January 2016 Rapid River Arts & Culture Magazine

Ray Byram

Capturing Nature’s Beauty

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Points of Light

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captivating performances Free Planet Radio

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World super-group Free Planet Radio performs ‘Just the Three of Us’ on Friday, February 5 at 8 p.m. at the Altamont Theatre.

Fresh off the release of their new cd in 2015 ‘The Global Symphony Project,’ Free Planet Radio continues to create innovative eclectic grooves and gorgeous compositions that keep the audiences delightfully returning.

The original members of Free Planet Radio, multi-instrumentalist Chris Rosser, Grammy award-winner Eliot Wadopian, and world-renowned percussionist River Guerguerian, will perform an intimate evening of world-jazz fusion.

For more than a decade, Free Planet Radio has been bringing its exciting and innovative world-classical music blend to both concert stages and classrooms. Based in Asheville, this musical partnership began with a clear mission statement as “the shared vision of three multiinstrumentalists exploring the infinite and seamless relationships between musical cultures through the universal language of sound.”

Free Planet Radio performances ex-

BY

Robin & Linda Williams KACHINA DAVINE

pertly weave the melodic and rhythmic structures of Middle Eastern, Indian and North African music, with the subtleties and harmonic vocabulary of Western classical music.

Performing mostly original compositions, even while playing extremely complex melodies and time signatures, the trio Free Planet Radio creates innovative eclectic grooves always maintains a sense of acand original compositions. cessibility, spontaneity and easy engagement with the audience.

Free Planet Radio consists of two-time Visit www.freeplanetradio.com Grammy winner Eliot Wadopian on electric and string basses; River Guerguerian on an extensive array of global percussion instruIF ments including Middle Eastern frame drums YOU Free Planet Radio, Friday, February 5 at GO 8 p.m. Tickets are $16 in advance, $20 at and doumbek, the Indian kanjira, African the door. VIP package for $30 available shakers, and Western drum set; and Chris online at www.thealtamont.com/fpr. Altamont Rosser exploring melody on the 17-stringed Theatre, 18 Church St., Asheville. For tickets call Indian dotar, Turkish cumbus oud, guitar, (828) 270-7747 or visit www.TheAltamont.com. piano and melodica.

For more than four decades, Robin & Linda Williams have made it their mission to perform the music that they love, “a robust blend of bluegrass, folk, old-time and acoustic country that combines wryly observant lyrics with a wide-ranging melodicism.”

Robin & Linda Williams continue to make frequent appearances on “A Prairie Home Companion.”

IF YOU GO: Legendary songwriters Robin & Linda Williams, Friday, January 8 at the Altamont Theatre, 18 Church St., Asheville. For tickets call (828) 270-7747 or visit www.TheAltamont.com.

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Vol. 19, No. 5 — RAPID RIVER ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE — January 2016 3

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fine art Ray Byram CAPTURING NATURE’S BEAUTY

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Approximately 15 months ago, one of Raymond M. Byram’s prominent collectors strongly encouraged him to come out with a coffee table book of his work.

As Byram states, “This collector and friend spent about 45 minutes truly convincing me it was the right thing to do.” So Byram looked into it and in late 2014 started working on the book finishing it by the end of April 2015.

It is a hard cover, 9x12” coffee table book entitled, “The Art of Raymond Byram: A Labor of Love.” The book is dedicated to his son, Sam Byram who passed away from cystic fibrosis on December 2, 2014. It is 64 pages of beautiful imagery of Mr. Byram’s oils, serigraphs and etchings with descriptions of the different mediums, writings about the individual pieces as well as art in general, as well as articles by gallery owners and art historian about Byram’s work.

The book was printed in July and has since sold over 300 copies. Barnes and Noble recently placed an order and Books-A-Million has also expressed interest. Regarding another new development. A friend and fellow professional artist encouraged Byram to come out with notecards of his work. In early June he picked 10 images, oils from his book and printed 400 notecards of each.

Sanctuary, 28x38 oil by Ray Byram

To Byram’s great surprise, he sold virtually all of them in five weeks. So logically, he has come out with many more, 18 different notecards at this point and plans on many more very soon.

Byram is selling them to Hallmark gift shops and bookstores across the nation.

He has travelled extensively in 2015 selling his books, notecards and his art work to hundreds of locations.

The Martha Washington Inn in

4 January 2016 — RAPID RIVER ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE — Vol. 19, No. 5

Majestic, 24x96 oil by Ray Byram.

Abingdon, VA now carries his work and he will be doing a painting of the inn for them, and they plan to carry the prints and notecards.

The Shenandoah National Park is also now carrying his work and subsequently Byram took many photographs along The Colors of October, 20x30 oil by Ray Byram. the Skyline Drive he plans to paint for the park. They will carry those prints and notecards as well as other locations of the directly on the screen, whereas Byram national park system. works from the opposite premise by Byram has had numerous exhibitions doing a painting first and then hand sepain a variety of art galleries locally and ration from it using a separate sheet of nationally throughout 2015. He is always acetate for each color and red opaquing working on new oils. From his great perpen to duplicate every speck of the one sonal loss of his son he has determined color he is picking out. to fight back with a vengeance, creating Unlike most serigraphy, this gives the more beauty and inspiration. finished work a much stronger, painterly effect. Thus far, Byram has done from About Raymond M. Byram 16 to 22 colors per serigraph. This very Byram was born and raised in tedious separation process takes him up Elizabeth, New Jersey. He received his to 200 hours to complete. Each color is primary and secondary education in area individually hand pulled, layering one schools. He earned his Bachelors of Fine over another until each color is complete.

Arts from Indiana University, graduating There is no room for error. in 1976. Byram is the co-founder of the Byram’s oils are almost exclusively Indiana University Art Museum, which done with small palette knives rather he accomplished while completing a than brushes. Byram finds his inspiration museum internship. throughout the eastern mountains and Byram has been painting in oil since forests, particularly in the North Georgia 1969. Presently, a free-lance artist workand North Carolina. He also finds it ing in oils, watercolor and printmaking, in the local roads around his home in he has done extensive commission work Pisgah Forest, North Carolina where he for private and corporate collections. resides with his son Sam and Jack the Although he has worked in a variety of wonder dog. genres, styles and mediums from abstract The artist explains, “There are so to surreal to neo-realism, from oils to many beautiful roads, even the well travwatercolors, etchings, woodcuts and eled, where it’s difficult or impossible to serigraphy, it has been landscapes in oil just stop in your tracks and take it all in that have been his primary pursuit. His — the winding roads, the light filtering love of nature, the Appalachian forests through the trees. That lighting effect is in conjunction with his love of Impreswhat I’ve been keying in on. That sense sionism have combined to synthesize his of ‘realness’ to me, it is a very special individual style, which he calls a “tight spiritual magical thing.” impressionism.” Byram explains, “At quick glance my style obviously looks realistic, yet I employ the theories and approach of the Impressionists.”

Ray Byram In the late 80’s, Byram discovered a 239 McGuire Rd. medium that would revolutionize his Pisgah Forest, NC 28768 work and his career; serigraphy — silk (828) 877-6509 screen print making. Most serigraphy www.raybyram.com is basically a stencil process, working

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web exclusives Discover More Exciting Articles, Short Stories & Blogs at www.rapidrivermagazine.com

RAPID RIVER ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE Established in 1997 • Volume Nineteen, Number Five

JANUARY 2016 www.rapidrivermagazine.com Publisher/Editor: Dennis Ray Marketing: Dennis Ray, Rick Hills Poetry Editor: Carol Pearce Bjorlie Short Stories: Kathleen Colburn Layout & Design: Simone Bouyer Accounting: Sharon Cole Distribution: Dennis Ray

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Emoke B’Racz, Carol Pearce Bjorlie, Rosalind Buda, Jenny Bunn, James Cassara, Kathleen Colburn, Michael Cole, KaChina Davine, Lucia Del Vecchio, Amy Downs, Michelle Fleming, Javier Folgar, Max Hammonds, MD, Phil Hawkins, Stephanie Jones-Byrd, Phil Juliano, Sarah L. Kaufman, Chip Kaufmann, Michelle Keenan, Peter Loewer, Ali McGhee, Virginia McKinley, Melanie McNair, Ashley Moyer, Dennis Ray, Beth Rhyne, Hannah Richardson, Breck Rochow, Steven Samuels, Steve Saucier, Andrea Smith, Patty Smyers, Lindsey Solomon, Greg Vineyard, Bill Walz, David Weintraub, and J. & R. Woods.

CONTACT US Rapid River Arts & Culture Magazine is a monthly publication. Send all mail to: Rapid River Arts & Culture Magazine 85 N. Main St., Canton, NC 28716 Phone: (828) 646-0071 info@rapidrivermagazine.com

ADVERTISING SALES Downtown Asheville and other areas Dennis Ray (828) 646-0071 dennis@rapidrivermagazine.com Hendersonville, Waynesville, Dining Guide Rick Hills (828) 452-0228 rick@rapidrivermagazine.com All materials contained herein are owned and copyrighted by Rapid River Arts & Culture Magazine and the individual contributors unless otherwise stated. Opinions expressed in this magazine do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Rapid River Arts & Culture Magazine or the advertisers found herein. © Rapid River Arts & Culture Magazine, January 2016, Vol. 19 No. 5

On the Cover: Majestic,

oil painting by Ray Byram.

PAGE 4

3 Music & Performance Free Planet Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Pan Harmonia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 ACT – Bill Bowers; Oleanna . . . . . . 7 Asheville Fringe Arts Festival. . . . . . 8 Magnetic 375 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Larry Campbell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Chuck Brodsky . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

4 Fine Art

SHORT STORIES

New stories are added each month!

Borneo Part 1,

Emma Zanetti

Spark,

Local silversmith completes the Asheville Area Arts Council’s Creative Business Program.

written by Eddie LeShure written by Mickey Hunt

Sorrow Times Two,

Regional Artist Project Grantees for 2015-16

written by Nancy Dillingham

Ray Byram . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Roberto Vengoechea . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Points of Light. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Carolina Mountain Artists Guild. . 11 Seven Sisters Gallery. . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Asheville Gallery of Art . . . . . . . . . 18 Twigs and Leaves Gallery. . . . . . . . 21 River Arts District Artists . . . . . . . . 33

9 Columns Greg Vineyard – Fine Art . . . . . . . . . 9 James Cassara – Spinning Discs . . 22 Carol Pearce Bjorlie – Poetry. . . . . 28 Max Hammonds, MD – Health . . 24 Kathleen Colburn – Health . . . . . . 24 Bill Walz – Artful Living . . . . . . . . 25

12 Movie Reviews

Dead Time,

written by Dave Rowe

Bosnia a Brief Encounter, written by Tom Davis

Short Story guidelines are available at www.rapidrivermagazine.com. Kathleen Colburn is editor and curator of the section. Please contact her by email to rrshortstories@gmail.com

16 Local Food Blue Ridge Biscuit Company. . . . . 16 Brewing Your Own Beer . . . . . . . . 26 Modesto. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

17 Books Staff Picks from Malaprop’s . . . . . . 17 Fresh Start with a Great Book . . . 24 Books & Authors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 ™

Best in Show by Phil Juliano . . . . 31 Callie & Cats by Amy Downs . . . . 31 Corgi Tales by Phil Hawkins . . . . 31 Dragin by Michael Cole . . . . . . . . 31 Ratchet & Spin by J. & R. Woods . . 31

Royal Blue Cruet by Stuart Howe.

Grants were awarded to seven artists: Bonnie Joy Bardos, Joan Berner, Douala Dennis, Stuart Howe, Catherine Langsdorf, Ashley Lowe, and Sandee Setliff.

The No-No List Flash Fiction Contest Winners

Read the winning stories on our website.

Chip Kaufmann, Michelle Keenan .12

30 What to Do Guide

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SPECIAL SECTIONS Hendersonville . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pg 11 Black Mountain . . . . . . . . . . . . . pg 16 Downtown Asheville . . . . . . pgS 18-19 Waynesville . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pgS 20-21 River Arts District . . . . . . . . . . . pg 33

The Curmudgeon discovers that a local charity has refused donations of any Harry Potter books.

By Peter Loewer.

Alan Chapell Chapell’s debut album, The Redhead’s Allegations will drop in March of 2016. The first single, Giving Her More, is out now.

Take a listen on our website, and share it with your friends.

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Vol. 19, No. 5 — RAPID RIVER ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE — January 2016 5

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performance Pan Harmonia’s January Concerts

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Pan Harmonia makes its first appearance at Isis Restaurant and Music Hall, and the new Asheville Baroque Concert Series continues.

BY

ROSALIND BUDA

MUSIC AND WINE INTERLUDE

Sunday, January 10 Pan Harmonia is pleased to be making its first appearance at Isis Restaurant and Music Hall in West Asheville. Join us for a warm late afternoon offering of fine wine and music, as Kate Steinbeck and Ivan Seng offer finely crafted French music for flute and piano by Claude Debussy, Germaine Tailleferre, Reynaldo Hahn, and others.

Pairing beautiful music with delicious food and wine, Sunday, January 10 at 5:30 p.m. Kate Steinbeck, flute, Ivan Seng, piano. Tickets $15, $7.50 for students. Food and wine extra. ISIS Restaurant and Music Hall, 743 Haywood Rd., Asheville. (828) 575-2737, www.isisasheville.com

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6 January 2016 — RAPID RIVER ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE — Vol. 19, No. 5

Sunday, January 17 Ardent laments, passionate love songs and fiery dance rhythms from the warm Mediterranean regions of Spain, France and Italy are key elements in this program, the second concert in Asheville Baroque Concerts’ premiere season. Add the sumptuous, expressive voice of Venezuelan soprano Salomé Sandoval accompanying herself on Renaissance guitar and the warm, expressive strings of the Muses’ Consort and the formula for a sizzling program is complete.

This concert of Renaissance and early Baroque music will be presented Sunday, January 17 at 3 p.m. at Oakley United Methodist Church, 709 Fairview Road, Asheville. Tickets: $15 in advance, $20 at the door, $5 students, available at www. panharmonia.org.

The Muses’ Consort, under the direction of Gail Ann Schroeder, is comprised of the various sized instruments of the viola da gamba family.

“This concert is a first for Asheville,” says Ms. Schroeder. “Many audience members may have heard the bass viol but are unaware that there are also treble- and tenor-size viols, which correspond in their range to the modern violin and viola. The result of the three instrument sizes

Soprano Salomé Sandoval will be performing with the Muses Consort in Asheville Baroque Concerts’ “Mediterranean Blues.”

playing together, a consort of viols, is similar to a string quartet but with the lush, dark tone of viols.”

Also featured in this concert is soprano Salomé Sandoval, who now resides in the United States.

Sandoval has performed with renowned ensembles here, such as the Newberry Consort and the Boston Camerata. In 2010 Ms. Sandoval cofounded El Fuego Early Music Ensemble, which specializes in Hispanic Baroque vocal music.

Mediterranean Blues will feature music of composers Luis de Narváez, Diego Ortiz, Nicolas Gombert, Étienne Moulinié and Salamone Rossi.

Ms. Schroeder elaborates: “Although these composers are for the most part unknown to mainstream concert-goers, we hope that the novelty of the program and instrumentation will pique people’s curiosity and entice them to attend. I am convinced this wonderful genre can take hold and become popular in Asheville, as it is in many other parts of the world.”

Pan Harmonia, directed by flutist Kate Steinbeck and based in Asheville, brings professional chamber music performances to audiences of all ages in diverse settings ranging from traditional concert halls to homeless shelters and prisons.

Now in its 16th season, Pan Harmonia has been awarded grants from the North Carolina Arts Council, The Mary Duke Biddle Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts for its artistic excellence.

Asheville Baroque Concerts is sponsored by the Pan Harmonia chamber music series. Please visit ashevillebaroque.org for more information.

Tickets are available at www.panharmonia.org IF YOU For more information about Pan GO Harmonia, please visit www.panharmonia.

org, or call (828) 254-7123. If price is a barrier, contact us at write office@panharmonia. org to volunteer.

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captivating performances

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It Goes Without Saying

Local theatre aficionados are in for a very special treat at the beginning of the new year.

Asheville Community Theatre will host Bill Bowers’ award-winning, off-Broadway performance It Goes Without Saying on Saturday, January 9.

One of the most acclaimed multi-disciplinary artists in America today, Bowers employs an eloquent mixture of music, monologues and mime in his ongoing investigation of the silence surrounding the enigmatic matters of gender in our culture today. Often compared to Chaplin and Keaton, he has performed throughout the U.S., Europe and Asia.

In this 75-minute joyride, Bowers shares hilarious, heart-breaking, and unbelievably true stories from both his career and his lifelong exploration of the role silence plays in all of our lives.

It Goes Without Saying takes the audience on a scenic tour of Bowers’ life thus far; from growing up gay in the wilds of Montana, to

his outrageous jobs as a performer, to the whirlwind of working on Broadway, and studying with Marcel Marceau. Compared to the work of Claudia Shear, Lisa Kron and David Sedaris, It Goes Without Saying is an autobiographical tour-de-force.

Bowers, a native of Montana, is being brought to Asheville courtesy of LEAD Productions, a new local staging company whose mission is to “break boundaries” in theatre and film and to “integrate connection back into the audience experience.”

“I have seen this production six times and I would see it 100 more,” says LEAD Productions Artistic Director Richard Handy. “It’s why I wanted so deeply to bring Bill and this experience to Asheville.

I wanted to share his story with the city I love.

His production is unforgettable.”

“When it was playing in Tampa I was actually going to rent a car and drive down just to see it, but I couldn’t get around class,”

Language, Power, and Truth

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David Mamet’s provocative Oleanna comes to 35below.

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Though it opened in 1992, Oleanna remains Called “a clenched fist to “fiercely funny and trenthe gut, and intellect” David chantly topical” (Time).

Mamet’s tense, electrifying “The play is a conflict play Oleanna opens January of power through 8 in the black box theatre language,” says Director 35below at Asheville ComChris Allison. “It ultimunity Theatre. An examinamately demonstrates that tion of power and language, of ‘much of what we do… relations and perceptions, this in the name of principles two actor drama co-stars local is self-serving.” favorite Chelsey Lee Gaddy This modern classic and, making his ACT debut,

by David Mamet is sure Kier Klepzig. Oleanna is to engage and enrage directed by Chris Allison. The play will open Friday, January Chelsey Lee Gaddy and Kier Klepzig and to provoke discussion long after the stun8 and run through Sunday, star in Oleanna. Photo: Rodney Smith / Tempus Fugit Designs ning ending. Oleanna January 24, 2016 with perforstars Chelsey Lee Gaddy mances Friday and Saturday and Kier Klepzig; directed by Chris Allison. nights at 7:30 pm and Sunday afternoons at For more information about Oleanna or 2:30 pm. Tickets are available online, over the about Asheville Community Theatre, please phone, or in person at the Asheville Commuvisit www.ashevilletheatre.org. nity Theatre Box Office. All tickets are $15.

In the briskly moving play, a young, uncertain co-ed, seeks help from her professor, an academic, secure in his opinions, juggling his IF YOU Oleanna January 8-24, 2016. tenure nomination, a new house, a growing GO Performances Friday and Saturday career. The two discuss education, underevenings at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday standing, society, and more. The next time afternoons at 2:30 p.m. Tickets: $15. they meet, all has changed. What happened?

Asheville Community Theatre, 35 East Walnut Who is right? Who is the powerful and who St., Asheville. (828) 254-1320 or visit www. the powerless? ashevilletheatre.org.

ASHEVILLE LOCKSMITH NOW

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Bill Bowers performs his auto-biographical tour-de-force It Goes Without Saying on Saturday, January 9.

Handy says. “You don’t just see Bill in this show. You see his soul. It also felt poetically appropriate to inaugurate LEAD productions with It Goes Without Saying and have it at ACT for the community.”

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For more information, visit Bill-Bowers.com IF YOU Bill Bowers, It Goes Without Saying, GO Saturday, January 9 at Asheville

Community Theatre, 35 East Walnut Street, Downtown Asheville. (828) 254-1320 or visit www.ashevilletheatre.org.

Once Upon a Mattress

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In February,

BY MICHELLE FLEMINg the Tryon Little Theater will present the rollicking medieval musical Once Upon a Mattress, directed by Debbie Craig-Archer.

Originally produced on Broadway in the 1950s, the musical is an adaption of the classic Hans Christian Anderson fairy tale, The Princess and the Pea. Tryon Little Theater’s production will feature local performers from Upstate South Carolina and Western North Carolina.

Tryon Little Theater, located between Greenville, SC and Hendersonville, NC, has been producing quality community performances since 1948. Once Upon a Mattress is the first major musical at the Tryon Little Theater Workshop space.

IF YOU Once Upon a Mattress, February GO 18-21 & 25-28 at Tryon Little

Theater Workshop Theater, 516 S. Trade St., Tryon, NC. For more information, please call (828) 859-2466, email tryonlittletheatre@gmail.com, or visit www.tltinfo.org.

Advertising Sales Representatives Needed Help us promote local arts, organizations, and businesses. Great for earning extra income. Set your own hours. Potential earnings are up to you! Seniors are encouraged to apply.

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Vol. 19, No. 5 — RAPID RIVER ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE — January 2016 7

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captivating performances Asheville’s Weird & Wonderful Fringe Arts Festival

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A plethora of performance art and experimental theatre.

It’s the 14th annual Asheville Fringe Arts Festival! This true Asheville oddity offers more than 30 local and imported performing artists the opportunity to create and showcase new work. The Asheville Fringe is one of the few places for culturally adventurous audiences to see a range of performance art. But what is this performance art thing anyway?

Performance art is traditionally interdisciplinary. It can be either scripted or unscripted, random or carefully orchestrated; spontaneous or planned; with or without audience participation. Any situation that involves the basic elements of time, space, the performer’s presence in a medium, and a relationship between performer and audience can be performance art. It can happen anywhere, in any type of setting and for any length of time. (Adapted from Wikipedia) To really understand what it is, you’ve got to experience it! The 2016 Asheville Fringe Arts Festival will give you plenty of opportunity with a variety of performance art events that defy genre categories, as well as being just plain weird. The LaZoom Bus Fringe Tour, one of our most popular venues, features several site specific performance art pieces, like Grayson Morris’ art house and Caroline Williford’s wonderful installation (you might remember her mirrored ceiling dance from last year’s tour). On the bus you can catch performances by Polly Panic, who defies the music genre with her cello, and as host, everyone’s favorite pointy-hatted local performance artist and puppeteer, Keith Shubert.

Several theatre-based pieces in the festival also fall into the performance art category.

Anam Cara will be pushing the boundaries as usual with A Tonguey Kiss for Samuel Davidson at Magentic 375. Also at Magnetic 375, Caroline Rau, aka the PBR swilling high priestess Polly Panic Winnifred Coombe, appears in a Fringe double feature: The Séance Show and La Lune de Femme. At the Altamont, Ruts: The Oregon Trail Experience will engage you with history, comedy, and a fantastical video game!

All of the free Random Acts of Fringe this year are also best described as performance art.

Susan and Giles Collard from ACDT explore the question ‘What do we consider important in our lives?’ in Zugar Refinido, with dark humor, dance, and some contagious affection.

Brianna Gardner will be performing Sacraments of Saga: The Healing Mead of Poetry.

The Accidentals, Asheville’s creative collective of improvisational dancers, will be performing in the hair salon, Realta Salon on Wall Street.

The times and exact locations of all three Random Acts of Fringe will be announced January 1, when the official guide comes out.

These are non-ticketed shows and free to the general public. Curious audiences will want to watch the Fringe website for details.

The dates for the 2016 Asheville Fringe

Beer and How To Drink It!

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Has beer taken over our fair city?

Will there soon be a brewery on every corner? Will City Council end up in the pockets of Big Beer? Will Asheville eventually drown in a flood of beer and tourists engineered by the Convention and Visitors Bureau?

These and other matters of social and political import demand serious attention, which is just what they won’t receive when the Magnetic Theatre toasts the new year with its latest comic creation.

The loons who uncorked the smash hits Sex and How To Have It and Food and How To Eat It have aged a special brew for you in bourbon-soaked oak barrels, tapping the kegs of inspiration and draining them to the dregs.

Copious quantities of the nectar of the gods have been sacrificed to the cause of making you laugh. And because neither man nor woman lives by beer alone, don’t be surprised by the appearance of other local, delectable

8 January 2016 — RAPID RIVER ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE — Vol. 19, No. 5

BY

STEVEN SAMUELS

potations as wine, moonshine, and sake.

Beer and How To Drink It stars Scott Fisher, Katie Langwell, Valerie Meiss, and Glenn Reed. Directed by Steven Samuels, written by the company with Lisa Yoffee. Lighting design by Jason Williams. Sound design by Mary Zogzas.

Choreography by Kristi DeVille.

IF YOU Beer and How To Drink It, GO January 7-16 at Magnetic 375 (375

Depot Street in the River Arts District). Thursdays-Saturdays, at 7:30 p.m. (tickets $21 online/$24 at the door), with late shows January 15-16, SaturdaySunday, at 10 p.m. ($16/$19). $10 student rush, 15 minutes before each performance.

Visit www.themagnetictheatre.org.

Keith Shubert

Zugar

Arts Festival are Thursday, January 21 through Sunday, January 24, 2016. With 15 different Fringe shows to choose from, it is essential to plan ahead. Visit www.ashevillefringe.org for tickets and more details.

Bold and brave audiences should go to as many shows as possible to experience the full Fringe effect. Audiences will have many choices this year at venues across the city: the Bebe Theatre, the Altamont Theatre, the Mothlight, the Magnetic 375, the LaZoom bus, and the Toy Boat Community Art Space.

Show times are generally at 7 & 9 p.m., slightly earlier on Sunday. Each show runs about an hour, encouraging festival goers to see two shows a night. Committed Fringe fans can purchase an all access Fringe Freak Pass.

IF YOU Asheville Fringe Arts Festival, GO Thursday, January 21 through Sunday,

January 24. For more details, please contact info@ashevillefringe.org and visit www.AshevilleFringe.org.

Brief Encounters

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The Magnetic Theatre seeks one-act plays, actors, and directors.

Between four to six previously unproduced plays will be presented at Magnetic 375 in June for Brief Encounters 2016. The deadline for submissions is February 7.

Scripts 10-20 minutes in length, in all genres, styles, and tones, are eligible for consideration. Cast size should not exceed six actors. Production requirements (set, costumes, props, lighting effects) should be minimal.

Plays should be submitted in playscript format as a PDF or Final Draft files to Lucia Del Vecchio, at ldv@themagnetictheatre.org.

Selections will be announced in March.

Open-call auditions for the production will be held in March. Check www.themagnetictheatre.org for audition dates.

Those interested in directing a one-act in Brief Encounters 2016 should contact Steven Samuels at ss@themagnetictheatre.org.

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fine art Creative Planning 101

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PAPER IS A TECHNOLOGY, TOO

I sometimes propose simpler planning methods because sometimes people wait to start something until they get everything “ready.” “I’ll start making art once I build a studio.” “I’ll write out my plans once I get all the right software.” I submit here that starting with what one has leads to more activity, more ideas, and hence builds business. And then when one buys that new Macintosh, it’s simply a new tool in the process, rather than only just a beginning. Yellow Pads before iPads.

And it all works out.

Ideas are always flowing through us, and need to be nurtured. When we jump on the planning, we’re nurturing the ideas so that we can get on with the making. January is a great time to plan, whether on paper, or using modern technologies. And, if one is transitioning from one method to the other, after scanningin all those notes, don’t forget to recycle.

When I was a kid, I remember friends and I talking about how old we’d be when the calendar turned to the year 2000 and beyond.

Of course, anything that many decades in the future was impossible to truly comprehend. Knowing what I know now, I would have planned some things better. Our lives are certainly different, especially regarding technology. However, even though many tools have changed, something that hasn’t is the creative process itself.

Each January, I perform some simple tasks that really help my creative year. While I am seen by some as old-fashioned (Exhibit A: I still use my Rolodex. If my phone dies, guess what? I STILL have your address in my spinny, flippy, wheel o’ cards.). Using a calendar helps me keep everything on-track.

Some use on-line versions, but I buy a physical one every year.

Over the New Year’s holiday, in addition to writing-in birthdays and such, I also jot down appointments, commitments, show dates, events, and more. The weekly view style also provides room for notes, ideas, and very important doodles. And it’s a set of views of a life.

I can plan by the day, the week, or bigger.

So I guess I’m kickin’ it Old School, so let me now bring up… Yellow Pads! They have the right number of lines to write out January – December on every other line down the left side. I then write topics across the top, and map out some of my regular monthly activities.

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Many might exclaim: “Gosh, Greg, why don’t you try this thing called an Excel spreadsheet?” I use those, too. But I hate flipping open my laptop at Dobra Tea, as it feels like I should keep the screen-glow down a bit in some of my favorite haunts. Every year, I use this method to map-out how my Rapid River Magazine columns might flow for the next 12 months. I think about topics, the seasons, whether I see a theme flowing, and potential accompanying visuals. It’s about feel, and flow and order.

OK, continuing on with PAPER (and why not?)…

I also take a large 24" x 18" piece of drawing paper, fold it several times to create twelve equal-sized spaces that I also label January – December.

I primarily use this to track art and gallery commitments throughout the year. Many projects require months of advance planning – a big visual reminds me to jump on certain things early.

Again, people might gently, proddingly inquire: “Why don’t you put that on the com-

gREg VINEYARD

Wishing everyone the best, all year.

Igniting Creativity, 2015.

Illustration by Greg Vineyard

puter?” I can do that, too. But I won’t look at it on the computer as often as I will look at it on my studio wall. It’s a visual thing. The beauty of having mid-century tools AND 2016 tools is that we can use both. The trick is finding which ones work for a given situation so that we will actually use them.

Greg Vineyard is a marketingcommunications professional, and an artist and writer living in Asheville, NC. ZaPOW Gallery carries his illustrations, prints and cards. www.gregvineyardillustration.com

National 10-Minute Play Contest & Festival

LEAD Productions, an Ashevillebased staging company, seeks directors for the Asheville National 10-Minute Play Contest & Festival, slated for April 2016.

The Asheville National 10-Minute Play Contest & Festival, a new major event from western North Carolina’s professional theatre community, seeks five directors to helm ten winning productions in spring 2016.

“This is an extraordinary chance for a new or emerging director to be recognized on a national scale for his or her work,” says Richard Handy, the festival’s founder and production manager.

The festival’s coordinators report they expect up to 500 emerging and established playwrights from across the United States to submit their best, short, original plays for this event. The coordinators will then select ten winners to have their work selected, produced and performed in the festival’s elegant venue, the Grace Center in Mills River, win prizes,

and gain recognition as a contemporary talent.

Directors who are invited to participate will have several resources provided to them from LEAD Productions’ studios, as well as a limited budget available for set and props.

They may cast anyone from the open audition pool of actors in March, and they will collaborate with lighting, stage and sound designers as a team.

“Not only does this strengthen area connections for theatre professionals, it also demonstrates the vast amount of local talent we have,” says Handy. “It’s a unique opportunity for all of the local theaters and a variety of directors to work collaboratively on what will be an unprecedented event.”

Directors who wish to be considered for the Festival may contact Production Manager Richard Handy at (828) 276-1212.

Submissions for the festival are currently open, and playwrights may submit their work until February 15, 2016. The 10-Minute Play Festival is slated for April at the Grace Center in nearby Mills River, NC.

The National 10-Minute Play Contest & Festival was created by LEAD Productions, a local staging company dedicated to fostering professional development as well as supporting artistic visionaries who want to redefine boundaries between audience and stage.

Submission deadline: February 15, 2016.

Production dates: April 7-9, 2016. Auditions held March 5 & 6, 2016.

The top ten entries will each receive a $100 prize, a video of their script being produced, a copy of their play published in a hardcover anthology. Winning plays will be produced by LEAD Productions and the Grace Center.

Submission Fee: $10. Playwrights may submit up to three scripts. Full-length plays are not accepted. Submissions are limited to the first 500 scripts received. No scripts will be returned.

Mail submissions to: New York Studio/ NYS3 Play Submission, 2002 Riverside Drive, Studio 42-O, Asheville, NC 28804.

For more information, visit ww.nys3.com.

Vol. 19, No. 5 — RAPID RIVER ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE — January 2016 9

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fine arts & crafts Roberto Vengoechea

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FINE JEWELRY DESIGNER

Points of Light crystal and mineral gallery is a wonderful source for fine crystals, minerals, gemstones and living art.

MAKE YOUR OWN RING

Roberto Vengoechea’s 43 years of experience inspires him to create sophisticated, contemporary fine jewelry, hand fabricated and cast, incorporating fine gemstones and diamonds.

Vengoecheo focuses on making timeless pieces. He describes his work as reflecting a futuristic quality that is reserved for those looking for the unusual or avant-garde pieces. Most of Vengoechea’s work is either one-of-a-kind, limited edition, or commissioned.

His square, geometric and architectural shapes defy the conventional and push the boundaries, taking the collector “outside of the box.” Roberto has an eye for detail and the craftsmanship of a designer to create truly unique jewelry.

Roberto Vengoechea was born and raised in Colombia, South America, of Indian and Spanish-Basque ancestry. He immigrated to America as a young man, learning his craft while living in Florida.

In Florida he met his wife, June (from Scotland) and together they relocated to Black Mountain, North Carolina to be closer to the unique arts and crafts scene.

Roberto’s designs feature unique square-shank rings cast in precious metals using fine gemstones and diamonds. His creations have often been referred to as as “Dali-esque,” referring to the artist, Salvador Dali. One of his signature and copyright series is the mountain ring, mountain pendant and Handcrafted, custom mountain earring set, created just for designed jewelry by Black Mountain enthusiasts.

Roberto Vengoechea.

For the Sports Fan on Your Gift List

Points of Light

Create your own oneof-a-kind masterpiece from start to finish in a fully equipped studio.

This eight-hour class includes all your tools, silver and your choice of stone, no experience necessary. The cost is $350 per person.

It’s fun and educational. Students will Fine Jewelry Designer, learn shop safety, metal Roberto Vengoechea has more cutting, basic forming than 30 years experience. and soldering. Each class will focus on simple to intermediate level projects that students can complete and develop confidence. Jewelry design will be discussed.

Classes are small (2 students) enabling you to master skills and techniques under the guidance of designer, Roberto Vengoechea. Go home with hand-crafted jewelry that you created.

Jewelry classes for rings or pendants are also available.

For further information, or to schedule your hands-on class, call (828) 669-0065.

Visions of Creation 100 Cherry Street, Black Mountain, NC 28711 (828) 669-0065 www.visionsofcreation.com

KIRK’S COLLECTIBLES & Custom Framing

HUGE SELECTION! All Styles of Hats

BUY ONE GET ONE FREE! WE HAVE IT ALL! Signed and Unsigned Helmets, Footballs, Jerseys, Basketballs, Baseballs and more!

We’ll Beat Any Advertised Price on Custom Framing! Mention this ad to receive 25% OFF

140 Airport Road, Arden, NC 1 mile East of I-26, across from IHOP on left, next to Subway 1-770-757-6814

emkkom@hotmail.com

Mon-Sat 11-8

10 January 2016 — RAPID RIVER ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE — Vol. 19, No. 5

Sunday 12:30-6

pg. 32

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Polished Crystals

The gallery, which boasts an amazing collection of large Quartz crystals, is much more than just another rock shop.

Points of Light’s collection includes many unique Quartz clusters and Amethyst Geodes in addition to healing stones, mineral specimens and a wide variety of books on stones. They specialize in breathtaking interior design pieces and oneof-a-kind crystals for decorators, collectors and healers.

Every single item on display Unique Quartz Cluster has been carefully and lovingly hand-selected for quality, beauty and energy.

The gallery works with a renowned group of internationally acclaimed crystal and mineral artisans, and as a result carries some of the Vogel Wands finest cut and polished pieces available anywhere in the U.S. They are home to a comprehensive and truly beautiful collection of crystal healing wands, including highly sought after Vogel wands crafted by master cutter, Drew Tousley as well as cuts by world-famous lapidary artist, Lawrence Stoller.

Points of Light also has an outstanding collection of Crystal Singing Bowls, which can be used for sound healing, meditation or simple stress relief. They are happy to demonstrate the singing bowls for anyone who would like to experience them.

Whether you are interested in geology, the healing properties of stones or simply appreciate mother nature, Points of Light is a “must see” destination in Asheville!

Points of Light Crystal and Mineral Gallery 391 Merrimon Avenue, Asheville, NC 28804 (828) 257-2626 www.pointsoflight.net

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Carolina Mountain Artists Guild

Looking for a unique gift?

While visiting beautiful downtown Hendersonville drop in and chat with some of their artists. You will be amazed at their displays and all the store offers for your enjoyment. It’s a great place to shop locally.

wants and desires. They have gifts for all ages and all occasions and seasons.

Many of the artists demonstrate their talents while you shop and are happy to handcraft your special order if you don’t find what you desire.

Some of the treasures in the store are watercolors, oils and acrylic paintings, gorgeous baskets with oak bottoms, cobweb brooms and whisk brooms, precisely crafted greeting cards, cozy pillows, beautiful oak furniture, as well as doll and children furniture. If you need a scarf for yourself, or as a gift, check them out for the many knitted and crocheted scarves, as well as knitted baby gifts, boot cuffs and even the perfect sweater for your spoiled fur-kid.

There is a very popular pottery section that will serve many needs, incredible hand-carved whimsical houses from cottonwood bark, magnificent stained glass pieces, incredible photography of our local area, award-winning carved birds, as well as perfectly produced intarsia, handturned wooden pens, pencils and bowls.

There are several artists displaying jewelry, but each style is unique and different. Hand quilting has become “old-fashioned,” but is still exceptionally beautiful – see the wide variety of quilts, table runners, placemats, coasters, and more. Need a birdhouse or a bird feeder?

They have amazing ones. You can also shop for ChristA S all year-long. You will need to stop in, as there is mas HE V ILmuch to mention here. just too LE

Carolina Mountain Artists Guild 444 N. Main Street, Hendersonville, NC 28792 (828) 696-0707 Facebook.com/CarolinaArtists

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Visit the Carolina Mountain Artists Guild for items that are superbly handcrafted by talented local artists.

This beautifully displayed store, located in historic downtown Hendersonville, has been operating since 1998, and provides a vast array of merchandise from which to choose. All artists are members of this Guild and all assist in the operation of the store in some capacity. The artists work in the store and are more than happy to help you choose just the perfect item for your needs,

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444 N. Main Street • Hendersonville, NC 828-696-0707 • facebook.com/CarolinaArtists

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Community College’s Patton Building room 150.

Tickets for each program are $15 per person or $25 for both programs. Call the Center for Cultural Preservation, (828) 692-8062, and visit www.saveculture.org.

Carolina Mountain Artists Guild

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IF YOU Reflections on Madison County’s Musical GO Heritage, Tuesday, January 26 at Blue Ridge

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Joe Penland is a tenth generation balladeer who has been described as a cultural treasure given his glorious storytelling, musical performances and historical preservation work.

Reflections on Madison County’s Musical Heritage is a two-part program. The class and lecture will be held at 1 p.m. on January 26 at Blue Ridge Community College.

The evening concert and storytelling will be held at 7 p.m. at the Thomas Auditorium on BRCC’s campus.

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Gifts for all ages, occasions, and seasons.

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Vol. 19, No. 5 — RAPID RIVER ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE — January 2016 11

Reel Take Reviewers:

····· - Fantastic ···· - Pretty darn good ··· - Has some good points ·· - The previews lied · - Only if you must

CHIP KAUFMANN is a film historian who also shares his love of classical music as a program host on WCQS-FM radio.

MICHELLE KEENAN is a long time student of film, a believer in the magic of movies, and a fundraiser for public radio.

M- Forget entirely For the latest REVIEWS, THEATER INFO and MOVIE SHOW TIMES, visit www.rapidrivermagazine.com

Illustration of Michelle & Chip by Brent Brown.

Questions/Comments?

BRENT BROWN is a graphic designer and illustrator.

View more of his work at www.brentbrown.com.

You can email Chip or Michelle at reeltakes@hotmail.com

Carol 

Carol is the third major movie this year to be set in America during the 1950s.

There’s also Brooklyn and Trumbo both of REEL TAKE: There has which are better been a lot of buzz surroundfilms because ing Carol and I’m sure that they feature come Oscar time both Cate characters that Rooney Mara & Cate Blanchette's first Blanchett & Rooney Mara you care about. encounter in Todd Haynes' non-traditional will be nominated in their reFrankly, I was 1950s love story Carol. spective categories. In lieu of surprised by that and other aspects of the how uninvolvmovie which I’ll go into later, I wish I could ing Carol was. Once you look past the novelty say that I liked Carol more than I did. of the lesbian relationship between the two Short Take: Beautifully mounted period piece, set in the 1950s, about a married woman’s relationship with a shop girl and the fallout it causes.

THE MONTHLY REEL

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The Force Awakens in Hollywood

Happy New Year, dear readers!

As we put the January section to bed, Star Wars: The Force Awakens is trouncing the box office. With such a knockout punch, we knew we didn’t need to battle opening weekend crowds to get a review in by deadline.

If you wanted to see it, you, and millions of others, will have seen it by this time this issue comes out; you won’t need our humble opinion to get you to the theatre.

Instead the good Professor Kaufmann and I decided to highlight some films that will garner critical praise at the box office, but probably little else.

Chip reviews the 1950s lesbian drama Carol, the mainstream, albeit slightly controversial, Concussion, and the most artsy title of the year (and one of our favorites for 2015), Youth. Meanwhile I find myself dreaming of a galaxy far, far away after reviewing three films with a dark side – The Danish Girl, a fictionalized love story inspired by transgender pioneer Lili Elbe and Gerde Wegener, a brutal drama about London's most notorious gangsters

in Legend, and The Revenant, an unrelentingly harsh and bleak piece of Oscar bait. All of these will be playing at local theatres during January.

With the onslaught of award season, the last few weeks have been a movie marathon for us – attending screenings, pouring through screeners and assessing the ‘Best of 2015.’ We are happy to report that the Southeastern Film Critics Association (SEFCA) voted Spotlight ‘Best Picture of the Year.’ And with that, we are ready to dispense with the critical bests and have some fun. You’ll find our Favorite Films of 2015 on page 13.

Two films which bypassed the typical screenings of the season are David O’Russell’s Joy and Quentin Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight, so we do not have reviews of them.

The Hateful Eight opens this month.

12 January 2016 — RAPID RIVER ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE — Vol. 19, No. 5

characters, the film is a pale copy of a glossy Hollywood soap opera.

Of course if you enjoy that genre and aren’t bothered by the lesbian angle, then Carol could be right up your alley. It is beautifully photographed, classically lit, full of vintage 1950s fashions, and spot on with its period detail (all the car windshields are double plated) but for me that wasn’t enough.

The year is 1952. The title character, played

by Cate Blanchett, is rich and glamorous with a beautiful daughter and a loveless marriage.

At Christmastime she meets working class shop girl Rooney Mara who dreams of being a photographer and the two begin an unlikely friendship that slowly blossoms into love.

This will ultimately have a profound effect on Blanchett’s character.

Rooney Mara gives the best performance

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MICHELLE KEENAN

The Southeastern Film Critic’s Association named Spotlight Best Film.

We anticipate that both will be worthwhile, but our inner movie geeks love that Tarantino shot TH8 on super-wide film stock and reverted to lenses not used since Khartoum, starring Charlton Heston.

The Asheville Film Society, hosted by Mountain Xpress film critic Ken Hanke, and The Hendersonville Film Society, hosted

by Reel Takes’ own Chip Kaufmann, kick off the New Year with a full slate offerings, including What’s New Pussycat?, High Society, Shane, and Goya’s Ghosts. A full schedule and descriptions can be found on pages 14 & 15.

Until next time, may the force be with you!

of her career (at least among the films of hers that I have seen). It’s a lot more difficult to underplay a role and make an impression but she manages and manages quite well. I cared about her shop girl, but I didn’t care as much for Blanchett’s well-to-do housewife so ultimately her fate didn’t move me.

This has less to do with Blanchett’s performance than with her character. Carol is reportedly a thinly disguised portrait of the book’s author. Patricia Highsmith, who used a pseudonym when the book was first published as The Price of Salt, was a great writer (Strangers on a Train, The Talented Mr. Ripley) but a notorious misanthrope. Carol isn’t misanthropic but I just couldn’t warm to her.

On the surface it appears that director Todd Haynes wanted to come up with a companion piece to Far From Heaven (2002) which is also set in the 1950s and focuses on a reverse situation where a closeted gay man wants out of his marriage. That film also focuses on racial inequality giving it a greater depth than Carol.

Haynes has expressed a great admiration for the splashy big budgeted 1950s melodramas of director Douglas Sirk (Imitation of Life, All That Heaven Allows) and has copied their look perfectly. What Carol lacks is the melodramatic quality of those films that makes them endlessly fascinating. In other words, Carol is too emotionally reserved for its own good and this rather reserved nature keeps it from having the overall impact that it should.

Rated R for a scene of sexuality/nudity and brief language.

Review by Chip Kaufmann

Concussion 

Short Take: Topical film on football related brain injuries is slickly produced with a strong supporting cast and a remarkably sincere performance from Will Smith.

REEL TAKE: The source material for Concussion is an article published in GQ about the efforts of the NFL to suppress the research of a Nigerian born forensic pathologist Bennet Omalu who discovered a neurological condition (CTE) that showed up in the brains of NFL players who had suffered repeated blows to the head.

The film was originally to have been directMovies continued on page 13

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Our Favorite Films of 2015

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Just a few weeks ago we were wondering how we were going to come up with ten films for our critical and personal best lists for the year.

Will Smith as Nigerian born neurologist Bennet Omalu discovers the truth about football head injuries in Concussion.

ed by Ridley Scott who did the initial background research and project preparation but he then passed in order to concentrate on The Martian (a wise move) although he did produce Concussion. The film wound up being directed by Peter Landesman who had previously directed Parkland (2013).

Things begin in 2002 when an autopsy on Pittsburgh Steeler lineman Mike Webster (movingly played in flashbacks

by David Morse) reveals that his loss of memory and erratic behavior were caused not by early onset Alzheimer’s but by a new condition which Omalu named CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy).

When he attempted to publish this research it was quickly and effectively quashed by the NFL who provided much better known doctors to categorically deny it. Omalu was then threatened and subjected to a smear campaign (with racist overtones) but he did have his champions and with their help and his own determination, he perseveres.

Concussion is a throwback to the type of social relevance films such as The Defiant Ones and Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner made by Stanley Kramer in the 1950s and 1960s. I’m sure that writer-director Landesman having written crusading exposes’ for the New York Times had something to do with this.

It is on this level that Concussion works best. The story of one man taking a stand against a giant corporation has been done many times but the football angle puts a new and highly relevant spin on it. The glass jar demonstration (I’ll leave it at that) may be an oversimplification but there’s no denying its effectiveness.

The ultimate problem with Concussion and what makes it only a good film as opposed to a great one like Spotlight, is that it attempts to do too many things. It wants to be all things to all people and so, in addition to the central story, we delve into Omalu’s personal life and into the implied mistrust of immigrants and casual racism surrounding someone from Nigeria.

Not that these aren’t valid concerns but it winds up devaluing Concussion in the long run. The ending where a vindicated Omalu speaks before an audience is pure Hallmark and pure old school Hollywood.

Movies continued on page 14

We were also lamenting the lack of that one beguiling film, the one that captures our cinematic hearts and imaginations (think The Grand Budapest Hotel in 2014 or The Artist in 2012). Then the onslaught of award season began and we were given an array of contenders, and we were given that special film, Youth. Paolo Sorrentino’s reflection of love and life and old age is without a doubt the most exquisitely creative film of the year.

In the end, it was difficult to narrow the field down to just ten films. Other contenders that could easily be on either or both of our lists include: ‘71, 45 Years, The Assassin, Bridge of Spies, End of the Tour, I’ll See You In My Dreams, Love & Mercy, While We’re Young, and others.

Where our lists converge, these are mustsee films for 2015. Where our films differ, it’s more a matter keeping things interesting for our readers. We would both be likely to recommend most of the titles on each other’s lists. You will be well aware of some of these films, but others may be a revelation.

Chip Kaufmann’s Top Ten (In Alphabetical Order)

The Big Short – This well made, eccentric

look at the economic collapse of 2008 is both wickedly funny and seriously depressing when you consider the consequences. Ryan Gosling, Steve Carell, and Christian Bale give standout performances.

Brooklyn – A beautifully realized story of a

young Irish woman’s sojourn to America in 1952, what she finds there, and what happens back home in her absence. It features gorgeous production design, great photography and a star making turn from Saoirse Ronan.

Crimson Peak – Guillermo del

Mr. Holmes – My personal favorite among this year’s releases, this creative imagining of an elderly Sherlock Holmes is simply remarkable. Ian McKellan is magnificent with stellar support from Laura Linney and young actor Milo Parker.

Suffragette – Carey Mulligan is back as a

fictional protagonist in this story of the real life struggle for women’s suffrage in pre-World War I Britain. Helena Bonham-Carter co-stars and Meryl Streep makes the most of her cameo as suffragette leader Emmeline Pankhurst.

Trumbo – The story of Dalton Trumbo (Ryan

Cranston), a screenwriter in the 1950s, who along with nine others, was jailed and then blacklisted for refusing to testify before the House Un-American Committee. Louis C.K. scores as a disillusioned compatriot.

Far From The Madding Crowd – The classic novel by Thomas Hardy is wonderfully distilled for a new generation. Gorgeous photography and compelling performances make this film appealing and accessible for filmgoers, with or without familiarity of the original source material.

Jimmy’s Hall – This fact-based, political drama about Jimmy Gralton and his community center in 1932 rural Ireland, is a warm and compelling film about a fairly unknown chapter [to Americans] in Irish history.

Kingsman: The Secret Service – This film

When Marnie Was There – Animator Hayao

(along with the lesser but still fun The Man From U.N.C.L.E and Spy), was just spy spoofing fun, with Colin Firth as an veteran British elite super spy who takes a young recruit under his tutelage to battle a tech genius-turned-global threat.

Woman in Gold – Virtually forgotten because

The Martian – Matt Damon is terrific in Ridley Scott’s smart, suspenseful and wonderfully entertaining film adaptation of the story of an astronaut, mistakenly left on Mars, and his harrowing journey to stay alive. The Martian shows that there’s something to be said for wit, ingenuity and paying attention in science class.

Miyazaki’s last film is one of his very best.

While not aimed at children, it tells the story of a young girl who encounters a strangely familiar spirit while vacationing in a coastal community. The animated visuals are breathtaking.

of an early 2015 release, Woman in Gold tells the story of one woman’s attempt to recover a famous family portrait stolen by the Nazis.

Helen Mirren is superb as always but the real revelation is Ryan Reynolds as her lawyer.

Youth – Words

cannot describe how exquisite and creative Italian director Paolo Sorrentino’s reflection on life, Michael Caine and Harvey love, and coming Keitel admire youth. to terms with old age really is. Michael Caine & Harvey Keitel are flawless with strong support from Rachel Weisz and Paul Dano.

Toro’s take on the Victorian Ghost story is a throwback to the Euro-Gothic horrors of the 1960s with Mia Wasikowska in outstanding Guillermo del Toro’s art design and Crimson Peak. stunning cinematography.

Unlike those films it features a courageous heroine played here by Mia Wasikowska.

The Big Short – A scathingly brilliant, dark

Far From the Madding Crowd – Another

Brooklyn – Beautifully filmed and lovingly

movie with gorgeous production design, this remake is superior in every way to the 1967 Julie Christie film. It’s shorter, more focused, and Carey Mulligan is a much better Bathsheba Eberdeen.

Matthias Schoenaerts and Carey Mulligan are Far From The Madding Crowd.

Michelle Keenan’s Top Ten (In Alphabetical Order)

comedy about the economic collapse of 2008, the eccentric few who predicted it, and those who profited from it. The filmmaker’s clever and creative approach makes the seriously disturbing subject matter meaningful and palatable entertainment.

yet unflinchingly told, the story of a young Irish woman torn between her new life in 1950s New York and the heartstrings of home, Brooklyn is easily one of this year’s best films and very pleasant entertainment.

Phoenix – An intriguing tale of a dis-

figured concentration-camp survivor, unrecognizable after facial reconstruction surgery, who returns to her beloved husband, who may have betrayed her to the Nazis. (in German with subtitles)

Spotlight – Tom McCarthy’s Spotlight is hands down my vote for Best Picture of the Year. The fact-based drama tells the story of the Boston Globe investigative news team that uncovered the pedophilia scandal in Boston arch diocese of the Catholic Church. Spotlight is articulate, meaningful, and incredibly compelling.

Trumbo – A biopic about blacklisted Hollywood screenwriter Trumbo which, like the man himself, transcends standard Hollywood biopic fare. Bryan Cranston gives a standout performance as Trumbo.

Youth – Paolo Sorrentino’s Youth centers

around Michael Caine and Harvey Keitel as two old friends on vacation at a health spa in the Alps France. Visually and emotionally arresting, Youth is a symphony for the senses that should not be missed.

Vol. 19, No. 5 — RAPID RIVER ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE — January 2016 13

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film reviews HENDERSONVILLE FILM SOCIETY If you think they don’t make them like they used too, take in great classic films Sundays at 2 p.m. at Lake Pointe Landing in Hendersonville. Coffee and wonderful flicks are served up. For more information call (828) 697-7310.

January 3: The Cassandra Crossing (1976) A plague infected terrorist sickens a train full of people who are then diverted to an abandoned line with an unstable bridge. A doctor on board stabilizes the passengers and then tries to save the train.

Richard Harris, Sophia Loren, Burt Lancaster and Ava Gardner co-star. Directed

by Grorge P. Cosmatos.

January 10: Spring Symphony (1986) This German film about the developing romantic relationship between Robert Schumann & his piano teacher’s daughter Clara is an engrossing story enhanced by some of Schumann’s most beautiful and heartfelt music. Nastassja Kinski stars as the young Clara Wieck.

Directed by Peter Schamoni.

January 17:

Shane

(1953) This heavily symbolic Western is one of the most fondly remembered movies of the 1950s with Alan Ladd in his signature role. Gorgeous photography and vivid performances secure its status as a Hollywood classic. Van Heflin, Jean Arthur, and Jack Palance are also featured.

Directed by George Stevens.

January 24:

Goya’s Ghosts (2006) From the producer and director of Amadeus comes this harrowing story involving painter Francisco Goya.

Starting during the Spanish Inquisition, it follows the paths of 3 people, the painter, a Catholic priest, and the daughter of a Jewish merchant.

Javier Bardem and Natalie Portman co-star with Stellan Skarsgard as Goya. Directed

by Milos Forman.

January 31: The Holiday (2006) This contemporary comedy deals with 4 people who discover each other through a home exchange website. They then fall in love when they switch houses.

Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, Jude Law, and Jack Black portray the four respective people. Directed by Nancy Myers.

nuanced. I would go so far as to say she elevates the film to something more than it actually is.

However, I’m bound to say that mainstream Tom Hooper (The King’s Speech) audiences probably won’t feel that way. Many deftly directs the piece. Their cosmowill be shocked and deeply moved by the end. politan life in 1920’s Copenhagen and The supporting players including Alec Paris is beautifully depicted. Almost every Baldwin, Albert Brooks, Luke Wilson and element conveys a warmth and richness, Gugu Mbatha-Raw (as Omalu’s wife) all give even the well lit surgical rooms. On my solid performances but this is ultimately a first viewing of the film, I was swept by change-of-pace for Will Smith and he is more its beauty and photography, but upon a than up to the challenge. In fact it may be his second viewing it fell a bit flat for me. It best performance ever. felt just a little too tidy.

Tom Hardy plays both Ronnie and Reggie Kray Hooper has created a gorgeous and very Rated PG-13 for thematic material, disturbing in Legend. images, and language. palatable [read sanitized] film. Perhaps it’s a savvy move on his part; far more people Review by Chip Kaufmann circles for his work in Legend. It’s probably will see this film and feel good about it than if because, while he is a stand out, the film itself he had told an earthier transgender story. But is not.

The Danish Girl  why fictionalize this story? Why not tell the Legend tells the story of the rise and fall Short Take: A fictionalized love story real story of Einar/Lili and Gerde? I was disapof Ronnie and Reggie Kray, the notorious based on real life transgender pioneer pointed to learn that two key sub characters, twin brothers who ruled London’s organized Einar Wegener (Lili Elbe) and Gerde played pitch perfectly by Ben Wishaw and crime scene for much of the 1960s. There’s a Wegener.

Matthias Schoenaerts, were also fictitious. certain irony to the proceedings: the violence But to take umbrage with this is to take is brutal, even savage at times, but the story at umbrage with the source material. Bottom times seems to be more concerned with the line, if this beautiful fiction, inspired by emotional and psychological journey of the true events, can help society better underbrothers. stand transgender issues, I’m ok with it.

Ronnie is an openly gay paranoid schizoThe timing of The Danish Girl phrenic who thoroughly enjoys the violence couldn’t be better. Transgender issues associated with their occupation. Reggie is have never been more in the forefront charming and smooth, the more level headed of the cultural mainstream (the man we and business savvy of the two. Hardy, who knew as Bruce Jenner is now gone and inhabits each of the brothers completely, is Caitlin Jenner is ‘Woman of the Year’). fascinating to watch. You may have to lean in The Danish Girl is certainly worth your to decipher his cockney utterances, especially Alicia Vikander and Eddie Redmayne star in the time, but if you’re left wanting something Ronnie’s, but the effort is worth it. There is transgender costume drama The Danish Girl. with a little more tooth, I recommend you dark comedy and subtle wit to both characters. check out Tangerine, an offbeat little film Unfortunately writer director Brian Helthat was out a few months ago with far less REEL TAKE: The Danish Girl is a fictionalgeland relies too heavily on his star to carry accolade and notice. ized love story inspired by the true story of artthe load. With Hardy already pulling double ist Einar Wegener (Lili Elbe), a Danish transduty (unless Tom really does have a secret Rated R for some sexuality and full nudity. gender woman who was the first documented brother Ted), one cannot expect his tour de Review by Michelle Keenan person to have gender reassignment surgery in force performance to also transcend underde1930. Based on the novel by David Ebershoff, veloped subplots and characters. This was a Legend  1/2 Tom Hooper’s film adaptation follows Einar major disappointment to me; Helgeland wrote Short Take: Tom Hardy stars in a dual role from his first glimpses of Lili to her fruition. one of my favorite screenplays of all time, LA as Ronnie and Reggie Kray, the notorious At the film’s start, Einar (Eddie Redmayne) Confidential. twin brothers who ruled London’s and his wife Gerde (Alicia Vikander) are young One of the reasons I so admire that screenorganized crime scene for much of the artists in love, trying for a baby. They seem play is that the story beat is pitch perfect. Each 1960s. happy, even as we see the first glimmers of beat of the film serves the arch of the story as Lili. Once Lili begins to really emerge, we well as every character. Here, the only thing REEL TAKE: After seeing Legend I’m starting realize that Einar is being discarded. Even as Helgeland is truly clear about is Ronnie and to wonder if Tom Hardy really isn’t just one her husband disappears from their life, Gerde Reggie, while the rest of the characters and person. The actor, whose most recent film is supportive. As it’s portrayed here, it’s an sub-stories get a bit muddled, including the casts him in the dual role as London’s nefariunconditional love that transcends the convennarrative by Reggie’s young wife Francis (Emous gangster twins Ronnie and Reggie Kray, tions of every day life. That element plays out ily Browning). has starred in four major films this year and well but, even more interesting to me was I remember really liking The Krays, a 1990 shows no signs of slowing down. From a sethat, as Lili comes to life, Gerde also finds her biopic starring Martin and Gary Kemp (of cret police agent in the Soviet-era post-WWII artistic voice.

Spandau Ballet fame). It was based on a book thriller Child 44, the titular character in Mad Redmayne and Vikander share a good and was perhaps more cohesive in its storyMax: Fury Road, a mercenary cut throat in chemistry. Both will no doubt receive Oscar telling. The Kemps were good, but Legend The Revenant and now Legend, Tom Hardy nominations for their roles. Redmayne treats manages to do more with one actor in two proves yet again that he is a journeyman’s actor Lili with a delicacy that few actors could parts and takes this technology to new heights. and a true chameleon. handle so elegantly. However, on occasion, The interactions between Ronnie and Reggie, As always, he delivers impressive perforduring Lili’s more gawkish, simpering moparticularly in fight sequences, are mind bogmances throughout, but his turn as Ronnie ments, he delivers a crooked smile that is ever glingly good. That’s no small accomplishment and Reggie Kray is truly remarkable. Even so reminiscent of last year’s performance as by cast and crew. with competition being stiff this year in the Steven Hawking. For me, Vikander, who has Bottom line – if images of violence offend Best Actor category, I’m surprised Hardy is had a breakout year, is the real revelation, the not getting a little more notice among critic’s real stand out. Her performance is stunningly Movies continued on page 15 Movies continued from page 13

14 January 2016 — RAPID RIVER ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE — Vol. 19, No. 5

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film reviews with their moral character. Among these are the mercenary John Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy) and the young and malleable John Bridger your delicate sensibilities then perhaps a film (Will Poulter). After Glass is attacked by the about a pair of murderous London underworld grizzly, his wounds are determined to be morgangsters isn’t for you. If, on the other hand, tal. Henry decides the group must press on, you can stomach a few punches, stabbings and but assigns three people to remain with Glass associated gore, then you must see Legend for until he dies and then give him a proper burial. one of the most extraordinary performances of With Fitzgerald now calling the shots and the year.

Bridger in tow, this of course doesn’t happen.

The rest of the film is Glass’s story of survival Rated R for strong violence, language and his quest for vengeance. throughout, some sexual language and violence.

DiCaprio delivers a powerfully gritty performance. It’s like nothing we’ve ever Review by Michelle Keenan seen him do before and he does it well. It’s an Oscar bait performance if ever there was, The Revenant  but a nomination is deserved. Hardy, who Short Take: An 1820’s frontiersman, left for is far more of a chameleon than DiCaprio, dead after a violent bear mauling, seeks disappears into yet another role, inhabiting vengeance.

Fitzgerald’s dark soul so completely that he makes Reggie and Ronnie Kray look like schoolboys by comparison (see review for Legend on page 14). Poulter, Gleeson and the rest of the supporting cast all pull their weight.

But it may be cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki, more than anyone else, who sets the tone of the movie. He used only natural light and he used it to great effect. Whether it’s the cold, the dreamlike sequence or the brutality of the story, Lubezki’s handy work permeates Leonardo DiCaprio is a wronged frontiersman every frame. It has been widely reported seeking vengeance in The Revenant. that this was a very arduous and difficult shoot. Their efforts pay off [for those that can stomach the result].

REEL TAKE: The Revenant is as distinct a The Revenant is very much a visceral, notdeparture from Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s for-the-faint of heart experience. It is a very Oscar-winning film Birdman as one can get. measured endurance test of human nature and If you really gravitated to the stagey theatricalsurvival. The question is whether this is an enity of Birdman I’m not certain that The Revdurance test you care to take. You be the judge. enant will be your cup of tea. If, on the other hand, your dream movie is a Terrence Malik Rated R for strong frontier combat and – Sam Peckinpah love child, then you’re in for violence including gory images, a sexual a treat. The Revenant is taciturnly dreamlike assault, language and brief nudity. and unflinchingly brutal and alternately poetic Review by Michelle Keenan and primal.

The film is adapted from a novel by Youth  Michael Punke, which in and of itself is a Short Take: Paolo Sorrentino’s look at life, fictionalized account of American fur trapper love, and coming to terms with old age is and frontier legend Hugh Glass (Leonardo one of the year’s most exquisite films and DiCaprio). As the story goes, Glass survived gives old pros Michael Caine and Harvey a grizzly bear attack in 1823, was left for dead Keitel their best roles in years. by two of his fellow trappers, and somehow managed to crawl 200 miles to the safety of REEL TAKE: About 30 minutes into Youth, I Fort Kiowa. Punke’s novel takes its inspiration was ready to throw in the towel. I had disliked from this event.

Italian director Paolo Sorrentino’s previous Screenwriter Mark Smith and Inarritu film The Great Beauty (La Grande Belleza) take theirs from Punke’s novel, but take even because I found it unnecessarily self indulgent greater liberties with the story, giving Glass in its over-the-top style. Youth begins with an a Pawnee wife and son and tragic backstory, opening shot of a singer performing while the all of which imbue the film with an ethereal background is constantly moving. “Here we Native American spirit amidst his quest for go again” I thought but then things began to survival and vengeance. change.

At the start of the film Glass is part of a The focus shifted away from the style of the trapping expedition along the Missouri River, visuals to the substance of the screenplay and led by Commander Andrew Henry (Domhthe performances of four principal characters, nall Gleeson). In the opening sequence they two of whom are old and two of whom are are ambushed by Indians. In the aftermath of young. Michael Caine and Harvey Keitel are the retreat, we are quickly introduced to key old friends who spend their summers at a members of the expedition and familiarized Swiss spa. They are also in-laws as Keitel’s son Movies continued from page 14

ASHEVILLE FILM SOCIETY The Asheville Film Society will show the following films on Tuesday nights at 8 p.m. in Theatre 6 at the Carolina Cinemas on Hendersonville Road. Tuesday night screenings are free, but membership dues for the Society are only $10. Membership gets you into any special Members Only events and screenings.

Paul Dano, Harvey Keitel and Michael Caine gather at a Swiss spa in Paolo Sorrentino’s masterful, personal drama, Youth.

is married to Caine’s daughter. This summer there are several crises brewing.

Caine, a celebrated composer-conductor who has retired, is approached by an emissary of Queen Elizabeth to give a benefit concert for Prince Philip. He refuses but won’t say why.

Keitel plays a once celebrated film director wanting to make one last film that will sum up his life. Rachel Weisz is Caine’s daughter whose marriage is falling apart exposing her anger issues with her father. Finally, Paul Dano (brilliant as the young Brian Wilson in Love & Mercy earlier this year) is a young actor trapped by a shallow but very successful role.

This is only an overview for like last year’s Grand Budapest Hotel, there are numerous other characters of interest that are skillfully woven into the screenplay including a small but critical role for the 77 year old Jane Fonda.

Sorrentino is able to effortlessly switch back and forth between his various storylines before neatly tying them all together leading to an emotional and memorable finale.

Like The Great Beauty and his earlier This Must Be the Place, Sorrentino focuses on characters in search of themselves after discovering that the life they lived is not the life they thought it would be. Beauty was all style while Place was all substance but both style and substance come together in Youth making it the most approachable and enjoyable of the Sorrentino films I have seen so far.

Youth now joins a select company of films that I will be able to watch again and again. A movie which is enjoyable the first time around but, like a good book, will continue to satisfy in future viewings. Michael Caine, always a consummate performer regardless of the material, has never been better and Harvey Keitel is given one of the too few roles that allow him some range.

Youth will have just opened in Asheville by the time this review comes out. Hopefully it will still be here by the time you read this but quality is no guarantee of longevity. If it is still here, those of you who want something more than eye popping visuals and ear pounding soundtracks should beat a path to wherever it is playing. 2015 turned out to be a good year for movies after all and this is one of the best.

Rated R for graphic nudity, some sexuality, and language.

Review by Chip Kaufmann

January 5: What’s New, Pussycat?

(1966) A playboy who refuses to give up his hedonistic lifestyle to settle down and marry his true love seeks help from a demented psychoanalyst who is having romantic problems of his own. Stars Peter Sellers, Peter O’Toole and Woody Allen.

Directed by Clive Donner.

January 12:

The Plainsman (1936) Wild Bill Hickok attempts to stop an Indian uprising that was started by white gun-runners.

Stars Gary Cooper, Jean Arthur and James Ellison. Directed

by Cecil B. DeMille.

January 19:

High Society

(1956) A musical remake of The Philadelphia Story, High Society tells the story of a high and mighty heiress on the verge of her second marriage, when things are upset by the arrival of several unwelcome and uninvited guests including her father, her first husband and a pair of reporters from a scandal sheet. Stars Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra and Grace Kelly.

Directed by Charles Walters.

January 26: The Devil and the Deep (1932) When a Naval commander’s jealousy and obsessive behavior drives his wife into the arms of a handsome lieutenant, he plots revenge. Stars Tallulah Bankhead, Gary Cooper, Charles Laughton and Cary Grant. Directed by Marion Gering.

Carolina Cinemas, 1640 Hendersonville Rd. (828) 274-9500.

For more information go to www.facebook.com/ashevillefilmsociety

Vol. 19, No. 5 — RAPID RIVER ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE — January 2016 15

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Blue Ridge Biscuit Company

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A great way to start your morning!

Winter is a great time to explore. We’re rocking year-round!

Warm and inviting shops. Art & craft galleries. Specialty shops, including furniture and antiques. More than 35 restaurants, 3 breweries, and music venues! Spend a few hours or stay a while at a cozy B&B, cabin, or cottage. We have just what you're looking for!

At Blue Ridge Biscuit Company, bakers create sweet and savory treats to satisfy any craving. A spread of baguettes, biscuits, scones, and cakes arrive fresh from the oven, while gourmet biscuit sandwiches delight tastebuds with morsels of sausage, egg, fresh greens, and cheese.

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Blue Ridge Biscuit Company Biscuit Cuisine • Pastries • Bread Cinnamon & Pecan Rolls Baked Fresh In-House

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POPULAR MENU ITEMS Seven Sisters - Three grit cakes topped The popular Seven Sisters plate. with fried green tomatoes and pimento cheese, fried chicken with spiced honey and country ham with aged sharp cheddar.

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Seven Sisters Gallery represents more than 250 artists and craftspeople from North Carolina and all over the U.S. The gallery offers the finest selection of American made pottery, jewelry, home accessories, glass and more. The mission of the gallery is to bring unique, contemporary art, craft, jewelry and furniture into peoples’ daily lives.

American made pottery.

2016 EXHIBITS

Kate Thayer’s paintings will be on display from February 5 - May 29. Thayer is a pastel artist and oil painter from Flat Rock, NC. She has received numerous awards for her pastels.

Blue Ridge Biscuit Company 601 W. State St., Black Mountain

601 W. State Street

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in Black Mountain

Tues-Fri 7am-2pm • Sat-Sun 8am-3pm

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On display from June 3 - August 28 are works by Billy Edd Wheeler from Swannanoa. Billy Edd is somewhat of a local celebrity – he wrote songs for musicians such as Johnny Cash and Kenny Rogers.

He wrote Jackson, The Gambler, and Coward of the County, to name a few. He paints very loosely and playfully with exaggerated bright colors.

From September 2 - November 6 the gallery will feature gorgeous oil paintings by Cindy Wagner from Charlotte, NC.

117 Cherry St., Black Mountain

117 Cherry St., Black Mtn. Mon-Sat 10-6 & Sun 12-5

Pastel by Kate Thayer

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SevenSistersGallery.com • 828-669-5107 16 January 2016 — RAPID RIVER ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE — Vol. 19, No. 5

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in the Mountains

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Monday thru Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Sunday 12-5 p.m.

(828) 669-5107 www.sevensistersgallery.com

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authors ~ books Malaprop’s Bookstore: Staff Picks

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MELANIE MCNAIR’S FAVES

In the past, I was one of the people who suddenly filled the gym and yoga studio each year in January. Something would happen to break my routine and my resolution would fade into memory. I now have a more literary approach to new starts.

Books are great reminders of the intentions I set for myself. I like to have a stack on my nightstand that I can dip into whenever I am ready for the kind of gentle coaching only a book can offer. Here are some of my choices to help start on new paths and open new doors in 2016.

Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert – a gentle and uplifting look at the creative life.

The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron – a time-tested road map to creative recovery.

Rising Strong by Brene Brown – to help recover from the inevitable stumbles along the way.

The Gift: Creativity and the Artist in the Modern World by Lewis Hyde – a beautiful reminder of why it is so important for you (all of you!) to use your gifts.

One more thing: creativity is more fun when shared within a community. Find your tribe in 2016! Malaprop’s events and book clubs are a good place to meet like-minded folks.

EMOKE B’RACZ’S FAVES I am walking into my 68th year on this beautiful planet, and my 45th as a bookseller!

I am not ready to be in the great blue yonder, but I have been reading Maggie Nelson’s Bluets and have been amazed at the wide array of blue-ness around us. Through her contemplation of the color, the many meanings of blue can emerge to us as readers, some familiar, others new. #81 What I know: when I met you, a blue rush began. I want you to know, I no longer hold you responsible. #105 There are no instruments for measuring color: there are no “color thermometers.”

How could there be, as “color knowledge” always remains contingent upon an individual perceiver? This didn’t stop Horace Bénédict de Saussure from inventing, in 1789, a device he called the “cyanometer,” with which he hoped to measure the blue of the sky.

The New Year brings a new book by amazing science fiction master China Miéville. His new title This Census-Taker, is astonishing and dazzling, inviting deep contemplation.

Our friend Natalie Goldberg has gifted us with a new book, The Great Spring: Writing, Zen, and this Zigzag Life, in which she shares her ideas on living a good life. How do we live better and do better for the life around us and

within us? If you remember Writing Down the Bones and Wild Mind you will want to read this new title.

I also recommend Jhumpa Lahiri’s newest book, In Other Words. She wrote this book in Italian to relearn the essence of words and writing.

Motivated by her feeling that language has become both too complex and too easy to express what she needs to say, she takes on the challenge of learning a new language she loves.

I find that she expresses what I have not before been able to articulate: that to know and learn a language one has to be inside the language. It always fascinates me when we are thinking and writing from one language to another.

In Other Words will be available by the time you finish en-joy-ing the previous titles I mentioned: the release date is February 29.

I wish that we all may keep our hearts open, joyful, and peaceful to meet the challenges of everyday life as it unfolds for every one of us in this new year. As we say in Budapest: B.U.É.K!

MAKE YOUR OWN RING

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$350 per person ~ $650 per couple Champagne Toast at Conclusion of Workshop!

Call 828-669-0065 to Schedule Your Class!

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STEPHANIE JONES-BYRD’S FAVES Just in time for the 2016 election cycle home stretch – An Illustrated Book of Bad Arguments: The Lost Art of Making Sense

by Ali Almossawi.

Whimsical illustrations by Alejandro Giraldo illuminate logical pitfalls for anyone interested in identifying, avoiding or enthusiastically engaging in them.

Looking to add some life to your presidential debate viewing party? Take a drink every time you hear a “Straw Man,” “False Dilemma,” “Slippery Slope,” “Appeal to Fear,” or any of the other 15 bad arguments in this wonderful little book. Make sure there’s a designated driver.

HANNAH RICHARDSON’S FAVES Ready to make 2016 count? Read Half the Sky by Nicholas Kristoff and Sheryl WuDunn. I promise, it’s worth every moment of your time, though you may end up like me, closing the book and walking straight to your computer to start making monthly donations to your new, favorite international organization. It was one of the most unexpectedly educational, enlightening and uplifting books I have ever read.

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All-Members Small Works Show

encaustic landscapes

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Asheville Gallery of Art • 16 College St. tesiewert.com

“Autumn” by Olga Michelson

ELINOR BOWMAN ASHEVILLE, NC

WORKS ON DISPLAY AT: Asheville Gallery of Art Downtown Asheville Red House Gallery Black Mountain The Wedge River Arts District

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Downtown Asheville

ASHEVILLE GALLERY of ART 16 College Street

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SANDI ANTON

Asheville Gallery of Art will host one last show at their current location before moving to an exciting new space at 82 Patton Avenue in downtown Asheville.

While it’s almost directly across the street from their old location at 16 College 82 Patton Avenue.

Street, the move is a big step into a new chapter for Asheville’s longest established gallery.

The now 28-member co-operative of local artists, founded in 1988, will expand to 30 members for the move. The new gallery space will have more room than the current location. High ceilings, increased lighting, and a stained concrete floor will change the ambiance, but the quality of art presented will remain at the same high level for which AGA has always been known.

After 27 years at 16 College Street the prospect of a move seemed, at first, almost impossible. However, the strength of the co-op model and the determination of the membership prevailed. Each gallery member is considered a co-owner. They not only display work at the gallery but also help take care of all responsibilities and duties of running the business.

A dedicated group of members spent innumerable hours looking for a new location and negotiating the fine points needed for the move. With full vote of the membership, the gallery signed the lease for the new space and hopes to be fully moved into their new home

by February 2016.

Sandi Anton, current AGA president, says, “The success of our gallery lies in our members who not only have a passion for making great art but a commitment to marketing and selling to a discriminating public. We attribute the gallery’s longevity, unique to Asheville, to our proven business practices that encourage change and growth.”

Member artists of the Asheville Gallery of Art Small Tree, by Tebbe` Davis are saying good-bye to their current location at 16 College Street with an All-Members Small Works Show, January 2-31. The exhibit highlights the variety of mediums, styles of painting, and artistic vision of gallery members.

IF YOU All-Members Small Works Show, January 2-31. The Asheville GO Gallery of Art, 16 College Street, downtown Asheville. For

Sun. 1-4pm pg. 19

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The Best Shops, Galleries & Restaurants

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82 Patton Avenue

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Downtown Asheville

AGA moves to new location in February.

Look for us at our NEW Location in February 2016:

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Asheville Gallery of Art on the Move

Last Exhibit at 16 College Street!

“Summer Memory” by Ruth Ilg

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(828) 253-4800

28 Ashland Ave • Downtown Asheville

18 January 2016 — RAPID RIVER ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE — Vol. 19, No. 5

more information about the gallery, visit their website at www. ashevillegallery-of-art.com.

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Downtown Asheville The Best Shops, Galleries & Restaurants

Asheville School of Film Grand Opening

The Asheville Art Museum The building housing the museum in Pack Place was also home to the First National Bank, and the old Pack Memorial Library, named after George Willis Pack.

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Potential students and the local film community are invited to attend.

Check out the newly renovated facility and meet faculty and guest instructors. Learn about upcoming classes and seminars. Stop in any time on Sunday, January 3 from 3-6 p.m.

Please RSVP via Facebook or by emailing ashevilleschooloffilm@gmail.com. Free parking available in the United Way lot

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v Custom Designed Jewelry v Local Arts & Crafts v Jewelry Repair

Illustration and Pop Culture Art

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29 Biltmore Ave.

That Fun Gallery in Downtown Asheville

continued on page 32

Parking access from S. Lexington Ave. Look for signs to your left at back of building.

(828) 281-4044

First Friday Art Walks – April through December – 5 to 8 p.m.

15 N. Lexington Ave.

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10 - Blue Spiral 1 11 - Castell Photography 12 - Benchspace Gallery & Workshop 13 - The Haen Gallery 14 - Horse and Hero 15 - Jewels that Dance 16 - Lexington Glassworks 17 - Mora 18 - Mountain Made 19 - The Satellite Gallery 20 - Susan Marie Designs 21 - Van Dyke Jewelry & Fine Crafts 22 - Woolworth Walk 23 - ZaPow

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1 - American Folk Art & Framing 2 - Appalachian Craft Center 3 - Ariel Gallery 4 - ArtEtude Gallery 5 - Asheville Area Arts Council 6 - Asheville Art Museum 7 - Asheville Gallery of Art 8 - Bender Gallery 9 - Black Mountain College Museum & Art Center

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WAYNESVILLE Maple Tree Haywood County Arts Council Annual Meeting

Veterinary Hospital

Burr Studio

• • • • • • •

Wellness Care Laser Therapy Digital Dental X-Ray Surgery Pain Management Boarding for Cats and Dogs Day Camp with Supervised Group Play for Dogs • Grooming

Gallery of American Art & Craft WR

828-456-7400

136 N. Main Street Waynesville, NC

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The Haywood County

BY LINDSEY SOLOMON Arts Council will hold its Annual Meeting on Thursday, January 21 at 5:30 p.m.

The meeting will begin with a wine and cheese reception followed by a short presentation. During the last half hour of the meeting, attendees will be asked to provide input on the following questions: What are we doing well? What do we need to do more of? What should we be doing differently? Please RSVP by January 15 to info@haywoodarts.org, or call (828) 452-0593.

IF YOU The meeting will be held at The Haywood County GO Arts Council at 86 N. Main Street in Waynesville.

Dr. Brian H. Birthright, DVM

For more information call (828) 452-0593, or visit HaywoodArts.org.

www.mapletreevet.com

1855 Russ Ave., Waynesville

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Featuring Local Sunburst Trout

Open Monday - Saturday • 828-452-5211

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FROG LEVEL WP WA WF

70 Main Street • Clyde, NC 28721

128 N. Main Street

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Waynesville, NC 28786

Open Daily Lunch: 11:30 to 3:00 • Dinner: 4:30 to 9:00 pg. 20 pg. 32

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828-454-5400 www.BlossomOnMain.com

20 January 2016 — RAPID RIVER ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE — Vol. 19, No. 5

WB Live Webcam www.downtownwaynesville.com

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WAYNESVILLE

Twigs and Leaves Gallery

Featuring 140+ Primarily Regional Artists

Twigs and Leaves Gallery, “Where Art Dances with Nature,” features naturerelated art and fine crafts from more than 140 artists primarily, but not exclusively, from Southern Appalachia.

Twigs and Leaves was established in October 1998 by David Erickson and Kaaren Stoner, husband and wife. With extensive renovation to the century-old building on Main Street in Waynesville, they transformed the 6,000 square foot space into a uniquely designed art gallery.

On March 19, 2007, Carrie and John Keith purchased the business, revising the name

Tucked Away, wood carving by Mark Strom.

to Nature’s Inspirations dba Twigs and Leaves Gallery. As new owners they moved to Waynesville from Florida, immediately establishing ownership and residency. Carrie had previously owned a nature/garden/ florist shop in Destin, FL, making the attraction to Twigs and Leaves a natural partnership. John brought to the enterprise his 32 years of banking and civic involvement.

Carrie manages the gallery, while John is a realtor with Beverly-Hanks & Associates.

Twigs and Leaves Gallery is very active with Waynesville Gallery Association and the Downtown Waynesville Association holding executive positions as well as participating and supporting the downtown events.

“We are blessed to be surrounded by a wealth of talent.”

Twigs and Leaves Gallery is very proud to represent some of the most respected artists in the area including Kaaren Stoner, Jack Stern, Bob and Lucy Gibson, Margaret Roberts and Jenny Buckner ~ just to name a few. With the gallery’s positive reputation

Friends of the Library Concerts

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The Friends of the Library Concert Series brings two great groups to libraries in January 2016.

This month, enjoy local favorites ‘Round the Fire on Sunday, January 17 at the Canton branch, and broaden your horizons with Finnish folk songs from Vellamo on Saturday, January 23 at the Waynesville library. Both concerts begin at 3 p.m. and are free to attend.

‘Round the Fire, a popular local band, is comprised of Chris Minick, guitar, vocals

BY

LINDSEY SOLOMON

and harmonicas; Greg Kidd, bass; and Lee Kram, percussion/drums. Their eclectic influences, from sources including folk rock, folk, swing, rock, blues, reggae, and more, will appeal to a wide audience. ‘Round the Fire performs on Sunday, January 17 at 3 p.m. at the Canton library.

Vellamo combines the rich tradition of Finnish folksong in a retro, acoustic sound package. This duo, made up of Pia Leinonen on lead vocals, and Joni Tiala, master of several stringed instruments, enjoys shaking things up musically. Catch Vellamo at the Waynesville library on Saturday, January 23 at 3 p.m.

The Friends of the Library Concert Series continues through November. For upcoming artists and additional information, visit www.HaywoodArts.org.

IF YOU ‘Round the Fire on Sunday, January GO 17 at 3 p.m. at the Canton library.

Vellamo performs Finnish folksongs.

Photo: Sami Koski-Vähälä

Vellamo at the Waynesville branch of the Haywood County Library on Saturday, January 23 at 3 p.m. Both concerts are free.

Winter Harvest

and continued support of customers, they have received the Best Gallery award by readers of the Mountain Xpress in 2009-2015, as well as Business of the Month from the Haywood County Chamber of Commerce in January 2011.

Each item in the gallery is handcrafted, one of a kind, by the artists.

“Farm Chores in the Snow” by Jo Ridge Kelley

Twigs and Leaves Gallery 98 N. Main Street, Waynesville (828) 456-1940 www.twigsandleaves.com

pg. 20

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98 N. Main St., Waynesville

828.456.1940 www.twigsandleaves.com

“

We were eager to advertise our new ownership of Bogart’s Restaurant in Waynesville. While we kept all the original menu items, we were excited about trying out new, homemade original dishes as well.

Rapid River Magazine has been a great value for getting our message out to potential customers. After running an ad in the magazine’s Local Food and Dining Guide, we were pleasantly surprised at how well it was received. A big thank you to Rapid River Magazine!

”

~ Shelly Sneed, Co-Owner of Bogart’s Restaurant

Bogart’s Restaurant, 303 S. Main St., Waynesville, NC (828) 452-1313, www.bogartswaynesville.com

Advertise with Rapid River Magazine Free Web Links, Ad Design, Easy Monthly Billing (828) 646-0071 • www.rapidrivermagazine.com Vol. 19, No. 5 — RAPID RIVER ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE — January 2016 21

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spinning discs CD Reviews

by James Cassara

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First Comes the Night

VANGUARD RECORDS

Few artists can evince an era better than the vintage rocker Isaak, and while his records are built more on mood than statement, they are nearly always the better for it. His first album of new material since 2009 First Comes The Night has more in common with Beyond The Sun, his 2011 tribute to Sun Records. It’s all about the vibe, mixing bits of country with boogie-woogie rock, doo-wop, and glimpses of bohemian folk, all blended into one smooth spin.

One can easily imagine Jack Kerouac lounging in a smoke filled coffee shop and listening in. Be it the piano drive of “The Way Things Really Are” or the “Dark Side of Dean Martin” “Down In Flames” this hits all the proper grooves for Isaak fans. Sure, he’s still channeling Roy Orbison, but that’s a design having served him well for over two decades and one hardly worth tampering with.

You either get Isaak or you don’t. And while there is a certain formulaic recoil to his records, it’s one that to this point has yet to grow tiresome. ****

Six Organs of Admittance Hexadic II

We’re Hyper Local & Super Social!

Discount Coupons ✿ Contests

Keep up with Local Arts, Events, Performances, and Festivals. www.facebook.com/ rapidrivermagazine

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Let’s kick off the New Year with a batch of albums that came out during the second half of 2015 but were somehow lost in the shuffle. All good stuff, all worthy of mention, but there is so much music crossing my desk that inevitably I fall behind. So consider that a “catch up” column as I prepare for next month’s releases.

Chris Isaak

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I’ll admit going in that Ben Chasny, who records under the name Six Organs of Admittance, works on an intellectual level uniquely his; one I won’t pretend to fully understand.

According to Chasny he constructs his music based on randomly distributed decks of poker cards “arranged in circular patterns of six, corresponding to the notes of the guitar; the position of the cards, one to another, provide a tonal field as well as a set of notes from which to choose, indications of time and tempo, and lyrical ideas for the songs themselves.”

As to how this actually works your guess is as good as mine. What I do know is the end result is strangely intoxicating and, in contrast to its predecessor, far less aggressive and considerably more accessible.

Largely acoustic, buoyed by lovely strings, electronics and harmonium, Hexadic II, despite such song titles as “Vile Hell”, is a surprisingly palatable course. Chasny’s voice, especially when coupled with Jen Gelineau’s supple violin work, is at times gorgeous.

Much in the style of John Cage, whom Chasny clearly idolizes, the overall affect is hypnotic, intriguing and not at all what I expected. Its nine tracks are a sharp departure from what has come before, and one I hope continues. ****

22 January 2016 — RAPID RIVER ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE — Vol. 19, No. 5

Stephen Young & the Union

Eagle Fort Rumble RAGGED COMPANY RECORDINGS

If you were to listen to Stephen Young & the Union without the benefit of liner notes, you’d almost certainly assume them to be of Appalachian heritage, mingled with Americana folk and a bit of Southern country.

Yet here they are, hailing from the Emerald plains of Ireland, propagating a style of music whose lineal roots run deep. Certainly they offer further evidence that the divide between country music (from our side of the ocean) and folk (from theirs) has been long ago breached. The result is an impressive slice of songwriting, arranging and playing that transcends geography.

From the slow build of “Shiver” to the lyrically evocative “Duty Free 200” Young hits his mark, laying out visual imagery and visceral oomph with equal ease. Definitely worth seeking out. ****

Sarah McQuaid

Walking Into White WATER BUG RECORDS

UK based folk revivalist Sarah McQuaid carries on the fine tradition of Fairport Convention and Steeleye Span (two seminal influences) with her fourth album, a distinctive mix of Appalachian and Elizabethan ballads, jazz and more than a few tinges of pop.

Her characteristic style, based on an open tuning of her own design allows for ample exploration and sense of playfulness. However the experimental recording method itself, a mini-cassette recorder mounted on a microphone stand and later digitally enhanced, adding in levels of hiss and volume fluctuations that are distracting to the extreme.

Why this was embraced as “unique” is beyond me, resulting in an otherwise eclectic and enjoyable album rendered at times unlistenable. **

Andy Hackbarth Panorama Motel

The breezy seven tracks EP —which according to the liner notes was written in the midst of a untidy breakup— may just be the happiest fall to pieces album of the year, wallowing not in regret and recrimination but focusing instead on the good and what might come of it.

From the introspective title track (a glorious collection of nuanced metaphors) to the acoustic pop of “Ocean” the singer keeps reas-

suring us (and himself) that “everything will be okay.” Not that all of “Panorama Motel” is insistent sunshine and light but even while addressing the frustration and hurt involved the singer keeps it in the affirmative. “Just breathe” he tells himself, which is good advice for us all. ***1/2

Ric Todd

Drawing Lines

Kicking off with the belting blues rock of “Red Letter” Drawing Lines quickly shifts gears to the livelier but no less weighty “Something Real.” Which pretty much sums up the charm of this five-song sampler, showcasing Todd’s skillful way with melody and his ability to keep things humming; steeped in 1980s ethos (think Elvis Costello at his most tuneful) it makes its point in fine fashion.

This is the first time I’d encountered Todd but like any fine appetizer it makes me eager for more. ****

Sarah Clanton Self-Titled

HOPE TREE MUSIC

Sliding between folk and softer edged rock vocalist/cellist Sarah Clanton has a charming way of enticing you with a sound that is equal parts alluring and innocent.

The five-songs that make up this EP (and boy do I appreciate the EP format) were all written or co-written by Clanton, revealing an artist who understands how to construct songs that make their point without belaboring things.

Accompanied by guitarist Eric Loomis the sound is clear, precise, and easily reached.

Even when tackling a subject as edgy as “12th and Murder” Clanton manages to not let things drag. “Sweet Carolina” should be an audience favor in these parts but every song here has something to offer. And that something is always worth a listen. ***1/2

Peter Case Highway 62

OMNIVORE RECORDS

On his first studio album in five years the ever dependable Case —whose catalog ranges from traditional blues, to singer/songwriter, hard as steel rocker, and everything in between— leans back to his acoustic side, taking a subdued approach that is no less lethal.

The delights are in the details, as Case explores the lower realms of our legal system continued on page 23

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sound experience Larry Campbell and Theresa Williams

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BY JAMES

Referencing Larry Campbell’s impressive resume is an easy task; after all he’s played with more BIG NAME musicians than has anyone of this era, and his studio and touring credentials reach deep and wide.

Doing so without appearing to be awestruck and given to absurd levels of hyperbole is another matter, but here are a few highlights: From 1997-2004 he toured as a member of Bob Dylan’s band, an experience he describes as “otherworldly,” was later the musical director for Levon Helm’s entourage (as well as delivering the eulogy at Helm’s funeral) and has appeared on stage or worked in the studio with artists including Mavis Staples, Rosanne Cash, Phil Lesh, Elvis Costello, Garland Jeffreys, Cyndi Lauper, the Black Crowes, Emmylou Harris and Shawn Colvin. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Campbell has won multiple Grammy Awards and is largely celebrated as one of the most talented and dependable go-to musicians around, equally adept on guitar, fiddle, mandolin, banjo, pedal steel, dobro and any number of stringed instruments. While his solo work has been largely under the radar, it is no less notable.

Campbell, born in New York in 1955, benefitted from his parents’ eclectic record collection.

“Seeing the Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964 was a life-changing experience,” he tells me.

“I was also a sports nut, and one day in 1966, while playing baseball, I saw a kid with a guitar walk onto the field and play a couple of Beatle songs. All the girls flocked over to him so I figured that was the way to go. I went home, grabbed my father’s old guitar, and my life was pretty well set.”

Campbell began learning songs not just from the current artists (“I was a huge Rolling Stones fan”) but also from American folk, blues and country masters including Hank

‘CDs’ cont’d from pg. 22

(“Pelican Bay” and “All Dressed Up (For Trial”) or the growing income equality (“Water from a Stone” and “Evicted”) that threatens to tear us apart.

Backed by the ideal band for these explorations —Ben Harper on guitars, David Carpenter on bass, and D.J. Bonebrake on drums— Case and producer Shelly Gomberg give Highway 62 a deep into the night veneer that would complement the best of film-noir.

Don’t be deceived by the low decibel count.

This is the artist at his best, proving yet again why he remains one of our most forceful and potent voices. ****1/2

Williams, Jimmie Rodgers, the Rev. Gary Davis and Doc Watson. He also taught himself to play other instruments, discovering early on a “natural affinity to play anything with strings.”

By age 16 he’d graduated high school and moved to Los Angeles, “crashing on couches and taking whatever gigs I could come up with. I often joke I’ve never had an honest job in my life.” Two years later Campbell found a gig with obscure country singer Ben Marney, who had a deal with Playboy Records. The group secured a long club engagement in Mississippi, where Campbell remained for more than a year before returning to New York.

While visiting Woodstock, he encountered folk musicians Happy & Artie Traum, who would become friends as well as mentors; often playing with their Woodstock Mountain Revue. As the first wave of commercial country swept the nation, fueled by the success of the movie and soundtrack Urban Cowboy, Campbell moved to NYC. Owing to his diverse skills, he quickly got a steady gig in the house band at the Lone Star Cafe, backing musicians such as Kinky Friedman, Doug Sahm, Buddy Miller, Willie Nelson and more. It was there in 1986 he first crossed paths with his future wife and musical partner Teresa Williams, a country and R&B singer and stage actress who hired him for her backing band after hearing his work.

“Sure part of it was his talent,” she tells me.

“But I’d be lying if I didn’t say his looks and charm won me over.”

Never one to turn down a steady paycheck Campbell also began doing television

Larry Campbell and Theresa Williams

soundtrack work and playing on commercials.

His session career took off as he began his long run of studio work, playing on records by everyone from Colvin to the Backstreet Boys.

He even played in the pit band for The Will Rogers Follies on Broadway.

It was during that time he met bassist Tony Garnier who suggested him to Bob Dylan.

Campbell played guitar on Dylan’s celebrated Time Out of Mind album and reluctantly accepted an offer to join the band.

“My only hesitation was the time away from Teresa,” he says. “I knew then and there I wanted to be with her.”

After eight years Campbell left the band to concentrate on solo work. In 2005 he released the instrumental Rooftops and toured with Phil Lesh and Friends. He also contributed to the Brokeback Mountain soundtrack, did a slew of session work, and moved to Woodstock. It was there he met Helm, producing, arranging and playing on Helm’s Dirt Farmer, which won a 2008 Grammy Award, as did the subsequent Electric Dirt and Ramble at the Ryman, both of which featured the guitarist.

Were that not enough, Campbell also won the Americana Music Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

Campbell continued to direct Helm’s band

CASSARA

at the famed Midnight Ramble sessions in Woodstock until the drummer’s death in 2012. In 2015 Campbell produced and played on Amy Helm’s debut album Didn’t It Rain. It was during that time the groundwork for the long anticipated Campbell/Williams album was laid.

Released last year (and very favorably reviewed in Rapid River Magazine) the self-titled effort aptly displayed their mutual influences and ease at melding them together. It’s a top contender for my album of the year. In late summer the pair toured with Jackson Browne, taking a brief detour to play The Grey Eagle here in Asheville. It was during this time I had the opportunity to meet and briefly talk with them.

James Cassara: I know you get this question a lot, but what was it like touring with Bob Dylan?

Larry: It was very businesslike. Bob doesn’t

say much so you have to quickly pick up on his cues. During the bus rides the band would be in the back fiddling around with ideas, and Bob would be up near the driver. It was on the bus I wrote a lot of the songs that ended up on our album.

JC: You’re often compared to June Carter and Johnny Case but I think of you more as the Delany and Bonnie of our era.

Teresa: I LOVE that comparison! Bon-

nie (Bramlett) was one of the first singers I worked with and she’s a good friend and absolute doll. When I made enough money to buy my first decent car we took it for a spin.

She dropped her joint and burned a hole in the seat. There are not a lot of people I’d forgive for that but she’s one. Yeah, that Delany and Bonnie vibe is definitely one we work towards.

JC: You both play some pretty high profile shows. How does it feel to turn around and play a smaller venue to maybe 150 people? continued on page 34

Della Mae This Grammynominated Nashville-based quintet blurs the lines between bluegrass, folk, soul, and old-time music. Della Mae is Celia Woodsmith, Kimber Ludiker, Jenni Lyn Gardner, Courtney Hartman, and Zoe Guigueno.

IF YOU GO: Della Mae, Sunday, January 17 at the The Grey Eagle, 185 Clingman Ave., Asheville. For more details, call (828) 232-5800 or visit www.thegreyeagle.com.

Make Your Own Beer & Wine Plenty of Parking!

Let Asheville Brewers show you how affordable, enjoyable and delicious homebrewing can be!

Mon-Sat 10-6 Sun 11-4

ASHEVILLE BREWERS SUPPLY

pg. 32

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712-B Merrimon Ave

• Asheville, NC • (828) 358-3536 .AB. • S’ F • S 

Vol. 19, No. 5 — RAPID RIVER ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE — January 2016 23

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Reflexology ~ Reiki Reiki Drumming

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artful living

Bowen Training Instructor Reiki Master / Teacher

Lowering Your Blood Pressure the Easy Way

Linda Neff

NCBTMB #582633-09 One Hour Session: $40.

FREE Session the First Thursday of the month.

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One of the controversies in medicine is: What is normal blood pressure?

513-675-2819 828-565-0061

Health & Healing are Just Two Feet Away Mountain Spirit Wellness 254 Depot Street • Waynesville

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MAX HAMMONDS, MD

How low should it be to ensure the lowest risk of heart attack, and stroke, and heart failure – the three most common results of high blood pressure causing death and disability?

The latest studies indicate that 140/95 – the generally accepted definition of hypertension (high blood pressure) – is too high. Lowering the systolic pressure (the upper number) to 120 reduces the risk of heart failure by 38% and the risk of death from heart disease by 43%.

The newest concept is that area between 120/80 and 140/95 should be called pre-hypertension and should be treated, striving to reach the lower level if at all possible.

The question remains how best to lower the blood pressure – in those with hypertension, i.e., blood pressure higher than the high number – and in those with pre-hypertension, i.e., between the two sets of numbers.

In the latest study, patients sometimes had to take up to five medicines to bring the blood pressure down to the desired level. Should more people be taking more blood pressure medicine? Are there are other methods that also lower blood pressure?

Consider these suggestions from an article at www. mayoclinic.org and a supplemental article at www.medicinenet.com. All of these ideas can lower systolic blood pressure.

Get a Fresh Start With a Great New Book

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As each year passes, we grow.

• Thirty minutes per day of exercise – 4-9 points.

• Reducing sodium in the diet below 2,300 mg/day – 2-8 points. Great, especially in those sensitive to salt (AfricanAmericans, older than 50, people with known HBP, diabetes, chronic kidney disease).

• Limiting alcohol intake – 2-4 points • Stopping smoking – 5-10 points within minutes!

• Cutting back on caffeine – 7-10 points • Reducing stress reactions – 5-15 points.

Even considering that some of these strategies would have overlapping results, the combined results of all of these in the same person could lower systolic blood pressure 38-74 points. By any standard this would be a wonderful result for any blood pressure lowering medicine. This result could certainly move a person out of the pre-hypertension category and into the lowest risk group – all by means of lifestyle changes.

These results are not theoretical. People have actually made these changes and achieved these levels. But how can one make this happen? One must make the choice that excellent health and productive longevity is more important than maintaining lifestyle habits that cause illness and are ultimately destructive. But the choice is yours.

Choose life.

24 January 2016 — RAPID RIVER ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE — Vol. 19, No. 5

ALI MCgHEE

continued on page 33

• Weight loss of 8 to 10 pounds in overweight or obese people – 3-4 points.

• Eating a healthy diet (legumes, whole grains, nuts, vegetables and fruits) and skimping on saturated fat and cholesterol – 10-14 points. Called the DASH diet, it helps people lose weight. The diet’s secret ingredient is extra potassium from the fruits and veggies.

BY

But, the evolution that happens from day to day, moment to moment, sometimes doesn’t become apparent to us until a longer period has passed.

Everyone loves a fresh start. New Year’s resolutions are fun precisely because they’re not so much about the practical as they are about the imaginary. It might be odd to think of setting resolutions as a form of play, but that’s how I’m going to invite you to see it.

Below, you’ll find my picks for the most inspiring books to help ring in the New Year. Who knows: by 2017 you might be living in a cabin you built yourself, meditating like a Zen master, or making sauces to rival those of a Charleston chef. So this year, aim high, go big, and rock out.

As I write this, I am sitting downtown, listening to a particularly inspired (read: very loud) busker. I want nothing more than to creep away to a little place in the woods where the only sounds are the rushing of the creek and the whoop of coyotes in the wee hours of the morning. If you, too, are looking for “Inspiration for Your Quiet Place Somewhere,” get a copy of Cabin Porn, written by Zach Klein, with photographs by Noah Kalina.

Susan Piver’s Start Here Now: An Open-Hearted Guide to the Path and Practice of Meditation, is a slim, unpretentious, and totally accessible book that’s perfect for beginning or returning to your practice. A renowned Buddhist teacher and

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HEALTHY GOOD THOUGHTS

The Health of Your Life

I’ve been thinking about how good our health can be if we simply pay attention.

BY

KATHLEEN COLBURN

Over the past year this column has reflected my life. From sleep, movement and happiness to whole foods, functional foods and sweet foods. The year was transformative in several ways and I can honestly say the health of my life is quite good!

Challenging. Crazy. Scary. Yes. But by paying attention to how I feel I can make adjustments and improvements.

Please take some time to look at the health of your life.

The adjustments don’t have to be big ones. Small steps can be easier, more effective and longer lasting. A good start would be less processed foods.

Healthy meals don’t have to be complicated. A simple protein item and a serving of veggies is a great meal. Another step might be not eating after 7 at night. I’ve been doing intermittent fasting for a few months now with great results. Digestion is key.

More on that next month.

Think good thoughts!

Kathleen is a whole foods personal chef with over 30 years of experience. She is Rapid River Magazine’s short story editor and a freelance editor available for a variety of literary projects. She can be reached by email: rrshortstories@gmail.com

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artful living The Path of Return “In each of us, the seed of Buddha, the capacity to wake up and understand, is called Buddha nature. It is the seed of mindfulness, the awareness of what is happening in the present moment… There is no one who does not have the capacity to be a Buddha. But the treasure we are looking for remains hidden to us… Let go of the idea that you don’t have it. It is available within you.”

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We come to a meditation practice generally with the idea to make our life-experience better in some way.

We may want less stress or anxiety in our lives. We may want to have a calmer mind, not so beset by runaway or unwelcome thoughts and emotions. We may want to feel more centered, less scattered. We may want to gain insight and better control of some behavior or behavior pattern that has become problematic.

We may feel there is a spiritual dimension to life that has eluded us and we hope meditation will open this dimension for us.

In each case, we want something about “me” to be improved. This idea of “me” improving, of being slightly less tense, anxious, distracted, of being more centered and focused, calm and maybe even spiritual is laudable, and meditation can bring these gifts.

Paradoxically, however, this idea of “me” gaining positive benefits presents an obstacle to the realization of the expansive freedom that is the true fruit of a dedicated meditation practice guided by a teacher who has made the journey themselves.

There is no one who does not have the capacity to be a Buddha.

Few bring to a meditation practice awareness of how profound and transformative it actually can be, and fewer still realize that all that stands between them and meditation’s full realization is their holding onto the idea of who they think they are and their bringing this self-image to the practice. Buddhist literature, such as the Thich Nhat Hanh quote above, can be confusing, often using arcane language that the uninitiated have difficulty grasping.

To say “There is no one who does not have the capacity to be a Buddha” does not make any sense from within conventional Western perspectives. It is like saying there is no one who does not have the capacity to be Jesus, and that would be considered blasphemous. So it may be considered inspiring, but not factual.

Yet, I suspect, Jesus would have understood perfectly what Thich Nhat Hanh and Buddhism are saying when they tell us to realize we all have the capacity to be a Buddha, for I see Jesus as a great mystic, a Zen Master, and

~ Thich Nhat Hanh we are being called here to realize within us dimensions that transcend our usual perspective and outlook. Buddhism is a very different manifestation of religion from Christianity precisely because the Christian notions of “Messiah” and “Savior” are concepts that create a separation in the nature of the kind of being that are the worshiper and the worshiped, not identification.

It is very important to realize that Buddha wanted no worship of him and I see no evidence that Jesus did either. Buddha wanted identification and I have to believe so did Jesus. The worship of a religious figure as differentiated from finding inspiration and a model for how we can live our own lives lead to very different manifestations of the religious life.

Religions reflect the customs of the culture in which they grow and the Middle-Eastern culture that brought forth Jesus was one of God worship with God in Heaven and the connection to Earth was to be an intermediary, a Messiah and Savior, in Jesus, a “son of God.” The Middle-East, and later Europe where Christianity flourished, were cultures where religion was expressed in duality - humanity is here on Earth, God is in Heaven.

In these cultures intermediary figures are necessary, beginning with demi-gods represented by Jesus, and then saints, then a clerical hierarchy. There is a gulf between deity and the common person. Michelangelo’s painting of The Creation of Adam on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel where Adam reaches for but cannot quite touch God exemplifies this.

Ancient Asia, on the other hand, was a world where the Universal Soul, the Ultimate Source known as Brahman (Westerners’ equivalent of God) was not in Heaven, but rather in Creation, all around in the world, and in us, individually expressed through the word Atman. While Buddhism does not concern itself with mythic theology, it was born in this theological cultural context and, in a sense, this notion of Buddha we are addressing here is equivalent to Atman awakened - and living ordinary life. All the religious figures in the Buddhist world are fully human or mythic amalgams representative of virtuous aspects of human nature, such as compassion, insight

BY

BILL WALZ

and wisdom brought to full fruition.

The clergy in this world serve as teachers and role models, not intermediaries with divinity. This is what Buddha claimed for himself and what he invited his followers to discover not by worshiping him, but through identification with him and direct experience of the benefits of his way of living and his insights into the true nature life.

There is a story about how when Buddha began to travel and teach after his enlightenment, people were so awestruck by the depth and peacefulness of his presence they would ask, “Are you a god?” To which Buddha said, “No, I am not a god.”

Then they asked him “Are you a reincarnation of a god?” “No,” he replied. “Are you a wizard, then?” “No.” “Well, are you a guru?” “No.” They then asked, being very perplexed, “So what are you?” Buddha simply replied: “I am awake.”

Buddha taught that he was an ordinary human who had awakened into the full and original potential of what it is to be a human being, free from being covered over and lost beneath social, cultural and psychological conditioning.

He knew he was an expression of the Universe, Atman/Brahman-as-a human-being, if you will, and was prepared to live and interact in the world in this unshakeable knowledge, for his meditation had revealed this truth to him, and the name “Buddha” means “Awakened One.” Humans become lost by attaching and clinging to their very worldly conditioning for their identity. In the process of becoming this conditioning, our original wondrous potential of intelligent awareness encountering the world, manifesting fresh each moment, becomes lost. It is as if we become a hypnotically induced idea of a human being. This idea is a delusion of separateness and insufficiency that leads to an experience of life that is always ultimately “unsatisfactory,” which is a very useful translation of the Pali language word, “dukkha,” more often translated as “suffering.”

In Buddhist parlance, “The Path of Return” is the realization that this idea of a person, our particular body, mind and life history are not ultimately who we are, and it is what is pointed to when the Zen teacher asks, “show me your original face.” The teacher is asking us to realize we are primordial Atman manifesting Brahman into the ordinary world. The Path of Return is when we let all idea of our conditioned self fall away and allow the moment experienced in awareness, as awareness, to fill us completely. It is in opening to the

There is a pure and vast experience of Beingness available to us. unbelievably vast dimensions of understanding and presence that already exist within us.

Buddhist meditation is specifically designed to facilitate this possibility of realizing awarenessas-who-we-are optimally.

We come to meditation practice with no idea that there is a pure and vast experience of Beingness available to us. We have no idea that the secret to meditation is to get out of one’s own way, so we bring our body, mind and personal identity and history to our meditation. We listen to the dharma teachings about Buddha being within us, but we do not believe and we do not bring unshakeable resolve to awaken, to return to our own inherent purity.

We carry too much of the dichotomic teaching of our religious conditioning. Buddha within is taken as a metaphor like Christ within, when, in truth, neither is metaphoric.

Buddha and Christ are within each of us, or there would be no Buddha or Christ at all. Because these states of original purity existed in the humans Siddhartha and Jesus, they exist in all humanity. This potential only needs to be awakened as it was in Buddha and Jesus. This very different notion of religion invites us to realize that what we think of as God manifests through us. It is the Universe as intelligent continued on page 32

Vol. 19, No. 5 — RAPID RIVER ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE — January 2016 25

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Eat, Drink, Explore Your Guide to Excellent Local Food

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Come see why Asheville Brewers Supply is WNC’s home for homebrewing. In the meantime, check out a few tips on how to craft your best!

Be patient and don’t rush it. Whatever you’re fermenting, don’t start drinking it before it’s finished maturing or you won’t get to fully enjoy the fruits of your labor. Pitch enough yeast initially to ensure full healthy fermentation and then allow time to condition prior to packaging.

Control your fermentation temps.

Often the difference between a good brew and a great one is the difference of temperature. Every yeast is different, so ask us how.

Clean and Sanitize. Your equipment cannot be sanitized if it is not first thoroughly cleaned. Use a good quality cleaner, such as PBW or Oxygen Brewery Wash to remove any soils or build up on your equipment. Follow the cleaning with a food-grade sanitizer such as Io-Star or StarSan to make sure you kill off all the lurking microorganisms just waiting to ruin your batch.

Fresher is better. Avoid using old stale ingredients and opt for the freshest possible; oxidized notes can carry over from your raw ingredients into the final product.

Come join us at our free monthly happenings. We’ve got a Brewers Social, wine club meetings, brewing classes for beginners and advanced brewers, and other workshops to help you produce your best.

Cheers and Happy New Year from your friends at Asheville Brewers Supply!”

pg. 20

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26 January 2016 — RAPID RIVER ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE — Vol. 19, No. 5

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When the phrase “comfort food” comes up, people tend to think about succulent roasts, juicy burgers, and hefty steaks.

BY

BRECK ROCHOW

While we love these foods, there are plenty of vegetarian options in Asheville that both vegetarians and carnivores will enjoy.

Rhubarb’s chef John Fleer’s Appalachian cuisine lends itself to this genre with several dishes including the stuffed acorn squash with flageolet bean cassoulet, chili braised kale, oyster mushrooms and nettle pesto, and the Looking Glass goat cheese gnudi with roasted shallots, local mushrooms, Grana Padano, spinach, brown butter braised cabcontinued on page 34

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Eat, Drink, Explore Your Guide to Excellent Local Food

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Japanese Restaurant & Sushi Bar

Modesto

Best Sushi in WNC Since 2005

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Modesto incorporates a farm-totable approach in an upscale woodfired Italian kitchen.

The majority of their produce, even the wood, comes from their own personal farm. The menu changes twice daily and includes a variety of fresh seafood, fine meats, and house-made pastas, breads, and dough. Pizzas are hand-tossed and cooked in a wood-fired oven that was handcrafted in Italy.

To compliment your meal, the bar offers more than 30 exclusive Italian wines, as well as a dynamic list of classic and cuttingedge cocktails.

Desserts are made from scratch, including Modesto’s famous Tiramisu.

Brought to you by the owners of Ichiban Steakhouse Wasabi :: 19 Broadway :: 828-225-2551 Ichiban :: 2 Hendersonville Rd. :: 252-7885 Hector Diaz

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Vol. 19, No. 5 — RAPID RIVER ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE — January 2016 27

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authors ~ poetry ~ books

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The Poet’s Voice

MEANWHILE

It is January. We are secure in our now.

Historical events in the “meanwhile.”

1791 – Franz Joseph Haydn first heard Handel’s oratorio, The Messiah, which influenced him in his own oratorio, The Creation.

(Franz was not done yet.)

1843 – Robert Wagner premiered his opera, The Flying Dutchman.

1896 – Puccini premiered his opera, La Boheme.

1759 – Robert Burns was born in Scotland.

1963 – Robert Frost died in Boston 1915 – Thomas Merton was born 1971 – Astronauts blasted off for the moon.

2015 – The Reverend Doctor Claude Stewart died on a North Carolina mountain as the sun broke through clouds.

These are all “Meanwhile” events. Meanwhile composers, writers, scientists and priests continued to inspire. None of them, not even Frost who died, were done yet. Doctor Claude is not done yet. I am here writing about him.

There are times when grief puts words in my mouth. This is one of those times. What I learned from my friend, Claude, is that every person is worthy of attention and love. Claude had clarity of vision, a listening heart, and compassion.

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Contribute to Rapid River Magazine’s online edition’s short story section. We’re accepting submissions of a variety of works in more than 20 genres. All submissions will be reviewed for appropriateness and quality.

For submission guidelines and special editing rates visit www.rapidrivermagazine.com.

Please contact Kathleen Colburn with questions and submissions by email to rrshortstories@gmail.com Kathleen is a freelance copy editor available for a variety of literary projects. She can be reached by email to rrshortstories@gmail.com

POETRIO Sunday, January 3 at 3 p.m.

Easy Monthly Billing Free Web Links & Ad Design Call (828) 646-0071

CAROL pEARCE BJORLIE – THE pOET BEHIND THE CELLO

When angels walk near us we recognize their gifts to the world. They drop in and slide off. Claude was a cowboy angel. He drove an old pick up truck, kept goats and dogs, and wore cowboy shirts under his cassock.

William Stafford has a poem about the sweetness of the Now.

Readings by three poets: Phillip Barron (What Comes from a Thing), Eric Nelson (Some Wonder), and Dee Stribling (Appalachian Picture Book).

IF YOU GO: Malaprop’s Bookstore, 55 Haywood Street, Asheville. Call (828) 2546734, or visit www.malaprops.com.

28 January 2016 — RAPID RIVER ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE — Vol. 19, No. 5

I want to give Wendell Berry his say. This poem reminds me of Claude. He and Wendell would have been great friends.

When despair for the world grows in me and I wake in the night at the least sound in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be, I go and lie down where the wood drake rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.

A Valley Like This Sometimes you look at an empty valley like this, and suddenly the air is filled with snow.

That is the way the whole world happened there was nothing, and then . . .

I come into the peace of wild things who do not tax their lives with forethought of grief.

But maybe some time you will look out and even the mountains are gone, the world become nothing again. What can a person do to help bring back the world?

I come into the presence of still water.

And I feel above me the dayblind stars waiting with their light.

We have to watch it and then look at each other.

Together we hold it close and carefully save it, like a bubble that can disappear if we don’t watch out.

For a time I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.

Please think about this as you go on. Breathe on the world.

Hold out your hands to it. When mornings and evenings roll along, watch how they open and close, now they invite you to the long party that your life is.

I don’t deserve the privilege of setting a title for this writing from Ecclesiastes, but I am gonna’ do it!

by William Stafford

MEANWHILE The Season of Now Next Lisel Mueller writes about her mother’s death in a poem titled When I am Asked.

Short Stories, a Web Exclusive

Advertise with Rapid River Magazine

BY

When I am Asked When I am asked how I began writing poems, I talk about the indifference of nature.

It was soon after my mother died, a brilliant June day, everything blooming.

I sat on a gray stone bench in a lovingly planted garden, but the day lilies were as deaf as the ears of drunken sleepers and the roses curved inward.

Nothing was black or broken and not a leaf fell and the sun blared endless commercials for summer holidays.

I sat on a gray stone bench ‘ringed with the ingenue faces of pink and white impatiens and placed my grief in the mouth of language, the only that that would grieve with me.

This poem gives me courage to write about personal griefs. This poem helps me put grief on the page.

To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under the sun: A time to be born and a time to die; a time to plant and a time to pluck up that which is planted, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance . . . a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to lose and a time to seek . . . a time to rend and a time to sew; a time to keep silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate; a time for war and a time for peace.

In memory of the Rev. Dr. Claude Stewart, interim pastor at Calvary Episcopal Church, Fletcher, NC. With gratitude for being in your presence, Carol Pearce Bjorlie I want to meet you all, writers, dreamers, readers and listeners. We need each other.

Contact Carol at bjorlie.carol@yahoo.com

Tell them you saw it in Rapid River Magazine!

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authors ~ books ~ readings Bliss:

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TRANSFORMATIONAL FESTIVALS & THE NEO HIPPIE

There’s a free-spirit movement afoot that has more to do with meditation, yoga, fellowship, good vibes, and a search for the divine than it does with the mind-altering substances of its 60s predecessor.

In Bliss: Transformational Festivals & the Neo Hippie, written by Steve Schapiro, the internationally renowned photographer famous for his photographs of the original hippie era in San Francisco and beyond, follows his son Theophilus Donoghue on his journey to enlightenment at “transformational festivals” held throughout the country.

From 2012 to 2014, the father and son team visited the Mystic Garden in Oregon, the Rainbow Gathering and Mt. Shasta festival in California, Burning Man in Nevada, and Electric Forest in Michigan, among others.

Schapiro captures the multitudes who come to commune with nature, other like-minded souls, and all that is divine and inspirational in the multi-hued spectrum of human spirituality.

He focuses on a subculture of the current hippie counterculture known as “Bliss Ninnies” — individuals who embrace meditation and dancing as a way to reach ecstatic states of joy.

The book provides an overview of a new contemporary hippie life within America, introduced to Schapiro by his son, Theophilus, who began his own journey into Bliss at age 23.

In his introduction, Theopholius writes that “many people think that hippies were a phenomena of the 60s/early 70s. The movement never ended; it simply vacated the cities in order to live in eco-villages (hundreds throughout the States) and congregate for annual festivals, most notably ‘The Rainbow Gathering.’”

He continues: “The current hippie generation definitely still has a strong political

‘Staff Picks’ cont’d. from pg. 17

A cookbook will rarely enter and exit Malaprop’s without first passing through my hands. I love them almost as much as I love actual food and will swoon over recipes titles out loud to co-workers.

Many of the new cookbooks are not only created to be visual food porn, but the writing makes you feel like you’re just swapping recipes with an old college roommate.

I love that authors don’t assume I live in a neighborhood with a grocery store that could please every member of the United Nations (because I don’t), and most recipes include food that a four-year-old could recognize and pronounce. One glorious thing about food is that it can be both beautiful and unpretentious. continued on page 33

awareness and activist spirit, but the ‘blissed out’ portion of this ‘family’ that these photos document are primarily concerned about spirituality as opposed to politics as being a means of improving the world.”

Bliss takes the viewer on a journey with these ecstatic bliss ninnies as they eye-gaze (a liberating form of open eye meditation), dance and revel in the divine in these compelling photographs. Their beliefs and way of life spark the question: “is the search for pure joy a search for God?” These never-before depicted scenes may indeed just answer that. The 60s are still here. You just have to find where.

Bliss is interspersed with the colorful, personal writings of followers of “bliss.” Andreanna Tera Naratatma describes it as “a simple and beautiful way to be happy. It is truly living for love, what inspires us and makes us feel most alive. In bliss, there is no thinking, analyzing, planning, reminiscing. The fabricated realms of ‘past’ and ‘future’ dissolve, and there is only the luminous lucidity of now. This is where magic happens, spirit and matter meet and true living creation happens.”

Born and raised in New York City, Steve Schapiro attended Amherst College and graduated from Bard College, and studied photography with the legendary W. Eugene Smith. As

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REVIEWED BY

ANDREA SMITH

a budding photographer, he got an early break: an assignment from Life magazine. He has never stopped working since.

His work has been published in prestigious magazines around the world, including The New Yorker, Life, Look, Vanity Fair, Paris Match, People, and Rolling Stone. Schapiro’s photographs were included in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s 1968 exhibition Harlem On My Mind. His work can be found in the collections of the Smithsonian, The High Museum of Art, and the National Portrait Gallery. Schapiro’s recent solo shows were in Los Angeles, Amsterdam, London and Paris.

The Fotografiska Museum in Stockholm, Sweden presented a retrospective of his work in the spring of 2012. An exhibition entitled Schapiro. Living America was on view at the Center for Photography Lumiere Brothers, Moscow in the fall of 2012. Schapiro has published five books of his work, American Edge, Schapiro’s Heroes, The Godfather Family Album, Taxi Driver and Steve Schapiro: Then and Now. IF YOU Steve Schapiro talk and book signing, GO Tuesday, January 19 at 7 p.m. at

Malaprop’s Bookstore/Café, 55 Haywood St., Asheville. Call (828) 254-6734, or visit www.malaprops.com.

We may think of grace as effortlessness, as human warmth or divine love, or as an ordinary moment turned extraordinary through a stroke of compassion.

In my new book, “The Art of Grace” (W.W. Norton), I explore grace as a celebration of the everyday pleasures, artistry, and moments of profound human connection that are all around us.

Grace has long been valued as essential to civilized living. The notion of putting our best selves forward, through wellconsidered actions and behavior, has powerful roots that reach back to ancient times. Our brains evolved to perceive the subtlest movements of others, and an appreciation for physical smoothness took up early residence in our neural pleasure centers.

Where can we find grace today? I’ve been the dance critic for The Washington Post for 20 years, and my eye is drawn to buoyant physical movers. But I’m most moved when

We host numerous Readings & Bookclubs, as well as Salons!

Visit www.malaprops.com

READINGS & BOOKSIGNINGS Friday, January 1 from 12 to 5 p.m.

Everything in the store is 25% off.

Monday, January 4 at 7 p.m. SARAH ADDISON ALLEN, First Frost, the Waverley women of Bascom, NC. Sunday, January 10 at 5 p.m. WIL WELDON, documentary film presentation.

Thursday, January 14 at 7 p.m. SIMRAN SETHI, Bread, Wine, Chocolate: The Slow Loss of Foods We Love.

Friday, January 15 at 7 p.m. FREDA LOVE SMITH, Red Velvet Underground.

Monday, January 18 at 7 p.m. Writer’s Coffeehouse with Jake Bible, group discussion and networking for writers.

Wednesday, January 20 at 7 p.m. YA timetravel, ALEXANDRA BRACKEN, Passenger.

Friday, January 22 at 7 p.m. LUKE HANKINS, The Work of Creation: Selected Prose.

Saturday, January 23 at 7 p.m. ANN HITE, Where the Souls Go, mystery; supernatural.

Sunday, January 24 at 5 p.m. BETH REVIS, Paper Hearts Vol. I: Some Writing Advice.

Monday, January 25 at 7 p.m. TAYLOR BROWN, Fallen Land, horse thief; Civil War. Thursday, January 28 at 7 p.m. LINDSAY STARCK, Noah’s Wife, minister saves local zoo animals, novel.

The Art of Grace

Grace is a word with many meanings.

JANUARY

PARTIAL LISTING

BY

SARAH L. KAUFMAN

that elegance is matched with inner grace.

I write about actor Cary Grant, with his polish and humanity; Sarah L. singers such Kaufman as Smokey Robinson, with his sweet voice and astonishing courage; athletes such as Roger Federer, and spiritual leaders and ordinary folks with a gift for making deep connections. Grace allows us to move easily, to treat others gently, to receive and savor the gentleness of others.

Friday, January 29 at 7 p.m. ANN McMAN, Backcast, humor; CYNN CHADWICK, Girls with Hammers; LORI HORVITZ, The Girls of Usually, memoir.

Saturday, January 30 at 7 p.m. KEVIN HEARNE, Staked, part of the Iron Druid Chronicles fantasy series.

55 Haywood St.

(828) 254-6734 • 800-441-9829 Monday-Saturday 9AM to 9PM Sunday 9AM to 7PM

pg. 19

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IF YOU Sarah Kaufman reading and book GO signing, Saturday, January 9 at 7 p.m.

at Malaprop’s Bookstore/Café, 55 Haywood St., Asheville. Call (828) 254-6734, or visit www.malaprops.com.

Vol. 19, No. 5 — RAPID RIVER ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE — January 2016 29

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what to do guide through January

The Odyssey Cooperative Art Gallery New show celebrating the ceramic art of Chiwa Clark and Andrea Freeman and other gallery members. The gallery features 24 local clay artists, working in a variety of styles to create functional and non-functional pottery and works of figurative and abstract sculpture.

Odyssey Co-op Gallery, 238 Clingman Avenue. Tuesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Call (828) 285-9700, visit odysseyceramicarts.com.

January 2-31

This concert opens the 20th season of concerts at St. Matthias. It will feature a chamber orchestra including harp and timpani led by Stephen Klein. Arias will be sung by soprano, Katie Cilluffo.

There will also be dancers. A free-will offering will be taken for the restoration fund for the historic church. St. Matthias Church is located across from the Public Works Building on So. Charlotte and Max Streets, at 1 Dundee St. in Asheville.

Monday, January 4

Retro Nouveau

Sunday, January 3

“Take Two Jazz,” an evening with pianist Dr. Bill Bares and singer/drummer Russ Wilson. 7:30 p.m. $12; $6 for students with ID. White Horse, 105c Montreat Road, Black Mountain. (828) 669-0816, or visit www.whitehorseblackmountain.com.

Asheville School of Film

Thursday, January 7

All-Members Small Works Show

The Asheville Gallery of Art, 16 College Street, downtown Asheville.

For more information visit www. ashevillegallery-of-art.com.

Grand opening for the film community from 3-6 p.m. Visit our newly renovated facility, meet faculty, and learn about part-time classes. Asheville School of Film, 45 South French Broad Ave., Suite 120, Asheville. Free parking in the lot across the street or along the street. www.ashevilleschooloffilm.com

Sunday, January 3

An Afternoon in Vienna

A concert of Strauss Waltzes and Polkas in honor of the New Year at 3 p.m.

How to place an event/ classified listing with Rapid River Art Magazine Any “free” event open to the public can be listed at no charge up to 30 words.

For all other events there is a $14.95 charge up to 35 words and 12 cents for each additional word. 65 word limit per event. Sponsored listings (shown in boxes) can be purchased for $18 per column inch.

Deadline is the 19th of each month.

Payment must be made prior to printing. Send to: 85 N. Main St, Canton, NC 28716; call (828) 646-0071; or email ads@rapidrivermagazine.com to place your ad.

– Disclaimer – Due to the overwhelming number of local event submissions we get for our “What to Do Guide” each month, we can not accept entries that do not specifically follow our publication’s format. Non-paid event listings must be 30 words or less, and both paid and non-paid listings must provide information in the following format: date of event, title, description and time, cost, location, and your contact info. Please do not type in all caps. Any entries not following this format will not be considered for publication.

Velvet & Lace

Takes place on the first Thursday of each month. Katey Ryder of Sovereign Remedies featured in January. Each event showcases craft cocktails made by female bartenders currently working in Asheville, with a focus on smoke, fire, herbs, elixirs, and tinctures. Mary Kelley, a.k.a. DJ Dr. Filth, will be spinning dark classics. Rose Hecht will bring photo booth fun. Food will be served alongside the delicious cocktails. 10% of sales will be donated to Our Voice.

10 p.m. to 1 a.m. Buxton Hall Barbecue, 32 Banks Avenue, Asheville.

January 7-16

Beer and How To Drink It

The Magnetic Theatre toasts the new year with its latest comic creation.

Thursdays-Saturdays, at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets $21 online; $24 at the door, with late shows January 15-16, Saturday-Sunday, at 10 p.m. ($16/$19). $10 student rush, 15 minutes before each performance. Magnetic 375 (375 Depot Street in the River Arts District). Visit www.themagnetictheatre.org.

Saturday, February 13 – Masterworks 4: Beethoven’s Violin Stefan Jackiw Concerto, featuring Stefan Jackiw, violin.

Saturday, March 12 – Masterworks 5: Romeo and Juliet featuring Shen Lu, piano.

Saturday, April 16 – Masterworks 6: Verdi’s Requiem featuring Asheville Symphony Chorus.

Saturday, May 14 – Masterworks 7: Featuring Zuill Bailey, cello.

For tickets and additional details, call (828) 254-7046 or visit www.ashevillesymphony.org.

January 8-24

Oleanna

An examination of power and language, of relations and perceptions. Performances Friday and Saturday evenings at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday afternoons at 2:30 p.m. Tickets: $15. Asheville Community Theatre, 35 East Walnut St., Asheville. (828) 254-1320 or visit www.ashevilletheatre.org.

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Asheville Fringe Arts Festival Saturday, January 9

Fireships Plays Ben’s Tune Up

Fireships plays indie-folk and Americana with some West African influences. An elegant affair that evokes shades of Lou Reed, Paul Simon’s Graceland, and Deer Tick. Fireships is a new project from Honey Brothers founder and New York City indie veteran Andrew Vladeck. At Ben’s Tune Up, 195 Hilliard Ave., Asheville. (828) 424-7580, www.benstuneup.com

A plethora of performance art and experimental theatre. 15 different shows to choose from. For more details, please contact info@ashevillefringe.org and visit www.AshevilleFringe.org.

Sunday, January 10

Simple Gifts

Exclusive performance featuring classical pianist Christopher Tavernier. 3 p.m.

Benefit concert for the Hendersonville Community Theatre. Free and open to the public.

Limited seating, please arrive early. 229 S. Washington Street, Hendersonville.

(828) 692-1082.

Saturday, January 23

Donna the Buffalo

Distinctive, groove-heavy, and danceable music. With roots in old time fiddle music that evolved into a soulful electric American mix infused with elements of cajun/ zydeco, rock, folk, reggae, and country. City of The Sun opens the show. Doors 8 p.m.; 18+ show at 9 p.m. $20 adv., $22 dos.

The Orange Peel, 101 Biltmore Ave., Asheville. Call (828) 398-1837, or visit www.theorangepeel.net.

Sunday, January 24

Larry Campbell and Teresa Williams

Visit Odyssey Co-op Gallery located in the River Arts District at 238 Clingman Avenue for their Second Saturday celebration with food, music, and artists’ demonstrations. Open Tuesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Call (828) 285-9700, clingmancoop@gmail. com, odysseyceramicarts.com.

Saturday, January 16

Saturday, January 9

Town Mountain

Bill Bowers presents an eloquent mixture of music, monologues and mime in his ongoing investigation of the silence surrounding the enigmatic matters of gender in our culture today. At Asheville Community Theatre, 35 East Walnut St., downtown Asheville. (828) 254-1320, www.ashevilletheatre.org.

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Della Mae is Celia Woodsmith, Kimber Ludiker, Jenni Lyn Gardner, Courtney Hartman, and Zoe Guigueno. At the The Grey Eagle, 185 Clingman Ave., Asheville. For details, call (828) 2325800 or visit www.thegreyeagle.com.

Second Saturday

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Saturday, January 9

CD release concert for Radio. Alloriginal bluegrass/Americana. The Orange Peel, 101 Biltmore Ave., Asheville.

(828) 398-1837, theorangepeel.net.

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Concerts begin at 8 p.m. at the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium.

Free meeting “Swap and Shop” 10 amnoon at Grace Community Church, 495 Cardinal Road, Mills River. Visit www.Appalachianpastelsociety.org for more information.

Steep Canyon Rangers

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Asheville Symphony

Appalachian Pastel Society

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Town Mountain’s hard drivin’ bluegrass sound, tight harmonies, and stellar in-house songwriting have become the band’s trademark. They light up the stage with their honky tonk edge and barroom swagger, featuring a Jimmy Martin-style bounce and confidence that is countered at times by a laid-back John Hartford-esque groove. On tour with Railroad Earth. Appearing live at the Orange Peel, 101 Biltmore Ave., Asheville. For tickets call (828) 3981837, or visit www.theorangepeel.net.

Sunday, January 17

Della Mae

Grammy-nominated Nashville-based quintet blurs the lines between bluegrass, folk, soul, and old-time music.

Campbell has won multiple Grammy Awards; adept on guitar, fiddle, mandolin, banjo, pedal steel, dobro and any number of stringed instruments. Sharing the bill with Peter Mulvey. Tickets for this all-ages, seated, 8 p.m. show are $15 in advance and $18 dos. The Grey Eagle, 185 Clingman Ave., Asheville.

For more details, call (828) 232-5800 or visit www.thegreyeagle.com.

Tuesday, January 26

Reflections on Madison County’s Musical Heritage

An evening and afternoon with Joe Penland. Class and lecture at 1 p.m. at Blue Ridge Community College’s Patton Building, Room 150. Concert and storytelling at 7 p.m. in the college’s Thomas Auditorium.

Tickets for each program are $15 per person or $25 for both programs. For more information call the Center for Cultural Preservation, (828) 692-8062, and visit www.saveculture.org.

JANUARY EVENTS ~ ANNOUNCEMENTS ~ OPENINGS ~ SALES 30 January 2016 — RAPID RIVER ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE — Vol. 19, No. 5

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Altamont Theatre LIVE MUSIC Saturday, January 16 – Tellico w/ the DuPont Brothers. Doors at 7 p.m.; Show at 8 p.m.

Drawing or Painting – Monday & Thursday, 9-4 p.m.

Sunday, January 17 – The Gonzala Bergara Quartet. Doors at 6 p.m.; Show at 7 p.m.

Children’s Art with Alisa – Tuesday & Wednesday, 3:30-5:30 p.m.

Friday, January 22 – Mark O’Connor.

Doors at 7 p.m.; Show at 8 p.m.

Thursday Morning Demos – 10 a.m. to noon Studio Painting – Thursdays, 6-9 p.m.

Callie & Cats

by Amy Downs

Thursday, February 4 – Ben Phan & the Soul Orchestra, CD Release Party. Doors at 7 p.m.; Show at 8 p.m.

Friday, February 5 – Free Planet Radio.

Doors at 7 p.m.; Show at 8 p.m.

NEW STUDIO LOCATION Riverview Station, #236, 191 Lyman St. (828) 225-5000, www.JohnMacKah.com

Saturday, February 6 – Sierra Hull. Doors at 7 p.m.; Show at 8 p.m.

Thursday, February 11 – Francesca Blanchard. Doors at 7 p.m.; Show at 8 p.m.

Thursday, January 28

Listen to This

Live stories told on stage along with stand-up comedy and original songs – all from local writers, actors, performers, and other interesting folks.

7:30 p.m. in 35below. Hosted by Tom Chalmers.

Tickets are $15, available online at www.ashevilletheatre.org, by phone at (828) 254-1320, or in person at the ACT Box Office. Asheville Community Theatre, 35 East Walnut St., Asheville.

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Classes, Workshops, and Private Fine Art Instruction. Complete schedule at www.

JohnMacKah.com.

Landscape on Location – Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

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Friday, February 19 – Erick Baker & Callaghan. Doors at 7 p.m.; Show at 8 p.m.

Saturday, February 20 – Charles “Wigg” Walker. Doors at 7 p.m.; Show at 8 p.m.

Corgi Tales

by Phil Hawkins

Thursday, February 25 – BeauSoleil avec Michael Doucet. Doors at 7 p.m.; Show at 8 p.m.

Altamont Theatre 18 Church Street, downtown Asheville (828) 270-7747, www.thealtamont.com

Friday, January 29

Discussion & Booksigning

7 p.m. Ann Mcman, Backcast; Cynn Chadwick, Girls with Hammers; Lori Horvitz, The Girls of Usually. Malaprop’s Bookstore/Café, 55 Haywood St., Asheville. Call (828) 254-6734, or visit www.malaprops.com.

Saturday, January 30

Antique Appraisal Fair

Pawsitive Pup Beginnings

Dragin

by Michael Cole

A benefit for the Western North Carolina AIDS Project. 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. at Nostalgique Antiques, 126 Swannanoa River Road in Asheville.

For more information about the event, please contact Nostalgique Antiques at (828) 505-3556.

For more information about WNCAP, visit www.WNCAP.org.

Classic Wineseller

Live music Friday and Saturday nights from 7-10 p.m. Retail: Tuesday-Saturday 11-6 p.m. Restaurant: Wednesday-Saturday 4-9 p.m. serving small plates, charcuterie, tapas, desserts. Classic Wineseller, 20 Church St., Waynesville. (828) 452-6000, www.classicwineseller.com.

Learn Filmmaking

Affordable part-time and weekend classes in film production for all experience levels. Asheville School of Film, 45 S. French Broad Ave., Ste 120, Asheville. 1-844-AVL-FILM (285-3456), www. ashevilleschooloffilm.com.

Safe Step Walk-In Tub

Ratchet and Spin

by Jessica and Russ Woods

310 Art Classes

Painting, pastels, watercolors, drawing, encaustic, and more. 310 ART, River’s Edge Studio, 191 Lyman St., Asheville. www.310art.com.

Alert for seniors. Bathroom falls can be fatal. Approved by the Arthritis Foundation. Therapeutic jets. Less than 4 inch step-in. Wide door. Antislip floors. American made. Installation included.

Call 800-886-8956 for $750 Off.

Sell your structured settlement or annuity payments for CASH NOW.

You don’t have to wait for your future payments any longer! Call 1-800-301-2258.

Arrowhead Gallery Workshops & Classes

Oils, pastels, watercolor, acrylics, drawing, pen and ink and scratchboard led by Lorelle Bacon.

Clay workshops and children’s classes available.

Call (828) 668-1100. Arrowhead Gallery, 78 Catawba Blvd., Old Fort, NC.

Six-week socialization course for puppies 6 to 16 weeks old. Specialized program focuses on building a relationship of trust, positive experiences and education to create a well-rounded dog.

Cost: $120. Maple Tree Dog Camp, (828) 2469770, email campleader@mapletreevet.com

Got Knee Pain? Back Pain? Shoulder Pain?

www.jackiewoods.org • Copyright 2015 Adawehi Press

Get a pain-relieving brace at little or NO cost to you. Medicare Patients, call Health Hotline now!

1- 800-408-9017.

CLASSES ~ AUDITIONS ~ ARTS & CRAFTS ~ READINGS Vol. 19, No. 5 — RAPID RIVER ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE — January 2016 31

Find It Here

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Asheville Brewers Supply www.AshevilleBrewers.com

Hearn’s Bike Shop (828) 253-4800 www.facebook.com

Asheville Gallery of Art www.ashevillegallery-of-art.com Asheville Locksmith Now www.AshevilleLocksmithNow.com Asheville Symphony Orchestra www.ashevillesymphony.org BlackBird Frame & Art www.blackbirdframe.com Black Mountain Swannanoa Chamber of Commerce www.exploreblackmountain.com

Ichiban (828) 252-7885 Jewels That Dance www.jewelsthatdance.com John Mac Kah www.johnmackah.com

Kathmandu www.CafeKathmanduAsheville.com Kirk’s Collectibles (770) 757-6814

Blue Ridge Biscuit Company www.facebook.com/ BlueRidgeBiscuitCompany

Lexington Glassworks www.LexingtonGlassworks.com

Burr Studio www.facebook.com/burrstudionc CA’s Cheesecakes www.cacheesecakes.com Cafe 64 www.cafe-64.com

Linda Neff, NCBTMB lneff68@yahoo.com Malaprops Bookstore/Cafe www.malaprops.com Maple Tree Vet Clinic www.mapletreevet.com McLain Pottery coldcove@gmail.com

Carolina Mountain Artists Guild www.facebook.com/CarolinaArtists

Mellow Mushroom (828) 236-9800 www.mellowmushroom.com

Case Garden Designs (828) 697-1300

Modesto Trattoria (828) 225-4133

Champa www.champanc.com

Mountain Top Appliance www.mountainviewappliance.com

The Chocolate Fetish www.chocolatefetish.com

NC Stage Company www.ncstage.org

Cheryl Keefer www.CherylKeefer.com

O’Charley’s www.ocharleys.com

Classic Wineseller www.classicwineseller.com Diana Wortham Theatre www.dwtheatre.com Double Exposure Giclee www.doubleexposureart.com Downtown Waynesville Association www.downtownwaynesville.com Elinor Bowman www.elinorbowman.com Faces of War, Anthony Guidone www.soldierslament.com French Broad Artists www.virginiapendergrass.com Frugal Framer www.frugalframer.com Green Room Cafe www.thegreenroomcafe.biz Grovewood Gallery www.grovewood.com HART Theater www.harttheatre.com

It Works!

You need to know if your advertising is paying off.

Learn all about branding.

Discover how to position yourself to succeed.

Call Rick Hills (828) 452-0228 or email rick@ rapidrivermagazine.com.

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‘The Path of Return’ cont’d from pg. 25

Source and we, of course, are its manifestation as is all of Nature, and I believe this was the intention of Jesus’s teachings, as it was very specifically Buddha’s intent. This is why Buddhism emphasizes to realize true self in being “nobody.” Only total freedom from holding onto our “somebody” as created by our conditioning can open this door.

K-9 Curriculum, Inc. www.k9curriculum.com

Blossom on Main www.BlossomOnMain.com

Bogart’s Restaurant www.bogartswaynesville.com

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Octopus Garden www.theOG.us On Demand Printing www.ondemandink.com Points of Light www.pointsoflight.net

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‘Asheville School of Film’ continued from page 19

across the street, or along the street.

Asheville School of Film is a new, local film school focused on providing affordable part-time and weekend classes in film production for all experience levels.

Upcoming classes scheduled for 2016 include Filmmaking 101, 201, and 301 eight-week courses. These courses will review introduction to the filmmaking process, preproduction and short film production, and postproduction respectively. There will additionally be a Documentary Filmmaking eight-week course, Screenwriting course, Silent Film History Weekend, and Directing Weekend Workshop.

Costs and deadlines for enrollment can be found at www.ashevilleschooloffilm.com.

IF YOU Asheville School of Film Open House, Sunday, January 3 GO from 3-6 p.m. The Asheville School of Film is located at 45

S. French Broad Ave., Ste 120, in Asheville. Go online to www.ashevilleschooloffilm.com or call 1-844-AVL-FILM (2853456) to request more information.

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t.e. siewert www.tesiewert.com

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WAYNESVILLE RUSS AVENUE

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Town Hardware & General Store www.townhardware.com

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Twigs and Leaves Gallery www.twigsandleaves.com

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Van Dyke Jewelry www.vandykejewelry.com

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Visions of Creation www.visionsofcreation.com

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NORTH ASHEVILLE

Wasabi www.WasabiAsheville.com Zapow www.zapow.com

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Learn more, see past columns, video and audio programs, and schedule of coming events at www.billwalz.com

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Southern Highland Craft Guild www.craftguild.org

Swannanoa Valley Fine Arts League Red House Studios and Gallery www.SVFALarts.org

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Bill Walz has taught meditation and mindfulness in university and public forums, and is a privatepractice meditation teacher and guide for individuals in mindfulness, personal growth and consciousness. Information on personal growth and healing instruction, or phone consultations, at (828) 258-3241, e-mail at healing@billwalz.com.

Seven Sisters Gallery www.sevensistersgallery.com

Susan Marie Designs www.susanmariedesigns.com

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If you want to change, if you want to become your idea Let go of the of better, come to meditaknown. tion ready to shake free of all ideas you have about yourself.

Be prepared to let go of the known. The journey of return is not one on which you bring baggage and it is a journey that takes you nowhere except to where you begin. There is needed only the unshakeable resolve to become who you already are.

The journey is inward and then, out into the world, awake and increasingly free from the baggage of social, cultural, psychological conditioning. Meet your true self in the vast stillness of the Universe. This is the Path of Return. The Universe is manifesting through you. “The awareness of what is happening in the present moment” is the you that is a lens of consciousness into the world. Polish the lens in stillness until the vision is brightly clear, until you become nobody, nothing but the lens. Then move in the world, an ordinary person, a Buddha using the conditions of body, mind and cultural understanding, awake, returned to your original face, the idea of making yourself somehow better now realized as a case of mistaken identity.

All you sought to find through meditation was in you all along. You have returned.

Richard C. Baker (828) 234-1616

Stephanie Grimes www.artist-f.com

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artful living

Interactive Maps are on our website! www.RapidRiverMagazine.com/maps AmiciMusic www.amicimusic.org

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Zest Jewelry www.zestjewelry.com

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books ‘Books for a Fresh Start’ cont’d from page 24

founder of the Open Heart Project, she writes with a grace and a clarity that might just give you the inspiration you need to dive into meditation and discover its many benefits.

This year I want to hike to more waterfalls and identify more wildflowers. Luckily, there’s a book for doing just that, and it’s fantastic. Waterfalls and Wildflowers in the Southern Appalachians: Thirty Great Hikes written

by Timothy Spira.

Want to learn a new language this year? How about learning untranslatable words from multiple languages instead? Then Lost in Translation: An Illustrated Compendium of Untranslatable Words from Around the World, written by Ella Frances Sanders, is your perfect companion when you want to express something that has no direct English translation.

Some favorites: “Tiám: n., the twinkle in your eye when you first meet someone” (Farsi); and “Warmduscher: n., Refers to someone who would only take a warm shower (not an icy cold or burning hot one), implying that they are a bit of a wimp, and unwilling to step outside of their comfort zone” (this is totally me, by the way).

You may also be interested in Mastering the Art of Southern Cooking, written by Natalie Dupree and Cynthia Graubert. I mean, you might as well set the bar high.

‘Staff Picks’ cont’d from page 29

Here’s a list of the cookbooks that I’ve (figuratively!) drooled over this year.

Good and Cheap by Leanne Brown Isa Does It by Isa Moskowitz (vegan) Mark Bittman’s Kitchen Matrix by Mark Bittman

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The French Broad Artists are moving to a new studio in the River Oak Leaf, 8x10 Arts District in Januwatercolor/ink by ary. Their new address Sandra Brugh Moore is Trackside Studios, 375 Depot Street. You can now view works by Sahar Fakhoury, Sandra Moore, and Virginia Pendergrass during the new gallery hours, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. any day of the week.

Autumn, 24 x 30 in. watercolor by Sandra Brugh Moore www.sandrabmoore.com

Visit the artists online: Sahar Fakhoury, www.sahar-art.com Sandra Moore, www.sandrabmoore.com Virginia Pendergrass, www.virginiapendergrass.com

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We are looking forward to seeing you at our NEW LOCATION after January 1st

Trackside Studios • 375 Depot Street Open Daily 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.

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JOHN MAC KAH STUDIO John Mac Kah is moving his studio up river. His new studio work site is now located at Riverview Station, #236. The address is 191 Lyman St.; go ’round back to the studio entrance. He will be hosting an Open House on Friday & Saturday, January 15 & 16.

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Soup Night by Maggie Stuckey The Best of America’s Test Kitchen

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RICHARD C. BAKER

A Year of Pies by Asheley English

Fine Ar t and Por traiture

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VIRGINIA MCKINLEY’S FAVES For the New Year, I look forward to reading a few dozen poetry books published in late 2015 and throughout 2016. I will be selecting at least three dozen for our new series of Poetrio events. Poetrio features three different poets each month, at 3 p.m. on the first Sunday of the month.

Mark your calendars now and plan to attend the first Poetrio event of the year on Sunday, January 3 at 3 p.m.

We’ll be hosting Phillip Barron, reading from What Comes From a Thing, Eric Nelson with Some Wonder, and Dee Stribling with Appalachian Picture Book.

Begin the new year with poetry, and join us in Malaprop’s Bookstore Café for Poetrio!

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in the River Arts District, Asheville, NC

More information on the River Arts District is available at www.riverartsdistrict.com.

Vol. 19, No. 5 — RAPID RIVER ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE — January 2016 33

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Black Box Storytelling Theater celebrates their one year anniversary and kicks off their 2016 monthly storytelling series with the incomparable Chuck Brodsky!

they challenge. They’re sworn to tell the truth.

Chuck has performed three times at the National Baseball Hall of Fame, and 20 of his celebrated Baseball story songs have been enshrined in the Hall’s sound recording library.

His beloved Philadelphia Chuck Brodsky is a storyPhillies featured his song teller, songwriter, troubadour, “Whitey & Harry” and an and a modern day bard. With interview with Chuck in the only his acoustic guitar and his documentary about their voice he’ll draw you in with legendary Hall of Fame genuine, down-to-earth warmth player and broadcaster, and his quirky, finely crafted Richie Ashburn. songs. Using wit and irony, The 2003 Sony Pictures set to haunting melodies, he film “Radio” featured a tells the stories of oddball and cameo appearance by Chuck underdog characters through his Chuck Brodsky and his closing title track. syncopated guitar strumming or Photo: Steve Weber “Moe Berg: The Song” sweet finger-picking. can be heard in the film “Jews and Baseball,” His songs celebrate the goodness in which aired on the PBS Network. Kathy Matpeople—the eccentric, holy, profound, couratea’s recording of his “We Are Each Other’s geous, inspiring, and the beautiful. They poke Angels” is the closing track in the 1998 film fun at what needs to be poked, and sometimes “Dear Mr. Goodlife,” and eleven of Chuck’s songs appear in the 2011 film “The Deposition.” His song “Blow ‘em Away” recorded by David Wilcox and many others, also appears on the Christine Lavin produced “Laugh

‘Vegetarian Comfort Food’ cont’d from page 26

bage, toasted pumpkin seeds and grilled radicchio. These hearty options are the perfect cold weather indulgences for those chilly Asheville nights.

Chai Pani offers a selection of carnivorous street “burgers,” the acclaimed Indian street food concept offers many vegetarian- and vegan- friendly options that put a spicy spin on Southern comfort.

Start with a savory samosa stuffed with spicy cumin scented potatoes and dressed with tamarind and green chutney, or munch on Chai Pani’s signature matchstick okra fries, tossed with lime, salt and seasoning.

For diners searching for a taste of everyday meals served in an Indian home, indulge in a traditional vegetarian thali dish, served with fragrant basmati rice, daal, raita, roti, kachumber and papadum.

Rhubarb 7 SW Pack Square, downtown Asheville (828) 785-1503 www.rhubarbasheville.com

Chai Pani pg. 19

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22 Battery Park Ave., Asheville (828) 254-4003 www.chaipaniasheville.com

34 January 2016 — RAPID RIVER ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE — Vol. 19, No. 5

“Old fashioned story songs brimming with wit and compassion…offcenter, off-the wall and incisively funny.” ~ New York Times Tracks” and has been a long time favorite of the Dr. Demento show.

Black Box Storytelling Theater is honored to begin their 2016 monthly storytelling series at Buffalo Nickel sharing the talents of such a wonderful singer/songwriter and storyteller.

Catch Chuck Brodsky on Wednesday, January 20 at 7 p.m. at Buffalo Nickel in West Asheville. Come early to order drinks and dinner from a fabulous menu and well stocked bar. Tickets are $12 at the door.

Every first Wednesday of the month Black Box Storytelling Theater will feature their very popular Open Mic series, where anyone can tell a ten-minute story, recite a poem, read from written work, or present comedy.

Every third Wednesday they’ll feature regional or nationally known storytellers occasionally joined by one of Asheville’s beloved buskers for a great evening of entertainment.

Follow Black Box Storytelling Theater on Facebook at David Joe Miller Presents or Black Box Storytelling Theater.

Learn more about Chuck Brodsky at www.chuckbrodsky.com IF YOU Chuck Brodsky, Wednesday, January GO 20 at 7 p.m. at Buffalo Nickel, 747

Haywood Road in West Asheville.

Tickets are $12 at the door or $10 online at www.eventbrite.com.

‘Campbell and Williams’ cont’d from page 23

Larry: Leaving out the economics it’s all the

same. You scale the show to match the audience and remind yourself how lucky you are to do this for a living. The bottom line is we love to make music together.

So there you have it. Two musicians and their band who love to play music to crowds big and small; which is why their return to The Grey Eagle promises to be such a treat for fans of Americana, country and all points in between.

IF YOU Larry Campbell and Teresa Williams GO (sharing the bill with Peter Mulvey)

on Sunday, January 24. Tickets for this all-ages, seated, 8 p.m. show are $15 in advance and $18 day of. The Grey Eagle, 185 Clingman Ave., Asheville. For more details, call (828) 2325800 or visit www.thegreyeagle.com.

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How to Hike the A.T.

For those wanting to learn more about a trek on the Appalachian Trail (A.T.), now’s your chance!

The Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) will offer classes throughout Asheville in January and February for people interested in a long-distance hike.

Courses will be taught by Hiker Education Accredited instructors, or individuals who have worked with the ATC to offer a comprehensive workshop that encourages enjoyment and protection of the Trail.

How Will You Hike the A.T.?

The courses will cover all aspects of planning a long-distance hike on the A.T., from essential gear to the diversity of the Trail experience. Participants are encouraged to find their own personal approach to hiking the Trail, while also being well-prepared, responsible hikers.

J

Give a little

BY JAVIER

PLUS, 4 more

FOLgAR

Happy Family Celebration

WORKSHOP SCHEDULE Tuesday, January 12 – Second

Gear Outfitters, Asheville, 5:307:30 p.m. Free.

Tuesday, January 19 – Mast Gen-

eral Store, Asheville. 5-7 p.m.

Free.

Tuesday, January 26 – Diamond

Brand Outfitters, (South) Asheville. 6-8 p.m. Free.

A long-distance hiker has her picture taken outside the Appalachian Trail Conservancy Visitor Center in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia.

Sunday, February 7 – Black Dome Moun-

tain Sports, Asheville. 4-7 p.m. Free.

For more information about the classes, visit www.appalachiantrail.org/ events, or contact Chloe de Camara at (828) 357-6542 or send an email to cdecamara@appalachiantrail.org.

The Appalachian Trail Conservancy was founded in 1925 by volunteers and federal officials working to build a continuous footpath along the Appalachian Mountains. A unit of the National Park System, the A.T. stretches from Maine to

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Georgia and is approximately 2,190 miles in length. It is the longest hiking-only footpath in the world.

The mission of the ATC is to preserve and manage the Appalachian Trail – ensuring that its vast natural beauty and priceless cultural heritage can be shared and enjoyed today, tomorrow, and for centuries to come.

For more information, please visit www.appalachiantrail.org.

Skywatching 2016 Program at PARI

Join PARI astronomers in welcoming in the new year with a comprehensive look at celestial observing opportunities for 2016.

we will move outside after the presentation and use PARI telescopes to begin what promises to be an exciting year in astronomy.”

The Evening at PARI program will The program is scheduled for Friday, begin at 7 p.m. with the night sky 2016 January 8 on the PARI campus. The evepresentation, followed by a campus tour ning’s activities will include a tour of the and a trip to the Exhibit Gallery. The PARI campus and, weather permitting, program will take place regardless of the observations using PARI telescopes. weather so attendees are encouraged to The program is part of PARI’s monthdress appropriately for being outside and ly Evening at PARI series and will feature to wear comfortable walking shoes. Each presentations by PARI astronomers. participant will also have the opportunity “The beginning of a new to have a photo taken year is a great opportuniwith a PARI telescope ty to plan ahead to enjoy and will receive a suball that skywatching scription to the PARI has to offer,” said PARI newsletter.

Education Director Reservations are Christi Whitworth. required and will be ac“Our experts will be cepted until 3 p.m. the describing what to look day of the event. Evefor in 2016 and passing ning at PARI programs along observing tips to cost $20 per adult and help you maximize the $15 for seniors/military. experience. This proChildren 10 and under gram is designed for all are admitted free. ages and all knowledge Register and pay online levels — from astronat www.pari.edu or call omy newcomers up to (828) 862-5554. For those who have been additional information observing all their lives. contact Sarah Chappell Star party observations.

Weather permitting, at schappell@pari.edu.

BY

STEVE SAUCIER

About PARI The Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute (PARI) is a public not-forprofit 501 (c) (3) foundation established in 1998. Located in the Pisgah National Forest 30 miles southwest of Asheville, the 200-acre campus is the former site of an historic NASA satellite tracking station.

Today, PARI is a science education and research center. The site houses radio and optical telescopes, earth science instruments and the Astronomical Photographic Data Archive. Exhibit galleries display NASA Space Shuttle artifacts and collections of rare meteorites and minerals. PARI provides STEM educational programs at all levels.

For more information about PARI and its programs, visit www.pari.edu.

IF YOU Join PARI astronomers Friday, GO January 8, for a look ahead at what

the night sky will have to offer in 2016. The evening includes a PARI campus tour, and observing session and other activities. Contact Sarah Chappell at (828) 862-5554 or schappell@pari.edu for more information and reservations.

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Vol. 19, No. 5 — RAPID RIVER ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE — January 2016 35

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We’re Moving Up River

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