February 2016 Rapid River Arts & Culture Magazine by Rapid River Magazine

“Urban Sketches” by

Virginia Pendergrass

Abstraction and Beyond with

Mark Bettis

Elegant Jewelry by

Susan Marie Phipps

Exclusive Interview with Colin Hay, lead vocalist of Men at Work pg 22

Your Ultimate Guide to the Oscars! Musings & Ruminations pg 13 Play Along with Oscar pg 14

Movie Reviews pgs 12-15 • Dining Guide pgs 20-21 • Downtown Waynesville pg 27 • What to Do Guide™

pgs

30-31

The Face of War ~ A SOLDIERS LAMENT ~

New Book Honors Veterans

Featuring photographs and poetry by Anthony Guidone

PG. 19

Created to honor and acknowledge the physical and mental hardships endured by those engaged in armed conflict, this tabletop book makes a great gift.

Available for $15.98 each at

soldierslament@gmail.com Include Your Name & Address Visit www.soldierslament.com

2 February 2016 — RAPID RIVER ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE — Vol. 19, No. 6

BEETHOVEN’S VIOLIN CONCERTO

BELLA HRISTOVA, HRISTOVA violin February 13 • 8pm Mendelssohn Hebrides Overture Strauss Metamorphosen Beethoven Violin Concerto

2015/2016 S E A S O N DANIEL MEYER MUSIC DIRECTOR • THOMAS WOLFE AUDITORIUM • DOWNTOWN ASHEVILLE

ROMEO AND JULIET Shen Lu, Piano

March 12

VERDI’S REQUIEM April 16

ZUILL BAILEY RETURNS May 14

CALL FOR TICKETS: 828.254.7046 www.ashevillesymphony.org

PG. 32

Vol. 19, No. 6 — RAPID RIVER ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE — February 2016 3

The Magnetic Theatre 2016

captivating performances Diana Wortham Theatre’s Mainstage Performances – Winter 2016

As the winter weather turns colder, the Diana Wortham Theatre’s Mainstage Series is heating up.

Asheville’s only theatre dedicated to original works.

Located at Magnetic 375

375 Depot Street in the River Arts District

Tickets are on sale now for some of the most anticipated performances of the 2015/2016 season, including the thundering rhythms and jaw-dropping skill of YAMATO The Drummers of Japan (February 18 & 19), the groundbreaking dance theatre company Lucky Plush Productions (February 26 & 27), the highly popular jazz, rock and pop outfit stephaniesîd (March 19), and many more.

Aquila Theatre Company in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet

BY JOHN

ELLIS

YAMATO The Drummers of Japan Thursday & Friday, February 18 & 19 at 8 p.m.

Yamato presents Bakuon – Legend of the Heartbeat, complete with trademark taiko drumming, infectious enthusiasm, and jawdropping skill. Rousing, heart-pounding feats of athleticism and musical skill.

Saturday, February 6 at 8 p.m.

Lucky Plush Productions Trip the Light Fantastic: The Making of SuperStrip

The timeless story of forbidden love and warring families is brought to life by the talents of the Aquila Theatre. Redirecting some of the focus to other relationships at play, a 30-footlong gown links Juliet and Lady Capulet as they navigate the treacherous waters of arranged marriages, teenage rebellion, and all that befalls this famous household.

Inspired by pulp novels and comic books, artistic director Julia Rhoads, composer Michael Caskey, and video designer John Boesche explore the obstacles that contemporary dogooders face in fighting for Truth, Justice and ... Whatever. A high-octane blend of winning performance, humor and passion.

Friday & Saturday, February 26 & 27 at 8 p.m.

Lúnasa with special guest Tim O’Brien Sunday, February 28 at 7 p.m.

Lúnasa joins its fresh Irish melodies with the beloved music of Appalachia in a performance with master folk and bluegrass musician Tim O’Brien.

Lucky Plush Productions

The Three Davids North Carolina’s Fave Daves Together on Stage

Saturday, February 20 Most Saturdays at 10 AM Four or more shows for the younger set, in rotation, from one of Asheville’s finest troupes. PG. 11

Tickets and info

www.themagnetictheatre.org

8pm • Diana Wortham Theatre

Photo: Lynne Harty

Attic Salt’s Family Shows

Tickets: $35

$25 for students and children under 12.

Holt

Wilcox

LaMotte

4 February 2016 — RAPID RIVER ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE — Vol. 19, No. 6

On Sale Now at

www.dwtheatre.com or 828.257.4530

YAMATO The Drummers of Japan

The Cashore Marionettes

Saturday, March 5: Simple Gifts at 2 p.m. and Life in Motion at 8 p.m. The mesmerizing work of Joseph Cashore and his marionettes walk through the many phases of life to stunning works by Beethoven, Vivaldi, Strauss and Copland. Two shows; a matinee for families of all ages, and an evening performance for older children and adults.

Altan

Thursday, March 10 at 8 p.m. Join this traditional Irish band as it weaves an evening of jigs and reels, touching melodies, and even explores the ancient bonds between Irish music and bluegrass roots.

stephaniesid

Saturday, March 19 at 8 p.m. This incredible trio combines jazz, rock and pop to churn out wondrous and highly original tunes. The evening is also a benefit for the Y.E.S. Emerging Artists Fund for graduating high school seniors pursuing a career in the performing arts.

Dervish

Friday, March 25 at 8 p.m. From jam sessions at neighborhood pubs in Ireland to performing for the Chinese government, Dervish is on a mission to spread traditional Irish music to every corner with a myriad of ballads, reels and melodies.

Rhythmic Circus: Feet Don’t Fail Me Now!

Thursday & Friday, March 31 & April 1 at 8 p.m. Groove to the beat with genre-hopping music and percussive dance highlighted by taps, shuffles and stomps and punctuated by the refrains of the seven-piece brass band, not to mention a human beat-box. IF YOU For more information or to purchase GO tickets, call the theatre’s box office at

(828) 257-4530 or visit dwtheatre.com.

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

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

FEBRUARY 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 Mark Bettis, Carol Pearce Bjorlie, Rosalind Buda, James Cassara, Caroline Christopoulos, Kathleen Colburn, Michael Cole, KaChina Davine, Susan Devitt, Amy Downs, John Ellis, Max Hammonds, MD, Phil Hawkins, Phil Juliano, Chip Kaufmann, Michelle Keenan, Peter Loewer, Ali McGhee, Melanie McNair, Katie McShan, Lauren Napoli, Virginia Pendergrass, Susan Marie Phipps, Dennis Ray, Hannah Richardson, Steven Samuels, Natalie Stachon, Ashley Van Matre, Greg Vineyard, Bill Walz, Daniel Weiser, David Whitehill, 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, February 2016, Vol. 19 No. 6

On the Cover:

White Owl, painting by Mark Bettis. PAGE 17

SHORT STORIES

4 Performance

New stories are added each month!

Diana Wortham Theatre. . . . . . . . . . 4 Amici Music . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Pan Harmonia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Asheville Symphony . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 The Knights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Magnetic 375 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

8 Music

written by P.H. Fraser

Played, written by RF Wilson Car 11, written by Cameron Aviles Hiking the PCT - Truckee, Sierra City and 1600 Miles!,

The Three Davids. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Zoe & Cloyd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Colin Hay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 David Holt. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 The Green Room Café. . . . . . . . . . 33

9 Columns

written by John Swart

Borneo, Part Two,

written by Eddie LeShure

WELCOME ABOARD!

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

10 Fine Art

This month we welcome two new contributors to the Short Stories section, Cameron Aviles and P.H. Fraser. Short Story Guidelines are available at www. rapidrivermagazine.com. Kathleen Colburn is editor and curator of the section. She is assisted by RF Wilson. rrshortstories@gmail.com

Classic Hikes of the Smokies Celebrate the National Park Service’s Centennial and experience America’s most visited national park on guided hikes. View breathtaking vistas, rushing waterfalls, historic homesteads and much more in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Stories of Mountain Folk Storytelling segments detail traditions, events, and the life stories of mountain people. A wide range Doreyl Ammons Cain of interviewees, and Neal Hearn including down-home gardeners, herbalists, and farmers, as well as musicians, artists, local writers, and more, can now be heard online.

Music Video Asheville

Grovewood Gallery. . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Virginia Pendergrass . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Mark Bettis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Susan Marie Designs . . . . . . . . . . . 18 ZaPow!. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

12 Movie Reviews Chip Kaufmann & Michelle Keenan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-15 & 35

20 Local Food Kyle McKnight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 The Asheville Truffle Experience . 20 Bogart’s Restaurant and Tavern . . . 21

29 Books Staff Picks from Malaprop’s . . . . . . 29 The Best Worst Romances . . . . . . . 29 Poetry Competitions. . . . . . . . . . . . 34

30 What to Do Guide

First on the Scene,

ONLY ONLINE

Correction: Please be sure to check out both Part One and Part Two of Eddie LeShure’s story, Life in Attica ... It Was a Riot!

Call for submissions for the 9th annual showcase that celebrates the collaboration of Asheville musicians and filmmakers. The deadline for submissions is Friday, March 13, 2016.

The Curmudgeon

SPECIAL SECTIONS River Arts District . . . . . . . . . . . PG 11 Black Mountain . . . . . . . . . . . . . PG 16 Downtown Asheville . . . . . . PGS 18-19 Waynesville . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PGS 26-27 Hendersonville . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PG 33

To most of the customers in The General Store, it was obvious. Who could possibly guess what would happen next? By Peter Loewer.

www.rapidrivermagazine.com

COPYEDITING &

PROOFREADING SERVICES

™

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

IF YOU GO: Tell them you saw it in Rapid River Magazine! Distributed at more than 390 locations throughout eight counties in WNC and South Carolina. First copy is free – each additional copy $1.50

rrshortstories@gmail.com

828-581-9031

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

performance AMICIMUSIC PRESENTS

An American in Paris

A tribute to Paris, the City of Lights, and the composers who lived there and traveled there from America in the early part of the 20th century.

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

Isis Restaurant and Music Hall at 743 Haywood Rd in West Asheville. Concert is $15 and fabulous dinner and drinks are available as well in the intimate upstairs room. Reservations are strongly recommended by calling Isis at (828) 575-2737 or by visiting www.isisasheville.com.

AmiciMusic, the award-winning professional chamber music Steve Loew, clarinet, organization based in Asheville, and Daniel Weiser, piano. presents a tribute to those who lost their lives in the recent terrorSaturday, February 20 at 3 p.m. ist attack. Steve Loew, clarinet, and Daniel Weiser, All Soul’s Cathedral in Biltmore Village. Concert piano will be the featured artists in this program is $20 for general public and $15 for All Soul’s which will include music by Gershwin, Ravel, members. Wonderful acoustics in an historical Poulenc, Milhaud, Cole Porter, and more. venue. Tickets available at the door. Discounts Mr. Loew is a former member of the U.S. Mafor advance purchase at www.amicimusic.org. rine Band who has performed for five presidents and also played with the New York Philharmonic and National Symphony. Sunday, February 21 at 2 p.m. Mr. Weiser, the founder and Artistic DirecThe Nightingale Loft at 52 Broadway in downtor of AmiciMusic, has played concerts in fifteen town Asheville (www.nightingaleloft.com). different countries, including Egypt, Thailand, This is a fabulous new concert and artistic space France, and Sri Lanka. He earned his Doctorate in right next to the Mellow Mushroom with great Music from the Peabody Conservatory and also acoustics and a truly intimate atmosphere. Light spent a year at Harvard Law School at the same food and drinks will be served with a French time as President Obama. Cafe theme. Only $35 pp. Seating is limited and reservations are required. Buy online with any major credit card at www.amicimusic.org, or call Dan Weiser at 802-369-0856.

SCHEDULED PERFORMANCES

Thursday, February 18 at 7:30 p.m.

White Horse Black Mountain. Great cabaret-style seating with drinks available. Tickets are $15 in advance or $20 at the door. Call (828) 669-0816, or visit www.whitehorseblackmountain.com to purchase tickets in advance.

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Friday, February 19 at 7 p.m.

IF YOU For more details, please call Dan Weiser at GO 802-369-0856 or visit www.amicimusic.org.

Pan Harmonia

WORLD-CLASS, AUTHENTIC, LOCAL, CHAMBER MUSIC

This month, Pan Harmonia introduces us to the bombard, a rustic double reed instrument from Brittany, France. The bombard is played traditionally in Brittany for dances, with organ, and in bands of bagpipes and drums. The instrument sounds like the name implies – powerful, bright, and compelling. The concerts will focus on the repertoire for bombard and organ, as well as inventive arrangements and a few tunes on the bassoon.

for peer collaboration and professional coaching. Held at St. Matthias Church, 1 Dundee Street, Asheville. Free admission.

Andalusian Nights Sunday, February 21 at 3 p.m.

GeneratioNext!

Sunday, February 7 at 3 p.m. Pan Harmonia continues its commitment to young musicians by showcasing a talented woodwind quintet from AC Reynolds High School. This program, supported by a grant from The Mary Duke Biddle Foundation, provides high school musicians with a unique opportunity

ROSALIND BUDA

Amy Brucksch, guitar, and Kate Steinbeck, flute.

Guitarist Amy Brucksch tunes up with harpsichordist Barbara Weiss for a program filled with the romance and passion of Mediterranean music. By continued on page 8

captivating performances

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Rising Violin Star Bella Hristova

Celebrated violinist Bella Hristova makes her Asheville Symphony Orchestra debut on Saturday, February 13, when she takes on Beethoven’s beloved Violin Concerto in an ASO Masterworks concert at Thomas Wolfe Auditorium.

Asheville Symphony Music Director Daniel Meyer will conduct concert, which also includes Mendelssohn’s Hebrides Overture and Strauss’ Metamorphosen. “We’re excited to have Bella Hristova make her ASO debut with Beethoven’s bold and brilliant Violin Concerto,” Meyer said. “A concerto of symphonic proportions, Beethoven’s single entry into the genre remains at the pinnacle of music ever written for the instrument, and this will be an opportunity to hear a great concerto performed by a shooting star.” Acclaimed for her passionate, powerful performances, beautiful sound, and compelling command of her instrument, Hristova was recently recognized with a prestigious 2013 Avery Fisher Career Grant, given to outstanding instrumentalists and based on excellence alone. The Washington Post’s The Classical Beat has stated she is “a player of impressive power and control.” Her engagements in 2015-16 include the Buffalo Philharmonic, Kansas City Symphony, Delaware Symphony, Vermont Symphony, Erie Philharmonic and Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center.

FREE RANGE ASHEVILLE PRESENTS

The Knights

DAVID WHITEHILL

MASTERWORKS 4 Beethoven’s Violin Concerto

Hristova is stepping into Daniel Meyer, conductor the ASO concert in place of Bella Hristova, violin Stefan Jackiw, who was origi• Mendelssohn, Hebrides nally scheduled to perform the Overture Beethoven Violin Concerto. Jackiw has had to withdraw, • Strauss, Metamorphosen with regret, for personal • Beethoven, Violin Concerto reasons. The Asheville Symphony The Mendelssohn and Orchestra performs and Strauss works will be perBella Hristova performs formed during the first half of Beethoven’s Violin Concerto. promotes symphonic music for the benefit, enjoyment the concert. Photo: Lisa Marie Mazzucco and education of the people of Mendelssohn’s Hebrides Western North Carolina. Overture, subtitled “Fingal’s Cave,” musically captures the composer’s visit to and impressions of this special archipelago in Scotland. IF Crushed by the demise of Germany and its YOU Beethoven’s Violin Concerto, Saturday, GO February 13 at 8 p.m. Thomas Wolfe storied cultural history, Strauss composed an Auditorium in downtown Asheville. elegiac and deeply stirring work for twentyTickets: $22-$62 (prices vary depending on three solo musicians called Metamorphosen. seating section); reduced youth and student With its arching, spun lines of intertwined pricing available. Available in person at the U.S. strings and a wistful nod to the funeral march Cellular Center box office at 87 Haywood St. from Beethoven’s Eroica Symphony, MetaInfo/Tickets: Symphony Office, (828) 254-7046, morphosen aches for a bygone era of serious www.ashevillesymphony.org. but deeply Romantic music.

KACHINA DAVINE

The Knights ignite the concert experience by engaging listeners and defying boundaries with adventurous performances that showcase On Tuesday, February 23 at 7 p.m. the their expansive repertoire rooted in the clasNew York City based, forty-two piece, sical tradition and passion for artistic innovaorchestral collective, The Knights, tion. They are also serious about having fun. The Asheville program will include works by perform at Diana Wortham Theatre. Beethoven, Sufjan Stevens, and João Gilberto. The Knights evolved from late night chamber music reading parties with friends at the home of violinist Colin Jacobsen and cellist Eric Jacobsen, who now serve as co-artistic directors. Among the group’s diverse talents are composers, arrangers, singersongwriters and improvisers who bring a range of cultural influences. “An adventurous young orchestra that has established a strong The musicians reputation for polished performances and imaginative programming.” are graduates of ~ The New York Times

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The Knights are serious about having fun. elite music schools, and members have performed as soloists with the New York Philharmonic, Chicago and San Francisco symphony orchestras. Each opportunity for these busy, versatile musicians to perform together as The Knights is a special occasion that they consider, quite literally, playtime. For more information on The Knights, please visit www.theknightsnyc.com IF YOU The Knights, Tuesday, February 23 at GO 7 p.m. at the Diana Wortham Theatre

in downtown Asheville. Tickets are $10; limited VIP tickets are $30 and include priority seating and a Free Range Survival Kit. Purchase tickets at the door and at www.dwtheatre.com. Free Range Asheville is a fresh organization connecting culture and counterculture that crosses disciplines, traditions, and genres for people of all ages and economic backgrounds. Proceeds from the evening will support Free Range Asheville in bringing cultural events to Asheville. For more information, visit freerangeavl.org.

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Vol. 19, No. 6 — RAPID RIVER ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE — February 2016 7

captivating performances The Three Davids in Concert

KACHINA DAVINE

Join three of Asheville’s favorite award-winning songwriters and entertainers, David Holt, David Wilcox, and David LaMotte, on Saturday February 20 for their second annual ‘Three Davids’ concert. The concert will feature all new original and insightful songs woven with warm-hearted stories and an abundance of laughter. These three internationally-known musicians have harmonious roots in Western North Carolina, which will echo in their musical conversation. Each of these musicians is accustomed to entertaining large audiences by themselves (last year’s show in Asheville sold out in advance) and the spontaneous musical and personal interaction between them promises to multiply the fun and make for an exceptional evening to remember. Four-time Grammy Award winner David Holt is recognized as a multi-talented musician. He performs and honors the traditional tunes he has collected for over 40 years. Few realize that he is also an accomplished songwriter. Says Holt, “I have always performed a few of my own songs in concert, but my main focus has been to showcase traditional mountain music. With The Three Davids, I get to feature my original songs and work with two of my favorite singer songwriters.” “I traveled with Doc Watson for fourteen years. We ate over six hundred meals a year in restaurants. The last thing we wanted to eat was fast food. We were constantly looking for home-cooked meals. That inspired me to write a song called “Slowfood.” When he is not on the concert trail, Holt is a television host for the PBS series David Holt’s State of Music as well as his long running Folkways series. Cleveland-born David Wilcox is considered

a ‘songwriter’s songwriter.’ His songs have been covered by artists such as k.d. lang and many others. In addition to his writing prowess, his skills as a performer and storyteller are unmatched. He holds audiences rapt with nothing more than a single guitar, thoroughly written songs, a fearless ability to mine the depths of human emotions of joy, sorrow and everything in between, and all tempered by a quick and wry wit. His lyrical insight is matched by a smooth baritone voice, virtuosic guitar Award-winning songwriters and entertainers, David Holt, chops, and creative open tunings, David Wilcox, and David LaMotte. Photo: Lynne Harty giving him a range and tenderness rare in folk music. saying, “his lyrics range from insightful imageDavid LaMotte is an award-winning songdriven stories to equally insightful humor.” writer, whose music has taken him around the LaMotte is currently recording a new globe, performing 2500 concerts to devoted CD, The Other Way Around, which will fans on five continents. Along the way, he include eleven new original songs, and will has had the chance to perform with many of feature musicians from Guatemala, Australia, the artists who inspired him as a young man, Germany, India, and other countries that have including Pete Seeger, Arlo Guthrie and the become close to his heart in recent years. band America. The Boston Globe says he “pushes the envelope with challenging lyrics and unusual IF tunings, but he also pays homage to folk tradiYOU David Holt, David Wilcox, and David tion,” and BBC Radio praises his “charm, stoGO LaMotte perform on Saturday February ries, humour, insightful songs, sweet voice and 20 at 8 p.m. at the Diana Wortham dazzling guitar ability,” while the Washington Theatre in downtown Asheville. Tickets are Times lauds his “guitar-spanking open-tuning $35 ($25 for students and children under 12), and are available at www.dwtheatre.com. grooves as well as gentle folk-tinged pop, ”

Julian Vorus’s Mothertongue

A DANK, DARK COMEDY

Local performance poet Julian Vorus’s strange, dark, and frequently hilarious Rock Saber, Red Black White, and The Bog were produced by both the Asheville Fringe Arts Festival and The Magnetic Theatre. The two producing entities have teamed up again to present Vorus’s latest, Mothertongue. What is Mothertongue about? Ghosts in the bathroom. Drugs in the brassiere. Uncontrolled scratching. And so much more. In Vorus’s most traditionally structured play to date, Roger Cross returns home from his first year away at college to find his mother, younger brother, and uncle still recovering from the death of Roger’s father eighteen months prior. Grief is exsanguinated and family dynamics are distorted in this psycho-sexually perverse,

8 February 2016 — RAPID RIVER ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE — Vol. 19, No. 6

dark comedy. The dramaturgy may be traditional. The content, decidedly, is not. Mothertongue is recommended for mature audiences only. Mothertongue stars Magnetic veterans Alphie Hyorth, Allen T. Law, and Devyn Ray, and Magnetic newcomers Delina Hensley, and Tristan Cameron. Steven Samuels directs. Directed by Steven Samuels. Set and props by Devyn Ray. Costumes by Samantha Stewart. Lighting by Abby Auman. Sound by Mary Zogzas.

IF YOU Mothertongue, ThursdaysGO Saturdays, January 28-30 and

February 4-6, at 7:30 p.m. at Magnetic 375, 375 Depot Street in Asheville’s River Arts District. For tickets visit www.themagnetictheatre.org.

‘Pan Harmonia’ cont’d from pg. 6

turns boisterous and eerie, hypnotic and animated, much of the music uses a framework believed to be a precursor to flamenco. Held at St. Matthias Church, 1 Dundee Street, Asheville. $10 suggested donation. Details: (828) 285-0033; www.stmatthiasepiscopal.com

La Bombarde!

Sunday, February 28 at 3 p.m. Music will span the ages with a focus on the Celtic Breton tradition of bombard and organ music. Bassoon will also be featured in this concert of pipes and reeds. Rosalind Buda, bombard and bassoon; Barbara Weiss, organ. Held at Asheville First Presbyterian Church, 40 Church Street. Tickets are $15 in advance, $20 at the door, $5 students (plus tax). Available online at www.panharmonia.org IF YOU For more information about Pan GO Harmonia, please call (828) 254-7123

and visit www.panharmonia.org. Email office@panharmonia.org to volunteer.

fine art What’s In A Name?

BE WHO YOU ARE AND MAKE WHAT YOU MAKE

• Ignore critics if their feedback goes against what you know about yourself in your soul.

I had the most fascinating experience at a recent art event – a guest felt compelled to let me know that I will never be a famous artist with a name as boring as “Greg.” fancy, or sizzle, nearly as much as one There are so many assumptions and projecneeds to work on substance, skills tions in a statement like that, that it was hardly and content. It’s a “Tortoise and the worth responding to, except out of curiosity. Hare” type of thing: steady progress, So OF COURSE, dodging the critic’s little ever moving forward, really only just sloshing plastic cup, I bit. (Plus, I was wonracing oneself. dering – does this person have psychic powers Whatever one’s name – or chosen or something?) name – it’s what you do, how you It turns out this person’s opinion is that one do what you do, what you do with it, needs a unique name to “make it” in the art and how you promote it. Hares have world. My name was among a list of detested 10,000 followers on Instagram, but names of unfortunate people who surely will tend to share a lot of hype. Tortoises never attain glory. I guess it means that person (Tortoisi?) have wildly successful Gowill never speak to me again for fear of yawnFundMe campaigns. And they have ing to death, so I think we’ve both come out of names like mine. this as big winners. I think most folks don’t need to I didn’t – and still don’t – agree, but it made worry about manipulating the public into likme wonder how many people think they ing them by changing their name to something need a flashy name as the cornerstone of their like James Tiberius Kirk (well, OK, THAT business plan or personal marketing campaign. one would be cool…), they just need to work There’s nothing wrong with developing a diligently to promote the artists that they are. persona, or a clever business name, and I know If my main unique value proposition is “Oh, that sometimes flash can bring cash; however, hey, buy my art because I have a cool name!” I maintain that there are more important I am a hare. Some followers do pursue career aspirations to attend to. Like making art the flash – and our global, no matter what one’s name digital world nurtures that a is. Keeping one’s nose to thousand fold – but where the grindstone. Staying the does one’s authenticity course. Where does one’s end and an endless barrage I think it’s OK to emauthenticity end? of grazing a surface sliver brace one’s given name, and of life become the norm? that one doesn’t need to be

GREG VINEYARD

• Embrace your name, and keep moving forward.

Tortoise, Hare & Friends, 2016, illustration by Greg Vineyard

If name-fakery is deemed acceptable, what’s the next line in the sand one crosses without a care? Some substantive actions one might consider as an artist, especially when faced with the uncertainty that unsolicited criticism can bring: • Create and learn every day. • Write an artist statement that states what one does, plus a bit of how, and bit of why.

This isn’t really a defense of the name “Greg” (Hey, just ask my friends – I AM kind of boring!), but rather a musing upon possibly false self-concepts. And I’m definitely not antimarketing. Researching business names and how they will do in the marketplace is important stuff, and some people might truly feel a name change is in order. And many hares ARE fantabulous at their art, and not all tortoises are authentic – nothing’s ever black and white. Or in this case, brown and green. And one should always at least listen to feedback, and then filter it. In my case, I got to ponder how I feel about seeking fame. I know that I just want to be good. If I were to stumble into notoriety (purposely or not – both routes happen in our world), I would be doing it with a name I really love – my own. 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

• Promote oneself regularly with words and visuals. • Work hard at being genuine.

The 29th National Arts and Crafts Conference

It has been called the first truly American style of living. As bold and as brash as President Teddy Roosevelt, the Arts and Crafts movement burst onto the American scene in 1901, pushing aside fussy Victorian morals, manners, and furnishings. It replaced towering mansions with modest bungalows, and fragile walnut and velvet furniture with solid oak chairs and tanned leather upholstery. Let by such reformers as Gustav Stickley and Frank Lloyd Wright, the Arts and Crafts movement sent ripples across America that are still being felt today. Young people then, just as today, sought out affordable bungalows to be filled with solid oak furniture that would be both comfortable and durable. Alongside it they opted for hand-hammered copper rather than Tiffany silver, local pottery rather than imported porcelain, and hand-embroidered curtains rather than dark, heavy draperies. Each February for the past 29 years, Arts and Crafts enthusiasts, homeowners, and

collectors from across the country have converged on Asheville’s historic 1913 Grove Park Inn for the three-day National Arts and Crafts Conference and Shows. Featuring Photo: Ray Stubblebine antiques dealers and vetted craftspeople in the daily afternoon shows, the February 19-21 Arts and Crafts Conference is expected to draw nearly 3,000 people to Asheville. In addition to the afternoon shows, the Arts and Crafts Conference also offers morning and evening seminars, walking tours of the Grove Park Inn and Biltmore Industries, daily small group discussions, demonstrations, workshops, and educational displays. “This is the largest, most important gathering of Arts and Crafts collectors in the entire country,” explains founder and director Bruce Johnson, “and it only takes place

once a year – and only here in Asheville.” Asheville’s heritage as a home to artisans and craftspeople is even older than the American Arts and Crafts movement. The 510-room Omni-Grove Park Inn began as a 150-room resort furnished entirely in the Arts and Crafts style. Today both Asheville and the OmniGrove Park Inn preserve and proudly promote their Arts and Crafts heritage. Information on the conference seminar speakers, workshops, and events can be found at www.Arts-CraftsConference.com. IF YOU National Arts and Crafts Conference GO and Show, February 19-21, 2016. The

afternoon shows are open to the public from 1-6 p.m. on Friday, February 19; from noon-6 p.m. on Saturday, February 20; and from 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. on Sunday, February 21. The cost of admission is $10 for all three days. Outdoor parking is free, as well as three hours in the indoor parking lots. For more details, please visit www.Arts-CraftsConference.com.

Vol. 19, No. 6 — RAPID RIVER ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE — February 2016 9

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fine arts & crafts Demonstrations & Displays at Grovewood Gallery

Featuring works by Clark Kellogg and Matt Tommey. Grovewood Gallery in Asheville will be hosting demonstrations and displays by letter carver Clark Kellogg and worldclass sculptural basketry artist Matt Tommey on February 19 & 20 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on both days. These events are free and open to the public. Clark Kellogg is an artist from Houston, Texas who specializes in letter carving in wood. Letter carving has a long and rich history, but sadly today it is an almost forgotten art. Cutting letters by hand is a demanding process requiring skill and patience, but there is simply no substitute for the results that can be accomplished using a mallet, chisel, and

Clark Kellogg hand-carves letters.

ASHLEY VAN MATRE

gouge - there is a crispness and a subtlety that cannot be matched by machine. Kellogg studied letter carving under master carver Chris Pye and has been carving letters on commission and spec ever since. Some past lettering projects have included house numbers, dedications, awards, and signs. His work has appeared in Fine Woodworking, Woodworker West, and Letter Arts Review. Matt Tommey, who has a studio in Asheville’s River Arts District, creates sculptural art baskets from locally harvested bark, vines and branches. Tommey is a leader in the contemporary basketry movement, having served on the Board of Directors of the National Basketry Organization from 2011-2014. He also teaches basketry at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts and John C. Campbell Folk School, among other high-profile institutions. In 2011, Tommey was named an “American Artist Under 40 to Watch” by the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Grovewood Gallery is housed in the historic weaving and woodworking complex of Biltmore Industries, located

Sculptural Basket by Matt Tommey

adjacent to The Omni Grove Park Inn. Free parking for Grovewood patrons is available on site. For more information: Clark Kellogg, www.kelloggfurniture.com Matt Tommey, www.matttommey.com

IF YOU Demonstrations and displays by GO Clark Kellogg and Matt Tommey,

February 19 & 20 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on both days. Free to attend. Held at Grovewood Gallery. Details at (828) 253-7651 or visit www.grovewood.com.

Recorded Matter: Ceramics in Motion

AT THE CENTER FOR CRAFT, CREATIVITY & DESIGN’S BENCHSPACE GALLERY

With the dawn of social media comes a new generation of artists who grasp the power of video not just as a tool to document process, but as an inextricable element of their work. Recorded Matter Recorded Matter continues Benchis an exploration of the range of expresspace Gallery & Workshop’s emphasis sion that video offers – from viral videos on investigating ideas around how to mysterious inquiries into material and contemporary craft intersects with other philosophical properties of clay. disciplines. Organized and curated by Physical objects accompany several of Garth Johnson, Arizona State University the videos showcased in the exhibition. Art Museum Ceramics Research Center One of the most powerful examples is Curator, Recorded Matter opened on Recycled China by Thomas Schmidt and January 22 and runs through May 21. Jeffrey Miller, who are both Americans who taught and made work in China. Schmidt and Miller started crushing cast-off plates (taken from the virtually limitless supply in the porcelain capitol of Jingdezhen) with a steamroller. The crushed porcelain shards were then taken to an industrial foundry and smothered in molten aluminum. The resulting tiles are both Moiré, Sam Brennan, 2013. Still from video. Image courtesy of the artist. mysterious and ethereal - deli-

Featuring eleven internationallybased ceramic artists integrating video into their studio practice.

10 February 2016 — RAPID RIVER ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE — Vol. 19, No. 6

cate porcelain shards are suspended like sedimentary rocks in a primal, metallic ooze. Schmidt is a North Carolina-based artist currently teaching at University of North Carolina, Charlotte. There are other videos that are selfcontained. This Amorphous Moment, by Philadelphia-based artist Jason Lee Starin is an extreme close up of pair of hands squeezing and kneading clay, illuminated only by flickering firelight. Without using any narrative, Starin’s video conveys the primal qualities that have attracted humans to clay over the millennia. IF YOU Recorded Matter: Ceramics GO in Motion. On display through

May 21, 2016. Garth Johnson, Curator’s Talk: Thursday, February 11 at 6:30 p.m. Thomas Schmidt, Artist’s Talk: April 21 at 6 p.m. Free to attend. Benchspace Gallery & Workshop at The Center for Craft, Creativity & Design, 67 Broadway Street, Asheville. 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesday-Saturday. For more information, call (828) 785-1357 or visit www.craftcreativitydesign.org.

French Broad Artists

Seeing the World, One Drawing at a Time

SAHAR FAKHOURY SANDRA BRUGH MOORE VIRGINIA PENDERGRASS NEW FINE ART STUDIO IN THE

RIVER ARTS DISTRICT

Urban Sketches by Virginia Pendergrass. “I love seeing another country through an artist’s eyes,” Brevard artist Virginia Pendergrass decided after a painting trip to France. “Representational painting forces you to really see.” However, the weight of oil painting equipment, setup and clean up time, and managing transport of painted canvases, Frontenac Towers, ink and watercolor Jackson Building - Downtown were aggravating while traveling. by Virginia Pendergrass Asheville, ink and watercolor by She wanted another approach for Virginia Pendergrass. her trip to Quebec City, Canada last year. Back home in Brevard, NC, Pendergrass is continuing By chance, she came across Marc Taro Holmes’ her urban sketching in Asheville and surrounding small book Urban Sketching (North Light Publicatowns. “Wherever I set up to paint,” she says, “passers-by tions). Further exploration on the web led her to make encouraging comments like ‘You go, girl,’ or ‘It’s www.urbansketchers.com, where urban sketchers great to see an artist painting,’ or ‘I love your painting!’ The worldwide show their work. “Seeing the world, last is my favorite, of course.” one drawing at a time” is the motto on the website. In February, 2016 Pendergrass will introduce her urban Pendergrass loved Holmes’ accessible process sketches of Quebec City and France in the exhibit “Bonjour of scribble pencil drawing, followed by pen and and Bienvenue,” on display at her new space in Trackside ink, and finished with watercolor. But she espeStudios, 375 Depot Street in the River Arts District. cially loved that ample sketching equipment fits In March, her “Sketches of Asheville and Surrounding in a tote bag, water cleanup on site is a snap, and Towns” will be shown in the Asheville Gallery of Art, 82 paintings are dry for transport the next day. ComPatton Avenue, in downtown Asheville. pleting an urban sketch is also relatively quick, which allows time for seeing sights, talking with View more works by Virginia Pendergrass at traveling companions, and eating great food. www.virginiapendergrass.com To learn this new art form, she made small ink and watercolor sketches in her studio, and copied IF YOU Urban Sketches by Virginia Pendergrass, Trackside watercolors of other artists. Finally, she ventured GO Studios, 375 Depot Street in the River Arts District. into the streets of Ashevillle, which led to another Open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Saturday. delightful discovery – outdoor cafes welcome painters to sit comfortably at their tables during slow times. Asheville’s Bomba Restaurant at Pack Square was the host for her sketch “Jackson Building - Downtown Asheville.” “This discovery came in handy in Quebec Fine Ar t and Por traiture City,” Pendergrass relates. “It was drizzly in the Basse Ville – not ordinarily a good painting day – but I noticed a covered open-air cafe with a view of the Notre Dame de Victoire church. The waitstaff, setting up for lunch, invited me to sit at one of the tables as long as I liked.” The result was the urban sketch “Notre Dame de Victoire.” Pendergrass experimented with a watercolor technique, known as growing a wash, for the first time in Quebec City. Growing a wash is a continuous infusion of different colors into adjacent wet watercolor. She especially likes the feel of this technique for romantic lighting or moody weather in sketches of skylines. “Frontenac Towers” was painted from the river-side promenade by the historic Frontenac Hotel in Quebec’s Haute Ville. These landmark spires can be seen throughout Quebec City towering above other rooftops. 344 Depot St., Suite 102 • 828-234-1616

Notre Dame de Victoire,, ink and watercolor sketch by Virginia Pendergrass www.virginiapendergrass.com

Pendergrass’ Bonjour et Bienvenue urban sketches will be shown at Trackside Studios through February.

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

RP RG

RICHARD C. BAKER

in the River Arts District, Asheville, NC

RJ RT

RN RD

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

Vol. 19, No. 6 — RAPID RIVER ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE — February 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

45 Years 1/2

Short Take: Just before their 45th wedding anniversary a couple receives news that will forever change their relationship.

REEL TAKE: 45 Years is a quiet, tiny film. But it seeps into your pores and packs a surprising emotional wallop. It’s simple. It’s elegant. And ultimately it’s an riveting essay on love and relationship. Kate and Geoff Mercer (Charlotte Rampling and Tom Courtenay) are a week away from celebrating their 45th wedding anniversary when they receive news that will forever impact their relationship. A letter from Switzerland informs Geoff that the body of his first love has been found after being frozen in

Veteran actors Tom Courtenay and Charlotte Rampling celebrate 45 Years.

THE MONTHLY REEL

Boycotts and Goodbyes

On the morning the Oscar nominations are announced, the good Professor Kaufmann and I typically steal a few minutes to compare notes, scowl at omissions and cast our initial predictions. But this year, before either of us could hear the nominations, there was another piece of news that caught us completely off guard. British actor of stage and screen, Alan Rickman, had died at the age of 69 after a brief battle with pancreatic cancer. The news just a few days earlier that David Bowie (also British, age 69 and massively talented) had died of liver cancer was bad enough, but this loss touched both of us with surprising impact. Oscar who? Rickman, best known to American audiences for playing Severus Snape in the Harry Potter series, was a monumental force in the British acting community. His distinctive baritone voice and cadence was unlike any other. He could nimbly play villainous parts with wicked and gleeful abandon, gentle parts with tenderness and compassion, and comedic roles with quick wit and delight. Good guy or bad guy he

glacier in Switzerland since 1963. At first it seems ok. This relationship pre-dated theirs and Kate knew about the incident, but there’s more to the story than she knew. As she puts the pieces together, the invisible presence of this long-dead person changes everything she’s ever known and felt about her relationship with Geoff. Geoff and Kate have enjoyed a long and happy marriage. The fact that this news, and surprises therein, could so readily threaten to undo their relationship after 52 years is unnerving to anyone. The toll it takes on both characters shows the

MICHELLE KEENAN

Rated R for language and brief sexuality. Review by Michelle Keenan

The actors and filmmakers of color in contention this year, were in no way shoe-ins for nominations. For us, the most blatant omission was Youth, which should have garnered nominations in several categories. Ironically – it’s a film about two old white guys. Bottom line: there should be better opportunities for people of color. For that matter there should be equal pay for women and more female directors. But here’s the wonderful thing about Hollywood and film; there has never been another industry that has done so much to champion human and civil rights. Movies can transcend differences of opinion, beliefs and culture, break through barriers, tear down invisible walls and unite us all in the human experience. That’s part of the magic and part of why we all love to go to the movies.

always brought physicality to his roles that made them magnetic. We pay tribute to Alan Rickman - #always Alan Rickman this month in our DVD picks on page 15. I suspect The Asheville Film Society (AFS) and the Hendersonville Film Society (HFS) will pay tribute to Rickman in March, but this month AFS will pay tribute to David Bowie with a screening of The Man Who Fell To Earth on February 2. Full listings and descriptions for February’s AFS and HFS screenings can be found on page 35. By the time the good Professor and I finally reviewed the nominations, the backlash about the colorless nominaChris Rock hosts the tions and talk of boycotting #Oscarssowhite February the Oscars was headline 28 on ABC. news. Frankly, we found the lack of diversity among last Until next time, enjoy the show. year’s nominations more glaring than this year (David Oyelowo, Ava DuVernay, anyone?).

12 February 2016 — RAPID RIVER ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE — Vol. 19, No. 6

vulnerability of love no matter the age. Charlotte Rampling is magnificent as Kate and Tom Courtenay is the perfect dance for her. There’s a maturity to their love and yet a youthful spirit. There’s the fragility of growing old, and the second guessing of choices they’ve made. There’s not one false note as the story unfolds. 45 Years stayed with me in a way that very films do. It’s certainly not for everyone, but if it appeals to you in any way, it will probably stay with you too. 45 Years will open at The Fine Arts Theatre and The Carolina this month. If you want to see it, I suggest you see it quickly as it’s not the kind of film to stick around long. We are fortunate to have theatres that bring us this caliber of entertainment, and we’re fortunate that Charlotte Rampling was nominated for an Oscar, bringing just that much more attention to such a little but shatteringly powerful film.

Anomalisa 1/2

Short Take: Stop motion animation version of a typically pretentious Charlie Kaufman (no relation) screenplay has the animation going for it but little else.

REEL TAKE: I am not a huge fan of Charlie

Kaufman. Sunshine of the Spotless Mind somewhat engaged me because of Kate Winslet and a surprisingly effective Jim Carrey, but not because of Kaufman’s writing, even if he did win an Oscar. The less said about Synedoche, New York the better although it certainly has its champions. If Kaufman’s intention was to alienate me from the proceedings in Anomalisa then he succeeded brilliantly but somehow I don’t think that’s what he had in mind. Alienation is one thing but disengagement is another and I was completely disengaged after the first 15 minutes. Animating dull proceedings doesn’t make them any less dull once the novelty of the animation wears off. Anaomalisa is based on a play that Kaufmann wrote in 2005 under the pseudonym of Francis Fregoli. It was originally conceived as an Our Town like experience with actors performing on a bare stage voicing the characters. The twist is that the main charMovies continued on page 13

film reviews Movies continued from page 12

The Hateful Eight 

Short Take: Agathie Christie whodunit meets revisionist western, Tarantino-style.

The principal stop motion animation characters from Anomalisa (voiced by David Thewlis and Jennifer Jason Leigh).

REEL TAKE: The Hateful Eight marks Tarantino’s third entry into his unofficial ‘Revisionist Myth’ trilogy and what an entry it is! It is ‘Tarantino Unchained.’ If you’re not inclined to like his work, cross this one off your list. If, on the other hand, you like Tarantino’s films and the notion of a band of bounty hunters and outlaws in a Wild West version of an Agatha Christie-like whodunit, then you may just want to mosey on down to the theatre. The Hateful Eight takes place in the years (it’s vague as to exactly when) after the Civil War. When bounty Hunters John ‘The Hangman’ Ruth (Kurt Russell) and Major Marquis Warren (Samuel L. Jackson), one Miss Daisy Domergue (Jennifer Jason Leigh) and the newly appointed, yet-to-be-instated Sheriff of Red Rock (Walton Coggins) stop at Minnie’s Haberdashery to sit out a blizzard, they get more than any of them bargained for thanks to the colorful characters waiting inside.

acter envisions all the other characters, male & female, as being exactly the same so they are voiced by the same actor. The one exception is Anomalisa. This basic premise is carried over into the film only now you can animate all the other characters to look exactly alike. Men, women, and children are all virtually the same. Talk about disengagement with reality! I get it Charlie but I got it within the first 30 minutes. The total running time is 80 minutes. The stop motion animation using characters done with a 3D printer is well directed by Duke Johnson. They resemble those in The Polar Express only here they are doing ordinary, mundane things. As I found The Polar Express characters creepy and disturbing, the sight of these characters engaging in R rated sex was more than a little off putting. Again I don’t think that was Kaufman’s intention. Kurt Russell and Samuel L. Jackson take a wild stage Self-help writer Michael Stone coach ride in Quentin Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight. (voiced by David Thewlis) has become disengaged from Life because everyone else Tarantino tells the tale in five chapters. His (all voiced by Tom Noonan) seems exactly flare for dialogue has never been better. His the same. At a hotel in Cincinnati he meets casting is spot on as well, and there is nary a woman named Lisa (voiced by Jennifer a weak link in the ensemble. Kurt Russell Jason Leigh) who seems different therefore looks born to the part. Samuel L. Jackson has she’s an anomaly hence Anomalisa (drum never been better (and that’s saying a lot), and roll, cymbal crash please). After they have Jennifer Jason Leigh is finally given a part she sex, David has a nightmare and suffers a can literally sink her teeth into. Tim Roth meltdown at the convention he is attendis a hoot. Demian Bichir, Michael Madsen, ing. Returning home to LA, he finds his life Bruce Dern and James Parks all add to the fun. is worse than ever but Lisa, who is transSure there’s the requisite excess of blood and formed, hopes to see him again. violence befitting any Tarantino film, but it Once you get past the novel idea of using wouldn’t be right without it. animated characters what you are left with is For me one of the true joys of any Taranan extended Twilight Zone episode from Hell. tino film is his love of movies. Everything he Kaufman originally wrote a 40 minute play for does comes from that love. Here he enlisted the bare stage wanting the audience to envision the talent of Ennio Morricone (composer of the characters. He initially opposed the film The Good, the Bad and the Ugly) once again but came on board because of the animation. to do the score. But he took his cinematic As a member of SEFCA, I got to see an homage to new levels this go ‘round by actuadvance screening copy in the comfort and ally shooting the film in 70 mm – and it does privacy of my home. I wish that others could look good. do the same for had I wound up seeing this If you were to divide The Hateful Eight up on the big screen after shelling out big bucks, into three acts, instead of five chapters, I’d say it would not only be off putting, it would be acts one and two were incredibly strong. For anger inducing. me, the final Act has some brilliant moments but lacked something over all that would put Rated R for sexual content, graphic nudity, The Hateful Eight at the top of Tarantino’s and strong language. Review by Chip Kaufmann

Movies continued on page 15

Oscar Musings and Ruminations:

Reel Takes Picks & Predictions BY

CHIP KAUFMANN AND MICHELLE KEENAN

As far as our feelings on the Oscars this year, here’s an anecdote from Chip that sums it up perfectly: At the start of the 19th century there was a very popular card game called Faro (brilliantly captured in the 1948 film The Queen of Spades). To play, two decks of cards were used. One person chose a card from his deck while the other flipped cards from his deck into two piles. One pile was designated dealer wins, the other player wins. Whichever pile the chosen card wound up on determined the winner. Predicting the Oscars is similar to a game of Faro. The Academy has their pile, we have ours. Far more often than not the Academy wins, but we still keep playing. Here are our choices for the six major Awards along with who we think the Academy will select.

Best Picture There’s a lot of buzz around The Revenant and The Big Short right now, but we’d like to see Spotlight get it. Tom McCarthy took a difficult subject, in the context of a dry newsroom drama, and managed to create a brilliant ensemble piece that is ultimately compelling entertainment.

Leonardo DiCaprio is the front runner for Oscar gold this year in The Revenant.

Best Actor It seems Leonardo DiCaprio is the odds on favorite to win for The Revenant. We both would like to have seen Michael Caine get it for Youth, but he wasn’t even nominated. Chip would like to see Bryan Cranston win for Trumbo.

Best Actress For a while, it seemed like young Saoirse Ronan had this one in the bag for Brooklyn, but late entries in the race provided some fierce competition. We’re thinking the Academy might give it to Brie Larson for Room, though we’d love to see Charlotte Rampling take the statuette for her quietly nuanced role in 45 Years.

Best Supporting Actor

The newsroom drama Spotlight is our pick for Best Picture.

Best Director It’s possible that Alejandro Inarritu could win back-to-back Best Director and Best Picture Oscars this year for The Revenant. Michelle thinks he’ll get it for Best Director but not Best Picture. Chip thinks they’ll give it to George Miller for Mad Max: Fury Road. Our vote goes to Tom McCarthy for Spotlight.

With so many fine performances, this was one of the toughest categories to even make it into this year. Chip is rooting for Tom Hardy in The Revenant, but thinks they’ll give it to Sylvester Stallone for Creed. Michelle thinks they may, at long last, give it to Mark Ruffalo as the moral compass and heart of the ensemble in Spotlight.

Best Supporting Actress It’s looking like Jennifer Jason Leigh may win for The Hateful Eight. While we’d be happy to see her win for such an all-in, no guts no glory performance, we’d give the edge to Alicia Vikander for her wonderfully loving and supportive role as Gerda Wegener in The Danish Girl.

Vol. 19, No. 6 — RAPID RIVER ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE — February 2016 13

play along with Oscar

And the Oscar Goes to… The 88th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, will honor the best films of 2015.

It will take place Sunday, February 28, 2016 at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. If ever there was a perfect year for comedian Chris Rock to host the Oscars, this is it. With controversy brewing about the Academy’s lack of diversity among nominations and the subsequent boycott by A-list attendees of color, we can’t think of anyone better equipped to address the white elephant in the room. If you’re looking forward to the red carpet excitement and Hollywood’s biggest night, tune in to ABC at 7 p.m. on Sunday, February 28. Whether you’re hosting an Oscar party or just planning on keeping score from the comfort of your own Snuggie, here’s our handy dandy Reel Takes Oscar Ballot to cast your own votes and keep track of the winners.

Best Actor in a Leading Role • Bryan Cranston – Trumbo • Matt Damon – The Martian • Leonardo DiCaprio – The Revenant • Michael Fassbender – Steve Jobs • Eddie Redmayne – The Danish Girl My money is on: _____________________ And the winner is: ____________________

Best Actor in a Supporting Role

Animated Feature Film

Music (Original Score)

• Anomalisa – Charlie Kaufman, Duke Johnson and Rosa Tran • Boy And The World – Ale Abreu • Inside Out – Pete Docter and Jonas Rivera • Shaun Of The Sheep Movie – Mark Burton and Richard Starzak • When Marnie Was There – Hiromasa Yonebayashi and Yoshiaki Nishimura My money is on: ______________________________

• Bridge Of Spies – Thomas Newman • Carol – Carter Burwell • The Hateful Eight – Ennio Morricone • Sicario – Johann Johansson • Star Wars – John Williams My money is on: __________________________

And the winner is: _____________________________

Rooney Mara & Cate Blanchette’s first encounter in Todd Haynes’ nontraditional 1950s love story Carol.

Cinematography • Carol – Ed Lachsman • The Hateful Eight – Robert Richardson • Mad Max: Fury Road – John Seale • The Revenant – Emmanuel Lubezki • Sicario – Roger Deakins My money is on: _____________________________________ And the winner is: ____________________________________

Costume Design • Carol – Sandy Powell • Cinderella – Sandy Powell • The Danish Girl – Paco Delgado • Mad Max: Fury Road – Jenny Beavan • The Revenant – Jacqueline West My money is on: ____________________ And the winner is: __________________

• Christian Bale – The Big Short Adapted Screenplay Vicious Hollywood gossip columnist (Helen Mirren) lords it over blacklisted • Tom Hardy – The Revenant • The Big Short – Screenplay by Charles screenwriter Dalton Trumbo Randolph and Adam McKay • Mark Ruffalo – Spotlight (Bryan Cranston) in the remarkable • Brooklyn – Screenplay by Nick Hornby biopic Trumbo. • Mark Rylance – Bridge Of Spies • Carol – Screenplay by Phyllis Nagy • Sylvester Stallone – Creed • The Martian – Screenplay by Drew Goddard My money is on: _____________________________________ • Room – Emma Donoghue And the winner is: ____________________________________ My money is on: _____________________________________

Best Actress in a Leading Role

• Cate Blanchett – Carol • Brie Larson – Room • Jennifer Lawrence – Joy • Charlotte Rampling – 45 Years • Saoirse Ronan – Brooklyn My money is on: _____________________________________ And the winner is: ____________________________________

Best Actress in a Supporting Role • Jennifer Jason Leigh – The Hateful Eight • Rooney Mara – Carol • Rachel McAdams - Spotlight • Alicia Vikander – The Danish Girl • Kate Winslet – Steve Jobs My money is on: _____________________________________ And the winner is: ____________________________________

And the winner is: __________________________

Music (Original Song) • “Earned It” from Fifty Shades Of Grey. Music and lyrics by Abel Tesfaye, Ahmad Balshe, and Jason Daheala. • “Manta Ray” from Racing Extinction. Music by J. Ralph and lyrics by Antony Hegarty • “Simple Song #3” from Youth. Music and lyrics by David Lang. • “Til It Happens To You” from The Hunting Ground. Music and lyrics by Diane Warren and Lady Gaga. • “Writing’s on Wall” from Spectre. Music and lyrics by Jimmy Napes and Sam Smith. My money is on: _____________________________________ And the winner is: ____________________________________

Best Director • The Big Short – Adam McKay • Mad Max: Fury Road – George Miller • The Revenant – Alejandro G. Inarritu • Room – Lenny Abrahamson • Spotlight – Tom McCarthy My money is on: _____________________________________ And the winner is: ____________________________________

Best Motion Picture of the Year

• The Big Short – Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner, Producers. • Bridge Of Spies – Steven Spielberg, Marc Platt and And the winner is: ____________________________________ Kristie Macosko Krieger, Producers. • Brooklyn – Finola Dwyer and Original Screenplay Amanda Posey, Producers. • Bridge Of Spies – Written by Matt • Mad Max: Fury Road – Doug Mitchell and Charman, Ethan Coen and Joel Coen George Miller, Producers. • Ex Machina – Written by Alex Garland • The Martian – Simon Kinberg, Ridley Scott, • Inside Out – Screenplay by Pete Michael Schaefer and Mark Huffman, Docter, Meg LeFauve and Josh Cooley; Producers. original story by Pete Docter and • The Revenant – Aaron Milchan, Steve Ronnie del Carmen Golin, Alejandro G. Inarritu, Mary Parent • Spotlight – Josh Singer and Cooler heads prevail in Steven and Keith Redmon, Producers. Tom McCarthy Spielberg’s cold war drama, Bridge • Room: Ed Guiney, Producer. of Spies, starring Mark Rylance and • Straight Outta Compton Nightcrawler Tom Hanks. • Spotlight – Michael Sugar, Steve Golin, – Screenplay by Jonathan Herman Nick Rocklin and Blye Pagon Faust, and Andrea Berloff; story by S. Leigh Producers. Savidge, Alan Wenkis and Andrea Berloff My money is on: _____________________________________ My money is on: _____________________________________ And the winner is: ____________________________________ And the winner is: ____________________________________

14 February 2016 — RAPID RIVER ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE — Vol. 19, No. 6

film reviews Movies continued from page 13

leader board. Still though, it’s a bloody good time if it’s your cup of tea. Rated R for strong bloody violence, a scene of violent sexual content, language and some graphic nudity. Review by Michelle Keenan

Son of Saul 

Short Take: An utterly devastating but ultimately remarkable Holocaust film from Hungary about one man’s effort to provide a young camp victim with a proper burial.

REEL TAKE: I can’t think of another film that

I have awarded 5 stars to that you will probably never want to see again but Son of Saul fits that description. Never has there been a more harrowing or brutally accurate portrayal of the Holocaust than the one depicted here. Every-

Chip Kaufmann’s Pick: “Die Hard”

Geza Rohrig) is a Hunone should see it and then garian Jew who is one of they can decide whether many Sonderkommandos or not they ever want to at the camp. revisit it. The SonderkommanThere have been numerdos were prisoners set ous Holocaust themed aside by the Nazis whose films over the years from Alain Resnais’ 1955 docujob was to clean out the gas chambers after mentary Night and Fog to the occupants had been Lina Wertmuller’s searing annihilated. Afterwards story of camp survival Saul Auslander (Geza Rohrig) they were responsible for Seven Beauties (1975) to performing one of his many gruesome burning the bodies in the Roberto Benigni’s contasks at Auschwitz in the intense and crematoriums and then troversial Life is Beautiful harrowing Hungarian film Son of Saul. disposing of the ashes in (1997) but none are as the nearby Vistula River. shocking or as powerful as These “commandos” were better housed Son of Saul. and better fed so that they could better perThis Hungarian made film focuses on the form their gruesome tasks. This robbed these last months of Auschwitz and unflinchingly prisoners of their last vestiges of humanity but gives the viewer a look at what it must have it powerfully illustrates what people will do in been like to be there. The central character of order to survive. But this was no guarantee of Saul Auslander (heartbreakingly performed by

February DVD Picks

Die Hard (1988)

I was genuinely saddened by the death of Alan Rickman. He was one of the very few contemporary performers whose name got me into a cinema seat no matter what the movie was. It all started with his first big role in the 1988 Bruce Willis action thriller Die Hard. I had never heard of Alan Rickman before and I have never forgotten him since. Therefore it seems only fitting to make Die Hard my DVD pick of the month in order to pay him tribute. Most everyone knows the story of NYC cop John McClane who is visiting his estranged wife in LA when the building that she works in is hijacked by a group of sophisticated robbers who are posing as terrorists. Alan Rickman plays the group’s leader and is so commanding a presence that, for me, everyone else (Willis included) became a part of the background. There are several choice moments provided by Rickman, more than I can list here but I’ll mention three of my favorites. 1 – The phone conversation between him and the authorities where he is trying to decide which faux terrorist name to use. 2 – His fake cowering before Willis when he is first discovered on the upper floors of the building. 3 – The look on his face at the end as Bruce Willis lets go of his hand. We have been lucky to have had Alan Rickman on screen for almost 30 years. His Severus Snape in the Harry Potter films have guaranteed him pop immortality while his Sheriff of Nottingham remains one of the most enjoyable examples of overacting to grace the silver screen. How-

ever it’s his so called “little” films that I will most remember, Closet Land, Bottle Shock and especially Truly, Madly, Deeply. But Die Hard is there as well. While the fashions and some of the dialogue have dated, the overall thrill and excitement of the picture have not, and Alan Rickman’s performance will remain timeless. If you haven’t seen it in a while, it’s time to revisit this 1980s classic and see where the franchise and Rickman’s cinematic legacy begins.

Truly, Madly, Deeply (1991)

When Alan Rickman died recently, there was no doubt in our minds that we’d pay tribute to him this month in our DVD picks. The only question was what to pick? With such a colorful filmography to choose from, we could spend the rest of 2016 recommending Rickman films. Chip’s decision to go back to the beginning of his film legacy with Die Hard reminded me that Rickman’s Armaniclad villain left everyone in the theatre saying, “Who was that guy?” He followed Die Hard with more deliciously villainous roles in Robin Hood Prince of Thieves and Quigley Down Under, and then came Anthony Minghella’s

Michelle Keenan’s Pick: “Truly, Madly, Deeply” feature film debut Truly, Madly, Deeply. For me this quiet little film will be forever etched on my cinematic heart forever. If you’re a Rickman fan, and or an anglophile, you’ve likely seen it, and I’m willing to wager you feel the same way. If you haven’t seen it, you may be unfamiliar with some of Rickman’s smaller [British] films. If you’re so inclined, I implore to start with this one. It’s the first time Americans saw Rickman as a good guy and the romantic lead. Dubbed “the thinking person’s Ghost,” Truly, Madly, Deeply played in art house cinemas to small but enthusiastic audiences. Over the years it’s developed almost a cult following. The story takes place in modern day London. Juliette Stevenson plays Nina, a young woman who’s struggling to move on after the death of her lover, a cellist named Jamie (Alan Rickman). As if willing him back from the grave, Jamie returns. Nina carries on her spectral affair in secret while the people around her try to bring her back to the land of the living. Music features prominently in the storyline. It’s part of the film’s charm. There is a wonderful rendition by Stevenson and Rickman of “The Sun Aint Gonna Shine Any More,” and classical music fans will love the use of several pieces by Johann Sebastian Bach. Truly, Madly, Deeply is sweet without every being saccharine. It doesn’t delve in the mysteries of death or God, but it’s filled with spirit. It is emotionally raw and wonderfully honest. It’s smart without putting on airs. Ultimately it’s about love and loss and moving on. Rest in peace, Alan Rickman. You will be missed.

survival as each group would be executed after about a year so there would be no witnesses. However Saul is able to reclaim his humanity by trying to give the body of a young boy a proper Jewish burial. Why he wants to do this and how he goes about it serve as the crux of the film’s storyline. What makes Son of Saul so powerful and disturbing is that the audience is given an unflinching look at how the gas chambers operate in all their ruthless efficiency. We know what happened but we have never seen it up close before. Hungarian Laszlo Nemes, directing his first feature film, shoots most of the movie in extreme close up focusing on Saul as he moves from task to task. The real life horrors are glimpsed out of focus but not enough that we can’t see or hear what is going on. The appalling nature of what really happened is then made evident with a vengeance. Son of Saul has already won numerous awards and is considered a lock for the Best Foreign Film Oscar as it should be. It’s an extremely hard film to recommend because of the subject matter and the depiction of that subject matter but it is a film that everyone should experience. Once seen, Son of Saul cannot be forgotten. Rated R for disturbing violent content and graphic nudity. Review by Chip Kaufmann

Theatre Directory Asheville Pizza & Brewing Company Movieline (828) 254-1281 www.ashevillepizza.com

Beaucatcher Cinemas (Asheville) Movieline (828) 298-1234

Biltmore Grande

1-800-FANDANGO #4010 www.REGmovies.com

Carmike 10 (Asheville)

Movieline (828) 298-4452 www.carmike.com

Carolina Cinemas

(828) 274-9500 www.carolinacinemas.com

The Falls Theatre (Brevard) Movieline (828) 883-2200

Fine Arts Theatre (Asheville) Movieline (828) 232-1536 www.fineartstheatre.com

Flat Rock Theatre (Flat Rock) Movieline (828) 697-2463 www.flatrockcinema.com

Four Seasons (Hendersonville) Movieline (828) 693-8989

The Strand (Waynesville)

(828) 283-0079, www.38main.com

Vol. 19, No. 6 — RAPID RIVER ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE — February 2016 15

BLACK MOUNTAIN 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!

Zoe & Cloyd Concert at Arts Center

On Saturday, February 13, gather up your sweetheart and head to the Black Mountain Center for the Arts to enjoy Zoe & Cloyd. The intimate listening room of the Black Mountain Center for the Arts will offer wonderful acoustics to hear Natalya Zoe Weinstein and John Cloyd Miller exude the soulful charm of traditional American music. Founding members of the acclaimed Americana trio, Red June and long-time veterans of the Asheville music scene, the husband and wife duo released their debut duet album, Equinox, in April 2015. Featuring original and traditional repertoire spanning bluegrass, old-time and folk, this inaugural Zoe & Cloyd recording showcases the elegant simplicity of two instruments and two voices. Old time music legend Alice Gerrard said, “I’m a sucker for great duo harmony singing, well-written originals, choice material, and fine playing—all of these are here on Equinox, the sweet and powerful first album by Zoe & Cloyd. I absolutely love it!” John Cloyd Miller is a twelfth generation North Carolina native and the grandson of pioneering bluegrass fiddler and NC Folk Heritage Award winner, Jim Shumate. John’s foundation in traditional bluegrass and old-time Appalachian music coupled with his modern sensibility make him a natural musician and performer. He is well known for his haunting mountain voice as well as his instrumental prowess and award-winning songwriting. John is a 1st place winner of the prestigious Chris Austin Songwriting Contest and a recipient of an Artist Fellowship for songwriting by the North Carolina Arts Council. Natalya Zoe Weinstein also comes from a musical family: her father is master jazz pianist and her grandfather was a professional klezmer musician. She is an accomplished fiddler in a variety of styles as well as an inspiring singer

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

Breakfast in the Mountains

601 W. State Street in Black Mountain

John Cloyd Miller and Natalya Zoe Weinstein.

and songwriter. While trained classically in her home state of Massachusetts, she has spent many years fine-tuning her bluegrass and old-time fiddling with some of the top traditional musicians in North Carolina. Natalya is also a sought after instructor and is in high demand as a teacher and session musician. The two can be found performing all across the country as well as leading workshops on traditional bluegrass and old-time music and songwriting. IF YOU GO

The Zoe & Cloyd Valentine’s Concert begins at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, February 13. Tickets for this limited seating concert are $15 plus tax and can be purchased by visiting www.blackmountainarts.org, or by calling (828) 669-0930. The Arts Center is located at 225 W. State Street in Black Mountain.

Tues-Fri 7am-2pm • Sat-Sun 8am-3pm

BLACK MOUNTAIN - 28711

A Destination in Black Mountain Since 1981

Explore Black Mountain

Saturday, February 6 - Martin Luther King Breakfast, 9 a.m. at Camp Dorothy Walls. Speaker, Steve Crump, noted documentary producer. Tickets at Visitor Center. $15 Adults; $6 Children ages 3-12. www.svmlk.org

MV MS MC MR

Saturday, February 13 - Valentine 5K Run. At Lake

Tomahawk. 1/2 Mile Kids Fun Run around lake 9 a.m. 5K at 9:30 a.m. Health screenings, activity demos, chair massages, & more. Black Mountain Recreation & Parks, (828) 669-2052, www.backmountainrec.com

Saturday, February 27 - Black Mountain Marathon

and Mt. Mitchell Challenge. On-line registration required, www.blackmountainmarathon.com

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

SevenSistersGallery.com • 828-669-5107 16 February 2016 — RAPID RIVER ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE — Vol. 19, No. 6

Monday, March 7 - Auction for the Arts at Black Mountain Center for the Arts, 225 W. State St. (828) 669-0930, www.BlackMountainArts.org More details at www.exploreblackmountain.com

fine arts & crafts Mark Bettis – Abstraction and Beyond...

Mark Bettis has been in the arts his entire life. From growing up in a musical family which owned a successful music business, to working as a Art Director for large Chicago agencies, his love of art came full circle after he moved to Asheville. It was here that he developed his love for painting.

In This Blue Shade, by Mark Bettis.

He began painting in his garage studio with a process called ‘Encaustic’, which uses a heated wax mixed with a oil-based pigment. He then moved into another medium called Cold Wax. When a small studio became available in the Wedge building in the River Arts District, Mark quickly leased the space. His passion to create larger abstract paintings caused him to look for a larger space to

in ArtFields, a 9-day art competition and show, held April 22-30, 2016. ArtFields is held in Lake City, South Carolina. For more details on the show, visit www.artfieldssc.org. Mark has his plate full, while creating his beautiful paintings and managing his studio/gallery, he is also getting ready to do another show at Ella Walton Richardson Fine Art in Charleston, South Carolina. Show dates are April 1-May 2. For details on that exhibit, please visit www.ellarichardson.com.

work and sell his paintings. His wish came true when a friend offered him her space at the Wedge located on Roberts Street. He now has a large studio space and a gallery area, where he also carries three other artists’ works. While he does sell work from his studio/gallery in the Wedge, his work is sold in various galleries throughout the United States. Though Mark is known for his abstractions he recently put together a collection which he The Raven, by Mark Bettis. calls his ‘Spirit Animal Series.’ “I’m especially proud of this collection as it is the marriage of the abstractionism that I’m known for, with the realism of these spirit animals – found especially in You can visit Mark at his gallery/studio their eyes, which are typically referred to as space, located at 123 Roberts Street the window of the soul. I find this very fitting, in the River Arts District, or view given the subject matter,” Mark explains. his websites: www.MarkBettisArt.com and www.MarkBettisGallery.com This series was a success with people – one of his pieces, ‘The Raven’ was selected to be

Mark Bettis has a studio and gallery in Asheville’s River Arts District.

Asheville Area Arts Council Events

THE ASHEVILLE STOCKYARDS, FROM BROWNFIELD TO BREWERY

Opening reception Friday, February 5 from 5-8 p.m. On display through February 20, 2016 in the Point of View Gallery. Featuring Ken Abbott’s photographs of the ever changing landscape of Asheville. Through his creative lens we get a unique view of the developing New Belgium Brewery site, before and after. This documentary project grew out of Ken’s interest in photographing the River District’s derelict buildings and natural spaces, and deepened when he met and became acquainted with some of the business owners and workers in the area. The show incorporates some artifacts saved from previous buildings at the site, as well as works from several area artists, including Zen Sutherland, Elaine Bleakney, Rod Murphy, and Lisa Smith.

LISA DE GIROLAMO On display through February 20, 2016 in the Artist Resource Center Gallery Lisa De Girolamo’s work explores concepts of abstraction, mainly through collage, monotype, and drawing. She has exhibited and sold her work in various venues in New York and New Mexico. Of her work Lisa states: “What I find exciting about art is the possibility of capturing essences of the visual world.”

Artist Business Brainstorm Sessions

Free or by donation one-on-one brainstorming opportunities with business professionals in the arts.

Tuesday, February 2 – The Business of Music with Jessica Tomasin of Echo Mountain Recording Studio. Tuesday, February 9 – Ask me Anything with Kitty Love. Informed advice about event planning, creative placemaking, mural arts, referrals, advocacy, arts-driven economic development, and local grant opportunities. Tuesday, February 16 – Preparing your cre-

ative business records for an accountant or tax professional with Skip Rohde.

Tuesday, March 1 – Time Management Tools for Busy Entrepreneurs with Boomer Sassmann. Held from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Asheville Area Arts Council at 1 Page Ave. Suite 143A & 144 in the Grove Arcade. PG. 32

IF YOU Call (828) 258-0710 or email Johanna GO Hagarty at johanna@ashevillearts.com

for more information. Asheville Area Arts Council, One Page Ave., downtown Asheville. Visit www.ashevillearts.com

Vol. 19, No. 6 — RAPID RIVER ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE — February 2016 17

t.e. siewert

New Horizons

encaustic landscapes

ON DISPLAY MARCH 1-31, 2016

Downtown Asheville The Best Shops, Galleries & Restaurants

Opening Reception

Friday, March 5 • 5-8 p.m.

Life’s Many Seasons

A “Night Lights” by Anne Bonnyman

PG. 19

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

ELINOR BOWMAN ASHEVILLE, NC

“The Co-Writer: Willie Nelson’s Guitar Trigger” by Johnnie Stanfield

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

PG. 19

PG. 16

PG. 19

www.elinorbowman.com

As the sun spirals northward from it’s winter retreat, goldsmith Susan Marie Phipps anticipates the returning colors of springtime in new jewelry designs she skillfully hand makes using natural colored gemstones and pearls from around the world. “I try to create designs which complement each gemstone’s interplay of light, color and form,” Susan explains. “Spring is a time of renewal, the season which sets everything back into motion. My newest series of pendants, which I call “Circles in Motion,” reflects the energy and beauty of this life affirming time of year.” Some of the gemstones seen in her designs include bright chartreuse Peridots, Tourmalines of intense floral pink or mint green shades and the clear sky blue color of Aquamarines. She adds Diamonds to provide a crisp sparkle which accents all colors of gemstones and pearls found in nature. As a G.I.A. Graduate Gemologist, Susan selects only the finest cut natural gemstones having excellent clarity and vibrant color. States Susan, “as a goldsmith for thirty-five years, my goal has always been to create fine quality jewelry of timeless elegance and design, providing my customers with wearable art that will endure through life’s many seasons.”

“Winter’s Blanket” by Cathyann Burgess

On Display at Our NEW Location!

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ASHEVILLE GALLERY of ART

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Susan Marie Designs

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18 February 2016 — RAPID RIVER ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE — Vol. 19, No. 6

(828) 277-1272, www.SusanMPhippsDesigns.com

Fabulous Downtown Asheville

More of What Makes Asheville Special

The Best Shops, Galleries & Restaurants

ZaPow! Honors the Life and Art of David Bowie

The world has lost a visionary.

“If you’re ever sad, just remember the world is 4.543 billion years old and you somehow managed to exist at the same time as David Bowie.”

David Bowie encouraged us to embrace our wild bizarre ways and bring a bit of beauty Saint Bowie into this by Lauren Patton world. He lives on in his art and continues to encourage us to dream on. Artists have created a memorial shrine immortalizing David Bowie. It will be on display until February 23.

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. The Asheville Art Museum, 2 S. Pack Square at Pack Place, Asheville. Call (828) 253-3227, or visit www.ashevilleart.org.

~ Dean Podestá 23

ZaPow! 21 Battery Park Ave, downtown Asheville Visit www.zapow.com

Illustration and Pop Culture Art

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

15 N. Lexington Ave.

St.

College St.

N. Spruce St.

N. Market St.

Broadway St.

. St

Patton Ave.

6 20

Eagle St.

S. Spruce St.

PACK SQUARE

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

Limited Edition Heart of 2016 14k gold cloisonné pendant

Walnut St.

S. Market St.

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

Wilson

Coxe

le ol

That Fun Gallery in Downtown Asheville

Biltmore Ave.

Patton Ave.

S. Lexington Ave.

t. Wall S N

Rankin Ave.

Battery Park

Haywood St.

18 5

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GROVE ARCADE

Page Ave.

Woodfi n

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Love happens at

FINE JEWELRY & DESIGN STUDIO

Sycamore

Hilliard Ave.

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828-254-5088 63 Haywood St. Downtown Asheville Hours: Mon - Sat 10:30 - 6 Vol. 19, No. 6 — RAPID RIVER ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE — February 2016 19

LOCAL FOOD & DINING GUIDE

Advertise in Our Local Food Guide ~ Free Web Links ~ Free Ad Design

“Anglers and Appetites” is a fun, informative adventure like nothing else on TV. The program delivere excitement on the water and exceptional food recipes. Viewers can take notes and embark on their own journeys. The details of every fishing excursion will have an online companion piece, a suggested place to crash for the night and every recipe from these top chefs will be posted online. Kyle McKnight, Executive Chef of Highland Avenue Restaurant, was thrilled to recently be selected to attend the ‘Small Towns, Big Flavors’ dinner to be held at the James Beard House. McKnight’s career led him through Europe, Charleston, Miami, St. John and Argentina before he found a home at Hickory’s acclaimed Highland Avenue Restaurant. He is creating inspiring cuisine from the bounty of North Carolina land and sea.

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828-697-2266

www.GreatAmericanDog.net

20 February 2016 — RAPID RIVER ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE — Vol. 19, No. 6

NATALIE STACHON

McKnight has cooked alongside acclaimed chefs Tom Colicchio, Sean Brock, Chris Edwards, Theirry Vergnalut and Phil Corr, and he was named a Best Chef America 2012 to 2014 for his commitment to the slow food movement and his advocacy of local farmers in both WilmingKyle McKnight is the Executive Chef at Highland Avenue Restaurant. ton and Hickory, North Carolina. that help educate people about James Beard was a proAmerican cuisine, but also suplific food writer, teacher and port and promote the chefs and cookbook author who was also other industry professionals who known as the “Dean of Ameriare dedicated to their craft. can Cookery.” The James Beard Foundation’s mission is to offer a variety of events designed to educate, inspire, entertain and show appreciation of all AmeriHighland Avenue can cuisine and culinary arts. This foundation plans elegant Restaurant guest-chef dinners along with 883 Highland Avenue SE scholarships for aspiring culinary Hickory, NC 28602 students, educational confer(828) 267-9800 ences, and industry awards. highlandavenuerestaurant.com In the memory of James Beard’s legacy, the FoundaOpen Mon – Sat at 5 p.m. tion not only creates programs

On February 19 through the 21, The Asheville Truffle Experience returns with elegance and style.

Scallops Oysters Shrimp Fish-N-Chips Great Maine Lobster Roll

Open Daily for Breakfast and Lunch

SEAFOOD!

828-252-8333 ◆ www.cafe-64.com

The Asheville Truffle Experience

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Big Honor for Kyle McKnight

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A variety of mouth-watering sessions will be held in various venues in beautiful downtown Asheville. Guests will plunge into the mystery of this ultra-prized ingredient, the magical Tuber melanosporum — otherwise known as the Périgord (Black Winter) Truffle — traditionally hailing from the deep, dark woods of France, Italy and Spain, but now also to being cultivated in both the northwest and the southeast of the United States.

KATIE MCSHAN

Sessions planned include tastings and wine-paired dinners, a truffle dog hunting excursion, a visit to a local orchard, and immersion in hands-on culinary lessons with area experts. On February 20, Chef Duane Fernandes from Isa’s Bistro will provide guests with a variety of provocative dishes for a special Saturday night truffle dining extravaganza. IF YOU For details, please call GO (828) 301-2792, or visit

www.ashevilletruffle.com.

Eat, Drink, Explore Your Guide to Excellent Local Food

Japanese Restaurant & Sushi Bar

Bogart’s Restaurant and Tavern

Between the Great Smoky Mountains and the Blue Ridge Mountains, lies the town of Waynesville. Waynesville – a gem of epic views, scaling mountain ridges and endless sky, as yet untouched by the onslaught of viral development of our beloved Asheville. Like Asheville, Waynesville is a destination to visit for its character and charm, delivering that “mountain town” feel. Right on the edge of town sits Bogart’s, as authentic a mountain town restaurant as you’ll find anywhere. Named for the original owner’s dog, not the actor, it opened 37 years ago and it’s still going strong. We drove into town about 4 p.m. on a Friday to walk around and have dinner – driving past the restaurant we saw the parking lot was full. We shopped Main St and returned for dinner, to a full house. And we noted later, as we were leaving, the line was out the door. Welcome to

Bogart’s dining areas create a warm and comfy experience.

Best Sushi in WNC Since 2005

SUSAN DEVITT

Bogart’s, where the locals eat, where everyone eats. Bogart’s is the local steak house and family restaurant. It’s a large cabin, built for that warm and comfy experience. The main dining area and bar are on the first floor with lots of extra seating upstairs in the wrap around loft, providing a view of half a dozen large stuffed bears lying on upper beams, and the action below (no worries, the bears aren’t real). We sat up in the loft and were served by Judy, an employee of 23 years. Although the restaurant was full, the service was steady and the place was amazingly quiet. We did have a few minutes before we were seated so we sat at the bar, which has about 15 seats, and overlooks the flaming grill. Bogart’s has six taps and about 35 bottled beers. We had Asheville’s local Greenman IPA on tap and a CK Mondavi Merlot. The wine selection is all CK Mondavi, a good American wine maker, and they do a very generous pour. The menu is succulent and wide with many choices in steaks, chicken, seafood, burgers, sandwiches, wraps, soups and salads. Dinner entrees start with a warm basket of fresh baked home-style brown bread with whipped butter. We ordered the house signature dish, Angus filet mignon, wrapped in bacon, flame kissed and medium rare. As expected the filet was cooked as requested and

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

www.WasabiAsheville.com

Valentine’s Day Celebration

Sunday, February 14 Four Course Dinner & Fine Wine Pairing

continued on page 26

Choose one from each Course. Appetizer Choices, Salad or Soup, Entrée Choice, Dessert Choice & Primo Coffee

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Vol. 19, No. 6 — RAPID RIVER ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE — February 2016 21

sound experience INTERVIEW WITH

Colin Hay

As the singer, guitarist, and principal songwriter of Australia’s Men at Work, Colin Hay was responsible for several of the quirkiest pop hits of the early 1980s, a period that coincided with the emergence of MTV.

A convergence of events helped propel the band to heights they might not have otherwise attained. Although he and his former band will forever be associated with “the land down under,” Hay originally hailed from Scotland, where he was born in 1953. In 1967 his family joined a large number of United Kingdom residents who sought better economic opportunities half a world away; nearly three percent of the UK population settled in Australia, a migration that would help fuel cultural changes for both lands. Coincidentally, the Brothers Gibb; Robin, Maurice and Andy would be part of that same migration. They would of course, later emerge as The Bee Gees. By his later teens Hay began playing guitar and singing, and while Australia is probably best known for spawning hard rock bands, AC/DC chief among them, Hay was drawn towards a more pop oriented sound, intrigued by British and American folk, indigenous music of his adopted homeland and whatever else the radio might offer. By 1978, having played local taverns and other establishments, Hay sought to form a band more in line with the burgeoning new wave style while still embracing the pop music he loved. Shortly after joining up with guitarist Ron Strykert in 1978, Hay’s master plan was realized, as Men at Work were formed. Rounding out the band was saxophonist/flutist Greg Ham, bassist John Rees, and drummer Jerry Speiser. Their 1982 debut Business as Usual thrust the band into a worldwide spotlight, an

INTERVIEWED BY JAMES

CASSARA

experience Hay would describe as both “wonderful and terrifying.” Readily compared to The Police, the reigning chart kings of the day, Men at Work quickly became perennial MTV favorites. As the group’s main Colin James Hay is a Scottish Australian musician and actor singer-whose voice sounded who made his mark during the 1980s as lead vocalist of the more than a bit like Sting’s, Australian band Men at Work, and later as a solo artist. and songwriter, Hay quickly became the focal point of the band. Tongue in cheek videos for “Who lived since 1998, initially agreeing to a call of Can It Be Now” and “Down Under” pushed “about 20 minutes.” By the time we finished the debut album to the top of the US charts speaking nearly an hour had gone by and we’d and made Hay a wealthy man, but the cracks barely scratched the surface of his varied and were already forming and by 1985 the band amazing career. was, as Hay says, “for all intents and purOn a personal note I must add that I have poses finished.” interviewed-via phone or face to face-hunWithin a year of the band’s dissolution dreds of musicians and I have found none to Hay embarked on a solo career, debuting in be any more cordial or humble than Colin 1987 with Looking for Jack (refers to a chance Hay. Our conversation took place in midencounter Hay had with actor Jack Nicholson) November, a few days before Hay was set to but failed to match the commercial success of go on tour. his early work. Still, while much of the world might have assumed he’d dropped off the map, James Cassara: I want the focus of this interHay continued to remain busy, releasing solo view to be your solo career but wanted to first material with regularity, launching his own lay a bit of groundwork by asking a couple of record label, and sporadically acting in cult questions about the Men At Work period. The movies and TV, including substantial parts on band formed around 1979 and presumably such series as JAG, The Larry Sanders Show, did a number of low profile gigs while finding The Mick Molloy Show and Scrubs. their sound. Then in 1981 the Business As He also toured as part of Ringo Starr’s All Usual album comes out and becomes huge. Star Band, continued to release albums (12 to What was that time like? Did you feel the least date) and toured both solo and with a small bit prepared for stardom? band. Colin Hay: First let me correct a few misIn advance of his February 12 show at the conceptions… the dates you’ve referenced Diana Wortham Theatre, Hay graciously are both off by a year, but that’s a common agreed to this interview. He spoke to me from mistake. The band formed in 1978 and Busihis Southern California home, where he has ness As Usual was released in 1980. But while

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it sold very well around the globe no US label wanted us. We had the number one album in Germany and Canada, had played to huge crowds in Japan, South America, and Europe, but no US label thought we would last. Columbia finally gave us a shot, and it worked out pretty well for them. It sold six million copies for them and 15 million worldwide. That number still astounds me. In a short time we’d gone from a regional band in Australia to international stars. As to the second half of your question, the time was pretty crazy. Some tensions already existed within the band, made worse by our heavy drinking, became exacerbated. I wasn’t at all ready for what happened, and Ron was rightfully angry that I became the theoretical “leader” of a band the two of us had founded. Everyone wanted to interview me, and in my arrogance I let that happen. As continued on page 23

22 February 2016 — RAPID RIVER ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE — Vol. 19, No. 6

sound experience

spinning discs CD Reviews by James Cassara

‘Colin Hay’ cont’d from pg. 22

for the rest of the band we did what all kids do when they suddenly become big. We partied far too much, did a lot of drugs and booze, and acted like idiots. A year after the album came out the music was becoming secondary to the lifestyle, something we’d swore would never happen. The second album (Cargo) also hit number one but that was strictly on the coattails of the first. By that time the wheels were coming off.

JC: In 1984 Rees and Speiser leave the band… CH: I called them up and told them that “their services were no longer required.” Not my best moment. I didn’t even tell them face to face. We recorded the third album (Two Hearts) using a number of session musicians and it sounds like it. I still regret the way I handled that.

JC: Based on the radio friendly

but in terms of artistry. I started doing some local gigs and trying out the new material. I deliberately avoided playing any Men at Work songs, in part because I didn’t want to just be known as “that guy” but more importantly because of the association they had for me. They reminded me of a time before sobriety and I wanted to get as far away from that as I could. It took me about five years before I became confident enough in my new sober life that I could play those songs. And I soon realized I loved them and that for better, and sometimes worse, they were a big part of who I was. I began playing around with them, rearranging them for solo or small band, and rediscovered how good they were.

JC: I love how you were able to reinvent yourself as an independent musician. It reminds me a bit of Lindsay Buckingham. There is the commercial giant Fleetwood Mac guy and the one who releases really interesting and quirky solo records I still have a that sell maybe a tenth as much.

lot to say. nature of those hit songs your CH: Excellent observation. I think voice was heard everywhere. Yet, I’ve subconsciously used Lindsay as I imagine you’re still able to walk a model for that. Don’t get me wrong, I wish down the street without being recognized, to heck my solo stuff sold in greater amounts. which seems the best of both worlds. In a way Not at all for the money but because every artyou’re equally famous and obscure. ist wants a bigger audience, wants to be heard. CH: Absolutely, and I am grateful for that. But I understand the reality of the situation. Just a few days ago I was grocery shopping at I’ve played to audiences of 40,000 one night a nearby Whole Foods while a Men at Work and 400 the next. That’s just the way it goes. song was playing over the in-house radio. I do know that if I were to somehow become Here I am at the checkout buying avocados “huge” again I’d be a lot better at handling it. and the young lady whistling along has no But I certainly don’t count on that happening. idea that’s me singing. I enjoy keeping a low profile. JC: I think folks who know you best from the band years would be surprised by how JC: So in 1986 you embark on a solo career. busy you’ve been since then. You’ve done a Was it then that you relocated to California? lot of acting, toured with Ringo and His All Talk a bit about that transition. Star Band and released 12 solo records and a concert DVD. That’s an impressive total. What Hay: I moved to California a few years after keeps you motivated? that, but it had less to do with wanting to reestablish myself as a solo act and more to do with CH: I still have a lot to say. I still have songs in the recognition that I was a full blown drunk. my head. And I love working with other musiAfter the band broke up, which coincided with cians who challenge me. Michael Georgiades the ending of my first marriage, I began lookis one such guy. He’s an amazing talent, plays ing in the mirror and hating the person that I any number of instruments, and sings like saw. I looked like hell. a damned angel. San Miguel Perez, whom I I was a wreck, physically and emotionally, tour with, is another. I get to work with great nasty to the people who loved me and had people and create music with them. It’s not allowed myself to be used by those who only a bad gig. Like any creative person I need to cared about whom I was and how much monkeep busy. I’m 63 years old but feel as if I am ey I had. I knew that I couldn’t continue like getting my second wind. this. I checked myself into rehab and began the long process of getting sober; typical rock star JC: That’s a good opportunity to jump forward stuff, right? (He says with a laugh) to Next Year People which I have to say, is a record I really love. I think it marks a precise JC: An all too familiar tale. So this precipitated change for you, writing story songs that are your move to the states? both buoyant and deeply personal. CH: I’d pretty much burned every bridge I’d CH: I’ve always written from experience, it’s crossed. I had a lot of friends back home but just that the experiences have changed. A the only thing that seemed to bind us together song like “Trying to Get to You” just came to was booze and drugs. By moving to California me while I was driving along, thinking about I was able to physically get away from that. my family and missing them. It’s a pretty Had I stayed in Melbourne I have no doubt I’d basic road song but it’s not one I would have be back where I started, or maybe another rock written 30 years ago. It’s the same with “Are and roll casualty. We There Yet?” These are songs of middle I was back to square one and had to start aged concerns. my career over. Not financially… the royalties continued on page 35 from the first album alone kept me afloat,

I am foregoing reviews of new releases this month (check our online version for those), and focusing on a few deluxe boxed sets available on both vinyl and CD, packed with extra goodies and the sort of memorabilia we baby boomers love! Next month I’ll again tackle new releases.

King Crimson

Live at the Orpheum (2015) GLOBAL MOBILE ARCHIVE

If last year’s lavish 21 disc set (seriously) didn’t sate your appetite for all things KC, this more practical set, released from the seemingly bottomless King Crimson archives, should help tide you over. Recorded in the fall of 2014, the focus is on the then current incarnation of the band, a year or so after founder and leader Robert Fripp unexpectedly returned to the fold. Notable for the inclusion of three drummers (band veteran Pat Mastelloto, and relative newcomers Gavin Harrison and Bill Rieflin), the sound is understandably full and noticeably more thunderous. Also on board are long standing bass player Tony Levin, saxophonist Mel Collins (who hasn’t been an active part of the band since 1972), and new kid on the block Jakko Jakszyk on guitar and vocals. Jakszyk was also given the daunting task of sorting through hundreds of hours of recordings and deciding which ones were worthy of release. That either shows how much confidence Fripp has in the man or how disinterested he is in maintaining the band’s legacy. 40 plus minutes of Crimson love, aided by a well produced DVD of the full show and a snippet of behind the scenes footage adds up to yet another fine addition for the KC fanatic to whom this is obviously intended. ****

The Rolling Stones

From The Vault: L.A. Forum 1975 and Live From the Tokyo Dome

EAGLE ROCK/EAGLE VISION

This 1975 show, culled from a tour hastily tossed together in support of the Made in the Shade best of compilation, shows the band at their most dispirited, sticking to the well worn hits while lacking much of the fire that made them the World’s Greatest Rock and Roll Band. Ron Wood was still finding his way (he would not be allotted full band status for another decade), and while the essential rhythms of Charlie Watts and Bill Wyman remain perfect the band seems out of sorts. Much of this is attributed to Mick J’s nearly lost stage presence, as he mumbles, stumbles and slurs his way through. “Keith is Keith,” the piano work of Ian Stewart is barrelhouse sublime, and the addition of Billy Preston (who adds a pair of his own tunes) works well within the band’s

framework. But the focus is on Mick and that’s where this unevenly and blandly shot DVD falls short. The audio version is much better and far less distracting, although the less said about the infamous inflatable dildo that dominated the stage, the better; ** stars are the best it can muster. Tokyo Dome, recorded at the end of the 1990 Steel Wheels tour, fares much better. After a seven year hiatus from touring the Stones came back strong, reenergized and ready to reclaim their stature in the rock world. It marks the final time Wyman would tour with the boys, meaning there’s a good serving of funk and fury. Highlights include a mesmerizing “20,000 Light Years from Home” and an equally welcome “Ruby Tuesday”. In many ways Tokyo Dome bridges the two distinct periods of The Rolling Stones long history, a crossroads at which they honored their past before becoming enslaved by it. ****

Eric Clapton Slow Hand at 70 Live at The Royal Albert Hall UNIVERSAL MUSIC

EAGLE ROCK/

Nearing now four decades, Eric Clapton has booked a month-long residence at his beloved venue, a tradition that seems to have no end in sight. In choosing to document the event — not the first time, as 1991’s 24 Nights holds that distinction — Clapton wades into overly familiar waters with a sense of both reverence and reflection. Not much here is unexpected, although turning over the occasional vocals to keyboardist Paul Carrack might be considered so, which gives this a comfortable sense that is both reassuring and frustrating. Tributes to the recently passed J.J. Cale (the show kicks off with “Someone Knockin’ On My Door”) and Joe Cocker (“You Are So Beautiful” and “High Time We Went”) are sincere enough but the mid-tempo buzz that dominates this two disc/DVD set makes one mourn for the fiery “Slow Hand of old.” As I write this I am listening to a disc of 1965 Yardbirds primitive recordings, including a young and hungry EC. It’s from a time when he had everything to prove and not a darn thing to lose, and while I recognize the unfairness in expecting a man of 70 to be a boy of 21, there is no denying I miss the Clapton of old, even while I appreciate his still being with us. ***

Vol. 19, No. 6 — RAPID RIVER ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE — February 2016 23

Reflexology ~ Reiki Reiki Drumming

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artful living

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MAX HAMMONDS, MD

Just like that – your arm reaches out and picks them up. Do you ever wonder – how does that work? How does the message get from your eyes to your brain and out to your arm? How do the electrical system of the body – the nerves – work that fast? Every cell of the body is surrounded by a membrane. In the membrane is a sodium – potassium pump which actively pumps sodium ions to the outside of the cell and potassium ions to the inside of the cell – polarizing the cell. The result is – the inside of the cell is negatively charged with reference to the outside of the cell. When a nerve cell receives an electric shock in one small area of the membrane, small gates in the cell membrane open and allow the sodium ions to rush into the nerve cell. This changes the charge in the inside of the cell from negative to positive – depolarizing the cell. This creates an electric stimulus in the next section of the nerve cell – depolarizing it. This wave of depolarization spreads quickly down the nerve cell, passing the electrical signal from the cell body to the end of the nerve. There are two more important characteristics of a nerve cell. The nerve running from the spinal cord to the fingertip is one single, continuous cell. And the nerve cell has an insulation covering (myelin sheath) which has periodic constrictions called nodes. The wave of electrical discharge along the nerve does not have to move from one adjacent section of the nerve cell to the next, but can jump from node to node. This allows the electrical charge to move even more rapidly along the nerve cell. This passage of electrical current can happen from eyes to the brain, from the brain to the spinal cord, and from the spinal cord to the muscles of the fingers in microseconds – an amazing feat of engineering. Even more amazing is the underlying complex system of lipids and proteins of the cell membrane, with hundreds of multiple reactions – which makes this complex system work so smoothly – and seem so simple (which you can review on Wikipedia/neuron). As a result, all the nerves of the body, working in this way, allow rapid and efficient communication between the various body parts and the brain. Such a marvelous system, one of many in the body, was obviously the result of a knowledgeable Designer, don’t you think?

HEALTHY GOOD THOUGHTS

Good Digestion. Great Health.

I’ve been thinking about how food feels to me.

KATHLEEN COLBURN

How we feel after eating something is a good thing to pay attention to. Please readers, this is really important. Digestion and the health of our gut affects, well, everything. Brain function, nerve health, our immune system and so much more. I’ve always advocated for a well-rounded, balanced diet. In addition, we have to pay attention to how we feel and be proactive in making adjustments. Consuming probiotic, fermented foods populate the gut with good bacteria. Good quality, organic raw foods provide us with beneficial enzymes. Avoiding or reducing sugar and starch intake gives the bad bacteria less to feed on. Avoiding late night eating insures that all the good stuff we consume is properly digested and assimilated. Know more, feel good and - 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

24 February 2016 — RAPID RIVER ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE — Vol. 19, No. 6

Differences in the concentrations of ions on opposite sides of a cellular membrane lead to a voltage called the membrane potential.

Structure of a typical neuron.

Dennis Covington

READING & SIGNING

In his book Revelation: A Search for Faith in a Violent Religious World, Dennis Covington tackles questions surrounding the relationship between violence and faith. The acclaimed author examines the nature of faith, “the substance of things hoped for along borders where cultures and religions collide.” If religious belief is, as Christopher Hitchens argues, the cause of wars and genocide, then is faith the cure? Covington takes an unflinching look at these topics and gives us, according to author Ron Rash, “an uncondescending and unflinching” examination of these themes. Peter Manseau found that Revelation is “a riveting exploration on a global scale of the dangers and possibilities of belief.” IF YOU Dennis Covington Reading & Signing, Friday, GO February 26 at 7 p.m. Malaprop’s Bookstore/Café, 55

Haywood St., Asheville. For more details, please call (828) 254-6734, or visit www.malaprops.com.

artful living The Triple Gem “I take refuge in the Buddha, I take refuge in the Dharma, I take refuge in the Sangha.”

- The Triple Gem

The Triple Gem is also known as the Triple Refuge and is one of the most important teachings in Buddhism, often taken as a vow by individuals wishing to enter a Buddhist community. The term “gem” is used to emphasize the great value and preciousness of this teaching as it points us to a life that is likewise experienced as precious. In order to understand this teaching, however, we must understand its key words. We must understand what refuge means, and we must understand what Buddha, Dharma, Sangha mean in their deepest context. So too, we must also understand what the pronoun “I” means, for in Zen it is the most profound of koans (a succinct paradoxical statement or question used as a meditation). We must understand who this “I” is and what is this “I” that needs refuge, and having found refuge, what is the transformation of our understanding and experience of “I”? Let us begin with the word, “Refuge.” A dictionary definition tells us that refuge is “shelter or protection from danger or distress.” It is to where we can return for peace and a sense of well-being and psychological safety.

What we seek we already possess. In our discussion, the danger and distress from which we seek refuge is the instability and confusion of our own minds and human society. It is the distress that comes from our frustration with failing to find stable happiness and security in actions and beliefs we are told will lead to happiness and security. The refuge is the peace and well-being available to us when we recognize that what we seek we already possess. We only have to learn to look sufficiently deeply within rather than continuing our habit of looking outside ourselves in our social roles, our possessions and in other people. So what does it mean to seek refuge in the Buddha? Let us begin by understanding that “Buddha” means “awakened” in the Pali language of ancient India where Buddhism was born. So we are taking refuge in some kind of awakening - and awakening means to move from a state of unconsciousness into consciousness. This is the essential journey and purpose of Buddhist practice.

We are to move gradually from what is really a state of semi-consciousness, physically awake but psychologically unconscious to our full potential, into realizing that beyond what we have been conditioned to believe concerning who we are and what the world is about, beliefs filled with insecurities, we are capable of a relationship with life that is vibrant and secure beyond any surface conditions. 2500 years ago in Northern India, a prince named Siddhartha Gautama dedicated his life to understanding the nature of the unnatural emotional suffering that humans experienced in the face of Life’s challenges as well as why humans behaved in ways to create unnecessary suffering. In this way, he was truly more a psychologist than a religious figure, and a truly great psychologist he was. Instead of examining others, whom he could only superficially observe, he looked deep within himself, through meditation, so deep that it was no longer Siddhartha looking at Siddhartha, rather, awareness, pure consciousness, was looking at Siddhartha, and not only at Siddhartha, but the entire human dilemma. He employed the impersonal observational power of awareness to examine the human condition from within, and in this way, he was very scientific. He “awakened” powers of consciousness that are inherent in all humans but lie dormant under layers of identification with the form and idea of who we are. He awakened into being consciousness itself, impersonal and with vast capacities for understanding and insight. This is Buddha. Siddhartha the personality, like all personalities, was filled with insecurities and conflicts, but Siddhartha found refuge in Buddha, awakened consciousness, and so can any human. Siddhartha made many discoveries, but foremost, he had discovered his true nature as awareness, an unshakable and silent “I” capable of incredible insight and wisdom. He was able to see how this psychological form known as Siddhartha was the product of conditioning, literally the physical, family, cultural and personal conditions that influence a person’s understanding of themselves and the world. He was able to see how it is that humans mistake themselves for this separate physical

BILL WALZ

and psychological form completely overlooking their most fundamental experience, that of consciousness, which has no personalized quality to it. In this sense, the conditioned personality of “I” that is vulnerable to instability in the face of life’s conditions finds refuge in the “I” of awareness, invulnerable to the vicissitudes of life. He was able to see how we cling to this physical and psychological form for identity and how unreliable and unstable this identity is, resulting in great anxiety and desire for greater reliability and stability that we search for in the external world of forms, chasing after desires, fleeing from fears and shaken by personal doubt. It was like waking up out of a hypnotic dream to see clearly the full potential of who and what we are as human beings, and for this awakening, Siddhartha became known as “Buddha” – the awakened one. So the refuge that is the Buddha is the realization of the truth of who we are as awareness, capable of seeing how we create our own danger through mistaken attribution of identity to that which is inherently unstable and unreliable, our own psychological conditioning. It is realizing our usual state of consciousness is this projected state of conditioned images, much like an opaque screen covering over the clear light of true consciousness. To be awake is to turn this around and shine the clear light of pure consciousness upon the images projected and see them for what they are and become free of their hold. This was the lesson of the Buddha’s first teaching called the Four Noble Truths. Dharma is the Sanskrit word (Dhamma in Pali) that means “truth” or the teachings that lead to understanding the truth of the nature of the way life is. We can have faith that the truth that leads to safe refuge from unnecessary suffering in our personal life is attainable because Siddhartha, the Buddha, showed the way and there are countless individuals through the ages that have attained this enlightenment following the path the Buddha demonstrated. These teachings and practices are practical and attainable and there is both a historic and present day community practicing this path. This community is known as the Sangha. We are not alone. Dharma is the Universe as it is – vast and mysterious yet comprehensible in the unfathomable intelligence and insight of the silent mind of consciousness, for consciousness, comanifesting with form, is the Universe.

We cling to our physical and psychological form for identity. We are apertures of consciousness in form through which the Universe experiences itself, and likewise, form can intuit and begin to comprehend the infinite Universe, as ancient mystics did, as Siddhartha did, as modern quantum-field scientists are beginning to do. We can let go of fear as we understand ever more deeply the Dharma of infinite unity of which we are expressions. Buddhism’s teachings and practices, specifically meditation and mindfulness open this door. The Sangha is available to us both immediately, in the many teachers, groups and communities that are engaged in meditation, study and application of the principles of awakening, and in the abstract through books, both Buddhist and otherwise, written by people who have seen the nature of suffering rooted in ignorance and point us encouragingly toward our own search for truth. Non-Buddhist examples would be Socrates, Plato, Epictetus, Marcus Aurelius, Jesus, Meister Ekhart, Galileo, Copernicus, Rumi, Voltaire, Kant, Emerson, Thoreau, Krishnamurti, Teilhard de Chardin, Albert Einstein, Abraham Heschel, Ramana Maharshi, Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., Thomas Merton, Eckhart Tolle. The list can go on and on continued on page 32

Vol. 19, No. 6 — RAPID RIVER ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE — February 2016 25

Wild About

Veterinary Hospital

David Holt in Concert

Grammy Award winner, David Holt, will appear in concert on the HART stage, Saturday, February 6.

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

Holt plays ten acoustic instruments and has released recordings of traditional mountain music and Southern folktales.

Dr. Brian H. Birthright, DVM

Currently, he is hosting the PBS series David Holt’s State of Music, featuring some of the regions finest musicians including Rhiannon Giddens, Steep Canyon Rangers and Balsam Range. He is host of public television’s Folkways, a North Carolina program that takes the viewer through the Southern Mountains visiting traditional craftsmen and musicians. An evening with David Holt offers tales, ballads and tunes told, sung and played on the banjo, slide guitar, guitar, harmonica, bones, spoons and jaw harp. His audiences are constantly involved, learning to

David Holt

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26 February 2016 — RAPID RIVER ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE — Vol. 19, No. 6

An evening of music, folktales and true-life stories. play the paper bag, applauding the vitality of his clog dancing, listening to the haunting sound of a 122 year old mountain banjo, or being spellbound by a ghost story. IF David Holt in concert, YOU GO Saturday February 6 at

7:30 p.m. Tickets are $25; proceeds go to support the theater’s building fund. Call (828) 456-6322 and leave a message to reserve tickets, or purchase online at www.harttheatre.org. Haywood Arts Regional Theatre, 250 Pigeon St. in Waynesville.

a Bogart’s ‘Favorite,’ the Prolific Sweet Potato, served as an appetizas tender as any filet. The bacon er or a meal; it’s stuffed with pulled wrap was an accent and did not pork BBQ, bacon, jack and cheddar over power the beef. cheese, creamy chipotle sauce and We also ordered the lightly chives. People were digging it! breaded and fried shrimp, a genJudy offered us a choice of erous portion and blessedly not desserts, and we wanted to pick greasy! Cooked ‘just right,’ the a house-made one. We split the shrimp tasted fresh and tender. blackberry cobbler with vanilla ice cream. The cobbler was more blackberries than crust, nice! It was also not too sweet, and large enough to split easily. But it was a tough choice, since they also had homemade bread pudding. Bogart’s has Bogart’s serves steaks, chicken, seafood, burgers, sandwiches, wraps, soups and salads. a warm and happy vibe, a real Entrees come with a side destination spot, where we felt salad, Caesar or house, and a we were one of the family, even nice selection of sides, includthough we were out-of-towners. ing flame-roasted apples, sweet I think they’re proud of that, or regular potatoes, veggies, they can welcome everyone and rice pilaf, and more. We chose anyone to have a great meal and a sweet potato fries and the roasted lovely visit, whether they’re passapples with cinnamon sugar, pering through town, or will come fect for those fall food cravings. back again and again. For vegetarian choices, Bogart’s has a Chipotle Black Bean Burger, a Grilled Portobello Bogart’s Restaurant Mushroom burger, and a Veggie Philly. For the meat lovers they and Tavern have a nice selection of 1/3 lb. 303 South Main St. burgers, cooked to order, with an Waynesville, NC 28786 assortment of toppings to please. (828) 452-1313 Glancing at the other diners, we saw that a popular choice was ‘Bogart’s’ cont’d from page 21

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WinterFest Smoky Style

Fourth Annual Polar Plunge Saturday, February 6 at 11:30 a.m. Registration at 10:30 a.m. Lake Junaluska Assembly Beach. Sponsored by Haywood Waterways.

Wild Game Dinner

Friday, February 26 at 6 p.m. The Haywood Community College Student Chapter of The Wildlife Society will host the Tenth Annual Wild Game Dinner. Donation at the door

Breakfast With the Mushers

is $10 per person ($5 if you bring a wild game dish, vegetables, or dessert). Children 12 and under eat free! There will be a door prize drawing, a silent auction, and a live auction. A lifetime hunting/fishing license will be awarded! The event also features live music and a calling competition. Held at the Haywood County Fairgrounds, 758 Crabtree Road, Waynesville, NC 28785. Call (828) 627-4560 for details.

Sunday, February 28 from 8 to 9:30 a.m. Cataloochee Ranch Breakfast, $10.95. Reservations at (828) 9261401. Mingle with the mushers and meet the dogs. For more details, visit winterfestsmokystyle.com WinterFest Smoky Style is sponsored by the Haywood Tourism Authority, www.VisitNCSmokies.com

The Great Alone The inspiring story of champion sled dog racer, Lance Mackey. The Great Alone pulls viewers along every mile of Lance’s emotional journey to become one of the greatest sled dog racers of all time. Screenings held Friday, February 26 at 7 p.m.; Saturday, February 27 at 4 & 7 p.m.; Sunday, February 28 at 2 & 4 p.m. at The Strand, 38 N. Main Street, downtown Waynesville.

WinterFest Saturday, February 27 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Maggie Valley Festival Grounds. Exhibitors and Performers from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Bonfire at 5 p.m. Sled Dog Demonstrations – The mushers will have their dogs camped out on the Festival Grounds so that you can visit and chat in a leisurely setting. Demonstrations Saturday, February 27, at 11:30 a.m., 1 p.m., 2:30 p.m., and 4 p.m. Sunday, February 28 at 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.

WR WO WT

Featuring Local Sunburst Trout

FROG LEVEL WP WA WF

Burr Studio

Gallery of American Art & Craft

WB WR

Live Webcam www.downtownwaynesville.com

828-456-7400

136 N. Main Street Waynesville, NC

128 N. Main Street Waynesville, NC 28786

Open Daily Lunch: 11:30 to 3:00 • Dinner: 4:30 to 9:00 PG. 27

828-454-5400 www.BlossomOnMain.com

Vol. 19, No. 6 — RAPID RIVER ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE — February 2016 27

authors ~ poetry ~ books

The Poet’s Voice

BLACK VOICES MATTER

Quincey Troupe spoke with Bill Moyers at a Festival of Poets in 1995. Nobody can say it like Quincey! “People want to hear The Voice. They want to hear the poet sing. They want to hear something that connects to their life. You’ve got to write where you come from. Democracy needs poets in all their diversity because our hope for survival is in recognizing the reality of one another’s lives. Poetry is the most honest language we hear today.” Now for honest words, I will let Audra, James, Countee, Gwendolyn, Etheridge, Frances, Bell, Alice, Rita, lucille, Nikki, Paul, Robert, Langston, and DJ speak their truth.

hear them cry the long dead the long gone speak to us from beyond the grave guide us that we may learn all the ways to hold tender this land hard clay dirt rock upon rock charred earth in time strong green growth will rise here trees back to life native flowers pushing the fragrance of hope the promise of resurrection. ~ Bell Hooks

Imagination

Imagination creates the situation, and, then, the situation creates imagination. It may, of course, be the other way around: Columbus was discovered by what he found. ~ James Baldwin

Don’t Think

Advertise with Rapid River Magazine Easy Monthly Billing Free Web Links & Ad Design Call (828) 646-0071

The most important thing I know about teaching is that the teacher is also learning. Don’t think you have to know it all. ~ Nikki Giovani

28 February 2016 — RAPID RIVER ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE — Vol. 19, No. 6

you wish to speak of black and white no you wish to hear of black and white have we not talked of human every human comes to every color some remember some do not ~ lucille clifton

CAROL PEARCE BJORLIE – THE POET BEHIND THE CELLO

from Hymn to Lanie Poo: Each Morning 4

Each morning I go down to Gansevoort St. and stand on the docks. I stare out at the horizon until it gets up and comes to embrace me. I make believe it is my father. This is known as genealogy. ~ Amiri Baraka

Haiku

Jazz is the way brown sugar would sound if it was sprinkled in your ear. ~ DJ Renegade

Dream Boogie: Variation

Tinkling treble, Rolling bass, High noon teeth In a midnight face, Great long fingers Mind Shine On great big hands, for Michelle Screaming pedals Woman Where his of color twelve-shoe lands, lighting up Looks like his eyes the Frederick Douglass Are teasing pain, dark. When it is finally ours, this freedom, this liberty, A few minutes late ~ Alice Walker this beautiful and terrible thing, needful to man as air, For the Freedom usable as earth; when it belongs at last to all, Train. Sometimes when it is truly instinct, brain matter, diastole, systole, ~ Langston Sometimes reflex action; when it is finally won; when it is more Hughes who knows how? than the gaudy mumbo jumbo of politicians: the body & the this man, this Douglass, this former slave, this Negro Writer, read soul beaten to his knees, exiled, visioning a world these poet’s works. come back where none is lonely, none hunted, alien, Stand in awe. Tell together this man, superb in love and logic, this man about it. again shall be remembered. Oh, not with statues’ rhetoric, Rejoice! the hand not with legends and poems and wreaths of bronze alone, holding the pen but with the lives grown out of his life, the lives writes fleshing his dream of the beautiful, needful thing. RESOURCES not advertising ~ Robert Hayden The Language of but heart. Life: A Festival ~ Alice Walker of Poets, edited by Bill Moyers, The dedication page of Aunt Chloe’s Politics Doubleday, 1995. The Vintage Book of African Of course, I don’t know very much Nikki Giovanni, QuiltAmerican Poetry is dedicated About these politics, ing the Black-Eyed Pea, to both editor’s parents with But I think that some who run ‘em Harper Perennial, 2002 these words following their Do mighty ugly tricks. names and dates: “These lucille clifton, Mercy, parents believed the burden I’ve seen ‘em honey-fugle round, BOA Ed. Ltd. 2004 of past, present, and future is And talk so awful sweet, The Vintage Book of best handled with the grip of That you’d think them full of kindess, African American Poetry, literacy.” As an egg is full of meat. ed. by Michael Harper and Anthony Walton, I said to Joe Frazier, Now I don’t believe in looking Random House Inc, NY . . . . . . Always Honest people in the face, 2000 keep one good Cadillac. And saying when you’re doing wrong, Norton Anthology of AfAnd watch how you dress That “I haven’t sold my race.” rican American Literature, with that cowboy hat, ed. by Henry Louis Gates pink suits, white shoes – When we want to school our children, and Nellie Y. McKay, that’s how pimps dress, If the money isn’t there, WW Norton & Co., 1997 or kids, and you a champ, Whether black or white have took it, Jimmy’s Blues and Other or wish you were, ‘cause The loss we all must share. Poems, James Baldwin, I can whip you in the ring Beacon Press, MA 2011 or whip you in the street. And this buying up each other Is something worse than mean, Hard Times Require ~ Elizabeth Alexander Tough I thinks a heap of voting, Furious Dancing, Alice I go for voting clean. Walker, New World Haiku Library, CA 2010 ~ Frances E. W. Harper Making jazz swing in seventeen syllables AIN’T No square poet’s job. I want to meet you all, writers, dreamers, readers and listeners. We need each other. Contact Carol at bjorlie.carol@yahoo.com ~ Etheridge Knight

authors ~ books ~ readings Love Stories That Won’t Make You Barf

Five great books BY LAUREN NAPOLI that happen to have great romances too. Craving a good love story, but find your stomach turning at the prospect of a disappointing plot and overly saccharine writing? Here are my top five weird, wonderful, lovely picks!

1) House of Sleep, by Jonathan Coe – “Intri-

cately plotted and ingeniously constructed… A deft satire… a strange and poignant love story.” ~ The Wall Street Journal.

2) Stardust, by Neil Gaiman

– marvelous, enchanting, twisty, sparkling.

3) Scorpio Races, by Mag-

gie Stiefvater – compelling, tactile, original, sprinkled with Celtic mythology. 4) 2 AM at the Cat’s

Pajamas, by Marie-Helen Bertino – vibrant, wildly entertaining, buoyant, serendipitous. 5) Let the Right One In, by John Ajvide

Lindqvist – chilling, touching, awful and fantastic.

Bonus Pick Number 6 – The Princess Bride, by William Goldman.

Short Stories, a Web Exclusive Contribute to Rapid River Magazine’s online 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, February 7 at 3 p.m. Readings by three poets: Holly E. Dunlap (Feet to Water), Mike Ross (Small Engine Repair), and William Jackson Blackley (Lingering Fire).

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

Malaprop’s Recommended Reading

MELANIE MCNAIR SELECTIONS

This February, I plan to celebrate the love that carries us through the disappointments and failures of romantic love. Friendships constitute some of the most central relationships in life, and yet they have no special day on the calendar. Hanya Yanagihara’s novel A Little Life, now out in paperback, beautifully illuminates the powerful and lasting love of these relationships. The novel follows four young men, roommates at an elite college who move to New York city to establish their careers, through decades of highs and lows. It is not an easy read, but one whose characters will remain with you long after you put it down. For a celebration of female friendship, turn to the wildly successful Neapolitan series by Elena Ferrante beginning with My Brilliant Friend. These too take you through decades and have the added benefit of bringing some Mediterranean sun into the long February nights.

CAROLINE CHRISTOPOULOS SELECTIONS The House at Riverton by Kate Morton is a beautiful, romantic work of historical fiction. This book is set in the early part of the 20th century in England right as that country’s social mores are being overturned by the first World War

– we see the action through the eyes of a house maid in a truly upstairs/downstairs work. You will love Grace, you will love the family she so dutifully serves in this wonderfully written page turner of a tragic love story! The Beekeeper’s Apprentice by Laurie R. King is a romp of a mystery story featuring the fabulous, strong willed genius Mary Russell with her equally fabulous and strong willed mentor Sherlock Holmes. The first in a series of books featuring these two characters, The Beekeeper’s Apprentice will have you loving both of these oddballs from the start. I can’t wait to read the next one! The Truth About The Harry Quebert Affair by Joel Dicker is a thoroughly engrossing mystery about a young writer who believes his beloved mentor Harry Quebert has been wrongly accused of a grisly murder...what happens when our hero plunges into the community to dig up the truth will have you questioning everyone’s innocence! This is a book that I could not put down – my favorite mystery since the Robert Galbraith trilogy! The Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith. The third in the series of Cormoran Strike books by Robert Galbraith (aka J.K. Rowling) is fantastic! I adore Cormoran and Robin – like Harry Potter and Hermione Grainger, they make a very strong pair bringing their respective talents to the table to solve each gruesome mystery. This time Galbraith gets us really into the mind of the killer in a new narrative continued on page 34

The Best Worst Romances in Literature

As much as I love love, I’ve always been a little cynical about Valentine’s Day. I think it started when a high school boyfriend gave me a tulip and took me to Waffle House for dinner to celebrate (bad move, high school boyfriend). I get a little cranky this time of year (frankly, mostly because I’m cold). My favorite Valentine’s Day was in college when a campus group I was involved with threw a party where you could decorate your own anti-Valentine’s, complete with sparkles and skull and crossbones stickers. So many of the literary relationships we’ve come to idealize originated in the strange gender and sexual norms of the nineteenth century. The nineteenth century is kind of my thing, so I’m just going

ALI MCGHEE

to embrace it. So, in the spirit of my cynicism, I now present to you the Best Worst Couples in Nineteenth-Century Literature (some spoilers ahead!). Read while drinking tea and having a nice biscuit, alone or with your favorite someone.

FEBRUARY

PARTIAL LISTING

We host numerous Readings & Bookclubs, as well as Salons! Visit www.malaprops.com

READINGS & BOOKSIGNINGS Saturday, February 6 at 7 p.m. CECIL BOTHWELL, Usin’ the Juice: An Oratorio. Saturday, February 13 at 7 p.m. Intimacy: Poems, anthology edited by Richard Krawiec. Sunday, February 14 at 3 p.m. ROSS HOWELL, JR., Forsaken, Jim Crow era. Wednesday, February 17 at 7 p.m. ED TARKINGTON, Only Love Can Break Your Heart, mystery, faith, fear, and hope. Thursday, February 18 at 7 p.m. MEREDITH LEIGH, The Ethical Meat Handbook: Complete Home Butchery, Charcuterie and Cooking for the Conscious Omnivore. Saturday, February 20 at 7 p.m. JOSHILYN JACKSON, The Opposite of Everyone, and SARA GRUEN, At the Water’s Edge. Tickets are $10 and include a coupon for either book, and a reception with refreshments. Sunday, February 21 at 5 p.m. Al Black and Len Lawson, Poets Respond to Race. Unity and conversation through poetry. Tuesday, February 23 at 7 p.m. RICHARD JUDY, Thru: An Appalachian Trail Love Story. Thursday, February 25 at 7 p.m. SUSAN DENNARD, Truthwitch, first in the Witchlands series; VERONICA ROSSI, Riders, actionpacked plot. Friday, February 26 at 7 p.m. DENNIS COVINGTON, Revelation: A Search for Faith in a Violent Religious World. Saturday, February 27 at 7 p.m. PETER LAURENCE, Becoming Jane Jacobs, urban history and architectural criticism. Sunday, February 28 at 3 p.m. It’s All Relative: Tales from the Tree, anthology from Nancy Dillingham and Celia Miles.

55 Haywood St.

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

PG. 19

Everyone (but especially Heathcliff and Catherrine Earnshaw) in Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte.

This classic of early Victorian literature depends on the failed relationships of pretty much everyone in it. Heathcliff and Catherine have become a symbol of eternal romance, continued on page 34

Vol. 19, No. 6 — RAPID RIVER ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE — February 2016 29

what to do guide Friday, February 5

Free Planet Radio

‘Just the Three of Us,’ world-jazz fusion with multiinstrumentalist Chris Rosser, Grammy Award winner Eliot Wadopian, and percussionist River Guerguerian. Innovative eclectic grooves and gorgeous compositions. 8 p.m. Tickets: $16 in advance; $20 door; VIP $30. The Altamont Theatre, 18 Church St., Asheville. (828) 270-7747, www. TheAltamont.com.

Friday, February 5

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes Masterful portrayal of one of the most brilliant detectives in all of literary history. Join Holmes, Dr. Watson, and other colorful characters as the Aquila Theatre Company presents a witty, fast-paced night of mystery and intrigue. 8 p.m. at Diana Wortham Theatre in Asheville. Call (828) 2574530 or visit www.dwtheatre.com.

Saturday, February 6

Thomas Wolfe Memorial Literary Award Celebration

Doug Orr & Fiona Ritchie are recognized for Wayfaring Strangers: The Musical Voyage from Scotland and Ul-

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.

ster to Appalachia. Presented by WNC Historical Association from 4-6 p.m. at the Top of the Plaza, Renaissance Hotel, 31 Woodfin St., Asheville. Tickets: $10. Reservations: Asheville History Center (828) 253-9231 or email Bill. Lineberry@ymail.com. For more information contact Bill Lineberry or Carol Anders (828) 686-1380.

Saturday, February 6

Pathways

Collage exhibition by Bob Falanga. Reception from 11 to 3 p.m. Runs thru March 24, 2016. West Asheville Library, 942 Haywood Rd., Asheville. (828) 250-4750.

Saturday, February 6

Sierra Hull CD Release

The Magnetic Theatre February 11-13, 18-20 & 25-27 – The Caro Savanti Experience. Asheville’s favorite celebrity chef returns. By Jim Julien. Directed by Elliot Weiner. March 4-6 – Don’t Count Your Chickens Until They Cry Wolf. Asheville Creative Arts presents a musical romp through Aesop’s Fables, involving every age in tuneful pleasure, making audiences into actors. The Magnetic Theatre 375 Depot Street in the River Arts District www.themagnetictheatre.org

Saturday, February 13

Bella Hristova

Singer, mandolin player, composer and lyricist releases Weighted Mind. $25 $40. 8 p.m. The Altamont Theatre, 18 Church St., Asheville. (828) 270-7747, www.TheAltamont.com.

Friday, February 12

Freedom Songs & Spirituals

Musicians Jim and Beth Magill host Intersections – Sing Together. All skill levels are welcome; no experience required. 6:30 p.m. in The Forum off the main lobby. Special guest Becky Stone explores the Freedom Train with inspirational music. Call (828) 257-4530 or visit www.dwtheatre.com.

Table Manners The first of the acclaimed Norman Conquests trilogy by British playwright and humorist Alan Ayckbourn. Directed by Jim Reid, produced by The Autumn Players Tuesday, February 9 – Auditions from 10:30 to 2:30 p.m. at 35below. February 26 & 27 at 2:30 p.m. – Performance at 35below at Asheville Community Theatre. $6. February 28 at 2:30 p.m. – Performance at UNCA’s Reuter Center. Tickets: $6. Asheville Community Theatre 35 E. Walnut St., Asheville (828) 254-1320 www.ashevilletheatre.org

Performance of Beethoven’s Violin Concerto with The Asheville Symphony. Directed by Daniel Meyer. 8 p.m. at Thomas Wolfe Auditorium in downtown Asheville. Tickets: $22 – $62. Tickets/Info: (828) 254-7046 or www.ashevillesymphony.org.

Salman Rushdie Lecture

The world renowned author delivers a free public lecture, Public Events, Private Lives: Literature + Politics in the Modern World. 7 p.m. at UNC Asheville’s Kimmel Arena. Doors open at 6 p.m. Shuttles from UNC Asheville parking lots. No backpacks or outside food. Info: Call (828) 251-6674, visit cesap.unca.edu/events/salman-rushdie.

Friday, February 19

Private Domain

Solo exhibition of recent work by retired UNC Asheville painting and drawing professor, Virginia Derryberry. Opening reception 6-8 p.m. in S. Tucker Cooke Gallery in UNC Asheville’s Owen Hall. On view from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. weekdays through March 4, 2016. (828) 251.6559, art.unca.edu.

Now through February 21

Jeeves Intervenes

High society playboy Bertie Wooster and his school chum, Eustace, hatch a plan to save Bertie from an undesirable

marriage and Eustace from a faraway job in India. A delicious romp full of deception and disguise starring Scott Treadway and Charlie Flynn McIver. 7:30 p.m. Tickets: $16-32. North Carolina Stage Company, 15 Stage Lane in Asheville. Call (828) 239-0263 or visit www.ncstage.org.

Tuesday, February 23

The Culture of the Chestnut

Featuring historian Anne Rogers, Gordon McKinney, and Tom Saielli of the American Chestnut Foundation. 7 p.m. at Blue Ridge Community College’s Thomas Auditorium. $5 suggested donation. Call the Center for Cultural Preservation at (828) 692-8062, or go to www.saveculture.org.

February 25-28

Twilight: Los Angeles 1992

Anna Deavere Smith’s play about the beating of Rodney King and the riots that followed will be staged by UNC Asheville’s Department of Drama at Belk Theatre on campus. February 2527 at 7:30 p.m. February 28 matinee at 2 p.m. Tickets are $12; $10 for faculty and seniors; $7 for students. (828) 251.6610, drama.unca.edu.

Friday, February 26

Odyssey Co-op Gallery

Thursday, February 18

™

Saturday, February 13 Celebrating the ceramic art of Anna Koloseike and Kate Gardner and other gallery members. Food, music, and artists’ demonstrations. Odyssey Co-op Gallery, 238 Clingman Avenue in the River Arts District. (828) 285-9700, or visit www.odysseyceramicarts.com

Jane Kramer CD Release

Vocalist and songwriter releases Carnival of Hopes. Enchanting and accessible song-crafting; country, honky tonk, blues. The Grey Eagle, 185 Clingman Ave., Asheville. (828) 2325800 or visit www.thegreyeagle.com

Saturday, February 27

Susto

Charleston, South Carolina band on tour with the Heartless Bastards. Breathtaking Southern gothic country. Isis Music Hall, 743 Haywood Rd. in west Asheville. Call (828) 5752737 or visit www.isisasheville.com.

Tuesday, March 1

Moon Hooch

Brooklyn sax-and-drums dance music trio turn jazz, world, and classical music into something seamless, fresh and new. Doors: 8 p.m.; show: 9 p.m. Tickets: $10 in advance; $12 at the door. 21+. The Mothlight, 701 W. Haywood Road, Asheville. (828) 252-5433

March 3-19

Glengarry Glen Ross

All-female production of the play by David Mamet. Desperate sales agents sell undesirable real estate to unwitting buyers. Directed by Steph Hickling Beckman and Sean David Robinson. Thursday through Saturday evenings at 7:30 p.m. Tickets: $18 in advance; $21 at the door. BeBe Theatre, 20 Commerce St., Asheville. (828) 254-2621.

Friday, March 4

The American String Quartet

Concert will feature works by Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven. 8 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation located at the corner of Edwin Place and Charlotte Street in Asheville. Tickets are $38. Presented by the Asheville Chamber Music Series. For more information call Nathan Shirley at (828) 575-7427, email support@ashevillechambermusic.org, and visit www.ashevillechambermusic.org.

Tuesday, March 8

Classic Hikes of the Smokies

Hike to Little Cataloochee; 6.6 miles round trip; moderate in difficulty with a total elevation gain of 1,450 feet. Participants will visit a historic chapel, cemetery and cabin. Hikes are lead by hiking guide and author Danny Bernstein. Join Friends of the Smokies and hike for $35. Fee for members is $20. Visit www.Friendsofthesmokies.org.

Music Video Asheville Call for Submissions Deadline: Friday, March 13, 2016 9th annual showcase celebrates the collaboration of Asheville musicians and filmmakers. Prizes include a free day of studio time at Echo Mountain Recording Studios and a $500 cash prize. Music Video Asheville takes place Wednesday, April 13 at Diana Wortham Theatre in Asheville. Questions? Email Kelly Denson at Kelly@LushLifePro. com or call (828) 515-1081. Submission guidelines and instructions can be found at www.musicvideoavl.com.

Greening Up the Mountains Festival Call for Vendors Apply by Friday, April 1, 2016 Seeking artists, mountain crafters, environmental and food vendors for the 19th annual festival, which takes place Saturday, April 23 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in downtown Sylva, NC. Call (828) 631-4587. Applications available at www.greeningupthemountains.com.

FEBRUARY EVENTS ~ ANNOUNCEMENTS ~ OPENINGS ~ SALES 30 February 2016 — RAPID RIVER ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE — Vol. 19, No. 6

what to do guide John Mac Kah Studio

Best in Show

™

by Phil Juliano

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

Lex 18 Events Lex 18 is a Southern Appalachian Restaurant, Supper Club, and Moonshine Bar. Tuesday, February 9 – Mardi Gras Dinner Concert. 5-piece band performing the music of Dr. John & The Best of N’awlins. Bayou Elixer dinner, masks, beads and the heady music of Bon Temps! Shows at 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.

Drawing or Painting – Monday & Thursday, 9-4 p.m. Children’s Art with Alisa – Tuesday & Wednesday, 3:30-5:30 p.m. Thursday Morning Demos – 10 a.m. to noon Studio Painting – Thursdays, 6-9 p.m. Landscape on Location – Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Callie & Cats

by Amy Downs

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

Friday & Saturday, February 12 & 13 – Besame Mucho Musical Dinner and Dance Revue. Shows at 5:45 p.m. and 8:15 p.m. Sunday, February 14 – En Tango Mi Valentino Dinner Concert and Show. Shows at 5:45 p.m. and 8:15 p.m. Lex 18, 18 N. Lexington Ave., downtown Asheville, www.lex18avl.com

Now through April 17

Botanica: Botanical Monoprints

Exhibition of works by Sandee Johnson captures the essence of botanical specimens using water based inks and an etching press to add each layer of the monoprint until it is rich with hidden details and impressions of nature. On display at the North Carolina Arboretum on the second floor gallery inside the Education Center, 100 Frederick Law Olmsted Way, Asheville.

Call for Vendors Corgi Tales

by Phil Hawkins

Saturday June 18 – 2nd Annual Front Street Arts & Crafts Show. Apply by April 1, 2016.

Now through July 2016

Saturday, August 20 – Dillsboro Summer Arts & Crafts Market. Apply by June 1, 2016.

Barnhill Exhibition

The Liston B. Ramsey Center for Regional Studies at Mars Hill University presents “Appalachia a Century Ago, Craft through the Lens of William A. Barnhill.” The exhibition showcases Barnhill’s photographs of western North Carolina residents demonstrating traditional crafts. On display through July 2016. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 9 a.m. until 12 noon; Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1 until 4 p.m. For more information, contact Hannah Furgiuele, (828) 689-1571, or visit www.mhu.edu.

Saturday, October 1 – 8th Annual ColorFest. Apply by July 1, 2016.

Dragin

by Michael Cole

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

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.

Apply at www.visitdillsboro.org For more information, please call Connie Hogan at (828) 586-3511.

Pawsitive Pup Beginnings

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.

The town of Dillsboro will host three arts and crafts shows in 2016. Display and demonstrate handmade arts and crafts from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Family friendly, food, fun, and entertainment.

Got Knee Pain? Back Pain? Shoulder Pain?

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. 6 — RAPID RIVER ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE — February 2016 31

Find It Here

Jewels That Dance www.jewelsthatdance.com

Asheville Brewers Supply www.AshevilleBrewers.com

John Mac Kah www.johnmackah.com

Asheville Community Theatre www.ashevilletheatre.org

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

Asheville Gallery of Art www.ashevillegallery-of-art.com

Kathmandu www.CafeKathmanduAsheville.com

Asheville Locksmith Now www.AshevilleLocksmithNow.com

Lexington Glassworks www.LexingtonGlassworks.com

Asheville Symphony Orchestra www.ashevillesymphony.org

Linda Neff, NCBTMB lneff68@yahoo.com

BlackBird Frame & Art www.blackbirdframe.com

The Magnetic Theatre www.themagnetictheatre.org

Black Mountain Swannanoa Chamber of Commerce www.exploreblackmountain.com

Malaprops Bookstore/Cafe www.malaprops.com

Blossom on Main www.BlossomOnMain.com

Maple Tree Vet Clinic www.mapletreevet.com Mellow Mushroom (828) 236-9800 www.mellowmushroom.com

Blue Ridge Biscuit Company www.facebook.com/ BlueRidgeBiscuitCompany

Mountain Top Appliance www.mountainviewappliance.com

Bogart’s Restaurant www.bogartswaynesville.com Burr Studio www.facebook.com/burrstudionc Cafe 64 www.cafe-64.com Carolina Mountain Artists Guild www.facebook.com/CarolinaArtists The Chocolate Fetish www.chocolatefetish.com

NC Stage Company www.ncstage.org O’Charley’s www.ocharleys.com Octopus Garden www.theOG.us On Demand Printing www.ondemandink.com Points of Light www.pointsoflight.net

Classic Wineseller www.classicwineseller.com

Richard C. Baker (828) 234-1616

Diana Wortham Theatre www.dwtheatre.com

Seven Sisters Gallery www.sevensistersgallery.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

including any author or personality that has been a source of inspiration leading a person to know they are not alone in their questioning and search for answers into the human condition. Sangha can be found in Nature-based cultures like Native American or the ancient Druids that lived believing in balance and the wisdom and infinite connectedness of the natural world. It may even be found in writers of fiction or artists and musicians who wrestle with the human condition and from whom inspiration and solace is to be found. The Sangha of awakening is everywhere to be found. It may have been a supportive teacher, a kindly neighbor, a wise friend. The refuge, the safe place for us to return and find encouragement for us to explore the truth of who we are and what it is to be a human being is all around us. Even the birds and squirrels, the trees, the mountains, the waters and clouds can speak to us as family and reveal their secret of unity and peace. It is true that society, our human interactions, and even our own minds can be places of emotional, even existential danger and distress. Look to Buddha, Dharma, Sangha. The Awakening, the Way and the Community of humanity and Nature evolving into wisdom, compassion and insight await us as truly effective refuges from ignorance and the ego-based shallowness, indifference, materialism, even cruelty and exploitation of our contemporary world, as well as the confusion of our own minds. Embrace these gems and discover the “I” that can see and know peace, wisdom and unity. These refuges can sustain and guide us into finding balance for the personal and insecure egoic “I” that struggles with the world through the realization of the ultimate “I,” the spark of consciousness that is our primary experience, that knows there is no separation from the world. This is the “I” that knows we are the world arising in awareness

Starving Artist www.StarvingArtistCatalog.com

t.e. siewert www.tesiewert.com

Wasabi www.WasabiAsheville.com

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

Zapow www.zapow.com

Highland Avenue Restaurant www.highlandavenuerestaurant.com

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Discover the “I” that can see and know peace, wisdom and unity. moment to moment and that ultimately there is no struggle, no obstacle, no suffering, just life, and we are that life. Engage life fully, resist nothing emotionally, take nothing personally, deeply appreciate the wonder that is life, while working to bring our personal and communal experience into deeper compassion, effectiveness and wisdom. This is the Buddhist Way. This is the Triple Gem. 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 classes, talks, personal growth and healing instruction, or phone consultations at (828) 258-3241, e-mail at healing@billwalz.com. Learn more, see past columns, video and audio programs at www.billwalz.com

Please Support Our Advertisers Buying local helps keep money in the neighborhood. For every $100 spent at a locally owned business, $45 goes back into the community. Local businesses are owned by people who are invested in our future.

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Susan Marie Designs www.susanmariedesigns.com

Visions of Creation www.visionsofcreation.com

Anthony L. Guidone, A Soldiers Lament www.soldierslament.com

Southern Highland Craft Guild www.craftguild.org

Twigs and Leaves Gallery www.twigsandleaves.com

Green Room Cafe www.thegreenroomcafe.biz

‘The Triple Gem’ cont’d from pg. 25

The Three Davids www.dwtheatre.com

Frugal Framer www.frugalframer.com

artful living

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

CLYDE

Go to www.rapidrivermagazine.com 32 February 2016 — RAPID RIVER ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE — Vol. 19, No. 6

WAYNESVILLE

GREAT SMOKY MTN EXPY. WV

TUNNEL ROAD TC

HICKORY, NC YH

HENDERSONVILLE & Flat Rock Music on the Rock

Live Music at The Green Room Café

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The Music of Barry Manilow, February 11-14

Hendersonville’s premier, live dinner music venue. The Green Room Café specializes in artisan crafted scrumptious food made fresh from local ingredients; featuring signature dinner entrees, gourmet sandwiches, soups and salads, breakfast and baked treats. We offer premium beer, wine and Elise Pratt spirits, Fair Trade locally roasted espresso & coffees, and an assortment of loose-leaf teas. Join us for live dinner music on most Saturday nights beginning at 5:30 p.m.

Flat Rock Playhouse’s hugely success concert series continues to pack houses. Get your tickets early! Shows at 8 p.m. Flat Rock Playhouse, 125 South Main Street, Hendersonville. For more information, please call (828) 693-0731, and visit www.flatrockplayhouse.org.

530 N. MAIN STREET, HENDERSONVILLE PG. 11

(828) 697-1300 • O PEN M ON-S AT 11AM-6PM

Saturday, February 13 – Deb Bridges & Groove. Blues, Jazz, Pop variety. Denny Lee, Bass; Deb Bridges, Keys; John Burk, Drums.

Carl Sandburg Home

Sunday, February 14 – Valentines Day – Lake & Moore, acoustic guitar duo. Love songs, Folk & Americana.

Enjoy a guided tour of Carl Sandburg’s home.

Saturday, February 27 – Jazz Trio. Elise Pratt, vocals;

Mike Holstein, guitar; Byron Hedgepath, vibes & congas. IF YOU

Performances 5:30-7:30 p.m. at The Green Room Cafe, 536 N. Main St., Hendersonville. Visit www. V IL TheGreenRoomCafe.biz or call (828) 692-6335. LE PA TT

Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site is located three miles south of Hendersonville off U.S. 225 on Little River Road. Open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., daily. Call (828) 693-4178, and visit www.nps.gov/carl

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HENDERSONVILLE - 28792 AV E

Carolina Mountain Artists Guild

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

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1. Keep money in the neighborhood 2. Embrace what makes us different. 3. Get better service. 4. Enjoy a more diverse range of product choices. 5. Create more good jobs. 6. Help out the environment. 7. Buying local supports community groups. 8. Invest in the community. 9. Put your taxes to good use. 10. Show the country we believe in Asheville.

AV E

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Where we shop, where we eat and hang out – all of it makes this place special. Chain stores are getting more aggressive throughout WNC and changing the character of our region. One-of-a-kind independent businesses are owned by real people who live right here. If we wanted to live somewhere that looked like everywhere else, we wouldn’t be living in WNC.

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Western North Carolina is home to a unique mix of neighborhoods and small towns.

J U S T IC E S T

10 Reasons to Buy Local

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Vol. 19, No. 6 — RAPID RIVER ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE — February 2016 33

authors ~ books ~ readings Writers’ Workshop Poetry Contest

26th Annual Poetry Contest, open to any writer regardless of residence. 1st Place: Your choice of a 2 night stay at our Mountain Muse B&B; or 2 free workshops (in person or on-line); or 10 poems line-edited and revised by our editorial staff. – All work must be unpublished. – Your name, address, email and title of work should appear on the first page. The entry fee is $25 ($20 for Workshop members) for up to three poems. Each poem should not exceed two pages. – Enclose legal size self-sealing SASE for critique and list of winners. Do not use Fedex, certified mail, etc. Make check or money order payable to The Writers’ Workshop, and mail to: Annual Poetry Contest, 387 Beaucatcher Road, Asheville, NC 28805. Entry fee is payable online at www.twwoa.org. – Emailed submission may be sent to writersw@gmail.com, with “Poetry Contest” in the subject. Deadline: postmarked or emailed by February 28, 2016.

Sidney Lanier Poetry Competition

Entries are now being accepted for the 8th Annual Sidney Lanier Poetry Competition, sponsored by the historic Lanier Library. The competition is open to adult and high school poets from North and South Carolina. Keith Flynn, awardwinning poet and founder and editor of the Asheville Poetry Review, will judge this year’s entries and present prizes at a ceremony held at the library on Saturday, April 23. Prizes of $500, $250 and $100 for adult winners and $100, $75 and $50 for high school students will be awarded. Deadline for submission of entries is Tuesday, March 1, 2016. For more information about the competition, including entry forms and a link for online submissions, visit www.lanierlib.org.

‘Best Worst’ cont’d from page 29

probably because their story is so exquisitely tragic and their suffering is pretty much unnecessary. They get bonus points for the suffering they inflict on other characters. The moody, sweeping English landscape adds an extra touch of sublime melancholia. Mr. Rochester and Antoinette Cosway in Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys.

Published in the 20th century but reflecting back on 19th-century colonial Jamaica, this is one of the most beautiful and haunting books I’ve ever read, and it justifies Mr. Rochester’s brutal punishment in Jane Eyre. Eustacia Vye, Damon Wildeve, and Clym Yeobright in The Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy.

Thomas Hardy’s beautiful, tragic novel revolves around the gorgeous and hopelessly bored Eustacia Vye, whose marriage to the cosmopolitan Clym backfires when he decides to open a school instead of return to the glamour of continental Europe. The lothario Wildeve wants Eustacia too. It’s a Thomas Hardy novel, so lots of people end up dead because of this scenario.

‘Staff Recommendations’ cont’d from page 29

twist. The Career of Evil will have you shivering – but in the end, you won’t be able to wait for the next installment!

HANNAH RICHARDSON SELECTIONS

PG. 19

We’ve all been there, sitting in bed at some wildly unholy hour with a book in one hand and a computer screen open on our laps as we peruse last minute flights to whatever country/city/town we have just fallen in (literary) love with. In the morning we sometimes regret it (“Did I really just purchase a flight to Limerick in mid-February courtesy Angela’s Ashes!?”), but it’s hard to turn down new love, especially when it comes in the form of vast landscapes, colorful markets and seaside towns that smell like marsh water. I unabashedly admit that while I often find companionship in a book’s characters, I more often than not fall head-over-heels for where they live, be it Mumbai, India or Monhegan Island, Maine. Much like I am a sucker for certain actors, I have almost no control when it comes to a book with a strong sense of place, the more rural the better. That said, here is a list of books that have almost had me packing my bags. Miss Rumphius, Barbara Cooney

34 February 2016 — RAPID RIVER ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE — Vol. 19, No. 6

Count and Countess Fosco in The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins. The Count and Countess actually have a healthier relationship than most of the other characters on here, though it’s partially dependent on the Countess’s unquestioning obedience of / obsession with her larger-than-life husband, one of literature’s most compelling and charming villains (he is also a true animal lover!). This couple proves that conspiring to murder and identity theft is the best way to keep the spark alive in your marriage. Neither the truly sensational mystery surrounding the mysterious woman in white nor the exceptionally intelligent Marian Holcombe can pull Fosco away from his Countess in the end. Mr. Rochester, Jane Eyre, and Bertha Mason in Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte.

This – perhaps my favorite – love triangle explodes in a conflagration of epic proportions. It’s probably not a best practice to keep your actual wife locked up while trying to pursue another woman. While Rochester and Jane end up finding their forever love, it’s not without its price. Tsk tsk, Mr. Rochester.

Lakota Woman, Mary Crow Dog Solo: On Her Own Adventure, Susan Fox Rogers Animal Dreams, Barbara Kingsolver The God of Small Things, Arundhati Roy Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe Wild, Cheryl Strayd Cutting for Stone, Abraham Verhese Tales of the City, Armistead Maupin

KAIA’S SELECTIONS For Younger Readers (or for the Young at Heart!) Full Cicada Moon by Marilyn Hilton – It’s 1969 and Mimi Oliver has moved to a new town much less accepting of her half Japanese, half Black roots. Life through her eyes, in verse. A poetic masterpiece for tweens and teens. Rating: A Favorite The Marvels by Brian Selznick – A future classic told through pictures and words. Full of plot twists and mystery. Follow Joseph as he unravels the secrets of his own family history and that of The Marvels. A story within a story for tweens and teens. Rating: Obsessed with this Book Recommended for tweens and teens – Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass by Louis Carroll.

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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.

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.

February 7: Ocean’s 11

February 2:

(1960) The original version of this sophisticated crime caper movie, about casino heists in Las Vegas, introduced the “Rat Pack’ to an international audience. Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr, and Peter Lawford co-star. Directed by Lewis Milestone.

The Man Who Fell To Earth (1976) A humanoid alien crash lands on Earth seeking water for his drought stricken planet. Stars David Bowie, Rip Torn and Candy Clark. Directed by Nicholas Roeg.

February 14: La Ronde (1950) This award winning French film about love in its many guises is an ideal choice for Valentine’s Day. Set in Vienna at the dawn of the 20th century and based on a celebrated play, the movie features Anton Walbrook, Simone Signoret, and Danielle Darrieux. Directed by Max Ophuls. February 21: The Secret Of Roan Inish (1994) Indie filmmaker John Sayles directed this captivating story of a 10 year old sent to live with her grandparents in an Irish coastal village where she hears the legend of the Selkie, a seal that can transform into a human and back again. Shot entirely on location in County Donegal, Ireland. Directed by John Sayles. February 28: Moby Dick (1956) Completed with great difficulty, this adaptation was heavily criticized for casting Gregory Peck against type as Captain Ahab, but his performance showcases his transformation from leading man into accomplished actor. The film has been reissued for its 60th anniversary, restoring the original 19th century color scheme. Richard Basehart, Leo Genn, and Orson Welles co-star. Directed by John Huston.

‘Colin Hay’ cont’d from page 23

JC: Has your audience grown older? CH: Sure. Although there are a few fans

of different ages most of my audience is my age. I went to a Paul McCartney show and there were kids in their teens and their parents and maybe even grandparents. I have some of that but not much.

JC: Speaking of Sir Paul, “Mr. Grogan” is an incredible piece. As a lament to a seemingly unremarkable and lonely life it reminds me of and (dare I say it) rivals Eleanor Rigby. I was deeply moved by it. CH: You’re not the first to make that

comparison which is pretty flattering. That was a song that came out of a real incident, but Mr. Grogan was actually a school teacher of mine, and the story wasn’t his, just some random events that I strung together. I’m not known for “story songs” but lately I find them easier to write. I guess I must have more stories to share.

Saving a Life from a potential catastrophe EVERY 10 MINUTES

February 9: It’s A Gift (1934) A henpecked New Jersey grocer makes plans to move to California to grow oranges, despite the resistance of his overbearing wife. Stars W.C. Fields, Kathleen Howard and Jean Rouverol. Directed by Norman Z. McLeod.

but I’m never alone. I have Life Alert.®

February 16: High, Wide and Handsome (1937) In 1859 Pennsylvania, a railroad tycoon muscles in on oil-drilling farmers and the wife of their leader. The hero must save their business and his marriage. Stars Alan Hale, Randolph Scott, Irene Dunne and Dorothy Lamour. Directed by Rouben Mamoulian. February 23: Broken Lullaby (1932) A pre-code drama about the guilt a young French soldier carries after killing a young German soldier (and fellow musician), and the lengths he’ll go to for forgiveness. Stars Lionel Barrymore, Nancy Carroll and Phillips Holmes. Directed by Ernst Lubitsch. Carolina Cinemas, 1640 Hendersonville Rd. (828) 274-9500. For more information go to www.facebook.com/ashevillefilmsociety

JC: Then there’s the other side of the coin, the more private moments such as “If I’d Been a Better Man” or “I Want You Back.” Do you start with a person or event in mind and go from there? I know asking songwriters to explain the process can be a futile exercise but I remain fascinated by how it all might work. CH: It goes every way. Sometimes it’s

something I saw or heard, or maybe just a guitar riff I have stuck in my head. I put them together and see what fits. While on the road I do a lot of journaling, often recording into my phone. When I get home I start putting them together, seeing what works. I call up Michael; we get together and watch where it goes from there. He co-wrote six of the new songs and I cannot say enough great things about him. He really is my sounding board and someone who understands what I want and isn’t afraid to challenge and push me.

JC: Talk about the current tour and the show in Asheville. Have you played here before? Do you have a steady band that you take out with you?

AS SEEN ON

For a FREE brochure call:

1-800-396-4903

CH: I played The Grey Eagle several times during the 1990’s...

JC: Darn, how’d I miss that? CH: It was pretty much just me; during

the time I was still reinventing myself. Some smallish crowds but as I said, that’s how it goes. I had the huge rock star life and it isn’t all it’s cracked up to be (laughing). All in all I’m in a damn good space.

JC: It seems I’ve overstayed my welcome, and I want to thank you for your time. Is there anything you would like to add that I haven’t covered? CH: No, you’ve been right proper and

I’ve enjoyed it. I appreciate the chance to chat. It’s not as if Rolling Stone is beating on my door!

PG. 32

IF YOU Colin Hay and friends, with GO opening act Heather Maloney,

Friday, February 12 at 8 p.m. Tickets: $27.50-$32.50. Diana Wortham Theatre, 2 S Pack Square, Asheville. (828) 257-4530, www.dwtheatre.com

Tell them you saw it in Rapid River Magazine!

Vol. 19, No. 6 — RAPID RIVER ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE — February 2016 35

pg. 19

We’ve Moved Up River

Enjoy and Give the

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pg. 33

pg. 32

Great Chamber Music

in Intimate Venues and Non-Traditional Spaces Contact Daniel Weiser, AmiciMusic Artistic Director, (802) 369-0856, or e-mail daniel@amicimusic.org for performance details.

www.amicimusic.org

Kyle and Friends

HOOTENANNY Monday, March 28

Highland Avenue ❖ 828.267.9800 883 Highland Avenue SE ❖ Hickory, NC 28602 pg. 32

Visit www.highlandavenuerestaurant.com or email Natalie at natalie@carolinamoonhospitality.com