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OUR 22ND YEAR OF WEEKLY INDEPENDENT NEWS, ARTS & EVENTS FOR WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA VOL. 23 NO. 20 DECEMBER 7 - DECEMBER 13, 2016
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The Bernsteins return to The Magnetic Theatre
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In the aftermath of an earthquake in American politics, and widespread anxiety about what course this country may take over the next few years, many Asheville clergy are wrestling with finding answers for themselves — and for congregants.
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Allow and regulate short-term rentals Is there a U.S. city of any size with a healthy affordable housing supply near its downtown? It’s misguided math to assume Asheville’s affordable housing issue can be solved by reining in a few hundred homeowners with attached dwelling units or short-term rental houses? What’s really going on in the fervent opposition to STRs? Consider the “erosion of the fabric of our neighborhoods” argument frequently cited to uphold the ban on STRs. Are we talking about borrowing a cup of stevia, sharing limited parking and trading garden flowers? Let’s stop envisaging the Portlandia version of Asheville neighborhoods. If you’re lucky and friendly, you might get good neighbors for a few years before you outgrow each other or somebody moves. For real emergencies, 911 is probably [safer] than any neighbor you might call. ... Or maybe “fabric” means potential friends. Did you interview the neighbors before you bought your house? Maybe since the Kenilworth/ West Asheville/Montford residents’ profile is primarily white/educated/ professional/retired/young families, you felt kindred spirits awaited you?
There is veiled racism in this argument of wanting to keep the fabric of our neighborhoods. It’s comfortable to live among your tribe, whether that be of the same race, economic strata, education level, age range, etc. But unless your tribe buys all the houses on your street, you don’t get to pick your neighbors, or how they use their private property. ... If people want to have paying overnight guests, short term or long term, that’s their business, especially when the impact to neighbors is minimal at best. ... We have dozens of ordinances that protect against noise, trash, unsafe conditions, etc. It’s paranoid to think neighborhoods are going to “hollow out” and become full of empty houses catering to tourists. We’re not New York or San Francisco with off-the-charts housing costs and not enough supply to meet the demand. ... [The city’s ADU] task force noted that some STR owners own more than their primary residence, as context for stating that STR income is not always due to financial hardship. ... Many people use second homes/STRs for flexibility and to produce income for life’s current and future options and challenges. ... Were city inspectors partners in these violations when they gave “green tickets” to help us get our
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short-term rentals code-compliant? Nobody imagined the city might enforce a ban it had ignored for years and many, like myself, never knew the ban existed. What about selective enforcement? Is the city unaware that in many of the homestay permits issued, a stove is removed prior to the inspection and put back once the permit is granted? Can’t we get beyond this foolishness? The sharing economy was born 20-plus years after the now-outdated ban was introduced. STRs are legal in the Central Business District, and two blocks over, they’re not. We’re adding 1,000 hotel rooms downtown and telling people four blocks from South Slope they can’t rent their garage apartment on the weekends. We need progressive zoning, not regressive regulations. What has the city done with the tax revenue being generated by STRs? It’s a lot of money. Is it legal/ ethical to receive funds on a practice that is banned by an ordinance? The city is spending money to enforce a ban instead of recognizing a revenue source that can be regulated to benefit a lot of people. STR owners [whom] I know agree the city should put regulations in place, require permits and insurance, limit the number of them and/or grandfather existing ones, require residency ownership or management, continue to collect taxes, etc. Let’s stop this nonsense and find a solution. — Asheville resident editor’s note: At the letter writer’s request, Xpress is withholding the person’s name so as not to jeopardize the writer’s livelihood and to allow for a fuller discussion of this public policy issue. A longer version of this letter will appear at mountainx.com.
Time to consider NC secession [The date of] 11-9, the day the results were made clear, seemed to me, and to many others, like another 9-11, although one with a crumbling sound that will last four years. The Hidden Trump Vote apparently was real, and the Electoral College “trumped” the popular vote. Too bad the HRC campaign, along with most comfortable liberals, couldn’t see the wisdom in jettisoning the small-business-willsave-us mantra. Cute shops selling
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gluten-free unicorn biscuits go over well here in Asheville, but in the Rust Belt, where I grew up, not so much. The Dems might have swung Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Ohio with a common-sense industrial plan. Still, got to put a load of blame on the Trump voters, first nominating then electing this abomination who serial-lied his way to the White House. To that end, California has reignited a secessionist movement to unhook from the crazy train. Oregon and Washington likely to follow suit. Maybe Hawaii? Check out CalExit and the Yes California info. Secession would be a difficult path, but some level of regional autonomy should be achievable. Add in maybe — New England? We wouldn’t have to move there. We could support the process by pushing hard on our House of Representatives and Senate folks to let it happen. First order of business for escaping states: Dial back the pervasive cult-of-camo military fetish that has the red states forcing the rest of us to fund their kill-’em-all agenda. — Larry Abbott Candler
Brother Wolf is asking the right questions I commend the letter by Michelle Neff, “Asheville Lucky to Have Brother Wolf” [Xpress, Nov. 9], which details the many ways in which Brother Wolf Animal Rescue helps animals in need, whether through emergency relief, adoption, food assistance or health care. My own volunteer experience with Brother Wolf is with its Asheville Vegan Outreach program, ably directed by Rowdy Keelor [“Spreading the Word: Brother Wolf Animal Rescue Launches Asheville Vegan Outreach Initiative” by Hannah Sentenac, Xpress, April 20]. For me it is this more recent extension of its programming and service that brings Brother Wolf into wholeness. Why vegan advocacy in an organization focused on saving companion animals, you might ask? It’s a nobrainer when you do the math. Why accomplish heroic pursuits of animal rescue and be the largest no-kill shelter in the state and then exploit another population of animals? It’s simply hypocritical. Of course there are other reasons to be vegan, as Mr. Keelor writes elo-
quently in “How Food Can Preserve the Future of Our Forests” (Blue Ridge Outdoors, Nov. 8; http://avl. mx/379). In that piece, he notes provocatively: “In the age of information, most of us have the choice to be informed or to be ignorant. Most of us have the choice to act or to spectate. And we all have the choice to care or to be indifferent. Which will we choose?” And so, Asheville Vegan Outreach nudges folks here and across the state toward the compassionate choice by informing, advising, and even teaching how to eat and live healthy and humanely. Their commitment is to “uncompromised compassion”! In the article, Keelor describes his shock “when I began to understand the magnitude of the [environmental] destruction caused by animal agriculture. But I was also excited. So rarely are we as individuals given such an opportunity to make such a meaningful difference. By choosing not to consume animal products, we are making one of the most impactful and revolutionary choices of our time.” To this I personally would add, one of the most “evolutionary” choices of our time! He concludes with yet another question: “In the age of information, we know what the production of animal products is doing to the earth, to human health and to the trillions of animals who die every year to be consumed. We know and we can’t unknow. So then we are left with a decision, to act or not to act. Which will we choose?” — Cynthia Sampson Asheville
Flawed arguments offered for animal farming As someone who teaches ethics, I was interested to read Lee Warren’s defense of animal agriculture [“Vegan Activists’ Attacks Are Misguided” online letter, Nov. 19, Xpress]. Sadly, Warren is unable to offer a single good argument for animal agriculture. But she does offer several notably bad ones. Warren, director of the Organic Growers School in Asheville, claims that animal advocates and organic animal farmers are “natural allies,” because both want “less violence toward animals.” But that’s
c A rt o o n B Y B r e nt B r o w n untrue. Animal rights advocates oppose violence toward animals categorically, including the systemic violence entailed in animal agriculture. They don’t want a world with “less” human violence toward animals, but a world without any of it. At issue, then, is not whether it’s better for chickens to be raised outdoors rather than inside a warehouse, but whether we are justified in subjecting animals to mass violence at all. Warren, however, says that killing animals isn’t even violence — it’s “death.” By her logic, if a psychopath comes up to me on the street and slits my throat or shoots me, that wouldn’t be “violence” either — because I would have died. Evidently, this is what Warren means when she describes killing as “humane, sane, life-giving” activity. Many Xpress readers no doubt view local vegans’ emotional appeals on behalf of farmed animals with bemusement. That’s because we’re socialized from birth to think of other animals as stupid, unclean and irrational. They’re just so much worthless trash. So to complain about killing them is akin to finding fault with the garbage man for collecting our garbage.
But other animals aren’t trash. The science shows unequivocally that they share with us a wide variety of psychological and cognitive traits, capacities and experiences. They, too, have emotions, personalities, memories, the ability to love and be loved. People who’ve lived with cats or dogs know this intuitively. Tragically, though, the same people who love their companion animals often have difficulty believing that pigs or chickens are as emotionally complex, intelligent, sensitive, curious, or as prone to suffering trauma as cats and dogs. But they are. Perhaps Meredith Leigh [“Slaughtering Class Is About Life and Awareness,” Nov. 16, Xpress], whose “Cycles of Life” workshop culminates in pinning down a terrified sheep and slitting her throat, would feel just as comfortable slitting the throat of a cat or dog. But the tortured excuses she offers for her brutal activity, as quasi-spiritual, fail to mask her shocking lack of respect for the bodily integrity of other beings. … Warren … [tells] us that “the reason animals are born is because they will one day die and provide food. That’s their role.” However, Warren mistakes a cultural construct — the
animal agriculture system — with a fact of nature. Apologists for slavery made similar arguments during the antebellum period, decrying abolitionism on grounds that slaves were “bred” in order to be sold, it being their “role” to labor and die on the plantations of whites. The fact that nonhuman animals today are similarly forced to reproduce, so that humans can exploit them, tells us nothing about the moral rightness of such a system. Strip away Warren’s and Leigh’s rhetoric of “compassion” for animals, and it is clear that the future they envision is no less violent, ruthless and immoral vis-à-vis other animals than the world we now inhabit. — John Sanbonmatsu Associate professor of philosophy Worcester Polytechnic Institute Worcester, Mass.
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by jerry sternberg Editor’s note: This is the second in a series of articles offering a virtual tour of the riverfront as it has evolved over time. The trains came, following the French Broad River, and King Coal rode in on the black, fire-breathing steeds as their steel hoofs skipped along the iron rails. The steam whistle’s shrill clarion announced them, echoing through the hills as they carried huge quantities of energy and goods to our remote mountain area. Bells ringing, they arrived at the rail yards, the clanking of the drawheads shattering the peace as the trains stopped and started, the cars jerking back and forth. King Coal powered a rapidly expanding industrial empire that depended on steam to drive the flywheels, belts and drive shafts that ran the machinery. Here, raw materials delivered mostly by trains became finished products that were hauled throughout the country and to ports to be sold to the world. New industries were springing up in this riverside kingdom. To the north were furniture factories and a huge casket factory that must have bedded the deceased for miles around. Moving south, you could see where the Earl of Chesterfield had constructed an imposing feed mill adjacent to the Asheville Cotton Mill, which also built a mill village to house its multitude of serfs. There were machine shops of every description, lumber and coal yards and, of course, the massive Hans Rees Tannery. There was the yellow Farmers Federation building on Roberts Street, on the east side of the tracks near the Dave Steel Co. Wholesalers and distribution companies lined Depot Street en route to the passenger train station with its handsome cupola, across from the Glen Rock Hotel. Turning east, the tracks passed through Biltmore Village (where Vanderbilt had created another passenger station) and on to the SaylesBiltmore Bleacheries and the many small industries that were developing in the Koon Development industrial park. On the way out of town, the trains delivered and picked up goods at other furniture factories and the Beacon Manufacturing Co., which made blankets. The subjects of our mountain kingdom were grateful, for these industries provided jobs and wages for thousands
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JerrY sternBerg who’d struggled as hardscrabble farmers, miners and lumbermen. Besides sparking the kingdom’s industrialization, King Coal also revolutionized home heating and cooking. Coal was much cheaper and more reliable than the now dethroned King Wood. The coal came in lumps about the size of a baseball that were shoveled into the furnace. It burned hot and lasted longer than wooden logs. People could bank the fires and keep their homes warm throughout the night, and much larger apartment, hotel and commercial buildings could be built with central heating. The furnace heated water, and hot water or steam was circulated through the building, feeding cast-iron radiators. The downside was that the coal left a residue called ash that had to be removed from the furnaces and heaters, and disposing of it was a very messy process. Eventually an incredible new invention came along that mechanized the firing of industrial furnaces. The “coal stoker” consisted of a large hopper and an auger, or “worm,” that delivered the coal to the fire. To facilitate this process, the coal had to be ground down to thumb-sized pieces. The private sector, however, depended on the young boy in the house to lug heavy buckets of those pellets to fill the hopper and to remove the heavy, solidified ash, known as “clinkers.” When said small boy, who really hated this job, forgot to fill the stoker and the supply ran out, huge volumes of acrid smoke
would back up into the hopper and, in a matter of moments, fill the entire house. This would totally displease the father who, since the woodshed had been replaced, would now take said small boy to the coal bin for a proper thrashing. Meanwhile, the trains also brought multitudes of people to the area: tourists, entrepreneurs, merchants and workers both skilled and unskilled, providing the labor that made this revolution function. But the trains also enabled the kingdom’s subjects to visit faraway realms in a matter of hours or, at most, a few days. An overnight journey would transport them to the mighty empire of New Yawk City, where they could go sightseeing and merchants could buy goods that the trains would promptly deliver to their store in our village. King Coal ruled with absolute authority, and the seers, oracles and soothsayers who made up the kingdom’s Planning and Zoning Department looked into their crystal balls to regulate the sovereign’s territory. The ball, though, was clouded with coal smoke, so they planned for a future based on coal’s total dominance and the herd of trusty steam steeds that delivered the fuel and the people and hauled all the goods. Queen River was King Coal’s consort. Absolutely gorgeous and normally quite gentle, she supplied great quantities of clean water to help these factories function. She even supplied a small amount of energy through dam impoundments. Unfortunately, the king’s subjects didn’t appreciate her pristine purity, and they slowly poisoned her with regular and not always subtle doses of all sorts of industrial and human waste. So Queen River struck back, demonstrating not only her breathtaking beauty but her wicked and vengeful temperament, punishing the subjects and ravaging the kingdom with devastating floods. This should not have been surprising, however: After all, she was a “French broad” (yeah, yeah, yeah.) Next time: Pretenders threaten the throne. X Asheville native Jerry Sternberg, a longtime observer of the local scene, can be reached at gospeljerry@aol.com.
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NEWS
KEEPING THE FAITH
Asheville clergy offer wisdom in election aftermath
BY DALE NEAL
and dancing together as beloved children of God.”
dale.neal@gmail.com In the aftermath of an earthquake in American politics, and widespread anxiety about what course this country may take over the next few years, many Asheville -area clergy are wrestling with finding answers for themselves — and for congregants caught up in a raw moment of soul-searching. In the early morning hours of Nov. 9, a nasty, bruising campaign ended in political newcomer Donald Trump’s stunning upset of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton — defying leading polls and media pundits. Asheville was a lonely bubble of Democratic blue amid a sea of Republican red counties, state Board of Elections maps show. Buncombe County voters decisively favored Clinton over Trump, 54.3 percent to 40.1 percent. But the real estate developer-turned-reality-TVstar garnered 73.3 percent of the vote in McDowell, 62 percent in Haywood and Henderson, and 60.2 percent in Madison. Trump went on to win 76 of the Tar Heel State’s 100 counties, claiming North Carolina’s 15 electoral votes early on in a preview of the eventual outcome. Yet many in Asheville and the rest of the country never saw it coming, which added to the shock and bewilderment some people felt. The following Sunday, the Rev. Steve Runholt took the pulpit at Warren Wilson Presbyterian Church. Rattled by the election results and the Trump transition team’s first controversial moves, he had to dig deep into his Christian faith, his experience as a pastor and his understanding of theology. The resulting sermon offered no easy consolations. “In moments like these, when the world we’ve always known shifts underneath us, when we feel threatened or uncertain or anxious about the future, we all want to be assured that things are going to be OK,” said Runholt. “I’m not going to make that promise, because I think we all know that things are not going to be OK — at least not in the short term. America is going to change in the days to come. Sadly, there is no
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A CALL TO KEEP WORKING
TENDING THE FLOCK: Since the election, the Rev. Todd Donatelli, rector of The Cathedral of All Souls in Biltmore Village, says many parishioners have been looking for guidance as they process the outcome. Photo by Emma Grace Moon doubt about this, because the change has already started.” Like so many others, the Rev. Jim Dykes says he was surprised by the outcome. “The election upset, I think, does speak to what pollsters missed: this very broad disappointment and frustration with the last eight years of progressive administration, maybe the last 16 years,” notes Dykes, pastor of the 1,800-member North Asheville Baptist Church for the last 27 years. And looking ahead, he thinks Trump and his team now face a huge responsibility. “It’s important for the president-elect to try to move us together and bring the country back together. How he does that, I don’t know, but it’s up to him.” POWERS AND REALITIES The Rev. Guy Sayles, former pastor at Asheville’s First Baptist Church, had been scheduled as guest preacher at The Cathedral of All Souls in Biltmore Village that Sunday.
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“Part of the frustration — and anger and grief — that Clinton’s supporters felt was their stunned realization that about half of the people in their country weren’t frustrated at all,” he told his audience. “They didn’t want to believe that their fellow citizens had put a man they see as a racist and a misogynist in the White House. Trump’s supporters, on the other hand, couldn’t understand how anyone could have wanted to elect someone they see as dishonest, too scripted and beholden to special interests. “We can all see that we live in a bitterly divided nation, and the division isn’t simply into two different worlds but into multiple ones. “We all share fear in common. Fear voted, and fear takes to the streets. “All of us — left, right, center; red, blue and purple — feel gripped by powers and realities we can’t comprehend or control and which diminish and demean us. The fear we have in common is the greatest threat to the love we could have for each other. Fear keeps us from singing
The Rev. Todd Donatelli, the rector at All Souls, reached out to his parishioners in a blog post, cautioning against easy answers or trying to process complex emotions too quickly. “I’ve talked in the past about the importance of our need as a culture to breathe after significant events in our collective lives: how we need to resist the idolatry and hubris of the 24-hour news ethos, in which is practiced the belief that we can name immediately what momentous events are about.” Instead, Donatelli wrote, this is “one of those times where some deep breaths, some deep pauses, are called for; where some spaces to feel and connect to the myriad feelings emerging in us as a people are needed.” Many, said the Episcopal priest, are going through the various stages of grief defined by psychiatrist and author Elisabeth Kübler-Ross. “I’ve been thinking about anger, denial, despair, bargaining — they are never in neat order,” noted Donatelli. “We get to the despair part when we recognize the anger and bargaining aren’t getting us anywhere. How do we then move into an acceptance that isn’t submission but a call to keep working on our lives, both communal and personal?” STOPPING THE VITRIOL At Congregation Beth HaTephila in Asheville, Rabbi Batsheva Meiri preached on Veterans Day, the Friday following the election, paying tribute to those who’d protected the Constitution and the nation with their lives. “For me, the future depends on ceasing fire, stopping the vitriol and beginning the work of peace,” she said. “It’s time for all the citizenry of the United States to get to work on making our nation worthy of you, our veterans, and also those who sacrificed their lives so we could pursue peace and share our prosperity with all those who live in our country.”
neigHBorHooD loVe notes: On Sunday, Nov. 13, kids in the religious education program at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Asheville wrote messages of advocacy, inclusion and support on sidewalks outside the church. The messages helped kids process feelings of anxiety for vulnerable people following the Nov. 8 presidential election, says Linda Topp, the congregation’s director of administration. Photo courtesy of UUCA Meiri urged soul-searching rather than placing blame. “If I learn anything from this bloody battle for the future of our country, it is that I shouldn’t be surprised. I fell asleep — we fell asleep — on the job. We closed our eyes to so many people in the heart of this country who were left behind, who have until this moment felt invisible. We shut our ears and didn’t listen to those whose voices have been silenced or whose lives are so bitter they haven’t strength to speak up, to speak out,” she continued. BiBlicAl VAlUes Throughout the Republican primaries and the general election, Trump’s message resonated with voters who identified themselves as evangelical white Christians. The candidate won a record 81 percent of this demographic’s votes, versus just 16 percent for Clinton, according to the Pew Research Center’s postelection survey. For Dykes, however, it was just another Sunday service. “I didn’t preach about it,” he says. “I didn’t think it was something that we needed to gloat about if some folks were happy. I’m sure there were plenty who were. But at the same time, for folks on the other side, not saying, ‘Woe is us.’”
The Sunday before Election Day, Dykes says he’d told his audience that “God would still be on his throne Wednesday, no matter who would win the White House. I didn’t mention the election beyond saying that we have the right and responsibility to engage in the process. As Bible believers, I think we ought to prayerfully engage and vote for the candidates we think would most align with biblical values.” At Pole Creek Baptist Church in Candler, the Rev. dennis thurman says he heard little discussion about the election and steered clear of politics from the pulpit. “I didn’t mention it the next Sunday. You can look at the polling numbers from Pole Creek’s site and note that Trump was the overwhelming choice. Honestly, I didn’t like either choice.” The quaint countryside church serves as the polling place for Buncombe County’s Precinct 49.1. Trump tallied 559 votes (69 percent) compared with 198 votes (about 24 percent) for Clinton. “Though I’m glad Hillary lost, I have no great hope that Trump will be much different,” Thurman said in an email. “Of course, I could be wrong — and hope I am. We pray for the nation and its leaders. I’m concentrating on what I can do something about — sharing the Gospel, making
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n ews disciples, loving people and helping them to grow in their love for God.” tHe HAnD oF goD franklin graham, the son of famed evangelist Billy Graham and head of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, had campaigned in all 50 states, urging Christians to vote for biblical values. As the head of a nonprofit ministry, Graham is barred by federal law from making outright endorsements, but he’s never been shy about supporting conservative policies. And Trump was among the long list of politicos and celebrities who showed up for Billy Graham’s 95th birthday celebration at the Omni Grove Park Inn in 2013. In a Nov. 9 Facebook post, Graham congratulated Trump on his upset victory while calling for unity. “We need to pray for our new president, vice president and our other leaders every day — whether we agree with them or not,” he wrote. “It is my prayer that we will truly be ‘one nation under God.’” Two days after the election, however, Graham took a stronger stand on Facebook, writing, “While the media scratches their heads and tries to understand how this happened, I believe that God’s hand intervened Tuesday night to stop the godless, atheistic progressive agenda from taking control of our country.” tAKing Deep BreAtHs Over at the Great Tree Zen Temple, the Rev. teijo munnich says she finds herself meditating more, focusing on the “tonglen” practice of Tibetan Buddhism to deal with difficult emotions and cultivate lovingkindness and forgiveness for the president-elect. “If we get caught up in fear and anger and just protest movements, you’re going to miss the real thing that you need to be doing right now,” she maintains. “For my practice, that’s the value of sitting down and taking a few deep breaths and asking yourself, ‘What is going on right now?’ And saying that for the next four years.” Munnich says she was shocked by the election results, perhaps as much as Donald Trump himself. Having watched Trump’s victory speech, she says, “There’s a man who can’t believe he just won.” Elder alfred blount of Tried Stone Missionary Baptist Church says he’s been hearing similar sentiments from congregants unsettled by the prospect of a Trump administration. 12
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son oF A preAcHer MAn: Franklin Graham, son of evangelist Billy Graham, wrote on Facebook that he saw the hand of God at work in the election results. Photo courtesy of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association “What are we going to do? What’s going to happen? Where do we go from here? That’s what I’m hearing from folks,” Blount reveals. “But we have the reassurance that the God we serve is able to deliver us, carry us through, regardless of who is in the White House. For his children, we’re going to be OK.” Still, a minister’s job isn’t easy at such times, he concedes, since parishioners often hold diverse opinions. “You’re dealing with people who are uncertain, and you have to deal with people who don’t think church is the place to deal with political matters.” BeAcons oF ligHt Many local religious leaders, though, are urging not just faith and prayers but concrete action. The day after the election, byron ballard opened the Mother Grove Goddess Temple on Woodfin Place, lighting candles on the north altar and playing soft music. Friends who practice earth religions and faith in the divine feminine gathered to express their fears. “We all feel that we are facing enormous challenges that will require our best — our thinking, feeling, strategic and worshipful best,” she said afterward.
“Challenging times require strength and vision, and the help of the divines and our ancestors. These are the times we are made for.” Runholt, meanwhile, says his congregants are starting to move past their initial shock. “People are starting to ask, ‘What can we do?’” He’s urging people to contact or donate to the NAACP (naacp. org), Anti-Defamation League (adl. org), Southern Poverty Law Center (splcenter.org) or the Asheville-based
Compañeros Inmigrantes de las Montañas en Acción (cimawnc.org). Beyond that, continues Runholt, “We’re thinking about specific ways we can be a beacon of light and hope to our neighbors who may be feeling lost or afraid in these anxious times, to assure those who now wonder if their lives matter that they do matter, and to build relationships with our fellow citizens who may not see the world in the same way we do.” X
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news
by Max Hunt
mhunt@mountainx.com
CLEANUP UPDATE
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EPA details progress at Swannanoa Superfund site
Environmental officials revealed a previously unknown area of contamination at the eastern boundary of the Chemtronics Superfund site in Swannanoa at a community meeting on Thursday, Dec. 1. Contaminants including tert-butyl alcohol and benzene were detected during tests of a monitoring well that borders Bee Tree Creek. Officials said the source of the new contamination so far remains unclear. Held at the Bee Tree Fire Station, the purpose of the meeting was to discuss public comments regarding the Environmental Protection Agency’s 2016 Record of Decision, or remediation plan, for the site. Representatives from the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality and the EPA updated local residents and members of the Swannanoa Superfund Community Advisory Group about the status of the latest plans for the site. Officials also answered questions submitted during a 60-day comment period after the plan’s release in July. After a brief introduction by CAG President amy Knisley, the EPA’s jon bornholm — who has overseen the site since 1984 — and NCDEQ’s beth hartzell outlined changes to cleanup plans for the site. BAcK in tHe DAY
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Since being named a Superfund site in 1982, a series of remediation efforts have sought to clean up six known contaminant disposal areas, as outlined in the EPA’s first plan for the property, which was completed in 1988. Previous efforts have included capping six disposal areas with impermeable concrete slabs and erecting fencing to prevent exposure and the spread of contaminants. Two separate “pump-andtreat” groundwater extraction systems have also been installed at the site. One system is located in the “Front Valley,” where many of the products responsible for contamination were manufactured; the second is in the “Back Valley,” where Chemtronics and previous site owners, Northrop Grumman and Celanese Corp., tested materials and disposed of toxic byproducts (See “Chemtronics: From Chemical Weapons to Conservation Easement,” March 24, Xpress). Under the new Record of Decision, the pump-and-treat systems will be eliminated due to a lack of effectiveness, according to Bornholm. Two hunmountainx.com
new BoUnDAries: An approximation of the redefined boundaries of the Chemtronics Superfund site under the 2016 Record of Decision. The portions of the property outside the white lines are expected to be placed in a conservation easement or utilized for light forestry work. dred cubic yards of contaminated soil around former buildings 109 and 116 will also be excavated. Contractors will remove the excavated soil to an EPA-approved landfill for hazardous materials, said Bornholm, adding that trucks could begin hauling contaminated soil by the end of 2017. In 2012, the agency introduced a pilot in situ bioremediation program at the site. The program places enhanced vegetable oil fortified with bacteria into contaminated groundwater; the bacteria then consume the pollutants. Bornholm noted the program has produced encouraging results, with up to 90 percent of contaminants eliminated in some test areas. The program will be expanded to
take the place of the ineffective pumpand-treat systems. A pUBlic AFFAir Bornholm and Hartzell also addressed questions and concerns submitted by the CAG earlier this summer. Major questions and concerns were grouped into several categories, pertaining to future communication between the EPA, the Potentially Responsible Parties or PRPs, the state and the public on progress within the site; the redefinition of the site boundaries and possible future uses of the noncontaminated portion of the property; the placement of institutional controls on the non-
and other activities on that portion of the property. “People may have walked and studied that land, but they haven’t lived here and seen those things,” he argued. Bornholm replied that thorough investigations of the property have not revealed any reason to believe that contaminants may be present in areas outside the redefined Superfund boundaries, but acknowledged that this line of thinking is one of several
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new plAns, new concerns: Members of the Swannanoa community met with Community Advisory Group members and federal and state environmental officials Dec. 1, to discuss plans for the Chemtronics Superfund site. Photo by Max Hunt contaminated portion of the property under Declaration of Perpetual Land Use Restrictions, or DPLURs; the process of soil removal; the continuation of off-site private well testing for surrounding residents; and strategies to be considered if the bioremediation initiative fails. Under the new Record of Decision, Chemtronics can split the property into two separate portions, Bornholm said. The 556 acres known to be contaminated will remain under the Superfund designation and will continue to be monitored by the NCDEQ and EPA. The remaining portion of the 1,065acre property will be restricted to commercial or industrial use, with limitations on public access and guidelines for any future removal or alterations. Bornholm noted that Chemtronics was considering using the uncontaminated portion of the site for light forestry. The property owners are currently negotiating with the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy to place a conservation easement on the uncontaminated portion, he said. michelle pugliese, SAHC’s land protection director, gave a brief update on the status of those negotiations, saying the organization’s Board of Trustees expected to vote on whether to approve the tentative agreement the weekend of Dec. 3. The board subsequently voted to unanimously approval the easement offering, according to Pugliese. One community member asked whether the public could expect to have access to this land for hiking or recreational activities. Bornholm said Chemtronics has so far been reluctant to allow public access to the land due to liability concerns. Pugliese noted
that, as the property owner, Chemtronics will decide what public access it will allow. CAG member jerry rice, meanwhile, voiced concerns that undiscovered contaminants could lie outside of the redefined 556-acre Superfund site, citing local recollections and rumors of rocket testing
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december 7 - december 13, 2016
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news reasons Chemtronics remains hesitant to allow public access. Several residents also posed questions about the testing of private wells in the vicinity of the property. Bornholm said environmental consulting firm Altamont Environmental has been “very proactive” in reaching out to neighboring homeowners about water testing. Bornholm assured attendees that the EPA and Altamont will respond to all reasonable requests to test private wells in the vicinity.
CECILIA JOHNSON Attorney at Law
new pollUtion Bornholm and Hartzell’s descriptions of positive progress on the site were overshadowed by Bornholm’s revelation that testing conducted in September detected a new pocket of tert-butyl alcohol, or TBA, near the property’s eastern boundary. The contamination was discovered around monitoring well 172-D, which borders Bee Tree Creek. TBA was detected at 120 parts per billion, well above a nondetectable sample taken
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in March and higher than the state’s interim maximum allowable concentration (IMAC) of 10 ppb. While IMAC levels are enforceable, they are not yet promulgated under state standards. In addition, benzene was also detected at 3 ppb, which exceeds the state standard of 1 ppb for benzene. Bornholm said that Altamont and the EPA are conducting further tests to verify those numbers and to determine a possible source of the contamination. The EPA is unsure why TBA
levels spiked in the most recent sample, he conceded. “It’s not in the [surrounding] deeper or shallower wells,” Bornholm said. “It also hasn’t been detected farther up the watershed. We’re not sure why it showed up, but we’re working on it.” In addition, Bornholm noted that chloroform and perchlorate had been detected in one of the neighboring private wells sampled by Altamont in October, though those levels did not exceed the state’s acceptable risk limits.
Few attend public hearing on DuPont Forest cleanup by Leslie Boyd leslie.boyd@gmail.com A “doughnut hole” of contamination in DuPont State Recreational Forest likely will be cleaned up in the coming year as a remediation plan moves forward. State officials held a public comment session on Thursday, Dec. 1, at the Transylvania County Public Library, but only a half dozen people attended and just one came forward to comment. t.r. clever of Hendersonville, a retired chemical engineer, commented that he was concerned that oversight of the area might be lax. “Here in Western North Carolina, when people see a fence and a sign not to dig, the first reaction tends to be to jump it and start digging,” he said. Later, state officials assured him the site will be monitored by the N.C. Forest Service and the Division of Waste Management. Clever also asked for more information on how contaminated groundwater is being addressed. Officials detailed the carbon filters in place to remove chemicals that had been found in groundwater. A single carbon filter removed the contaminants, said state hydrogeologist mark wilkins, but the state added a second carbon filter for an added level of protection. Most of the ground contamination from the DuPont plant that existed there has been addressed, but the site where the company made film and silicon is still contaminated with toxic chemicals such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The plan calls for removal of some soil and capping and
fencing of areas where the chemicals still exist. The state Division of Waste Management has been overseeing the remediation activities, which have included the demolition and removal of the former plant and the removal of X-ray film waste. The plan, drafted by DuPont in May, was presented to the public and changes were made based on feedback. This plan is the final draft, and a public comment period was open until Dec. 5. Efforts to clean up the site include: • Confirming the extent of the contamination. • Long-term operation and maintenance of the caps and covers over contaminated areas. • Installation of protective fencing or cover material to prevent exposure to hazardous materials present in the soil • Solidification of capping of wastes, excavation and reconfiguration of caps and side slopes in specific areas. • Monitoring of groundwater to ensure there is no increase of concentration of contaminants in the groundwater. • Development and implementation of long-term management plans to ensure park users are not exposed to hazardous materials. • Enforcement of land disturbance restrictions to prevent exposure to materials that remain on the site. bud mccarty, an engineer with the state, said if no major changes to the plan were suggested by public comment, work should begin sometime early next year and be completed in two to three years. The draft of the plan can be found at: http://avl.mx/37i X
This saTurday While it’s not known where the chloroform originated, he added, the EPA is fairly certain that the perchlorate found in the private well came from the Chemtronics property. Some audience members questioned whether the emergence of these contaminants might be related to the recent drought conditions; Bornholm reiterated that the EPA was unsure of the cause at this time. Knisley asked that officials continue to update the CAG regarding new findings related to these detections as they come to light. “Other private wells sampled tested clean,” Bornholm said.
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MoVing ForwArD Bornholm explained that the EPA and the Justice Department are drafting a consent decree, which will outline the terms for future remediation and site restrictions. Once the terms have been finalized, he said, the responsible parties will have 30 days to accept or challenge them. If the responsible parties accept the terms, they will not be liable for any future effects of the contamination. On the other hand, if the responsible parties reject the agreement, Bornholm said, the EPA will use what he called its “gorilla in the closet” — a unilateral order to implement the 2016 action plan. In that case, he continued, the responsible parties could be subject to future lawsuits related to injury or damages caused by contaminants at the site. Once a pathway has been finalized, the responsible parties will have approximately 180 to 270 days to implement the remedial design and expand the bioremediation program. Meanwhile, sampling at off-site private wells, including the one where perchlorate and chloroform were found, will continue while the EPA works on its next five-year review of the site, which is due by the end of 2017. Bornholm closed the meeting with assurances that the responsible parties are being thorough in their efforts to keep the community informed and safe. He added that Altamont will continue to review monitoring wells along the property boundaries for their effectiveness; the consultants could recommend installing additional wells on- and off-site if the existing ones prove ineffective. For more information about future meetings of the CAG and remediation plans, visit https://goo.gl/gofShn or email swannanoasuperfund@ gmail.com. For information on the Chemtronics Superfund site, check out https://goo.gl/QEV2m6. X
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coMMUnitY cAlenDAr december 7 - 15, 2016
=❄ AniMAls AsHeVille HUMAne societY 761-2001 ext. 315, ashevillehumane.org • WE (12/7), 6pm - Pet adoption event. Free to attend. Held at Sanctuary Brewing Company, 147 1st Ave., Hendersonville
❄cHArlie's Angels AniMAl rescUe 885-3647, wncanimalrescue.org • SA (12/10), 9:30am-1pm - Proceeds from photos of children or pets with "Santa Paws" benefit charlie's angels animal rescue. $20. Held at Aloft Hotel, 51 Biltmore Ave. wnc nAtUre center 75 Gashes Creek Road, 298-5600, wildwnc.org • SA (12/10), 1:45-3:15pm - "Wild Walk," behind the scenes tour. Registration required. $30/$25 members/$15 children.
BeneFits This saTurday • 5Th AnnUAl HoMe For tHe HoliDAYs FUnDrAiser (pD.) • December 10, 2016. 5pm-9:30pm, The Orange Peel, Asheville, NC. Proceeds from this fundraiser will benefit 5 Local Nonprofits. Admission is by donation. Join us for Santa, live music, kid's games, food/drinks, silent auction, photo booth and more! Town and Mountain Realty/828-232-2879. www.townandmountain. com/ashevillefundraiser AsHeVille Browns BAcKers clUB 658-4149, ashevillebbw@gmail.com • SUNDAYS, 1pm Proceeds raised at this weekly social group supporting the Cleveland Browns benefit local charities. Free to attend. Held at The Social, 1078 Tunnel Road
❄AsHeVille coMMUnitY tHeAtre • FR (12/9), 10am-7pm, SA (12/10), 10am-5pm & SU (12/11), noon-4pm Proceeds from the annual Q Evon holiday studio sale benefit asheville community theatre. Free to attend. Held at Asheville Community Theatre, 35 E. Walnut St. 18
❄owen MiDDle scHool 730 Old US Highway 70 Swannanoa, 686-7739 • SA (12/10), 10am-4pm Proceeds from this holiday craft fair benefit Owen Middle School. Free to attend.
AsHeVille JewisH coMMUnitY center 253-0701, jcc-asheville.org • SU (12/11), 9:15am Proceeds from this 8K race and children's fun run benefit shalom children's center and eblen charities. $40/$25 youth. Held at Jewish Community Center, 236 Charlotte St.
rocK For rescUes ashevillehumane.org • FR (12/9), - Proceeds from "Rock For Rescues," concert featuring Poet Radio and The Mudbottoms, Masonjar Menagerie and Brother Oliver benefit the asheville Humane society. $10. Held at Grey Eagle Music Hall & Tavern, 185 Clingman Ave.
AsHeVille sYMpHonY orcHestrA 254-7046, ashevillesymphony.org • SU (12/11), 4pm & 7pm - Proceeds from this "Goodness and Light," collaborative concert featuring the Asheville Symphony Youth Orchestra and the Asheville Youth Choir benefit the educational programs of the aso and academy for the arts. $10. Held at Central United Methodist Church, 27 Church St. BlUe riDge BooKs 152 S. Main St., Waynesville • WE (12/14), 10am-noon - Proceeds from purchases of homemade Ecuadorian items benefit the building of a library system for the children of the remote Andean regions of Ecuador. Information: readorganization.com. Free to attend.
❄BlUe riDge ringers HAnDBell enseMBle blueridgeringers.tripod.com, blueridgeringers@gmail.com • FR (12/9), 7:30pm Proceeds from this Blue Ridge Ringers concert benefit onlyHope. Free to attend. Held at Hendersonville High School, 1 Bearcat Blvd., Hendersonville cAnton coMMUnitY KitcHen 98 Pisgah Drive, Canton, 648-0014, cantoncommunitykitchen.org • SA (12/10), 6am-noon - Proceeds from this community yard sale benefit canton community Kitchen. Free to attend.
❄DecK tHe trees libbafairleigh@gmail.com, facebook.com/ montevistahotel • Through SU (12/25), 10am-9pm - Proceeds from donations at this exhibition of unique handdecorated Christmas trees benefit the swananoa Valley christian ministry Fuel Fund. Awarding of Prizes takes place on Thursday, December 15, 6-8pm. Free to attend. Held at Monte Vista Hotel, 308 W. State St., Black Mountain FlApJAcKs For FAMilies ireneworthamcenter.org • SA (12/10), 9-11am - Proceeds from this pancake breakfast featuring local celebrity servers benefit the irene Wortham center. $10/Free with a
december 7 - december 13, 2016
All nAtions BeneFit: The Standing Rock Benefit and Community Potluck fundraiser, which is raising money for the All Nations Indigenous Center’s efforts to support the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe’s work against the oil pipeline in North Dakota, takes place at The Orange Peel on Sunday, Dec. 11. The event begins at 5 p.m. with a community potluck, followed by an opening ceremony facilitated by members of the local Cherokee tribe. The live music portion of the evening features performances by The Resonant Rogues, The DiTrani Brothers and Teach Me Equals. Entry to the event is $10 for adults and $5 for children. For more information and potluck details, visit goo.gl/10rKvs. Photo of Erin Murphy from Teach Me Equals courtesy of the organizers (p. 18) new, unwrapped toy of same or greater value/$5 children. Held at Wild Wing Cafe South, 65 Long Shoals Road, Arden
silent auction and photo booth benefit five local nonprofits. Admission by donation.
❄FolKMoot UsA 452-2997, folkmootusa.org • FR (12/9), 7-9pmProceeds from donations at the “Folkmoot Fa-lala,” holiday sing-a-long with the Blue Ridge Big Band, Celtic Crew, Possum on a Whale and Blackberry Jam benefit Folkmoot USA. Free. Held at Folkmoot Friendship Center, 112 Virginia Ave., Waynesville
lADies worKoUt AsHeVille 802 Fairview Road, #1000, 298-4667 • SA (12/10), 11am-2pm Proceeds from this event with performances from Asheville Dance Theater, arts and crafts area for kids, bouncy house, live music and marine obstacle course team competition benefit the Hope chest for Women. Free to attend/$50 obstacle course entry.
❄HAnDMADe HoliDAYs 645-7116 • FR (12/9), 4-9pm Proceeds from this holiday gift market with 18 vendors benefit arts for Life’s art programs for pediatric patients and families in Wnc. Free to attend. Held at Weavervill Town Hall, 30 S. Main St., Weaverville ❄HoMe For tHe HoliDAYs FUnDrAiser 232-2879, townandmountain.com/ Ashevillefundraiser/ • SA (12/10), 5-9:30pm - Proceeds from this live music fundraiser with Santa, kid's games, food,
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❄leAF internAtionAl 686-8742, theleaf.org/leaf-international • FR (12/9), 9pm Proceeds from Enter the Earth’s Annual Christmas Party with live music by the Joe Marcinek Band, Unihorns and Americas James benefit Leaf community arts. $10-$15. Held at Asheville Music Hall, 31 Patton Ave.
leicester coMMUnitY center 2979 New Leicester Highway, Leicester, 7743000, facebook.com/ Leicester.Community. Center • FR (12/9), 5-7:30pm - Proceeds from this turkey supper benefit the Leicester Community Center. $8. MontForD HoliDAY toUr oF HoMes 280-1576, montfordtour.com • SA (12/10), 1-5pm - Proceeds from this annual self-guided tour of Montford homes benefit the montford neighborhood association. $25. Tickets available Thursday, Dec. 1 through Saturday, Dec. 10, at the Asheville Visitors Center Gift Shop, 36 Montford Avenue Moog FUnK JAM ashevillemusichall.com • TU (12/13), 11pm Proceeds from donations at this live funk jam benefit mooG Foundation. Free to attend. Held at Asheville Music Hall, 31 Patton Ave.
stAnDing rocK BeneFit & coMMUnitY potlUcK facebook.com/ events/291964584531931/ 101 Biltmore Ave., 225-5851 • SU (12/11), 5pm Proceeds from this event featuring an opening ceremony by members of the Cherokee tribe and live music by The Resonant Rogues, The DiTrani Brothers and Teach Me Equals benefit the all nations indigenous center. Bring a potluck dish to share. $10/$5 children. tHe AMericAn AssociAtion oF UniVersitY woMen susangrable2@gmail.com • WE (12/7), 3-5pm Proceeds from the "Annual Friend Raiser," event with food, wine and shopping benefit the american association of university Women's Gem scholarship fund. Books are being collected for the Mothers' Reading Program at the Swannanoa Correctional Center for Women. Reservations: baritar16@ gmail.com. $10. Held at Ten Thousand Villages, 10 College St.
❄tHe pop proJect thepopproject.org • MO (12/12), 6:30pm - Proceeds from this fourcourse holiday dinner and beer pairing benefit The POP Project. $79. Held at Rhubarb, 7 SW Pack Sq. ❄tHe VAnisHing wHeelcHAir 645-2941, vanishingwheelchair.org • SA (12/10), 3pm Proceeds from “Holiday Magic," family-friendly magic, music and storytelling show, benefit asheville nursing & rehabilitation. $5. Held at Asheville Nursing & Rehabilitation Resident Council, 91 Victoria Road
BUsiness & tecHnologY A-B tecH sMAll BUsiness center 398-7950, abtech.edu/sbc • WE (12/7), 6-8pm - "Small Business Bookkeeping," seminar. Registration required. Free. Held at A-B Tech Enka Campus, 1459 Sand Hill Road, Candler ontrAcK wnc 50 South French Broad Ave., 255-5166 • WE (12/7), noon - “Budgeting and Debt class,” seminar. Registration required. Free. • WE (12/7), 5:30pm “Home Energy Efficiency,” seminar. Registration required. Free.
clAsses, Meetings & eVents AeriAl Arts, DAnce & FlexiBilitY clAsses At eMpYreAn Arts (pD.) • Beginning Aerial Arts drop-in classes happen weekly every Sunday at 4:15pm, Monday at 5:15pm, Tuesday at 11:00am, Wednesday at 4:15pm, and Thursday at 5:00pm • Flexibility drop in classes happen weekly every Tuesday at 8:00pm and Thursdays at 1:00pm • Liquid Motion Dance class happens every Wednesday at 8:00pm • SIGN UP AT EMPYREANARTS.ORG OR CALL/TEXT AT 828.782.3321. pole DAnce & Fitness clAsses At eMpYreAn Arts (pD.) • Beginning Pole drop-in classes happen weekly every Sunday at 5:45pm, Wednesdays at 5:30pm, Thursdays at 11:00am, and Saturdays at 11:45am • SIGN UP AT EMPYREANARTS.ORG OR CALL/TEXT 828.782.3321. tHe greAtest eVent in HistorY is now UnFolDing (pD.) • The Transformation Has Begun. Maitreya, The World Teacher and Masters of Wisdom are in the world. Rise of people power. Economic, Social, environmental justice. Increase in UFO sightings. Crop Circles. Signs and miracles. Find out how these events are related. • Saturday, December 10: Asheville Friends Meeting house. 227 Edgewood Rd. 2pm. Free presentation. 828-398-0609. AsHeVille Asperger's ADUlts AnD teens UniteD meetup.com/ aspergersadultsunited/, wncaspergersunited@ gmail.com • TH (12/8), 4:10pm -
Give!Local Calendar
Nonprofit events from 12/7 through 12/15 bY abiGaiL GriFFin | agriffin@mountainx.com Give!Local has passed the $26,000 mark in its sixth week — with more than 173 individual donors giving much needed funds to 47 local nonprofits. The campaign provides a fun, fast and easy way to give online, from $1 to $1,000s. Donors can give to as many of the participating nonprofits as they like and pay with one easy credit card transaction. Plus, there are hundreds of fun, valuable incentives to encourage donations from everyone, including people who don’t get tax breaks, and a whole new generation of givers — children! To give, or for more information, visit givelocalguide.org This year, Give!Local has the support of several organizations that are providing matching donations. For instance: • All donations — up to $48,000 — to Wild South will be matched through a major grant from the National Forest Foundation. sUpport groUps MeMorY loss cAregiVers network@memorycare.org • 2nd TUESDAYS, 9:30am – Held at Highland Farms Retirement Community, 200 Tabernacle Road, Black Mountain MY DADDY tAUgHt Me tHAt mydaddytaughtmethat.org • MONDAYS & WEDNESDAYS, 6-8pm - Men’s discussion group. Free. Held in 16-A Pisgah Apartment, Asheville
BeneFits AsHeVille JewisH coMMUnitY center 253-0701, jcc-asheville.org • SU (12/11), 9:15am Proceeds from this 8K race and children’s fun run benefit shalom children’s center and eblen charities. $40/$25 youth. Held at Jewish Community Center, 236 Charlotte St. leAF internAtionAl 686-8742, theleaf.org/leaf-international
• Local instrument makers, Make Noise and Moog, are joining together to provide a matching donation of up to $4,000 to support the incredible work of Girls Rock Asheville. • The Family Health Centers will donate a toy to the kids at Eliada for every donation to that organization. • Chestnut Mountain Cabins will match the first $250 in donations to the Appalachian Barn Alliance. • For every $20 donated to the Western North Carolina Green Building Council, 1 ton of carbon emissions will be offset through Appalachian Offsets program that performs energy efficiency upgrades for local schools and nonprofits. Besides donating to the campaign itself, there are plenty of ways to get involved with the participating organizations. Below is a list of what some of the Give!Local nonprofits are up to this week:
• FR (12/9), 9pm - Proceeds from Enter the Earth’s Annual Christmas Party with live music by the Joe Marcinek Band, Unihorns and Americas James benefit Leaf community arts. $10-$15. Held at Asheville Music Hall, 31 Patton Ave.
clAsses, Meetings & eVents
eliADA 2 Compton Drive, 254-5356 • TH (12/15), 5-7pm - Eliada
Moog FUnK JAM ashevillemusichall.com • TU (12/13), 11pm - Proceeds from donations at this live funk jam benefit mooG Foundation. Free to attend. Held at Asheville Music Hall, 31 Patton Ave.
Christmas party. Free.
rocK For rescUes ashevillehumane.org • FR (12/9), - Proceeds from “Rock For Rescues,” concert featuring Poet Radio and The Mudbottoms, Masonjar Menagerie and Brother Oliver benefit the Asheville Humane Society. $10. Held at Grey Eagle Music Hall & Tavern, 185 Clingman Ave.
• SATURDAYS through (12/31)
tHe pop proJect thepopproject.org • MO (12/12), 6:30pm Proceeds from this four-course holiday dinner and beer pairing benefit The POP Project. $79. Held at Rhubarb, 7 SW Pack Sq.
277-8288, coabc.org
KiDs Attic sAlt tHeAtre coMpAnY
Moog FUnK JAM: Come on out and shake your hips to local funk music while supporting a good cause at the Asheville Music Hall’s Funk Jam Benefit for the Bob Moog Foundation on Tuesday, Dec. 13 at 11 p.m. This special benefit edition of the well-loved weekly funk music jam offers an easy way to donate to the Moog Foundation’s mission of igniting creativity in children and adults through interactive experiences at the intersection of science, music, history and innovation. The Moog Foundation provides the hallmark educational program — Dr. Bob’s SoundSchool — which teaches 1,500 Asheville-area second graders yearly about the science of sound through an experiential 10-week curriculum. They provide the materials, training and the curriculum at a nominal fee for the school districts to facilitate this STEM-based learning experience. Want to help, but can’t make it to the funk jam? You can easily donate online to MOOG at givelocalguide.org VolUnteering
505-2926 - Family theater performances. $5. Held at The Magnetic Theatre, 375 Depot St.
seniors coUncil on Aging oF BUncoMBe coUntY, inc. • TH (12/8), 2-4pm - “Medicare Choices Made Easy,” workshop. Registration required. Free. Held at Pardee Signature Center, 1800 Four Seasons Blvd., Hendersonville
BoUntY & soUl 419-0533, bountyandsoul.org • TH (12/8), 1:30-3:30pm Volunteer to sort and place produce and other food onto the truck. Held at Bounty and Soul, 999 Old US Highway 70, Black Mountain • WE (12/9), 2-5:45pm - Volunteer to sort and place produce and other food onto the truck and serve the community. Held at Black Mountain Elementary School, 100 Flat Creek Road, Black Mountain, Black Mountian • TU (12/13), 9am-1pm Volunteer to sort and place produce and other food onto the truck and distribute to the
community at the mobile market. Held at St. James Episcopal Church, 424 W State St., Black Mountain • TH (12/15), 1:30-3:30pm Volunteer to sort and place produce and other food onto the truck. Held at Bounty and Soul, 999 Old US Highway 70, Black Mountain eliADA 2 Compton Drive, 254-5356 • MO (12/5) through FR (12/9) - Volunteer to help process donated gifts for Eliada children. Shifts are from 8am-noon or 2-6pm. Registration: holidays@ eliada.org. HoMewArD BoUnD oF wnc 218 Patton Ave., 258-1695, homewardboundwnc.org
mountainx.com
• 3rd THURSDAYS, 11am “Welcome Home Tour,” tours of Asheville organizations that serve the homeless population. Registration required. Free to attend. loVing FooD resoUrces 255-9282, admin@lovingfood.org • Through SA (12/31) - Volunteer with Loving Food Resources. Registration: ngavin@lovingfood. org or 443-655-3074. MoUntAintrUe 258-8737, wnca.org • 2nd SATURDAYS, 9am-1pm - Urban Forest Workdays: Richmond Hill Park invasive plant removal work days. Held at Richmond Hill Park, 4641 Law School Road, East Bend
december 7 - december 13, 2016
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Christmas Trees, Wreaths, & Gifts
REEMS CREEK NuRSERy
Terrarium Workshop • Sat. 12/10 • Pre-register
70 Monticello Rd. Weaverville, NC I-26/Exit 18 828-645-3937
c o n s c i o U s pA r t Y By Kat McReynolds | kmcreynolds@mountainx.com
Rock for Rescues
www.reemscreek.com
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
preVentiVe cAre: Low cost vaccines were provided at a recent wellness fair hosted by the Asheville Humane Society. Photo courtesy of AHS what: A benefit concert for the Asheville Humane Society, featuring Poet Radio, The Mudbottoms, Masonjar Menagerie and Brother Oliver where: The Grey Eagle when: Friday, Dec. 9, at 8 p.m. why: “I’ve gotten two of my cats from the Asheville Humane Society,” says madison maxwell, frontwoman for local band Poet Radio. “I was always really impressed with the cleanliness of their facilities, the attentiveness of their staff and just the overall professionalism with which they handle themselves. The cats that I’ve gotten from them have been so amazing and well-adjusted. It’s obvious they’ve been treated very well.” Those experiences bumped AHS to the top of the list when Poet Radio decided to organize a benefit concert for an area nonprofit, and the musicians intend to expand this year’s inaugural AHS fundraiser into an annual occurrence. 20
december 7 - december 13, 2016
mountainx.com
Entertainment for the night includes three supporting acts: Southern-leaning rockers The Mudbottoms; Masonjar Menagerie, which Maxwell describes as having a “really gritty, stripped-down blues rock sound” and guitar-mandolin duo Brother Oliver. For headliners Poet Radio, this will be the last performance until next spring — after the band has recorded a new EP of piano-based gothic rock songs. The admission charge, a suggested $10 donation, “goes a long way at AHS,” according to the nonprofit’s events coordinator carla musgrove. “By attending this concert, you can provide pain medication to two animals who have undergone surgery, all general vaccinations for an animal at our facility, or feed 54 dogs or 100 cats for a day.” Visit thegreyeagle.com for more information or tickets. X
c oMMU n it Y cA l e n D Ar Group viewing of Dr. Strange. Theater admission fees apply. Held at Carmike 10, 121 River Hills Road AsHeVille cHess clUB 779-0319, vincentvanjoe@gmail.com • WEDNESDAYS, 6:30pm Sets provided. All ages and skill levels welcome. Beginners lessons available. Free. Held at North Asheville Recreation Center, 37 E. Larchmont Road AsHeVille nAtionAl orgAnizAtion For woMen ashevillenow@live.com • 2nd SUNDAYS, 2:30pm Monthly meeting. Free. Held at YWCA of Asheville, 185 S French Broad Ave. Big iVY coMMUnitY center 540 Dillingham Road, Barnardsville, 626-3438 • 2nd MONDAYS, 7pm Community club meeting. Free. BUncoMBe coUntY pUBlic liBrAries buncombecounty.org/ governing/depts/library • TH (12/8), 6pm - "What's The Next Step in Your Evolution?" Presentation by Randi Janelle & Ashley Long regarding transitioning into the Age of Omniscience. Free. Held at North Asheville Library, 1030 Merrimon Ave. • TU (12/13), 6:30pm - Adult coloring club. Free. Held at Enka-Candler Library, 1404 Sandhill Road, Candler
❄DAViDson's Fort Historic pArK Lackey Town Road, Old Fort, 668-4831, davidsonsfort.com • SA (12/10), 4-8pm - "A Colonial Christmas," holiday open house. Admission fees apply. ❄eliADA 2 Compton Drive, 254-5356 • TH (12/15), 5-7pm - Eliada Christmas party. Free. FirestorM cAFe AnD BooKs 610 Haywood Road, 255-8115 • WEDNESDAYS, 6pm "What's Up with Whiteness" discussion group. Free to attend. • 2nd SUNDAYS, noon-2pm Discussion group on the tarot. Free to attend. 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 • 2nd TUESDAYS, 7pm - Public board meeting. Free. • 3rd THURSDAYS, 7pm - The Leicester History Gathering general meeting. Free. McDowell coUntY pUBlic liBrArY- MArion BrAncH 90 W Court St., Marion, 652-3858 • WE (12/14), 3pm "Introduction to Finding Grants," workshop. Registration required. Free.
by Abigail Griffin
sHowing Up For rAciAl JUstice showingupforracialjustice.org • TUESDAYS, 10am-noon Educating and organizing white people for racial justice. Free to attend. Held at Firestorm Cafe and Books, 610 Haywood Road
❄tHoMAs wolFe MeMoriAl 52 North Market St., 253-8304, wolfememorial.com • SA (12/10), 9am-7pm Holiday open house and silent auction. $5. trAnsition AsHeVille 296-0064, transitionasheville.org • MO (12/12), 6:30-8pm "Poyodoshi: A Contemporary Wisdom Language & A Philosophical Framework For Change," presentation and social. Free. Held at St. Mary's Episcopal Church, 337 Charlotte St. VeterAns For peAce 582-5180, vfpchapter099wnc.blogspot. com/ • 2nd TUESDAYS, 6:30-8:30pm - General meeting. Free to attend. Held at Firestorm Cafe and Books, 610 Haywood Road
DAnce pole Fitness AnD DAnce clAsses At DAnceclUB AsHeVille (pD.) • Pole dance, burlesque, Jazz/ Funk, Hip Hop, Flashmobs! drop in for a class or sign up for a series: • Holiday Striptease Workshop - Dec. 10 • 6 Week Intro to Pole - Begins Dec. 13 • 6 Week Intro to SPIN Pole Begins Dec. 15 • Tues. and Thurs. at 12PM Pole class for $10 • 21 classes offered every week! • Memberships available for $108/ month danceclubasheville. com 828-275-8628 Right down the street from UNCA - 9 Old Burnsville Hill Rd., #3 stUDio zAHiYA, Downtown DAnce clAsses (pD.) • Monday 5pm Ballet Wkt 6pm Hip Hop Wkt 7pm Hip Hop Fusion 8pm Tap • Tuesday 9am Hip Hop Wkt 4:30pm Teen Bellydance 6pm Intro to Bellydance 7pm Bellydance 2 8pm Bellydance 3 8pm Hip Hop Choreography •Wednesday 9am Hip Hop Wkt 5:30pm Hip Hop Wkt 6:30pm Bhangra 7:30pm POUND Wkt 8pm • Thursday 9am Hip Hop Wrkt 4pm Girls Hip Hop 5pm Teen Hip Hop 7pm West African • Saturday 9:30am Hip Hop Wkt 10:45 Electronic Yoga Wkt • Sunday 3pm Tap 2 6:30pm Vixen • $13 for 60 minute classes, Wkt $5. 90 1/2 N. Lexington Avenue. www.studiozahiya.com :: 828.242.7595
❄AsHeVille BAllet 252-4761, ashevilleballet.com • FRIDAY through SUNDAY (12/9) until (12/11) - "The Nutcracker," ballet. Fri. & Sat.:
7:30pm. Sat. & Sun.: 2:30pm. $25-$50/$20 students/$15 children 12 & under. Held at Diana Wortham Theatre, 2 S. Pack Square
❄BAllet conserVAtorY oF AsHeVille 255-5777, balletconservatoryofasheville.com • TH (12/15) & FR (12/16), 4:30pm & 7:30pm - The Nutcracker. $30/$20 students/$15 children under 13. Held at Diana Wortham Theatre, 2 S. Pack Square ❄BUncoMBe coUntY pUBlic liBrAries buncombecounty.org/ governing/depts/library • SA (12/10), 11am-12:30pm - "Holiday Hula with Hooping Hearts," hula hooping lesson. Free. Held at Leicester Library, 1561 Alexander Road, Leicester eco AsHeVille citizens’ cliMAte loBBY citizensclimatelobby.org/ chapters/NC_Asheville/ • 2nd SATURDAYS, 12:303pm - Open meeting regarding climate change solutions. Free. Held at Kairos West Community Center, Haywood Road, Asheville wnc sierrA clUB 251-8289, wenoca.org • WE (12/7), 6:30pm - Holiday party and environmental recognition awards. Bring potluck dish to share and your own place settings. Free. Held at Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Asheville, 1 Edwin Place
❄lAKe JUliAn FestiVAl oF ligHts 684-0376, david.blynt@ buncombecounty.org • FR (12/2) through FR (12/23), 6-8pm - Drive through holiday light show featuring animated and stationary light displays. Twenty percent of ticket sales benefit the Buncombe County Special Olympics. $5 per car/$10 per van/$25 per motor coach. Held at Lake Julian Park 406 Overlook Road, Ext., Arden
• TH (12/8), 6:30pm - “Meeting of the Whole,” annual potluck with presentation about revisions to the City of Asheville Food Action Plan. Free. Held at Toy Boat Community Art Space, 101 Fairview Road
❄MontForD pArK plAYers 254-5146, montfordparkplayers.org • SATURDAY & SUNDAY (12/10) through (12/18), 3pm - “Day with Dickens Festival,” Victorian themed event with crafts and food and A Christmas Carol. Festival from 3-5pm. Showtime at 5pm. Free. Held at Hazel Robinson Amphitheatre, 92 Gay St.
BUncoMBe coUntY repUBlicAn Men's clUB 712-1711, gakeller@gakeller.com • 2nd SATURDAYS, 7:30am Discussion group meeting with optional breakfast. Free to attend. Held at Corner Stone Restaurant, 102 Tunnel Road
❄winter ligHts exHiBition 100 Frederick Law Olmsted Way, 665-2492, ncwinterlights.com •FR (11/18) through SU (1/1), 6-10pm - “Winter Lights,” outdoor holiday lights exhibition. $18/$16 children under 12/Free children under 4. FooD & Beer AsHeVille BUncoMBe FooD policY coUncil abfoodpolicy.org
goVernMent & politics
BUncoMBe coUntY senior DeMocrAts 274-4482 • TH (12/8), 6pm - General meeting and pot luck supper. Free. Held at Buncombe County Democratic Headquarters, 951 Old Fairview Road cHArles george V.A. MeDicAl center 1100 Tunnel Road • WE (12/7), 5pm - Veterans town hall with elected officials, veteran's service officers and other stakeholders. Free. citY oF AsHeVille 251-1122, ashevillenc.gov • TU (12/7), 12:30-2:30pm - "Living Asheville: A
Comprehensive Plan for our Future," public workshop. Free. Held at Skyland/ South Buncombe Library, 260 Overlook Road • TU (12/7), 4-6pm - "Living Asheville: A Comprehensive Plan for our Future," public workshop. Free. Held at St. John's Episcopal Church, 290 Old Haw Creek Road • TU (12/13), 5pm - Formal public meeting of the Asheville City Council. Free. Held at Asheville City Hall, 70 Court Plaza
❄HenDerson coUntY DeMocrAtic pArtY 692-6424, myhcdp.com/ • SA (12/10), 5:30-8pm - Holiday "Holly Party," with cocktail reception and "glitz" theme. Admission by donation of hats, coats, gloves and non-perishable food for Interfaith Ministries. Held at First Congregational UCC of Hendersonville, 1735 5th Ave. W., Hendersonville ❄HenDerson coUntY leAgUe oF woMen Voters lwvhcnc.org • SU (12/11), 3-5pm - "Opening our Homes for the Holidays," holiday gathering with refreshments. Free. Held at the Hendersonville Chamber of Commerce, 204 Kanuga Road, Hendersonville
FArM & gArDen liVing weB FArMs 176 Kimzey Road, Mills River, 505-1660, livingwebfarms.org • SA (12/10), 1:30pm - "Vegetable Plant Breeding for Market Gardeners," workshop. $15.
FestiVAls st. nicHolAs cHristMAs BAzAAr (pD.) • Kick off the holidays at our free family friendly festival! Food, wine, silent auction, kids’ activities, church tours, music & more! Hope to see you there! Dec. 17th, 10am-4pm. 5 Park Ridge Drive, Fletcher, NC 28732
❄BlAcK MoUntAin neUro MeDicAl treAtMent center 932 Old U.S. Highway 70, Black Mountain • TH (12/8), 3:30pm - Annual holiday parade with more than 30 entries. Free. ❄cHeroKee triBAl FAirgroUnDs 545 Tsali Blvd., Cherokee • FRIDAYS & SATURDAYS (12/9) through (12/31), 5-10pm - Holiday light display and legends of the Cherokee. Free to attend. mountainx.com
december 7 - december 13, 2016
21
Commun it y ca l e n da r
Kids Asheville Art Museum 2 N. Pack Square, 253-3227 • 2nd TUESDAYS, 11am12:30pm - Homeschool program for grades 1-4. Registration required: 253-3227 ext. 124. $4 per student.
❄Asheville Community Theatre 35 E. Walnut St., 254-1320, ashevilletheatre.org • SA (12/10), 10am - Christmas with Santa, presented by Bright Star Touring Theatre. $5. Asheville Museum of Science 43 Patton Ave., 254-7162, colburnmuseum.org • FR (12/9), 9:30am - Holly Myers presents her book, Goodnight Asheville. Admission fees apply. Attic Salt Theatre Company 505-2926 • SATURDAYS through (12/31) - Family theater performances. $5. Held at The Magnetic Theatre, 375 Depot St. Buncombe County Public Libraries buncombecounty.org/ governing/depts/library • WE (12/7), 4-5pm - "Art After School," projects for school aged children. Free. Held at East Asheville Library, 902 Tunnel Road • FR (12/9), 4pm - Teen cosplay club. Free. Held at Enka-Candler Library, 1404 Sandhill Road, Candler • SA (12/10), 10am & 2pm Tom Fisch holiday concert. Free. Held at Weaverville Public Library, 41 N. Main St., Weaverville • WE (12/14), 4pm - After school art club for school aged children. Free. Held at Leicester Library, 1561 Alexander Road, Leicester Fletcher Library 120 Library Road, Fletcher, 687-1218, library.hendersoncountync.org • WEDNESDAYS, 10:30am Family story time. Free. 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. Mountain Gateway Museum and Heritage Center 102 Water St., Old Fort, mountaingatewaymuseum.org/ • 2nd SATURDAYS, 10am-3pm - Plein air painting demonstrations. Free. Spellbound Children's Bookshop 640 Merrimon Ave., #204, 708-7570, spellboundchildrensbookshop. com • SATURDAYS, 11am - Storytime for ages 3-7. Free to attend.
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Send your event listings to calendar@mountainx.com
by Abigail Griffin
The Vanishing Wheelchair 175 Weaverville Highway, Suite L, 645-2941, VanishingWheelchair.org • 2nd & 4th FRIDAYS, 7pm - “Magic, Mirth & Meaning,” family-friendly, hour-long storytelling singing, juggling and magic production. Admission by donation. Two Sisters Farmstead 218 Morgan Cove Road, Candler, 707-4236, twosistersfarmstead.org • SA (12/10), 10am-noon "Family Discovery Day," with farm tours and exploration. Free.
Outdoors Lake James State Park 6883 N.C. Highway 126, Nebo, 584-7728 • SA (12/10), 10am - "Animals in Winter," ranger-led hike and presentation. Free. • SA (12/10), 12:45pm - "Loons of Lake James Boat Tour." Ranger guided boat tour. Registration required. Free. • SU (12/11), 10am - "Discover the Holly Discovery Trail," ranger led .75 mile hike. Free. • SU (12/11), 11am - "Long Arm Cemetery Tour," ranger led guided tour of the cemetery. Free. Pisgah Chapter of Trout Unlimited pisgahchaptertu.org/ New-Meeting-information.html • 2nd THURSDAYS, 7pm General meeting and presentations. Free to attend. Held at Pardee Health Education Center, 1800 Four Seasons Blvd., Hendersonville
Parenting Franklin School of Innovation 21 Innovation Drive, 318-8140, franklinschoolofinnovation.org • TH (12/8), 5:30-7pm - Tour and information session for prospective parents. Free.
Seniors Council on Aging of Buncombe County, Inc. 277-8288, coabc.org • TH (12/8), 2-4pm - "Medicare Choices Made Easy," workshop. Registration required. Free. Held at Pardee Signature Center, 1800 Four Seasons Blvd., Hendersonville
Spirituality
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. Experience the Sacred Sound of Hu (pd.) • If you’re in trouble, in pain, in need of comfort, or in need of love, sing HU quietly to yourself. If you know how to sing HU, you can open yourself to the Holy Spirit. You can open yourself to the help that It is offering you to help you take the next step. • Sunday, December 11, 2016, 11am, fellowship follows. Eckankar Center of Asheville, 797 Haywood Rd. (“Hops and Vines” building, lower level), Asheville NC 28806, 828-254-6775. (free event). www.eckankar-nc.org Full Moon Transmission Meditation (pd.) • Want to help the world, but don't know where to start? Group meditation that 'steps down' energies from the Masters of Wisdom for use by people working for a better world. Non-sectarian. No fees. A simple altruistic service for the world. Free. • Wednesday. December 14. 7pm. Crystal Visions. 5426 Asheville Hwy. Information: 828-398-0609. open heart meditation (pd.) • Come experience a relaxing, guided meditation connecting you to the peace and joy of the Divine within you. 7-8pm Tuesday. Suite 212, 70 Woodfin Place. Suggested $5 donation. Shambhala Meditation Center (pd.) • Wednesdays, 10-midnight, Thursdays, 7-8:30pm and Sundays, 10-noon • Meditation and community. Admission by donation. 60 N. Merrimon Ave., #113, (828) 200-5120. asheville.shambhala.org
❄Asheville Buncombe Community Christian Ministries 259-5300, abccm.org • THURSDAY through SUNDAY (12/8) until (12/11) - Proceeds from donations at this live nativity scene and Bethlehem marketplace benefit ABCCM. Thurs. & Fri.: 6-8:30pm. Sat.: 2-8:30pm. Sun.: 2-6pm. Free. Held at Groce United Methodist Church, 954 Tunnel Road Center for Art & Spirit at St. George 1 School Road, 258-0211 • 2nd SUNDAYS, 7pm - Dances of Universal Peace. Simple circle dances & chants. $10.
❄Christ Community
Asheville Insight Meditation (pd.) • Introduction to Mindfulness Meditation. Learn how to get a Mindfulness Meditation practice started. 1st & 3rd Mondays. 7pm – 8:30. Asheville Insight Meditation, 175 Weaverville Road, Suite H, ASHEVILLE, NC, (828) 808-4444, www.ashevillemeditation.com.
december 7 - december 13, 2016
Church Graham Chapel inside Gaither Hall, Montreat College • SU (12/11), 5pm - “God is With Us," Christmas Cantata. Free. Grace Lutheran Church 1245 Sixth Ave., W. Hendersonville, 693-4890, gracelutherannc.com
mountainx.com
• 2nd FRIDAYS, 1pm - Healing prayer gathering. Free. Meditation In Asheville 1070 Tunnel Road, Building 2, Unit 20, 668-2241, MeditationInAsheville.org • FR (12/9), 7-8:15pm - "Choose Happiness." presentation by Buddhist monk, Kelsang Tabkay. $10/$5 students & seniors. • SA (12/10), 10am-1pm "Letting Go of the Past," presentation by Buddhist monk, Kelsang Tabkay. $20/$15 students & seniors.
❄Newfound Baptist Church 2605 New Leicester Highway, Leicester, 683-3178, newfoundbaptist.com • SA (12/10) & SU (12/11), 6-8pm - Living Nativity scene. Free. Spoken & Written Word
❄Asheville Writers' Social allimarshall@bellsouth.net • TH (12/8), 6-8pm - Writers' holiday party. Bring your own beverage and snack to share. Bring a gently used book that has been meaningful to you to exchange. Free. Held at Flatiron Writers Center, 5 Covington St. ❄Buffalo Nickel 747 Haywood Road, 575-2844, buffalonickelavl.com/ • WE (12/14), 7pm - "Carolina Christmas," storytelling event hosted by David Joe Miller and featuring Michael Reno Harrell. $17/$15 advance. Buncombe County Public Libraries buncombecounty.org/ governing/depts/library • WE (12/7), 3pm - Elizabeth Gilbert, The Signature of All Things. Free. Held at Weaverville Public Library, 41 N. Main St., Weaverville • TH (12/8), 6:45pm - David Joe Miller Presents "WORD! Stories For The Season," featuring storyteller and ballad singer Sherry Lovett. Free. Held at Pack Memorial Library, 67 Haywood St. • SA (12/10), 10am - West Asheville Book Discussion: Grandma Gatewood's Walk by Ben Montgomery. Free. Held at Weaverville Public Library, 41 N. Main St., Weaverville • WE (12/14), 4pm - The Liberators No Shame in Escapism Book Club: The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon. Free. Held at Pack Memorial Library, 67 Haywood St. Fletcher Library 120 Library Road, Fletcher, 687-1218, library.hendersoncountync.org • 2nd THURSDAYS, 10:30am Book Club. Free. • 2nd THURSDAYS, 1:30pm Writers' Guild. Free. Malaprop's Bookstore and Cafe 55 Haywood St., 254-6734, malaprops.com • WE (12/7), 7pm - Malaprop's
Book Club: Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer. Free to attend. • TH (12/8), 10am-5pm - "Day of Signings," with authors signing books all day. See website for full schedule. Free to attend. • SA (12/10), 3:30pm - "Poetry on Request," with poet Tracey Schmidt. Free to attend. • MO (12/12), 7pm - Mystery Book Club: A Great Deliverance by Elizabeth George. Free to attend. • WE (12/14), 7pm - Charles Vess and Emoke B'Racz present the fantasy book, Walking Through the Landscapes of Faerie. Free to attend. Thomas Wolfe Memorial 52 North Market St., 253-8304, wolfememorial.com • TH (12/8), 5:30-7pm "Asheville and the Hills Beyond: The World of Thomas Wolfe In Three Voices," readings by local actors. Free.
Sports Buncombe County Recreation Services buncombecounty.org/ Governing/Depts/Parks/ • Through MO (12/19) - Open registration for the winter adult dodge ball league. $30 per player.
Volunteering
to the library for the "Annual Holiday Giving Tree." Held at Fairview Library, 1 Taylor Road, Fairview
❄Care Partners Foundation 277-4815, carepartnersfoundation.org • Through SA (11/24) Volunteers needed to wrap gifts in exchange for a donation to CarePartners Hospice. Registration: carepartnersfoundation.org/event/ or 989-5067. Held at Asheville Outlets, 800 Brevard Road
❄Eliada 2 Compton Drive, 254-5356 • MO (12/5) through FR (12/9) - Volunteer to help process donated gifts for Eliada children. Shifts are from 8am-noon or 2-6pm. Registration: holidays@eliada.org. Hands On AshevilleBuncombe 2-1-1, handsonasheville.org • SA (12/10), 9:30am-noon Volunteer to assist with unpacking and pricing the merchandise in a nonprofit, fair-trade retail store. Registration required. • WE (12/14), 5-7pm Volunteer to help keep up with the maintenance of the Verner Community Garden. Registration required.
Tutor Adults in Need with the Literacy Council (pd.) • Literacy and English language skills help people rise out of poverty and support their families. Volunteer and give someone a second chance to learn. Sign up for volunteer orientation on 1/4 (5:30 pm) or 1/5 (9:00 am) by emailing volunteers@litcouncil.com. www.litcouncil.com
Homeward Bound of WNC
Bounty & Soul 419-0533, bountyandsoul.org • TH (12/8), 1:30-3:30pm Volunteer to sort and place produce and other food onto the truck. Held at Bounty and Soul, 999 Old US Highway 70, Black Mountain • WE (12/9), 2-5:45pm Volunteer to sort and place produce and other food onto the truck and serve the community. Held at Black Mountain Elementary School, 100 Flat Creek Road, Black Mountain, Black Mountian • TU (12/13), 9am-1pm Volunteer to sort and place produce and other food onto the truck and distribute to the community at the mobile market. Held at St. James Episcopal Church, 424 W State St., Black Mountain • TH (12/15), 1:30-3:30pm Volunteer to sort and place produce and other food onto the truck. Held at Bounty and Soul, 999 Old US Highway 70, Black Mountain
255-9282, admin@lovingfood.org • Through SA (12/31) Volunteer with Loving Food Resources. Registration: ngavin@lovingfood.org or 443655-3074.
❄Buncombe County Public Libraries buncombecounty.org/ governing/depts/library • FR (12/9), 2pm - Volunteer to wrap books that were donated
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. Loving Food Resources
MountainTrue 258-8737, wnca.org • 2nd SATURDAYS, 9am-1pm - Urban Forest Workdays: Richmond Hill Park invasive plant removal work days. Held at Richmond Hill Park, 4641 Law School Road, East Bend
❄N.C. Arboretum Winter Lights 665-2492, ncwinterlights.com • Through SU (1/1) - Volunteer to help with the Winter Lights exhibition. Individuals, couples and groups are welcome! Must be 18 or over. Registration and training required. Held at N.C. Arboretum, 100 Frederick Law Olmsted Way For more volunteering opportunities visit mountainx.com/ volunteering
news oF tHe weirD by Chuck Shepherd
Even baking soda is dangerous Almost all law enforcement agencies in America use the Scott Reagent field test when they discover powder that looks like cocaine, but the several agencies that have actually conducted tests for “false positives” say they happen up to half the time. In October, the latest victims (husband-and-wife truck drivers with spotless records and Pentagon clearances) were finally released after 75 days in jail awaiting trial — for baking soda that tested “positive” three times by Arkansas troopers (but, eventually, “negative” by a state crime lab). (Why do police love the test? It costs $2.) The truck drivers had to struggle to get their truck back and are still fighting to be re-cleared to drive military explosives.
Unclear on the concept Activists told Vice Media in November that 100,000 people worldwide identify as “ecosexuals,” ranging from those who campaign for “sustainable”-ingredient sex toys to those who claim to have intercourse with trees (but sanding the bark for comfort might provoke concern about being “abusive”). A University of Nevada, Las Vegas professor studies the phenomenon and knows, for example, of humans who “marry” the Earth or prefer sex while rolling in potting soil or under a waterfall. On one “arborphilia” support blog, a female poster regretted her choice to have “convenient” sex with the sycamore outside her bedroom window instead of the sturdy redwood she actually covets. (Yes, some “mainstream” environmentalists somehow are not completely supportive.)
Ironies 1. San Diego police officer Christine Garcia, who identifies as transgender, was turned away in November as she attempted to enter the Transgender Day of Remembrance at the city’s LGBT Community Center — because organizers thought the sight of a
police uniform might upset some people. (Garcia herself was one of the event’s organizers.) 2. Chick Magnet: Gary Zerola was arraigned in Boston in November on two counts of rape. He is a defense lawyer, former prosecutor, one-time “Most Eligible Bachelor” winner, and was a finalist in the first season of ABC-TV’s “The Bachelor.” He was also accused of two counts of rape in 2006 (but acquitted at trial) and another in 2007 (but the charge was dropped).
Perspective It was only a quarter-million-dollar grant by the National Institutes of Health, but what it bought, according to budget scrutiny by The Washington Free Beacon in November, was the development of a multiplayer computer game (inevitably competing for attention in an overstuffed commercial market) hoping to teach good reproductive health habits. “Caduceus Quest” employs role-playing as “doctors, policymakers, researchers, youth advocates” and others to “solve medical mysteries and epidemiologic crises.” The target, according to the University of Chicago grant proposal, is African-American and Latino teenagers around Chicago.
How to tell if you’re too drunk • On Nov. 16, Richard Rusin, 34, was charged with DUI in St. Charles, Ill., after he drove off of a street, going airborne, hitting close to the top of one house, rebounding off of another, uprooting a tree (sending it onto a roof), and knocking out electricity to the neighborhood when the car clipped a utility pole guide wire — and his car landed upside down in a driveway. He was hospitalized. • Allen Johnson Sr., of Meriden, Conn., was driving a tractor-trailer up Interstate 89 near Williston, Vt. on Nov. 2 at 63 mph, when, said state police, he apparently tried to stand up in the cab in order to change pants (enabling the rig to roll over). Johnson registered .209 blood-alcohol; it was 9:30 a.m.
mountainx.com
december 7 - december 13, 2016
23
wellness
A CHANCE TO SURPRISE YOU Disability is key to diversity, say advocates at UNCA event bY Jameson o’HanLon
Glowacki went on to earn his bachelor’s degree at the University of Wisconsin at Whitewater, which had a wheelchair basketball program. He also played sit volleyball, made the Paralympic team in 1998, played for the U.S. for eight years, and now owns three businesses: MOGO Wheelchairs, a wheelchair building and sales business; Glow Music, a mobile DJ and entertainment service; and Myriad Communications, his speaking and consulting company. Glowacki, thinking back to his father’s words more than definitions and limitations, says, “Wouldn’t it be great if every person you interact with every day, whether you did or didn’t know them, gave you the chance to surprise them in good ways?”
brewkitchen86@gmail.com matt glowacki was born without legs, but that rarely slowed him down. Immediately after the birth, his father expressed concern about about how his son could get around their multilevel home, saying, “We’ll have to sell the house.” The doctor replied, “Don’t sell the house. Give him a chance to surprise you.” On Nov. 7, Glowacki told this story as the keynote speaker for Disability Is Diversity Week at UNC Asheville. Glowacki, a Paralympian, diversity speaker and entrepreneur from Sun Prairie, Wisc., has been giving talks at college campuses, leadership workshops, diversity events and more since 1999. During his UNCA presentation, “Able-Bodied Like Me,” Glowacki revealed how important that doctor’s statement was: “My dad swears it totally changed his whole idea about everything. He went from assuming that I couldn’t do anything to giving me a chance to see what I could do.” According to the U.S. Census Bureau, more than 56 million Americans, or 19 percent of the population, have disabilities, and half their conditions are severe. The Americans with Disabilities Act, passed in 1990, defines disability as a legal term rather than a medical one and applies it to “a person who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activity.” As the nation’s first comprehensive civil rights law addressing the needs of people with disabilities, the ADA also prohibits discrimination in employment, public services, public accommodations and telecommunications. wHeelcHAir wArrior “My parents did the best they possibly could to raise me as normally as possible,” Glowacki said during his talk. When he grew too big to carry, they bought him a Tonka truck, which he used to plow new roadways in the shag carpeting of their living room. When it was time to go to school, his parents bought him a skateboard, 24
december 7 - december 13, 2016
A BrilliAnt, neUroDiVergent MinD
iDeA cHAnger: “Wouldn’t it be great if every person you interact with every day, whether you did or didn’t know them, gave you the chance to surprise them in good ways?” says Matt Glowacki, Paralympian and entrepreneur. Photo courtesy of Matt Glowacki which gave Glowacki celebrity status and autonomy. “If you are the only kid allowed to ride your skateboard, you’re instantly the coolest kid in kindergarten,” he said. “I could sit on it, I could push it with my hands, and there was a lot of area in the front to carry my lunch and my books.” But, in the years before the ADA had passed and required accommodations, a near-miss with an SUV in the school’s drop-off line, years of using prosthetmountainx.com
ic legs, and what Glowacki describes as a well-timed grocery store incident involving a display of Kraft Macaroni & Cheese, he switched to a wheelchair. During the keynote, Glowacki said of his highschool days, “I really did find myself again, the person I wanted to be. ... In a wheelchair, I didn’t need any help. I could get involved in things, and people started seeing potential in me that I didn’t see in myself. Choir, cheerleading. I could do things!”
sparrow jones, diagnosed with autism at 7 but not aware of the diagnosis until adulthood, also spoke at the UNCA event. (Jones, who is in the process of transitioning from female to male, prefers to use the pronoun “he.”) In his address, titled “Neurodiversity — Creativity and Innovation Thrive When We Welcome Diverse Minds,” Jones explained that neurodivergence encompasses minds that work differently from those of the majority. And it’s a “movement ... born in the autistic community but exist[ing] to serve and support all neurologies,” he explained, “particularly those of fellow neurodivergents — people with ADHD, dyslexia, anxiety, bipolar, schizophrenia and more.” Neurodivergence advocates seek “justice and equality for all of those differently brained people in every sphere of society, including the university,” he said. But in Jones’ early years, his mother recognized his intelligence but “didn’t want the stigma [of autism] attached. ... The only way to keep me in classes that were feeding my mind was to hide anything that might get me put into special ed.” Jones’ Louisville, Ky., childhood was marked by not speaking, hiding under tables and biting people. In an interview, he recalled bullies hitting him in the head with sticks and throwing
bleach on him. After a suicide attempt, Jones turned 19 in a psychiatric hospital and believed he suffered from depression. Adulthood held more challenges. “I couldn’t keep a job, and I didn’t know why,” Jones said. “I don’t really grasp some of the social things that you’re supposed to do. When people don’t know I’m autistic, they don’t know why I’m different, can’t put their finger it, and it creeps them out,” he said. “They don’t want to work with me, so then the boss fires me. So I spent a lot of my 20s homeless, sleeping in parks, eating out of dumpsters and at soup kitchens.” Qualifying for disability in 1994, Jones was able to rent an apartment and enroll in college but dropped out several times. Then Jones learned he had Asperger’s, a form of autism. He didn’t believe it. “Autism was Rainman,” Jones said. “No way.” Struggling to come to terms with the diagnosis, Jones read a blog about autism one day and typed a comment: “I wish I didn’t have Asperger’s.” Through a flash blog, in which knowledgeable people respond to a question at the same time to increase awareness about it, Jones’ statement received “30 letters from people, life-changing letters about accepting who I am. I read all the letters, and I cried,” said Jones.“ That’s what made me want to be a part of a community that would do that for someone.” Jones went on to earn two bachelor’s degrees and is now one class and a dissertation short from finishing a doctoral degree, with two self-published books, No You Don’t: Essays from an Unstrange Mind and The ABC’s of Autism Acceptance. Jones lives and travels in a minivan, advocating for more resources, awareness and accommodations for neurodivergent students so they are best able to express their gifts. “I stumbled into this, but it’s my life’s mission,” Jones said. “A lot of the things I said [in my talk] today are the things that I try to pay forward to other people.” FroM psYcHosis to VAleDictoriAn Schizophrenia, a mental illness protected by the ADA as a psychiatric disability, appears in 1.1 percent of the population over the age of 18. DO-IT, a disability advocacy group at the University of Washington, refers to it as a “hidden disability” that is rarely apparent to others but nonetheless deserves accommodations in academics, especially since disabilities add to to the diversity of student life. eddie leshure’s son, for example, has succeeded in school, before and
after a diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia. LeShure’s 37-year-old son, who prefers not to be named, was student body president, had a 4.0 grade point average in high school and initially went to Arizona State University on a scholarship. But at age 19 during a foreignstudies stint in Spain, his son abruptly announced he was dropping out. LeShure and his ex-wife, Judy, were stunned. Their son began to exhibit troubling signs, became violent toward Judy and was arrested. LeShure, who co-founded the local wellness business A Mindful Emergence, said in an interview with Xpress that he spent years coping with his son’s challenging and sometimes violent episodes. LeShure saw his son attack a 70-year-old man, out walking his dog, because he thought the man “was in on 9/11,” LeShure recalled. Another time, his son unplugged all the appliances in the house. When LeShure asked why, his son said he could feel the electricity going through his body and didn’t want to get electrocuted. After several hospitalizations and time spent homeless, LeShure’s son finally experienced “insight,” which is “when a person with a diagnosis, with a condition, recognizes that they have a mental illness,” said LeShure. “Out of insight comes a willingness to follow the treatment program. In [my son’s] case, he needed medication.” Being medication-compliant, his son finished college at North Carolina State University in Raleigh. His son “graduated last May with a degree in civil engineering with a 4.0 grade point average, valedictorian of his class,” said LeShure. “He was up on the stage, sitting next to the dean. ... He was the first person who got handed his diploma.” LeShure said he’s still in awe of his son’s brilliance and potential. “He went from high school superstar to being so ill that when he went to tie his shoes to go somewhere, by the time he finished, he forgot where he was going. Then he swings back up and he’s valedictorian of over 8,000 engineering students. I think at some level he helped some people understand that he has the illness, but he’s inspired them because they see what he’s accomplished.” Jones, echoing the doctor who urged Glowacki’s father to give his son a chance, said, “Not all genius can prevail against social stigma and unaccommodated barriers of disability, [but] accommodations are a small investment for the returns a society sees from encouraging thought, communication and problemsolving from those who bring such fresh vision to the table.” X
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december 7 - december 13, 2016
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wellness ABoUt tHe trAnscenDentAl MeDitAtion Technique • Free inTroducTory Talk (pD.) • The authentic, effortless meditation technique from the 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 form of meditation recommended for high blood pressure by the American Heart Association. NIH-sponsored research shows deep revitalizing rest, reduced stress and anxiety, improved brain functioning and heightened well-being. Thursday, 6:30-7:30pm, asheville tm center, 165 E. Chestnut. 828-2544350. TM.org or meditationasheville.org Are YoU At risK For DiABetes (pD.) • Have you been diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes? YWCA of Asheville’s Diabetes Wellness and Prevention Program is here to help you take control of your health! Our unique program aims to empower those with or at risk for Diabetes to develop healthy lifestyle changes through one-onone guidance and community support. Participants participate in support group sessions offered multiple times throughout the week, receive a YWCA Fitness Club membership and personal training, and benefit from other activities such as cooking lessons and field trips. Scholarships are available. • To register, or for more information, contact Leah Berger-Singer at (828) 254-7206 ext 212 or leah. bs@ywcaofasheville.org YWCA Of Asheville- 185 S French Broad Ave Asheville, NC 28801. http:// www.ywcaofasheville.org let YoUr lYMpH sYsteM worK For YoU (pD.) • Clear stuffy heads, heal quicker, reduce stress, detoxify, decrease fluid retention. Discover Manual Lymph Drainage Massage with Jean Coletti, PT. 828-273-3950. colettiPt.com BUncoMBe coUntY pUBlic liBrAries buncombecounty.org/governing/depts/library • WE (12/7), 7pm - "The Brain & Nervous System," presentation by Merrimon Family Chiropractic. Free. Held at North Asheville Library, 1030 Merrimon Ave. pArDee HeAltH eDUcAtion center 1800 Four Seasons Blvd., Hendersonville • FR (12/9), noon-1pm - Lunch and Learn Lectures: "Finding Hope in the Midst of Living with Cancer." Registration required: 696-1341 or carol.brown@pardeehospital.org. Free. Qigong/cHi KUng coMMUnitY prActice groUp allen@ashevilleqigong.com • FRIDAYS, 9:30am - Qigong/Chi Kung class. All levels welcome. Free to attend. Held at The Alternative Clinic, 23 Broadway tHe BlooD connection BlooD DriVes 800-392-6551, thebloodconnection.org • TH (12/8), 7am-7pm - Blood Connection holiday blood drive. Registration: 233-5302. Held at Grace Lutheran Church, 1245 Sixth Ave., W. Hendersonville tHe MeDitAtion center 894 E. Main St., Sylva, 356-1105, meditate-wnc.org • 2nd WEDNESDAYS, 6-8pm - "Inner Guidance from an Open Heart," class with meditation and discussion. $10.
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december 7 - december 13, 2016
mountainx.com
sUpport groUps ADUlt cHilDren oF AlcoHolics & DYsFUnctionAl FAMilies adultchildren.org • Visit mountainx.com/support for full listings. AlcoHolics AnonYMoUs • For a full list of meetings in WNC, call 254-8539 or aancmco.org AsHeVille woMen For soBrietY 215-536-8026, womenforsobriety.org • THURSDAYS, 6:30-8pm – Held at YWCA of Asheville, 185 S French Broad Ave. Asperger's teens UniteD facebook.com/groups/AspergersTeensUnited • For teens (13-19) and their parents. Meets every 3 weeks. Contact for details. BrAinstorMer’s collectiVe 254-0507, puffer61@gmail.com • 3rd THURSDAYS, 6-7:30pm - For brain injury survivors and supporters. Held at Kairos West Community Center, Haywood Road, Asheville BreAst cAncer sUpport groUp 213-2508 • 3rd THURSDAYS, 5:30pm - For breast cancer survivors, husbands, children and friends. Held at SECU Cancer Center, 21 Hospital Drive cHronic pAin sUpport 989-1555, deb.casaccia@gmail.com • 2nd WEDNESDAYS, 6 pm – Held in a private home. Contact for directions. coDepenDents AnonYMoUs 242-7127 • TUESDAYS 7:30pm - Held at Asheville 12-Step Recovery Club, 370 N. Louisiana Ave., Suite G4 • FRIDAYS, 5:30pm - Held at First United Methodist Church of Waynesville, 556 S. Haywood Waynesville • WEDNESDAYS, 7-8pm & SATURDAYS, 11am – Held at First Congregational UCC of Asheville, 20 Oak St. DeBtors AnonYMoUs debtorsanonymous.org • MONDAYS, 7pm - Held at First Congregational UCC of Asheville, 20 Oak St. Depression AnD BipolAr sUpport AlliAnce 367-7660, depressionbipolarasheville.com • WEDNESDAYS, 7pm & SATURDAYS, 4pm – Held at 1316-C Parkwood Road FooD ADDicts AnonYMoUs 423-6191 or 242-2173 • SATURDAYS, 11am- Held at Asheville 12-Step Recovery Club, 370 N. Louisiana Ave., Suite G4 FoUr seAsons coMpAssion For liFe 233-0948, fourseasonscfl.org • TUESDAYS, 3:30-4:30pm - Grief support group. Held at Four Seasons - Checkpoint, 373 Biltmore Ave. • THURSDAYS, 12:30pm - Grief support group. Held at SECU Hospice House, 272 Maple St., Franklin g.e.t. r.e.A.l. phoenix69@bellsouth.net • 2nd SATURDAYS, 2pm - Group for people with chronic 'invisible' auto-immune diseases. Held at Fletcher Community Park, 85 Howard Gap Road, Fletcher
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gAMBlers AnonYMoUs gamblersanonymous.org • THURSDAYS, 6:45pm - 12-step meeting. Held at Basillica of St. Lawrence, 97 Haywood St.
oVereAters AnonYMoUs • Regional number: 277-1975. Visit mountainx.com/support for full listings.
grieF processing sUpport groUp 452-5039, haymed.org/locations/the-homestead • 3rd THURSDAYS, 4-5:30pm - Bereavement education and support group. Held at Homestead Hospice and Palliative Care, 127 Sunset Ridge Road, Clyde
recovering-couples.org • MONDAYS 6pm - For couples where at least one member is recovering from addiction. Held at Foster Seventh Day Adventists Church, 375 Hendersonville Road
liFe liMiting illness sUpport groUp 386-801-2606 • TUESDAYS, 6:30-8pm - For adults managing the challenges of life limiting illnesses. Held at Secrets of a Duchess, 1439 Merrimon Ave. liVing witH cHronic pAin 776-4809 • 2nd WEDNESDAYS, 6:30pm - Hosted by American Chronic Pain Association. Held at Swannanoa Library, 101 West Charleston St., Swannanoa lUpUs FoUnDAtion oF AMericA, nc cHApter 877-849-8271, lupusnc.org • 2nd WEDNESDAYS, 7-8pm - Lupus support group for those living with lupus, their family and caregivers. Held at All Souls Cathedral, 9 Swan St. MeMorY loss cAregiVers network@memorycare.org • 2nd TUESDAYS, 9:30am – Held at Highland Farms Retirement Community, 200 Tabernacle Road, Black Mountain mindFulness and 12 sTeP recovery avl12step@gmail.com • WEDNESDAYS, 7:30-8:45pm - Mindfulness meditation practice and 12 step program. Held at Asheville 12-Step Recovery Club, 370 N. Louisiana Ave., Suite G4 MoUntAin MAMAs peer sUpport groUp facebook.com/mountainmamasgroup • 2nd THURSDAYS, 1-3pm - Held at The Family Place, 970 Old Hendersonville Highway, Brevard MY DADDY tAUgHt Me tHAt mydaddytaughtmethat.org • MONDAYS & WEDNESDAYS, 6-8pm - Men's discussion group. Free. Held in 16-A Pisgah Apartments, Asheville nAtionAl AlliAnce on MentAl illness 505-7353, namiwnc.org, namiwc2015@gmail.com • 2nd MONDAYS, 11am - Connection group for individuals dealing with mental illness. Held at NAMI Offices, 356 Biltmore Ave. oUr Voice 35 Woodfin St., 252-0562, ourvoicenc.org • Ongoing drop-in group for female identified survivors of sexual violence. oVercoMers oF DoMestic Violence 665-9499 • WEDNESDAYS, noon-1pm - Held at First Christian Church of Candler, 470 Enka Lake Road, Candler oVercoMers recoVerY sUpport groUp rchovey@sos-mission.org • MONDAYS, 6pm - Christian 12-step program. Held at SOS Anglican Mission, 1944 Hendersonville Road
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sUnrise peer sUpport VolUnteer serVices facebook.com/Sunriseinasheville • TUESDAYS through THURSDAYS, 1-3pm - Peer support services for mental health, substance abuse and wellness. Held at Kairos West Community Center, Haywood Road, Asheville sUpportiVe pArents oF trAnsKiDs spotasheville@gmail.com • 2nd WEDNESDAYS, 7pm - For parents to discuss the joys, transitions and challenges of parenting a transkid. Held at First Congregational UCC of Asheville, 20 Oak St. t.H.e. center For DisorDereD eAting 337-4685, thecenternc.weebly.com • WEDNESDAYS, 7-8pm – Adult support group, ages 18+. Held in the Sherill Center at UNCA. wiDows in neeD oF grieF sUpport 356-1105, meditate-wnc.org • 1st WEDNESDAYS, 7pm - Peer support group for anyone who has survived the death of their spouse, partner, child or other closed loved one. Registration required. Held at The Meditation Center, 894 E. Main St., Sylva wnc Asperger's ADUlts UniteD facebook.com/WncAspergersAdultsUnited • 2nd SATURDAYS, 2-4pm - Occasionally meets additional Saturdays. Contact for details. Held at Hyphen, 81 Patton Ave.
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december 7 - december 13, 2016
27
green scene
TALKIN’ ’BOUT MY REGENERATION Bent Creek study tests method for reversing oak decline bY VirGinia daFFron
the acorns provided an alternate food source for wildlife. In fact, added Forest Service research ecologist Katie greenberg, acorns are “one of the main bases of the food chain: If there’s a lot of mice and squirrels and chipmunks, there’s going to be a lot more hawks and other predators.” But in the wake of the timber harvests of the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s, the Forest Service began seeing yellow poplar as a “very aggressive species” that was outcompeting oak and hickory seedlings, noted staffer jason rodrigue.
vdaffron@mountainx.com Mighty oaks from tiny acorns grow, though perhaps not as quickly or vigorously as foresters and landowners would like. Although mature stands of oak and hickory dominate the forested slopes of our Blue Ridge Mountains, foresters have been sounding an alarm about the future of these species, particularly the economically and ecologically valuable oak, since the 1950s. That’s because when those forests are harvested, other types of trees — notably yellow poplar — start crowding them out. Poplar also has various industrial uses, including plywood, mulch, paper pulp and fuel pellets. Unlike oak, though, yellow poplar isn’t threatened, and the ramifications of the loss of today’s hardwood forests extend well beyond the purely economic. At the U.S. Forest Service’s Southern Research Station in Asheville, tara Keyser has spent years working on the vexing problem of oak regeneration. And since 2009, she’s pushed for a long-term study to determine whether an innovative forest management approach can help this species regenerate. Keyser recently led a group representing the Appalachian Woodlands Alliance to the 150-acre tract in Bent Creek where foresters will test her approach over the next several decades. The alliance, a loose coalition of public and private entities, seeks to foster sustainable forest practices across the Blue Ridge region. “I’ll be retired by then,” Keyser said with a laugh. “I tell people, if I studied corn, I’d have results every year. But with trees, these things take longer.” BoUrBon BArrels AnD BeAr MAst The most prominent oak varieties in the Southern Appalachians fall into two groups, the red (including Northern red, black and scarlet oaks) and the white (white and chestnut oaks), Keyser explained. These species offer both humans and animals an astonishing list of ben-
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no silVer BUllet
HeArt oF oAK: Forest researcher Tara Keyser (right) explains to a group of forest industry partners why new forestry management techniques are needed to regenerate oak trees — and how the method she is studying might help. Photo by Virginia Daffron efits. Oak is in high demand for furniture, flooring, firewood and even barrels for aging whiskey and other spirits. Acorns are a critical food source for wildlife, from deer and turkeys to squirrels and mice. Concerns about the future of this critical species have inspired “scores of research papers” as well as “a rather extensive body of research-based guidance for regenerating and managing oak stands,” according to a 2011 paper in the journal Forest Ecology and Management titled “Change in Oak Abundance in the Eastern United States from 1980 to 2008.” Despite widespread anxiety, however, science has yet to deliver either a conclusive explanation of the phenomena responsible for the decline or reliable ways to reverse it. serioUslY DistUrBeD The Southern Appalachians’ current forest landscape, said Keyser, reflects a history of land-use disturbances tracing back to the region’s native inhabitants. Starting about 12,000 years ago, when boreal tundra gave way to mixed hardwood forests, the Cherokee used periodic fires to clear land for agricultural use and thin the forest understory, creating habitat for wildlife and making it easier to harvest chestnuts.
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When European settlers arrived, they adopted many of those management practices, including both controlled burning and tree girdling. These techniques, along with grazing livestock and settlers’ prodigious use of wood for heating and cooking, created a more open forest canopy, with greater amounts of light reaching the forest floor than is typical today. At the beginning of the 20th century, however, widespread clear-cutting leveled many of the region’s forests, triggering severe erosion and serious environmental degradation. And after the forest resources had been extracted, said Keyser, the local economy began to transition away from agriculture. People moved to cities, and large areas of land were essentially abandoned. “So we went from frequent, low-intensity, sometimes moderate-intensity, disturbance every few years to a period when we just kind of stopped disturbing the forest altogether,” she explained. Meanwhile, a national policy of fire suppression also took root, and the American chestnut blight wiped out a species that had constituted up to half the forest canopy. As those towering trees died out, however, oak species slowly took their place, “And thank goodness they did,” said Keyser, since
There are three ways that forests can regenerate after a disturbance, Keyser explained: from seeds blown in on the wind, sprouts from stumps, or seedlings that were already present. Oaks and hickories, though, almost always regenerate from either stump sprouts or existing seedlings. But to put up a good fight in the competitive forest environment, research has shown, oak stumps must be from trees less than 8 inches in diameter — and in today’s mature forests, such specimens are few and far between. Oak seedlings, meanwhile, must already be quite large when the forest disturbance takes place. “When I say large,” Keyser clarified, “I mean over your head. How many folks, walking through the forests around here, encounter oak seedlings over your head? “Yeah, it doesn’t happen,” she went on, explaining that in the lowlight conditions at the forest floor, oak seedlings may be numerous, but they only grow to about 1 foot tall. Yellow poplar, however, can outcompete other trees in all three regeneration pathways. Even where there are abundant small oak seedlings, yellow poplar seeds can ride in on the wind and overtake the oaks before they can establish dominance in the canopy. “Poplar wins every time,” Keyser said sadly. Before the extensive logging in the early 1900s, Keyser hypothesizes, oak seedlings reached a competitive size
under the era’s more open forest canopies. Those hardy trees, large enough to hold their own against other species, grew into today’s hardwood forests. But when mature forests are logged now, said Keyser, “Our oaks are in a noncompetitive position. We tend to get a stand that has a large yellow poplar component.” The problem isn’t limited to the Blue Ridge, she noted: “It extends all the way from Missouri and Arkansas to us here, and even up into the Allegheny region.” And despite decades of research, “We still haven’t found a silver bullet in terms of regenerating oak — which tells you just how difficult it is.” MinD tHe gAp Keyser based her Bent Creek study on a German forestry technique developed to encourage greater species diversity. The “femelschlag” approach emulates natural or historical forest dynamics, using small- to medium-scale gaps in the canopy to promote the regeneration of less competitive tree species. Within the next two years, foresters will cut quarter-acre and 1-acre gaps totaling 25 percent of the overall study area, removing all the trees. Ten years later, a second round of cuts will extend the perimeter of those gaps, harvesting the mature trees while leaving the seedlings. Successive harvests will continue the process till, eventually, the entire study area has been affected. And while Keyser fully expects lightloving yellow poplar to dominate the central portions of the cleared areas, she hopes to see more shade-tolerant species such as oaks and hickories competing successfully in the mixedshade environment along the edges. “Out in the periphery, what you get is an alteration of the light environment. You have oak that, over the course of five years, will go from 1 foot tall to something that’s over your head,” she
explained. And as subsequent harvests give those larger seedlings more light and room, it may encourage them to take their place in the forest canopy alongside the yellow poplars. Other species also stand to benefit, added Keyser: “I don’t want to say that the magnolias, the dogwoods, the ashes and the cucumbers [a variety of magnolia] aren’t important. They generally respond to the same light environment that oaks do, so hopefully we’re going to conserve the diversity that’s out there by generating those as well.” A priVAte MAtter The approach, she said, has been designed to be replicable by private landowners. That’s a key consideration for restoring oak populations in the South, where, according to the Southern Forest Futures Project, 86 percent of the forests are privately owned. Over time, the multiple harvests envisioned by Keyser’s approach could yield an income stream while leaving most of the forest canopy intact. If the study succeeds in encouraging oaks and other species to regenerate, it will give landowners a way to improve the health and economic value of their forests while still providing wildlife habitat, protecting water quality and preserving recreational opportunities and views. But the gap technique won’t be a good fit for every site and situation, she emphasized. Multiple harvests require a good road infrastructure, which probably won’t be economically feasible in very steep and/or remote areas. And like the slow-growing oak itself, Keyser’s study will take a long time to bear fruit. The 40-year waiting period is daunting, she admits, but foresters have few alternatives. “Our oak silviculture toolbox is pretty limited, so we hope it’s going to be a useful tool,” she concludes. X
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National competition at Grove Park Inn spreads holiday cheer
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Come into The Chocolate Lab of Asheville for a warm shot of drinking chocolate and do your Holiday shopping! We have gift boxes of chocolates in several sizes, bagged hot chocolate mix and t-shirts available!
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sweet sUccess: Linda Carney of Asheville won third prize in the 2016 National Gingerbread House Competition with “The Bakers.” Carney, who has entered the contest nine times, says she spent about 270 hours putting this creation together. Photo by Leslie Boyd
bY LesLie boYd leslie.boyd@gmail.com linda carney got a late start on her gingerbread creation this year: An illness kept her from beginning until September. Nonetheless, the Asheville resident managed to pull off a thirdplace finish in the 24th annual National Gingerbread House Competition at The Omni Grove Park Inn. Carney’s entry, “The Bakers,” features a gingerbread couple (Ginger
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and Bread) standing behind a house made of the same material. Of the nine creations she’s entered over the years, this was the first one that included an actual gingerbread house. Usually, says Carney, she doesn’t sketch her ideas before going to work: “I just think it and start baking.” Apparently, that approach works just fine: This is the third time she’s placed in the top three (she had another thirdplace finish in 2010 and came in second in 2012). This year’s entry took about 270 hours to complete, she reports. After the
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results were announced, chef geoff blount, one of the competition’s nine judges, told Carney he was charmed by the big gingerbread people looking at a gingerbread house. getting it rigHt beatriz muller, the first-place winner in the adult category, started working on “Dream House” back in April. Muller, a cake artist from Innisfil, Ontario, had been thinking of entering for several years, but this was the first time she actually took the plunge. Creating her entry took about 340 hours, and unlike Carney, she did prepare diagrams and plans. The brown Victorian house with white piping is surrounded by a white “flagstone” patio. The intricate, lacy white icing could well be what landed her the top spot, she says. When a young admirer of the piece asked for advice about piping, Muller said it all comes down to hours and hours of practice: “It’s the only way to get it right.”
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DeVil’s in tHe DetAils The competition drew 150 entries in four categories: child (ages 5-8), youth (9-12), teen (13-17) and adult (18 and older). In each category, 10 finalists were named, with the top three winning cash and other prizes. Prizes ranged from $50 (for third place in the child category) to the top adult prize: $5,000 plus a two-night stay for four at the Omni Grove Park Inn (dinners, breakfasts and other services included), plus a pastry-making class at the Nicholas Lodge school outside Atlanta. Entries were judged on overall appearance, originality and creativity, difficulty, precision and consistency of theme. The base could be no bigger than 24 by 24 inches, and the height could not exceed 24 inches. Everything in the entry, except the base, had to be made of something edible. But that doesn’t mean you had to be able to eat it. To bear the weight of the finished sculptures, gingerbread must be baked until it’s extra hard. Royal icing, the “glue” that holds it all together, hardens to the consistency of cement. Dried marshmallows turn into hard little nodules. As the top 10 finalists in each category were announced, those entries were moved from the large tables in the center of the room to the winners’ tables near the podium, and the bakers collected their ribbons and stood proudly behind their creations.
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HollY JollY: Members of Bettina Hoeninger’s German class, from left, Nichole Babbitt, Sophie Holmes, Julie Peal and Philip Wiltenmuth are pictured with their first-prize-winning entry in the teen division, “Once Upon A Time.” Entering the competition has become an annual classroom project for Hoeninger and her students, who travel from Virginia to display their creations at the Grove Park Inn. Photo by Leslie Boyd
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Most entries will be on display at the inn through Thursday, Jan. 5; others can be seen at the Grove Arcade in downtown Asheville. Visitors not staying at the inn are asked to view the display Sunday (after 3 p.m.) through Thursday, excluding holidays. Parking fees are as follows: outdoor self-parking $10, garage self-parking $15, day valet parking $20, overnight valet parking $22. Half the money will be donated to local nonprofits: Meals on Wheels, the United Way, Children First/Communities in Schools, the Asheville City Schools Foundation, Homeward Bound and American Legion Baseball Post No. 70.
Reservations/Information:
(828) 667-0666
info@thefarmevents.com Visit us on Facebook for more Cooking Class Information and for information on our Culinary Escapes
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Are you prepared for the holidays? We will have a large & delicious assortment of holiday cookies & treats! Order yours early!
2016 National Gingerbread House Winners
Announcing Sofra Sunday’s @ Rezaz Come together and enjoy a five course family styled menu designed to highlight sharing, communication & the society of feasting! Each Sunday through December 18th will highlight a different Mediterranean Cuisine. See the menu @ rezaz.com/sofra-sundays $47 - per person (Gratuity & Drinks not included)
28 Hendersonville Rd | 828.277.1510
gAMe plAn: Canadian cake artist Beatriz Muller spent nearly 350 hours over eight months making her first-prize-winning creation, “Dream House.” The process, says Muller, required planning, diagrams and many hours of practice. Photo by Leslie Boyd
221 Airport Road Arden, NC 28704
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cHilD first place: Team Edwards Workshop, China Grove, “Build a Snowman Workshop” second place: Team Enka Village Girls, Candler, “Grace and the Eiffel Tower” third place: Steven Forrest, Shelby, “Holiday Harvest”
teen first place: Courtland High School German Program, Spotsylvania, Va., “Once Upon a Time” second place: Gabriella Arthur, Easley, S.C., “The Pompous Peacock” third place: Chloe Jennings, Purlear, “Gingersnapper the Nutcracker”
YoUtH first place: Perry Pate, Hickory, “Chef Ginger and the Nutcracker” second place: Team The Tree Toppers, Blue Ridge, Ga., “Mr. Willowby’s Christmas Tree” third place: Josie Robinette, Asheville, “Castle in the Snow”
ADUlt first place: Beatriz Muller, Innisfil, Ontario, Canada, “Dream House” second place: Glenda Tant, Lebanon, Tenn., “Poinsettiaville” third place: Linda Carney, Asheville, “The Bakers”
YoUtHFUl contenDers aidan fuentes of Canton has entered the youth competition four straight times — and landed in the top 10 every time. This year, he cooked up Oscar, a yellow octopus with polka dots. He’s already thinking about next year’s entry: a Bengal tiger that he’ll name later. Aidan decided to enter his first competition after his sister won first prize in the children’s category four years ago. “She won $100,” he said, squirming in his chair. “I thought, I can do that, too.” In the teen category, four youths from bettina hoeninger’s German class at Courtland High School in Spotsylvania, Va., took home first prize. Hoeninger had never made a gingerbread house when, several years ago, the mother of a student asked her to help her students make one. That request turned into an annual project. “I’m just the team leader,” she says, sweeping her arm toward her students. “They do the work.” One of those students, sophie holmes, says the most distressing part of the entire monthslong process was the ride to Asheville with their entry, “Once Upon A Time,” in the back of the
car. One good bump, and it would all have been for nothing, she says. nerVe-wrAcKing Carney, however, says that’s probably true for everyone who enters the competition, noting, “Even my 13-mile ride is nerve-wracking.” But perhaps the best part of the whole thing, she continues, is the connections she’s made over the years. Friends cheered when she was announced as a top-10 finalist, and again when she was awarded third place. “We’ve formed a group on Facebook where we offer each other support and advice and tips; we all support each other,” she explains. Gingerfriends is a closed group, but administrators can add people to it. And if contestants find the competition challenging, judging the entries isn’t easy either, says tina haldeman, the inn’s executive pastry chef. “People spend so much time and energy,” she explains. “But we have to look at details like color coordination, piping, textures. We have to look at the use of gingerbread: 75 percent of each entry has to be made of gingerbread.” X
S M I L I N G S A N C T U A R Y H O L I D AY S O I R E E
Dec 15 • 4-course Dinner • Sanctuary Brewing Beer Pairing Details and Tickets: brownpapertickets.com/event/2722046 165 merrimon avenue | 828.258.7500 | www.plantisfood.com
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sMAll Bites
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by Thomas Calder | tcalder@mountainx.com
A Turkish twist at the Asheville Mall There’s a shared response among many first-time diners at The Döner — a Turkish inspired eatery which opened last month inside the Asheville Mall Food Court. “They’re all a little hesitant,” says co-owner, mitchell
marecki. He and his wife, rebecca hanser, embrace the reluctance as a welcome challenge. “We’re serving something that most of the Asheville market doesn’t know,” Marecki says. “We have to encourage people to try
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Open from 3pm – 9pm. To view our Christmas menu, please visit our website. For reservations, please contact us at 828.575.9636. We hope to see you there!
1 BATTERY PARK AVE., ASHEVILLE, NC 28801 828-575-9636 | WWW.ISASBISTRO.COM 34
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it. But once they do, the food speaks for itself.” A döner is a Turkish kebab sandwich that was popularized by Turkish immigrants to Germany in the 1970s. Hanser is originally from Berlin, and she and Marecki lived in the city for two years before relocating to Asheville. Marecki says The Döner menu reflects the type of food they came to know and love while overseas. “It is the most common fast-food option available in the middle-eastern part of Europe,” he says. “It’s reasonably priced, healthier and a fresher take on fast food.” In addition to its namesake döner kebab, another popular item at The Döner is the dürüm wrap. While the former involves wedge-style bread filled with rotisserie-roasted lamb and beef topped with one of six yogurtbased sauces and vegetables, Marecki compares the latter to a burrito both in size and design. It, too, is stuffed with rotisserie lamb and beef. The restaurant offers vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free options as well. Main menu items are priced between $4.49 and $6.49. Side items will set you back anywhere from $1.79 for a regular order of fries to $3.99 for a dish of three sweet-potato falafels. All breads and pastries at The Döner are made at West End Bakery, and produce is sourced from Mountain Food Products at the WNC Farmer’s Market on Brevard Road. Other items, including sauces and falafel, are prepared in-house. Unlike other vendors in the Asheville Mall Food Court, The Döner’s drink menu includes beer — Pabst Blue Ribbon and Miller Lite are available in addition to a rotating list of local brews. Products from New Belgium Brewing Co., Hi-Wire Brewing Co., Highland Brewing Co. and Oskar Blues are currently among the options. Beer, Marecki notes, must be consumed on site. “We are promoting a fresh and local change to the Asheville Mall Food Court,” Marecki says. “Not only are we trying to support other local businesses, but we are also trying to bring the standard of the food at the Asheville Mall up a little bit, and, really, just create something tasty.” The Döner is in the Asheville Mall Food Court, 3 S. Tunnel Road. Its hours are 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Saturday and
noon-6 p.m. Sunday. For details, visit thedoneronline.com. AsHeVille BUncoMBe FooD policY coUncil potlUcK On Thursday, Dec. 8, the Asheville Buncombe Food Policy Council will host a community potluck at Toy Boat Community Art Space. The organization is a community-based coalition that works to achieve policy improvements that create healthier food environments and improve access to healthy food for all Asheville and Buncombe County residents. The gathering will offer locals a chance to celebrate the holiday season, learn about the council’s recent work and offer input on revisions to the city of Asheville’s Food Action Plan. The potluck runs 6:30-8:30 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 8, at Toy Boat Community Art Space, 101 Fairview Road. The event is free and open to the public. A cash bar will be available. For more information, visit abfoodpolicy.org. wnc YoUng FArMers coAlition FUnDrAiser WNC Young Farmers Coalition’s mission is to connect and empower young farmers in Western North Carolina. On Saturday, Dec. 10, the group will hold its annual winter fundraiser at New Belgium Brewing Co. Pork donated by Balsam Gardens and vegetables donated by Second Spring Market will be prepared by local chefs, and, of course, New Belgium beer will be on tap. Admission is free, but cash and check donations will be accepted for food and drink items. Proceeds will go toward the coalition’s outreach, awareness and policy efforts. Distributors, grocers and other regional buyers will also participate in the event. The fundraiser runs 6-9 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 10, at New Belgium Brewing Co., 21 Craven St. The event is free and open to all ages. Guests are encouraged to RSVP to secure a spot at the gathering. For more information visit, avl.mx/36t. teA tiMe witH iVorY roAD AnD AsHeVille teA co. Ivory Road Café & Kitchen and Asheville Tea Co. are coming together for Afternoon Tea Talks. The monthly event will include tastings, talks and
homemade pastries. “I am superexcited to be able to bring the Asheville Tea Co. line of teas to life at a proper high tea service and to be collaborating with another amazing local small business owner,” says its owner, jessica dean, in a press release. “Ivory Road shares our passion for local ingredients and flavorful, unique, delicious foods and drinks.” Tea enthusiasts can expect a variety of blends at the inaugural event, including jasmine-green with local flowers, Earl Grey with local flowers and zests, elderberry-yaupon with local blackberry leaf, elderberry and roselle, and echinacea-elderflower herbal tea with local echinacea, elderflower, oatstraw and spearmint. Ivory Road will provide scones, shortbreads, local jams, Devonshire cream, traditional finger sandwiches and handcrafted petitfours-style desserts will also be served. Afternoon Tea Talks will take place monthly, with the inaugural event featuring seatings at 1 and 4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 11, at Ivory Road Café & Kitchen, 1854 Brevard Road, Arden. Tickets are $25. Reservations are required. For details and to make reservations, email jill@ivoryroadavl.com or call 676-3870.
mondays: $6 mule cocktails w/ house-made ginger syrup sundays: $1 off draft beers and burgers 828.505.7531 1011 Tunnel Rd, Asheville NC 28805 Home Trust Bank Plaza
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HoliDAY Dinner BeneFit For tHe pop proJect “The opportunity to partner with our friends at Catawba Brewing and Gaining Ground Farm for a good cause is yet another demonstration of the power of collaboration in the Asheville food and beverage community,” says Rhubarb chef john fleer in a press release about an upcoming holiday dinner that will benefit The POP Project. POP is an Ashevillebased nonprofit that works to encourage literacy by bringing books to those who do not have access to them otherwise. The dinner begins with a cocktail reception and appetizers followed by a four-course meal. Gaining Ground Farm will provide produce for the seasonal menu, and Catawba Brewing will pair beers with each course. The dinner will be served in convivial family style. The POP Project benefit dinner begins at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 12, at Rhubarb, 7 S.W. Pack Square. Tickets are $79 and are available at avl.mx/36v. citY BAKerY opens new proDUction FAcilitY City Bakery’s new production facility is up and running at 85 Fletcher Commercial Drive. The 3,600-squarefoot building will allow the compa-
tUrKisH DeligHt: Mitchell Marecki and Rebecca Hanser, owners of The Döner, have crafted a simple menu of Turkish-inspired dishes for their Asheville Mall Food Court eatery. Pictured are a döner kebab, sweet potato and shoestring fries, garlic sauce and a couple of the locally brewed beers the couple serve. Photo by Cindy Kunst ny to expand its wholesale business to include additional Ingles Markets, restaurants and supermarkets plus other opportunities in Western North Carolina. In a press release, City Bakery notes that the facility will enable it to triple its current production. For more information, visit citybakery.net. new BoArD gAMe cAFÉ Asheville’s first board game café, Well Played, is set to open on Wall Street in early February. Staff members, or “gamemasters,” will be on hand to help customers choose from over 500 games, teach them how to play unfamiliar ones and remind them of rules for old favorites. The café will also offer locally sourced snack foods, desserts and beverages, including craft beer, wine and a full coffee program. Well Played will be at 58 Wall St. The launch is set for early February. More information to come. X
What’s WOWING Me Now
Food writer Jonathan Ammons lets us in on his favorite dish du jour. braised chicken nachos at en la calle: The entire menu at the new downtown cocktail bar and Mexican street-food restaurant from the owners of Limones is worth praising, but this dish is something else. I never thought I’d laud the virtues of nachos, but behold perfection: tender pulls of chicken, bright and fresh housemade ranchero salsa, crema, pickled jalapeños and beans. It sounds like your standard plate of nachos, but this one plays out more like a casserole — finger food worthy of a knife and fork. (Look for En La Calle next to its sister restaurant at 15 Eagle St.) — Jonathan Ammons
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Dinner 7 days per week 5:30 p.m. - until Bar opens at 5:00 p.m. Brunch - Saturday & Sunday 10:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m. LIVE MUSIC Tue., Thu., Fri. & Sat. Nights Also during Sunday Brunch
Locally inspired cuisine.
Located in the heart of downtown Asheville. marketplace-restaurant.com 20 Wall Street, Asheville 828-252-4162
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by Tony Kiss
avlbeerguy@gmail.com
Hops for the holidays The holiday season is here, and it’s time to get cracking on that shopping. If there’s a beer drinker on your list, brew-related gifts make for some easy picks — they’re easy to find in the Asheville area or online. And to make the search less stressful, we’ve put together a list of suggestions, from stocking stuffers to full-on holiday presents. Let’s start with beers themselves. Before buying a brew for someone, drop a few hints and get some idea of what styles your recipients might enjoy. It’s easy to stop at a local grocer and put together a six-pack or box of made-in-the-mountains beers — including maybe a few cans from Asheville Brewing, Boojum and Catawba, or some bottles from Wicked Weed, Highland, Green Man and Hi-Wire. Asheville Brewing Co.’s extremely popular holiday brew, Ninjabread Man spiced porter, includes vanilla beans, toasted cinnamon sticks, rai-
Locally roasted craft coffee
Geography Cold Brew Now available in growlers and mini-growlers
Roastery + Tasting Room 362 Depot Street
Downtown Cafe
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Gift ideas for Asheville beer fans
BeerY cHristMAs: Broo, based in Asheville, turns out a line of high-end hair care products made with craft beer. Photo courtesy of Broo sins, molasses and caramelized ginger. Check on the availability of 22-ounce bottles at brewery locations on Coxe and Merrimon avenues. Or head to one of Asheville’s great beers stores — Tasty Beverage, Bruisin’ Ales, Appalachian Vintner or Hops & Vines — and pick out a few bottles. This time of year, a good sturdy Noel holiday brew, such as Scaldis Noel Premium Winter Ale or St. Bernadus Christmas brew, really hits the spot. Another recommendation is Samuel Smith’s Winter Welcome, an English brew that can sometimes be found at groceries with better beer selections. If you don’t have a ticket for the soldout Warren Haynes Christmas Jam, get a bottle or the Christmas Jam Ale made by Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. Also, Anchor Brewing’s Christmas Ale is always a winner. One of the more unusual beer-related products out there is Asheville-based Broo shampoo and hair conditioner. These are high-end hair care products that come in three varieties — a citrus thickening style, minty invigorating products and a hop-scented moisturizing shampoo and conditioner. Broo can be found at local retailers, including Ingles, Whole Foods, Earth Fare and the French Broad Food Co-op. Or, if you order it online at Amazon.com, it mountainx.com
comes in a special package that includes a wooden caddy. Most Asheville-area breweries offer fun merchandise that would make great holiday gifts. That’s especially true for the three big national craft brands that set up shop in Western North Carolina. Down on the French Broad River, New Belgium Brewing has some sweet swag for sale in its Liquid Center tasting room and a lot more online at its website (newbelgium. com). For just a quarter, get some New Belgium lip balm, or $5 will buy you an adult coloring book or a set of playing cards. There’s also a good selection of glassware for a buck a piece. Sierra Nevada in Mills River also has an impressive gift store. Online offerings (sierranevadagiftshop.com) include a Bigfoot hooded sweatshirt for $32 and a neon sign for $310. In Brevard, Oskar Blues has everything from a large 3-D can sign for its Mama’s Little Yella Pils for $75 to Dale’s Pale Ale wing sauce plus hot sauces, spice mixes and rubs for $8. There’s even a resealable can of the company’s B. Stiff & Sons root beer candy for $3.99 (oskarblues.com). Want to zest up a sandwich? For $6.25, Crooked Condiments will ship you a 9-ounce jar of artisan mustard made with Asheville’s original craft beer, Highland Gaelic Ale, or
Asheville Brewing Co.’s Ninja Porter (crookedcondiments.com). All About Beer magazine, based in Durham, covers the beer scene in a slick, glossy publication that’s a favorite with many drinkers. A six-issue subscription is $24.95 at allaboutbeer.com. Sticking with that reading theme, there are many great brew books on the market. Local writer annefitten glenn explores the history of local brewing in Asheville Beer: An Intoxicating History of Mountain Brewing, which traces the scene from its earliest days right through the newest breweries. Her book is available through Malaprop’s and other local bookstores, as is Homebrew Beyond the Basics: All-Grain Brewing and Other Next Steps by brewer mike Karnowski, owner of Zebulon Artisan Ales in Weaverville. The Oxford Companion to Beer, edited by Brooklyn Brewery brewmaster Garrett Oliver, has 1,100-plus entries on beer written by experts. And for those who are curious about homebrewing, a good gift might be The Complete Joy of Home Brewing by Charlie Papazian, founder of Sierra Nevada. Order the fourth edition for $17.99 from the Brewers Association (brewersassociation.org) and pair it up with homebrewing equipment from Asheville Brewers Supply, Fifth Season or Hops & Vines. Fans of draft beer might enjoy the battery-powered Fizzics machine, which will turn a can, bottle or growler of any brew into a creamy, draftlike beverage. Just put the beer into the machine, flip the switch and, in an instant, you’re drinking draft. It’s $149 from bestbuy.com. And, finally, we’ll suggest the Pico Home Brewing System, which at $799 isn’t cheap. But it promises to produce five liters of beer using grain and hops PicoPaks, working very much like a Keurig and other types of instant coffee machines. After brewing, the beer goes into a keg, and then you carbonate. It takes seven to 10 days to produce a batch. The set includes a brewing keg, dispensing keg and more. Check it out at picobrew.com, and be sure to leave a pint for old St. Nick. Follow Tony Kiss on Facebook at Carolina Beer Guy and on Twitter at BeerGuyTK. Email him at avlbeerguy@gmail.com. X
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A r t s & e n t e r tA i n M e n t
WAVE TECHNOLOGY
RBTS WIN taps nature, space and heart on new EP
bY aLLi marsHaLL amarshall@mountainx.com Local electro-soul outfit RBTS WIN brings a lot of natural metaphors to the table. Verses recall water lapping at a dock. Audio files have peaks and valleys. “Sometimes, before a part changes, it’s like a wave coming back off the sand,” says musician/producer javier bolea. “If you were to sample that one moment in the song, it would almost be like air.” But new recording King Summer, a three-song EP in advance of full-length Sensitivity Kit — due out next year — takes the band’s vision to the next level. RBTS WIN will perform those songs, other new material and back catalog favorites at Isis Restaurant & Music Hall on Saturday, Dec. 10. The show features two more bands, We Roll Like Madmen and Astrea Corp, which are both touring new albums that Bolea and RBTS WIN vocalist/musician/producer cliff b. worsham say push music in exciting directions. In a way, RBTS WIN, started by Bolea and Worsham, has always been rooted in nature. The band formed in 2008 when Bolea moved to Asheville from Miami — a city in large part responsible for the tides and salt-tinged air that inform the duo’s songs. “We were only waiting to find each other when it came to music,” says Worsham. “We started this band to put no limitations on what we do. In those moments of creation, he and I are just beaming. … Now we’re just professional surfers of that wave.” There’s plenty of mountain landscape inspiring the duo’s songwriting, too. “When I’m taking myself too seriously, all I have to do is look at some vastness. … It’s all about the vastness of nature,” says Worsham. “Asheville’s my hometown. I know parts of the [Blue Ridge] Parkway other people have probably never been on.” While King Summer is not a departure from RBTS WIN’s previous release, the dense and dreamy Palm Sunday, it marries that record’s best ideas (layered melodies, glitchy rhythms, lush imagery, sonic romance) with key changes. For starters, the record is based
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songs coMe FroM eVerYwHere: Local outfit RBTS WIN — from left, guitarist Josh Chassner, with songwriters/producers Cliff B. Worsham and Javier Bolea — recently released a three-song EP in advance of next year’s full-length, Sensitivity Kit. “We started this band to put no limitations on what we do,” says Worsham. Photo by Jasmine Jewel Vieau on instrumentation rather than samples. Or, more accurately, Bolea and Worsham sampled their own instrumentals. “We based our new sound upon the stuff that we were sampling, which is the stuff we’re always digging — old Italian producers,” says Worsham. “We still wanted to be beachy. That’s our vibe.” On the EP’s title track, Worsham sings, “They try to show the difference between us, when we’re just walking
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round with the same thoughts.” The refrain sparkles and quivers. It feels nervy and cool. Sun on water, the rippling of hope and the filtering of light through trees — a sound that recalls a deep inner quiet. There’s an organic beat underneath it all that lends immediacy. “We paid special attention to leaving space for the music to breathe,” says Bolea. “What we learned the most as musicians is [how to] use dynamics.”
Another change: With Sensitivity Kit, Worsham wrote the lyrics as the record was being created, rather than beginning a song with a verse or a riff. In fact, a track “can start from something as simple as the sound of a high hat,” Worsham says. “Javi and I are blessed that when we work together, it just flows. We’re not fighting to dig up words or sounds.” The collaborators take an inspiration and run with it. “We don’t
really think until postproduction,” says Bolea. “Same Ghost” starts with a melodic pulse, ethereal and bright. The song feels haunted, but not by death. Rather, it’s concerned with losing time — life — to prejudice and fear, and seeks, through the creative process, to address that loss. “If you have a piece of you that’s willing, definitely the music can take you there,” says Worsham. “If there is a goal other than creating [music], it’s to inspire people, and for people to connect to it,” says Bolea. “And to connect with themselves,” adds Worsham. Early on, Bolea and Worsham built a fan base while honing their style at smaller venues like the now-defunct Hookah Joe’s. In 2010, RBTS WIN was tapped to play Moogfest and went on to perform at the electronic music and technology festival throughout its run in North Carolina. When Palm Sunday was released on vinyl, “we really believed in that music,” says Bolea. “We realized, from trying to learn from other artist friends, that it was important to have [a team] to help it get picked up.” The musicians began to focus on the business side of their
work. A feature in Vibe led to representation; those industry professionals helped with publicity, contracts and placement in different outlets — such as a song premiere on the Northern Transmissions website and the debut of the EP on Stereogum. But ultimately — and this has always been the case — it’s the music that matters most. King Summer’s track, “Heart Eyes,” is all joy. It struts. It bobs and weaves. Its soulful groove is buoyed by an updraft of melody. “If you let your mind just open,” Worsham sings, “then you’ll really see.” X
who RBTS WIN with We Roll Like Madmen and Astrea Corp where Isis Restaurant & Music Hall 743 Haywood Road isisasheville.com when Saturday, Dec. 10, 9 p.m. $8 advance/$10 day of show
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by Thomas Calder
tcalder@mountainx.com
FRESH PERSPECTIVE The Bernstein Family welcomes a new director
New Beer Thursdays
Dec. 8 CHERRY MILK STOUT
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If holiday bong hits, promiscuity and the reimagining of baby Jesus as a 250-pound, drunk, middle-aged man sporting a diaper offends you, The 45th Annual Bernstein Family Christmas Spectacular probably isn’t for you. “Nothing is really sacred in the Bernstein land,” says chall gray, the show’s producer. It will be onstage at The Magnetic Theatre through Friday, Dec. 23. The sketch comedy is entering its seventh year of production (despite what its title suggests). The Bernstein’s longevity and success, however, is not what impresses the show’s producer the most — it’s the continual camaraderie and joy that each year’s process brings. “If you had told me back in 2010 that, six years later, it would still be just as fun, I would have been surprised,” Gray says. Along with its brash comedy and flippancy, a consistent cast has played a key role in the production’s success. tracey johnston-crum, darren marshall, glenn reed, erick moellering and Kirby gibson share the stage for a third straight year. The show has, however, welcomed a new director. jeff catanese took over the position previously held by Katie anne towner. A work-related scheduling conflict prevented Towner from returning to the show. Johnston-Crum — who plays a number of characters, including the sex-crazed, martini-drinking, Judy Bernstein — says the transition of a new director has been seamless. “[Catanese] has really been great about working with us and allowing us to vocalize who our characters are, what we mean to each other and how the family relationships play out.” Catanese agrees. He notes that everyone has been welcoming and open to his input. “What I’m bringing to the table is my sense of humor and a pair of eyes from the audience’s perspective,” he says. The continuity of the actors helps, as well: “I’m able to come in and direct the new show, the new material, without having to worry too much about these characters,” says Catanese. A fresh script each year is a component of the Bernstein’s success. No two shows are ever the same. This allows for storylines to build and jokes to evolve.
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HoliDAY cHeer For All: The dysfunctional Bernstein family takes the stage at The Magnetic Theatre. This marks the seventh year for the off-kilter holiday comedy, starring Tracey Johnston-Crum, left, among others. Photo by Rodney Smith/Tempus Fugit Design It also requires a fine balance. The material has to connect with first-time viewers as well. In Catanese’s opinion, it is this feature of the production that differentiates The Bernstein Family Christmas Spectacular from other holiday shows. Many productions that take the stage this time of year are known tales, he says. “What is unique about [Bernstein] is that ... it’s always brand-new.” Johnston-Crum embraces the challenge that comes with the everchanging skits and storylines. Part of it, she says, stems from the fact that the cast knows the characters so well. “Usually with a show, when you’re developing it from the beginning, you’re working on character study,” she says. “We’ve already done that.
… We know each other and we trust each other and we know how each character is going to react.” This upfront knowledge, Johnston-Crum says, allows for the actors to be looser during the initial rehearsals. While cast and crew remain tightlipped about this year’s script, they all hint at a big surprise. Gray says there will be a tragic Christmas accident that results in the Bernsteins’ “needing to hold open auditions to fill the slot of a dearly departed family member. ... The training and indoctrination of the new member result in both family hostility and sweet, sweet love.” For Catanese, it seems appropriate that a new character will join the show during his first year as director.
“To be able to be a part of that is very exciting,” he says. Mystery character aside, JohnstonCrum says this year’s production will resonate with audiences for the same reasons it has in years past. “We like to poke fun at everything, including ourselves. And by ourselves, I mean everything here in Asheville,” she says. “It’s an eclectic blend of craziness and wonderfulness that is a direct reflection of Asheville.” X
what The 45th Annual Bernstein Family Christmas Spectacular where The Magnetic Theatre 375 Depot St. when Through Friday, Dec. 23 Check website for showtimes. $24 themagnetictheatre.org
All Is Calm returns to N.C. Stage
eneMies Unite: N.C. Stage Company brings back last year’s holiday hit, All Is Calm. Photo by Scott Treadway Director charlie flynn-mciver describes All Is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914, as “out of the ordinary.” The stage production tells the true story of German and British soldiers during World War I. As the title suggests, a cease-fire is reached during Christmas. The play is onstage at N.C. Stage Company through Friday, Dec. 23. “According to legend,” says FlynnMcIver, “one German solider stood up and started singing ‘Stille Nacht’ [Silent Night] and [the English] joined in.” The two groups eventually met in the middle of No Man’s Land — the space separating the opposing sides’ trenches — exchanging pleasantries and cigarettes and playing soccer. The stage production incorporates dramatic readings from diaries, letters and transcript interviews with soldiers who lived through the event. An eight-man choir, led by music
director melodie galloway, professor of music at UNC Asheville and director of the Asheville Choral Society, infuses music throughout the show. “It really places a focus on the redeeming value of human nature amid the most base part of human nature,” says Flynn-McIver. “Even though the truce didn’t last, people seemed to feel a sense of hope amid that kind of destruction.” what All is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914 where N.C. Stage Company 15 Stage Lane when Through Friday, Dec. 23 See website for showtimes. $16-$34 ncstage.org
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by Bill Kopp
bill@musoscribe.com
RELATIONSHIPS AND RESILIENCY Rising Appalachia plays two local Solstice shows There is a wide consensus that the United States is entering a challenging era, especially for those fighting for civil rights, environmental protection and sustainability. For creative artists who seek to combine their art with activism, this new reality has the potential to demoralize. Yet it’s possible to look at our current state with perspective and remain hopeful. That’s the chosen approach of Rising Appalachia, the folk-world musical collective led by sisters leah song and chloe smith. Rising Appalachia plays a two-night run at The Orange Peel on Wednesday and Thursday, Dec. 14 and 15. The shows are part of the band’s Southern Solstice shows. “Honestly, I’m back and forth between hopeful and terrified,” says Song. But she chooses to take the long view and focus on optimism. “We have a human history that’s
sociAl conscioUsness in A cHAnging worlD: Instead of advocating for a specific point of view, Asheville-based Rising Appalachia puts across its social justice focus in a way that encourages listeners to figure out for themselves where they stand on important issues. Photo by Chad Hess much longer than the United States of America, one that is plagued with strong kinds of hardship, with kinds of incredible triumph and knowledge and much more impoverished eras.” She draws inspiration from “conversations with elders, history books and Greek mythology. All of this dense and vast human history [reminds us that] this is a very small moment in time.” Since the group’s start in 2006, Song and Smith have positioned Rising Appalachia as both a musical project and a vehicle to express their social justice concerns, and to help foster a community with like-minded interests. “We named this tour the Resiliency Tour,” Song says, “because we want to remind ourselves — and we want to remind our audiences — that we are resilient people.” Even as the country enters a period of uncertainty, Song believes that “we can still be very focused on human rights and social justice and knowledge and empowerment. And you can create a space for that, even if it’s not what’s going on in big politics. Where the resiliency is, is on the ground.” Rising Appalachia tries to bring its concerns to its audience, but not in a heavy-handed manner. Song believes that all of the band’s members — including percussionist biko casini and bassist/guitarist david brown — “are really very activist-oriented people. Although
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we really try to create a musical platform that [speaks to] a lot of different walks of life, we believe very much that the music should not be preachy; it should create a space for people to be in dialogue.” Often her goal is not so much to advance a particular point of view, but rather to encourage Rising Appalachia’s audience “to question their own values and belief systems.” The group’s perspective is informed by relationships, Song explains. Take the current standoff at the Standing Rock Indian Reservation in North Dakota, centered on the Dakota Access Pipeline. “We have a lot of community and friends at Standing Rock,” Song says. “So I feel like we have a line directly into what’s [happening] on the ground, and what’s not being covered in media.” Song chooses to focus on personal stories of those involved, as opposed to a more traditional news perspective. “News can really be bludgeoning and overwhelming,” she says, whereas “stories can often feel less overwhelming, less impossible, more tangible. And we can all learn from — and find our humanness in — stories.” This year, Rising Appalachia toured the country in a manner consistent with its Slow Music Movement. “It’s not all that unique from what we’ve been doing the last 10 years,” Song says. “We just put a name to it. It means that we’re
always exploring sustainable ways of travel and touring.” That approach places emphasis on spending time in a particular region as opposed to crisscrossing the map for a series of one-off shows. And the group invites selected local nonprofits to join them at concert venues across the country. That way, Song explains, “people have a place to get involved and to learn about what’s going on in their own community.” Meanwhile, Rising Appalachia concentrates on the music. “And,” Song adds, “we’re not up there preaching about a place that we don’t even live in.” As far as in Asheville — the city the band currently calls home — Rising Appalachia faces the fallout of North Carolina’s controversial House Bill 2. Many touring artists with a social justice focus, including Rising Appalachia, initially chose not to perform in the state. But Song says that after careful deliberation, the group decided to return home for two consecutive nights. Recognizing that a concert brings a certain economy to each venue’s city, Song and her bandmates decided to use that as an opportunity to get a conversation going. The plan is to “show up with some information about how our fan base can get more involved and more informed,” she says. “And now that we have more of that information, we’re really happy and inspired to come back into our North Carolina community and get the fires lit.” X
who Rising Appalachia with Hope for Agoldensummer and Dustin Thomas where The Orange Peel 101 Biltmore Ave. theorangepeel.net when Wednesday, Dec. 14 and Thursday, Dec. 15, 9 p.m. $23 /$40 for two-night ticket
A&e
by Kat McReynolds
kmcreynolds@mountainx.com
FUNDING THE DREAM Somewhere between Mexico and Canada, during five months of hiking and ruminating along the Pacific Crest Trail, ben phan completed the transition from casual guitarist to full-time musician — at least mentally. “After I got off the trail, I started practicing three to five hours a day, doing a couple hours of trying to book gigs and [sending] email after email,” he says. Phan also began writing original songs and eventually formed a band, the Soul Symphony, which includes noted local instrumentalists molly barret (fiddle), mattick frick (drums), ryan Kijanka (upright bass) and franklin Keel (cello). While the full group only comes together for key performances, their debut, Dreams in Modern Folk, has provided a basis for Phan to perform solo in and beyond Asheville. Fans can preview the Soul Symphony’s forthcoming album with Phan, titled Fear Is the Teacher, when the band plays it in its entirety at The Grey Eagle on Sunday, Dec. 11. “A lot of the songs are actually pretty upbeat,” Phan says, citing a bluegrass-influenced tune called “Fiddler.” He wrote the song about a trail mate who spoke frequently and eagerly of learning to play the fiddle. “I think — I hope, anyway — that it has a universal spin on it, where the idea is that we can be happy and follow our dreams,” he says. Still, Phan’s proclivity for bare-all lyrics promises long, inward glances, too. “The Only One,” a single that’s already out, for instance, addresses a recent romantic relationship that ended. And the album’s opener, “Beast of Desire,” deals with Phan’s continuing efforts, after curbing addiction in 2012, to restore healthy forms and levels of pleasure in his life. The prevailing theme, he explains, is that each song stems from an experience he fully gave himself to — in some cases, despite fear, doubt and depression, as the album title implies. It’s a lesson Phan continues to live as he prepares to crowdfund, record and release his second fulllength work. “In the beginning, I felt like I didn’t have anything to lose,”
Ben Phan and the Soul Symphony open album Kickstarter with a local show
tAKing notes: Known for intricate work on the fretboard, Ben Phan recently took lessons with his musical hero Jon Stickley. He also asks for feedback upon meeting talented players. “That can be hard at times,” he says, “but I think it’s been the single biggest thing that’s gotten me to become better this year.” Photo by Adam McMillan he says, calling the early days an “experimental adventure.” But with regional success, “I kind of feel this pressure that I need to keep going and please people and take the next steps — and what if things go wrong? ... It’s just a constant cycle, I think, of being human and having self-doubt and continuing.” Part of Phan’s apprehension stems from administering his first Kickstarter campaign, which will go live on Dec. 11, concurrent with his Grey Eagle show. “It’s really testing the fan base,” he says, “and it’s a lot of money I’m asking for.” Should his supporters come through with the $11,440, however, Phan and his bandmates will record with producer matt williams at Williams’ Weaverville-based studio The Eagle Room. The goal is to preserve the Soul Symphony’s chemistry by recording the whole band live before adding solos, harmonies and other edits. A guest trumpeter and others will contribute, and Phan plans to be involved in mixing and editing alongside Williams.
who Ben Phan and the Soul Symphony with Hannah Kaminer
The idea behind the full-band show (plus guest vocalists tierney cody, millie palmer and danielle dror) on the crowdfunding launch date, is that “I want to start with a bang and give people a chance to hear what the album is,” Phan says. “My goal is if you come to that show, you’ll hear the tunes, hopefully like them, and be like ‘Yeah, I want to hear that on a record.’ And then those people will
Mr. K’s
where The Grey Eagle 185 Clingman Ave. thegreyeagle.com when Sunday, Dec. 11, 7 p.m. $10 advance/$12 day of show
Used Books, Music and More Johnson City - oak Ridge - asheViLLe gReenViLLe, sC - noRth ChaRLeston, sC
tell other people, and it can grow from there.” Financial contributors have several interactive perks to consider. For instance, supporters can get a private video link, either to Phan singing a chosen cover song or answering three personal questions posed by the donor. Backstage passes and solo house concerts are up for grabs, as well as a video “thank you” in any accent or impersonation. “I didn’t want to just be like, ‘OK, here’s a sticker and a T-shirt,’” he says. “I wanted people to connect.” At the suggestion of a friend, Phan has also invited backers to submit individual words, which he’ll cobble into a lyrical mosaic. Whether the resulting song ends up on the album or not will depend on how forgiving fans are with their selections, since there’s no limit on syllables. “It may be a bonus track or a hidden track,” he says. “We’re going to have to see about that.” X
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by Emily Glaser | Send your arts news to ae@mountainx.com
Holiday Sip and Shop Wine, warm cider and handcrafted warespromise to make a delightful holiday market at the Grovewood Gallery, which holds its annual Holiday Sip & Shop every December. Visitors imbibe (there are cookies, too) while browsing special holiday gifts. Local artists like painter Cynthia Wilson and dollmaker Charlie Patricolo show off their skills during two weekends. “I am really looking forward to seeing some familiar faces and meeting some new folks as I demonstrate how I make the cloth bears,” Patricolo says. “I’ll be giving one away to someone who comes by and enters the free drawing.” The Holiday Sip & Shop will take place at the gallery on Fridays and Saturdays, Dec. 9, 10, 16 and 17, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. grovewood.com. Art by Charlie Patricolo
Christmas in Ireland Irish tenor Emmet Cahill will return to Brevard with the sentimental songs of the season. A principal vocalist with the show “Celtic Thunder,” Cahill headlines his second holiday tour, with Seamus Brett on piano and organ. Returning to Brevard was a priority for Cahill. “I received such a warm welcome from the entire community last year and was pleasantly surprised when the congregation began singing along with many of the songs and hymns,” he remembers. “I look forward to filling the church with music and song this year, once again. I know we will create some magical Christmas memories.” Brevard First United Methodist Church shares “Christmas in Ireland” on Saturday, Dec. 10, at 3 and 7:30 p.m. $25. brevardFUMC.org. Photo by Maureen Smith
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The O’Connor Band Composed of Grammy Award-winning violinist (and fiddler, guitarist and mandolin player) Mark O’Connor, his wife, son, and soon-to-be daughter-in-law, The O’Connor Band is truly a family project. Though O’Connor is a genius in his own right, every member is astoundingly skillful on his or her instrument, and their combined efforts make for country music magic. The group’s debut album, Coming Home, exemplifies the quick-picking proficiency in bluegrass that earned O’Connor collaborations with the likes of Johnny Cash and Dolly Parton. But the album also offers familiar harmonies and a melodic blending of strings that demonstrates the O’Connor bandmates’ true comfort with each other, as a musical group and a family. The O’Connor Band holds an album release show at Isis Restaurant & Music Hall on Thursday and Friday, Dec. 8 and 9, at 8:30 p.m. $32/$38. isisasheville.com. Photo by John David Pittman
Sirius.B Self-described absurdist gypsy folk funk punk band Sirius.B returns to the stage with a compilation of fresh tunes. “Having taken a fair amount of time away from playing shows so that we could work on the new album, we’re really excited to get back to playing out in public,” says guitarist and vocalist Xavier Ferdón. “We’ve been happily keeping our noses to the grindstone, crafting new songs that are more complex and in some cases much longer, and yet working to keep them danceable and exciting, like our previous stuff.” Sirius.B’s performance will follow two openers: fellow gypsy band Crystal Bright & the Silver Hands and pirate-rockers Plankeye Peggy. The Grey Eagle hosts Holiday Carnivale with Sirius.B on Saturday, Dec. 10, at 8 p.m. $10/$12. thegreyeagle.com. Photo courtesy of Sirius.B
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by Abigail Griffin
trADitionAl tUnes: Whether you are in Henderson, Madison or Buncombe counties, there are opportunities to catch traditional Christmas music performances by Musicke Antiqua over the next couple of weeks. The group performs music from the medieval and Renaissance though the baroque and modern eras, in costume, on replicas of a wide variety of early music instruments. The Christmas program includes music from the 13th through the 20th centuries, with traditional carols, Broadway tunes and ensemble pieces. For more information and a full schedule of performances, visit musickeantiqua.org. Photo courtesy of Musicke Antiqua (p. 46)
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Art gAllerY oF tHe MoUntAins Inside the Omni Grove Park Inn, 290 Macon Ave. • FR (12/9), 1-5pm Contemporary Appalachian basket weaving demonstration. Free to attend. AsHeVille AreA Arts coUncil 258-0710, ashevillearts.com • TH (12/8), 5:30-7pm "For Artists By Artists: Brainstorming Session." Free to attend. Held at The Refinery, 207 Coxe Ave. • SA (12/10), 6-9pm - "The Bright Angle," opening celebration. Free to attend. Held at The Refinery, 207 Coxe Ave. MoUntAin gAtewAY MUseUM AnD HeritAge center 102 Water St., Old Fort, mountaingatewaymuseum. org/ • 2nd SATURDAYS, 10am-3pm - Plein air painting demonstrations. Free.
oDYsseY cooperAtiVe Art gAllerY 238 Clingman Ave., 2859700, facebook.com/ odysseycoopgallery • 2nd SATURDAYS, 11am-5pm - Gallery open house with food, music and artists' demonstrations. Free to attend. riVer Arts District riverartsdistrict.com • 2nd SATURDAYS, 10am6pm - Self-guided open studio tour through the River Arts District with artist demonstrations and classes. Free to attend.
❄ riVersiDe stUDios 174 W. Haywood St., 5515045, britoie.wix.com/riversidestudios • Through SA (12/10) - The Gift of Art, show and Sale. ❄ tHe weDge stUDios 129 Roberts St., wedgestudioartists.com • FR (12/9), 4-7pm - Holiday open house and "Miniatures" themed group show. Toys are being collected for Eblen Charities. Free to attend. trYon Fine Arts center 34 Melrose Ave., Tryon, 8598322, tryonarts.org • TU (12/13), 10am-noon Susan Johann presents her photography book, Focus on Playwrights. $5.
Art/crAFt FAirs eAst west HoliDAY pop Up sHop (pD.) • Dec, 8-17, 10am-8pm daily, Friday's until 9pm, FREE entry. Featuring over 75 local and indie artists, makers, and vintage collectors. 278 Haywood Rd. eastwestpopupshop.com
❄ AsHeVille AreA Arts coUncil 258-0710, ashevillearts.com • SA (12/10), noon-6pm Open house and handmade market. Free to attend. Held at The Refinery, 207 Coxe Ave. AsHeVille AreA cHAMBer oF coMMerce 36 Montford Ave., 258-6101, ashevillechamber.org • FRIDAYS & SATURDAYS through (12/17) - Native American jewelry and art exhibition and sale. Free to attend.
❄ soUtHern HigHlAnD crAFt gUilD 298-7928, craftguild.org • SA (12/3), 10am-4pm "Holiday Makers Market," art and craft fair with 70 members of the Southern Highland Craft Guild. Free to attend. Held at Folk Art Center, MP 382, Blue Ridge Parkway mountainx.com
december 7 - december 13, 2016
45
A& e c Al e n DA r
A new pole dance, burlesque, & jazz studio for adults!
•Holiday Burlesque Striptease Workshop! December 10
•6 Week Intro to Pole Series starts Tuesday, December 13
•6 Week Intro to Spin Pole Series starts Thursday, December 15 Thoughtful gift giving with Danceclub gift certificates!
(828) 275-8628
DanceclubAsheville.com
Right down the street from UNCA 9 Old Burnsville Hill Rd., Suite 3
AUDitions & cAll to Artists Art leAgUe oF HenDerson coUntY 692-9441, artleague.net • Through FR (1/6) - Submissions accepted for the annual "Mini Challenge" art show. Contact for full guidelines and fees. BUrger BAr 1 Craven St. • Through SA (12/31) - Open call for artists and teachers who wish to offer free classes to the community on Saturday's from 4-7pm at the Burger Bar. Contact: burgerbar.asheville@gmail.com. cAlDwell Arts coUncil 601 College Ave., SW Lenoir, 754-2486 • Through TU (1/31) - Portfolio submissions accepted for 2018 exhibitions. Information: caldwellarts.com/157-guidelines/ CALDWELL. Hot worKs Fine Art sHow AsHeVille 941-755-3088, patty@hotworks.org • Through WE (12/7) - Submissions accepted for the Hot Works' Asheville Fine Art Show, exhibition of nationally juried art works. See website for full details: zapplication.org/event-info. php?ID=5105. Held at US Cellular Center, 87 Haywood St. trAnsYlVAniA coMMUnitY Arts coUncil 349 S. Caldwell St., Brevard, 884-2787, tcarts.org • Through TU (2/7) - Open call for submissions for the Folk Art exhibition taking place Friday, Feb. 10 through Tuesday, Feb. 28. Submission accepted Monday, Feb. 6 and Tuesday, Feb. 7. Contact for full guidelines.
MUsic
Winter Packages Available! advertise@mountainx.com 46
december 7 - december 13, 2016
village marimba classes • All Ages (pD.) • New session of classes beginning January. Sue Ford, voted Best Music Teacher in WNC, Mountain Xpress, 3 years in a row. Registration/information: (828) 776-7918 or suef444@gmail.com
❄ AsHeVille sYMpHonY cHorUs ashevillesymphonychorus.com • TH (12/8), 7:30pm - "Handel’s Messiah: A Community SingAlong." $15. Held at First Presbyterian Church of Asheville, 40 Church St. BlUe riDge ringers HAnDBell enseMBle blueridgeringers.tripod.com,
mountainx.com
by Abigail Griffin
Send your event listings to calendar@mountainx.com
blueridgeringers@gmail.com • TU (12/13), noon - Blue Ridge Ringers concert. Free. Held at Transylvania County Library, 212 S. Gaston St., Brevard Bo tHoMAs AUDitoriUM Blue Ridge Community College Hendersonville • TH (12/8), 7pm - Balsam Range concert sponsored by the Center for Cultural Preservation. $15.
❄ BUncoMBe coUntY pUBlic liBrAries buncombecounty.org/governing/ depts/library • SA (12/10), 2pm - Pastyme a cappella holiday concert. Free. Held at Weaverville Public Library, 41 N. Main St., Weaverville ❄ coVenAnt presBYteriAn cHUrcH 2101 Kanuga Road, Hendersonville • WE (12/7), 7pm - Musicke Antiqua holiday concert. Free. ❄ FlAt rocK plAYHoUse Downtown 125 S. Main St., Hendersonville, 693-0731, flatrockplayhouse.org • THURSDAYS through SUNDAYS until (12/18) - "A Celtic Christmas," music concert. Thurs.: 7:30pm. Fri. & Sat.: 8pm. Thurs., Sat. & Sun.: 2pm. $28. ❄ green riVer liBrArY 50 Green River Road, Zirconia, 697-4969, library.hendersoncountync.org • TH (12/15), 4pm - Camerata Antiqua holiday concert. Free. ❄ HenDerson coUntY pUBlic liBrArY 301 N. Washington St., Hendersonville, 697-4725 • FR (12/9), noon - Musicke Antiqua holiday concert. Free. ❄ lAKe JUnAlUsKA conFerence & retreAt center 91 North Lakeshore Drive Lake Junaluska, 452-2881, lakejunaluska.com • FR (12/9), 7:30pm - Handel's Messiah performed by choir and orchestra. $23 reserved seating/$18 general admission. • SA (12/10), 2pm - The Cockman Family, bluegrass/gospel. $23 reserved seating/18 general admission. • SA (12/10), 7:30pm - Point of Grace, contemporary Christian concert. $18. MArs Hill pUBlic liBrArY 25 Library Drive, Mars Hill • TU (12/13), 11am - Musicke Antiqua holiday concert. Free.
❄ MUsic At MArs Hill 866-642-4968, mhc.edu • FR (12/9), 7pm - Proceeds from "Winter's Tune: Music to Warm an Appalachian Night," featuring songwriters from
Madison County benefit the Bailey Mountain Foundation. $18/$15 advance. Held in Broyhill Chapel n.c. ArBoretUM 100 Frederick Law Olmsted Way, 665-2492, ncarboretum.org • TU (12/13), 6:30pm - Duo Vela, flute and guitar concert. Admission fees apply. pUBsing 254-1114 • 2nd SUNDAYS, 6-8pm - Gospel jam and sing-along. Optional snack time at 5:30pm. Free to attend. Held at French Broad Brewery, 101 Fairview Road st. MAttHiAs cHUrcH 1 Dundee St., 285-0033, stmatthiasepiscopal.com/ • SU (12/11), 3:30pm - ReynoldsMiller Chorale concert. Admission by donation.
❄ tHe BreVArD pHilHArMonic • TH (12/15), 7:30pm - Christmas Splendor Concert. $35. Held in the Brevard College, Porter Center trYon Fine Arts center 34 Melrose Ave., Tryon, 859-8322, tryonarts.org • SA (12/10), 8pm - Nnenna Freelon and John Brown Trio, jazz. $17-$35. • TH (12/15), 7:30pm - "Do It Yourself Messiah,: community sing-a-long. Free. wAYnesVille BrAncH oF HAYwooD coUntY pUBlic liBrArY 678 S. Haywood St., Waynesville, 452-5169 • SA (8/13), 3pm - Angela Easterling, rock. Free. • SA (8/13), 3pm - The Coffee Branch Band. Free.
tHeAter
❄ 35beloW 35 E. Walnut St., 254-1320, ashevilletheatre.org • WEDNESDAY through SUNDAY (12/14) until (12/18) - Santaland, one-man play. Wed.-Sat.: 7:30pm. Fri. & Sat.: 9:30pm. Sun.: 2:30pm. $15.
❄ AsHeVille coMMUnitY tHeAtre 35 E. Walnut St., 254-1320, ashevilletheatre.org • FRIDAYS through SUNDAYS until (12/18) - Snowbound. Fri. & Sat.: 7:30pm. Sun.: 2:30pm. $12-$18. ❄ citY oF MorgAnton
MUnicipAl AUDitoriUM 401 South College St. Morganton, 433-SHOW, commaonline.org • TH (12/15), 7:30pm - Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer, musical. $36 and up.
❄ FlAt rocK plAYHoUse 2661 Highway 225, Flat Rock, 693-0731, flatrockplayhouse.org • WEDNESDAYS through SUNDAYS until (12/17) – A Christmas Carol. Wed. & Thurs.: 7:30pm. Fri. & Sat.: 8pm. Wed., Thurs., Sat. & Sun.: 2pm. $15-$40.
❄ grAce lUtHerAn cHUrcH 1245 Sixth Ave., W. Hendersonville, 693-4890, gracelutherannc.com • SA (12/10), 6pm & SU (12/11), 1:30pm - A Christmas Carol, musical. Free. ❄ HenDersonVille coMMUnitY tHeAtre 229 S. Washington St., Hendersonville, 692-1082, hendersonvillelittletheater.org • FRIDAYS through SUNDAYS until (12/11) - Heaven in Your Pocket, musical. Fri. & Sat.: 7:30pm. Sun.: 2pm. $26/$20 students/$15 under 18. ❄ MontForD pArK plAYers 254-5146, montfordparkplayers.org • FRIDAYS through SUNDAYS (12/9) until (12/23) - A Christmas Carol. Fri. & Sat.: 7:30pm. Sun.: 2:30pm. Free to attend. Held at Asheville Masonic Temple, 80 Broadway • SATURDAY & SUNDAY (12/10) through (12/18), 3pm - "Day with Dickens Festival," Victorian themed event with crafts and food and A Christmas Carol. Festival from 3-5pm. Showtime at 5pm. Free. Held at Hazel Robinson Amphitheatre, 92 Gay St. nc stAge coMpAnY 15 Stage Lane, 239-0263 • WEDNESDAYS through SUNDAYS (12/7) until (12/23) - All Is Calm. Wed.-Sun.: 7:30pm. Sun.: 2pm. $16-$40.
❄ pUBlic eVents At wcU 227-7397, wcu.edu • WE (12/7), 7:30pm - "Snowkus Pocus Cirque Holiday Show," acrobatics. $18/$5 students. Held in the Bardo Center. ❄ tHe MAgnetic tHeAtre 375 Depot St., 279-4155 • THURSDAYS through SATURDAYS (12/1) until (12/23), 7:30pm & WE (12/21), 7:30pm - Bernstein Family Christmas Spectacular. Saturday, Dec. 10 & 17 also have 10pm shows. $24. ❄ tHeAter At MArs Hill 689-1239, mhu.edu • THURSDAY through SUNDAY (12/8) until (12/11) - Scrooge! Musical theater. Thurs.-Sat.: 7:30pm. Sat. & Sun.: 2:30pm. $15/$13 students & seniors. Held in Owen Theatre
gAllerY DirectorY AMericAn FolK Art AnD FrAMing
HicKorY MUseUM oF Art
64 Biltmore Ave., 281-2134, amerifolk.com • Through FR (12/30) - The Wish List Celebration, group exhibition.
243 3rd Ave., NE Hickory, 327-8576
Art At MArs Hill UniVersitY 689-1307, mhu.edu • Through (12/16) - Mentors and Heroes, photography exhibition by David Holt. • Through FR (12/16) - Exhibition of the work of Claire Sordoni, Mark Flowers, Kristy Higby, and Titus Mills. Held in the Weizenblatt Gallery Art At UncA art.unca.edu • Through TU (12/20) - Care Artifacts, exhibition of works by Megan Van Deusen. Held in the Owen Hall Second Floor Gallery.
• Through SU (3/5) - "Innocent & Ethereal: The Visionary Work of Paul Lancaster," exhibition. MAHec eDUcAtion center 121 Hendersonville Road, 257-4400, mahec.net • Through TU (1/31) - Painting exhibition by Rich Elwyn and Valerie McGaughey. oDYsseY cooperAtiVe Art gAllerY 238 Clingman Ave., 285-9700, facebook.com/odysseycoopgallery • Through SA (12/31) - Exhibition of the ceramic art of Anna Koloseike and BlueFire MacMahon. pUsH sKAte sHop & gAllerY
Art leAgUe oF HenDerson coUntY
25 Patton Ave., 225-5509,
692-9441, artleague.net • Through TH (1/5) - Fall member group exhibition. Held at Opportunity House, 1411 Asheville Highway Hendersonville
pushtoyproject.com
AsHeVille AreA Arts coUncil 258-0710, ashevillearts.com • Through SA (1/7) - Beauty + Function: Ceramic Artists in Western North Carolina, exhibition. Held at The Refinery, 207 Coxe Ave. AsHeVille gAllerY oF Art
• FR (12/9) through MO (1/23) - Running From Madness, a group show curated by Maxx Feist. Reception: Friday, Dec. 9, 7-10pm. rAMp stUDio gAllerY 821 Riverside Drive • Through SA (12/31) - we're not who we thought we were, exhibition of the multimedia sculpture by Jameid Ferrin.
82 Patton Ave., 251-5796, ashevillegallery-of-art.com • Through SA (12/31) - All Squared Away, exhibition featuring small works by gallery artists.
soUtHern HigHlAnD crAFt gUilD
BlAcK MoUntAin center For tHe Arts
at Folk Art Center, MP 382, Blue Ridge
225 W. State St., Black Mountain, 6690930, blackmountainarts.org • Through FR (2/17) - Clay Studio exhibit and pottery market featuring the work of 12 local potters. BlAcKBirD FrAMe & Art 365 Merrimon Ave., 225-3117 • Through SA (12/31) - Asheville Printmakers group holiday show.
298-7928, craftguild.org • Through SU (2/12) - Legacy of Makers and Mentors, exhibition from the University of Georgia members. Held Parkway trAnsYlVAniA coMMUnitY Arts coUncil 349 S. Caldwell St., Brevard, 884-2787, tcarts.org • Through FR (12/16) - Seven from Seven, exhibition of the work of seven gallery artists.
❄ trAnsYlVAniA
HeritAge MUseUM
BUncoMBe coUntY pUBlic liBrAries
189 W Main St., Brevard, 884-2347,
buncombecounty.org/governing/depts/ library • Through FR (12/30) - Exhibition of the watercolor, acrylic and oil paintings of Barbara Frohmader. Held at West Asheville Library, 942 Haywood Road
• Through TH (12/22) - Aluminum
groVewooD gAllerY 111 Grovewood Road, 253-7651, grovewood.com • Through SA (12/31) - Vessels of Merriment, exhibition of handmade drinking vessels.
transylvaniaheritage.org Christmas Tree Museum, exhibition of vintage trees and ornaments. Free to attend. trYon Arts AnD crAFts scHool 373 Harmon Field Road, Tryon, 859-8323 • Through FR (12/23) - Holiday Gift Show, exhibition. Contact the galleries for admission hours and fees
mountainx.com
december 7 - december 13, 2016
47
clUBlAnD 9:00PM
tHe pHoenix Jazz night w/ Jason DeCristofaro, 8:00PM tHe sociAl loUnge DJ Phantom Pantone (international soul, R&B), 8:00PM tiMo's HoUse TOUCH Samadhi Psychedelic Wednesdays (electronic), 9:00PM town pUMp Open mic w/ Billy Presnell, 9:00PM tressA's Downtown JAzz AnD BlUes Blues & Soul Jam (blues, soul), 9:00PM twin leAF BrewerY Trivia Night, 7:00PM wHite Horse BlAcK MoUntAin Neon Crush (dance), 7:30PM wilD wing cAFe Jason Whittaker (acoustic), 7:00PM
tHUrsDAY, DeceMBer 8 5 WalnuT Wine bar Pleasure Chest (blues, rock, soul), 8:00PM AltAMont tHeAtre The Nightshirts w/ Matt Smith (Appalachian acoustic blues), 8:00PM AsHeVille gUitAr BAr Will Ray & The Space Cooties, 7:00PM BArleY's tAprooM & pizzeriA AMC Jazz Jam, 9:00PM BlAcK MoUntAin Ale HoUse Bluegrass Jam w/ The Big Deal Band, 8:00PM
BULL MOON RISING: The Ridge at New Mountain AVL is bringing electronic music lovers back to earth with its December ZODIAC showcase series, headlined by Maryland-borne Nocturnal Status. The experimental EDM duo melds psychedelic rhythms with an eclectic array of sounds and melodies to “immerse one into the dark yet beautiful side of music,” according to event promoters. Nocturnal Status joins electronic producers illanthropy and Scatz at The Ridge in Downtown Asheville on Saturday, Dec. 10 for a 9 p.m. show. Photo courtesy of New Mountain AVL weDnesDAY, DeceMBer 7 185 king sTreeT Vinyl Night, 6:00PM 5 WalnuT Wine bar Eleanor Underhill (Americana, soul), 5:00PM Les Amis (African folk), 8:00PM 550 Tavern & grille karaoke, 6:00PM AsHeVille gUitAr BAr Brad Hodge (singer-songwriter), 7:00PM BArleY's tAprooM & pizzeriA Dr. Brown's Team Trivia, 8:30PM BlUe MoUntAin pizzA & Brew pUB Open Mic w/ Billy Owens, 7:00PM BUrger BAr Karaoke, 9:00PM BYrisH HAUs & pUB Open Mic Night, 7:00PM BYwAter The Woodshed, 9:00PM
48
creeKsiDe tApHoUse Open mic w/ Roots & friends, 8:00PM crow & QUill Carolina Catskins (folk, ragtime, hobo jangle), 10:00PM DoUBle crown Classic Country w/ DJ David Wayne Gay, 10:00PM
JAcK oF tHe wooD pUB Old-time session, 5:00PM lAzY DiAMonD Killer Karaoke w/ KJ Tim O, 10:00PM loBster trAp Ben Hovey (dub, jazz), 6:30PM MoUntAin MoJo coFFeeHoUse Open mic, 6:30PM
FUnKAtoriUM Staves & Strings (bluegrass), 6:30PM
noBle KAVA Open mic w/ Caleb Beissert, 9:00PM
gooD stUFF Lew Card (singer-songwriter), 5:00PM Jim Hampton & friends perform "Eclectic Country" (jam), 7:00PM
o.HenrY's/tHe UnDergroUnD "Take the Cake" Karaoke, 10:00PM
grinD cAFe Trivia night, 7:00PM
oFF tHe wAgon Piano show, 9:00PM
HigHlAnD Brewing coMpAnY Woody Wood Wednesdays (rock, soul, funk), 5:30PM isis restAUrAnt AnD MUsic HAll An Evening w/ Los Abrojitos, 7:00PM
december 7 - december 13, 2016
mountainx.com
oDDitoriUM Synergy Story Slam, 7:00PM
oliVe or twist 3 Cool Cats (vintage rock), 8:00PM
pisgAH Brewing coMpAnY The Paper Crowns (Americana), 6:00PM rooM ix Fuego: Latin night, 9:00PM sAnctUArY Brewing coMpAnY Adoptable Pet Night w/ Asheville Humane Society, 6:00PM Jamison Adams (singer-songwriter, folk, rock), 7:00PM slY grog loUnge Sound Station open mic (musicians of all backgrounds & skills), 7:30PM tHe BlocK oFF BiltMore Silicon Soldiers (alternative, indie, math rock), 8:00PM tHe Joint next Door Bluegrass jam, 8:00PM tHe MillrooM Pints for a Purpose, 5:30PM
one worlD Brewing Stevie Lee Combs, 8:00PM
tHe MocKing crow Open Mic w/ Jeremy Indelicato & Susan Bargar, 8:00PM
orAnge peel Flosstradamus w/ Towkio and Gents & Jawns (hip hop, trap, electronic),
tHe MotHligHt Nick Waterhouse w/ Greg Cartwright (R&B, jazz, soul), 9:00PM
BlUe MoUntAin pizzA & Brew pUB Matt Sellars (Americana, blues, roots), 7:00PM BUrger BAr Garage/surf rock w/ DJ PAPA Wheelie, 9:00PM clADDAgH restAUrAnt & pUB Irish Music Thursdays, 7:00PM creeKsiDe tApHoUse Billy Litz (soul, roots), 7:00PM DoUBle crown Sonic Satan Stew w/DJ Alien Brain , 10:00PM elAine's DUeling piAno BAr Dueling Pianos, 9:00PM FoggY MoUntAin BrewpUB Wild Card Trio (jazz, funk), 9:00PM FrencH BroAD BrewerY Matt Walsh (blues), 6:00PM greY eAgle MUsic HAll & tAVern Will Hoge w/ Josh Farrow (Americana, alt. country, Southern rock), 9:00PM HigHlAnD Brewing coMpAnY Jerry Joseph & friends (rock 'n' roll, singer-songwriter), 7:00PM isis restAUrAnt AnD MUsic HAll O'Connor Band w/ Mark O'Connor, 8:30PM JAcK oF tHe wooD pUB Bluegrass jam, 7:00PM
lAzY DiAMonD Heavy Night w/ DJ Butch, 10:00PM loBster trAp Hank Bones ("The man of 1,000 songs"), 6:30PM oDDitoriUM Fake Moth, 8:00PM oFF tHe wAgon Dueling pianos, 9:00PM ole sHAKeY's O.S.O.M. Open Mic, 10:00PM oliVe or twist Michael Filippone's Guest Artist Night, 7:00PM one stop At AsHeVille MUsic HAll Mitch's Totally Rad Trivia Night, 7:00PM Litz (funk, psychedelic, jam), 10:00PM one worlD Brewing J.P. Delanoye, 8:00PM orAnge peel Hometown Holiday Jam XVI, 7:30PM osKAr BlUes BrewerY Redleg Husky, 6:00PM pUlp Slice of Life Comedy Open Mic, 9:00PM pAcK MeMoriAl liBrArY "Stories for the Season!" w/ David Joe Miller & Sherry Lovett (storytelling, ballads), 6:45PM pAcK's tAVern Scott Raines & Jeff Anders (acoustic rock), 8:00PM pUrple onion cAFe Ellen Trnka & Dan Keller Trio (jazz), 8:00PM rooM ix Throwback Thursdays (all vinyl set), 9:00PM sAlVAge stAtion Kill the Clique, 8:00PM sAnctUArY Brewing coMpAnY Andy Ferrell (Americana), 7:00PM scAnDAls nigHtclUB DJ dance party & drag show, 10:00PM
LITZ
FREE!
soUtHern AppAlAcHiAn BrewerY Hip Bones Two-Bass Hit (blues, jazz), 7:00PM spring creeK tAVern Open Mic, 6:00PM stone roAD restAUrAnt & BAr Open Mic w/ Tony the Pony, 8:00PM tHe BlocK oFF BiltMore Unite! Open mic night w/ Jordan Okrend (sign up @ 7 p.m.), 7:30PM tHe MocKing crow Acoustic night w/ Steve Moseley & Heath Lewis, 8:00PM tHe sUMMit At new MoUntAin AVl Summit Jam, 6:00PM tiMo's HoUse TRL REQUEST NIGHT w/ DJ Franco Nino, 7:00PM town pUMp Breadfoot (Americana, tin pan folk), 10:00PM trAilHeAD restAUrAnt AnD BAr Open Cajun & swing jam w/ Steve Burnside, 7:00PM tressA's Downtown JAzz AnD BlUes Jesse Barry & The Jam (live music, dance), 9:00PM
UpcoUntrY Brewing coMpAnY Sans Abri Dinner Show (members of Parkway Handle), 7:00PM
Ben's tUne-Up Woody Wood & the Asheville Family Band (acoustic, folk, rock), 7:00PM
9pm
DEC
NOAH STOCKDALE AND FRIENDS
10
Jam Session
TUESDAY: ELEANOR UNDERHILL
BlUe MoUntAin pizzA & Brew pUB Acoustic Swing, 7:00PM
7pm - 10pm
BUrger BAr Bike Night, 9:00PM BYwAter Chicken Coop Willaye (Appalachian percussive folk), 9:00PM
elAine's DUeling piAno BAr Dueling Pianos, 9:00PM FoggY MoUntAin BrewpUB Purple (funk), 10:00PM
AltAMont tHeAtre Reasonably Priced Babies (improv comedy), 8:00PM
FrencH BroAD BrewerY CarolinaBound (country, folk), 6:00PM
9pm
DEC
16
Boiler rooM Jonathon Cox & Michael Tracy (country), 9:00PM
CHICKEN COOP WILLAYE COMBO
MONDAY: OPEN MIC
7pm - 11pm
550 Tavern & grille The Fine Line Band (Southern rock), 9:00PM
12.8 10PM
9
FRI
BlAcK MoUntAin Ale HoUse Billy Litz (singer-songwriter), 9:00PM
DoUBle crown DJ Greg Cartwright (garage & soul obscurities), 10:00PM
5 WalnuT Wine bar Alarm Clock Conspiracy (indie, rock), 9:00PM
DEC
SAT
crow & QUill Drayton & The Dreamboats (jazz, vintage pop, Xmas tunes), 9:00PM
185 king sTreeT Zuzu Welsh Band, 7:00PM
Americana Roots Fusion
FRI
DEC
17
WEDNESDAY: WINDOW CAT
SAT
Future Soul, R&B, Jazz
THURSDAY: CRIS COLEMAN
MON
Blues Experience
8pm - 11pm
TUE
8pm - 11pm
WED
SATURDAY: GYPSY GUITAR TRIO 3pm - 6pm WILDCARD
THU
SoulFunkJazzFuzion
6pm - 10pm
9pm
OPEN JAM
ft. ROOSTER 8pm 6pm
DJ
9pm
Live Acoustic Sounds
Roots, Rock, Reggae
EARTHTONES (DJ)
OPEN DRUM CIRCLE
FRIDAY: WOODY WOOD
SUNDAY: DUB KARTEL
8:30pm
WEEKLY EVENTS
8pm - 11pm
9pm - 12am
HUSTLE SOULS
DEC
11
SUN
DANCE PARTY 9pm
GREENMAN TAP TAKEOVER 7pm ft. Andrew Blythe & Country Collective 8pm
GRATEFUL SUNDAYS ft. Ton of Hay 8pm
796 RIVERSIDE DR. ASHEVILLE, NC BYWATER.BAR
ONE STOP
(Funk/Psychedelic/Jam)
Enter the Earth’s 15th Annual Xmas Party
WILD ADRIATIC
AtHenA's clUB Dave Blair (folk, funk, acoustic), 7:00PM
creeKsiDe tApHoUse Evan Wade, 7:00PM
FriDAY, DeceMBer 9
UPCOMING MUSIC
AsHeVille MUsic HAll 15th annual ETE Xmas Party w/ The Joe Marcinek Band, Unihorns & Americas James, 9:00PM
corK & Keg Viv Leva & The Crimea River Valley Boys (honky-tonk), 8:30PM
twisteD lAUrel Karaoke, 8:00PM
Bywater
AsHeVille gUitAr BAr Wade Oppliger Band, 7:30PM
FREE!
12.9 9 PM
AMH
12.9 10PM
ONE STOP
adv. $12 (Rock)
TOM HAMILTON’S AMERICAN 12.11 2 PM AMH BABIES (Americana/Indie/Rock) adv. $10
FLUX CAPACITOR
FREE!
12.15 10PM
ONE STOP
(Jam/Rock) mountainx.com
december 7 - december 13, 2016
49
clU B lA n D gooD stUFF JC Tokes (singer-songwriter, alt. country, honky-tonk), 7:00PM Breadfoot (Americana, Tin Pan Alley), 8:00PM
ASHEVILLEFOODPARK.COM
Happenings WED 12/7
Backyard Bonfires are Back! (subject to burn ban)
Cold Mountain On Tap! THU 12/8
MOVIE NIGHT! 8PM
Weekly Feature: Pulp Fiction Free popcorn & Cozy Woodstove, Bring your own blanky!
FRI 12/9
Chicken Drop Raffles 6:30-7:30pm Win Prizes & Cash!
Proceeds go to local nonprofits SAT Holiday Fashion & Craft Bazaar 12/10 11am-6:30pm Mobile Boutiques/ Outdoor Apparel/ Crafts
Live music by Randy Cormier 7-9
TUE 12 Days of Christmas KICK OFF 12/13 Cascade Lounge- Holiday Crafting & Cocktails WED ADULT COLORING PARTY 12/14 6:30-9:30PM Sponsored by Bells Brewing
daily updates @
AshevilleFoodPark
Where The Blue Ridge Mountains Meet the Celtic Isles
MONDAYS Quizzo – Brainy Trivia • 7:30pm Open Mic Night • 9pm CAJUN TWO STEPPIN’ TUESDAYS
Featuring THE CREOLE & IN THE WAY
Every Tuesday in Nov. • 7pm Gumbo, Po Boys and more!
WEDNESDAYS Asheville’s Original Old Time Mountain Music Jam • 5pm THURSDAYS Mountain Feist • 7pm Bluegrass Jam • 9:30pm Bourbon Specials
greY eAgle MUsic HAll & tAVern Rock For Rescues w/ Poet Radio, Mason Jar Menagerie, Brother Oliver & The Mudbottoms (benefit for Asheville Humane Society), 8:00PM HigHlAnD Brewing coMpAnY David Zoll Quartet (rock), 7:00PM isis restAUrAnt AnD MUsic HAll O'Connor Band w/ Mark O'Connor, 8:30PM JAcK oF tHe wooD pUB Warren Haynes Christmas Jam by Day w/ Kevn Kinney, Andrew Scotchie, Bobby Miller and the Virginia Dare Devils, Chris O'Neill, & more, 12:00PM Warren Haynes Christmas Day Jam afterparty w/ The Big EZs (New Orleans dance), 9:00PM JerUsAleM gArDen Middle Eastern music & bellydancing, 7:00PM K loUnge DJ Phantom Pantone (Korean pop, trap, dance), 10:00PM lAzY DiAMonD Rotating Rock 'n' Oldies DJs, 10:00PM
pisgAH Brewing coMpAnY Cycles w/ Murmuration (jam, fusion), 8:00PM pUrple onion cAFe Hometown Christmas w/ Robert Seiler, 8:00PM sAlVAge stAtion Window Cat, 8:30PM sAnctUArY Brewing coMpAnY The Wintervals, 8:00PM scAnDAls nigHtclUB DJ dance party & drag show, 10:00PM scArlet's coUntrY DAnce clUB Open Mic night w/ Sam Warner, 8:00PM
tHe DUgoUt Awake in the Dream, 9:00PM
BlUe MoUntAin pizzA & Brew pUB Bob Zullo (rock, jazz, pop), 7:00PM
tHe MocKing crow Trivia and karoke night!, 9:00PM
Boiler rooM Dance Party & Drag Show, 10:00PM
tHe MotHligHt Megan Jean & the Klay Family Band w/ Chelsea Lynn Labate & Sinners and Saints (Americana), 9:30PM
BUrger BAr Asheville FM 103.3 DJ Night, 9:00PM
@5:30pm
tHe sociAl Steve Moseley (acoustic), 6:00PM
MArs Hill UniVersitY Winter's Tune: Music to Warm an Appalachian Night, 7:00PM
tHe sociAl loUnge Ultra Lounge w/ Phantom Pantone, 10:00PM
Live in the Tasting Room @8pm $15 Advance $17 Day of
Fri•Dec 9 David Zoll Quartet @7pm Sat•Dec 10 Get Right Band @7pm
BY DAY, hosted by Kevn Kinney $10 Charity Donation Doors: 11am Music: Noon
AFTER WARREN HAYNES FRI CHISTMAS JAM PARTY 12/9 w/ THE BIG EZS 9PM / $5
SAT SAVANNAH SMITH SOUTHERN SOUL 12/10 &9PMTHE / $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
50
december 7 - december 13, 2016
mountainx.com
o.HenrY's/tHe UnDergroUnD Drag Show, 12:30AM oDDitoriUM Mangalitsa w/ Dreaded, Engulfed in Blackness & Shadow of the Destroyer (metal), 9:00PM oFF tHe wAgon Dueling pianos, 9:00PM oliVe or twist 3 Cool Cats (vintage rock 'n' roll), 8:00PM one stop At AsHeVille MUsic HAll Free Dead Fridays w/ members of Phuncle Sam (jam), 5:00PM Wild Adriatic (rock), 10:00PM one worlD Brewing Jordan Okrend, 9:00PM osKAr BlUes BrewerY Joe Cat, 6:00PM pAcK's tAVern DJ MoTo (dance hits, pop), 9:30PM pAtton pUBlic HoUse Marc Keller (acoustic classic rock), 6:00PM
AtHenA's clUB Michael Kelley Hunter (blues), 6:30PM
BlAcK MoUntAin Ale HoUse Matt Walsh (blues, rock), 9:00PM
MArKet plAce The Sean Mason Trio (groove, jazz, funk), 7:00PM
Jerry Joseph & Friends
AsHeVille gUitAr BAr Chris Wilhelm & Hard Rocket, 8:00PM
tHe BlocK oFF BiltMore Peggy Ratusz (blues, benefit for POP Project), 6:00PM LOOK Fridays dancy party w/ DJ Audio, 10:00PM
loBster trAp HotPoint Trio (Gypsy jazz, swing), 6:30PM
Thu•Dec 8
5 WalnuT Wine bar Sweet Sweet (indie, folk), 6:00PM Malasana w/ Juan Benavides (world), 9:00PM
BHrAMAri BrewHoUse Bend & Brew (yoga class), 11:00AM
Wed•Dec 7
FRI/SAT 12/9 & WARREN HAYNES 12/10 CHRISTMAS JAM
sAtUrDAY, december 10
tHe ADMirAl Hip-hop dance party w/ DJ Warf, 11:00PM
tHe riDge At new MoUntAin AVl Mobley w/ Catch Fever (R&B), 9:00PM
Woody Wood
zAMBrA Zambra Jazz Trio, 8:00PM
tiger MoUntAin Friday Nite Mash Up w/ B-Boy Evan & Nex Millen, 10:00PM town pUMp Noah Proudfoot & the Big Peace (folk), 9:00PM tressA's Downtown JAzz AnD BlUes Company Swing (swing, dance), 7:00PM Jim Arrendell & the Cheap Suits (soul, dance), 10:00PM twisteD lAUrel Request-powered dance party w/ Phantom Pantone, 10:30PM UpcoUntrY Brewing coMpAnY Pre-Christmas Jam Show w/ Phuncle Sam, 9:00PM wHite Horse BlAcK MoUntAin Warm December Yuletide Jazz and more w/ Amanda Horton & Andy Jurik, 8:00PM wilD wing cAFe Karma Dogs (rock), 7:00PM wilD wing cAFe soUtH A Social Function, 9:00PM
BUriAl Beer co. Burial Beer Co. & Other Half Velvet Magnum Xmas Party, 7:00PM BYwAter Hustle Souls (Southern soul, groove), 9:00PM corK & Keg Red Hot Sugar Babies (jazz, blues, swing), 8:30PM creeKsiDe tApHoUse Riyen Roots (blues), 8:00PM crow & QUill DiTriani Brothers (Gypsy jazz), 9:00PM DoUBle crown Pitter Platter w/ DJ Big Smidge, 10:00PM elAine's DUeling piAno BAr Dueling Pianos, 9:00PM FoggY MoUntAin BrewpUB Lauren Cole Band (rock), 10:00PM FrencH BroAD BrewerY Wes Swing (folk), 6:00PM gooD stUFF Call The Next Witness (hard rock, alternative), 8:00PM greY eAgle MUsic HAll & tAVern Sirius.B w/ Crystal Bright and the Silver Hands & Plankeye Peggy (Gypsy folk, funk, punk), 8:00PM HigHlAnD Brewing coMpAnY The Get Right Band (rock, reggae, funk), 7:00PM
TAVERN
isis restAUrAnt AnD MUsic HAll An evening w/ Webb Wilder, 7:00PM RBTS Wins w/ We Roll Like Madmen & Astrea Corp, 9:00PM
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
JAcK oF tHe wooD pUB Warren Haynes Christmas Jam by Day w/ Kevn Kinney, The Josh Daniel/Mark Schimick Project, Leigh Glass, Michelle Malone, The Paper Crowns & more, 12:00PM Warren Haynes Christmas Day Jam afterparty w/ Savannah Smith & Southern Soul (soul), 9:00PM
Looking for the Perfect Gift? bo
A How
JerUsAleM gArDen Middle Eastern music & bellydancing, 7:00PM
THU. 12/8 Scott Raines & Jeff Anders
K loUnge DJ Phantom Pantone (Korean pop, trap, dance), 10:00PM
(acoustic rock)
FRI. 12/9 DJ MoTo
lAzY DiAMonD Sonic Satan Stew w/ DJ Alien Brain, 10:00PM
(dance hits, pop)
loBster trAp Sean Mason Trio (jazz), 6:30PM
SAT. 12/10 Gotcha Groove
MArKet plAce DJs (funk, R&B), 7:00PM o.HenrY's/tHe UnDergroUnD Drag Show, 12:30AM oDDitoriUM Benefit for Firestorm Coffee & Books, 9:00PM oFF tHe wAgon Dueling pianos, 9:00PM oliVe or twist 42nd Street Band (big band jazz), 8:00PM Dance party (hip-hop, rap), 11:00PM one stop At AsHeVille MUsic HAll Rob Daverb's 20th birthday celebration (hip hop, electronic), 10:00PM orAnge peel Kid Hop Hooray (children's wintertime dance party), 10:00AM osKAr BlUes BrewerY Jamison Adams Project (rock), 6:00PM pAcK's tAVern Gotcha Groove (R&B, funk, pop), 9:30PM pisgAH Brewing coMpAnY The Alarm Clock Conspiracy w/ Hard Rocket (indie, rock), 8:00PM pUrple onion cAFe Jeff Thompson & Aaron Price (singersongwriter, jazz, alt. rock), 7:30PM rooM ix Open dance night, 9:00PM root BAr no. 1 Rad Lou (rock, experimental, punk), 8:00PM sAlVAge stAtion Urban Soil, 9:00PM sAnctUArY Brewing coMpAnY Yoga w/ Cats with Blue Ridge Humane Society, 10:00AM Ross Osteen and The Crossroads, 8:00PM scAnDAls nigHtclUB DJ dance party & drag show, 10:00PM scArlet's coUntrY DAnce clUB Birthday Bash w/ Michelle Leigh Band (Southern rock), 9:00PM soUtHern AppAlAcHiAn BrewerY The Krektones Christmas (surf Christmas tunes), 8:00PM
ut a Pa ck’s Tave rn Gift Card!
And
(R&B, funk, pop)
BREWS East Asheville’s Craft Beer Destination
BEST DEALS IN TOWN
20 S. Spruce St. • 225.6944 PacksTavern.com
MON: Burgers & Trivia 7-9pm TUE: Tacos + Blues w/ Matt Walsh WED: Wings & Open Mic Jam - 7pm THU: Billy Litz - 7pm (Americana) FRI: Evan Wade - 7pm (Eclectic Rock) SAT: Nachos and Riyen Roots - 8pm (Soul/Blues) SUN: Football Nachos & FOOTBALL!
All the
NFL, NHL & SEC
action on our 10 TV’s Call us to bookyour next Party! Parties of 10+, please call ahead
tHe ADMirAl Soul night w/ DJ Dr. Filth, 11:00PM
mountainx.com
december 7 - december 13, 2016
51
clU B lA n D
Send your listings to clubland@mountainx.com
tHe BlocK oFF BiltMore Conscious Comedy Night w/ Grayson Morris, 7:00PM International Salsa Dance Night, 10:00PM tHe BiltMore estAte Michael Cash (Southern gospel, soul), 6:00PM
North Carolina’s First Cider Bar Family Owned & Operated Seasonal, craft-made hard ciders and tasting-room delights from local farmers & artisans.
Cranberry Cider is back! #1- Best Places in America to Drink Cider -Food & Wine Magazine
tHe MocKing crow Karaoke w/ Josie, 9:00PM tHe MotHligHt Beat Life, 9:30PM tHe riDge At new MoUntAin AVl ZODIAC: Moon in Taurus w/ Nocturnal Status, illanthropy & Scatz, 9:00PM tHe sociAl loUnge Ultra Lounge w/ Phantom Pantone, 10:00PM tHe sUMMit At new MoUntAin AVl Old-School dance party (age 30+), 10:00PM town pUMp Earth by Train (Americana, jam), 9:00PM
210 Haywood Road, West Asheville, NC 28806
(828)744-5151
www.urbanorchardcider.com
tressA's Downtown JAzz AnD BlUes The King Zeros (delta blues), 7:30PM The Free Flow Band (funk, soul, dance), 10:00PM twisteD lAUrel Dance Party w/ Phantom Pantone, 10:30PM Us cellUlAr center Warren Haynes 28th annual Christmas Jam w/ Gov't Mule, Bob Weir, Michael McDonald, Jamey Johnson and Alison Krauss, The Last Waltz Band, Brandford Marsalis & more, 7:00PM wHite Horse BlAcK MoUntAin The Asheville Jazz Orchestra, 8:00PM wilD wing cAFe Karaoke, 9:00PM zAMBrA Zambra Jazz Trio, 8:00PM
sUnDAY, DeceMBer 11 5 WalnuT Wine bar New Vibe (vibraphone, jazz, funk), 7:00PM AltAMont tHeAtre An Evening w/ Michelle Malone (folk, rock), 7:00PM AsHeVille gUitAr BAr Guitar Bar Jam Sunday, 3:30PM AsHeVille MUsic HAll Tom Hamilton's American Babies (Americana, indie, rock), 2:00PM
Winter packages available! advertise@mountainx.com 52
december 7 - december 13, 2016
mountainx.com
Ben's tUne-Up Sunday Funday DJ set, 3:00PM Dub Kartel (reggae, dub), 6:00PM BHrAMAri BrewHoUse Sunday brunch w/ live music, 11:00AM
BlUe MoUntAin pizzA & Brew pUB Redleg Husky (bluegrass, country), 7:00PM BYwAter Dirty Dead Sunday (Grateful Dead covers), 8:00PM DoUBle crown Killer Karaoke w/ KJ Tim O, 9:00PM FlooD gAllerY True home open mic (sign-up @ 7 p.m.), 7:30PM gooD stUFF Sheila Kay Adams (folk, oldtime, storytelling), 3:00PM greY eAgle MUsic HAll & tAVern Ben Phan & The Soul Symphony w/ Hannah Kaminer (indie, folk, singersongwriter), 7:00PM HigHlAnD Brewing coMpAnY Reggae Sunday w/ Dennis "Chalwa" Berndt, 1:00PM isis restAUrAnt AnD MUsic HAll Sunday Classical Brunch, 11:00AM An evening w/ Andrew Finn Magill, 5:30PM History of Jazz Series: JazzThe Future and Beyond, 7:30PM JAcK oF tHe wooD pUB Irish session, 5:00PM lAzY DiAMonD Punk night w/ DJ Homeless Plumber aka "Chubberbird", 10:00PM
tHe iMperiAl liFe DJ Phantom Pantone (french pop, disco house), 10:00PM tHe MotHligHt Mr. Fred's Fair (arts & craft fair), 12:00PM Wham Bam Puppet Slam (puppetry show), 8:00PM tHe oMni groVe pArK inn Lou Mowad (classical guitar), 10:00AM Bob Zullo (pop, rock, blues), 7:00PM tHe sociAl Get Vocal Karaoke, 9:30PM tHe sociAl loUnge Sunday brunch on the rooftop w/ Katie Kasben & Dan Keller (jazz), 12:30PM tHe soUtHern Yacht Rock Brunch w/ DJ Kipper, 12:00PM tHe sUMMit At new MoUntAin AVl Cereus Bright (folk), 9:00PM wHite Horse BlAcK MoUntAin Marcel Anton Band (jazz, blues, fusion), 7:30PM
MonDAY, december 12 185 king sTreeT Open mic night, 7:00PM 5 WalnuT Wine bar Siamese Jazz Club (soul, R&B, jazz), 8:00PM
loBster trAp Hot Club of Asheville ("swing'n grass"), 6:30PM
AsHeVille gUitAr BAr Classical Guitar Mondays, 7:00PM
oDDitoriUM 90s Dance Party, 9:00PM The Cavalcade of Curiosities (sideshow), 9:00PM
BUrger BAr Honky Tonk night, 9:00PM
oFF tHe wAgon Piano show, 9:00PM oliVe or twist Red & Black Ball w/ Westsound Band, 5:00PM one stop At AsHeVille MUsic HAll Bluegrass brunch w/ Woody Wood, 11:00AM Sundays w/ Bill & friends, 5:00PM orAnge peel Rock For Standing Rock w/ members of the Cherokee Tribe, The Resonant Rogues, The Ditrani Brothers & Teach Me Equals, 5:00PM
BYwAter Open mic w/ Rick Cooper, 8:00PM coUrtYArD gAllerY Open mic (music, poetry, comedy, etc.), 8:00PM creeKsiDe tApHoUse Trivia w/ Emily, 7:00PM DoUBle crown Country Karaoke, 10:00PM gooD stUFF Songwriter's "open mic", 7:30PM greY eAgle MUsic HAll & tAVern Contra dance (lessons, 7:30pm), 8:00PM
pisgAH Brewing coMpAnY Sunday Travers jam, 6:00PM
HigHlAnD Brewing coMpAnY Pints For Pints Blood Drive, 2:00PM
pUrple onion cAFe Aaron Burdett (Americana), 8:00PM
JAcK oF tHe wooD pUB Todd Cecil & friends (Americana, blues), 9:00PM
scAnDAls nigHtclUB DJ dance party & drag show, 10:00PM
lexington AVe BrewerY (lAB) Kipper's "Totally Rad" Trivia night, 8:00PM
soUtHern AppAlAcHiAn BrewerY Carolinabound (folk, blues), 5:00PM
loBster trAp Bobby Miller & friends (bluegrass), 6:30PM
creeKsiDe tApHoUse Matt Walsh (blues), 6:00PM crow & QUill Boogie Woogie Burger Night (burgers, rock n' roll), 9:00PM DoUBle crown Honky-Tonk, Cajun, and Western w/ DJ Brody Hunt, 10:00PM
osKAr BlUes BrewerY Oskar Blues BREVARDaversary w/ The Soul Magnetics & DJ Nex Millen, 5:00PM
gooD stUFF Old time-y night, 6:30PM
tHe MotHligHt Shane Mauss (comedy, science, psychedelics), 8:00PM
isis restAUrAnt AnD MUsic HAll Tuesday bluegrass sessions w/ Rob Parks & friends, 7:30PM
tHe oMni groVe pArK inn Bob Zullo (pop, rock, blues), 7:00PM tHe sociAl loUnge Rooftop movies w/ Phantom Pantone DJ Collective, 8:00PM tHe VAlleY MUsic & cooKHoUse Monday Pickin' Parlour (open jam, open mic), 8:00PM
iron Horse stAtion Open mic, 6:00PM
JAcK oF tHe wooD pUB Cajun Two-steppin' Tuesday w/ The Cre'ole & In the Way (Cajun, zydeco, dance), 7:00PM lAzY DiAMonD Heavy Metal Karaoke, 10:00PM loBster trAp Jay Brown (folk, singer-songwriter), 6:30PM
tiger MoUntAin Service industry night (rock 'n' roll), 9:00PM
MArKet plAce QuickChester (indie, rock, blues), 7:00PM
UpcoUntrY Brewing coMpAnY Old-time jam w/ Mitch McConnell, 6:30PM
oDDitoriUM Odd comedy night, 9:00PM
UrBAn orcHArD Old-time music, 7:00PM
tUesDAY, DeceMBer 13 5 WalnuT Wine bar The John Henrys (hot jazz), 8:00PM 550 Tavern & grille Shag Night, 6:00PM AsHeVille gUitAr BAr Gypsy Jazz Jam Tuesdays, 7:00PM AsHeVille MUsic HAll Tuesday Night Funk Jam, 11:00PM BAcK YArD BAr Open mic & jam w/ Robert Swain, 8:00PM BlAcK BeAr coFFee co. Round Robin acoustic open mic, 7:00PM BlAcK MoUntAin Ale HoUse Trivia, 7:30PM
ole sHAKeY's Booty Tuesday, 11:00PM oliVe or twist Blues Night w/ Remedy, 8:00PM one stop At AsHeVille MUsic HAll Turntable Tuesdays (DJs & vinyl), 10:00PM one worlD Brewing TRIVIA! w/ Ol' Gilly, 7:00PM
weDnesDAY, DeceMBer 14 185 king sTreeT Vinyl Night, 6:00PM 5 WalnuT Wine bar Ryan Oslance Duo (jazz), 5:00PM Les Amis (African folk), 8:00PM
CRYSTAL BRIGHT 12/10 ANDW/PLANKEYE THE SILVER HANDS, PEGGY
12/11 12/14 12/15
BEN PHAN AND THE SOUL SYMPHONY W/ HANNAH KAMINER
SAVANNAH SMITH SOUTHERN SOUL
AND
CHATHAM COUNTY LINE
8PM DOORS
CONTRA DANCE: MONDAYS 8PM
BArleY's tAprooM & pizzeriA Dr. Brown's Team Trivia, 8:30PM BlUe MoUntAin pizzA & Brew pUB Open Mic w/ Mark Bumgarner, 7:00PM BUFFAlo nicKel Michael Reno Harrell (singersongwriter, storytelling), 7:00PM BUrger BAr Karaoke, 9:00PM
12/07 wed
BYwAter The Woodshed, 9:00PM
12/09
fri
crow & QUill Teach Me Equals (experimental, ambient), 9:00PM
tHe BlocK oFF BiltMore Jazz-n-Justice Tuesday w/ Caleb Beissert (Spoken Word Showcase), 7:30PM
greY eAgle MUsic HAll & tAVern Luke Bell w/ The Krektones [CANCELLED], 8:00PM Savannah Smith & Southern Soul (Southern rock), 8:00PM
nick waterhouse
megan jean and the klay family band w/ chelsea lynn labate, sinners and saints
DoUBle crown Classic Country w/ DJ David Wayne Gay, 10:00PM
gooD stUFF Jim Hampton & friends perform "Eclectic Country" (jam), 7:00PM
worthwhile sounds presents. . .
w/greg cartwright
creeKsiDe tApHoUse Open mic w/ Roots & friends, 7:00PM
sAnctUArY Brewing coMpAnY Taco and Trivia Tuesday!, 7:00PM
tHe sociAl loUnge Phantom Pantone (DJ), 10:00PM
SIRIUS.B
12/16 TOWN MOUNTAIN + THE HONEYCUTTERS 12/17 A MUSCLE SHOALS MUSIC REVUE W/ THE AMY BLACK BAND 12/18 INDIE SOUTH HOLIDAY MARKET - 10:00AM 12/18 THE SECRET SISTERS CHRISTMAS TOUR
AsHeVille gUitAr BAr Brad Hodge (singer-songwriter), 7:00PM
FUnKAtoriUM Staves & Strings (bluegrass), 6:30PM
tHe pHoenix Open mic, 8:00PM
SAT
wilD wing cAFe Doghouse w/ the Appalachian Mountaineers, 6:00PM
osKAr BlUes BrewerY Trivia night w/ DJ Josie Breeze, 6:00PM
tHe coloUrFielD Santa Baby Workshop w/ Christine Garvin Dance & Transform, 6:30PM
12/9
SUN
orAnge peel Holiday Movie Double Feature: Elf, 6:30PM Holiday Movie Double Feature: Love Actually, 8:30PM
BYwAter Spin Jam, 9:00PM
wHite Horse BlAcK MoUntAin Irish sessions & open mic, 6:30PM
WED
one stop At AsHeVille MUsic HAll Naked Scholar (soul, R&B, hip hop), 10:00PM
BUrger BAr Old Time Blues Jam, 9:00PM
THU
ole sHAKeY's Jonathan Ammons & Take The Wheel (honky-tonk karaoke), 9:00PM
ROCK FOR RESCUES: ASHEVILLE HUMANE SOCIETY BENEFIT
W / JOS H FARROW
7PM DOORS
UrBAn orcHArD Billy Litz (Americana, singersongwriter), 7:00PM
7PM DOORS
BUFFAlo nicKel Trivia, 7:00PM
WILL H O G E
6PM DOORS
oDDitoriUM Risque Monday (burlesque), 9:00PM
12/8
7PM 8PM DOORS DOORS
tressA's Downtown JAzz AnD BlUes Early Funk & Jazz Jam (funk & jazz), 9:00PM
THU
BlUe MoUntAin pizzA & Brew pUB Mark Bumgarner (Americana, bluegrass), 7:00PM
FRI
o.HenrY's/tHe UnDergroUnD Geeks Who Drink trivia, 7:00PM
12/10 sat 12/11 sun 12/11 sun 12/12 mon
beat life wham bam puppet slam
' mr. fred s fair
cp presents. . .
shane mauss-a good trip
comedy + science + psychedelics
Woodpecker Pie
Savory and Sweet Hand Pies!
grinD cAFe Trivia night, 7:00PM
5pm to last call
Yoga at the Mothlight
HigHlAnD Brewing coMpAnY Woody Wood Wednesdays (rock, soul, funk), 5:30PM
Tues., Thurs., and Sat. 11:30am Details for all shows can be found at
themothlight.com
mountainx.com
december 7 - december 13, 2016
53
c l UB l A nD
Send your listings to clubland@mountainx.com town pUMp Open mic w/ Billy Presnell, 9:00PM
ole sHAKeY's O.S.O.M. Open Mic, 10:00PM
JAcK oF tHe wooD pUB Old-time session, 5:00PM
tressA's Downtown JAzz AnD BlUes Blues & Soul Jam (blues, soul), 9:00PM
oliVe or twist Michael Filippone's Guest Artist Night, 7:00PM
lAzY DiAMonD Killer Karaoke w/ KJ Tim O, 10:00PM
wilD wing cAFe Ashley Heath & Jordan Okrend (acoustic), 7:00PM
isis restAUrAnt AnD MUsic HAll Franklin School of Innovation Winter Benefit Concert, 7:00PM
loBster trAp Ben Hovey (dub, jazz), 6:30PM
COMING SOON wed 12/7
7:00PM – LOS ABROJITOS
THU 12/8 & FRI 12/9 TWO NIGHTS, 8:30PM –
O’CONNOR BAND FEATURING MARK O’CONNOR CD RELEASE CELEBRATION & “AN APPALACHIAN CHRISTMAS” sat 12/10 7:00PM – WEBB WILDER
185 king sTreeT Standing Rock Benefit, 8:00PM
noBle KAVA Open mic w/ Caleb Beissert, 9:00PM
5 WalnuT Wine bar Pleasure Chest (blues, rock, soul), 8:00PM
o.HenrY's/tHe UnDergroUnD "Take the Cake" Karaoke, 10:00PM
AltAMont tHeAtre Millie Palmer Trio (jazz), 8:00PM
osKAr BlUes BrewerY Bradley Carter (singer-songwriter), 6:00PM
AsHeVille gUitAr BAr Will Ray & The Space Cooties, 7:00PM
pUlp Slice of Life Comedy Open Mic, 9:00PM
BArleY's tAprooM & pizzeriA Alien Music Club | Freddie Hubbard, 9:00PM
pAcK's tAVern Hope Griffin Duo (acoustic folk, rock), 8:00PM
BlAcK MoUntAin Ale HoUse Bluegrass Jam w/ The Big Deal Band, 8:00PM
pisgAH Brewing coMpAnY Aaron Austin Trio w/ members of The Broadcast (jazz, funk), 8:00PM pUrple onion cAFe Dogwhistle (classic country), 8:00PM
oDDitoriUM Funny Girlzz (comedy, storytelling), 9:00PM oFF tHe wAgon Piano show, 9:00PM oliVe or twist Swing dance lesson w/ Bobby Wood, 7:30PM 3 Cool Cats (vintage rock), 8:00PM
5:30PM – ANDREW FINN MAGILL
one stop At AsHeVille MUsic HAll Brown Bag Songwriting competition, 5:00PM
BlUe MoUntAin pizzA & Brew pUB Matt Sellars (Americana, blues, roots), 7:00PM
one worlD Brewing Redleg Husky, 8:00PM
BUrger BAr Garage/surf rock w/ DJ PAPA Wheelie, 9:00PM
tue 12/13 7:30PM – TUESDAY BLUEGRASS SESSIONS wed 12/14 7:00PM – THE FRANKLIN SCHOOL OF INNOVATION WINTER BENEFIT CONCERT THU 12/15 & FRI 12/16 TWO NIGHTS, 9:00PM –
THE BLUEGRASS BALL FEATURING
THE TRAVELIN’ MCCOURYS, ANDY THORN, TRAVIS BOOK, AND JON STICKLEY sat 12/17
JEANNE JOLLY & THE MISTLETOES IN THE JOLLY HOLIDAY REVUE
7:00PM- EARLY SHOW 9:15PM- LATE SHOW sun 12/18 5:30PM – BAREFOOT MOVEMENT
HOLIDAY SHOW
7:30PM – RUSS WILSON’S
“HAVE YOURSELF A SWINGING LITTLE CHRISTMAS”
tue 12/20 7:30PM – TUESDAY BLUEGRASS SESSIONS wed 12/21 7:00PM – DE LA NOCHE: TANGO EXPERIENCE 8:30PM –CELEBRATE THE SEASON WITH SWEET CLAUDETTE AND BIG SOUND HARBOR ISISASHEVILLE.COM DINNER MENU TIL 9:30PM LATE NIGHT MENU TIL 12AM
TUES-SUN 5PM-until 743 HAYWOOD RD 828-575-2737
december 7 - december 13, 2016
one worlD Brewing Matt Walsh, 8:00PM
MoUntAin MoJo coFFeeHoUse Open mic, 6:30PM
9:00PM – RBTS WIN, WE ROLL LIKE
MADMEN, AND ASTREA CORP sun 12/11
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Thursday, december 15
one stop At AsHeVille MUsic HAll Mitch's Totally Rad Trivia Night, 7:00PM An evening w/ Flux Capacitor (jam, rock), 10:00PM
orAnge peel Rising Appalachia w/ Hope For Agoldensummer & Dustin Thomas (world, folk, soul), 9:00PM pisgAH Brewing coMpAnY Frank Lee & Allie Burbrink (bluegrass), 6:00PM rooM ix Fuego: Latin night, 9:00PM sAnctUArY Brewing coMpAnY Ugly Christmas Sweater Party w/ Santa & DJ Troy, 7:00PM slY grog loUnge Sound Station open mic (musicians of all backgrounds & skills), 7:30PM tHe BlocK oFF BiltMore Jonathan Scales listening party (piannist), 6:00PM Morgan Spurlock's "What Would Jesus Buy?" (documentary), 8:00PM tHe BiltMore estAte Michael Cash (Southern gospel, soul), 6:00PM tHe Joint next Door Bluegrass jam, 8:00PM tHe MocKing crow Open Mic w/ Jeremy Indelicato & Susan Bargar, 8:00PM tHe MotHligHt JEFF The Brotherhood w/ Mom and Dad & Plastic Pinks (psychedelic, grunge), 9:30PM tHe pHoenix Jazz night w/ Jason DeCristofaro, 8:00PM tHe sociAl loUnge DJ Phantom Pantone (international soul, R&B), 8:00PM
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clADDAgH restAUrAnt & pUB Irish Music Thursdays, 7:00PM creeKsiDe tApHoUse Company News, 7:00PM crow & QUill Carolina Catskins (gritty ragtime jazz), 10:00PM DoUBle crown Sonic Satan Stew w/DJ Alien Brain, 10:00PM elAine's DUeling piAno BAr Dueling Pianos, 9:00PM
orAnge peel Rising Appalachia w/ Hope For Agoldensummer & Dustin Thomas (world, folk, soul), 9:00PM
rooM ix Throwback Thursdays (all vinyl set), 9:00PM sAnctUArY Brewing coMpAnY Billy Litz (one man soul band), 7:00PM
UpcoUntrY Brewing coMpAnY Armadilla, 9:00PM
Friday, december 16 185 king sTreeT The Get Right Band (funk, rock, reggae), 8:00PM 5 WalnuT Wine bar CaroMia & Ryan Oslance (soul, R&B), 9:00PM 550 Tavern & grille Zuzu Welsh Band (rock, blues, Americana), 9:00PM AsHeVille MUsic HAll Supatight album release w/ Groove Fetish (funk, reggae, rock), 9:00PM AtHenA's clUB Dave Blair (folk, funk, acoustic), 7:00PM Ben's tUne-Up Woody Wood & the Asheville Family Band (acoustic, folk, rock), 7:00PM BlUe MoUntAin pizzA & Brew pUB Acoustic Swing, 7:00PM BUrger BAr Bike Night, 9:00PM corK & Keg The Old Chevrolette Set (country, Americana), 8:30PM creeKsiDe tApHoUse King Garbage (soul), 7:00PM crow & QUill Tina & Her Pony w/ 10 Cent Poetry (indie folk), 10:00PM
scAnDAls nigHtclUB DJ dance party & drag show, 10:00PM
DoUBle crown DJ Greg Cartwright (garage & soul obscurities), 10:00PM
soUtHern AppAlAcHiAn BrewerY Cabo Verde (Latin, jazz, fusion), 7:00PM
elAine's DUeling piAno BAr Dueling Pianos, 9:00PM
spring creeK tAVern Open Mic, 6:00PM
FirestorM cAFe AnD BooKs Travel By Haiku w/ Marshall James Kavanaugh & Searra Jade, 6:00PM FoggY MoUntAin BrewpUB Zapato (funk, jazz), 10:00PM
FoggY MoUntAin BrewpUB Paper Crowns (Americana, folk), 9:00PM
stone roAD restAUrAnt & BAr Open Mic w/ Tony the Pony, 8:00PM
FrencH BroAD BrewerY Momma Molasses (indie folk), 6:00PM
tHe MocKing crow Acoustic night w/ Steve Moseley & Heath Lewis, 8:00PM
gooD stUFF In Flight & Nathan Robinson, 8:00PM
greY eAgle MUsic HAll & tAVern Chatham County Line's "Electric Holiday Tour" (bluegrass), 9:00PM
tHe MotHligHt The Moth: True Stories Told Live (storytelling), 7:30PM
greY eAgle MUsic HAll & tAVern 5th annual Holiday Hang Benefit Show w/ Town Mountain & The Honeycutters, 8:00PM
isis restAUrAnt AnD MUsic HAll The Bluegrass Ball w/ The Travelin' McCourys, Andy Thorn, Travis Book & Jon Stickley, 9:00PM JAcK oF tHe wooD pUB Bluegrass jam, 7:00PM lAzY DiAMonD Heavy Night w/ DJ Butch, 10:00PM loBster trAp Hank Bones ("The man of 1,000 songs"), 6:30PM
tHe sUMMit At new MoUntAin AVl Summit Jam, 6:00PM tiMo's HoUse TRL REQUEST NIGHT w/ DJ Franco Nino, 7:00PM town pUMp Redleg Husky (Americana), 9:00PM trAilHeAD restAUrAnt AnD BAr Open Cajun & swing jam w/ Steve Burnside, 7:00PM
oDDitoriUM Jeff Two Names, Beige Curtains & Gullible Boys (punk), 9:00PM
tressA's Downtown JAzz AnD BlUes Jesse Barry & The Jam (live music, dance), 9:00PM
oFF tHe wAgon Dueling pianos, 9:00PM
twisteD lAUrel Karaoke, 8:00PM
FrencH BroAD BrewerY Todd Cecil & Backsouth (rock. Americana), 6:00PM
isis restAUrAnt AnD MUsic HAll The Bluegrass Ball w/ The Travelin' McCourys, Andy Thorn, Travis Book & Jon Stickley, 9:00PM JAcK oF tHe wooD pUB Jonny Monster Band (rock, blues), 9:00PM JerUsAleM gArDen Middle Eastern music & bellydancing, 7:00PM K loUnge DJ Phantom Pantone (Korean pop, trap, dance), 10:00PM lAzY DiAMonD Rotating Rock 'n' Oldies DJs, 10:00PM
loBster trAp Calico Moon (Americana), 6:30PM MArKet plAce The Sean Mason Trio (groove, jazz, funk), 7:00PM o.HenrY's/tHe UnDergroUnD Drag Show, 12:30AM oDDitoriUM Kitty Tsunami, Del Sur, Flower City Conspiracy & The No Ways (rock), 9:00PM oFF tHe wAgon Dueling pianos, 9:00PM oliVe or twist 42nd Street Band (big band jazz), 8:00PM
twisteD lAUrel Request-powered dance party w/ Phantom Pantone, 10:30PM UpcoUntrY Brewing coMpAnY Jerry Garcia Jam Band, 9:25PM wHite Horse BlAcK MoUntAin Malcolm Holcombe (singer-songwriter), 8:00PM wilD wing cAFe Vintage (classic rock), 9:00PM wilD wing cAFe soUtH A Social Function, 9:00PM zAMBrA Zambra Jazz Trio, 8:00PM
McConcession Specials!
theblockoffbiltmore.com 39 S. Market St., Downtown Asheville
one stop At AsHeVille MUsic HAll Free Dead Fridays w/ members of Phuncle Sam (jam), 5:00PM one worlD Brewing Hustle Souls, 9:00PM orAnge peel Rumours (Fleetwood Mac tribute), 9:00PM osKAr BlUes BrewerY Shotgun Gypsies (Americana), 6:00PM pAcK's tAVern DJ MoTo (dance hits, pop), 9:30PM pAtton pUBlic HoUse Marc Keller (acoustic classic rock), 6:00PM pisgAH Brewing coMpAnY Skunk Ruckus (hillbilly gutrock), 8:00PM sAlVAge stAtion Phuncle Sam, 8:00PM sAnctUArY Brewing coMpAnY Sean Bendula (singer-songwriter), 8:00PM scAnDAls nigHtclUB Zumba!, 7:00PM DJ dance party & drag show, 10:00PM scArlet's coUntrY DAnce clUB Open Mic night w/ Sam Warner, 8:00PM soUtHern AppAlAcHiAn BrewerY Ugly Sweater Christmas show w/ The Stipe Brothers, Kent Rector & Jeff Hinkle, 8:00PM stone roAD restAUrAnt & BAr 3 Cool Cats (vintage rock 'n' roll), 7:30PM tHe ADMirAl Hip-hop dance party w/ DJ Warf, 11:00PM tHe DUgoUt Justified Vibe, 9:00PM tHe MocKing crow Trivia and karoke night!, 9:00PM tHe MotHligHt Public Life w/ Sours, Not Yet & Annelise Kopp, 10:00PM tHe sociAl Steve Moseley (acoustic), 6:00PM tHe sociAl loUnge Ultra Lounge w/ Phantom Pantone, 10:00PM tiger MoUntAin Friday Nite Mash Up w/ B-Boy Evan & Nex Millen, 10:00PM town pUMp Loose Leaves, 9:00PM tressA's Downtown JAzz AnD BlUes Mark Shane (acoustic guitar), 7:00PM Ryan “R&B” Barber (r&b, soul), 10:00PM
Expires 2-28-17
mountainx.com
december 7 - december 13, 2016
55
MoVies
REVIEWS & LISTINGS BY JUSTIN SOUTHER & SCOTT DOUGLAS
= PICK OF THE WEEK
Amy Adams vamps Jake Gyllenhall in Tom Ford’s stylish neo-noir Nocturnal Animals
Nocturnal Animals HHHHS
director: Tom Ford PLaYers: Amy Adams, Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Shannon, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Isla Fisher, Armie Hammer, Ellie Bamber, Laura Linney. susPense tHriLLer RATED R tHe storY: An L.A. art gallery owner reads a novel dedicated to her by the ex-husband she abandoned, and its
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violent imagery prompts her to reevaluate their relationship. tHe LoWdoWn: A twisty thriller hiding a deeper significance, Tom Ford’s second film is stylish, dark and irreverent in all the right ways. Tom Ford’s masterfully conceived deconstructionist neo-noir thriller Nocturnal Animals is not a film about relationships; it’s not even really a film about people. At its core, Animals is a film about the
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psychological function of art — both high and low — and the purpose the creative process can serve in the development of the artist on a personal level. It’s also a story of deceptive depth and affect that reaches some very unexpected emotional and narrative places. Ford’s script is a web of obfuscation hiding a human message under multifarious layers of story, and that’s precisely the Gordian knot that makes the film so compelling to unravel.
M A X R AT I N G
There will be very few moviegoers that will not find themselves haunted by the film for some time after the credits role, and even those who are prepared to dismiss the film out of hand will likely concede that there’s something very interesting going on here. The source for such dismissals would unquestionably be writerdirector-producer Ford, here helming his sophomore feature based on Austin Wright’s 1993 novel Tony and Susan. A consummate stylist on the basis of his haute couture pedigree, Ford is something of a polarizing filmmaker. Nocturnal Animals will do little to bridge the divide between those who love his work and those who hate it. But when a film’s opening credits prominently feature a full-frontal Lynchian cavalcade of overweight women dancing with sparklers, you know you’re in for a unique cinematic experience at the very least. Ford seems to excel in character design if not always character development, and his against-type casting of Amy Adams as a slick-as-black-ice L.A. art gallery owner is an inspired choice. Adams delivers a classic femme fatale turn with a touch of pathos-inspiring neurosis as Susan, whose fiscally faltering philanderer of a hubby (Armie Hammer) leaves her with enough time on her hands to become a little too immersed in a manuscript from jilted ex-husband Tony (Jake Gyllenhaal). This is where the film diverges into noir territory, as Tony’s novel reads like a poor-man’s Cormac McCarthy with an extra serving of pulp, its story commingling with Adams’ flashbacks to create a filmic narrative as circuitous as any Dashiell Hammett adaptation. Adams and Gyllenhaal gracefully navigate the film’s twisting narrative contortions, with stellar supporting turns from Michael Shannon, Laura Linney and Aaron Taylor-Johnson fleshing out a bleak psychological landscape. The metatextual commentary reinforced by the novel within the
film underscores the breakdown of Susan and Tony’s prior relationship, playing out its potboiler melodrama with Gyllenhaal starring (again) as the book’s protagonist Edward, whose wife and daughter — with Isla Fisher as a fictional proxy and visual analogue for Adams’ Susan — are abducted and abused by nefarious Texas hill country highwaymen. If this all sounds a bit convoluted, that’s because it is; but rest assured, Ford is utilizing this overwrought conceit to make a larger point. The emotional impetus of the film can be found in the violent pessimism of its mise en abyme, and while the byzantine structure of the script likely owes a great deal to its literary source material, Ford adds his own touch of black, tongue-in-cheek satire to the proceedings that should tip off audiences to his underlying motivations. If Tony’s book isn’t particularly good, it’s still better than the “art” curated in Susan’s gallery. These are characters with no taste to speak of, but who gravitate toward artistic pursuits nonetheless. Adams’ Susan seems to be suffocating under the abandonment of her creative impulses, while Gyllenaal’s Tony uses his writing to work through the emotional trauma he suffered at her hands. The film is at its most effective between the lines, where the thinly veiled autobiographical attack of Tony’s novel is felt most acutely by its target as Susan’s growing sense of regret and desperation becomes inescapably palpable. Ford is utilizing his script’s tripartite story structure to make a statement about the often blurred lines between memory and fiction, between life and art. Both Tony and his literary stand-in Edward are depicted as weak characters, but by the time the film’s downbeat ending reveals his true intentions, his character arc is cathartically completed through a strength expressed in his work itself rather than through any climactic confrontation with the woman who wronged him. If life doesn’t exactly imitate art in Nocturnal Animals, the film’s ending certainly imitates life’s capacity for conclusions that can be at once frustratingly ambiguous and definitively final. Directorially, Ford has successfully navigated a minefield that could have derailed a lesser production, crafting a film that walks the razor’s edge between strained seriousness and pastiche, in the process delivering a film that will impress with its capacity for both tact and tackiness in the ser-
vice of a significant statement. It’s a singular achievement, and while it may polarize audience assessment, it’s an undeniably distinctive piece of work. Rated R for violence, menace, graphic nudity, and language. Opens Friday at Fine Arts Theatre, Regal Biltmore Grande reviewed by Scott Douglas jsdouglas22@gmail.com
Always Shine
HHHS DIRECTOR: Sophia Takal PLAYERS: Mackenzie Davis, Caitlin FitzGerald, Lawrence Michael Levine, Khan Baykal, Alexander Koch, Colleen Camp, Jane Adams. SUSPENSE THRILLER RATED NR THE STORY: Two actresses find their friendship torn apart by interpersonal rivalries and society’s expectations of women when their vacation takes an unexpectedly surreal turn with fatal consequences. THE LOWDOWN: Director Sophia Takal’s lofty ambitions are undermined by an ideologically conflicted script, but exceptional performances save the production from outright failure. Sophia Takal’s sophomore feature Always Shine is not so much a film as a diatribe on gender-specific identity and the difficulties of reconciling each individual woman’s representation of femininity in conflict with societal expectations of that role. It’s a profoundly important message, but one too often lost in Takal’s overstylized directorial approach and descent into metafictional commentary. Outstanding performances from two charismatic female leads ground the production and elevate it beyond its one-note script, but the story falls short of serving the dialectical position it’s intended to espouse. These two characters, Beth (Caitlin Fitzgerald) and Anna (Mackenzie Davis), are a pair of struggling young actresses locked in competition both professional and personal as they try to resuscitate their floundering friendship with a weekend in Big Sur.
Fitzgerald and Davis expertly embody their characters, and while the script gives them plenty to work with, much of that material is misguided at best and hypocritical at worst. The film opens on an audition in which Beth, the more successful of the duo, is painfully objectified and dehumanized by two male filmmakers who guide her line readings from offscreen while clearly more concerned over her level of acquiescence to the extensive nudity her role in their low-budget horror movie would require. It’s an explicit and impactful mission statement on the part of the filmmakers, but as we see Beth and Anna consistently presented in skimpy clothing, frequently talking to, or about, men in which they’re sexually interested, and undercutting each other at every possible turn, the film’s intentions become less clearly defined. In light of the recent uproar over a 2013 interview detailing Bernardo Bertolucci and Marlon Brando’s egregious misconduct with actress Maria Schneider while shooting Last Tango in Paris, Takal’s film has come along at a particularly opportune time to contribute to the crucial discussion of how women are treated (or far more accurately, mistreated) in the film industry. Then again, the only “bad” time to have any discussion so necessary and significant would be “later.” Unfortunately, Takal and screenwriter Lawrence Michael Levine undermine their entirely justified feminist agenda by couching it in a context too loosely founded on the broad strokes of its characters’ struggles, casting a marginally accusatory light on the very women at the story’s center even as it makes every man in their orbit look much, much worse. If the men in Always Shine are pejoratively depicted as either overtly sleazy or dimwittedly exploitative, Beth and Anna are shown to be narcissistic egoists, self-absorbed and self-sabotaging stereotypes that seldom serve their own best interests. It does feel real in some ways, but a slightly less cynical representation of womanhood would have better served the film’s objective. A perfunctory plot twist, leaning heavily on DePalma’s Sisters, Lynch’s Mulholland Drive and Bergman’s Persona, makes a cursory attempt to remedy this state of affairs, but it does so with a significant story point that occurs entirely offscreen and is never satisfactorily resolved. Without giving too much away, this twist would have functioned more effectively in a film that had focused
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T HEATER INFORMATION Asheville Pizza & Brewing Co. (254-1281) ashevillebrewing.com/movies Carmike Cinema 10 (298-4452) carmike.com Carolina Cinemas (274-9500) carolinacinemas.com Co-ed Cinema Brevard (883-2200) coedcinema.com Epic of Hendersonville (693-1146) epictheatres.com Fine Arts Theatre (232-1536) fineartstheatre.com Flatrock Cinema (697-2463) flatrockcinema.com GRAIL moviehouse (239-9392) grailmoviehouse.com Regal Biltmore Grande Stadium 15 (684-1298) regmovies.com United Artists Beaucatcher (298-1234) regmovies.com
exclusively on its protagonists’ inner landscapes, or one that played out as a more straightforward thriller. As it stands Shine wants to have it both ways, leaving both story and characters underserved by an underwhelming third act. As a man who self-identifies as a feminist, especially when it comes to film, I desperately wanted Always Shine to be the production that unequivocally excoriated the Hollywood establishment’s abysmal track record with women on both sides of the camera. And it very nearly was, at least until its third act jettisoned the film’s carefully drawn out character study in favor of a tired and poorly executed gimmick. Ida Lupino, luminary in the pantheon of feminist filmmakers, pointed out in later years that she had to constantly stroke male egos and downplay her own proficiency to maintain her directorial career from the late ‘40s to the end of the ‘60s. The fact that such stories still need to be told in 2016 makes me sad, and the fact that Shine fails to deliver any cathartic resolution to such a tale makes me sadder still. Not Rated. Now Playing at Grail Moviehouse reviewed by Scott Douglas jsdouglas22@gmail.com
december 7 - december 13, 2016
57
M OVIES
by Scott Douglas
Aquarius HHS DIRECTOR: Kleber Mendonca Filho PLAYERS: Sonia Braga, Maeve Jinkings, Humberto Carrão DRAMA RATED NR THE STORY: Sole tenant of a Brazilian apartment complex defies offers from construction company to relocate after living there for decades. THE LOWDOWN: An introspective on aging and modern Brazil, this film seriously takes a long time to deliver its very serious commentary. Aquarius has earned a lot of critical praise before arriving at our local cinema — most notably as a contender for the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival — but having sat through this more than two hour reflection on aging in Brazil I found myself perplexed by what all the fuss was about. It’s not that director Kleber Mendonca Filho made a lighthearted film about serious subjects or the performance by Sonia Braga is a lackluster one — because neither of these things are true — but the end result takes forever to reach maturation and may not be received by all local filmgoers as robustly as it was overseas. Aquarius tells the story of an affluent grandmother and breast cancer survivor living out her retirement as the sole remaining tenant of an apartment complex being sought after by a construction company wanting to redevelop the beachfront property in Recife, Brazil. Dona Clara (Braga) vows not to move out until she is dead, much to the dismay of a young architect (Humberto Carrão) who initially approaches her and her daughter (Maeve Jinkings) with both respect and a handsome monetary offer to relocate only to later butt heads over the issue. This is a rather simple conflict, but Aquarius makes it all the more weighty by ruminating on the cultural divide between the rich and poor in modern Brazil while also
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taking a detour into the aging protagonist’s search for love after being a widower for 17 years. All these issues are given ample consideration and the subtitled Portuguese commentary definitely provides a buffet of food for thought, but the film imposes such a nakedly biased perspective upon its narrative (in addition to much full frontal nudity) I often wondered what it was actually trying to say and why it took such a long time to actually say it. The 15-minute prologue to the story does little to establish the characters and the beautiful shots of Braga dancing to the music of Queen to compete with an orgy raging in the apartment above her home seem superfluously out of place with the rest of the narrative. I had hoped for a little comedy to come from the conflict, but the proceedings are all treated with such a dire seriousness that instead of being engaged by Braga’s defiance I was alternatingly bored and depressed by it. Director Filho also wrote the script, so I guess both the praise for such introspection and blame for its languished execution fall squarely on him. Braga is charming as a woman who has lived a full life and wants to continue living it on her terms, but the story pulls her in so many directions without a destination her talents alone cannot save it from itself. The attempt at a romantic and erotic subplot is given short shrift, but honestly any additional attention would have only superfluously added to the bloated running time. The last half-hour of the film veers into vaguely political territory to create a truncated resolution which is so tacked on the audience is not even given a chance to appreciate the aftermath before the credits roll. Aquarius the film is very much like the astrological sign which shares its name: It is both independent and original while simultaneously being aloof and running from emotion. You can interpret both to mean what you want, but be advised you also may wonder why you did so afterward. Unrated, but contains nudity and sexual situations. Opens Friday at Grail Moviehouse. reviewed by Jonathan Rich jonathanwlrich@gmail.com
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Incarnate HH
DIRECTOR: Brad Peyton (San Andreas) PLAYERS: Aaron Eckhart, Clarice Van Houten, David Mazouz, Catalina Sandino Moreno EXORCISM HORROR RATED PG-13 THE STORY: An unorthodox exorcist (or evictor) who enters the minds of the afflicted is called in to remove a demon from the body of a child. THE LOWDOWN: A curious concept isn’t enough to make up for the general goofiness and low budget horrors on display. The best faint praise I can give Brad Peyton’s Incarnate is that it comes from a place of mostly trying. The exorcism subgenre of horror movie, like so many other subgenres in this day and age of filmmaking, isn’t exactly teeming with new ideas. Director Peyton (San Andreas) isn’t the most cerebral of directors (yes, I say this about the man who helmed Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore (2010)) but with screenwriter Ronnie Christensen, there’s an attempt at something at least out of the ordinary with Incarnate. The idea, unfortunately, is more goofy than good, the kind of concept that works better on paper than it ever does in its fully realized form. You see, they’ve taken The Exorcist and cross-pollinated it with Christopher Nolan’s Inception (2010) — and that’s more or less the pitch. The problem is that the movie has none of the prerequisites (money, budget, smarts) to pull this kind of project off, instead it wallows in bad special effects and even poorer lighting. The lighting is, unfortunately, not quite bad enough to hide the bad scruffy wig that Aaron Eckhart wears as Dr. Seth Ember, secular exorcist. You see, Ember is wheelchair-bound, sports a perpetual five o’clock shadow and a tattered mane of hair and uses supremely unorthodox methods (entering the minds of the demonically possessed) to evict evil spirits. When an arch demon takes over the body and mind of a young boy named Cameron (David Mazouz), Ember is called in to handle business. As a concept, this is fine, and Peyton and Christensen spend a lot
of time building the film’s internal logic and the limitations of Ember’s specific talents. But beyond these basic ideas, the film itself doesn’t quite have the style or imagination one really wants from a movie like this. Ember’s journeys into Cameron’s mind aren’t specifically stylish or fascinating, meaning that any chances of Incarnate being truly genre-breaking is lost. The best it can hope for is a status as a horror genre curio. Much of this is due to a lack of true foresight (or really any vision at all) once you get beyond the world building. Once inside the possesseds’ heads, Ember usually falls back on fisticuffs, while the budget and the PG-13 rating don’t lend themselves to out-and-out horror. The scares are pretty nonexistent, never getting past fits of violence and color contact lenses to denote those afflicted with demons. Eckhart is a professional as he does his best to make his way through all this nonsense, but all this does is highlight how much a waste of time, money and talent Incarnate is. Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of horror violence, terror, disturbing images, brief strong language, sensuality and thematic elements. Now Playing at Epic of Hendersonville, Regal Biltmore Grande and UA Beaucatcher. reviewed by Justin Souther jsouther@mountainx.com
The Eagle Huntress HHHS DIRECTOR: Otto Bell PLAYERS: Aisholpan Nurgaiv, Rhys Nurgaiv, Kuksyegyen Almagul, Boshai Dalaikhan. DOCUMENTARY RATED G THE STORY: A thirteen-year-old Kazakh girl defies cultural gender roles by excelling in eagle hunting, an avocation traditionally only engaged in by the men of her isolated mountain community.
screen scene tHe LoWdoWn: An aesthetically stunning documentary that presents a powerful feminist message but falls prey to its filmmakers’ influence. The Eagle Huntress is a remarkably beautiful documentary focused on a fascinating subject with implications that resonate far beyond the scope of the film itself. Director Otto Bell presents the world of Kazakh eagle hunting through the lens of the first female aspirant to this traditionally maledominated pursuit, and if the practice itself may seem distinctly foreign to Western sensibilities, the struggle to overcome deeply entrenched gender biases is all too familiar. Though the veracity of this film’s appellation as a “documentary” may be in question, its probable appeal to open-minded youngsters is not. Bell’s film follows Aisholpan, a teen girl in the remote Altai Mountains of the Mongolian-Kazakh border, as she sets her heart on breaking into the ranks of her community’s fiercely androcentric eagle hunters. With the help of Nurgaiv, her father and most ardent advocate, Aisholpan must capture an infant eagle from its precarious cliffside nest and train it to hunt before entering into a prestigious eagle hunting competition, an event at which her father has always placed highly. Along the way she endures the scorn of village elders and the bewilderment of her mother, sisters and schoolmates as she pursues her dream. It’s blatant heartstring tugging of the basest variety, but like its protagonist, the film is largely successful in its aims. If Huntress falls short in my critical estimation, it’s largely due to the influence its filmmakers have unquestionably exerted upon their subject. While it may not be as overtly contrived as Nanook of the North, many of the scenes feel distinctly staged, and those that don’t still bear the incontrovertible earmarks of documentary observers that affected the behavior of their subjects by virtue of their very presence. Like Schrödinger’s cat, we can only speculate as to how these events would have played out in the absence of Bell and his cameras. What those cameras capture, however, is nothing short of magnificent. Bell and cinematographer Simon Niblett present the icy steppes and rugged mountains in all their isolated glory, but perhaps their most impressive achievement is the use of drones to capture the remarkable eagle’s point of view flight sequences that visually propel the film. It’s difficult to call to mind any doc in recent memory that has looked this outstanding, even if that
by Edwin Arnaudin | edwinarnaudin@gmail.com
Webisode 2.0: Jeff Alexander and Rebekah Babelay star in “When Fact Met Fiction,” Asheville’s latest scripted web series. A new episode of the familyfriendly romantic comedy will debut each Friday through the end of January. Photo by Stefan Liner • “When Fact Met Fiction,” Asheville’s newest scripted web series, premiered last week on YouTube and Vimeo. The family-friendly romantic comedy is set in the office of Southern Sunset magazine, a lifestyle publication owned by single mother and widow Celeste Frank (carol shores). When Southern Sunset loses its lead writer days before the issue goes to print, Celeste is forced to call in a family favor from her brother-in-law Jon (jeff alexander), who secretly writes best-selling romance novels under the name Nathaniel Embers. Upon arrival, Jon falls for the magazine’s new technical editor, Olivia Smith (rebekah babelay), but vows to win her over without revealing his alter ego, who just so happens to be her favorite author. A new installment in the eightepisode season will debut each Friday until the end of January. Each episode runs roughly 10 minutes and bonus content, such as blooper reels and cast interviews, will also be posted. Other cast members include mondy carter, madison garris, Karen covington-yow, josef liner, miles rice and drez ryan. The series is created by Asheville native stefan liner and his business partner and mother, robin liner. Their company, East Stream Studio, launched earlier this year and is dedicated to creating projects that celebrate Southern culture and use the talents of the Asheville area’s artistic community. whenfactmetfiction.com
• The Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center presents an evening of short films about Black Mountain College painters on Thursday, Dec. 8, at 7 p.m. at its 69 Broadway space. Selected films include Willem de Kooning: Artist, Dorothea Rockburne: Drawing Which Makes Itself and Josef Fiore: The Nature of the Artist. The event is free for BMCM+AC members and students with an $8 suggested donation for nonmembers. blackmountaincollege.org • Local film historian frank thompson leads a Christmas movie seminar on Sunday, Dec. 11, from 1 to 5 p.m. at Asheville School of Film. The course will cover such themes as Nativity scenes, A Christmas Carol, Christmas classics (e.g., It’s A Wonderful Life and The Bishop’s Wife), Christmas horror (e.g., Black Christmas) and Santa Claus. Each theme will explore old and new versions of frequently revisited stories as well as styles ranging from classic to parody. The seminar fee is $40, and registration is available online. avl.mx/36w • The Israeli Film Series, a monthly collaboration between Grail Moviehouse and the Asheville Jewish Community Center, continues Sunday, Dec. 11, at 3 p.m. at the Grail with The Green Prince. nadav schirman’s documentary reveals how mosab hassan yousef went from being the loyal son of a founding member of Hamas to a key Israeli spy. Tickets are $7 and available online and at the Grail box office. avl.mx/36x X
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The fun way to give! givelocalguide.org december 7 - december 13, 2016
59
M OVIES
by Scott Douglas
visual appeal threatens to detract from the story at times. This is a film decidedly dedicated to inspiring tween girls, which is a laudable goal, yet renders some of Bell’s directorial decisions a bit perplexing. The film opens with the slaughter of a lamb and ends with a drawn-out eagle hunt in which a fox is eventually cornered and killed, sequences which may prove too challenging for younger viewers. I have to admit I felt bad for the poor fox in particular, although I was far more put off by the film’s ponderous score and repetitive use of a song by Australian pop musician Sia. Having been narrated and produced by Daisy “Rey from Star Wars” Ridley enhances The Eagle Huntress’ girlpower pedigree to such an extent that I feel certain my older brother will be inexorably compelled to take my young nieces to a screening. To be fair, there are many films aimed at their demographic that have proven far less deserving of his time and effort. If grumpy Uncle Scott found The Eagle Huntress far too pat and conveniently on-message to stack up against better documentaries, they will be singularly unperturbed by my analysis, and rightfully so. This wasn’t a film made with the jaded cynicism of a sleep-deprived critic in mind, it was one tailored to the optimism of youth, and as such, I have to call it a qualified success. Rated G. Subtitled Kazakh dialogue Opens Friday at Grail Moviehouse reviewed by Scott Douglas jsdouglas22@gmail.com
The Eyes of My Mother HHHH
DIRECTOR: Nicolas Pesce PLAYERS: Kika Magalhaes, Will Brill, Olivia Bond, Paul Nazak, Clara Wong, Flora Diaz, Diana Agostini. (English, Portuguese dialogue) HORROR RATED R THE STORY: A young girl on an isolated farm suffers a tragic loss that will lead her to address her loneliness through decidedly unorthodox means as an adult.
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THE LOWDOWN: Nicholas Pesce eschews traditional horror genre tropes while showcasing a deep knowledge of classical cinema in this exemplary debut feature. The Eyes of My Mother plays as though Eraserhead or Elephant Manera David Lynch made a film about Ed Gein, if Gein were replaced with a beautiful Portuguese woman; that is to say, it’s a very strange little movie. If you find yourself within the undoubtedly limited segment of the moviegoing populace that would pay to see Bergman take a crack at Psycho, or thought Polanski’s Repulsion was too subtle, Eyes is the film you’ve been waiting for. While I can’t say that I fall firmly into either of those camps, I will say that I applaud this film for its inventiveness and economy, and that I was genuinely staggered on a number of occasions by not only the horror of what I saw depicted on screen, but the subtlety and affect achieved in those depictions. This is not a particularly gory film, but it is far more viscerally disturbing than the majority of modern slasher films that spend ten times its budget for fake blood alone. Writer-director Nicolas Pesce’s feature debut is a thoughtfully composed chimera, blending aspects of ‘60s arthouse import psychodrama and ’70s slasher sensibilities with a seamless integration that belies its filmmakers deficit of experience. Beautifully rendered in rich black and white, the decision to shoot on film rather than in digital affords cinematographer Zach Kuperstein the opportunity to display true virtuosity in his use of chiaroscuro lighting, hiding the film’s minuscule budget in an evocative landscape of shadow and obscuration. Pesce wears his filmic influences proudly, lifting the most well-known shot from Buñuel and Dalí’s Un Chien Andalou and borrowing one of Welles’ famous composition-indepth setups from Citizen Kane. Eyes is a truly remarkable achievement for a promising new talent, and that assessment stands even before we address its tactful handling of a truly bizarre script. Pesce’s narrative is again indebted to the great masters, utilizing the rural isolation of Tobe Hooper’s original The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Hitchcock’s forced identification between audience and antagonist from Psycho to create a claustrophobic affinity with a sympathetic monster. The story starts out simply enough, with a young girl being raised on a farm by her immigrant parents. This semblance of normalcy is almost immediately dispelled, as the audience learns very early on that mom was a surgeon in her native Portugal, and has taken
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to teaching daughter Francisca how to dissect a cow’s heads on the kitchen table. This level of comfort with death and dismemberment becomes a central leitmotif within the narrative, and will bear strange fruit after a home-invasion traumatizes our young “heroine,” leading to a story that unfolds with tragic and macabre precision. That the film’s three acts are bookended by chapter headings that allude not to the relationships in Francisca’s life, but to those characters’ respective deaths should shed some light on what Pesce is up to with this script. By virtue of its psychological intimacy and atmospheric tension, Eyes of My Mother creates a profoundly unsettling cinematic landscape through which the audience is led in defiance of logic. The film functions as a fairytale dreamscape, not unlike Georges Franju’s Eyes Without a Face or Jaques Tourneur’s early work for Val Lewton. You know you shouldn’t root for Francisca (Kika Magalhaes), but by the final scene you’ll have a hard time extricating yourself from the emotional bond Pesce has created in a scant 76 minutes. The film falls prey to many of the shortcomings exhibited by novice filmmakers, but there’s an undeniable originality in the way Pesce employs the obvious influences within his cinematic lexicon, and the result is truly remarkable. I will caution perspective moviegoers that this is by no means a film for everyone, but those with the appropriate proclivities will find it gratifying on a number of levels. Be forewarned, this is probably not a date movie. English, brief subtitled Portuguese dialogue. Rated R for disturbing violent content and behavior, and brief nudity. Opens Friday at Grail Moviehouse reviewed by Scott Douglas jsdouglas22@gmail.com
Film Black Mountain College Museum & Arts Center 56 Broadway, 350-8484, blackmountaincollege.org • TH (12/8), 7pm - An Evening of Film Screenings: Artist, Drawing Which Makes Itself and The Nature of the Artist. $8/Free for members & students. Buncombe County Public Libraries buncombecounty.org/governing/depts/library • TU (11/15), 7pm - Foreign Film Night: Paradise Now, Palestinian film. Free. Held at Weaverville Public Library, 41 N. Main St., Weaverville Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Asheville 1 Edwin Place, 254-6001, uuasheville.org • FR (12/9), 7pm - Environmental & Social Justice Films: After The Flood. Free.
STARTIN G FRI D AY
Miss Sloane
A political thriller from director John Madden (Shakespeare in Love, Best Exotic Marigold Hotel) starring Jessica Chasten and Mark Strong, according to the studio: “In the high-stakes world of political power-brokers, Elizabeth Sloane (Jessica Chastain) is the most sought after and formidable lobbyist in D.C. Known equally for her cunning and her track record of success, she has always done whatever is required to win. But when she takes on the most powerful opponent of her career, “The Gun Lobby”, she finds that winning may come at too high a price.” Early reviews are mixed. (R)
Nocturnal Animals
See Scott Douglas’ review
Office Christmas Party
Holiday themed raunch-com from directors Josh Gordon and Will Speck (Blades of Glory) with a star-studded comedic cast including Jennifer Anniston, TJ Miller, Jason Bateman, Kate McKinnon and more. When CEO Anniston tries to shut down the branch managed by her hard-partying brother (Miller), he plans an epic Christmas bash to land a big account and save his job. No early reviews.(R)
The Eagle Huntress See Scott Douglas’ review
The Eyes of My Mother See Scott Douglas’ review
sP e Ci a L sCreeni nGs
Penny Serenade HHHHS director: George Stevens players: Irene Dunne Cary Grant Beulah Bondi Edgar Buchanan Ann Doran drama Rated NR As far as two-tissue tearjerkers go, they don’t get much weepier than George Stevens’ 1941 Cary Grant, Irene Dunne dram-com, Penny Serenade. Grant and Dunne play a couple whose marriage deteriorates following the loss of a child, and the melodrama doesn’t come anywhere close to ending there. For all its emotionally exploitative holidayset heartstring tugging the film never fully succumbs to saccharinity, deftly tempering its very nearly excessive sentiment with the appropriate touch of warm-hearted comedy from Grant and Dunne. Yes, its plot is full of soap opera contrivances, but the film has a sincerity that will suck you in in spite of yourself. This represents the final onscreen pairing of Grant and Dunne, and garnered Grant an Oscar nomination for what might amount to his most autobiographically honest performance. In lesser hands this film would’ve proven so treacly as to be unwatchable, but the teaming of Stevens, Grant and Dunne somewhat improbably pull it off. Be forewarned, this one may cause you to tear up the next time you hear “Silent Night” sung by kids. The Asheville Film Society will screen penny serenade on Tuesday, Dec. 13, at 7:30 p.m. at The Grail Moviehouse, hosted by Xpress movie critic Scott Douglas.
Silent Night, Bloody Night HHHHS director: Theodore Gershuny players: Mary Woronov, Patrick O’Neil, James Patterson, Astrid Heeren, Ondine, Candy Darling, John Carradine slasher horror Rated R ’Tis the season for holiday horrors with the THPS, so for the next three Thursdays we’ll be showing a selection of seasonal slashers sure to sate the sadists. We’re kicking things off with the film that started this surprisingly replete subgenre, 1972’s Silent Night, Bloody Night. This may well be one of the earliest examples of the slasher film, and would go on to influence everything from Bob Clark’s classic Black Christmas (which we’ll be screening later in the month) to the giallos of Fulci and Argento as well as the early output of John Carpenter and Wes Craven. But beyond its horror pedigree, Silent Night, Bloody Night also harbors arthouse aspirations as evinced by homages to Hitchcock and Welles and the presence of Warhol Factory mainstays Candy Darling and Ondine. It may not be a perfect film, but its atmospheric creepiness and gothic setting are on par with any of the slasher movies that would follow and its influence on ’70s horror cinema as a whole is certainly beyond question. Could there be any better way to get into the Christmas spirit than with this obscure and underscreened progenitor of postmodern gore? The Thursday Horror Picture Show will screen silent night, bloody night on Thursday, Dec. 8, at 9:15 p.m. at The Grail Moviehouse, hosted by Xpress movie critic Scott Douglas.
Until the End of the World HHHHS director: Wim Wenders players: Solveig Dommartin, William Hurt, Sam Neil, Max von Sydow, Jeanne Moreau sci-fi drama Rated R Wim Wenders’ Until the End of the World (1991) is both like a Wenders film (check out the soundtrack) and not. The film — at least till it hits the final stretch — is as quirky as anything the filmmaker ever did, but it’s a bit more playful. It’s certainly one of the more quixotic enterprises imaginable. Wenders dragged his impressive cast around the world for over a year, and handed in an original cut that ran a reported eight hours. The version that was finally released — to mixed reviews — ran 158 minutes. (There’s currently a 280-minute director’s cut available from Europe, which, I confess, I finally broke down and ordered after seeing the release version again.) Its length aside, the film is also one of the most fascinating films of the 1990s. Wenders’ picture is at once rather old-fashioned (like something made way before 1991) and surprisingly modern in its concerns. If anything, its themes of self-isolation are more relevant in 2007 than they seemed in 1991 — or maybe it’s just that much of what Wenders fancifully envisioned has come true. On the downside, the film is a bit lumpy (with so much left on the cutting room floor, that was probably inescapable), but it’s the kind of glorious lumpiness that only comes from a great filmmaker. This excerpt was taken from a review by Ken Hanke published on March 28, 2007. Classic World Cinema by Courtyard Gallery will present until the end of the world on Friday, Dec. 9, at 8 p.m. at Flood Gallery Fine Art Center, 2160 Hwy 70, Swannanoa.
YOU COULD WIN THE
BIG GIVE WEEKEND
ADVENTURE PACKAGE When you donate $20 or more during this Big Give Weekend, you will be entered to win this package of great prizes for outdoor adventures.
DECEMBER 16-18 Gregory frame backpack
provided by Friends of the Smokies ~
Two three-day Gearu membership passes for equipment rental ~
Ski experience for two at Cataloochee Ski Area
— includes weekday lift tickets, rental and lesson
givelocalguide.org
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december 7 - december 13, 2016
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freeWiLL astrOLOGY aries (march 21-april 19): Normally I cheer you on when you devote single-minded attention to pressing concerns, even if you become a bit obsessive. But right now, in accordance with astrological omens, I invite you to run wild and free as you sample lavish variety. It’s prime time to survey a spectrum of spicy, shiny and feisty possibilities ... to entertain a host of ticklish riddles rather than to insist on prosaic answers. You have been authorized by the cosmos to fabricate your own temporary religion of playing around and messing around and fooling around. Taurus (april 20-may 20): Taurus poet Adrienne Rich described “an honorable human relationship” as “one in which two people have the right to use the word ’love.’” How is that right earned? How is such a bond nurtured? Rich said it was “often terrifying to both persons involved,” because it’s “a process of refining the truths they can tell each other.” I bring this to your attention, Taurus, because you’re in a favorable phase to become an even more honorable lover, friend and ally than you already are. To take advantage of the opportunity, explore this question: How can you supercharge and purify your ability to speak and hear the truth? gemini (may 21-june 20): In Goethe’s play Faust, the hero bemoans his lack of inner unity. Two different souls live within him, he says, and they don’t cooperate. Even worse, they each try to rule him without consulting the other. I’m guessing you’ve experienced a more manageable version of that split during the course of your life. Lately, though, it may have grown more intense and divisive. If that’s true, I think it’s a good sign. It portends the possibility that healing is in the works ... that energy is building for a novel synthesis. To help make it happen, identify and celebrate what your two sides have in common. cancer (june 21-july 22): The poet Dick Allen described Zen Buddhism as being “so filled with paradoxes that it jumps through hoops that aren’t even there.” I’m tempted to apply this description to the way you’ve been living your life recently. While I can see how it may have entertained you to engage in such glamorous intrigue, I’m hoping you will stop. There is no longer anything to be gained by the complicated hocus-pocus. But it’s fine for you to jump through actual hoops if doing so yields concrete benefits. leo (july 23-aug. 22): For decades, numerous self-help authors have claimed that humans use ten percent or less of their brain’s potential. But the truth is that our gray matter is far more active than that. The scientific evidence is now abundant. (See a summary here: tinyurl. com/mindmyths.) I hope this helps spur you to destroy any limited assumptions you might have about your own brainpower, Leo. According to my astrological analysis, you could and should become significantly smarter in the next nine months — and wiser, too! virgo (aug. 23-sept. 22): Born under the sign of Virgo, Mary Oliver is America’s best-selling poet. She wasn’t an overnight sensation, but she did win a Pulitzer Prize when she was 49. “What I loved in the beginning, I think, was mostly myself,” she confesses in one poem. “Never mind that I had to, since somebody had to. That was many years ago.” I bet that even at her current age of 81, Oliver is still refining and deepening her self-love. Neither she nor you will ever be finished with this grand and grueling project. Luckily for you both, now is a time when Virgos can and should make plucky progress in the ongoing work. (P.S.: And this is an essential practice if you want to keep refining and deepening your love for others.) libra (sept. 23-oct. 22): Most high-quality suits worn by men are made from the wool of merino sheep raised in Australia. So says Nicholas Antongiavanni in his book The Suit: A Machiavellian Approach to Men’s Style. There are now more than 100 million members of this breed, but they are all descendants of just two rams and four ewes from 18th-century Spain. How did that happen? It’s a long story. (Read about it here: tinyurl.com/merinosheep.) For the oracular
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MARKETPLACE
BY roB BrezsnY
purposes of this horoscope, I’ll simply say that in the next nine months you’ll also have the potential to germinate a few choice seeds that could ultimately yield enormous, enduring results. Choose well! scorPio (oct. 23-nov. 21): Five of my Scorpio acquaintances and 17 of my Scorpio readers have let me know that they’re actively seeking to make new alliances and strengthen their existing alliances. Does this mean that Scorpios everywhere are engaged in similar quests? I hope so. I would love to see you expand your network of like-minded souls. I would love for you to be ardent about recruiting more help and support. Happily, the current astrological omens favor such efforts. Hot tip: For best results, be receptive, inviting and forthright. sagiTTarius (nov. 22-dec. 21): “The awesome splendor of the universe is much easier to deal with if you think of it as a series of small chunks,” wrote novelist Terry Pratchett. That’s true enough, but I’ll add a caveat: Now and then the trickle of small chunks of awesome splendor gives way to a surge of really big chunks. According to my astrological analysis, that’s either already happening for you, or else is about to happen. Can you handle it? I’m sure you’ve noticed that some people are unskilled at welcoming such glory; they prefer to keep their lives tidy and tiny. They may even get stressed out by their good fortune. I trust you’re not one of these fainthearted souls. I hope you will summon the grace you’ll need to make spirited use of the onslaught of magnificence. caPricorn (dec. 22-jan. 19): In his book The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows, John Koenig coins words to describe previously unnamed feelings. I suspect you may have experienced a few of them recently. One is “monachopsis,” defined as “the subtle but persistent feeling of being out of place.” Then there’s “altschmerz,” meaning “weariness with the same old issues you’ve always had.” Another obscure sorrow you might recognize is “nodus tollens,” or “the realization that the plot of your life doesn’t make sense anymore.” Now I’ll tell you two of Koenig’s more uplifting terms, which I bet you’ll feel as you claw your way free of the morass. First, there’s “liberosis”: caring less about unimportant things; relaxing your grip so you can hold your life loosely and playfully. Second, there’s “flashover,” that moment when conversations become “real and alive, which occurs when a spark of trust shorts out the delicate circuits you keep insulated under layers of irony.” aquarius (jan. 20-Feb. 18): In 1983, two Australian blokes launched a quest to tip a drink at every pub in Melbourne. Thirty-two years later, Mick Stevens and Stuart MacArthur finally accomplished their goal when they sipped beers at The Clyde. It was the 476th establishment on their list. The coming weeks will be a highly favorable time to plan an epic adventure of your own, Aquarius. I hope and pray, though, that you will make it more sacred and meaningful than Stevens’ and MacArthur’s trivial mission. Pisces (Feb. 19-march 20): For three seasons of the year — spring, summer, and fall — a certain weasel species has brown fur. During that time, it’s known as a stoat. When winter arrives, the creature’s coat turns to white. Its name changes, too. We call it an ermine. The next spring, it once again becomes a stoat. Given the nature of the astrological omens, Pisces, I think it would make poetic sense for you to borrow this strategy. What would you like your nickname to be during the next three months? Here are a few suggestions: Sweet Sorcerer; Secret Freedom-Seeker; Lost-and-Found Specialist; Mystery Maker; Resurrector.
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REA L ESTATE | REN TA L S | R O O M M ATES | SER VI C ES JOB S | A N N OU N CEM ENTS | M I ND, BO DY, SPI R I T CL A SSES & WORKSH OPS | M USI C I ANS’ SER VI C ES PETS | A U TOMOTI VE | 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
RENTALS CONDOS/ TOWNHOMES FOR RENT NORTH ASHEVILLE TOWNHOME 2BR, 1BA, laminate hardwood floors, on the busline, 1 mile from downtown. No pets. $795/month. 828-252-4334. NORTH ASHEVILLE TOWNHOUSE 3BR, 1BA, laminate hardwood floors, only one mile from Downtown, and on the bus line. $895/month. Pets not allowed. (828) 252-4334.
HOMES FOR RENT AVAILABLE NOW • WEST ASHEVILLE 1200 sqft lovely updated 2BR, 2BA basement apartment. Washer/dryer, gas fireplace, garden area. • Wi-fi, electric, cable/DVR and water included. Pets negotiable. $1275/month. Call 828-280-9691. CLASSIC EAST ASHEVILLE BUNGALOW Next to Parkway. Private 3BR/1BA refurbished 1920's brick bungalow. Quiet beautiful condition, 1580 sqft. $1595/month, $1595 deposit. 1 year lease. 828 215-6801.
SHORT-TERM RENTALS FREE RENT FOR HOUSESITTING Seeking a responsible house/pet sitter in E. Asheville from December 15, 2016-April 1, 2017. Rent free. Need references. For details call (828) 508-7907. lourocturner@gmail.com
ROOMMATES ROOMMATES ALL AREAS ROOMMATES.COM Lonely? Bored? Broke? Find the perfect roommate to complement your personality and lifestyle at Roommates.com! (AAN CAN) FEMALE ROOMMATE WANTED Gross income can't exceed $740 monthly, asking $278 plus 1/2 internet and electric. Bedroom: windows, large closet, dresser, shared bathroom. Laundry across hall. North Asheville. Non-smoking. Christian preferred. Call 828-450-3323.
EMPLOYMENT GENERAL 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! FULL-TIME and seasonal part-time positions now available. Training provided. Contact us today! www.GrayLineAsheville.com; Info@GrayLineAsheville.com; 828-2518687.
SKILLED LABOR/ TRADES PACKAGING DEPARTMENT TEAM LEADER We are looking for a hardworking, energetic, reliable person to manage our packaging department. Second shift, M-F, 35-40 hours/week. Management experience and clean background check required. Email resumes to caroline@anniesbread.com or call 828-505-8350 ext. 103 for more information.
ADMINISTRATIVE/ OFFICE CULTURAL ARTS ADMINISTRATOR LEAF Community Arts. Providing a wide variety of administrative support for LEAF Community Arts with a focus on the cultural arts education outreach programs – LEAF Schools & Streets and LEAF International. For more info and how to apply: http://www.theleaf. org/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/ LEAFCulturalArtsAdminNov2016.pdf SECRETARIAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT America Inc. Secretary/Administrative Assistant Needed to be communicating with company customers in a well-organized and timely manner. Experience not required. send resume to: smccreativerrolls@ yahoo.com for details. STEWARDSHIP & FINANCIAL ADMINISTRATOR Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church, in Asheville, NC, is seeking a Stewardship and Financial Administrator to administer our church’s finances. Position includes bookkeeping and accounting functions, payroll, and helping to serve the needs of our integrated, year-round approach to stewardship. Competitive compensation, flexibility on hours, and working with a collaborative staff in a vital, caring, and active community. This is a part-time, 15 hours per week position . For a complete job description, please contact: smeehan@gcpcusa.org
SALES/ MARKETING MARKETING AND PROMOTIONS COORDINATOR LEAF Community Arts. Create best possible communications model, marketing plan, design elements, and language; which supports the efforts of fellow core staff, engages new and current LEAF audiences, and effectively tells the LEAF story. For more info and how to apply: http://www.theleaf.org/wp-content/ uploads/2014/07/LEAFMarketingCoordinatorNov2016.pdf
MEDICAL/ HEALTH CARE
LICENSED PRACTICAL NURSE SENIOR LIVING The Crossings at Reynolds Mountain, Asheville's premier Senior Living Community, and offering
Independent Living, Assisted Living, and secured Assisted Living services is looking for an experienced Licensed Practical Nurse for the 3:00PM – 11:00PM shift for our community located in north Asheville. Requirements: Current RN or LPN license to practice nursing in good standing with the Board of Nursing (2) Experience working with the senior population, preferably in assisted living or LTC. We offer competitive wages and a comprehensive benefits program. Apply online: thecrossingsatreynoldsmountain.com/ about/careers/ or in person at: The Crossings at Reynolds Mountain, 41 Cobblers Way, Asheville, NC 28804. Apply Today! EOE
HUMAN SERVICES LOCAL GROUP HOME SEEKS FULL TIME DIRECT SERVICE PROFESSIONAL Seeking energetic individuals to assist adults with intellectual disabilities with aspects of daily living. Required: highschool diploma and drivers license. Send resume to PO Box 5514 Asheville NC 28813 Attn:DSP NEW BOYS THERAPEUTIC PROGRAM EQUINOX RTC is an Residential Treatment Center for male adolescents, located in Bat Cave, NC (30 minutes southeast of downtown Asheville). We emphasize a relationship-based approach in a small, nurturing environment. Available positions include • Licensed Recreation Therapist • Day and Evening Direct Care • Overnight Awake Staff • Chef. Learn more at www.equinoxrtc. com • Qualified applicants should submit a resume and cover letter to humanresources@equinoxrtc.com EOE.
PROFESSIONAL/ MANAGEMENT PART TIME EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Application Deadline: December 21, 2016. The Western North Carolina Historical Association seeks a self-directed, organized professional Executive Director. Bachelor's Degree required. Previous museum experience highly desired. The Director will be responsible for facilitating all fund raising; overseeing day to day operations; and coordinating changing exhibitions and educational programming at the Smith McDowell House. Please respond with a current resume and cover letter outlining your experience, interest, and qualifications to Smith McDowell House, 283 Victoria Road, Asheville, NC 28801 ATTN: Personnel Committee or email ashevillehistory@ gmail.com ( EOE)
TEACHING/ EDUCATION CHILD CARE DIRECTOR Children’s Center at Gracelyn. Responsible for educational programs and operations, hiring and managing Center staff. Ensures programming is implemented within regulations of the NC Division of Child Development. Must have 5 years experience and North Carolina Early Childhood Administration Credential. email boardchair789@gmail.com
T H E N E W Y OR K TI M ES CR OSSWOR D PU ZZLE ANNOUNCEMENTS ANNOUNCEMENTS INTERESTED IN WORKING AT A-B TECH? Full-Time, Part-Time and Adjunct Positions available. Come help people achieve their dreams! Apply for open positions at https://abtcc.peopleadmin. com SUBSTITUTE TEACHERS Hanger Hall is seeking substitute teachers. Pay is $12 an hour. Hanger Hall is a private, all girls middle school with a fun and dynamic curriculum. To apply, email a cover letter and resume to employment@hangerhall. org
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 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)
XCHANGE FURNITURE OUTDOOR FURNITURE 8 piece. Restoration Hardware. $650. Call 712-5815.
MEDICAL SUPPLIES QUANTUM Q6 EDGE POWERCHAIR With charger. $21,000 new; used twice, asking $2000, obo. Call 6519839.
SERVICES BEAUTY/SALON
CASH FOR CARS Any Car/ Truck 2000-2015, Running or Not! Top Dollar For Used/ Damaged. Free Nationwide Towing! Call Now: 1-888420-3808 (AAN CAN) 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: 855732-4139. (AAN CAN) NOTICE OF UNCLAIMED PROPERTY The following is a list of unclaimed and confiscated property at the Asheville Police Department: electronic equipment; cameras; clothing; lawn and garden equipment; personal items; tools; weapons (including firearms): jewelry: automotive items; building supplies; bikes and other miscellaneous items. Anyone with a legitimate claim or interest in this property has 30 days from the date of this publication to make a claim. Unclaimed items will be disposed of according to statutory law. For further information, or to file a claim, contact the Asheville Police Department Property and Evidence Section, 828-2324576. NOTICE OF DISPOSITION The following is a list of unclaimed and confiscated property at the Asheville Police Department tagged for disposition: audio and video equipment; cameras; clothing; lawn and garden equipment; personal items; tools; weapons (including firearms): jewelry: automotive items; building supplies; bikes and other miscellaneous. All items will be disposed of 30 days from date of posting. Items to be auctioned will be displayed on www.propertyroom.com. PREGNANT? CONSIDERING ADOPTION? Call us first. Living expenses, housing, medical, and continued support afterwards. Choose adoptive family of your choice. Call 24/7. 877-3622401. (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)
MIND, BODY, SPIRIT BODYWORK
ACROSS
1 African land whose capital is N’Djamena 5 Clumsy sort 9 Printer problem 12 Like Inverted Jenny postage stamps 13 Fuel-yielding rock 14 “I guess you didn’t get the ___” 15 Wagering sites, for short 16 Onetime rival of TWA 17 Kelly Clarkson was the first one, informally 18 Start of a Mad Hatter riddle that went unanswered 21 After the N.F.L., the most-watched sports org. on U.S. television 22 Just dandy 23 End of the riddle 30 Golf or tennis coup 33 Small European finch 34 Not so risky 35 Totally absorbed 37 All-time best-selling Frank Sinatra album (1993) 39 Marcel Duchamp’s art style 40 Sign before Taurus
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.
9 Warrior monk of sci-fi 10 Bad way to run 11 Underground pest 13 Traded verbal barbs 14 Caramel bite from Hershey 19 Dust-creating tools 20 Often-rummy holiday drinks 24 “Go me!” 25 Bridgegate problem 26 It’s a start 27 First novel in Christopher Paolini’s Inheritance Cycle 28 Give Xanax, say 29 “Hipster doofus” on “Seinfeld” 30 ___ Spring (2010s movement) 31 Obama follower? DOWN 32 “The Divine Comedy,” 1 Feature of the e.g. Budweiser logo 36 Knit item at a social 2 Kind of yoga 3 “We have the meats” 38 Does a slow burn 41 Swords or cups, in chain tarot 4 “Two Women” 43 ___’Pea director 46 Much of North Africa 5 Blacken on a grill 47 Take away 6 Del Rey with the album “Ultraviolence” 50 Viking Ship Museum city 7 Norway’s patron saint 8 Lower in status 51 Night, in Nantes
WHITEWATER RECORDING Mixing • Mastering • Recording. (828) 684-8284 whitewaterrecording.com LOCAL INDEPENDENT MASSAGE CENTER OFFERING BEST BODYWORK IN ASHEVILLE December Special- 60 minute Deep Tissue for $65!All massage therapists are skilled and dedicated. Deep Tissue, Integrative, Prenatal, Couples, Reflexology. Complimentary tea room. Beautifully renovated space. Convenient West AVL location. Free parking in lot. (828)552-3003 ebbandflowavl@charter.net ebbandflowavl.com
COUNSELING SERVICES
PETS HYPNOSIS | EFT | NLP Michelle Payton, M.A., D.C.H., Author | 828-6811728 | MichellePayton.com | Dr. Payton’s mind over matter solutions include: Hypnosis, Self-Hypnosis, Emotional Freedom Technique, Neuro-Linguistic 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.
DEEP FEELING EMOTIONAL RELEASE THERAPY - GET TO THE ROOT OF THE PROBLEM Nell Corry, LCSW, NCGCll, Certified Primal Therapist | 828-747-1813 | nellcorrytherapy.com | ncc.therapy@gmail.com | Emotional Release Therapy uncovers the source, allows healing of depression, anxiety, addictions, trauma, PTSD. Call for free half-hour chat.
No. 1102
42 Anglers’ aids 44 School of whales 45 Start of a possible answer to the riddle 48 Org. in “Argo” 49 Typical user of a transistor radio 50 End of the answer 56 1956 crisis site 57 Be nuts about 58 Muscat’s land 62 Flower that symbolizes purity 63 Sellers had three in “Dr. Strangelove” 64 Smoke an e-cigarette 65 Polo Grounds great Mel 66 Flat-bottomed boats of old 67 Comic Con, for one
MUSICAL SERVICES
HAIR BY IRINA GRINDSTAFF 828-989-2463 www. hairbyirinagrindstaff.com hairbyirinagrindstaff@ gmail.com Walk-ins welcome (wait time may vary). #1 AFFORDABLE COMMUNITY CONSCIOUS MASSAGE AND ESSENTIAL OIL CLINIC 4 locations: 1224 Hendersonville Rd., Asheville, 505-7088, 959 Merrimon Ave, Suite 101, 7851385 and 2021 Asheville Hwy., Hendersonville, 6970103. 24 Sardis Rd. Ste B, 828-633-6789 • $33/hour. • Integrated Therapeutic Massage: Deep Tissue, Swedish, Trigger Point, Reflexology. Energy, Pure Therapeutic Essential Oils. 30 therapists. Call now! thecosmicgroove.com
edited by Will Shortz
PET 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 mountainpetvalet.com
AUTOMOTIVE AUTOS FOR SALE
FOR MUSICIANS EQUIPMENT FOR SALE GUITAR SPEAKERS AMP 2 Bang and Olufson speakers, 1 Beomaster amp $585. Gibson 1995 USA Nighthawk Fireburst electric guitar. Great condition. $950. Call 712-5815.
1966 CHEVROLET CORVETTE 1966 Chevrolet Corvette C2 StingRay, 4 speed coupe, 327/300HP, silver pearl/black interior, $18000, davenporthelen988@ gmail.com / 252-858-1606 252-858-1606 davenporthelen988@ gmail.com
PUZZLE BY ANDREW KINGSLEY
52 Martial arts award 53 Landfill emanation 54 Much coffeehouse music 55 Diez minus siete
1999 BOBCAT 453 $3150. Skid Steer Loader, Kubota diesel engine, tooth bucket, 1551 hours. (470) 208-2772.
59 Upper limit, for short 60 Facebook, on an iPhone or Galaxy 61 Prefix with classical
ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE
1980 VOLVO 244 DL 70k miles! All original. Excellent condition all around. No rust! Very safe, reliable, classic daily driver. New timing belt. $6,500. 828-625-2430. 2011 BMW 328i 4 DR SEDAN • BELOW BLUEBOOK Outstanding condition. All power, 55K miles, air, fully loaded, dark blue, black leather, sunroof, garaged, bluetooth, $16,500, obo. Call 274-5739 for Bob.
RECREATIONAL VEHICLES FOR SALE 1981 SHULTZ MOBILE HOME 14 x 70 ft. 3BR, 1.5BA. Fair condition. Needs to be moved from property. $6,000, price negotiable. (828) 747-5002.
AUTOMOTIVE SERVICES 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
ADULT
Furniture Magician • Cabinet Refacing • Furniture Repair • Seat Caning • Antique Restoration
ADULT LIVELINKS CHAT LINES Flirt, chat and date! Talk to sexy real singles in your area. Call now! (877) 609-2935. (AAN CAN)
mountainx.com
Paul Caron
• Custom Furniture & Cabinetry (828) 669-4625
• Black Mountain
december 7 - december 13, 2016
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