues Brewery is seeking entries for two signature murals that will be painted at its Brevard facility, one indoor and one outdoor. But artists need to move fast. The deadline for submissions is Tuesday, Feb. 28. The competition is open only to Western North Carolina professional artists. The total stipend for the two murals is $2,500, and materials and artist compensation come out of this fund. But a bar tab will be covered for the selected artist during the project timeline. For more details, contact Ellen Catlin at ellen@oskarblues.com. X

New Xpress beer podcast

Area beer personalities speak up on the new “Xpress on Tap” podcast featuring beer writers Tony Kiss and Scott Douglas. First up: a chat with Oscar Wong and Leah Ashburn of Highland Brewing Co. Look for it this week at mountainx.com.

MOUNTAINX.COM

FEB. 15 - 21, 2017

A R T S & E N T E R TA I N M E N T

GROUP EFFORT

For the Love of Music gives back to the community

SPEAK OUT: “A lot of the acts like to speak about their views of what’s going on in the community. That’s kind of what hip-hop is about,“ says For the Love of Music organizer Joseph Lepanto. ”They also want the night to go smoothly,” so the show likely won’t get too political. Photo by Adam McMillan

BY ALLI MARSHALL amarshall@mountainx.com Although Taylor Council, aka Siren XO, started singing around her house as a little girl, it wasn’t until two years ago that she started publicly performing her music. Recovering from a difficult relationship, Council — who grew up in Asheville — was inspired to “be who I wanted to be,” and she turned to songwriting in earnest. Her self-recorded tracks caught the attention of local label Ponkinhead Entertainment, which signed Taylor to its stable of artists. Making art out of opposition and finding community in song produc-

FEB. 15 - 21, 2017

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tion could be a theme for many of the performers at the second installment of For the Love of Music. The show, featuring more than 20 acts and benefiting local nonprofit Bounty & Soul, takes place at UpCountry Brewing Co. on Friday, Feb. 17. “I just like getting everybody together and having fun,” says show organizer Joseph Lepanto. “It’s fun for me to watch everybody perform in one place rather than travel around.” He humbly describes himself as “more of a fan,” but Lepanto — aka hip-hop artist Diggypop Malone — is a performer in his own right. He’ll take the stage at UpCountry along with members of Natural Born Leaders, Doug Dew, D Balla, Blaze

III, Gully Millz, Hunter, Colston, Spaceman Jones, $ouf$ide Pat, Profit Levi, Kilo, Chachillie and Philo — all MCs and producers — as well as producer and DJ Nex Millen, DJ Ra Mak and pop-rock duo Rad & Jamez. It’s a stacked lineup, but the capacity is smaller at this year’s venue. The first iteration of the group show took place at New Mountain, but Lepanto, who worked briefly at UpCountry, felt the brewery and listening room was in alignment with his vision. “This is to give back to the people who come to see us and the community that allows us to do what we do,” he says. Many of the artists on the bill regularly perform together or collaborate. “The

first year, me, Austin Haynes and DJ Ra Mak wanted to organize a local show with a lot of hip-hop acts,” Lepanto remembers. They’re “kind of a tightknit group, and we’ve built a community.” Council has also experienced the bond forged through shared music. For example, some of the tracks and videos produced by Ponkinhead, though high-quality, use language that disparages women — but Council says public personas differ from the musicians’ real-life personalities. “I’ve been a part of [local dancer, dance teacher and musician Marley Pearcy]’s family for a long time, and the label stems from some of his family,” Council says. “I’ve always felt safe around them, and

GO BIG: Taylor Council, aka Siren XO, who grew up in Asheville, recently turned a secret love of singing into a music career. She signed with local label Ponkinhead Entertainment and says her R&B-influenced songs often start as poems. Photo courtesy of Council they’re all extremely respectful and really good to me.” She’s in the process of putting out her first mixtape, which includes contributions from Pearcy, aka Marley P, and Mr 1NE 5IVE, who will both perform at For the Love of Music. Council’s own songs, as Siren XO, are R&B-influenced. They drip soul and reverberate with heartache and longing, but there are also hints of her ambition: “When the music calls my name / and I drown in the fame / will you hate me for changing?” she asks on “Choosing.” Her voice, sweeping and supple, is emotive but also modern as she sings over a sparse beat. “Ride or Die,” which opens with an emergency vehicle siren, pairs Council with DJ Audio. It’s a sultry duet with an infectious rhythm; something that would be right at home on pop radio. The Feb. 17 show serves as a spotlight for some of the city’s up-andcoming artists. “We’ve got a lot of hidden talent in Asheville,” says Council, nodding to hip-hop performers TRiG and Sass of Musty Mark Records as ones to watch. “It would be great if people who loved music would come out and support it. If we could do more community-based music, we could all benefit from it.”

Clearly, Lepanto is of a similar mindset. For the Love of Music strives to meet a number of local needs. The inaugural event raised funds for Brother Wolf Animal Rescue, the Asheville Jewish Community Center and LEAF Community Arts. This year, 100 percent of the proceeds go to grassroots initiative Bounty & Soul, which is “dedicated to creating a health and wellness movement in underserved communities in Buncombe County,” according to the nonprofit’s website. “Because they’re such a small charity, they don’t get a lot of help,” says Lepanto. The pairing makes sense: Like the many artists he’s featuring, Bounty & Soul comes from humble roots but works hard and dreams big. X

WHAT For the Love of Music WHERE UpCountry Brewing Co. 1042 Haywood Road upcountrybrewing.com WHEN Friday, Feb. 17, 9 p.m. $10. avl.mx/3dd

MOUNTAINX.COM

FEB. 15 - 21, 2017

A&E

by Kat McReynolds

kmcreynolds@mountainx.com

LAUGHING MATTERS If ripping off “Saturday Night Live” skits to entertain his fellow high schoolers was an inauspicious beginning, comedian Hari Kondabolu’s career made an upswing. In addition to getting his original, socially and politically charged material in front of larger crowds and late-night television viewers, the Brooklyn-based comic brings creative input to multiple extracurriculars: a humorousyet-pointed TruTV documentary on unvarying Indian character Apu from “The Simpsons”; a comedy series pilot for the same network; and multiple podcasts, including “The Bugle” and “Politically Re-Active.” On Saturday, Feb. 18, attendees at Diana Wortham Theatre will hear Kondabolu’s latest world observations though his favorite medium: stand-up. “I don’t see it as activism,” Kondabolu says of his sets, which confront racism, sexism, oppression and other us-vs.-them mentalities, in addition to lighter interludes. “I’ve done real activism. I was an immigrants’ rights organizer, so I know what the real work is, and I know what this is. … I view it as a real, honest take on my point of view, and everything is written from my heart. My goal is to entertain. … And if you start thinking about this as activism, at least to me, you lose focus. I’ve seen enough art that I thought was righteous and on-point — and not good.” Multiple tactics help Kondabolu avoid that fate, including his knack for adding a conversational feel to monologues. We’ve all imagined confrontations with our detractors, for instance, but Kondabolu verbalizes

UP NEXT: Comedian Hari Kondabolu’s first album, Waiting for 2042, alludes to the year the U.S. Census Bureau predicts a white minority in America. His next (and previously unannounced) release will be a recording of a past show in San Francisco, where an hour of untested material went over better than expected. “I improvised a ton, I was quick, the audience was wonderful, and the recording captures that,” Kondabolu says of the as-yet untitled work. Photo by Mindy Tucker

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Stand-up comedian Hari Kondabolu makes challenging power an art form

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these heated discussions, essentially heckling himself on behalf of nonexistent people. “But, can you write a joke that doesn’t reinforce gender binaries, Hari?” he taunts after landing a “feminist dick joke.” Partway through sophomore album Mainstream American Comic, Kondabolu also begins referencing his own previous jokes, which serves the dual function of reiterating particularly funny moments and establishing the shared context needed for inside jokes with the audience. In one particularly animated bit, Kondabolu likens All Lives Matter proponents to a fictional character Melissa, who, on a friend’s birthday, pipes up to point out that she

also has a birthday. Feigning rage, Kondabolu harangues Melissa for the ill-timed comment before wishing out loud (and out of the blue) that an audience member would chime in to say she’s also named Melissa. It’s an elaborate hypothetical crafted solely to set up the ludicrous retort: “Shut the f*ck up, Melissa! It’s not about you, Melissa. It’s about Melissa right now — the metaphorical Melissa who’s destroying this country.” When Kondabolu’s hyper-analytical mind finds laughs beyond a joke’s ostensible conclusion, energy peaks in him and the crowd, and mini-encores are peppered throughout the set. The Queens-raised comic’s personal history may shed some light

on his passion and perspective surrounding certain societal maladies. The son of Indian immigrants, he studied comparative politics as an undergraduate and earned a master’s degree in human rights from the London School of Economics. His high school global studies teacher Chris Hackney (the one who provided a “safe space” and class time for Kondabolu to refine his Dana Carvey impersonations as well as his own performer’s voice) was also a formative figure, having left South Africa as a conscientious objector. “I remember the first time he told us that story,” Kondabolu says. “That was a teacher who changed my life.” Since unearthing humor in sensitive topics like America’s recent immigration ban is his ongoing challenge, Kondabolu proceeds carefully and considers two criteria while brainstorming: First, his writings must convey something unique and genuine. Then, he asks: “Is the work punching upwards? Am I going after the people with power?” Though tough, this kind of subject matter isn’t unfamiliar, he explains. “That’s what we do. Comedy isn’t always an active thing. … It’s a defense mechanism. It’s a way to resist, and I think it’s kind of ingrained in us. We want to laugh, we want that relief and we want to create that relief in others. I think that’s natural. It’s not just performers’ instinct.” Hopefully, Kondabolu’s inthe-works joke about the Statue of Liberty being deported will be ready in time for his Asheville show. Either way, he plans to re-create several highlights from Mainstream American Comic amid a majority of freshly written words. “I’ve had a lot to write about,” he says. X

WHAT Hari Kondabolu WHERE Diana Wortham Theatre 2 S. Pack Square dwtheatre.com WHEN Saturday, Feb. 18, 8 p.m. $22

A&E

by Edwin Arnaudin

edwinarnaudin@gmail.com

TOMORROW’S SCORSESES, TODAY Twin Rivers Media Festival returns for the 23rd year Following a successful late January trial run in Danville, Va., the Twin Rivers Media Festival returns to Western North Carolina for its 23rd annual season Friday, Feb. 17, and Saturday, Feb. 18, at the Flood Gallery Fine Art Center in Swannanoa. All screenings and events are free and open to the public. A veteran film festival organizer dating to the mid-’80s in New York, Carlos Steward saw the potential for a permanent event in the Asheville area and started Twin Rivers in 1995. The festival focuses on independent features and short documentaries, dramas and animated films. In the subsequent twoplus decades, Steward has adapted to the array of technological changes and is thankful he no longer has to adhere to the old ways. “It used to be 16 mm or 35 mm films, and we’d be running projectors and changing reels. Then it was VHS, and everybody wanted those back, so we had to return everything, and it was always a hassle to make sure everything got in the right envelope,” Steward says. “With DVD, nobody wanted them back anymore, and this year, most entries were downloaded. It’s great, and it’s gotten better and better, both for filmmakers and the festival.” The primarily digital submissions make it significantly easier for his judges — a diverse set of filmmakers and cinephiles ranging from Asheville to Istanbul — to view the works. Twin Rivers received close to 450 entries for the 2017 edition, a number Steward says is pretty typical for the festival. Of those candidates, around 40 films were selected to play at the inaugural Danville screenings, and just shy of 30 will be shown at the Swannanoa event, representing a “Best of the Fest” program. “We try to select films more in line with our mission: supporting younger filmmakers and emerging filmmakers,” Steward says. “Those are the people who need support now and probably will be the major filmmakers of the future.” Similar to the festival’s judging panel, Twin Rivers’ offerings are international. Films from Spain, Bulgaria, Russia, Iran, France, Uruguay, Brazil, the United Kingdom, the United

THIS MAGIC MOMENT: The Iranian short drama “is about little girl who is going to school, but something happens along the way,” according to a preview. The five-minute video requires no translation. Image courtesy of Saman Hosseinpuor States, Argentina, Palestine, Sweden, Italy, Germany and Malaysia comprise the schedule. The Flood Gallery and the Twin Rivers Festival were formerly housed in

the Phil Mechanic Studios in Asheville’s River Arts District. When the building was sold last year, Steward moved his operations — including the World Cinema screenings he curates and hosts

Twin Rivers Media Festival schedule Friday, Feb. 17 • Feature film: Scammerhead, 8-10 p.m.

• Short drama program,

Saturday, Feb. 18 • Documentary shorts program, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.

• Feature film: Money,

• Art demonstrations by Andrea Kulish and Andy Farkas, 1-2 p.m. • Animation shorts program, 2-3 p.m.

each Friday — to a building a few lots up U.S. 70 from the former Tarwheels Skateway. The new Flood Gallery has a screen that measures roughly 10 feet from corner to corner and seats 75, an intimate combination that Steward believes is an excellent fit for the festival’s offerings. “With short drama, those are the filmmakers who are trying to hone their skills on storytelling before they go off and make a feature film. So, you end up with really outstanding short drama every year. Sometimes they even get major actors to kind of volunteer their time,” Steward says. “The animation is always really edgy and fun to watch. And the documentaries, of course, we like as well, because what we show are things Ashevilleans would like — the causes and the political side.” As strong as the briefer works are for the 2017 festival, Steward is quick to highlight the pair of feature-length films that bookend the schedule (see box), beginning with Canadian director Dan Zukovic’s Scammerhead on Friday. The global noir about a business hustler whose risky investments get him in trouble with the mafia was shot in 30 different countries. Also noteworthy is Money from Spain’s Martín Rosete, screening Saturday, which follows two wealthy businessmen about to get away with $5 million in dirty money until an uninvited house guest complicates matters. “Usually, features are a little tougher for emerging filmmakers,” Steward says. “But this year, they are outstanding.” X

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A&E

by Bill Kopp

bill@musoscribe.com

CHANGE IS THE ONLY CONSTANT Shapeshifting band Dr. Bacon plays hometown show at Isis Music Hall Jesse Talbott is a songwriter and the lead singer of Dr. Bacon, a band originally from Boone that relocated to Asheville in 2016. It’s difficult to pin down the musical style of Dr. Bacon; that challenge arises from the fact that the group’s journey has been punctuated by a number of genre shifts and personnel changes. The band — which describes its current style as funkrock — plays the Isis Music Hall on Saturday, Feb. 18. Dr. Bacon took some time to develop its sound. Talbott says that the original group knew what it liked: “It was kind of alt-rock,” he says. “But when we started busking on the streets in Boone, we quickly learned that if you play bluegrass, you get paid to do it.” So the early lineup of Dr. Bacon developed what Talbott describes

GENRE SHIFTERS: In 2017, the always-changing Asheville-based Dr. Bacon describes itself as Appalachian funk rock. But in the past, the band has been everything from alt-rock to blues to danceable punk-bluegrass. Photo by Matthew Way

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as a “punk bluegrass style,” with an emphasis on danceability. That acoustic trio featured two guitars and a mandolin, with one of the guitarists occasionally switching to djembe. The group added members and continued in that direction for about a year, though even then, Dr. Bacon mixed in other styles. “We also played rap covers in a bluegrass setting,” Talbott says. “We did Lil Jon & the East Size Boyz’s ‘Get Low’ and ‘Colt 45’ by Afroman. People just ate it up.” But shortly thereafter, the group’s original mandolin and banjo players left. “So we kind of steered away from bluegrass,” Talbott says. “We headed to a more rock ’n’ roll, bluesier sound.” And with the group’s recent move to Asheville, it changed course yet again. “We just started heading in the funk direction,” Talbott says. Dr. Bacon entered a recording studio early last year to cut an album. But not long after it was completed, the band faced yet another challenge. It had already been chosen to take part in the 2016 Last Band Standing competition when “our bass player, the drummer and the banjo player all quit,” Talbott says. Three weeks before the high-profile event, the remaining members found themselves in a make-or-break moment. “We found a bass player and a drummer the next day,” Talbott says.

The new lineup practiced 30-40 hours a week. “It was insane,” Talbott recalls. “It was grueling. One of the guys lost a job over it.” But the experience galvanized Dr. Bacon, and the group won the competition. “I think that energy that the new guys brought into it was what really won it for us,” Talbott says. “Because we wanted it; we were hungry.” Those studio sessions remain unreleased. “We now have this product that we no longer even sound like,” Talbott admits. “We spent all the money and time for something we couldn’t even use.” Listeners who are curious about Dr. Bacon’s trajectory can search the band’s many live sets available at archive.org and YouTube. Dr. Bacon has completed a more recent EP that almost features its current lineup. “Our drummer got nabbed by Caleb Johnson, the 2013 American Idol winner, so we just got a new drummer last week,” Talbott says. Meanwhile, the initial run of the new EP sold out quickly, so the band has pressed more for sale at shows. The current Dr. Bacon lineup features seven musicians, including Myles Dunder (vocals, guitar, saxophone) who remains from the group’s early acoustic trio days in Boone. And the banjo is still part of Dr. Bacon’s sound, providing a thread of continuity — albeit a thin one — with the band’s start. “We’re doing more of what we want to do,” says Talbott, “instead of just what was getting us paid.” X

WHO Dr. Bacon with Come Back Alice WHERE Isis Music Hall 743 Haywood Road isisasheville.com WHEN Saturday, Feb. 18, 9 p.m. $8 advance/$12 day of show

SMART BETS by Emily Glaser | Send your arts news to ae@mountainx.com

The 1491s UNC Asheville’s Native American Student Association hosts guest speakers and performances as part of the American Indian and Indigenous Studies Series, including a visit by sketch comedy group The 1491s. “Humor is a central part of Native American culture,” explains a representative of the students of the Native American Student Association. “The 1491s encompass this trait and use their platform not only to make us laugh, but also to draw attention to crucial issues affecting Indian country, such as the Dakota Access Pipeline.” Using digital media and comedy, the group address stereotypes and works to shift common narratives around indigenous culture. They’ll perform at Lipinsky Auditorium on Wednesday, Feb. 22, at 7 p.m. $15. A free master class with The 1491s takes place in the Mountain View Room of the Sherrill Center on Thursday, Feb. 23, at noon. events.unca.edu. Photo courtesy of The 1491s

Shallows Asheville-based band Shallows performs headbanging metal with a nod to ’90s rock. The group’s upcoming show at The Mothlight celebrates the release of its third recording, but the concert is also an opportunity for the group to empower its audience. “Given the heavy tide of dark energy presently flooding the human realm, we are very excited for the ritual of a show to help express some portion of the collective sadness, anger and despair we’ve embodied, and to stake our claim to create space for potential healing or transformation of those emotions into action and empowerment,” says guitarist/vocalist Cameron Zarrabzadeh. “We’re also just simply stoked to finally release some of our music on vinyl!” Shoegaze groups Knives and Daggers and VIA will open the record release show on Friday, Feb. 17. Free. themothlight.com. Photo by Marissa Zarrabzadeh

Transforming Education Through Hip-Hop Culture

Dirty Dozen Brass Band Over the past 40 years, the Dirty Dozen Brass Band has both honored the brass band tradition and revitalized the genre for a modern era. The New Orleans-based group, named for the club where it got its start, has produced nearly 20 albums and collaborated with renowned artists ranging from David Bowie to Modest Mouse. Though the group’s sound always bends slightly to the whims of the times, its music is consistently marked by lively melodies punched with sax and horn solos. Listeners can experience the collective’s infectious musical energy through its albums, but the Dirty Dozen Brass Band is an ensemble best observed live — that’s when the musicians’ spirit of improvisation takes center stage. The group will perform at Isis Music Hall on Friday, Feb. 17, at 9 p.m. $15/$20. isisasheville.com. Photo by Chris Monaghan

Dr. Christopher Emdin specializes in Reality Pedagogy, a fluid education model that adapts to the student’s cultural experiences. Emdin’s teachings will be the focus of Organic Synergy’s 2017 Winter Forum. Educators and community members of all ages are invited to this free event, which begins with a buffet-style meal followed by a pre-recorded lecture by Emdin. The evening will culminate with a panel discussion hosted by Nex Millen, pictured, founder of musical education firm Organic Synergy. Panelists include Jen Ramming, executive director of the Open Doors of Asheville mentor program and Brian Randall, executive director of the IRL After School Program. Those who attend will receive a copy of Emdin’s book, Urban Science for the HipHop Generation, and a link to the lecture. The forum takes place at the YMI Cultural Center on Tuesday, Feb. 21, at 6 p.m. ymiculturalcenter.org. Photo courtesy of Millen

MOUNTAINX.COM

FEB. 15 - 21, 2017

A& E CA L EN DA R

by Abigail Griffin

ART

AUDITIONS & CALL TO ARTISTS

GALLERY OF THE MOUNTAINS Inside the Omni Grove Park Inn, 290 Macon Ave. • FR (2/17), 1-5pm - Wet felting demonstration by fiber artist Kendall White. Free to attend. GROVEWOOD GALLERY 111 Grovewood Road, 2537651, grovewood.com • FR (2/17) & SA (2/18), 11am4pm - Woodturning and surface design demonstration. Free to attend. • FR (2/17) & SA (2/18), 11am4pm - Still life oil painting demonstration by artist Bryan Koontz. Free to attend. • FR (2/17) & SA (2/18), 11am4pm - Meet the Maker: Meet woodworker Don Gauthier. Free to attend. • SA (2/18), 11am-4pm - Artist studio tours at Grovewood Village. Free to attend. THE CENTER FOR CRAFT, CREATIVITY & DESIGN 67 Broadway, 785-1357, craftcreativitydesign.org • SA (2/18), 4-6pm - Salon Series: "Women, Ceramics and Community," conversation, refreshments and discussion about the current exhibition, The Good Making of Good Things: Craft Horizons 19411979. Free.

ASHEVILLE AREA ARTS COUNCIL 258-0710, ashevillearts.com • Through WE (2/15) Submissions accepted for the Asheville Art in the Park Arts & Community Grant application. Contact for full guidelines. Held at The Refinery, 207 Coxe Ave. • Through MO (5/15) Applications accepted for the 2017 Professional Development Grant for Artists. Contact for full guidelines. HENDERSONVILLE COMMUNITY THEATRE 229 S. Washington St., Hendersonville, 692-1082, hendersonvillelittletheater.org • Through WE (2/15) Submissions accepted for the 2017 New Playwright Series. Contact for full guidelines. MONTFORD PARK PLAYERS 254-5146, montfordparkplayers.org • Through WE (3/1) - Open call for directors and technical staff. Contact for full guidelines.

OSKAR BLUES BREWERY 342 Mountain Industrial Drive, Brevard, 883-2337 • Through TU (2/28) - Local artist proposals accepted for brewery mural project. Contact for guidelines: goo.gl/ lWjOhn. SALUDA ARTS FESTIVAL 817-2876, saluda.com/events_artfestival. html • Through FR (3/17) - Vendor and performer applications accepted for the Saluda Arts Festival scheduled for Saturday, May 20. THE POTTERY 40 E. Main St., Saluda • Through WE (3/1) - Pottery submissions accepted for the 2017 Cup Show. See website for guidelines: ThePotterySaluda.com. TRYON LITTLE THEATER 516 S. Trade St., Tryon, 8592466, tltinfo.org • SU (2/19), 3pm & MO (2/20), 6:30pm - Open auditions for Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike. Contact for full guidelines.

FAMILY VACATIONS I HAVE NEVER TAKEN: Multidisciplinary artist Lydia See’s newest series of embroidered vernacular photographs invite the viewer to consider one’s own memories and how time and circumstance may have changed them. Her exhibition of altered photography, Family Vacations I Have Never Taken, featured at Mars Hill University’s Weizenblatt Gallery from Thursday, Feb. 16, to Thursday, March 9, includes embroidered panoramic images of the American West. According to See, she utilized embroidery, a stereotypically “feminine” domestic craft, applied to images of sites commonly associated with masculinity and new frontiers. “‘The Classic American Road Trip’” never taken is re-created by stitching together memory elements that never occurred, fabricating a fictional journey, obscuring and highlighting detail, drawing attention to what is held and released in one’s memory and allowing the photograph to supersede the absent memory itself.” The gallery hosts an exhibition and artist’s talk on Thursday, Feb. 16, from 6-8 p.m. Photograph courtesy of Lydia See. (pg. 39)

MUSIC CALDWELL COMMUNITY COLLEGE 2855 Hickory Blvd., Hudson, 726-2200, cccti.edu • TH (2/16), 1pm - Diali Cissokho concert, percussion from Senegal. Free. Held in B-100 FLAT ROCK PLAYHOUSE DOWNTOWN 125 S. Main St., Hendersonville, 693-0731, flatrockplayhouse.org • THURSDAYS through SUNDAYS (2/16) until (2/26) - The Music of the Beatles. Thurs.: 7:30pm. Fri. & Sat.: 8pm. Sat. & Sun.: 2pm. $15-$30. HENDERSON COUNTY DEMOCRATIC PARTY 905 S. Greenville Highway, Hendersonville, 692-6424, myhcdp.com • 2nd & 4th WEDNESDAYS, 7pm - "Strings and Things," folk pop music jam. Free. PUBLIC LECTURES AT UNCA unca.edu • MO (2/20), 5:30-6:30pm - Black History Month: "The Gospel According to the Choir," performance and discussion of the history and evolution of gospel music in the African-American community. Featuring the Mars Hill Gospel Choir. Free. Held in

FEB. 15 - 21, 2017

MOUNTAINX.COM

the Humanities Lecture Hall

7:30pm. Sun.: 2pm. $14-$60. THE MAGNETIC THEATRE

THEATER 35BELOW 35 E. Walnut St., 254-1320, ashevilletheatre.org • FRIDAYS through SUNDAYS until (2/19) - Almost, Maine, romantic comedy. Fri. & Sat.: 7:30pm. Sun.: 2:30pm. $15. DIFFERENT STROKES PERFORMING ARTS COLLECTIVE 275-2093, differentstrokespac.org • THURSDAYS through SATURDAYS until (2/25), 7:30pm - The Submission. $21/18 advance. Held at BeBe Theatre, 20 Commerce St. HENDERSONVILLE COMMUNITY THEATRE 229 S. Washington St., Hendersonville, 692-1082, hendersonvillelittletheater.org • FRIDAYS through SUNDAYS (2/17) until (3/5) - The Foreigner, comedy. Fri. & Sat.: 7:30pm. Sun.: 2pm. $26/$20 students/$18 youth. NC STAGE COMPANY 15 Stage Lane, 239-0263 • WEDNESDAYS through SUNDAYS until (2/19), 7:30pm - Jeeves In Bloom. Wed.-Sat.:

375 Depot St., 279-4155 • THURSDAYS through SATURDAYS until (2/25), 7:30pm - Money and How To Make It! $25/$21 advance. THE MAGNETIC THEATRE themagnetictheatre.org • WE (2/15), 7:30pm - "The SuperHappy Trivia Challenge," trivia comedy game show live music and featuring local personalities. $18/$16 advance. Held at The Magnetic Theatre, 375 Depot St. THEATER AT WCU 227-2479, bardoartscenter.wcu.edu • WEDNESDAY through SUNDAY (2/15) until (2/19) - School of Stage and Screen present King Lear. Wed.-Sat.: 7:30pm. Sun.: 3pm. $16/$10 students. Held in Hoey Auditorium. TRYON LITTLE THEATER 516 S. Trade St., Tryon, 859-2466, tltinfo.org • THURSDAY through SUNDAY (2/16) until (2/19), 8pm - The Drowsy Chaperone, musical comedy. $11-$22.

GALLERY DIRECTORY AMERICAN FOLK ART AND FRAMING 64 Biltmore Ave., 281-2134, amerifolk.com • Through MO (2/27) - Miniature Show, group exhibition of miniature paintings.

HABITAT TAVERN & COMMONS

ART AT MARS HILL UNIVERSITY 689-1307, mhu.edu • TH (2/16) through TH (3/9) - Family Vacations I Have Never Taken, exhibition of altered photographs by Lydia See. Reception: Thursday, Feb. 16, 6-8pm. Held in Weizenblatt Gallery

HICKORY MUSEUM OF ART 243 3rd Ave., NE Hickory, 327-8576 • Through (5/21) - Solitude & Mystery, exhibition featuring works by John Julius Wilnoty.

ART AT UNCA art.unca.edu • Through FR (2/17) - Senior BFA exhibition of fiber installation created by Sally C. Garner. Held in the Highsmith Intercultural Gallery • Through SU (2/26) - An Expose of Fashion, Black History Month photography exhibition by Micah MacKenzie. Held in the Highsmith Union Intercultural Center ART AT WCU 828-227-2787, bardoartscenter.edu • Through (5/5) - Soft Diplomacy: Quilting Cultural Diplomacy, exhibition. Held in the Bardo Center ART IN THE AIRPORT 61 Terminal Drive, Fletcher • Through TH (3/16) - The Student Artwork Showcase, exhibition of WNC student art. ARTS COUNCIL OF HENDERSON COUNTY 693-8504, acofhc.org • FR (2/17) through FR (2/24) - The Art of Our Children, elementary student exhibition. Reception: Friday, Feb. 17, 5-6:30pm. Held at First Citizens Bank, 539 N. Main St., Hendersonville ASHEVILLE AREA ARTS COUNCIL 258-0710, ashevillearts.com • Through FR (2/17) - CMYK (cyan - magenta - yellow - black), mixed media exhibition. Held at The Refinery, 207 Coxe Ave. ASHEVILLE GALLERY OF ART 82 Patton Ave., 251-5796, ashevillegallery-of-art.com • Through TU (2/28) - For the Love of Art, group painting exhibition. BLACK MOUNTAIN COLLEGE MUSEUM & ARTS CENTER 56 Broadway, 350-8484, blackmountaincollege.org • Through WE (5/20) - Begin To See: The Photographers of Black Mountain College, exhibition. BUNCOMBE COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARIES buncombecounty.org/governing/depts/library • Through TU (2/28) - Exhibition of the art of James Cassara. Held at West Asheville Library, 942 Haywood Road CRUCIBLE GLASSWORKS 60 Clarks Chapel Road, Weaverville, 645-5660, crucibleglassworks.com • Ongoing - Exhibition of the glass work of Michael Hatch. GREEN SAGE CAFE - WESTGATE 70 Westgate Parkway, 785-1780, greensagecafe.com • Through SA (4/15) - 20 Below, underwater photography exhibition by John Highsmith.

174 Broadway St, habitatbrewing.com • Through TU (2/28) - Exhibition of work by Leah Mangum.

JUBILEE COMMUNITY CHURCH 46 Wall St., 252-5335, jubileecommunity.org • Through TU (2/28) - Exhibition of paintings by Cecil Bothwell. PUBLIC LECTURES AT UNCA unca.edu • Through FR (4/7) - Nazi Persecution of Homosexuals 1933-1945, exhibition produced by the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. Reception: Thursday, Feb. 16, 5:30-6:45pm. Held in Ramsey Library SWANNANOA VALLEY FINE ARTS LEAGUE 669-0351, svfalarts.org • Through SU (5/7) - Moonlight Becomes You, members exhibition. Held at Red House Studios and Gallery, 310 W. State St., Black Mountain THE CENTER FOR CRAFT, CREATIVITY & DESIGN 67 Broadway, 785-1357, craftcreativitydesign.org • Through WE (5/20) - The Good Making of Good Things, exhibition exploring the 19411979 Craft Horizons publication. THE REFINERY 207 Coxe Ave., ashevillearts.com • Through FR (2/17) - Susanna Euston: Nature in Abstract, exhibition. TRANSYLVANIA COMMUNITY ARTS COUNCIL 349 S. Caldwell St., Brevard, 884-2787, tcarts.org • Through TU (2/28) - Folk Art, juried group exhibition. TRYON ARTS AND CRAFTS SCHOOL 373 Harmon Field Road, Tryon, 859-8323 • Through FR 3/17) - Red-Carpet Artist Of The Year, exhibition. TRYON FINE ARTS CENTER 34 Melrose Ave., Tryon, 859-8322, tryonarts.org • Through SA (3/4) - Contemporary Modernist, paintings by Eric McRay. UPSTAIRS ARTSPACE 49 S. Trade St., Tryon, 859-2828, upstairsartspace.org • Through WE (3/10) - Tripping the Light Fantastic, exhibiton of the art of Veronika Hart and Dabney Mahanes. VORTEX 32 Banks Ave #106 • Through TU (2/28) - Doughnut Art Show, exhibition of ceramic and painted doughnuts created by Evergreen elementary students. Contact the galleries for admission hours and fees

MOUNTAINX.COM

FEB. 15 - 21, 2017

KIDS ISSUES

CLUBLAND

PARADE PARTY

2/26

After the parade: • Low Down Sires • Cajun Cuisine

32 Banks Ave Asheville, NC 28801 catawbabrewing.com

Coming MARCH 15 & 22

COME ONE, COME ALL: If you’re feeling freaky or just pining for the days of P.T. Barnum, Bethlehem, PA’s This Way To The Egress is just what the doctor ordered. Since forming in 2008, the six-piece traveling show has concocted a medley of world music, punk and weirdo Americana into a circus-like atmosphere that offers a wry, salacious take on the big tent culture of yesteryear. Come catch the show on Saturday, Feb. 18 at the Crow & Quill in Asheville, beginning at 9:30 p.m. Photo courtesy of the Crow & Quill WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 15 185 KING STREET Vinyl Night, 6:00PM 5 WALNUT WINE BAR Les Amis (African folk), 8:00PM 550 TAVERN & GRILLE Karaoke, 8:00PM ASHEVILLE GUITAR BAR Brad Hodge & friends (singersongwriter), 7:00PM ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL The Werks & Russ Liquid Test w/ Funk You (jam, funk, rock), 9:00PM BARLEY'S TAPROOM & PIZZERIA Dr. Brown's Team Trivia, 8:30PM BEN'S TUNE-UP Soul Magnetics (soul, R&B, funk), 7:00PM BLUE MOUNTAIN PIZZA & BREW PUB Open Mic w/ Billy Owens, 7:00PM BONFIRE BARBECUE Trivia Funtime w/ Kelsey, 8:00PM BROADWAY'S Broadway HumpDay Variety w/ DJ NexMillen, 9:00PM BUFFALO NICKEL Spoken Word open mic w/ Pete Koschnick & Gary Sizer (storytelling), 7:00PM

FEB. 15 - 21, 2017

MOUNTAINX.COM

BYWATER Cocktail night w/ DJ Dr. Filth, 9:00PM CORK & KEG Jesse Lege Cajun Dance & The Running of the Winos (Cajun, accordian), 6:00PM CREEKSIDE TAPHOUSE Open mic jam w/ Riyen Roots & friends, 7:00PM CROW & QUILL Live Horror Movie Score w/ Andrew Fletcher & Drayton Aldritch (1922 Haxan), 9:00PM DOUBLE CROWN Classic Country Vinyl w/ DJ David Wayne Gay, 10:00PM GOOD STUFF Jim Hampton & friends perform "Eclectic Country" (jam), 7:00PM HIGHLAND BREWING COMPANY Woody Wood Wednesdays (rock, soul, funk), 5:30PM ISIS RESTAURANT AND MUSIC HALL Brie Capone & friends, 7:00PM An evening w/ Alash, 8:30PM JACK OF THE WOOD PUB Old-time session, 6:00PM LAZY DIAMOND Killer Karaoke w/ KJ Tim O, 10:00PM LOBSTER TRAP Ben Hovey (dub, jazz), 6:30PM

NEW MOUNTAIN THEATER/ AMPHITHEATER Anders Osborne & The Ghost of Paul Revere (folk), 9:00PM ODDITORIUM Electric Phantom w/ The Generic Terrors & Tombstone Highway (metal), 9:00PM ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Evil Note Lab, 9:00PM ONE WORLD BREWING Billy Litz, 8:00PM PULP TRiG w/ Trip Gang & Slu (hip hop), 8:00PM PILLAR ROOFTOP BAR 3 Cool Cats (50s & 60s vintage rock, swing), 7:00PM SALVAGE STATION McLovins w/ Hayley Jane & The Primates, 9:00PM THE BLOCK OFF BILTMORE WNC Female Musician's Soiree w/ Peggy Ratusz, Kare Strong, Lucy Ray & Aileen "Big Al" Pearlman (Girls on the Run benefit), 7:00PM THE JOINT NEXT DOOR Kathryn Proctor & Dan Falkenstein, 7:00PM THE MAGNETIC THEATRE The SuperHappy Trivia Challenge, 7:30PM THE MOTHLIGHT Luxury Club w/ Metaphonia & The Volt Per Octaves (math rock, dance), 9:00PM

THE SOCIAL LOUNGE DJ Phantom Pantone (international soul, R&B), 8:00PM

LAZY DIAMOND Heavy Night w/ DJ Butch, 10:00PM

ALTAMONT THEATRE The Blue Eyed Bettys w/ Eleanor Underhill (folk), 8:00PM

THOMAS WOLFE AUDITORIUM Alakazam Magic Show, 4:30PM Alakazam Magic Show, 7:30PM

LOBSTER TRAP Hank Bones ("The man of 1,000 songs"), 6:30PM

ASHEVILLE GUITAR BAR Joe McMurrian, 7:30PM

TRESSA'S DOWNTOWN JAZZ AND BLUES Blues & Soul Jam (blues, soul), 9:00PM TWIN LEAF BREWERY Open Mic Night, 6:00PM WILD WING CAFE Paint Nite "Love is in the Air", 7:00PM WILD WING CAFE SOUTH Ashley Heath (acoustic), 6:00PM

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16 185 KING STREET Charles Walker Band (R&B, soul), 8:00PM 5 WALNUT WINE BAR Pleasure Chest (blues, rock, soul), 8:00PM ALTAMONT THEATRE Deja Fuze (prog. rock, fusion), 8:00PM ASHEVILLE GUITAR BAR WNC Social Club, 5:30PM Will Ray & The Space Cooties, 7:00PM BARLEY'S TAPROOM & PIZZERIA Alien Music Club (jazz), 9:00PM BEN'S TUNE-UP Chris Coleman Blues Experience, 8:00PM BLUE MOUNTAIN PIZZA & BREW PUB Patrick Fitzsimons (roots music), 7:00PM BONFIRE BARBECUE Social Function, 8:30PM CREEKSIDE TAPHOUSE Chris Hendrick Band (alt. pop, rock), 7:00PM CROW & QUILL Carolina Catskins (gritty ragtime jazz), 9:00PM DOUBLE CROWN Sonic Satan Stew w/ DJ Alien Brain, 10:00PM FOGGY MOUNTAIN BREWPUB Ashley Heath Duo (folk, Americana), 9:00PM FRENCH BROAD BREWERY Chris Jamison's Ghost (Americana), 6:00PM HIGHLAND BREWING COMPANY Community Night w/ Eblen Charities (benefit), 4:00PM ISIS RESTAURANT AND MUSIC HALL An evening w/ Bob Bovee & The Carolina Cud Chewers, 7:00PM The Charles Walker Band w/ Bygone Blues Duo & Peggy Ratusz, 8:30PM JACK OF THE WOOD PUB Mountain Feist & Bluegrass jam, 7:00PM

ODDITORIUM Pedalstrike (punk), 9:00PM ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Mitch's Totally Rad Trivia Night, 6:30PM Findog (bluegrass, Americana), 10:00PM ONE WORLD BREWING Pendulum Trio, 8:00PM ORANGE PEEL Josh Garrels & John Mark McMillan [SOLD OUT], 9:00PM PISGAH BREWING COMPANY February Thursday Residency w/ The Big Deal Band (old-time, bluegrass), 6:00PM PURPLE ONION CAFE Red Hot Sugar Babies (jazz), 8:00PM SALVAGE STATION Groove Fetish w/ Electric Love Machine, 9:00PM SANCTUARY BREWING COMPANY Billy Litz (soul, Americana), 7:00PM SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN BREWERY Carver & Carmody, 7:00PM THE BLOCK OFF BILTMORE Camille A. Brown pre-show w/ DeWayne Barton (poetry), 7:00PM Unite! Open mic night w/ Kevin Barger (sign up @ 7 p.m.), 7:30PM THE JOINT NEXT DOOR Tricky Trivia w/ Sue, 8:00PM THE MOTHLIGHT The Moth: True Stories Told Live ("Love Hurts" storytelling), 7:00PM TRESSA'S DOWNTOWN JAZZ AND BLUES Jesse Barry & The Jam (live music, dance), 9:00PM WHITE HORSE BLACK MOUNTAIN The Blue-Eyed Bettys (Americana), 7:30PM WILD WING CAFE SOUTH Jason Whittaker (acoustic), 6:00PM WXYZ LOUNGE AT ALOFT HOTEL WXYZ Unplugged w/ Sarah Tucker, 8:00PM

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17 185 KING STREET Todd Greene (singer-songwriter, R&B), 8:00PM 5 WALNUT WINE BAR The Low Counts (rock, blues), 9:00PM 550 TAVERN & GRILLE Fine Line (Southern rock), 9:00PM

ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Dirtwire w/ DJ Bowie & NU Paradigm Dancers (folk, electronic), 9:00PM BLUE MOUNTAIN PIZZA & BREW PUB Acoustic Swing, 7:00PM BYWATER Mark Schimick Trio (bluegrass, newgrass), 8:00PM CORK & KEG 3 Cool Cats (vintage rock 'n' roll), 8:30PM CREEKSIDE TAPHOUSE Mark Bumgarner (Americana, bluegrass), 7:00PM CROW & QUILL Black Heart Ball w/ Plankeye Peggy (psychedelic, rock 'n' roll), 10:00PM DOUBLE CROWN Garage & Soul Obscurities w/ DJ Greg Cartwright, 10:00PM FLOOD GALLERY FINE ART CENTER 23rd Annual Twin Rivers Media Festival kickoff, 8:00PM FOGGY MOUNTAIN BREWPUB Ram Mandelkorn (funk, jazz), 10:00PM FRENCH BROAD BREWERY Alarm Clock Conspiracy (indie rock, pop, alt. country), 6:00PM GOOD STUFF Bri & the Astrotones (alt. rock, pop), 8:30PM GREY EAGLE MUSIC HALL & TAVERN SUSTO w/ Justin Peter KinkelSchuster (alternative, indie), 9:00PM HIGHLAND BREWING COMPANY Bayou Diesel (zydeco, Cajun), 7:00PM ISIS RESTAURANT AND MUSIC HALL Ayreheart (celtic, folk), 7:00PM Dirty Dozen Brass Band w/ The Get Right Band, 9:00PM JACK OF THE WOOD PUB The Old Chevrolette Set (country, Americana), 9:00PM K LOUNGE DJ Phantom Pantone (Korean pop, trap, dance), 10:00PM LAZY DIAMOND Rock 'n' Soul DJ, 10:00PM LOBSTER TRAP Asheville Gypsy Jazz Trio, 6:30PM LUELLA'S BAR-B-QUE Riyen Roots (blues, roots), 8:00PM LUELLA'S BAR-B-QUE BILTMORE PARK Ashley Heath (folk), 8:00PM NEW MOUNTAIN THEATER/ AMPHITHEATER Official Umphrey's McGee afterparty w/ Spafford (jam, rock), 10:00PM

COMING SOON wed 2/15

7:00PM–BRIE CAPONE AND FRIENDS:

NEWMUSIC

8:30PM– ALASH thu 2/16

7:00PM –BOB BOVEE WITH THE CAROLINA CUD CHEWERS

8:30PM –THE CHARLES WALKER BAND W/ BYGONE BLUES DUO FT. PEGGY RATUSZ fri 2/17

7:00PM–AYREHEART 9:00PM –DIRTY DOZEN BRASS BAND WITH THE GET RIGHT BAND sat 2/18

7:00PM–KIPYN MARTIN

9:00PM–DR. BACON WITH COME BACK ALICE sun 2/19

5:30PM–NAMING THE TWINS 9:00PM–VERSION CITY TOUR tue 2/21

7:00PM–MAX HATT/EDDA GLASS WITH MICHELLE WILLIS

7:30PM–TUESDAY BLUEGRASS SESSIONS wed 2/22 7:00PM–THE WAY DOWN WANDERERS

8:30PM–HEY MONEA WITH GUEST PAUL PFAU thu 2/23

7:00PM–CHARLOTTE BERG AND COLBY DEITZ BAND

8:30PM–RAVINER + DANGER WITH AMERICAN GONZOS AND CAROLINA RAY fri 2/24

9:00PM–THE GIBSON BROTHERS ISISASHEVILLE.COM DINNER MENU TIL 9:30PM LATE NIGHT MENU TIL 12AM

TUES-SUN 5PM-until 743 HAYWOOD RD 828-575-2737

MOUNTAINX.COM

FEB. 15 - 21, 2017

C L UB L AND SANCTUARY BREWING Soulful Fridays COMPANY Dance Party w/ DJ Rob Williams (Americana), CVtheProducer, 10:00PM 8:00PM THE DUGOUT SCARLET'S COUNTRY PACK'S TAVERN Fly Sparrow, 9:00PM DANCE CLUB DJ MoTo (dance, pop THE JOINT NEXT DOOR Open Mic night w/ Sam hits), 9:30PM ONE STOP AT Stevie Lee Combs Warner, 8:00PM ASHEVILLE MUSIC PISGAH BREWING (singer-songwriter, juke, HALL SOUTHERN COMPANY blues), 8:00PM Free Dead Fridays w/ APPALACHIAN The Dustbowl Revival members of Phuncle Sam, w/ The Lazybirds THE MOTHLIGHT BREWERY 5:00PM Shallows w/ Knives and (Americana, rag & swing), Circus Mutt, 8:00PM Hustle Souls (roots, rock), 9:00PM Daggers & VIA (psycheTHE BLOCK OFF BILT10:00PM delic, grunge), 9:00PM MORE SALVAGE STATION ONE WORLD BREWING Danimal Planet THE SOCIAL LOUNGE Camille A. Brown preCalvin Get Down, (Umphrey's McGee after- show w/ DeWayne Barton Ultra Lounge w/ Phantom Pantone, 10:00PM (poetry), 7:00PM party), 11:00PM 9:00PM ODDITORIUM Eye of the Destroyer w/ Built on The Ruins, A World Of Lies & Bleedseason (metal), 9:00PM

Wednesday Hemp Day 2/22, 6PM

theblockoffbiltmore.com 39 S. Market St., Downtown Asheville

ORANGE PEEL An evening w/ Who's Bad (Michael Jackson tribute), 9:00PM

THE SUMMIT AT NEW MOUNTAIN AVL Sol Vibes: Underground Unheard Showcase w/ Cypher & Bobby FKN White, 8:00PM THOMAS WOLFE AUDITORIUM Umphrey’s McGee: Blue Ridge Rockway, 8:00PM TIGER MOUNTAIN Friday Nite Mash Up w/ B-Boy Evan & Nex Millen, 10:00PM TRESSA'S DOWNTOWN JAZZ AND BLUES Gracie Lane (folk), 7:00PM Lyric (funk), 10:00PM TWISTED LAUREL Request-powered dance party w/ Phantom Pantone, 10:30PM US CELLULAR CENTER Umphrey's McGee w/ Greensky Bluegrass (rock, jam, fusion), 7:00PM WHITE HORSE BLACK MOUNTAIN Katie Cilluffo & friends (cabaret jazz), 8:00PM WILD WING CAFE Mike Snodgrass Duo (acoustic), 9:00PM WILD WING CAFE SOUTH A Social Function (acoustic), 9:00PM WXYZ LOUNGE AT ALOFT HOTEL WXYZ Electric w/ DJ Malinalli, 8:00PM

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18 5 WALNUT WINE BAR Bygone Blues w/ Peggy Ratusz & Aaron Price, 6:00PM Drayton & The Dreamboats (vintage jazz), 9:00PM 550 TAVERN & GRILLE Bingo w/ Boxer Butts and other mutts (benefit), 3:00PM ALTAMONT THEATRE Mishka w/ C.J. Reid (reggae), 8:00PM ASHEVILLE GUITAR BAR Eric Congdon, 7:30PM ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Umphreys Afterparty w/ Mister F & Earphorik, 10:00PM BEN'S TUNE-UP Gypsy Guitar Trio (gypsy folk), 3:00PM The WildCard (funk, dance), 9:30PM BLACK MOUNTAIN ALE HOUSE Steven Evans (Americana), 7:30PM BLUE MOUNTAIN PIZZA & BREW PUB Andy Ferrell (folk, Americana), 7:00PM CATAWBA BREWING SOUTH SLOPE Fin Dog (bluegrass, folk, ragtime), 7:00PM CLUB ELEVEN ON GROVE

The Werks &Russ Liquid w/ Funk You

FI N DOG

2.15 9 PM

AMH

(Jam/Funk) adv. $10

2.16 10PM

ONE STOP

(String) Ca$h Donations

Dirtwire w/ DJ Bowie 2.17 10 & NU Paradigm dancers (Folk/Electronic) adv. $12 PM AMH

10PM Hustle Souls (Roots Rock)2.17 Ca$h Donations ONE STOP

Umphrey’s Afterparty w/ Earphorik & Mister F 42

FEB. 15 - 21, 2017

2.18 9 PM

AMH

(Jam/Funk) adv. $5

MOUNTAINX.COM

A P L AC E FO R E V E R YO N E Birthday Celebration (ole skool hip hop, R&B, soul), 9:00PM

AS H E V I L L E FO O D PA R K .CO M

CORK & KEG The Barsters (old-time, bluegrass), 8:30PM

CASCADE LOUNGE FULL BAR

CREEKSIDE TAPHOUSE Riyen Roots (blues, roots), 7:00PM

2PM TO 1AM

CROW & QUILL This Way to the Egress (alternative, indie, circus music), 10:00PM

EDNAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S CAFE & COFFEEHOUSE OPEN DAILY

DIANA WORTHAM THEATRE Hari Kondabolu (comedy), 8:00PM DOUBLE CROWN Pitter Platter w/ DJ Big Smidge (50's/60's R&B, rock 'n' roll), 10:00PM FLOOD GALLERY FINE ART CENTER 23rd Annual Twin Rivers Media Festival, 11:00AM FOGGY MOUNTAIN BREWPUB Supatight (funk, jam), 10:00PM FRENCH BROAD BREWERY Chicken Coop Willaye Trio (blues, Americana), 6:00PM GREY EAGLE MUSIC HALL & TAVERN Drivin n' Cryin w/ The Travelin' Kine (Southern rock, jam), 9:00PM HIGHLAND BREWING COMPANY Sista Otis (singer-songwriter), 7:00PM ISIS RESTAURANT AND MUSIC HALL An evening w/ Kipyn Martin (Americana, folk, indie), 7:00PM Dr. Bacon w/ Come Back Alice (folk rock, funk, hip hop), 9:00PM JACK OF THE WOOD PUB Mud Tea (rock 'n' roll), 9:00PM LAZY DIAMOND Sonic Satan Stew w/ DJ Alien Brain, 10:00PM LOBSTER TRAP Sean Mason Trio (jazz), 6:30PM MARS HILL RADIO THEATRE Jonah Riddle & Carolina Express, 7:00PM NATIVE KITCHEN & SOCIAL PUB Freewheelin' Mamas, 7:00PM NEW MOUNTAIN THEATER/AMPHITHEATER Official Umphrey's McGee afterparty w/ Spafford (jam, rock), 10:00PM ODDITORIUM Vivan K w/ My Brother My Sister, Slugly, Kortriba & Secret Shame (punk, indie), 9:00PM ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Voodoo Visionary (funk, rock), 10:00PM ORANGE PEEL Studio Zahiya Rise & Grind , 10:00AM Wax Tailor w/ L'Orange (trip hop, electronica), 9:00PM PACK'S TAVERN Lyric (funk, soul, pop), 9:30PM PILLAR ROOFTOP BAR The Gypsy Swingers (Gypsy jazz, Latin, bossa nova), 8:00PM PISGAH BREWING COMPANY Phuncle Sam (Grateful Dead tribute), 9:00PM PURPLE ONION CAFE West End String Band (bluegrass, Americana), 7:30PM

7AM TO 5PM Daily updates @

AshevilleFoodPark

Ben's

Tune Into The Tune-Up's Local Music Scene

February's Weekly Lineup SOULFUL TUNES: TUESDAY'S 7-10 P.M. RHODA WADER: ECLECTIC SOULFUL SOUNDS SOUNDS OF THE SOUTH: WEDNESDAY'S 7-10 P.M. SAVANNAH SMITH AND THE SOUTHERN SOUL BREWS N' BLUES: THURSDAY'S 8-11 P.M. THE CRIS COLEMAN BLUES EXPERIENCE LIVE MASHUP: FRIDAY'S 6-9 P.M. IGGY RADIO: ONE MAN BAND VINYL NIGHT: FRIDAY'S 10:30 P.M TILL 1:30 A.M. WITH DJ KILBY GYPSY JAZZ: SATURDAY'S 3-6 P.M. GYPSY GUITAR TRIO: INSTUMENTAL JAZZ FUNKY DANCE PARTY: SATURDAY'S 10:00-1:00 A.M. THE WILDCARD: FUNK FUSION GOOD VIBE REGGAE: SUNDAY'S 6-11 P.M. THE DUB KARTEL: ROOTS/ ROCK /REGGAE

SANCTUARY BREWING COMPANY Yoga w/ Cats with Blue Ridge Humane Society, 10:00AM Jamison Adams Project (rock, Americana), 8:00PM

195 Hilliard Ave Asheville Nc

SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN BREWERY King Possum, 8:00PM

MOUNTAINX.COM

FEB. 15 - 21, 2017

CLU B LA N D

TAVERN

THE BLOCK OFF BILTMORE Conscious Comedy Night, 7:00PM Latin Rhythms & Salsa w/ DJ Malinalli (dance lessons @ 9 p.m.), 10:00PM

Downtown on the Park Eclectic Menu • Over 30 Taps • Patio 14 TV’s • Sports Room • 110” Projector Event Space • Shuffleboard Open 7 Days 11am - Late Night Our Winter Warme r Specials Sun-Thur! Try eals On Your F t ea D avorite Food & Drink! r G

FRI. 2/17 DJ MoTo

(dance hits, pop)

SAT. 2/18 Lyric

(funk, soul, pop)

Where The Blue Ridge Mountains Meet the Celtic Isles

MONDAYS Quizzo – Brainy Trivia • 7:30pm Open Mic Night • 9pm CAJUN TWO STEPPIN’ TUESDAYS Every Tuesday in Feb. • 7pm Gumbo, Po Boys and more! WEDNESDAYS Asheville’s Original Old Time Mountain Music Jam • 5pm

20 S. Spruce St. • 225.6944 packStavern.com

Send your listings to clubland@mountainx.com

THURSDAYS Mountain Feist • 7pm Bluegrass Jam • 9:30pm Bourbon Specials

THE JOINT NEXT DOOR Laura Blackley (folk, country, soul), 8:00PM THE MOTHLIGHT Public Life w/ Mista Red Haunted Ghost, David 231, Alex Brown & Nate WP (dance, house, techno), 9:30PM

WHITE HORSE BLACK MOUNTAIN The Belfast Boys (Irish music), 8:00PM WILD WING CAFE SOUTH Flashback (70's, 80's & 90's), 9:00PM WXYZ LOUNGE AT ALOFT HOTEL WXYZ Live w/ Steve Weams & The Marti Gras Kings, 8:00PM

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 19

THE SOCIAL LOUNGE Ultra Lounge w/ Phantom Pantone, 10:00PM

185 KING STREET Sunday Sessions open jam, 12:00PM

THE SOUTHERN Myq Kaplan (comedy), 8:00PM

5 WALNUT WINE BAR The Moon & You (Cello folk, soul), 7:00PM

THOMAS WOLFE AUDITORIUM Umphrey’s McGee: Blue Ridge Rockway, 8:00PM TRESSA'S DOWNTOWN JAZZ AND BLUES The King Zeros (delta blues), 7:30PM Ryan R&B Barber (soul, r&b), 10:00PM TWISTED LAUREL Dance Party w/ Phantom Pantone, 10:30PM US CELLULAR CENTER Umphrey's McGee w/ Greensky Bluegrass (rock, jam, fusion), 7:00PM

ASHEVILLE GUITAR BAR Guitar Bar Jam, 3:30PM BEN'S TUNE-UP Dub Kartel (reggae, dub), 6:00PM BLUE MOUNTAIN PIZZA & BREW PUB Benjo Saylor (banjo, singer-songwriter), 7:00PM BYWATER Grateful Sunday (Grateful Dead covers), 8:00PM CATAWBA BREWING SOUTH SLOPE Andy Ferrell (bluegrass, folk, Americana), 6:00PM

DOUBLE CROWN Killer Karaoke w/ KJ Tim O, 10:00PM HABITAT TAVERN & COMMONS Acoustic Sundays, 4:00PM HIGHLAND BREWING COMPANY Reggae Sunday w/ Dennis "Chalwa" Berndt, 1:00PM ISIS RESTAURANT AND MUSIC HALL Naming the Twins (acoustic, Americana), 5:30PM Version City Tour w/ King Django, Brian Hill, Rocker T & more (reggae, ska), 9:00PM JACK OF THE WOOD PUB Irish session, 5:00PM LAZY DIAMOND Punk Night w/ DJ Chubberbird & Hard Mike, 10:00PM ODDITORIUM Shellshock's 5th Annual Black Hearts Ball (dance), 9:00PM ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Bluegrass brunch w/ Aaron "Woody" Wood, 11:00AM Umphrey's McGee after-party w/ Tree Tops, 10:00PM ORANGE PEEL Umphrey's McGee [SOLD OUT], 9:00PM PISGAH BREWING COMPANY Sunday Travers jam, 6:00PM

FRI THE OLD CHEVROLET SET 2/17 9PM / $5 SAT MUD TEA 2/18 9PM / $5 FRI CAROLINA CATSKINS 2/24 9PM / $5 IRISH SUNDAYS Irish Food and Drink Specials Traditional Irish Music Session • 3-9pm OPEN MON-THURS AT 3 • FRI-SUN AT NOON CRAFT BEER, SPIRITS & QUALITY PUB FARE SINCE 1996

95 PATTON at COXE • Downtown Asheville

252.5445 • jackofthewood.com

FEB. 15 - 21, 2017

MOUNTAINX.COM

THU - 2/16 • 7PM BIG AL PEARL & LINDA MITCHELL (JAZZ) Expires 2-28-17

FRI - 2/17 • 8PM

For the Love of Music (HIP HOP SHOWCASE AND BENEFIT)

SAT - 2/18 • 9PM TRIPTYCH SOUL W/ ARMADILLA (POP)

SANCTUARY BREWING COMPANY This Way to the Egress (alternative, indie, circus music), 4:00PM SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN BREWERY Gospel Brunch w/ Redneck Mimosa, 12:00PM THE BLOCK OFF BILTMORE Death Cafe, 5:30PM THE IMPERIAL LIFE DJ Phantom Pantone (french pop, disco house), 9:30PM THE MOTHLIGHT Hand Habits w/ John Andrews and the Yawns & Rafi Bookstaber (alternative, indie), 9:30PM THE OMNI GROVE PARK INN Bob Zullo (rock, jazz, pop), 7:00PM

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 20 185 KING STREET Open Mic Night w/ Chris Whitmire, 6:00PM 5 WALNUT WINE BAR Siamese Jazz Club (soul, R&B, jazz), 8:00PM ALTAMONT THEATRE Lucy Woodward (pop), 7:30PM ASHEVILLE GUITAR BAR AGB Classical Guitar Mondays, 7:00PM BEN'S TUNE-UP Open Mic Night, 7:00PM BYWATER Open mic w/ Rooster, 8:00PM CREEKSIDE TAPHOUSE Trivia night, 7:00PM DOUBLE CROWN Country karaoke w/ KJ Tim O, 10:00PM

THE SOCIAL LOUNGE Karaoke, 8:00PM

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 21 5 WALNUT WINE BAR The John Henrys (hot jazz), 8:00PM 550 TAVERN & GRILLE Mountain Shag Club (shag music, dancing), 7:00PM ASHEVILLE GUITAR BAR AGB Gypsy Jazz Jam Tuesdays, 7:00PM ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Tuesday night funk jam, 11:00PM BEN'S TUNE-UP Eleanor Underhill (Americana, roots, fusion), 7:00PM BLACK MOUNTAIN ALE HOUSE Trivia Night, 7:30PM BLUE MOUNTAIN PIZZA & BREW PUB Mark Bumgarner (Americana, bluegrass), 7:00PM

COMPANY Taco and Trivia Tuesday, 6:00PM THE BLOCK OFF BILTMORE Jazz-n-Justice Tuesday w/ One Leg Up & Swing Asheville, 9:00PM Vintage Blues Dance, 11:00PM

2/15 wed luxury club

THE JOINT NEXT DOOR Open jam w/ Rob Parks & Chuck Knott, 7:00PM

2/16

thu

2/17

fri

THE MOTHLIGHT Davidians w/ Naked Naps & KONVOI (punk), 9:30PM THOMAS WOLFE AUDITORIUM The Piano Guys (orchestral pop, progressive rock), 7:00PM TRESSA'S DOWNTOWN JAZZ AND BLUES Early Jazz & Funk Jam (funk, jazz), 9:00PM TWIN LEAF BREWERY Twin Leaf Trivia Tuesday, 8:00PM

BONFIRE BARBECUE Thunder karaoke w/ Jason Tarr, 8:00PM

WHITE HORSE BLACK MOUNTAIN Irish sessions & open mic, 6:30PM

BYWATER Open Drum Circle, 6:00PM Spin Jam, 9:00PM

WILD WING CAFE Canyon Creek & The Southern Connection Cloggers, 6:00PM

CORK & KEG Old Time Jam, 5:00PM CROW & QUILL Boogie Woogie Burger Night (burgers & rock n' roll), 9:00PM DOUBLE CROWN Honky-tonk, Western & Cajun night w/ DJ Brody Douglas Hunt, 10:00PM

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22 185 KING STREET Vinyl Night, 6:00PM 5 WALNUT WINE BAR Les Amis (African folk), 8:00PM

GOOD STUFF Old time-y night, 6:30PM

550 TAVERN & GRILLE Karaoke, 8:00PM

GREY EAGLE MUSIC HALL & TAVERN Skydyed (dance, electronic), 9:00PM Highland Brewing Company Dr. Brown's Team Trivia, 6:00PM Jared & The Mill (indie rock), 8:00PM

ASHEVILLE GUITAR BAR Brad Hodge & friends (singersongwriter), 7:00PM

NEW MOUNTAIN THEATER/ AMPHITHEATER Lawrence & Andy Frasco (indie rock), 9:00PM

ISIS RESTAURANT AND MUSIC HALL Max Hatt/Edda Glass w/ Michelle Willis (jazz, Americana), 7:00PM Tuesday bluegrass sessions w/ Rob Parks & friends, 7:30PM

BEN'S TUNE-UP Soul Magnetics (soul, R&B, funk), 7:00PM

ODDITORIUM Risque Monday Burlesque w/ Deb Au Nare, 9:00PM

JACK OF THE WOOD PUB Cajun Two-Steppin' Tuesdays w/ Creole & In The Way, 7:00PM

OLE SHAKEY'S Honky Tonk Karaoke, 9:00PM

LOBSTER TRAP Jay Brown (folk, singer-songwriter), 6:30PM

GOOD STUFF Songwriter's "open mic", 7:30PM JACK OF THE WOOD PUB Quizzo, 7:00PM Open Mic Night, 9:00PM LOBSTER TRAP Bobby Miller & Friends (bluegrass), 6:30PM

OSKAR BLUES BREWERY Mountain Music Mondays (open jam), 6:00PM THE IMPERIAL LIFE Ghost Pipe Trio, 8:00PM THE JOINT NEXT DOOR Trivial trivia w/ Geoffrey & Brody, 8:00PM THE MOTHLIGHT Genki Genki Panic w/ Ouroboros Boys & The Go Devils (horrorsurf, Spook-xotica), 9:00PM THE OMNI GROVE PARK INN Bob Zullo (rock, jazz, pop), 7:00PM

ODDITORIUM Free open mic comedy night w/ Tom Peters, 9:00PM OLE SHAKEY'S Booty Tuesday, 11:00PM ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Turntable Tuesdays, 10:00PM ORANGE PEEL The Record Company & Jamestown Revival w/ Smooth Hound Smith (rock 'n' roll), 8:00PM SANCTUARY BREWING

BARLEY'S TAPROOM & PIZZERIA Dr. Brown's Team Trivia, 8:30PM

BLUE MOUNTAIN PIZZA & BREW PUB Open Mic w/ Mark Bumgarner, 7:00PM BOILER ROOM Live Local Acoustic series w/ Chad Ray, Jason Taylor, Ben Phan, Abe Anderson & Michelle Leigh, 7:00PM BONFIRE BARBECUE Trivia Funtime w/ Kelsey, 8:00PM BROADWAY'S Broadway HumpDay Variety w/ DJ NexMillen, 9:00PM BYWATER Cocktail night w/ DJ Dr. Filth, 9:00PM

w/metaphonia, the volt per octaves

the moth:

true stories told live (theme: love hurts)

free record release show!

shallows

Special Release for Valentine’s Day!

public life

Bizarre Love Triangle

w/ knives and daggers, via

2/18

sat

w/ mista red, haunted ghost

david 231, alex brown and nate wp

2/19 sun

North Carolina’s First Cider Bar Family Owned & Operated

hand habits

Chocolate-covered Strawberry Cider

w/ john andrews & the yawns,

rafi bookstaber

Woodpecker Pie

Savory and Sweet Hand Pies! 5pm to last call

Yoga at the Mothlight

Tues., Thurs., and Sat. 11:30am Details for all shows can be found at

themothlight.com

210 Haywood Road, West Asheville, NC 28806

(828)744-5151

www.urbanorchardcider.com

We our

advertisers!

Thank you for supporting local, independent journalism!

CREEKSIDE TAPHOUSE Open mic jam w/ Riyen Roots & friends, 7:00PM

MOUNTAINX.COM

FEB. 15 - 21, 2017

C L UB L AND

Send your listings to clubland@mountainx.com

DOUBLE CROWN Classic Country Vinyl w/ DJ David Wayne Gay, 10:00PM

indie, singer-songwriter), 8:30PM

GOOD STUFF Jim Hampton & friends perform "Eclectic Country" (jam), 7:00PM

Old-time session, 6:00PM

JACK OF THE WOOD PUB LAZY DIAMOND

Killer Karaoke w/ KJ Tim O, 10:00PM GREY EAGLE MUSIC HALL & TAVERN LOBSTER TRAP Wayland w/ Jeff Santiago & Hard Rocket (acoustic, rock), 8:00PM Ben Hovey (dub, jazz), 6:30PM HIGHLAND BREWING COMPANY Woody Wood Wednesdays (rock, soul, ODDITORIUM funk), 5:30PM The Running Club w/ members of the ISIS RESTAURANT AND MUSIC HALL Tills (rock), 9:00PM An evening w/ The Way Down Wanderers (Americana, country, folk rock), 7:00PM Hey Monea w/ Paul Pfau (folk rock,

Thu•Feb 16 Community Night w/ Eblen Charities 4-8pm Fri•Feb 17 Bayou Diesel Zydeco 7pm Sat•Feb 18 Sista Otis 7pm Sun•Feb 19 Reggae Sunday w/Dennis CHALWA Berndt

1-4pm

Mon•Feb 20 Game Night 4-8pm

$3 year round & seasonals

FEB. 15 - 21, 2017

MOUNTAINX.COM

ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Evil Note Lab, 9:00PM

PULP 8 Vacant Graves w/ Built On The Ruins & From The Fall (metal, rock), 9:00PM PILLAR ROOFTOP BAR 3 Cool Cats (50s & 60s vintage rock, swing), 7:00PM

THE SOCIAL LOUNGE DJ Phantom Pantone (international soul, R&B), 8:00PM THOMAS WOLFE AUDITORIUM Foreigner (rock, pop), 6:30PM TRESSA'S DOWNTOWN JAZZ AND BLUES Blues & Soul Jam (blues, soul), 9:00PM

THE BLOCK OFF BILTMORE Wednesday Hemp Day w/ Chalwa (reg- WHITE HORSE BLACK MOUNTAIN Bill Bares Wednesday Jazz, 7:30PM gae), 6:00PM THE JOINT NEXT DOOR Hick Child Soup (Americana), 7:00PM

WILD WING CAFE Jason Whittaker (acoustic), 8:00PM

THE MOTHLIGHT Thelma and the Sleaze w/ No Ways & Kitty Tsunami (rock 'n' roll), 9:00PM

WILD WING CAFE SOUTH Jason Whittaker (acoustic), 6:00PM Paint Nite "Teal Tree in the Moonlight", 7:00PM

MOVIES

REVIEWS & LISTINGS BY SCOTT DOUGLAS, JOHNATHAN RICH & JUSTIN SOUTHER

HHHHH = H PICK OF THE WEEK H

James Baldwin tells it like it is in Raoul Peck’s I Am Not Your Negro

I Am Not Your Negro HHHHS

DOCUMENTARY RATED PG-13

THE LOWDOWN: Director Raoul Peck delivers a powerful documentary that does justice, not only to Baldwin, but also to civil rights issues that are just as relevant today as they were during Baldwin’s life.

THE STORY: Writer and activist James Baldwin’s unfinished book Remember This House examines racial inequality in America through the lens of martyred civil rights leaders Medgar Evers, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr.

The power of the documentary form is to place the viewer indelibly in the realm of foreign fact — to reveal a world outside the normative experience of the audience in sufficient detail and context to render relatable and understandable

DIRECTOR: Raoul Peck PLAYERS: James Baldwin, Samuel L. Jackson (narrator)

that which was previously unknown. The value of a film like Raoul Peck’s I Am Not Your Negro is in its capacity to elucidate the nature and validity of black rage to those of us who have never experienced the injustices perpetrated by our society against African-Americans first hand, and to do so without relegating this message to heavy-handed proselytizing. A great deal of the film’s effectiveness can be attributed to the skill of its subject, writer and civil rights activist James Baldwin, but even a figure of such undeniable historic significance and rhetorical prowess could have been ill-served by filmmakers of a lesser caliber. It should be noted that the work accomplished by Peck and his collaborators more than does justice to its subject, and to the audiences in need of his posthumous message. By no means is this a biographical film, although its narrative is rooted in biography. Based on an unfinished book Baldwin attempted to write on Medgar Evers, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. — close friends of Baldwin’s whose martyrdom in the name of the civil rights movement provided not only the connective tissue for Baldwin’s abandoned literary project, but also the emotional stumbling block that would prove its undoing — the scope of I Am Not Your Negro far surpasses the details of any one man’s life, or even the narrative potential of the civil rights movement as a whole. This is a film about the meaning of race and humanity, its central conceit the question of whether or not our civilization can be considered remotely humanistic so long as race remains an issue — and whether the word “civilized” can even be correctly applied to such a culture. Baldwin’s own words make the most powerful statement on these subjects, and Peck has masterfully culled and structured archival footage in concert with Baldwin’s written work to present a riveting and profoundly affective encapsulation of the author’s voice. Samuel L. Jackson narrates in Baldwin’s own words, not so much imitating his tonality and idiomatic speech patterns as capturing the emotional content of the words themselves. This was a remarkably prudent approach, because as good a Jackson is, he can’t hold a candle to Baldwin himself — watching Baldwin fire back at a pretentiously dismissive Yale professor on an early episode of The

M A X R AT I N G

THE ATE R INFO ASHEVILLE PIZZA & BREWING CO. (254-1281) CARMIKE CINEMA 10 (298-4452) CAROLINA CINEMAS (274-9500) CO-ED CINEMA BREVARD (883-2200) EPIC OF HENDERSONVILLE (693-1146) FINE ARTS THEATRE (232-1536) FLATROCK CINEMA (697-2463) GRAIL MOVIEHOUSE (239-9392) REGAL BILTMORE GRANDE STADIUM 15 (684-1298) UNITED ARTISTS BEAUCATCHER (298-1234)

MOUNTAINX.COM

FEB. 15 - 21, 2017

M OVIES Dick Cavett Show or captivate a crowd of Cambridge academics left me wishing we had more writers possessed of his cogency working today. But Peck is after more than just a lionizing portrait of a great man, he’s trying to establish context. The archival footage he employs consists of more than simply interviews or lectures from Baldwin, he also incorporates pieces of everything from John Wayne westerns and The Birth of a Nation to seldom-seen images of lynchings, Klan rallies and the hateful slurs scrawled across the placards of rednecks protesting school integration. The overall effect is one of both disconcertment and clarification, at once revealing an under-explored side of the historical footage we’ve all seen and juxtaposing it with cultural touchstones to which we can all relate. Peck’s prowess as a filmmaker is principally displayed, not only through this expansive knowledge of his subject, but through his willingness to use the documentary form to confront some harsh truths with the exhaustively researched footage there to back up his assertions. As we hear Baldwin express his pessimism about the prospects of race relations in America, or recount the personal tragedy of losing Evers, X and King to the assassin’s bullet, it’s impossible to avoid the implications of his words for our contemporary world. Peck’s most important accomplishment with I Am Not Your Negro is in his ability to resurrect the voice of a man who died 30 years ago and present that perspective with the relevance and immediacy that it still carries, never succumbing to idle hero-worship. If a society that forgets its history is condemned to repeat it, it’s to our great advantage that we have the capacity to revisit the thoughts of men like Baldwin, whose clarity of vision is unfortunately just as necessary now as it was in his lifetime. Rated PG-13 for disturbing violent images, thematic material, language and brief nudity. Opens Friday at Grail Moviehouse. REVIEWED BY SCOTT DOUGLAS JSDOUGLAS22@GMAIL.COM

Fifty Shades Darker S DIRECTOR: James Foley PLAYERS: Dakota Johnson, Jamie Dornan, Kim Basinger, Luke Grimes, 48

FEB. 15 - 21, 2017

MOUNTAINX.COM

Eloise Mumford, Max Martini, Eric Johnson, Rita Ora, Victor Rasuk SOCCER-MOM SOFTCORE S&M RATED R THE STORY: Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele rekindle their tepid and implausible romance with significantly less kink than originally negotiated in their bizarre contract. THE LOWDOWN: Fifty shades lazier. Fifty shades dumber. Fifty shades duller. I knew that Fifty Shades Darker was going to be two hours of tedium, but nothing could have adequately prepared me for what was in store. When the first adaptation of E.L. James’ Twilight fan fic debuted in 2015, I braved the assured brutality of beleaguering boredom principally to show solidarity with my illustrious predecessor. When the estimable Mr. Ken Hanke asked me what possible rationale could’ve prompted me to do so, I referenced the oft-quoted scene in Dirty Harry in which Eastwood’s Harry Callahan inquires as to the feelings of fortune harbored by a hapless young criminal. The part of that exchange that everyone forgets is the end, wherein the punk who wasn’t feeling so lucky stops Callahan, casually finishing his hot dog, and says “Hey man — I gots to know.” Eastwood then smirks, and pulls the trigger on his Magnum to reveal that the threatening chamber had been absent a round all along. My explanation to Ken regarding my motivation for sitting through Fifty Shades of Grey voluntarily was much the same — I just had to know. I wish I could tell you that enduring the first film informed my opinion of this sequel, that maybe it enhanced my understanding of this franchise’s appeal in some way, but that would be a lie. There’s no experience here to be enhanced — you already know where this story is going, what these characters are supposed to be (in theory), and roughly how everything is going to go so terribly wrong — at least for the audience. So while there are no surprises from a plotting or character development standpoint, there was at least one shocking factor at play that I had not considered — namely, that this film might have accomplished the seemingly impossible task of being worse than its antecedent. Yes, despite my already rock-bottom expectations, director James Foley — the same James Foley who directed Glengarry, Glen Ross, by the way — has turned out a film more egregious in its failures than a movie defined by contractual obligations involving butt plugs and dialogue including the line “I’m fifty shades of f***ed-up.” How, you

may ask? By making a movie defined instead by Ben Wa balls and lines like “kinky f***ery” being delivered with a straight face, that’s how. And while Foley may not have delivered an erotic thriller any more compelling than that of his source material, he has made one hell of an unintentional comedy. While I was in the distinct minority of moviegoers laughing out loud when I saw the first installment, the audience with which I endured this most present atrocity were significantly more inclined to guffaws than ecstatic gasps. In many ways, this film is more implausible than the sequel to John Wick — a preferable option for theatergoers this week — but that film is at least self-aware enough to acknowledge its inherent absurdity. Fifty Shades Darker, on the other hand, bears the dubious distinction of carrying on Fifty Shades of Grey’s distinctive brand of self-important soft-core pseudo-eroticism while suggesting that some audience members may take all of this nonsense seriously. Although the first Fifty Shades found itself wanting in both charismatic chemistry between its leads and envelope-pushing sensuality within its script, Darker sidesteps these pitfalls by lacking any conflict or narrative tension and doubling down on the tedious vanilla sex engaged in by its protagonists. When your (anti)climactic S&M sex scene consists of massage oil, a blindfold and — wait for it — the missionary position, you’ve got a problem. The lack of compelling sexual boundary breaking is exacerbated by the fact that Jamie Dornan’s Christian Grey is typically at least half-clothed while Dakota Johnson’s Anastasia Steele is in various states of tactfully staged undress, and a distinctive anti-feminist bent becomes clear in the film. Even the promise of Kim Bassinger as the older woman poised to preclude the rekindling of our ostensible protagonists’ dysfunctional romance is given short shrift. There really are no redeeming qualities to this film, and that’s not an accusation I make lightly. If you’re genuinely looking for an overly talky wish-fulfillment fantasy for vacuous twenty-somethings who think that their burgeoning sexuality and questionable intellectual capacities entitle them to incalculable wealth and unjustified sexual attention, then you’re in luck. For those of us with at least one foot in the real world, Fifty Shades Darker is just another example of why large swaths of the human populace look at our culture as a once-noble experiment now in the death-throws of declining relevance like the Roman Empire in its final days. It might seem like a tenuous assertion to associate

America’s current geopolitical status with a film that would have been rejected by Skinemax had its source material not been so inexplicably profitable, but while correlation may be distinct from causality, shame is universal. Rated R for strong erotic sexual content, some graphic nudity, and language. Now Playing at Carmike 10, Carolina Cinemark, Regal Biltmore Grande, Epic of Hendersonville. REVIEWED BY SCOTT DOUGLAS JSDOUGLAS22@GMAIL.COM

John Wick: Chapter 2 HHHS

DIRECTOR: Chad Stahelski PLAYERS: Keanu Reeves, Common, Laurence Fishburne, Riccardo Scamarcio, Ruby Rose, Lance Reddick, Peter Stormare, Bridget Moynahan, Franco Nero, John Leguizamo, Ian McShane. ACTION RATED NR THE STORY: After resolving his bloodfeud with the Russian mob (and having related the dog they murdered), John Wick is pulled back in to the assassin’s underworld he sought to escape by an outstanding debt to an Italian Mafioso. THE LOWDOWN: Everything you loved about the first John Wick film, but more of it. John Wick is essentially the American James Bond — more aggressive, less refined and generally a little dumber. But as with many dumb things, it can be a hell of a lot of fun. Anyone who enjoyed last year’s first installment — and based on the box office numbers and surprising level of critical acclaim, that was quite a few people — will find plenty to like about the sequel, as John Wick: Chapter 2 is more of the same, just more ornate in its packaging. You’ll find the same hand-tohand heavy action sequences with the degree of stylization turned up to eleven, and, defying all logic and reason, the headshots have multiplied by a significant margin. With the benefit of retrospection, John Wick may prove to be one of the definitive roles associated with Keanu Reeves’ career. The expanded budget showcases a more conventional narrative through line, eschewing the puppy-murder prompted revenge plot driving the first

film for a story revolving around the blood-oath Wick swore to escape his life as a top-tier hit man the last time around. The entire premise of John Wick’s character has always reminded me a bit of Gene Wilder’s speech as the Waco Kid in Blazing Saddles, wherein he recounts his tribulations as a renowned gunslinger — as more and more assassins try to claim Wick’s life, I found myself waiting for him to say, “Little bastard shot me in the ass” before limping to the nearest saloon and crawling into a bottle. The comedic association here is not, strictly speaking, incidental, as the John Wick films seem to have a well-established sense of humor regarding their own ridiculousness — while not as openly farcical as Blazing Saddles, these films often play like a loving parody of the action film genre writ large. It’s hard to watch a scene in which Reeves’ Wick casually trades gunfire with adversarial counterpart Cassian (Common) in a crowded subway station without getting the sense that the whole thing is being played with tongue firmly in cheek. This is not to say, however, that the action is not taken seriously. Director Chad Stahelski, Reeves’ stunt double on the Matrix films, employs his extensive knowledge of martial arts (specifically judo and Brazilian jiu-jitsu) to meticulously choreograph fight scenes that play out a bit like the famed hammer scene in Park Chan-wook’s Oldboy, had that single sequence been stretched to nearly two hours in length. Reeves may not be a graduate of the Gracie school, but his crash course in jiu-jitsu serves him well enough that his fights never degenerate into absurdity, and the frenetic pacing keeps the camera moving at a healthy clip without the aid of any excessively overwrought setups or CGI contrivances. Despite Stahelski’s grounding in realworld combat, his fight sequences follow the standard action movie laws of physics and biology — meaning cars remain functional after impossible amounts of damage and human bodies are either nigh-invulnerable or incredibly fragile, depending on the needs of the narrative. Despite its obvious lunacy and surrealistic wish-fulfillment fantasy underpinnings, John Wick: Chapter 2 makes effective and efficient use of its genre trappings and influences while still maintaining a unique sensibility that can only be described as Wickian. Sure, the last half of the second act is basically just a one-man revisitation of The Warriors, the third act climax borrows heavily from that of Welles’ The Lady From Shanghai as well as Enter The Dragon, and Lawrence Fishburne seems to be here for no other reason than to reunite Neo and Morpheus — but when you take into account the film’s bizarre allusions to Greek mythology and the Tibetan Book of the Dead along with its

narrative universe in which at least ten percent of the populace of major cities seem to be gimmick-based assassins, you have an end product that is more or less unique in the landscape of modern action cinema. Chapter 2’s climax is set in a proxy for the Metropolitan Museum in New York, establishing a visual juxtaposition between high and low art that may be the perfect encapsulation of the purpose behind John Wick as both a character and a franchise — those with an appreciation for crass spectacle (and I count myself among those ranks) will find John Wick: Chapter 2 right on target. Rated R for strong violence throughout, some language and brief nudity. Now Playing at Carmike 10, Carolina Cinemark, Regal Biltmore Grande, Epic of Hendersonville. REVIEWED BY SCOTT DOUGLAS JSDOUGLAS22@GMAIL.COM-

Paterson

HHHHS DIRECTOR: Jim Jarmusch PLAYERS: Adam Driver, Golshifteh Farahani, Nellie, Chasten Harmon, Barry Shabaka Henley, William Jackson Harper, Rizwan Manji DRAMA RATED R THE STORY: A bus driver and aspiring poet leads a quiet existence in Paterson, New Jersey. THE LOWDOWN: Much more engaging and impactful than its modest premise would suggest, another masterwork from writer-director Jim Jarmusch. In some ways, Paterson could be ranked among the most conventional films ever made by director Jim Jarmusch. But this superficial simplicity is deceptive, as Jarmusch’s laconically paced anti-drama is all about reading between the lines. On paper, this is a small story about art and artifice, exploring the purpose and function of creativity through the lens of the most mundane existence conceivable. But beneath the surface, there’s a depth of symbolism that will leave audiences grappling with weightier questions than the film’s minimalistic plot would seem to have any right to suggest. It’s peak Jarmusch, but probably not what most moviegoers enticed by that promise might expect. Adam Driver stars as a poet and bus driver named Paterson, living a life of comfortable restraint in Paterson, New

Jersey. While this nomenclatural conceit sounds too on the nose to be well considered, it’s the first of countless examples of repetition and mirroring that imbue Jarmusch’s script with a level of meaning only apparent when viewed from a distance. What appears to be a story of tedious monotony is suffused with significance established through recurring motifs that stubbornly refuse to yield their true purpose on a cursory viewing. Circles and squares, black and white, fires and waterfalls, countless pairs of twins — in true poetic fashion, Jarmusch’s repetition of these ideas becomes meaningful in and of itself as opposed to simply functioning as a narrative device. Driver’s Paterson lives a life in which routine is elevated to ritual, and Jarmusch structures his film around the subtle variations in the predictable course of daily events. Paterson leads a simple existence, his lovably eccentric partner Laura (Golshifteh Farahani) and English Bulldog nemesis Marvin (Nellie) the only chaotic elements in his carefully ordered world. Jarmusch returns to nearly identical shots of Paterson waking up next to his girlfriend, tweaking his poems as he waits to start his bus route, straightening his mailbox or stopping by the neighborhood bar for a drink after walking the dog. Tension is built almost imperceptibly, and by the time pivotal plot points finally do arise, their importance is magnified through juxtaposition with the fundamental regularity of their surrounding narrative context — it’s a tremendously delicate balancing act that Jarmusch managed to pull off in defiance of my expectations to the contrary. Many of the hallmarks of Jarmusch’s earlier work are present, but less obtrusive than in past films — notably, his tendency to explore vignetted micro-narratives and character studies finds its perfect infrastructural venue in the form of Paterson’s ability to eavesdrop on his bus passengers, surreptitiously gleaning insight into their lives. Everything is inspiration to Paterson, and the depiction of his writing process — literally spelled out onscreen in phases as he develops his poems — shows that poetry is not just his creative outlet, it’s the lens through which he orders his worldview. Allusions to Petrarch and William Carlos Williams (a Paterson native) underscore the artistic sensibilities the film harbors, but so too do references to other notable Patersonians such as Lou Costello and Rubin “Hurricane” Carter. What results is a portrait of a town seen through the eyes of an artist quietly toiling along its margins, and Jarmusch presents both the

artist and his various muses with an empathetic sense of naturalism that is all the more engaging for its understatement. Paterson should have been a nonstarter for me — I’ve never liked Driver in anything, and I tend to dislike quirky, ponderously paced slice-of-life indie dramadies — but Jarmusch managed to win me over in spite of my entrenched reservations. Driver is perfectly cast and delivers a standout performance, the minimalism of the plot serves to underscore its narrative purpose to great effect, and Jarmusch’s eye for characterization is as sharp as ever. Paterson is defined by a meditative quality that put me at ease and seemed to perceptibly lower my blood pressure, a huge plus for me these days. I left the theater knowing that I had liked the film, but struggling to figure out how Jarmusch had hooked me. Rationalizations aside, I’m glad that he did. Rated R for some language. Opens Friday at Fine Arts Theatre. REVIEWED BY SCOTT DOUGLAS JSDOUGLAS22@GMAIL.COM

The Lego Batman Movie HHHS

DIRECTOR: Chris McKay PLAYERS: Will Arnett, Ralph Fiennes, Rosario Dawson, Zach Galifianakis, Jenny Slate, Michael Cera, Mariah Carey, Billy Dee Williams, Héctor Elizondo, Eddie Izzard ANIMATED COMEDY RATED NR THE STORY: After refusing to acknowledge the depth of his hatred for The Joker, Batman must overcome his isolate tendencies and build relationships in order to thwart an evil plot and save Gotham City. THE LOWDOWN: Combining the frenetic lunacy of The Lego Movie while acknowledging the absurd grittiness of modern superhero movies, The Lego Batman Movie explores longabandoned facets of the Bat-myhtos with wit and charm to spare.

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M OVIES The Lego Batman Movie may not be, as some critics have asserted, the best Batman movie ever made, but it is possibly the most all-encompassing. None of the other films dealing with DC’s Dark Knight have boasted the same level of self-referential awareness of the source material, and none have taken the meta-textual approach incorporating as many prior films and comics dealing with the character in the same way that this one has. Director Chris McKay’s kitchen sink approach is one uniquely suited to the subject, as Lego Batman is able to incorporate a more complete depiction of its protagonist’s 80 years of varied incarnations than any previous interpretation, and it manages to have more fun with its premise than any Bat-related property I’ve ever seen. As was the case with 2014’s The Lego Movie, this is clearly a film designed by adults with kids, for adults with kids. With the novelty of its predecessor’s concept wearing thin, and much of the incisive satirical wit that made The Lego Movie such a surprise hit absent, Lego Batman favors an overstuffed collection of in-jokes that land more often than not, but can feel claustrophobic at times. In place of the previous film’s social commentary, we find the same open-world toy box aesthetic and anarchic comedic sensibility growing slightly more subdued — it’s as though, now beholden to two distinctly venerated source properties, the army of writers (five credited) decided that the only way to succeed was through excess. The resultant film feels a bit disjointed at times, but its rapid-fire joke delivery smooths out most of the script’s rough patches. Will Arnett’s Batman, still the selfobsessed egoist of The Lego Movie, is a clear highlight of the film, although the one-note-joke of his narcissistic portrayal wears thin as the movie lingers too long on the device. An all-star ensemble picks up some of the slack, but even this proves to be somewhat problematic — Zach Galifianakis and Jenny Slate fall flat in principal roles as The Joker and Harley Quinn, while cameos such as Conan O’Brien as The Riddler and Billy Dee Williams (finally) playing Two-Face are so brief that you’d be excused for missing them entirely. Thankfully some of the film’s tertiary voice performances are featured prominently enough to contribute to the humor, such as Doug Benson’s Bane or Jemaine Clement as Sauron — but on the whole, Lego Batman’s casting feels like a collection of missed opportunities.

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Where Lego Batman works best is with the jokes that will go over younger viewers’ heads — Batman microwaving leftover Lobster Thermidor, cackling over the inanity of Jerry Maguire, referencing Christian Slater skateboarding movie Gleaming the Cube or naming a clawed bat-costume after Claude Raines — these are the moments where the excessively polished script actually begins to shine, and such moments are profuse. For those with a well-developed knowledge of pop cultural trivia or an encyclopedic familiarity with the Batman mythos, the easter egg hunt alone is worth the price of admission. And speaking eggs — while I can’t say that this is the first time this year that I wished Vincent Price were still around, I can say that when Egghead showed up among the C and D-List rogues gallery, my desire to revisit Price’s ova-centric pun delivery could accurately be described as egg-cessive. If it doesn’t quite live up to The Lego Movie’s heights of inventiveness, The Lego Batman Movie certainly carves out its own niche by reclaiming some of the humor absent from Christopher Nolan’s unremittingly grim Dark Knight Trilogy in particular, and the DC Cinematic Universe in general. As Rosario Dawson’s Barbara Gordon points out, there’s something inherently ridiculous about a grown man in a Halloween costume trying to solve a city’s problems by karate-chopping strangers — and by acknowledging that the concept behind Batman is a little silly when you think about it, McKay and his team of writers have breathed new life into a beloved property in danger of stagnation. Rated PG for rude humor and some action. Now Playing at Carmike 10, Carolina Cinemark, Grail Moviehouse, Regal Biltmore Grande, Epic of Hendersonville, The Strand Waynesville. REVIEWED BY SCOTT DOUGLAS JSDOUGLAS22@GMAIL.COM

FILM BUNCOMBE COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARIES buncombecounty.org/governing/depts/library • FR (2/17), 4:30pm - Pixar Film Series: Toy Story 2. Free. Held at West Asheville Library, 942 Haywood Road • TU (2/21), 2pm - Movies at Pack Presents: Freedom Riders, documentary. Free to attend. Held at Pack Memorial Library, 67 Haywood St. TWIN RIVERS MEDIA FESTIVAL Held at Flood Gallery, 2160 US Highway 70, Swannanoa, 273-3332, twinriversmediafestival.com • FR (2/17), 8pm - Festival kickoff featuring a viewing of Scammerhead. Free. • SA (2/18), 11am - Festival featuring awardwinning films in drama, animation, experimental narrative and documentary categories. Free.

by Edwin Arnaudin | edwinarnaudin@gmail.com

TWO-DAY CHAMPIONS: Charlotte Abell poses with co-star Michael MacCauley, left, and producer Sam Zeilender at the Asheville 48 Hour Film Project awards. Abell will represent Asheville at Filmapalooza in Seattle. Photo by Natasha Meduri • At the July award ceremony for the Asheville 48 Hour Film Project, team Alone in a Crowd’s short Go Back won Best Film, Best Actor (Michael MacCauley) and Best Directing (Aidan Weaver). The story of a family coping with the aftermath of a time travel experiment gone wrong also received second-place honorable mentions for the Audience Award, Best Actress (Charlotte Abell), Best Editing, Best Ensemble Acting, Best Sound Mix, Best Use of Prop and Best Writing. Winning Best Film earned the team a spot at the 2017 Filmapalooza in Seattle, where it will receive its Best Film of City trophy and compete in a variety of categories against fellow city champions from around the world, including the overall Best 48 Hour Film of 2016. Abell will represent the team March 1-4 in the Emerald City and has launched a GoFundMe page to help cover travel, lodging and food expenses, as well as the ticket for Filmapalooza’s workshops and events for the finalists. The high school junior has a passion for acting and is applying to the North Carolina School of the Arts’ intensive one-year drama program for high school seniors, which begins in the fall. She views Filmapalooza and its numerous screenings and networking opportunities as a way to connect with fellow artists while also representing the creative potential of her hometown. “I’m honored to go,” Abell says. “It should be really cool as a young artist.

I’m trying to get myself out there.” gofundme.com/filmapalooza-fund • The West Asheville Public Library’s monthly Pixar Film Series continues on Friday, Feb. 17, at 4:30 p.m., with Toy Story 2. The feature will be preceded by the Pixar short film Luxo Jr. Free and open to the public. avl.mx/1z5 • On Tuesday, Feb. 21, at 2 p.m., Pack Memorial Library hosts a screening of Freedom Riders. The documentary chronicles the story of the hundreds of activists who challenged racial segregation in American interstate transportation during the civil rights movement. Free and open to the public. avl.mx/ff • North Asheville Public Library’s Western Film Series continues on Tuesday, Feb. 21, at 6 p.m. with 3:10 To Yuma. Free and open to the public. avl.mx/1d0 • Spots are still open for Mechanical Eye Microcinema’s rescheduled shortform screenwriting workshop with visiting filmmaker Arpita Kumar at the community organization’s Coxe Avenue space. On Sunday, March 5, from 1 to 3 p.m., students will work directly with the award-winning, internationally recognized independent filmmaker and screenwriter to develop their own screenplay. The workshop’s end product is an outline for a three-act short film. No prior screenwriting experience is necessary. The workshop costs $30. Register online. avl.mx/3dr X

STARTIN G F R IDAY

A Cure for Wellness

S PEC IAL S C REEN ING S

Jean de Florette HHHHS

Thriller directed by Gore Verbinski (The Ring) in which, according to Fox, “An ambitious young executive is sent to retrieve his company’s CEO from an idyllic but mysterious ‘wellness center’ at a remote location in the Swiss Alps. He soon suspects that the spa’s miraculous treatments are not what they seem. When he begins to unravel its terrifying secrets, his sanity is tested, as he finds himself diagnosed with the same curious illness that keeps all the guests here longing for the cure.” Early reviews are mixed. (R)

DIRECTOR: Claude Berri PLAYERS: Yves Montand, Gérard Depardieu, Daniel Auteil, Elisabeth Depardieu DRAMA Rated PG Claude Berri’s Jean de Florette (1986) — adapted by Berri and longtime Roman Polanski collaborator Gérard Brach from Marcel Pagnol’s novel (itself drawn from Pagnol’s 1953 film Manon of the Spring) — is really only half a film, since it is meant to be followed by Berri’s Manon of the Spring. Worry not, however, because the Hendersonville Film Society will be showing Manon next week. Though either film is comprehensible without the other, the impact of the films is greatly enhanced by seeing both. The first film — the slower paced of the two — sets up much of the characterization and tone for the second. The story is a simple one about a man (Gérard Depardieu) who inherits a piece of land in the country. He wants nothing more than to live there with his wife and child and start a farm. Unfortunately, an unscrupulous neighbor (Yves Montand) wants the property for the spring that’s on it and proceeds to have his nephew (Daniel Auteil) block the spring in an effort to drive the newcomer out and get his land at a low price. It’s a tale of greed and duplicity set very deliberately in some of the most beautiful countryside imaginable in order to heighten the ugliness of the human behavior. A stealthy work that creeps up on the viewer, becoming intriguing without seeming to work at it. This excerpt was taken from a review by Ken Hanke, published on July 29, 2009. The Hendersonville Film Society will show Jean de Florette on Sunday, Feb. 19, at 2 p.m. in the Smoky Mountain Theater at Lake Pointe Landing Retirement Community, 333 Thompson St., Hendersonville.

Fist Fight

My Bloody Valentine (1981) HHS

Comedy directed by Richie Keen (Take Me Home Tonight)) and starring Charlie Day, Ice Cube, Tracy Morgan and Christina Hendricks. Day plays a cowardly high school english teacher who must defend himself when a misunderstanding leads to rival teacher Ice Cube challenging him to the titular fist fight. No early reviews. (R)

DIRECTOR: George Mihalka PLAYERS: Paul Kelman, Lori Hallier, Neil Affleck, Keith Knight, Alf Humphreys, Cynthia Dale, Helene Udy, Rob Stein, Tom Kovacs, Terry Waterland, Peter Cowper HORROR Rated R Not a great film by any means — but still a cut above most of the holiday slashers that followed in the wake of John Carpenter’s Halloween — the original My Bloody Valentine makes the most of its mining town location to produce some genuinely unsettling atmospheric creepiness on top of its genre-standard gore. While the story is typical of its genre and temporal context, its characters seem a touch more intelligent than their counterparts in similar films — even if that doesn’t help them out much, under the circumstances. Vastly superior to the redundant 2009 remake, the original benefits from its distinctive blue-collar setting, substantial body count and gas-masked killer. Besides, how many Valentine’s Day-themed horror movies are there to choose from? The Thursday Horror Picture Show will screen My Bloody Valentine on Thursday, Feb. 16, at 9:15 p.m. at The Grail Moviehouse, hosted by Xpress movie critic Scott Douglas.

I Am Not Your Negro See Scott Douglas’ review

Paterson See Scott Douglas’ review

The Great Wall Matt Damon fights dragons in China. According Legendary’s synopsis: “Starring global superstar Matt Damon and directed by one of the most breathtaking visual stylists of our time, Zhang Yimou (Hero, House of Flying Daggers), Legendary’s The Great Wall tells the story of an elite force making a valiant stand for humanity on the world’s most iconic structure. The first English-language production for Yimou is the largest film ever shot entirely in China.” Also starring Jing Tian, Pedro Pascal, Willem Dafoe and Andy Lau. Early reviews mixed. (PG-13)

Scammerhead HHH DIRECTOR: Dan Zukovic PLAYERS: Dan Zukovic, Alex Rocco, Bruce Glover, Alex Zahara INTERNATIONAL CRIME DRAMA Rated NR The Twin Rivers Media Festival kicks off with the North Carolina premier of Scammerhead, winner of the Best Narrative Feature award at the 2015 Trenton Film Festival and Best Feature at the 2015 Berkeley Video & Film Festival along with receiving multiple other nominations and awards on the festival circuit. Indie writer-director Dan Zukovic (The Last Big Thing) stars as Silas Breece, a sleazy hustler whose schemes run him afoul of the mob after an intercontinental journey in search of one more big score. Also starring Alex Rocco (The Godfather, Batman: Year One), Bruce Glover (Diamonds Are Forever, Ghost World) and Alex Zahara (Horns, Once Upon a Time) Scammerhead is a bizarre blend of black comedy and noir crime drama with more than a few interesting twists. Shot with a minimal budget over seven years on location in far-flung locales ranging from Las Vegas and L.A. to London and Berlin — just to name a few — this intriguing, if uneven, film is a true testament to the perseverance and vision of its creative team. Classic World Cinema by Courtyard Gallery will present Scammerhead on Friday, Feb. 17, at 8 p.m. at Flood Gallery Fine Art Center, 2160 Hwy 70, Swannanoa.

Wings HHHHH DIRECTOR: William A. Wellman PLAYERS: Clara Bow, Charles “Buddy” Rogers, Richard Arlen, El Brendel, Roscoe Karns, Gary Cooper WAR DRAMA Rated NR William A. Wellman’s Wings (1927) won the very first Oscar for best picture — and unlike many Oscar winners since then, it was a deserved honor. It’s also one of those rare Oscar winners that holds up to this day. First of all, it’s truly an epic, but it’s an epic grounded in human beings. The story of its three main characters — played by Charles “Buddy” Rogers, Richard Arlen and Clara Bow — remains fresh, vibrant and moving. More, it’s a war picture made by a director who knew the war he was depicting first-hand, having served as a fighter pilot in the Lafayette Flying Corps in World War I, giving the movie unusual authenticity. (The fact that what you see is done largely without special effects adds to that sense.) But it also benefits from being a late-era silent picture — an era that saw film fully become an art form of its own. It was a full-blown event in 1927. It still is. This excerpt was taken from a review by Ken Hanke, published on Sept. 17, 2013. The Asheville Film Society will screen Wings on Tuesday, Feb. 21, at 7:30 p.m. at The Grail Moviehouse, hosted by Xpress movie critic Scott Douglas. MOUNTAINX.COM

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Disclaimer Stand-up Lounge every Wed., 9pm @ The Southern • Twitter @tomscheve Winner of Downtown ‘Thunderdome’ 3 Years Running

asheville disclaimer

Briefs City of Asheville to hold job fair, following hospitality and service industries’ annual ‘lost job unfair’ Asheville P&Z votes ‘no’ to planning, zoning new hotel construction

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Miss Hendersonville to be crowned for first time in years Judges finally locate someone young enough to compete

Free self-defense class offered for women in Asheville’s service industry What skills will be taught? • Eye gouge anyone who tries to look down their shirts when they lean over to deliver drinks to table • Elbow strike to diners who think they’re being clever by folding merchant copy of credit card slip in half to prevent sneak preview of bad tip • Palm strike to any customer who chugs soft drink and asks for refill immediately upon receiving it • Hammer fist to parents who don’t clean up excessive messes made by their children • Knee to groin for diners who say they’re ready to order before opening the menu for the very first time • Shin kick to manager who calls server to office to ask out on a date • Hand strike to neck of man who whistles when server bends over to pick up napkin off floor. • Head butt to anyone who places series of dollar bills on table upon sitting down with intention of removing one each time they’re displeased with the service. Asheville Disclaimer is parody/satire Contact: tomscheve@gmail.com Contrib. this week: Joe Shelton, Tom Scheve

APD: Downtown Asheville leads city in crime Downtown Association: We’re #1!

Asheville, MondAy — According to statistics compiled by the Asheville Police Department, you’re most likely to be a victim of crime in Asheville when you’re downtown, confirming a hunch they’ve had for a long time. “We’ve always suspected that if we stopped to compile statistics for a few months, crime would occur at a higher rate in the part of town with the highest density of people,” said an APD spokesperson, who asked to remain anonymous because the officer spends “a lot of time downtown and I don’t want any trouble.” The police department has prepared a bold plan of action. “Now that we’ve got the numbers, the next step is for officers to draw straws, and whoever picks the shortest straw has to go downtown in uniform and verify whether or not this is true while the rest of us hang back and double-check the math,” said the spokesperson. The Asheville Downtown Association is taking the news in stride. “Whether it’s craft beer you’re looking for or just serious crimes ranging from larceny to murder, downtown Asheville is the place to be,” said Tim Tyson, sergeant-at-arms for the downtown advocacy group. Police chief Tammy Hooper has requested from City Council an additional $1 million annually to fund 24-hour police coverage of a downtown unit, which took several City Council members by surprise. “Wait, we don’t already have 24-hour police coverage downtown?” asked Councilman Brian Haynes. “Are you nuts?” Hooper replied. “Do you have any idea how dangerous that would be? When the sun goes down, we out. You’d literally have to give us an extra million dollars to take those kinds of risks.” Noting that only 15 percent of victims were not Buncombe County residents, Hooper applauded the campaign to keep tourists safe launched last year by the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority. “The ‘Assault Local’ message is being heard loud and clear by members of our community, even with all the background noise from victims futilely calling out for help.”

FREEWILL ASTROLOGY ARIES (March 21-April 19): By my estimates, 72 percent of you Aries are in unusually good moods. The world seems friendlier, more cooperative. 56 percent of you feel more in love with life than you have in a long time. You may even imagine that the birds and trees and stars are flirting with you. I’m also guessing that 14 percent of you are weaving in and out of being absurdly, deliriously happy, sometimes without any apparent explanation. As a result of your generosity of spirit, you may be the recipient of seemingly impossible rewards like free money or toasted ice cream or unconditional tenderness. And I bet that at least 10 percent of you are experiencing all of the above. TAURUS (April 20-May 20): I am launching a campaign to undo obsolete stereotypes about you Bulls. There are still backwards astrologers out there who perpetrate the lie that many of you are stingy, stolid, stubborn slowpokes. As an antidote, I plan to heighten everyone’s awareness of your sensual, soulful sweetness, and your tastefully pragmatic sensitivity, and your diligent, dynamic productivity. That should be easy in the coming weeks, since you’ll be at the height of your ability to express those superpowers. Luckily, people will also have an enhanced capacity to appreciate you for who you really are. It will be a favorable time to clarify and strengthen your reputation. GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Will Giovanni surreptitiously replace Allesandra’s birth control pills with placebos? Will Camille take a hidden crowbar to her rendezvous with the blackmailer? Will Josie steal Jose’s diary and sell it on eBay? Given the current astrological omens, you may have an unconscious attraction to soap opera-type events like those. The glamour of melodrama is tempting you. But I’m hoping and predicting that you will express the cosmic currents in less toxic ways. Maybe you’ll hear a searing but healing confession after midnight in the pouring rain, for instance. Perhaps you’ll break an outworn taboo with ingenious grace, or forge a fertile link with a reformed rascal, or recover a lost memory in a dusty basement. CANCER (June 21-July 22): All naturally-occurring matter on earth is composed of 92 basic elements arranged in various combinations. Since some of these appear in trace amounts, they took a long time for humans to discover. In the 18th and 19th centuries, chemists were exuberant when they tracked down seven of the 92 in a single location: an underground mine on the Swedish island of Ytterby. That small place was a mother lode. I’m predicting a metaphorically similar experience for you, Cancerian: new access to a concentrated source that will yield much illumination. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): The next four weeks will be an excellent time to upgrade your understanding of the important characters in your life. In fact, I suspect you will generate good fortune and meaningful synchronicities whenever you seek greater insight into anyone who affects you. Get to know people better, Leo! If there are intriguing acquaintances who pique your curiosity, find out more about them. Study the oddballs you’re allergic to with the intention to discern their hidden workings. In general, practice being objective as you improve your skill at reading human nature. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): In 1787, English captain Arthur Phillip led an eight-month naval expedition to the southeastern part of the continent now known as Australia. Upon arrival, he claimed the land for England, despite the fact that 250,000 Aboriginal people were living there, just as their ancestors had for 2,000 generations. Two hundred years later, an Aboriginal activist named Burnum Burnum planted the Aboriginal flag on the White Cliffs of Dover, claiming England for his people. I encourage you to make a comparably artful or symbolic act like Burnum’s sometime soon, Virgo — a ritual or gesture to assert your sovereignty or evoke a well-deserved reversal or express your unconquerable spirit.

BY ROB BREZSNY

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): The ancient Roman rhetorician Quintilian authored a 12-volume textbook on the art of oratory. As ample as it was, it could have been longer. “Erasure is as important as writing,” he said. According to my reading of the astrological omens, that counsel should be a rewarding and even exciting theme for you in the coming weeks. For the long-term health of your labor of love or your masterpiece, you should focus for a while on what to edit out of it. How could you improve it by making it shorter and more concise? SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Do you know about the long-running kids’ show *Sesame Street*? Are you familiar with Big Bird, the talking eight-feet-tall yellow canary who’s one of the main characters? I hope so, because your horoscope is built around them. In the *Sesame Street* episode called *Don’t Eat the Pictures,* Big Bird solves a riddle that frees a 4,000-year-old Egyptian prince from an ancient curse. I think this vignette can serve as a model for your own liberation. How? You can finally outwit and outmaneuver a very old problem with the help of some playful, even child-like energy. Don’t assume that you’ve got to be relentlessly serious and dour in order to shed the ancient burden. In fact, just the opposite is true. Trust blithe and rowdy spirits.

Now Hiring Equity & Inclusion Manager A Progressive Leadership Opportunity The City of Asheville, North Carolina is conducting a search to fill the newly created position of Equity and Inclusion Manager. This strategic and resourceful manager will operationalize a newly created function charged with transforming the way Asheville city government delivers services towards achieving equitable opportunities for all Asheville residents. The Equity and Inclusion Manager position will play a key role in moving the city organization toward the successful advancement of equity within Asheville.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Your lessons in communication are reaching a climax. Here are five tips to help you do well on your “final exam.” 1. Focus more on listening for what you need to know rather than on expressing what you already know. 2. Keep white lies and convenient deceptions to a bare minimum. 3. Tell the truth as strong and free as you dare, but always — if possible — with shrewd kindness. 4. You are more likely to help your cause if you spread bright, shiny gossip instead of the grubby kind. 5. Experiment with being unpredictable; try to infuse your transmissions with unexpected information and turns of phrase.

The ideal candidate for the Equity and Inclusion Manager will be an inspiring, collaborative, courageous, innovative and visionary leader with outstanding people and management skills. The candidate will have direct and effective experience in organizational transformation with a specific emphasis on crafting and developing equity initiatives and facilitating collaborative and inclusive working environments.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): The meaning of the Latin phrase *crambe repetita* is “cabbage reheated, twice-cooked.” I urge you to avoid partaking of such a dish in the coming weeks, both literally and figuratively. If you’re truly hungry for cooked cabbage, eat it fresh. Likewise, if you have a ravenous appetite for stories, revelations, entertainment and information — which I suspect you will — don’t accept the warmed-over, recycled variety. Insist on the brisk, crisp stuff that excites your curiosity and appeals to your sense of wonder.

If interested in this position, candidates must complete an application through the GovernmentJobs system at www.ashevillenc.gov/jobs. Candidates must submit a resume and a cover letter with current salary information. Please submit these documents under the “Attachments” section of the online application.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Here’s your mantra for the next three weeks: “I know what I want, and I know how to glide it into my life.” Say this out loud 11 times right after you wake up each morning, and 11 more times before lunch, and 11 more times at bedtime. “I know what I want, and I know how to glide it into my life.” Whenever you do this little chant, summon an upflow of smiling confidence — a serene certainty that no matter how long the magic might take, it will ultimately work. “I know what I want, and I know how to glide it into my life.” Don’t let any little voice in your head undermine your link to this simple truth. Lift your heart to the highest source of vitality you can imagine.

Application Process

In application submissions, candidates should demonstrate their (1) background and experience in racial and equity training and tools; and (2) understanding of equity issues unique to Asheville and Western North Carolina. Prior to submission of application materials, interested candidates are encouraged to review the community feedback and project page regarding this position and function through the City’s website at: www.ashevillenc.gov/Departments/CommunityRelations/ EquityManager.aspx.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): “We cannot simply sit and stare at our wounds forever,” writes Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami. “We must stand up and move on to the next action.” That’s your slightly scolding but ultimately inspirational advice, Pisces. According to my astrological analysis, you have done heroic work to identify and investigate your suffering. You have summoned a tremendous amount of intelligence in order to understand it and further the healing. But right now it’s time to turn your focus to other matters. Like what? How about rebirth?

MOUNTAINX.COM

FEB. 15 - 21, 2017

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 HOMES FOR SALE

5 ACRE HOMESTEAD • VERY PRIVATE Spruce Pine, NC. Organically farmed, many outbuildings. 30x50 multifunctional woodshop and studio, quonset hut, barn, garden shed, coop and fenced pens. 1978, 3BR, 3BA home, 2232 sqft w/new 12x45 wraparound deck overlooking springfed pond and pasture. Finished basement with doors to fenced-in backyard and salt water pool. • Motivated Seller, reduced to $322K. (828) 545-5988 or bruchm20@gmail.com AFFORDABLE CUTE 2 BEDROOM, 1 BATH BUNGALOW IN WEST ASHEVILLE Move-In Ready - Brick Cottage with many updates! Quiet Neighborhood, New Stainless Steel Appliances, New Flooring, New Water Heater, Covered Porch, Basement for Storage, Fresh Paint, and more! (828)424-9030 cropegmanager@gmail.com DRUID HILLS • HENDERSONVILLE 2BR, 2BA, fireplace, large attic and basement. Detached garage. Good location. $159,900. No VA, USDA loans. No Realtors. (828) 693-7470.

LAND FOR SALE CORNER LOT - PRIVATE NEIGHBORHOOD. OWNER FINANCING Owner will finance. Last Lot in desirable Kimberly Hills neighborhood. Underground Utilities, 4 BR Septic Approval. Beautiful views, amazing sunrises, level lot! Weaverville quiet just 20 minutes to Asheville! 828-3988817

COMMERCIAL PROPERTY ASHEVILLE RIVERFRONT LAND 3.79 acres on Swannanoa River Road near Biltmore. Please call (828) 2798562.

REAL ESTATE SERVICES

NEED A HOME APPRAISAL? We will appraise your home for Tax Appeal, Divorce, Sales Pricing, Litigation, and Estate purposes. • Covering Buncombe, Henderson, Haywood, Madison, Transylvania, Yancey, and Mitchell Counties. Earnhardt and Associates Appraisers. Residential, Commercial, Consulting: (828) 253-1930. Reasonable Fees. EarnhardtApprais@ Bellsouth.net

FEB. 15 - 21, 2017

RENTALS APARTMENTS FOR RENT QUAINT E. CANDLER STUDIO APT. Quaint 1 bedroom/1 bath in E. Candler. Just 1/2 mile from the new Ingles. 500.00 deposit and 625.00 a month. No pets, no smoking. Available immediately. Contact Robin 828-575-2233

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

SKILLED LABOR/ TRADES BREAD PRODUCTION MIXER Annie’s Bakery, the region’s largest wholesale bakery, in Asheville NC, is seeking an Experienced Bread Production Mixer to join our team. This is a full-time position running from 5am-3pm, Monday-Friday. Hourly rate is based on relevant experience. • Please send resumes to mark@anniesbread.com SKILLED LEAD CARPENTER Old Mill Stream is a state wide Licensed General Contractor , Licensed Landscape Contractor seeking a skilled carpenter in all phases of construction. From Framing to custom trim you will lead the crew thru varies construction and remolding projects. You should have most of your own tools including circular saw, cordless drill etc. Work in Asheville and surrounding areas. We provide a company truck and uniforms. Employment references required. $17-$20 hr. Send resume to jeff@OldMillSream.com

ADMINISTRATIVE/ OFFICE

HIRING FOR NEW HIGH ADVENTURE JOB! Seeking canyoneering guides for 2017 season. Must have a great attitude and be comfortable at height. Preferred climbing/ropes experience. Apply at: frenchbroadrafting. com/jobs LOOKING FOR INVESTORS Licensed teacher wanting to find investors to help open an intermediate private school in the Asheville area. Must be passionate about education! contact alleneducationacademy@ gmail.com METAL POLISHER Seeking hardworking, reliable person to operate a polish wheel to shine aluminum parts. Requires standing long hours and upper body strength. Pay $11/hr. Benefits & raise available after 90 days. TROLLEY TOUR GUIDES If you are a "people person," love Asheville, have a valid Commercial Driver's License (CDL) and clean driving record you could be a great TOUR GUIDE! Seasonal FULL & PART-TIME positions available. Training provided for upcoming season. Contact us today! www.GrayLineAsheville.com; Info@GrayLineAsheville.com; 828251-8687.

WANT A FUN JOB IN THE OUTDOOR INDUSTRY? Our fast-growing, locally-owned outdoor adventure company is hiring raft guides, zipline guides, photographers and reservation staff for the upcoming season. Experience is preferred but we will train the right people. Apply online at www.FrenchBroadRafting.com/jobs

MOUNTAINX.COM

Bookkeeper Needed Immediately Job responsibilities: (1) maintain and reconcile accounting records, (2) process monthly payroll, (3) file taxes, (4) administer benefits, health & workers comp insurance programs, maintaining compliance with federal & state regs, (5) help maintain advertisingsales records, accounts, invoicing & collections, (6) help process credit card payments, and (7) assist with front office support. Applicants must have an associate’s degree or higher in accounting (or demonstrate equivalent business experience) and have at least two years’ successful experience in an office environment in bookkeeping and relevant fields. Must be mature, with extremely high ethics and good judgment, and able to communicate effectively with employees, supervisors, clients and the public. Must be computer-savvy, Macintosh preferred. Knowledge of Account Edge/MYOB accounting software and Excel are plusses. Part-time, average 15-20 hours/week, with flexibility to work extra hours during reporting periods. We are a small, community-minded, media outlet. If you have other mediarelated skills, and are looking for more hours, please provide details. If you want a meaningful job with a company that serves the community in a calm and respectful environment, send your resume, references and cover letter outlining your experience, your goals, and why you think you would fit in with Xpress. Please respond by email to xpressjob@mountainx.com FINANCE COORDINATOR Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy seeks a Finance Coordinator to join a dynamic and growing staff. Work in coordination with Finance Director to manage day-to-day financial activities including AR, AP, and grant management. Full job posting at www.carolinamountain.org. Email cover letter and resume to info@carolinamountain.org. FINANCE COORDINATOR Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy seeks a Finance Coordinator to manage day-to-day finance functions in coordination with the Finance

Director. Full job posting available at www.carolinamountain.org. Email cover letter and resume to info@carolinamountain.org.

shift and part-time positions available! For more information or to apply, visit www.eliada.org/employment/ current-openings.

TEACHING/ EDUCATION

SALES/ MARKETING COMMUNICATION SPECIALIST Conservation focused nonprofit looking to hire a creative, energetic and dedicated Communication Specialist to implement our Conservation Communication program and ensure our message is delivered on a global and domestic scale. Must be dedicated to our mission, enthusiastic about creatively expressing our message, and someone ready to think out of the box to help move the organization forward. The position is available immediately in Asheville, NC or Tiger, GA. More information can be found at www.orianne.org/careers

RESTAURANT/ FOOD KITCHEN SUBSTITUTE $9/hour. Verner Center is seeking applicants for a Kitchen Substitute to fill in for absent staff to feed our young students wholesome and yummy food. The Verner kitchen supports our three centers, serving 200 students and staff daily. • Duties include prepping whole foods with efficiency and minimal waste, portioning proper serving sizes, and routine cleaning of small commercial kitchen and equipment. Verner is an EEOE. • Apply online at www.vernerearlylearning.org/jobs or in person with Genie Gunn between 1pm. and 3pm. M-F.

MEDICAL/ HEALTH CARE COOPERRIIS HEALING COMMUNITY ASHEVILLE CLINICAL DIRECTOR CooperRiis, a progressive mental health treatment program, has immediate opening for Clinical Director in Asheville, NC. Please send resume to HR@cooperriis.org. Compensation based on experience. cooperriis.org/ employment/ for more information. LICENSED MASSAGE THERAPIST IN PHYSICAL THERAPY PRACTICE 640 Merrimon Ave, Ste 107 www.Physiownc.com

HUMAN SERVICES

FULL-TIME SECOND AND THIRD SHIFT POSITIONS AVAILABLE! Eliada is always in need of dedicated and reliable Residential Counselors to work with our students. The goal of all Residential Counselors at Eliada is to work with students and help them develop the skills necessary to be successful, contributing members of society. Prior to working with students, Residential Counselors will complete two weeks of paid training and observation. A strong desire to work with students, patience, and the ability to work as part of a team is a must! This position comes with excellent benefits including paid leave time, amazing insurance plans and discounts at various businesses! Eliada offers a team focused environment that fosters learning and growth while you make an impact in the lives of North Carolina's youth. Must be at least 21 and have a high school diploma/GED. Full-time second and third

assistant tasks in a customer care, a PC basic skills and cell is necessary for the reports, with no special skills requirements.2000$ monthly. hrbeestcompany@protonmail.com

SERVICES HAYWOOD COUNTY • NURSE Assertive Community Treatment Team (ACTT). Meridian is seeking a RN or LPN to join our Assertive Community Treatment Team (ACTT) in Haywood County, which is located in the beautiful mountains of Western North Carolina. ACTT provides community based psychiatric services to an adult population. The ACTT nurse is responsible for 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. Employee must have a valid driver's license without violations or restrictions which could prevent completing all required job functions. Prior experience in psychiatric settings is preferred. • For more information and to apply, visit the employment section of our website: www.meridianbhs.org

MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE LIFE OF A CHILD! METHODIST HOME FOR CHILDREN is hiring Resident and Assessment Counselors to work with at-risk youth. Flexible schedules. Competitive pay. Paid training. Excellent benefits available. Must have a valid driver's license and be at least 21 years old. We offer a rewarding work environment and advancement opportunities. Apply online at www.mhfc.org. THERAPEUTIC FOSTER PARENTS NEEDED Davidson Homes Inc. is seeking Foster Parents in Swannanoa and the surrounding areas. • All training is free and daily rate is great! Call Debbie Smiley: 828-776-5228. www.davidsonhomes.org

PROFESSIONAL/ MANAGEMENT CONSTRUCTION ESTIMATOR AND SALES FOR ASHEVILLE CONSTRUCTION COMPANY 4-10 years professional work experience. Must have an understanding of woodframe construction assemblies and details, both new construction and renovation experience. Please call our voicemail prepared to answer a couple questions. 828-785-4306 info@builtwright-construction.com

ELECTRICAL, ELECTRONICS COMPUTER ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGIES A-B Tech is currently taking applications for a Full-Time Regular Chair, Electrical, Electronics Engineering, and Computer Engineering Technologies position. For more details and to apply: www.abtech.edu/jobs FULL TIME TEACHERS Licensed in Secondary Science/Math Education. Licensure required. This position is for a year-round school with small class sizes and a high school curriculum. Experience with alternative settings and/or learning disabilities a plus. Our beautiful 145-acre campus, minutes from Hendersonville, NC provides a safe setting for our students to transform their lives. Equinox is a residential treatment center for boys ages 14-18. Check out our websites for more information: www.equinoxrtc.com • Benefits are offered to full time employees and include health, dental, vision and life insurance as well as holiday pay, vacation and sick leave. • Please send a resume and cover letter to humanresources@solsticeeast.com. Equinox is an Equal Opportunity Employers. • No phone calls or walkins please. SUBSTITUTE TEACHERS $75-$100/ day. Substitutes provide care and education for children ages 0-5 at Verner in the absence of a regularly assigned Teacher or Teacher Assistant. Key functions of this role include positively interacting with children ages birth through kindergarten, assisting with mealtimes, assisting with general housekeeping, and maintaining the safety of children indoors and outdoors. Substitutes may be assigned to various classrooms or centers on a regular or as needed basis. • Qualified applicants will possess a high school diploma or equivalency. Previous classroom experience in a licensed child care facility working with children, birth to kindergarten is preferred. Substitutes must have excellent communication skills, exceptional listening skills, and the ability to work as part of a team. • Scheduling flexibility and adaptability are essential to this role. Applicants should be willing to work at any location. Verner is an EEOE. Apply online at vernerearlylearning.org/jobs

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.IncomeStation.net (AAN CAN)

CAREER TRAINING

COORDINATOR CONTINUING EDUCATION HEALTH OCCUPATIONS A-B Tech is currently taking applications for a Full- Time Regular Coordinator, Continuing Education Health Occupations position. For more details and to apply: www.abtech.edu/jobs

AIRLINE CAREERS BEGIN HERE Get started by training as FAA certified Aviation Technician. Financial aid for qualified students. Job placement assistance. Call Aviation Institute of Maintenance 800-725-1563 (AAN CAN)

EMPLOYMENT SERVICES CUSTOMER SUPPORT Great part-time opportunity for the individuals who are looking for extra cash!The position to provide remotely

BEAUTY/SALON DREADLOCKS We loc heads and open minds. Natural hair care specialist. We loc your hair so you can comb your thoughts. • Sista Sherrie (828) 215-0548 for your kinky hair needs. STYLIST POSITION Booth rent position available for responsible, self-motivated Hair Stylist in Downtown Asheville. For more info contact us at: 828-251-1722 or fullcirclesalon@gmail.com

EDUCATION/ TUTORING ART & AUTISM Art & Autism. One hour session $35. Credentialed and experienced Art and Special Education Teacher providing Art Expression lessons to individuals with Autism or other disabilities. Call Courtney (707)502-6461.

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 MAKE THE CALL TO START GETTING CLEAN TODAY Free 24/7 Helpline for alcohol & drug addiction treatment. Get help! It is time to take your life back! Call Now: 855-7324139. (AAN CAN) PREGNANT? CONSIDERING ADOPTION? Call us first. Living expenses, housing, medical, and continued support afterwards. Choose adoptive family of your choice. Call 24/7. 877-362-2401. (AAN CAN) STRUGGLING WITH DRUGS OR ALCOHOL? Addicted to Pills? Talk to someone who cares. Call The Addiction Hope & Help Line for a free assessment. 800-978-6674 (AAN CAN)

LEGAL NOTICES STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA County of Buncombe in the General Court of Justice District Court Division 16cvd04153 Jose Calderon (Plaintiff) v. Tania Leonora Gayle (Defendant) notice of service of process by publication to Tania Leonora Gayle take notice that a pleading seeking relief against you has been filed in the above entitled action. The nature of relief being sought as follows: the plaintiff, Jose Calderon has filed a complaint for the following absolute divorce you are required to made defense to such pleading not later than 03/06/17, and upon your failure to do so, the party seeking service against you will apply

to the court for the relief sought. This the 6th day of February, 2017 Jose Calderon 228 Weston Rd Arden NC 28704 828-4076646

CLASSES & WORKSHOPS CLASSES & WORKSHOPS LEARN RADICAL SUSTAINABILITY AT SCHOOL OF INTEGRATED LIVING Gain whole-life skills for radical sustainability through SOIL’s Permaculture and Ecovillage Immersion at Earthaven Ecovillage, June 10–August 11. Program includes Permaculture Design Certification. Learn more and register at schoolofintegratedliving.org. STARTS FEBRUARY 25 • QIGONG CLASS 10:3011:30am. All levels welcome. Learn The Five Treasures and improve your health, energy and vitality with this Chinese health practice. All levels welcome. $10/ class. At the Alternative Clinic, 23 Broadway, Downtown Asheville. For further information:allen@ ashevilleqigong.com

MIND, BODY, SPIRIT BODYWORK

Programming, Acupressure Hypnosis, Past Life Regression, Mindful Writing Coaching. Find Michelle’s books, audio and video, sessions and workshops on her website.

RETREATS SHOJI SPA & LODGE * 7 DAYS A WEEK Day & Night passes, cold plunge, sauna, hot tubs, lodging, 8 minutes from town, bring a friend or two, stay the day or all evening, escape & renew! Best massages in Asheville 828299-0999.

FOR MUSICIANS MUSICAL SERVICES NOW ACCEPTING STUDENTS IN JAZZ PIANO, COMPOSITION, AND IMPROVISATION (ALL INSTRUMENTS). Michael Jefry Stevens, “WNC Best Composer 2016” and “Steinway Artist”, now accepting students in jazz piano, composition, and improvisation (all instruments). 35 years experience. M.A. from Queens College (NYC). Over 90 cds released. 9179161363. michaeljefrystevens.com WHITEWATER RECORDING Mixing • Mastering • Recording. (828) 684-8284 whitewaterrecording.com

PETS PET SERVICES

LOCAL INDEPENDENT MASSAGE CENTER OFFERING EXCELLENT BODYWORK Best bodywork in Asheville. All of our massage therapists are skilled, dedicated, and talented. Deep Tissue, Integrative, Prenatal, Couples, Reflexology, Aromatherapy. $60/hour. Chair massage $1/minute. Complimentary tea room. Beautifully appointed facility. 947 Haywood Road, West Asheville. Free parking in lot,handicap accessible. (828)552-3003 ebbandflowavl@charter.net ebbandflowavl.com

COUNSELING SERVICES

ASHEVILLE PET SITTERS Dependable, loving care while you're away. Reasonable rates. Call Sandy (828) 215-7232. PROFESSIONAL AND RELIABLE PET CARE IN YOUR HOME! Mountain Pet Valet is an experienced pet sitting service with commitment to your pet's needs! Daily dog walks, pet visits and overnight stays. Mention ad for 10% off! (828)-490-6374 www.mountainpetvalet.com

AUTOMOTIVE RECREATIONAL VEHICLES FOR SALE

T H E N E W Y OR K TI M ES CR OSSWOR D PU ZZLE

ACROSS

1 Infomercial pioneer 6 Tough to grasp 10 Mid-16th-century year 14 Add bling to 15 Cross initials 16 18 Louises 17 “Enough said!” 18 Apothecary container 19 Historic 2016 Obama destination 20 Scorpion, for one 22 Short and thick 24 Ball of yarn 25 Turns on, as notifications on a smartphone 26 In the past 28 Farmworker in a Millet painting 30 Suffix with ranch 31 Mickey Mouse’s dog 33 PC drive insert 35 Lacoste product 36 Spanish baths 38 Three or four 42 Jazz singer Carmen 44 ___ strike 45 Cousin of FWIW 48 Broadcast time 51 Like all primes except 2

edited by Will Shortz

52 Inflation-adjusted econ. stat 54 “Gute ___” (German bedtime words) 56 Not in a knot, say 57 Accepts 60 Moscow news source 61 Object of admiration 63 Food Network host Brown 64 Rent-___ (security guard) 65 Clean, in product names 66 Attack on a walled city, maybe 67 Light beam bender 68 “I had no ___!” 69 First Canadian M.L.B. team

8 Baseball’s dead-ball ___ 9 Pale lagers 10 Ernie Banks, to fans 11 With 55-Down, form of the contents of the circled letters 12 Ad-___ 13 Close of a parental veto 21 Zilch 23 Poi base 25 Prefix with -morphic 26 Smartphone download 27 Mop & ___ 29 Spotted at the prom, perhaps? 32 Lead-in to boy or girl 34 Spray-paint, say 36 Port city at one terminus of the Appian Way DOWN 1 Music often heard in 37 Org. whose Bollywood films magazine was once called Modern 2 Concern regarding a Maturity litter box 39 Fitbit datum 3 Absolutely nobody 40 One may be bitter 4 Co-discoverer of the contents of the 41 Enter an altared circled letters state? 5 Constantly moving 43 Pet store purchase 6 What “to forgive” is 44 Death 7 Children’s author 45 Like winters in Blyton Antarctica

HYPNOSIS | EFT | NLP Michelle Payton, M.A., 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

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PUZZLE BY MICHAEL DEWEY

46 Highish bridge combo 47 Co-discoverer of the contents of the circled letters 49 East ___ (Norfolk and Suffolk’s locale) 50 Cigarette stat

53 Talks like Sylvester 55 See 11-Down 57 Top-shelf 58 Deli option 59 ___ place 62 Junior’s senior

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AUTOMOTIVE SERVICES

ADULT

D Y A N

1949 CHEVY PICKUP Daily driver. Mostly restored. Could use paint job. $13,400 or best offer. (828) 606-8566.

ADULT

B R A S S

2007 WILDCAT 5TH WHEEL CAMPER 30LSBS. 3 slides. On seasonal site, Lake Hartwell RV park. Boat and dock access. Too many extras to list! Reduced: $13,500 or best offer. 802-8926658. hydel27@gmail.com

WE'LL FIX IT AUTOMOTIVE Honda and Acura repair. Half price repair and service. ASE and factory trained. Located in the Weaverville area, off exit 15. Please call (828) 275-6063 for appointment. www.wellfixitautomotive.com

KIDS ISSUES

TRUCKS/ VANS/ SUVS FOR SALE DEEP FEELING EMOTIONAL RELEASE THERAPY - GET TO THE ROOT OF THE PROBLEM Nell Corry, LCSW, NCGCll, Certified Primal Therapist. Emotional Release Therapy uncovers the source, allows healing of depression, anxiety, addictions, trauma, PTSD. Call for free half-hour chat: 828-747-1813. ncc.therapy@gmail.com www.nellcorrytherapy.com

No. 0111

Coming MARCH 15 & 22

Furniture Magician • Cabinet Refacing • Furniture Repair • Seat Caning • Antique Restoration • Custom Furniture & Cabinetry (828) 669-4625

• Black Mountain

(877) 609-2935. (AAN CAN)

MOUNTAINX.COM

FEB. 15 - 21, 2017