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Western North Carolina’s craft distilling industry has grown significantly in recent years, but business owners say state laws are impeding its future growth.

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21 SLIPPING AWAY? Endangered Species Act changes could hinder hellbender conservation

30 COSMIC CONNECTIONS Diversity Productions’ multicultural musical events promote harmony

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18 ALL HANDS ON DECK Emergency CDC funding beefs up WNC response to opioid crisis

28 THE GRAPE-BASED SPIRIT This may be the year that brandy goes mainstream

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OPINION

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Expect rising health care prices with Mission Health purchase If the proposed transfer of the nonprofit Mission Health system to the for-profit Nashville megacorporation, HCA, is completed, Asheville and its surrounding communities will lose control of a vital and excellent health care resource.

The proposed money and power grab by nonprofit insiders, corporate outsiders, financial underwriters and city mothers/fathers (the crazed clique on the City Council) will undermine this fine institution and set the scene for large health care price increases. Such increases are inevitable when income streams from health care services are diverted to a supposed “community” foundation, to the city coffers to further the City Council’s flagrant and unproductive spending initiatives, to securities underwriters who will immediately “earn” large fees for underwriting the debt for this purchase and to the stockholders of the corporation who will

expect and deserve a return on their investments. The net result will be less money available to continue the quality care that Mission Health offers.

If you want to see monies diverted to crony individuals, groups and political supporters of the city establishment/government (new property tax revenues), you will be happy with this new arrangement. I can hardly wait to see who makes up the new “board” of the Dogwood [Health Trust] foundation that would be cut in for a sizable portion of the purchase price funding and how the “board insiders” disburse “their” funds.

When an areawide-owned asset like the nonprofit Mission Health perishes, it will be gone forever.

Instead of being utilized for the health of our citizens, then you will see these funds evaporate into the air and resulting health care costs will rise.

— Timothy Legare

Retired attorney Asheville Editor’s note: See “Mission Accomplished: Attorney General Approves ‘Rearticulated’ Mission-HCA Deal” on page 6 of this issue for an update on the sale of the health system.

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Charlotte Street ‘road diet’ will worsen air quality Why spend lots of money fixing Charlotte Street if it’s not broken?!

City Council recently passed the Charlotte Street diet program. The plan calls for Charlotte Street to become three lanes, allowing for bike lanes.

If you use Charlotte Street regularly, like I do, you will know that at certain times of the day, even with four lanes, there are traffic jams from Chestnut Street all the way to Edwin going south, and from the traffic light on Chestnut all the way to Edwin going north.

While I generally support more bike lanes and green initiatives, this proposed plan is not sound. It will cause even more traffic congestion with cars idling as they wait to drive down Charlotte Street. As cars idle, more exhaust will be created, which will cause more air pollution in the area neighborhoods.

Neighbors living in these areas who have asthma or compromised breathing issues will find it even harder to breathe, especially during the summer

when the air is heavier with humidity.

Walkers and bikers will also experience the air filled with fumes.

With the recent climate change report released last month, scientists predict temperatures to rise and air quality to decline. Does Asheville, the “green” town, really want to contribute to poorer air quality?

The cost of this project is estimated to be $1.25 million for the 50 bikers and walkers who use Charlotte Street daily.

Come on, Asheville, can’t we think of a more thoughtful and efficient way to promote clean energy?

— Ann McMartin Asheville

We want to hear from you!

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

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NEWS

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED Attorney general approves ‘rearticulated’ Mission-HCA deal

BY DANIEL WALTON dwalton@mountainx.com One of the largest sales of nonprofit assets to a for-profit company in North Carolina history, the $1.5 billion acquisition of Mission Health by Nashville-based HCA Healthcare, is set to take place by the end of the month after getting the go-ahead from state Attorney General Josh Stein. During a surprise Jan. 16 press conference at the Murphy-Oakley Recreation Center in East Asheville, the state’s top lawyer said he will not object to the deal — before adding the important caveat, “as it is being rearticulated.”

Stein announced that his office had developed a new asset purchase agreement after months of “extensive negotiations” involving Mission, HCA and the Dogwood Health Trust, the nonprofit foundation that will administer the proceeds of the sale. He explained that the changes would strengthen HCA’s community commitments, make the DHT board more representative of its service area and ensure greater accountability for both organizations.

“I would like to say a special word to the people of Western North Carolina in expression of my appreciation,” Stein said. “It was through the public forums that my office attended, delegations of your folks who came and met with me and folks in my office, hundreds of letters, dozens if not hundreds

UNITED FRONT: State Attorney General Josh Stein, center, stands with community health advocates and elected officials after announcing his approval of a revised Mission Health-HCA Healthcare sale agreement. Photo by Daniel Walton of phone calls — it was through your input that you helped to shape our objectives and priorities for what constituted a fair deal.”

DECISIONS OF THE DECADE “First and foremost” among the deal’s new provisions, Stein said,

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was the doubling of HCA’s commitment to provide services at Mission’s rural hospitals from five to 10 years. Those services, such as obstetrics and gynecology at Mission Hospital McDowell in Marion, will also be more precisely defined.

Stein emphasized that HCA will have fewer legal options to default on those commitments. An independent monitor, in addition to a rural hospital’s local advisory board, will now need to sign off on service reductions, and the agreement’s “force majeure” clause — a provision by which HCA could cancel services due to government actions or economic downturns — has been curtailed.

“HCA is making commitments, but then on the other hand, they

have outs,” Stein explained. “What we wanted to do was to make the commitments stronger and the outs tighter, and that’s what I think we’ve achieved.”

Should the health system violate those commitments, Stein added, his office will now have the power to “hold HCA’s feet to the fire.” Instead of handling disputes through forced arbitration under Delaware law, which is generally regarded as favorable to corporate interests, HCA will

face any legal action concerning its promises in the North Carolina Business Court.

“We want to get a fair fight if we have to go to court. My lawyers are expert in North Carolina law, less expert in Delaware law,” Stein said. “The people of Western North Carolina, whom we would represent, deserve a day in court.”

CONTINUES ON PAGE 8

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ON THE MAP: Attorney General Josh Stein will require the Dogwood Health Trust board to have only four members from Buncombe County by 2021. Graphic from the N.C. Department of Justice

752 Biltmore Avenue • 828-251-0094 • www.naturesvitaminsandherbs.com TRUST IN DOGWOOD In response to community criticism of the Dogwood Health Trust (see “Get on board,” Xpress, Dec. 12, avl.mx/5l6), Stein pushed for revisions to the foundation’s board and operational transparency. The nonprofit agreed to several changes that will give WNC residents outside of Buncombe County much more of a say in how it distributes an estimated $75 million per year to improve social determinants of health.

By January 2021, Stein said, the DHT must cut its board’s Buncombe County contingent from seven members down to four. It must also add two new members from the McDowell Hospital region and five new members from counties other than Buncombe, thereby inflating to 15 members from its current 11.

“Buncombe is a wonderful county, but there are a lot of counties in Western North Carolina that also have invested in their local hospitals,” Stein said. “My primary concern was to make sure that we had a broader array of people on the board, and I think by reducing by three the number who hail from

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MOUNTAINX.COM

Buncombe County and come from a Mission background, we’re going to achieve that.”

As the DHT develops its plans over 2019, Stein noted, the foundation has committed to hold three public meetings across WNC to inform the interpretation of its mission. It will also hold an annual open meeting to receive community input; all of the board’s previous meetings have been closed to the public, and the media were not invited to a Sept. 30 information session for area nonprofits.

Risa Larsen, a leader of Mitchell and Yancey county health advocacy SEARCH, said the revised deal “totally exceeded” her group’s expectations. “There are huge improvements for rural hospitals and the governance of the various foundations,” she said. “We are proud that we had such an important impact on the agreement.”

After his press conference, Stein posed for a photo with Larsen and other community members, including state Sen. Terry Van Duyn and Highlands Mayor Patrick Taylor.

No representatives of Mission, HCA or DHT were in attendance. X

by Daniel Walton

SLEEPWORLD of Asheville

dwalton@mountainx.com

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Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce pivots agenda at legislative luncheon Atkins also noted that the chamber has long focused on addressing the region’s housing shortage at the local level through efforts such as the city of Asheville’s recent bond issue. But he suggested that increased commitments by the city and Buncombe County now make it possible to push for help from the state.

Salad, pork with grits and apple pastry were all on the table at the Grove Park Inn during the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce’s annual legislative luncheon. But the more important bill of fare for the Jan. 15 meeting was the chamber’s new legislative agenda, which lists the influential group’s priorities for action at the state government level.

The document, set by the chamber’s advocacy and policy committee, adds opioid and substance abuse prevention to the docket for the first time.

Affordable housing and expanded transit options throughout the Asheville metro region also made the cut, while Medicaid restructuring and the Interstate 26 Connector Project were both removed from last year’s list.

Corey Atkins, the chamber’s vice president of public policy, called its membership the “silent majority” and drew a contrast with the “pettiness” of current partisan battles as he asked elected officials to consider the agenda. “We care so much more about policy and practicality and things that work for our overall community, way more than politics,” he said. “We just don’t care that much about politics, to be honest with you.”

ROTATING MENU Chamber advocacy and policy committee chair Terri King, the president

and owner of local real estate firm Coldwell Banker King, said the agenda will serve as a platform for encouraging a “business-friendly environment in the Asheville and Western North Carolina area.” She highlighted reform to the state’s economic incentive tier system, expanded access to affordable child care and increased funding for innovative energy technology as some of the most important items on the list.

King also called out opioid abuse prevention as a topic of particular concern. As Atkins explained in an email to Xpress after the meeting, although the chamber continues to advocate for behavioral health services in general, the group felt “it was vital to highlight the increased issue in our community of opioid abuse specifically and seeking assistance at the state level for prevention and treatment programs.” (See “All hands on deck,” p. 18, for more information on federal funding being deployed to address the opioid crisis in WNC.) Regarding the shift in emphasis from the I-26 Connector to Asheville metro transit, Atkins said the chamber could focus on new priorities following last year’s vote by the French Broad River Metropolitan Planning Organization to accelerate work on the long-delayed highway project. He called the connector “a win for our community” that will benefit “the majority of our residents and workforce.”

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If the agenda represented a spread of topics for state legislators, those at the luncheon appeared to be picky eaters.

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N EWS ly focused on issues outside of the chamber’s listed priorities.

Rep. Joe Sam Queen, D-Haywood, and Sen. Terry Van Duyn, D-Buncombe, for example, led their lists of legislative goals with Medicaid expansion, which they said would return millions of dollars in federal taxes to districts throughout the region. “Medicaid expansion is really the smartest, most bipartisan, most rural North Carolina-friendly thing we can do,” Queen claimed.

The chamber had listed Medicaid “improvement” on its 2018 agenda, but Atkins said the language of that priority was “not worded clearly” and had been dropped from this year’s list. He explained that the group continues to seek more budget stability for health care providers.

“We want to push for a bipartisan solution that provides health coverage for our aging and needy population and helps our local health care providers solve the lack of reimbursement for services rendered,” Atkins told Xpress. “In addition, using the term ‘Medicaid expansion’ has become so partisan that fruitful conversations are often dropped before solutions that could address these needs even truly begin.”

Rep. Chuck McGrady, R-Henderson, also veered from the chamber agenda as he emphasized his lead sponsorship of redistricting reform legislation.

“At a point in time when neither the Republicans or the Democrats are sure who’s going to be in charge — maybe that’s the time to actually make a move,” he said.

In addition, McGrady suggested he may explore abolishing the state’s Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission. While he acknowledged that ABC stores generate a lot of revenue for local governments, he said the state does a poor job with the business of selling and distributing alcohol and should leave sales to the private market.

Sen. Chuck Edwards, R-Henderson, said his main focus would be resisting the state government’s “propensity to overspend,” another goal not on the chamber’s agenda. But on one important point, the senator said he was in full agreement with his hosts.

“I, like you, don’t much care for politics,” Edwards said. “Unfortunately, it’s the gauntlet that I have to run through, that we all have to run through, in order to be able to represent business and economy and families in Raleigh.” X

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JAN. 23 - 29, 2019

by Daniel Walton | dwalton@mountainx.com AIRPORT BREAKS 1 MILLION ANNUAL PASSENGERS MARK In 2018, 1,134,568 passengers took a commercial flight to or from the Asheville Regional Airport. Last year marked the hub’s fifth consecutive record year of growth; it is now the fourth-largest commercial service airport in North Carolina.

Passenger numbers increased by 18.6 percent compared to 2017, assisted by new nonstop routes to destinations such as Fort Lauderdale, Orlando and Tampa, Fla. A recent economic impact study found that the airport contributes nearly $1.5 billion per year to the local economy.

“One million is a milestone,” said Lew Bleiweis, executive director of the Greater Asheville Regional Airport Authority in a press release.

“The unprecedented growth we have experienced in the past few years reflects the vitality of our region as a whole.”

MADISON HARDWARE STORE TO BENEFIT AFFORDABLE HOUSING A new social enterprise selling hardware and salvaged building materials, ReClaim Madison, is set to open in downtown Marshall in April. The Community Housing Coalition of Madison County, which will operate the store, plans to grow into the space over three years and use it as a funding source for affordable housing advocacy and education.

Chris Watson, the CHC’s client and grants coordinator, said ReClaim Madison will also serve as a hub for community connections and skill sharing.

The organization has launched a campaign to raise $165,000 in repair and overhead costs for the over-9,000-square-foot space (avl.mx/5l8).

NC IDEA GRANTS AVAILABLE TO ENTREPRENEURS NC IDEA, a private foundation that promotes “entrepreneurial ambition and economic advancement” through-

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BACK TO THE FUTURE: The Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce’s AVL Greater process aims to plan for the Asheville of 2040. Photo courtesy of the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce out the state, is accepting applications for three grant opportunities. The NC IDEA MICRO grant awards up to $10,000 to young companies still validating their business plans, while the NC IDEA SEED grant offers $50,000 for upscaling “innovative startups with a proven concept.” The Investment Crowdfunding Grant provides $5,000 to companies looking to expand through a crowdfunding campaign.

Applications for the first two grants open on Monday, Feb. 11, and close Monday, March 4. Applications for the Investment Crowdfunding Grant are open through Monday, Jan. 28. More information is available at ncidea.org.

ON THE MOVE • Gretchen Horn, a 17-year employee of Renaissance Bookfarm, Inc., is now the majority owner of the company, which operates Malaprop’s Bookstore/Café and Downtown Books & News.

She takes over from founder Emöke B’Racz, who first opened Malaprop’s in 1982.

• Hai-yang Chen, former dean of the Lewis College of Busi-

ness at Marshall University, has been tapped to fill the same role at Western Carolina University. He will fill the vacancy by outgoing dean Darrell Parker effective Feb. 1.

• EXIT Realty Vistas, an independently owned and operated brokerage located in Weaverville, added Derek Hernandez to its sales team.

• Weichert, Realtors - Unlimited in Asheville added brokers Louie Harper, Jonathan Buchsbaum and Mac Ellis.

ROUND OF APPLAUSE • Swannanoa-based National Wiper Alliance and Lenoirbased Bernhardt Furniture Co. received Governor’s Export Awards from N.C. Gov. Roy Cooper, recognizing the firms’ success in increasing overseas sales.

• Asheville-based Namaste in Nature was recognized by Blue Ridge Outdoors as the region’s Best Yoga Studio and was a runner-up for Best Outdoor Startup.

• Anderson T. Ellis, an attorney with The Van Winkle Law Firm, was recognized as a member of the “Legal Elite”

by Business North Carolina.

• Financial technology company SmartAsset ranked Buncombe County the second fastest-growing county in North Carolina for new businesses. From 2015-18, the county’s number of businesses rose by 8.3 percent.

SHARE YOUR OPINION • The Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce seeks community input on its AVL Greater strategic planning campaign.

A 10- to 15-minute survey (avl.mx/5l9) asks those with a stake in the region’s future to rank “the most pressing issues in the Asheville area”; the chamber will use this feedback to inform its vision for 2040.

• The Downtown Asheville Business Census, a joint effort of the Downtown Commission, Asheville Downtown Association, Asheville Grown Business Alliance and Asheville Independent Restaurant Association, aims to collect the latest information on local enterprises. Results from the online survey (avl.mx/5lc) will be shared with Asheville City Council and other community stakeholders to help shape the local economy. X

BUNCOMBE BEAT

County corruption settlements top $3M; Greene pleads guilty

IN PHOTOS

by Cindy Kunst | ckunst@mountainx.com

INSPIRATION STATION: A capacity crowd attended the 38th annual prayer breakfast presented by The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Association of Asheville and Buncombe County on Jan. 19 at the Crowne Plaza Resort. Ernest Green, the first member of the Little Rock Nine to graduate from high school, was the keynote speaker. Photos by Cindy Kunst

QUIET EXIT: Following her plea hearing, former County Manager Wanda Greene and her attorneys, Noell Tin and Thomas Amburgey, leave the federal courthouse on Jan. 16 through a side door. Photo by David Floyd The Buncombe County Board of Commissioners has accepted a $189,000 settlement from former Assistant County Manager Jon Creighton, who pleaded guilty in October for his part in a kickback scheme involving himself and two other former managers.

This brings the total amount the county has recouped through civil actions to more than $3 million.

“This would, as best I can determine, make the county whole for the matters that we could recover in a lawsuit against Mr. Creighton,” Ron Payne, the outside attorney handling the county’s civil lawsuits, told commissioners during the board’s regular meeting on Jan. 15.

Board Chair Brownie Newman says this settlement reimburses the county for personal trips, allegedly paid for by contractor Joseph Wiseman Jr., that were financed by taxpayers under the guise of county business, as well as illegitimate bonuses and unused annual leave that Creighton sold back to the county in lieu of using vacation time for personal trips.

Although he is unnamed in an August indictment, the county has identified Wiseman as the contractor

who allegedly provided lavish vacations in exchange for favorable consideration on county contracts to Creighton and former County Managers Mandy Stone and Wanda Greene.

In a court filing in late December, Wiseman’s attorney, Christopher Lewis, wrote that Wiseman and Environmental Infrastructure Consulting deny the allegations against Wiseman in the August indictment and the county’s civil lawsuit.

The settlement results in a limited release for Creighton, meaning the county remains free to pursue further litigation against him if other misdeeds are discovered.

Payne said the county could expect to receive the money from Creighton by the end of the month.

Commissioners are still waiting to receive a $750,000 settlement from Greene, which they approved in December. “[Greene] is prohibited from entering into a financial transaction of $10,000 or more unless approved by her probation officer,” Payne said. “Her attorney has told me that he has initiated that process, and hopefully we’re going to get an

PLACE TO BE: Members of the Good Works! crew, made up of community members who are residing in or seeking permanent housing, take on paid work opportunities with local nonprofits. At the breakfast, they listened to speakers including local government officials. The Church of the Advocate organizes the Good Works! program.

SING OUT: A member of the Mars Hill University Gospel Choir performs at the prayer breakfast. A perennial favorite at the event, the choir brought the crowd to their feet multiple times throughout the morning.

CIVIL RIGHTS ICON: Ernest Green, the first member of the Little Rock Nine to graduate from high school, speaks at the breakfast. “Progress is really like water torture on an unrelenting enemy of stagnancy and complacency,” he told the crowd. “Initially it feels like nothing more than tiny droplets of water, and after a while, it beats away at hate and vile rhetoric.”

CONTINUES ON PAGE 12 MOUNTAINX.COM

JAN. 23 - 29, 2019

11

NEWS BRIEFS

NEWS answer on that perhaps as early as this week.”

On the morning after commissioners accepted Creighton’s settlement, Greene appeared in the federal courthouse at 100 Otis St. to plead guilty to federal charges after reaching an agreement with prosecutors.

Flanked by her attorneys, Noell Tin and Thomas Amburgey, Greene entered a guilty plea to two counts of federal program fraud, one count of receiving bribes and kickbacks and one count of making and subscribing a false tax return. Magistrate Judge Carleton Metcalf accepted Greene’s plea agreement but denied a request to modify the conditions of Greene’s presentencing release to allow her to talk to Irene Wolfe and Peggy Hughes, both of whom are Greene’s sisters and work for Buncombe County. Metcalf said it would not be appropriate to allow her to communicate with her sisters at this time.

He also added another condition to her release stipulating that Greene may not serve in a fiduciary role or have access funds belonging to another entity.

— David Floyd X

by David Floyd | dfloyd@mountainx.com MERRIMON AVENUE PROJECT PUT ON HOLD The N.C. Department of Transportation and the city of Asheville will wait a bit longer before making changes to Merrimon Avenue.

As Xpress reported last January (avl.mx/4nw), residents and elected officials alike were surprised by NCDOT plans to widen a stretch of the roadway to five lanes, plus a 2-foot bike lane and 6-foot sidewalks on either side. That design was developed with little citizen or local government input.

NCDOT and the city will conduct a study examining the corridor between Interstate 240 and the Beaverdam neighborhood.

“Working with city staff and officials has already produced good ideas not only for Merrimon but for other projects in Asheville,” NCDOT Division 13 Engineer Mark Gibbs said in a press release. “We all share a desire to make Merrimon safe and functional for walking, cycling and driving in the near future and for many years to come.”

Staff from NCDOT and the city will meet in early 2019 to determine the scope and nature of the study.

COUNTY SEEKS FEEDBACK ON WASTE COLLECTION As its contract with Waste Pro enters its final year, Buncombe County is preparing to receive proposals for waste and recycling collection in unincorporated parts of the county. County staff has created an online survey (avl.mx/5lb) to gather input from community members on the services.

“Input regarding possible collection service improvements will be essential for assessing the restructuring of certain

12

JAN. 23 - 29, 2019

MOUNTAINX.COM

SEEKING SAFE PASSAGE: Pedestrians wait to cross Merrimon Avenue near its intersection with Orange Street. NCDOT surprised residents and officials last year when it announced plans to widen a portion of the road.

The agency now says it will conduct a study of the corridor in cooperation with the city of Asheville. Photo by Max Hunt contract parameters,” Dane Pedersen, the county’s solid waste director, said in a press release.

All feedback will be compiled and shared with the public, county staff and the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners.

The survey will be open until Thursday, Feb. 28.

EXPLORE ASHEVILLE NAMES NEW AGENCY OF RECORD 360i, an Atlanta-based advertising agency, will serve as local tourism booster Explore Asheville’s new agency of record.

Retained for a fee of $141,589 per month pending approval of a budget increase by the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority board, the selection of 360i “reflects the importance that Explore Asheville places on leveraging data to target travelers in different parts of the country,” the organization said in a press release on Jan. 10.

“We are thrilled about 360i’s data-focused expertise and ahead-of-thecurve strategies to market the Asheville area and grow the $2 billion annual visitors spend that puts more than 18,000 people to work here in Buncombe,” Explore Asheville President and

CEO Stephanie Brown said in the release.

As part of its contract, 360i will partner with Explore Asheville on a free, all-day marketing workshop for local tourism businesses and nonprofits.

360i also works with Hyatt, Canon, Oreo, Fox Sports and the New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corp.

LOCAL GROUPS AID FURLOUGHED FEDERAL WORKERS On Friday, Jan. 18, MANNA FoodBank began providing free groceries to federal employees 3-6 p.m. Tuesdays and Fridays throughout January at 627 Swannanoa River Road in Asheville.

Federal employees will need to present a valid federal ID in order to pick up food. If the shutdown continues through the end of January, the organization says it will reassess its open food pickup hours.

More information is available at 828-299-3663.

12 Baskets Cafe also stands ready to help furloughed workers and invites federal employees and their families to pick up a free lunch 11 a.m. -1 p.m. every weekday at the organization’s location on State Street at Haywood Road in West Asheville. X

FEA T U RE S

ASHEVILLE ARCHIVES

by Thomas Calder | tcalder@mountainx.com

The following day’s paper chastised the mayor over his word choice and inflexibility. “His explosive language used so freely

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“[C]ity hall is going up, — going up if we have to lay the foundations so deep that they will hinge on hell. … I intend to see it go up if I lose every friend I have in the city and forfeit forever the chance of making any more.”

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There was also an expressed desire to construct city-county twin buildings, in an effort to create a unified civic center. On July 7, 1926, the paper reported a decision had been reached between city and county commissioners to do just that. “This step, which is regarded as the final solution of the city hall and county courthouse problems that have been giving trouble here for some time, came after various plans drawn by architects individually and in groups had been considered,” the paper noted.

The resolution was short-lived. The city wanted to start construction immediately; the county was being more deliberate in its approach. In August, the paper wrote that a committee, formed by the Chamber of Commerce, implored the city to postpone its construction until both projects were ready to commence. Without a unified approach, the committee insisted the civic center project would fall to “utter ruin.”

The mayor vehemently disagreed. “I have no intention of quitting the City Hall work which has already been started or of delaying one damned second for anybody,” he told The Asheville Citizen on Aug. 27, 1926. The mayor repeated this assertion throughout the interview, intensifying his language with each subsequent response.

The talk concluded with Cathey declaring:

pm

On Jan. 2, 1926, The Asheville Citizen reported a surprising announcement by Mayor John H. Cathey. According to the city leader, plans were in place to construct a new City Hall. The project would begin in March with the demolition of its thencurrent municipal building, located on the east end of Pack Square (see, “Asheville Archives: The former 1892 City Hall building comes down,” Xpress, Dec. 4, 2018).

In the following day’s paper, The Sunday Citizen declared that the mayor’s words “came as a distinct shock to the people of Asheville.” Only a month prior, the paper reminded readers, Cathey had insisted no such project would take place under his administration. “The people of Asheville accepted this statement of the Mayor as final,” the article continued, “but it seems that the Mayor has had another change of heart[.]”

Demolition of the 1892 City Hall began in March. Little else would go according to Cathey’s plans.

On June 27, 1926, The Sunday Citizen reported on calls to postpone bids on the building project. Asheville was on the “verge of an unprecedented period of growth and expansion,” the paper wrote.

For this reason, all construction plans should be “considered logically and with an eye to the city’s beauty and symmetry[.]”

Location was a key consideration, the article stated. The mayor wanted to build the new City Hall on the former plot of land previously occupied by its predecessor. Not everyone agreed. “Since the razing of the old city hall a vista toward Beaucatcher Mountain has been opened which a great many leading citizens feel should be preserved,” the June 27 paper reported.

.2 7

CITY AND COUNTY: In 1928, both the Buncombe County Courthouse, left, and Asheville City Hall were completed. The former was designed by the Washington, D.C., firm Milburn and Heister; Douglas Ellington designed the latter. Photo by George Masa, courtesy of the North Carolina Collection, Pack Memorial Library, Asheville

… adds neither emphasis nor grace to his reasons for his obstinacy,” The Asheville Citizen wrote. The article concluded that it was unfortunate city residents had to be “subjected to such ill-mannered treatment at the hands of a Mayor. Surely it is high time for the Mayor to understand that he is the hired servant of the public and not its master.”

Ultimately some compromises were made on the county’s end. But even with these adjustments to the courthouse design, the concept for the city-county twin buildings never came to fruition.

On March 19, 1928, thousands were reported to have gathered for the dedication of Asheville’s new (present-day) City Hall. By then, Gallatin Roberts had replaced Cathey as mayor. Nevertheless, the former city official was invited to speak at the ceremony.

The following day’s paper included excerpts from the evening’s speeches.

In his address, Cathey promised the crowd that he would refrain from using obscene language. “I shall get through without one swear word,” the former mayor declared.

And though Cathey stayed true to his word, the pugnacious former politician seemed unable to resist throwing one last punch at a long-settled fight. “Just to keep the record straight ... this building is not on the site we chose for it,” he told the crowd. “I am still convinced that it should be standing where the old City Hall stood. But I guess I ought to be glad to have gotten it at all.”

The new (present-day) county courthouse was completed later that year on Dec. 2, 1928.

Editor’s note: Peculiarities of spelling and punctuation are preserved from the original text. X

Jan

‘A distinct shock’

Mayor John H. Cathey’s fight over City Hall, 1926-28

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www.junkrecyclers.net JAN. 23 - 29, 2019

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COMMUNITY CALENDAR JAN. 23 - 31, 2019

CALENDAR GUIDELINES For a full list of community calendar guidelines, please visit mountainx.com/calendar. For questions about free listings, call 828-251-1333, ext.

137. For questions about paid calendar listings, please call 828-251-1333, ext. 320.

ANIMALS BLUE RIDGE AGILITY CLUB 828-713-3278, blueridgeagility.com • FR (1/25) & SA (1/26), 8am-2pm & SU (1/27), 8am-noon - American Kennel Club dog agility trials. Free. Held at Western North Carolina Agricultural Center, 761 Boylston Highway, Fletcher ELISHA MITCHELL AUDUBON SOCIETY emasnc.org • FR (2/1) through SA (2/2) - Audubon training opportunity in Morganton, learn to advocate for birds and clean energy.

Registration required

by Fri., Jan. 25 at avl.mx/5kt. Free.

Held at Patton High School, 701 Enola Road, Morganton

BENEFITS COASTAL CONSERVATION ASSOCIATION OF NORTH CAROLINA • TH (1/24), 6-9pm - Proceeds from the banquet, silent auction and raffles benefit Coastal Conservation

14

JAN. 23 - 29, 2019

Association of North Carolina. $50.

Held at Highland Brewing Company, 12 Old Charlotte Hwy, Suite 200 BUNCOMBE COUNTY DEMOCRATIC PARTY • FR (1/26), 6:30pm Proceeds from the 2019 Kickoff Event benefit Buncombe County Democratic Party. $50 and up.

Held at AB Tech/Mission Conference Center, 16 Fernihurst Drive HOT CHOCOLATE RACES • SA (12/26), 8amnoon - Proceeds from the Asheville Hot Chocolate 5K and 10K benefit Isaac Dickson Elementary School PTO. Registration: avl.mx/5lo. $10-$35.

KRUGER BROTHERS CONCERT • SA (1/26), 7:30pm - Proceeds from this musical concert featuring The Kruger Brothers benefit the Center for Cultural Preservation. $20/$25 for front section. Held at Blue Ridge Conference Hall, 49 East Campus Drive, Flat Rock

ON THE FRINGE: The Asheville Fringe Arts Festival, the 17th annual performing arts, multiple-venue festival, provides artists with opportunities to explore the edges of their work, to collaborate across genres and to bring new and innovative performances to culturally adventurous audiences. The festival offers more than 30 ticketed performances that showcase the new work of local and imported performing artists in downtown Asheville venues and in the River Arts District through Sunday, Jan. 27. Tickets are $13-$16 per show with the Fringe Freak Pass at $65. For more information, visit ashevillefringe.org. Pictured is Edwin Salas in his piece, The Falling Love. Photo credit: Jennifer Bennett (p. 35) PUZZLE SWAP AND PUZZLE OFF • SU (1/27), 3-5pm - Proceeds from this community puzzle swap and team puzzle building contest benefit Eliada Children’s Home. Drop off 250-piece puzzles for the swap by Friday, Jan. 25 at Noble Cider, Well Played, Whist Greetings and Gifts, The Wyvern’s Tale or Hillside Games & Comics. Registration and information for the puzzle competition: joanna@noblecider.com. $20 per team of four.

Held at Noble Cider,

MOUNTAINX.COM

356 New Leicester Highway ROBERT BURNS 260TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION • FR (1/25), 6pm Proceeds from the Robert Burns 260th birthday celebration dinner with 3-course dinner, grand procession, raffle and whisky tasting benefit Asheville Sister Cities. $100. Held at The Cliffs at Walnut Cove, 158 Walnut Valley Parkway Arden

ST. JAMES EPISCOPAL CHURCH 766 N. Main St., Hendersonville, 828-693-9351 • SU (1/27), 4pm Proceeds from this Candlemas concert featuring pianist Paul Sullivan benefit Interfaith Assistance Ministry, The Storehouse and the Hendersonville Rescue Mission. $20.

BUSINESS & TECHNOLOGY ADCLUB WNC adclubwnc.org/

• TH (1/31), 6:30pm Presentation by brand character expert and animator, Pat Giles. $15/$5 members.

Held at Habitat Tavern & Commons, 174 Broadway FLETCHER AREA BUSINESS ASSOCIATION jim@extraordinarycopywriter.com • 4th THURSDAYS, 11:30-noon - General meeting. Free. Held at YMCA Mission Pardee Health Campus, 2775 Hendersonville Road, Arden

CLASSES, MEETINGS & EVENTS EMPYREAN ARTS CLASSES (PD.) Weekly drop-in classes: Intro to Pole Fitness Sundays 2:15pm and Tuesdays 7:15pm. Sultry Pole Wednesdays 7:30pm. Aerial Flexibility Mondays 6:00pm and Fridays 1:00pm. Handstands Tuesdays 6:00pm and Thursdays 6:30pm.

Beginning Aerial Arts Wednesdays 7:30pm, Thursdays 5:15pm,

and Sundays 2:15pm.

EMPYREANARTS.ORG • 828.782.3321.

INTRO TO SOUND HEALING • SKINNY BEATS SOUND MAP (PD.) In this hands-on class, you will learn to play handpan, crystal and Tibetan singing bowls, gongs, and other instruments.

• Thursday January 24, 6:30-8pm. $20. • Limited to 8 participants. • To register, email Billy, info@ skinnybeatsdrums.com

RETIREMENT PLANNING WORKSHOP (PD.) Western Carolina University at Biltmore Park. A three evening course. • February 5, 7, 12. • 5:30pm-8:30pm.

Cost $79 per person/ couple. Call 828-2277397 or Register Online pdp.wcu.edu A-B TECH SMALL BUSINESS CENTER 1465 Sand Hill Road, Candler, 828-398-7950, abtech.edu/sbc • SA (1/26), 9am-noon SCORE: Are You Ready to Start a Business, class.

Registration required.

Free.

• TU (1/29), 6-9pm - Do I Need an Online eCommerce Presence? class.

Registration required.

Free.

• TH (1/31), 10amnoon - Starting a Better Business, class. Free.

A-B TECH SMALL BUSINESS CENTER 828-398-7950, abtech.edu/sbc • TH (1/31), 6-7:30pm - The Business of Agritourism: Introduction, the first seminar in a seven-part series. Registration required. Free. Held at Madison County Cooperative Extension Office, 258 Carolina Lane, Marshall

BIG IVY COMMUNITY CENTER 540 Dillingham Road, Barnardsville, 828-626-3438 • 4th MONDAYS, 7pm Community center board meeting. Free.

FRENCH BROAD VIGNERONS • TH (1/24), noon2pm - French Broad Vignerons 2019 Annual meeting. Prospective members welcome.

Free to attend. Held at Pleb Urban Winery, 289 Lyman St. GRACE CHURCH IN THE MOUNTAINS 394 N. Haywood St., Waynesville • SA (1/26), 11am Forum on Understanding Opioid Addiction.

Registration required.

Free.

JACKSON COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 310 Keener St., Sylva, 828-586-2016, fontanalib.org/sylva/ • TU (1/29), 4-7pm Asheville Design Center proposes solutions to test the feasibility of alternatives for the NC 107 construction. Free.

MARINE CORPS LEAGUE ASHEVILLE 828-273-4948, mcl. asheville@gmail.com • Last TUESDAYS - For veterans of the Marines, FMF Corpsmen and their

families. Free. Held at American Legion Post #2, 851 Haywood Road ONTRACK WNC 50 S. French Broad Ave., 828-255-5166, ontrackwnc.org • WE (1/23), noon1:30pm or TH (1/31), 5:30-7pm "Understanding Credit.

Get it. Keep it. Improve it." Seminar. Registration required. Free.

• WE (1/23), 5:30-7pm or TU (1/29), noon1:30pm - "Savings & Goal Setting," class.

Registration required.

Free.

• WE (1/30), 5:30-7pm "Budgeting and Debt," class. Registration required. Free.

PACK MEMORIAL LIBRARY 67 Haywood St., buncombecounty.org/ governing/depts/library • WEDNESDAYS until (3/20), 4:30pm Beginner’s Spanish class for adults with Geri Solomon. Registration required. Free.

• TH (1/24), 5-6pm Spanish conversation group for intermediate to advanced speakers.

Free.

• SA (1/26), 11am Mixed level Pilates for adults. Bring a mat.

Registration required.

Free.

TRANZMISSION PRISON PROJECT tranzmissionprisonproject. yolasite.com • Fourth THURSDAYS, 6-9pm - Monthly meeting to prepare packages of books and zines for mailing to prisons across the US. Free to attend.

Held at Firestorm Books & Coffee, 610 Haywood Road

ECO EARTHFARE WESTGATE 66 Westgate Parkway, 828-253-7656 • FR (1/25), 6:30-8:30pm - Ecotarian Revolution, open group meeting to vision a local cooperative community alliance. Information: meetup.com/Eco-LogicalEcotarians/. Free to attend.

FILM AT MARS HILL mhu.edu • TH (1/24), 7-9pm - Reel Appalachia Series: After Coal, documentary screening and discussion with director Tom Hansell. Free.

Held at The Ramsey Center in Renfro Library, 100 Athletic St., Mars Hill

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JAN. 23 - 29, 2019

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FIRST CONGREGATIONAL UCC OF HENDERSONVILLE 1735 5th Ave. W., Hendersonville, 828-692-8630, fcchendersonville.org • SU (1/27), 9am Weekly Adult Forum: Climate Change and the Sacred Earth, Part 1, by Ed O’Keefe.

Free.

LIVING WEB FARMS 176 Kimzey Road, Mills River, 828-505-1660, livingwebfarms.org • TU (1/29), 6-8pm - ‘Coffee: Activism, Sustainability, Flavor, Trade’ class with Josh Gibbs. Registration: avl.mx/5l5. Admission by donation.

THE COLLIDER 828-CLIMATE, 1 Haywood Street, Suite 401, thecollider.org • TH (1/24), 4:30-6pm Local climate scientists and experts discuss the reality of climate change. Admission by donation.

• TH (1/24), 7pm General meeting.

Free. Held at Liberation Station Community Center, 10 N. Market St.

FARM & GARDEN 26TH ANNUAL ORGANIC GROWERS SCHOOL SPRING CONFERENCE (PD.)

BUNCOMBE COUNTY AMNESTY DAY • FR (1/25), 9amnoon - Buncombe County offers fresh start: Amnesty Day for Misdemeanors and Traffic Citations. For more information, contact: District Attorney’s Office, 828-259-3410.

Held at Buncombe County Courthouse, 60 Court Plaza

March 8-10, 2019. at Mars Hill University, NC. 150+ practical, affordable, regionallyappropriate workshops on organic growing, homesteading, farming, permaculture. Trade show, seed exchange, special guests.

Organicgrowersschool. org. (828) 214-7833.

FOOD & BEER FIRESTORM BOOKS & COFFEE 610 Haywood Road, 828-255-8115, firestorm.coop • 4th SATURDAYS, 5:30-6:30pm - Asheville Vegan Runners, open group meeting. Free to attend.

SWISS MISTERS: The Center for Cultural Preservation announces the Kruger Brothers as the featured performers at the Keeping the Fires Burning series. Jens and Uwe Kruger, native Swiss musicians, combine components of American folk, jazz and mountain music traditions with classical European styles, resulting in mountain music of their own distinctive style. The concert is a benefit to help the Center for Cultural Preservation raise the finishing funds for its film on The River Heroes of the South. The concert is scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 26, at 7:30 p.m. at the Blue Ridge Conference Hall on the campus of Blue Ridge Community College in Flat Rock. Tickets are $25 and $20 per person. For more information, visit saveculture.org. Photo courtesy of Kruger Brothers (p. 14)

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“Dreams are the guiding words of the soul.” — C.G. Jung

828-452-2997, folkmootusa.org • FR (1/25), 6-8pm - Friendship Dinner Series: Scottish dinner, Scottish music and a presentation of Scottish cultural fashion with the Breacan Clann. $18/$10 students. Held at Folkmoot Friendship Center, 112 Virginia Ave., Waynesville FOOD NOT BOMBS HENDERSONVILLE

Tayria Ward, Ph.D. 20 Battery Park, Suite 500 Asheville, NC 28801

828-329-0853 Sessions conducted in person, by telephone, Skype or Zoom tayria@tayriaward.com • www.tayriaward.com 16

by Deborah Robertson

JAN. 23 - 29, 2019

MOUNTAINX.COM

foodnotbombshendersonville@gmail.com • SUNDAYS, 4pm Community meal. Free.

Held at Black Bear Coffee Co., 318 N. Main St., Hendersonville YWCA OF ASHEVILLE 185 S. French Broad Ave., 828-254-7206, ywcaofasheville.org • TH (1/24), 6-7:30pm "New Year, New You, New Foods," adult cooking class. Registration required: 828-575-2939 or lfurgiuele@ymcawnc.org. $15/$10 members.

FESTIVALS ASHEVILLE FRINGE ARTS FESTIVAL ashevillefringe.org • Through SU (1/27) Performance arts festival with over 30 ticketed performances featuring cross genre fringe artists. See website for full schedule. $13-16. Held in Downtown Asheville and River Arts District.

MILLS RIVER PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 10 Presbyterian Church Road, Mills River, 828-891-7101 • SU (1/20) through SA (1/26), noon-8pm - The 10th Annual Puzzlefest includes a 9,000-piece jigsaw puzzle. Free to attend.

GOVERNMENT & POLITICS ASHEVILLE DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISTS OF AMERICA facebook.com/avldsa, dsa.asheville@gmail.com

CITY OF ASHEVILLE 70 Court Plaza • Through (1/31) - City of Asheville, Neighborhood Advisory Committee seeks submissions to recognize individuals or groups who have made a difference in their neighborhood during 2018.

Information: BMills@ashevillenc.gov or 828-259-5506. Free.

KIDS BUNCOMBE COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARIES buncombecounty.org/ governing/depts/library • FR (1/25), 4pm Reading with JR the Therapy Dog for kids up to 12. Free. Held at Enka-Candler Library, 1404 Sandhill Road, Candler • FR (1/25), 7pm - Acting Up with Ovation for Teens, ages 14-18, theatre games that inspire creativity and confidence. Free. Held at Weaverville Public Library, 41 N. Main St., Weaverville • TU (1/29), 4-5:30pm - Read with Olivia the therapy dog. Free.

Held at Weaverville Public Library, 41 N. Main St., Weaverville • 2nd SATURDAYS, 1-4pm & LAST WEDNESDAYS, 4-6pm - Teen Dungeons and Dragons for ages 12 and up. Registration required: 828-2504720. Free. Held at

Pack Memorial Library, 67 Haywood St.

OUTDOORS CHIMNEY ROCK STATE PARK (PD.) Enjoy breathtaking views of Lake Lure, trails for all levels of hikers, an Animal Discovery Den and 404-foot waterfall.

Plan your adventure at chimneyrockpark.com SIGN UP NOW FOR INLINE HOCKEY (PD.) Youth and Adult divisions at Carrier Park.

• Free registration for new players. www. ashevillehockey.org

PUBLIC LECTURES ASHEVILLE ROTARY CLUB rotaryasheville.org • TH (1/31), 6:30pm - Metro Talks: The Trauma Intervention Program (TIP) of Western North Carolina

by Denise Gonzalez.

Free. Held at YWCA of Asheville, 185 S. French Broad Ave. GRACE LUTHERAN CHURCH 828-693-4890 • SU (1/27), 3-5pm "What is race?" Small group workshop.

Registration: 828-6934890. Free. Held at St. Paul's Tabernacle Church, 813 6th Ave. W, Hendersonville PRESERVATION SOCIETY OF ASHEVILLE AND BUNCOMBE COUNTY 321-271-4593, psabc.org • TH (1/24), 5:30pm - ‘American Enka Development, Village and Impact’ lecture by Carol Hensley. $10.

Held at Enka Baptist Church, 1310 Sand Hill Road, Candler PUBLIC LECTURES AT MARS HILL mhu.edu • MO (1/28), 3:304:30pm - "Around Here: A Dark Road is a Hard Road to Travel," Presentation by Josh Beckworth about musicians G.B. Grayson and

Henry Whitter. Free.

Held at The Ramsey Center in Renfro Library, 100 Athletic St., Mars Hill UNC ASHEVILLE 828-251-6674, cesap.unca.edu/, cultural@unca.edu • TH (1/24), 7pm Tamika D. Mallory, Women’s March National Co-President, to Keynote at UNC's MLK Jr. Week.

Free. Held at Lipinsky Auditorium at UNC Asheville, 300 Library Lane

SENIORS BUNCOMBE COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARIES buncombecounty.org/ governing/depts/library • FR (1/25), 10:30am Acting Up with Ovation for Seniors, theatre games that inspire creativity and confidence. Free. Held at Weaverville Public Library, 41 N. Main St., Weaverville • TUESDAYS and FRIDAYS until FR (3/29), 11am - Geri-Fit: Free exercise class for Seniors.

Bring a workout stretch band. Registration required. Free. Held at Pack Memorial Library, 67 Haywood St. HAYWOOD COUNTY HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES 157 Paragon Parkway, Clyde • WE (1/30), 2-4pm Seniors meet for Diabetes Empowerment Education Program on Wednesdays for six weeks. Registration required: call Megan Hauser at 828-356-2272.

Free.

SPIRITUALITY ASTRO-COUNSELING (PD.) Licensed counselor and accredited professional astrologer uses your chart when counseling for additional insight into yourself, your relationships and life directions. Stellar Counseling Services.

Christy Gunther, MA, LPC. (828) 258-3229.

DE-STRESS, GET HAPPY & CONNECT! (PD.) Mindfulness Meditation at the Asheville Insight Meditation Center. Group Meditation: Weekly on

Thursdays at 7pm & Sundays at 10am. www. ashevillemeditation.com, info@ashevillemeditation. com.

LEARN TO MEDITATE (PD.) Introduction to Mindfulness Meditation class at Asheville Insight Meditation Center, 1st & 3rd Mondays of each month at 7pm – 8:30pm. www. ashevillemeditation.com, info@ashevillemeditation. com.

THE WORLD TEACHER FOR ALL HUMANITY (PD.) The Christ (aka: Maitreya Buddha, the Mahdi, Krishna...) will soon speak to everyone; will not send anyone to hell; is inspiring wonderful, major world changes. www.

Share-International.org BUNCOMBE COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARIES buncombecounty.org/ governing/depts/library • MO (1/28), 6pm Guided Meditation with Ronya Banks. Registration required. Free. Held at Pack Memorial Library, 67 Haywood St. FIRST CONGREGATIONAL UCC OF HENDERSONVILLE 1735 5th Ave. W., Hendersonville, 828-692-8630, fcchendersonville.org • SU (1/27), 9am - Weekly Adult Forum: Climate Change and the Sacred Earth, Part 1, by Ed O'Keefe. Free.

GRACE LUTHERAN CHURCH 1245 6th Ave W, Hendersonville, 828-693-4890, gracelutherannc.com • THURSDAYS, 6:30-7:15 pm - All faith Taize service of meditation and music.

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GROCE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH 954 Tunnel Road, 828-2986195, groceumc.org • 2nd & 4th MONDAYS, 6:30-8:30pm - A Course in Miracles, study group.

Information: 828-712-5472. Free.

THE CENTER FOR ART AND SPIRIT AT ST. GEORGE'S EPISCOPAL CHURCH 1 School Road, 828-258-0211 • 4th FRIDAYS, 10amnoon - Contemplative Companions, meditation.

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• Last Tuesdays, 7-9pm - Aramaic, Hebrew and Egyptian vocal toning, breath work and meditation. Admission by donation.

URBAN DHARMA 77 W. Walnut St., 828-2256422, udharmanc.com/ • SATURDAYS, 3pm - Dr. Lye presents "Training the Mind in Seven Points." $20.

VOLUNTEERING LITERACY COUNCIL OF BUNCOMBE COUNTY VOLUNTEER INFORMATION SESSION (PD.) Mon. 1/7 (5:30pm), Thur.

1/10 (10am), Mon. 2/4 (5:30pm) - Information session for those interested in volunteering two hours per week with adults who want to improve reading, writing, spelling, and English language skills.

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MAKE A DIFFERENCE BE A MENTOR! (PD.) As a mentor with Journeymen, you make a profound impact in the lives of teenage boys as they journey toward becoming men of integrity. We offer group mentoring and rites of passage to boys ages 12-17 and are enrolling qualified adult male mentors now. Will you answer the call? Learn more: journeymenasheville@ gmail.com or 828-230-7353.

• SATURDAYS Volunteers needed to cook, serve, play and clean up for Saturday Sanctuary, hospitality to the homeless. Registration required: avl.mx/5ig, sanctuarysaturday@gmail. com or 828-253-1431.

HOMEWARD BOUND OF WNC 218 Patton Ave., 828-258-1695, homewardboundwnc.org • THURSDAYS, 11am, 2nd TUESDAYS, 5:30pm & 3rd WEDNESDAYS, 8:30am - "Welcome Home Tour," tours to find out how Homeward Bound is working to end homelessness and how the public can help. Registration required: tours@ homewardboundwnc.org or 828-785-9840. Free.

2019

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TRANSYLVANIA COMMUNITY ARTS COUNCIL 349 S. Caldwell St., Brevard, 828-884-2787, tcarts.org • WE (1/23) through FR (1/25) and SA (2/3) - Production Assistants needed for the feature film, The Good Things Devils Do. No pay but screen credit given.

TRAUMA INTERVENTION PROGRAM OF WNC 828-513-0498, tipofwnc.org • Through WE (2/27) Applications accepted for crisis team volunteers.

Training held Thursday, Feb. 28 through Saturday, Mar. 9. Registration and information: tipofwnc.org or 828-595-4391. Held at Skyland Fire Department, 9 Miller Road, Skyland

ASHEVILLE GREENWORKS 828-254-1776, ashevillegreenworks.org • WE (1/23), 6pm - Join the Plastic Reduction Task Force to reduce our collective dependence on single-use plastics.

Registration: avl.mx/5kd Held at New Belgium Brewery, 21 Craven St.

WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA AIDS PROJECT 828-252-7489, wncap.org • 2nd & 4th SATURDAYS, 10am-noon - Volunteer to deliver food boxes to homebound people living with HIV/AIDS. Registration: 828-252-7489 ext.315 or wncapvolunteer@ wncap.org.

FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 40 Church St., 828-253-1431, fpcasheville.org

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Over $660,000 — a portion of $155 million in emergency funding from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — is flowing into Western North Carolina to fund health programs that aim to ease the strain of opioid addiction and overdose.

In 2017, 1,884 people died of accidental opioid overdoses in North Carolina, while over 4,000 overdoses were reversed through the community use of naloxone kits in the state.

Cracking down on drug users isn’t a viable solution to the problem, experts say. “Our law enforcement is excellent, and we all know we aren’t going to arrest our way out of this problem,” says Lauren Wood, public health education supervisor for the Haywood County Health and Human Services agency.

That leaves harm-reduction efforts and addiction treatment as two of the main strategies public health agencies are using to address the

MOUNTAINX.COM

crisis. Buncombe County, Haywood County and the Mountain Area Health Education Center are deploying federal funds as part of that effort.

HAYWOOD COUNTY In Haywood County, $66,383 in funding is supplying new tools for tackling the troubles, according to Wood. The bulk of that money will pay the salary of Jesse Lee, a fulltime peer support specialist recently hired to work with the N.C. Harm Reduction Coalition.

“To have a dedicated person full time who can reach out to offer peer support, a person with lived experience who can establish a trust relationship, can be key to ensuring that no one falls through the cracks,” Wood explains. “The people who have risk of overdose often need someone to help them meet their basic needs and to care about them. Peer support helps build in other things that make life worth living.”

Haywood County also is using the money for test strips, condoms, firstaid kits and hygiene supplies. The funding also supports training for the teams who will respond to the crisis, Wood says.

BUNCOMBE COUNTY The Buncombe County Department of Health and Human Services received $100,000 in emergency funds, says Stacey Wood, communications director for the department.

The agency will use the money to place 12 large syringe disposal units throughout the county and to establish a syringe exchange.

Opioids often are self-administered by syringe, and safe syringe disposal helps reduce complications associated with the use of injectable drugs and the spread of other diseases, such as hepatitis C and HIV. Public health professionals also will provide social workers and field nurses with basic training in admin-

istering naloxone, which can reverse overdoses, Stacey Wood says.

“Once these lives are saved, we can take the next steps,” Lauren Wood says.

MEDICATION-ASSISTED TREATMENT Studies have shown that medication-assisted treatment is among the best ways of helping drug users break the cycle of addiction, says Elizabeth Flemming, who directs the Mountain Area Health Education Center’s Rural Pain Management and Substance Use Disorders Initiatives.

Buprenorphine, a controlled substance that helps reduce the symptoms of opioid withdrawal, can only be prescribed by physicians who have completed an eight-hour training course. But only 8 percent of primary care physicians have received the training, Flemming says.

For physician assistants and nurse practitioners, 24 hours of training are required.

“It’s evidence-based treatment,” Flemming says. “We want to reach as many medical professionals as possible.”

According to MAHEC’s website, “Expanding access to MAT is an important public health strategy according to the Substance Use and Mental Health Services Administration, which estimates that 1 million people with opioid use disorder need access to MAT ‘given the strong evidence of effectiveness for such treatments.’”

DOUSING THE FLAMES At a recent family dinner, Flemming recalls, she explained how buprenorphine works and why it helps to give a drug to someone addicted to drugs.

“My daughter compared it to firefighting,” Flemming says.

Sometimes, when a wildfire rages, firefighters set a controlled burn so that the flames will stop in a certain spot, Flemming explains.

Buprenorphine works in a comparable way. Using a medication that can be managed can help end the use of a drug that rages out of control. Opioids affect brain chemistry, and the medication helps brains calm enough to

CONTINUES ON PAGE 20

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“It’s a treatment that works,” she says.

Only 10 percent of people who stop using opioids via abstinence, detoxification, therapy and personal determination actually manage to stay off drugs for a whole year.

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Dr. Blake Fagan will direct MAHEC’s MAT training program, which is supported by $500,000 in CDC funding. Fagan and other public health experts say that expanding the number of practitioners who can offer MAT will allow patients struggling with opioid use disorder to get help from their own doctors in locations that are more convenient than special clinics.

The program will also train future trainers, “to ensure a steady supply of primary care prescribers who can provide this evidence-based treatment for [opioid use disorder],” according to MAHEC’s website.

The CDC emergency funding ends Aug. 31, and each organization already has begun developing plans for continuing services. From naloxone administration and safe syringe disposal to MAT and peer-support counseling, agencies have called all hands on deck to battle the blaze of the disease as it sweeps across WNC. “At the root of addiction comes a need for purpose,” Lauren Wood says.

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MESSAGES OF LOSS AND HOPE: Participants in an overdose awareness event held Sept.

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GREEN SCENE

SLIPPING AWAY?

Endangered Species Act changes could hinder hellbender conservation

BY DANIEL WALTON

may be due to sedimentation. Streams will often have one large adult male or female — “sort of dinosaurs sitting around,” as he describes them — but no sign of eggs or larvae.

“To put it in humanistic terms, it’s sort of like a small town that’s lost its economic base,” Apodaca says. “The people that are retired have the ability to hang out there and survive, but the younger generation that can’t find a job can’t.”

dwalton@mountainx.com Even its staunchest defenders admit that the hellbender makes an unlikely focal point for wildlife conservation. The giant salamander, which thrives in Western North Carolina’s fast-flowing streams and rivers, lacks the majestic wingspan of the bald eagle, the elegant legs of the giraffe or the cuddly countenance of the red panda. In the words of Elise Bennett, a reptile and amphibian staff attorney with the nonprofit Center for Biological Diversity, the species bears a striking similarity to a “slimy sock puppet.”

Despite its lack of charisma, the hellbender plays a starring role in “Extinction Plan,” the latest report from the Washington-based Endangered Species Coalition.

Conservationists have been attempting to list the species under the federal Endangered Species Act since 2010, but as Bennett explains, regulatory changes to the act proposed by the administration of President Donald Trump could hamper the path to protection for hellbenders and other at-risk wildlife.

“The ESA is the strongest weapon we have against the permanent extinction of species,” Bennett says.

“These regulations are nothing more than a brazen attempt to defang the act at the behest of corporate and political interests.”

Xpress attempted to obtain comment from multiple personnel with the U.S. Department of the Interior, which is responsible for enforcing the ESA. All such requests were unsuccessful due to the ongoing partial shutdown of the federal government.

MUDDYING THE WATERS For the hellbender, says Bennett, the most worrying of these changes is the removal of language that prevents the government from considering information beyond biology in ESA listings. Under current regulations, decisions on whether to protect species must be made “without reference to possible economic or other impacts.”

While the proposal cutting this phrase claims that ESA protections will continue to be decided “based

THREAT ANALYSIS

BIG BEND: Although hellbender populations are relatively strong in Western North Carolina, the species is in decline over much of its range. Photo courtesy of the Endangered Species Coalition solely on biological considerations,” it also notes that “referencing economic or other impacts may be informative to the public.” Bennett, however, argues that including economic information will serve no purpose beyond “injecting controversy” into the process.

“Why analyze a factor that you’re not allowed to actually consider?” she asks.

“It provides an excuse for this administration to say, ‘We would love to protect the hellbender, but unfortunately, it’s just going to hurt all of these corporate interests, and we can’t do that.’”

The hellbender thrives in pristine watersheds with little erosion, which means the species is particularly sensitive to the disturbances of industries such as coal mining and timber harvesting. J.J. Apodaca, founder of Tangled Bank Conservation in Asheville and associate executive director of The Amphibian and Reptile Conservancy, says that sedimentation from intensive land use can prevent the salamanders from reproducing successfully. “[Sedimentation] takes away those interstitial spaces that they depend on, those little spaces between the rocks,” Apodaca explains. “Just like trout, when there are eggs in those interstitial spaces, it settles on the eggs and suffocates them.”

In many hellbender habitats throughout the area, Apodaca says he’s already seen population age imbalances that

The hellbender could also suffer from a proposed update to the regulatory definition of the “foreseeable future,” says Bennett. She suggests that the new language, which does not explicitly mention climate change, may allow regulators to ignore inconvenient science when

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G RE EN S CE N E attempting to deny protections for vulnerable species.

Bennett points to the 2017 rejection of an ESA listing for the Florida Keys mole skink, which she sees as an example of this bias at play.

Researchers had projected that the lizard, which lives only on a handful of islands off the Florida coast, could lose up to 50 percent of its habitat to a climate-associated increase in sea level by 2060. “[Regulators] found that the sea level rise wasn’t reasonably foreseeable for a number of reasons, despite the fact that we have a lot of science that says otherwise,” Bennett says.

“This regulation is really just carrying forward these bad analyses that are coming out of the agencies.”

Hellbenders have already faced an uphill climb to protection, according to biologist Thomas Floyd with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, who served on a federal expert committee during the salamander’s most recent species status assessment. A previous assessment during the administration of President Barack Obama, he says, found that the hellbender wasn’t at risk in a “significant portion of its range” because

it was doing comparatively well in the Southern Appalachians. However, the species was declining over more than 80 percent of its territory, which stretches from southern New York to northern Georgia.

“It all seems like semantics, but it can mean a big difference for the conservation of the species,” Floyd says. “I don’t think a lot of biologists necessarily agreed with that interpretation.”

If the government eventually determines that the hellbender is threatened but not endangered, Bennett adds, regulatory changes will add another hurdle to its protection.

Currently, all threatened species automatically receive the same protections as endangered species, but the new rules would compel the Fish and Wildlife Service to develop species-specific plans.

That work takes additional time and money, both of which Bennett says are already in short supply at the FWS. And she argues that idiosyncratic protection plans could give regulators more leeway to be pressured by industrial and economic concerns instead of focusing on the science.

“What’s really concerning about these regulatory rollbacks is they’re part of a larger strategy to chip away at the [ESA],’” Bennett says. “They’re making changes to hamstring it so then they can argue it doesn’t work.

It’s not that the act doesn’t work; it’s that they’re not implementing it the way it should be implemented.”

CHANCE IN HELL As the new regulations await final approval, biologists say they’re focusing on proactive management of existing hellbender populations.

Apodaca, for example, worked with the Washington-based nonprofit Defenders of Wildlife to get the salamander added to Working Lands for Wildlife, a U.S. Department of Agriculture program that pays landowners for the conservation of imperiled species, with plans to begin disbursing funds this year.

“Regardless of whether it’s listed or not, we can hopefully get thousands, if not millions, of acres protected that benefit the species and also benefit local landowners,” Apodaca says.

“The idea of protecting things that

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are declining but still have populations that we can build on makes a lot of sense.”

And Floyd is beginning a study to better understand the lack of young hellbenders in seemingly suitable sites. He hopes to sample insects and other food sources across different hellbender habitats, comparing conditions and figuring out what makes the species thrive.

The official public comment period on the proposed regulations ended in September, but Bennett encourages citizens to continue sending letters of concern to the FWS and congressional representatives. If the changes do go through, she adds, the Center for Biological Diversity and other organizations are prepared to challenge the administration in court.

There’s considerably more at stake, Bennett says, than the survival of slimy salamanders. “The larger issue we sometimes miss is that protecting species is part of protecting our planet,” she explains. “When we see species like the hellbender hanging in the balance, it’s really an advanced warning that someday it’s going to be us.” X

✓Save Money ✓Conserve Energy ✓Protect the Planet

FOOD

SPIRITS RISING WNC’s craft distilling industry is growing despite legislative hurdles

SPIRITED DEBATE: Apothecary Beverage Co. owners, from left, Brandon Horne, Danielle Donaldson and James Donaldson recently opened The Chemist distillery and Antidote bar on the South Slope. State and federal legislative changes have helped open up opportunities for craft distillers in recent years, but many distillers say North Carolina still has a long way to go. Photo by Luke Van Hine

BY SHAWNDRA RUSSELL shawndra@shawndrarussell.com In 1986, Weeping Radish in the Outer Banks became the first modern microbrewery to open in North Carolina. Highland Brewing Co. followed eight years later, kicking off the Western North Carolina beer scene, which has driven the state to emerge as one of the fastest-growing beer industries in the country.

By comparison, North Carolina’s first craft distilling company, Piedmont Distillers, opened in Rockingham County circa 2005. But beyond the reality that the development of North Carolina’s craft spirits scene is chronologically 20 years behind beer, some local distillers argue that the state’s liquor laws are drastically inhibiting the growth of the fledgling industry.

North Carolina has some of the strictest liquor laws in the United States, in

large part due to the state-run monopoly on sales of spirited drinks. As The News & Observer noted in an August report, “The battle over who gets to sell liquor, plus when and where, has been going on for decades. Right now, the state controls every aspect of the liquor business, from the hours (closed all day on Sunday and at 9 p.m. every other day) to the prices (higher than in many other states).”

North Carolina is one of 17 states that bans privately run liquor stores, a fact bemoaned by some in the craft spirits industry, but one that Mark Combs, Asheville Alcoholic Beverage Control general manager, says is a complex subject. “North Carolina is unique in that 167 communities own their liquor stores. Back in 1937, the legislature voted to let each community choose whether or not they want spirits to be sold in their communities,” he explains.

“No tax dollars are used in the operation of the system. Asheville’s ABC system is

owned by the city of Asheville, and all our profits go back to the community.”

In addition, only five bottles of liquor can be sold directly by a distiller to a consumer per 12-month period (prior to passage of the Brunch Bill in 2017, the limit was just one bottle per year, and before 2015, it was zero), liquor cannot be shipped to consumers either inside or outside the state, permits are required for sales at festivals or events, no tastings can be offered at ABC stores, no sales of mixed cocktails are allowed on-site at distilleries without a vendor’s permit, and self-distributing to bars and restaurants is prohibited.

State control of pricing, including a local markup determined by the ABC Commission, bailment and bottle charges and state excise tax, is also problematic for many craft distillers, as are statute stipulations, such as the requirement that the ABC maintain

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F OOD a law enforcement component and give 7 percent of its profits to alcohol and drug education and treatment grants. “The beer and wine industries have none of these constraints put on them,” says Combs.

HAMSTRUNG Since 2015, the number of craft distilleries in WNC has mushroomed from just two to 10 (including Blue Ridge Distilling Co. in Rutherford County and Elevated Mountain Distilling Co. in Haywood County). But many Asheville-area distillers find the state’s legal limitations to be a source of endless frustration — especially in light of the much looser, business-friendly craft beer laws.

Adam Dalton, owner of Dalton Distillery on Biltmore Avenue, believes that just one change could make a huge difference to his bottom line: the ability to sell and deliver straight to bars and restaurants. “If we could do our sales pitch then follow up with bringing the products that same trip or when it was convenient for the customer, I think we could gain more accounts,” he says.

Combs doesn’t see the prohibition on direct sales as a significant hurdle, however. “Local distillers or their representatives can indeed hustle and go to restaurants, create a relationship with the buyers, promote their products, let them taste their product, leave samples, etc.,” he says.

However, he notes that sometimes bar managers will indicate to the distiller that they plan to order a product from the ABC, then not follow up on that for whatever reason. “In turn, the distiller often thinks my ABC system has refused to carry their products [for sale] because they mistakenly believed barkeeps ordered it and we refused to get it. This is simply not true. We will gladly stock products our mixed beverage customers want, and we stock it for walk-in customers, too, if there is demand for it. If buyers want their product, trust me, my store managers will order and stock all the product they want.”

Rett Murphy of Eda Rhyne Distilling Co., which began distilling and marketing its fernet, amaro and nocino in 2017 in Biltmore Village, puts it bluntly: “The entire ABC system is holding us back. None of their decisions are based around what is best for the consumer. We absolutely would not have a craft beer scene if beer was controlled the same way.”

He points out that the state has the fifth-highest liquor taxes in the country. “They make a lot of money selling liquor. But if some laws changed and

allowed us to sell more products, they would recoup some of that in excise taxes and income taxes from employees and business owners,” he says.

Strong support of everything small and local in Asheville has resulted in 96 percent of metro-area businesses employing 50 or fewer people, remarks Leah Howard, co-owner of H&H Distillery, which launched in Fairview in 2015. And for her, this statistic from the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce indicates that “there is is a craving for something genuine and wholesome when tourists are choosing their vacation destinations.”

Of course, many distilleries in the region are bare-bones operations, with the owners working other jobs or running a separate bar, leaving little time for marketing, events and chasing down new accounts. And this presents yet another obstacle for craft distillers.

“Many Asheville locals, including restaurant owners, actually don’t realize there are local craft liquors to be offered,” Howard points out. “While this may mean the playing field is wide open, it also means the bleachers won’t be full for quite some time.”

Combs says that although the law prevents North Carolina’s 167 independent ABC systems from advertising liquor products in any way, they still do their best to help spread the word to consumers about the availability of locally made spirits. “We maintain a special shelf [in our stores] for North Carolina distillers and often work with local distillers to feature their products, such as special end-cap displays, signings, free-standing racks, etc. Our store staff verbally promotes local products as well.”

LOOSENING THE GRIP Progress was made on the federal level for leveling the playing field among distillers, brewers and vintners, when the U.S. Congress passed the Craft Modernization and Tax Reform Act in 2017, reducing the federal excise tax for spirits from $13.50 to $2.70 per gallon for the first 100,000 proof gallons removed from bond per year for a two-year period. Mark Shilling, president of the American Craft Spirits Association called this the “largest legislative victory for our industry in modern history.”

And on the state level, the 2017 passage of the Brunch Bill loosened some restrictions on distillers, upping the number of bottles per customer they can sell directly from the distillery from one to five per year and allowing them to hand out product samples at events and festivals.

BRIGHT POSSIBILITIES: Lauren Ferris, owner of Blue Ridge Distilling Co., believes North Carolina should embrace the tax revenue possibilities that more tourism-friendly liquor laws could generate. Photo courtesy of Blue Ridge Distilling Co. The movement toward more reasonable and fair laws among the craft beverage industries will certainly help increase the number of entrepreneurs willing to open small distilleries, the number of which grew by 15.5 percent in 2018 in the U.S. to 1,835 and is expected to hit 2,000 by 2020. Nationally, craft spirit sales reached $3.7 billion in sales in 2017, up 30 percent from 2016.

Also indicating growth in the industry, DistilleryTrail.com’s website traffic increased over 61 percent from 2017 to 2018. And while sales of craft spirits have doubled over the past five years, the fact remains that

this category only makes up about 2.8 percent of overall spirits sales, while craft beer makes up 23 percent of the total U.S. beer market. So, undoubtedly, craft spirits can take away a larger chunk of the market from the macrodistillers over time, just as craft beer has done.

However, Brandon Horne, cofounder of Apothecary Beverage Co., which opened its The Chemist distillery on the South Slope in June followed by the Antidote cocktail bar this winter, points out that it’s important to keep the comparisons in perspective. “The overall beer market is around $111 billion in the U.S.,

while spirits in total make up only about as much as the craft segment of that — around $26 billion,” he says. “But within that is a much broader number of products and types of products overall compared to where the beer market was at this stage in its craft boom.”

With by-the-bottle sales reaching over $1 billion just in North Carolina in 2017, a growing number of politicians are recognizing a need for change in the state’s liquor laws, including N.C. Rep. Chuck McGrady of Hendersonville, chair of the N.C. House of Representatives ABC Committee, who told The News & Observer in August that he “would like to see us go free-market.”

Since North Carolina’s craft beer market was unleashed in 2005 with the raising of the legal cap on alcohol content, the state now ranks eighth in the nation with 257 craft breweries and 10th in the economic impact of craft beer, according to the Brewers Association.

Looser liquor laws could help North Carolina gain traction as a destination for craft spirits, too.

Lauren Ferris, co-owner of Blue Ridge Distilling Co., which produces Defiant Whisky in Bostic, believes North Carolina should embrace the tax revenue possibilities that more tourism-friendly liquor laws would generate. “The best example we have of what increasing on-site distillery sales could do for our state, our business and brand awareness globally is the Bourbon Trail in Kentucky,” she says. “They have created an incredible tourism draw to their state.

Kentucky bourbon contributes $8.5 billion to their economy, draws over 1 million visitors to the state annually, creates 17,500 jobs and generates $825 million in tax revenue. The distilled spirits boom that is happening right now is an incredible opportunity to enhance our local economy and put North Carolina on the global distilling map.”

Ferris also believes that allowing outof-state online sales and shipping would further feed the tourism loop, as customers would make the pilgrimage to visit their favorite North Carolina distilleries, pumping more money into the state’s economy. Combs points out that distilleries can, in fact, choose to operate their distillery as a drinking destination, where customers can take tours, do tastings and have mixed drinks and food. “They can get a permit from the ABC Commission to serve mixed drinks and operate under a license. The breweries do this,” he says.

“Of course, since there are technically no bars in North Carolina at this time, it would need to have a restaurant component to get such a permit,” he adds.

“The food requirement is indeed pernicious to many who come from states which allow bars.” X

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Gastropub at Hopey JAN. 23 - 29, 2019

25

SMALL BITES

FOOD

by Thomas Calder | tcalder@mountainx.com

Whisk Avl relocates to Smokey Park Highway

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JAN. 23 - 29, 2019

“We just don’t have space anymore,” says Meg Schearer, founder and co-owner of Whisk Avl. Since November 2016, Schearer has operated her bakery out of Westville Pub in West Asheville. But with the restaurant’s recent expansion to include All Sevens Brewing, room has become limited for Schearer’s operation.

On Friday, Jan. 25, the bakery will relocate to 801 Smokey Park Highway, which was once home to Okie Dokie’s Smokehouse and, more recently, to JoJo’s Corner Grill and Ice Cream Shop.

Schearer, who co-owns the business with Westville Pub/All Sevens Brewing owner Drew Smith, will continue supplying the West Asheville restaurant with its bread.

But she and Smith are also looking to expand Whisk Avl’s wholesale bread and dessert accounts.

In addition, the new location will eventually allow for drive-thru service. Coffee and desserts, as well as fresh-baked bread and some premade sandwiches, should be available via the shop’s drive-thru window by spring.

Schearer also plans to change the new location’s current purple and green exterior, painting it a more subdued black, silver and gray. “But I’ll keep the roof as is,” she notes.

“It’s just so visual. When you see the green roof, hit your blinker and turn right in.”

Whisk Avl will relocate to 801 Smokey Park Highway beginning Friday, Jan. 25. Store hours to be determined. For more, visit whiskavl.com.

Cookie decorating class Jackie Rowley, owner of Three Eggs Cakery of Asheville, will host a cookie decorating class at Craft Centric Taproom & Bottle Shop on Thursday, Jan. 24. Participants will decorate and take home a half-dozen cookies in beer-themed shapes with royal icing. “No matter if you are a

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HEADED WEST: On Jan. 25, Whisk Avl will move its operations from inside the Westville Pub to 801 Smokey Park Highway. Pictured are co-owners Meg Schearer and Drew Smith at the new space. Photo by Steve Schearer seasoned cake decorator or have no idea what royal icing is, you will learn something new,” says Rowley.

The class runs 7-9 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 24, at Craft Centric Taproom & Bottle Shop, 100 Julian Shoals Drive, Unit 40, Arden. Tickets are $20. To purchase, visit avl.mx/5ks.

Scottish Friendship Dinner The Breacan Clann, a living history group from the Scottish Tartans Museum and Heritage Center, will offer cultural discussions and demonstrations in Highland broadsword and Scottish crafts at Folkmoot’s Scottish Friendship Dinner on Friday, Jan. 25. The meal will feature sautéed cabbage, parsley potatoes and Highland chicken with whiskey and cream sauce.

Shortbread cookies will be served for dessert. Beer from Bearwaters Brewing Co. will be available for purchase.

The dinner runs 6-8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 25 at the Folkmoot Friendship Center, 112 Virginia Ave., Waynesville. Tickets are $18 for adults and $10 for students. Seating is limited. Call 828-452-2997 or visit folkmoot.org.

Korean-Polish street food pop-up Gan Shan Station will host a weekend pop-up featuring chef Won Kim of Kimski, a Chicagobased Korean-Polish street food restaurant. Anticipated menu items include a pierogi/dumpling collaboration; jja jang myun (pork belly and fermented black bean sauce

over noodles); kimchi fried rice; and dduk bok ki (rice cakes in sweet and hot sauce). Some regular Gan Shan dishes will also be available.

The Kimski pop-up happens Friday and Saturday nights, Jan. 25-26 at Gan Shan Station, 143 Charlotte St. For more, visit avl.mx/5lh.

Dinner to celebrate King The Blind Pig Supper Club will host a five-course pop-up meal celebrating the life and work of Martin Luther King Jr. on Saturday, Jan. 26. The dinner will be prepared by guest chefs Marcus Middleton of Charleston, S.C., and Lemar Farrington of Raleigh, with local AUX Bar co-owner and chef Steven Goff, and chef Ashleigh Shanti of Benne on Eagle. A portion of the evening’s proceeds will benefit the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Association of Asheville and Buncombe County.

All Men Created Equal runs 5-9 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 26. The location will be disclosed to participants 48 hours prior to the dinner. Tickets are $65. To purchase, visit avl.mx/5kq.

Chili Cook-Off 2019 On Saturday, Jan. 26, the town of Fletcher will host its 18th annual Chili Cook-Off. Contestants are each required to bring 3 gallons of any type of prepared chili, plus a serving spoon and slow cooker.

Prizes will be awarded for best overall chili, best individual chili, best business chili, best table decoration and people’s choice.

The 18th annual Chili Cook-Off runs noon-2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 26, at Veritas Christian Academy,

17 Crane Creek Road, Fletcher.

Admission is free but donations will be accepted to support the Fletcher Parks Development Fund. For more, visit avl.mx/5kr.

Stoobie Awards Ceremony Asheville Food Fan Stu Helm’s Stoobie Awards Ceremony will take place Monday, Jan. 28, at the Asheville Masonic Temple. Now in its fifth year, the awards program features 15 categories recognizing the top chefs and foods in Asheville. The event will include entertainment as well as samples and servings of food, beer, wine and hard cider from local restaurants and bars.

The Stoobie Awards Ceremony runs 5-9:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 28, at the Asheville Masonic Temple.

General admission is $25, VIP is $50.

For tickets, visit avl.mx/5kv.

Nightbell to close After five years, chef Katie Button has announced plans to close her downtown dinner and cocktail spot, Nightbell. The final evening is Sunday, Jan. 27. “We feel that the closure is a necessary step in order for our company to grow,” says Button in a statement. “Guests can continue to visit us downstairs at Button & Co. Bagels and at Cúrate, and we hope to share plans for the next chapter in the near future.”

Nightbell is at 32 S. Lexington Ave. Visit katiebuttonrestaurants. com for reservations.X

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27

TOP SHELF VIEWS

FOOD

by Audrey and Bill Kopp | audreybill@liquornerds.com

The grape-based spirit If the beverage industry’s leading lights are prognosticating accurately, 2019 will be the year of brandy’s resurgence as a spirit of choice.

Seven out of 22 spirits writers queried for Adam Morganstern’s Dec. 30 article for Forbes titled “The Best Spirits and Cocktails for 2019” name brandy or one of its specific varieties (Armagnac, cognac, etc.) as the premier spirit to watch in 2019. And in “19 for ’19: Cocktail & Spirits Trend Survey,” drinks industry authority Claire Sprouse of the online resource Tin Roof Drink Community tells the editors of neatpour.com, “Every year I say that brandy will really take off, but I think it might actually happen in 2019!”

Brenda Coates agrees with those forecasts. In May 2018, she opened The Brandy Bar in Hendersonville’s historic Seventh Avenue Depot district. In keeping with North Carolina’s laws concerning bars, membership is required; Coates says that more than 1,400 people have joined over the last eight months.

The variety that exists within the brandy category of spirits isn’t widely known by the general public.

Brandy is sometimes thought of as a bottom-shelf product. But within the world of brandy, there is a wide array of choices; the finest have a subtlety that rivals the best from any spirit category.

Relatively few bars in Western North Carolina stock more than a handful of brandies; uniquely, Coates’ bar features nearly four dozen varieties. And brandy production is quite limited in the state, with only three distilleries currently producing the spirit.

Copper stills have been found to produce the best results for brandy distillation. “Copper adds to the flavor of the fruit,” Coates says. And brandy often receives much less filtration than grain spirits such as vodka; less filtration means more flavor.

“Strictly speaking,” writes Stuart Walton in The Bartender’s Guide to Cocktails & Mixed Drinks, “the term brandy applies to any grape-based spirit distilled from wine.” But in practice, any spirit distilled from fruit — apples, pears, raspberries and so on — can be considered a brandy.

But brandy’s origins lie in grape wine. Walton explains that 17th-cen28

JAN. 23 - 29, 2019

This may be the year brandy goes mainstream in WNC

RAISING THE BAR: Brenda Coates’ Hendersonville business, The Brandy Bar, is unique in Western North Carolina in that it offers nearly four dozen varieties of the grape-based spirit.

The bar also specializes in brandy cocktails. Photo by Luke Van Hine tury traders found that distilling wine before shipping reduced its weight and volume, making it cheaper and easier to transport. The idea was to reconstitute the wine at journey’s end, but intrepid drinkers soon found that the higheralcohol product — stored in wooden casks — developed charms of its own.

The first brandies were likely made in France’s Armagnac region in the early 1300s. The best-known variety, cognac, began production in the early 1700s, and an internationally recognized rating system (V.S., V.S.O.P., XO) defines ages and grades of those spirits. Two of the most popular brandies are cognacs from Hennessy and Courvoisier; both are available locally.

Today brandies are made all over the globe. One regional specialty is grappa from Italy. Another is pisco, a delightful South American spirit

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BRANDY COSMOPOLITAN Courtesy of Brenda Coates • 2 ounces brandy • 1 ounce Cointreau • ½ ounce sweetened lime juice* • ½ ounce organic cranberry juice Combine all ingredients with ice in a mixing glass. Shake until the vessel frosts. Strain into a cocktail glass; garnish with a cherry. * Fresh lime juice plus simple syrup to taste

made from moscato grapes and not aged in wood. We have a special affinity for Capel pisco, which can sometimes be found locally at ABC stores. It has a complex character and is ideal for sipping.

Other spirits fall under the loose category of brandy. Slivovitz is made from plums (we’ll explore Eastern European spirits in a future issue).

Made from apples, applejack is among the most popular American brandies. Laird’s, maker of American apple brandies, is the oldest distillery in the United States.

Western North Carolina has its own brandy backstory. Coates explains that Dr. George Fletcher, 1880s postmaster of the town that bears his name, “made his own applejack to serve at the tavern he had.” The doctor’s method of making the spirit was simple and crude, yet effective.

“They would ferment apple juice and then set it out on the porch,” Coates explains. The water portion would freeze, leaving behind 120-proof liquid. “It was powerful stuff,” says Coates with a chuckle.

Brandy benefits greatly from aging in oak barrels, but highly aged brandies are generally only available from European distillers. “I just don’t see American [distillers] putting any profit aside for seven to 40 years,” Coates says. “It’s just not going to happen. We [Americans] like a turnaround; we’ve got to have a return on our investment.” But even younger brandies exist in pleasing variety.

North Carolina drinkers have limited options, though. Coates notes that of the nearly 50 brandies on the shelves at The Brandy Bar, 75 percent are special order. Widely available and relatively inexpensive brands that earn Coates’ approval include Copper & Kings, distilled in Kentucky. Beyond serving straight brandies in traditional snifter glasses, Coates’s bar specializes in brandybased spins on traditional cocktails (see recipe).

Those who haven’t tried brandy often hold incorrect assumptions about it. Coates laughs when she recalls a conversation with a fellow diner at an area restaurant. “Have you ever had brandy?” she asked the man. He said no, “because it’s too sweet.” She laughed and replied, “Then you’ve never had brandy.” X

MOUNTAINX.COM

JAN. 23 - 29, 2019

29

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

COSMIC CONNECTIONS

Diversity Productions’ multicultural musical events promote harmony

BY AMI WORTHEN amiworthen@gmail.com A chance encounter with a cosmic composer was a turning point in Rah Amen’s dynamic career as a musician, event producer and DJ. The founder of Diversity Productions, he draws on his cumulative experiences to curate a series of unique musical and educational events around Asheville.

“Is your space intuition up?” renowned bandleader Sun Ra asked Amen on New Year’s Eve 1985. Amen had loaned his percussion instruments to Sun Ra’s Arkestra for a show in Atlanta. When that band’s percussionist didn’t show up, Amen offered to fill in. Assured the drummer’s space intuition was indeed up, Sun Ra told Amen he could play and handed him a uniform. “They put me in a big robe with a bunch of stars and planets on it, and a big gold hat on my head with a big crystal in the third eye of the hat,” he recalls.

After the performance, Sun Ra invited Amen to come to Philadelphia to play with the Arkestra. “My life changed forever, needless to say,” Amen says.

In the most recent iteration of that life path, Amen’s Diversity Productions’ 2019 season will kick off Sunday, March 10, at Ambrose West, with an International Women’s Extravaganza, the first of three Concerts for Human Harmony to be held at that venue. That event will feature female-identified performers and presenters including Lael Brooks, Valeria Watson, Uma Hernandez, Cuddle in the Cosmos, Queen Momo, Sherri Lynn Clark and Linda Cammarata.

The season continues with Busker’s Plus at The Mothlight on Monday, April 1, an evening of music with Bobby Sax, John Donald, Landon Frost, Raeph McDowell and more.

Then, on Sunday, April 14, the next Concert for Human Harmony, titled More Flowers of the Garden, will showcase musical acts including the Cosmic International Unity Arkestra and Kevin Spears. Additional events, such as a Healing Expo in late September, are also in the works.

Amen is currently soliciting sponsors and donors for this year’s season to present “the most beautiful, diverse music in Asheville’s music night scene,” he says.

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JAN. 23 - 29, 2019

IT TAKES A VILLAGE: Producer, promoter and musician Rah Amen, center front, points to the ways his multicultural events “beautifully complement” both LEAF and North Carolina’s international folk dance festival, Folkmoot. Amen’s next concert, the International Women’s Extravaganza, takes place March 10. Also pictured, from left, are Rob Jones, Valeria Watson, Britt Castaneda (standing), Sherri Lynn Clark, Fred Barry (standing), Roberta Greenspan and Deb Criss. Photo by Cindy Kunst It’s been a long road to being able to create such a scene. Amen played with Sun Ra for about a year, then he moved to New Orleans where, he says, “my musical education really went to another level.”

There, he developed a lifelong musical collaboration with Bilal Sunni-Ali, a saxophonist who performed with soul and jazz spoken-word artist Gil Scott-Heron.

From New Orleans, Amen went to Austin, Texas, and, as he puts it, “everything exploded” after he formed his first production company, Cosmic Intuition Productions. He was motivated by the racial and cultural separation he saw in the city. “It just hit me one day,” he says.

“I got a divine inspiration ... that we could bring the town together through music.”

His first event as a producer, called the 100 Musician Improvisation Human Expression Music Night, drew a diverse crowd. Amen continued to produce

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large events in Austin, securing significant funding from the Austin Arts Council and sponsors such as IBM and Dell Computers. He eventually put on successful, well-funded events in Atlanta, as well.

As a musician, in addition to leading the Cosmic Intuition ensemble, the ensuing years have found Amen returning for stints with the Sun Ra Arkestra and playing with groups such as George Clinton and P.Funk and the Dirty Dozen Brass Band. “My musical journey has been completely controlled by the creator of the universe, or the omniverse, as Sun Ra would say,” Amen says.

A call from his grandmother in 2001 brought him back to Greenville, S.C., where he grew up. For the first time, he found himself struggling to find financial support. “Here’s where conservatism showed up,” Amen says. Despite his

impressive portfolio, “The big boys wouldn’t sponsor me because I had long dreadlocks down my back.” Some doors were closed to him; other times, people he met with put on their own events using his ideas.

Amid this frustration, he was invited to play a show in Asheville at the onetime venue Vincent’s Ear with SunniAli. It was a freezing night in January 2004, yet the venue was packed, and the crowd overwhelmingly responsive.

A late-night meal at Rosetta’s Kitchen added to the charm of the evening.

Soon after, Amen moved to this city.

Since then, in partnership with the nonprofit Zamani Refuge African Culture Center, an organization that provides educational and arts programming related to Africa, Amen’s Diversity Productions has hosted concerts in Asheville. The purpose is to “bring cultures together to learn more about each other so we can have more harmony,” Amen explains. The concerts feature “diverse and international musicians who are under the radar.”

While Diversity Productions has some enthusiastic sponsors and support, Amen has yet to secure the funding needed to operate at the level he was able to in Austin and Atlanta. He attributes this to resistance based on his appearance and to funders who deny support, saying his concerts are duplicating the LEAF events, a concern he says is unfounded. Instead, Amen points to the ways his multicultural events “beautifully complement” both LEAF and North Carolina’s international folk dance festival, Folkmoot.

“Diversity is needed in all areas, not just on the stage,” Amen says. “What people have to realize is that, as far as people who are presenting music in Asheville — as a presenter, as a producer — there are very few people who look like myself.” X

WHAT International Women’s Extravaganza diversityproductions.net WHERE Ambrose West 312 Haywood Road ambrosewest.com WHEN Sunday, March 10, 6 p.m. $12 advance/$15 at the door

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JAN. 23 - 29, 2019

31

A&E

by Kim Ruehl

anymedia@gmail.com

ENERGY EXCHANGE Last February, local funk-jam outfit The Get Right Band showed up at Asheville Music Hall with six cameras, an engineer from Echo Mountain Recording and a packed house of devoted fans. The plan: to make an album.

Now, almost exactly one year later, the band is looking forward to unveiling the result, Live from Asheville, with a release party on Saturday, Jan. 26, at Ambrose West. Not only will this mark the rising band’s inaugural live recording, but it will also be its first available on vinyl.

The Get Right Band formed in 2011 after another local collective — Soulgrass Rebellion, which included guitarist and singer Silas Durocher — lost its bass player. The group tapped Durocher’s childhood buddy Jesse Gentry to sit in for a tour. Gentry jelled so well with the band that he left his base in the Virgin Islands and made a permanent move to Asheville.

As Soulgrass wrapped up its run, The Get Right Band emerged with a funkier sound built upon Gentry’s and Durocher’s natural creative synergy, with Soulgrass drummer Chris Pyle holding down the beats.

Gentry and Durocher both clearly remember the night — Dec. 9, 2011 — when The Get Right Band became official. It was during a performance at the now-defunct Lexington Avenue Brewery.

“Soulgrass Rebellion band was kind of dissolving, but some gig opportunities were still coming in,” says Durocher. “The three of us who wanted to continue playing from that band started pick-

GIVE AND TAKE: Funk and jam sounds thrive on the vibe that swings back and forth from artist to crowd. “It boosts the performance so much,” says Silas Durocher, right, with Jesse Gentry, left and Jian-Claude Mears of The Get Right Band. For that reason, the band’s latest release was recorded in front of a live audience. Photo by Ross Viviano ing up random shows that Soulgrass would’ve done, but we didn’t really have an identity. We were just kind of jamming and playing parts of songs.

After about six months, we started to home in on what this project sounded like. … For whatever reason, it just kind of clicked.”

The three studio albums the group has since recorded have done an exquisite job of depicting a band on the rise, from the five-song debut EP, Shake, in 2013, to 2014’s Bass Treble Angel Devil — the first with new drummer Jian-

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The Get Right Band releases a live album

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Claude Mears — and 2016’s Who’s in Charge, which the musicians recorded at Echo Mountain.

But funk and jam music are meant to live in a room with an audience.

At their core, those sounds thrive on the vibe that swings back and forth from artist to crowd. Though the studio allows a band to tweak, edit and perfect a recording, there’s just some energy that can only be created in a live setting.

Gentry points out that his bandmates tend to enjoy recording more in the studio, but he feels there’s nothing like the vibe they wield from a stage. It was his idea to try making a live album, not that he had to twist anyone’s arm. “In my mind,” he says, “after we did the awesome full-length studio album, [this was a way] to do something fresh and different.”

Durocher, who appreciates the time and room to tweak a recording in a studio, nonetheless concurs. He notes that the energy the band experiences from its audience “feels so good. It boosts the performance so much. It affects us so much. There are other advantages to recording in a studio, but that’s always a thing we acknowledge in the studio — that energy’s not there from the crowd.”

For Live in Asheville, the band revisited a handful of crowd favorites from their first three recordings. “Shut Yo Mouth” from Bass Treble Angel Devil is particularly notable, coming as it does at track two, with Durocher’s charismatic vocal and cleaner, more assertive guitar than fans may remember from the recording. “The Carpenter’s Daughter” from the same album closes the entire set, with its not-soromantic love challenge (“If you can fix me, honey, be my guest”). Here, its guitar-versus-bass instrumental break far outdoes the studio version.

But that’s to be expected from a band that is committed to constantly growing and evolving its material.

“We tend to keep developing our songs forever,” Durocher says.

“Some of that’s in the form of improvisation onstage. Especially if we have a song that’s become a fan favorite and we feel obligated to play it every night, we start getting bored with it, so [we’ll say,] ‘OK let’s try a slower, funkier version of this,’ or ‘Let’s try changing this from a major key to a minor key.’ [That way,] we can still satisfy our fans who want to sing along on the chorus, but we can have a different experience.”

And while the disc includes a choice cover of The Buggles classic, “Video Killed the Radio Star,” much of Live in Asheville is populated with even newer material that Durocher notes will also appear on a forthcoming studio album — the first the band will be engineering and producing itself.

If the versions of these new songs on Live in Asheville are any indication, that next studio recording will be well worth fans’ ears. In the meantime, there’s little better than the live thing. X

WHO The Get Right Band with Three Star Revival WHEN Saturday, Jan. 26, 8 p.m. $7 advance/$10 day of show WHERE Ambrose West 312 Haywood Road ambrosewest.com

by Alli Marshall

amarshall@mountainx.com

ALL POINTS SOUTH Writer and professor Kirstin L. Squint penned her dissertation on the way native people represent spirituality as resistance to European and U.S. settler colonialism. “In that research, I had a chapter on ceremonies,” she says. That was when she came across Shell Shaker. There were a few published articles on that novel and its author, Choctaw artist LeAnne Howe, but overall Squint found very little analysis had been done on Howe’s work. So she set out to rectify the situation.

Squint’s new book, LeAnne Howe at the Intersections of Southern and Native American Literature, is a monograph geared mainly toward scholars, but “the goal is also to be an intervention into the conversation about what we mean when we talk about Native Americans in the South,” says Squint.

“I’ve had a few [nonacademic] folks buy it who are generally interested in Native American literature, and that blows my mind and makes me so happy.” Squint will present the book, in a discussion with UNC Asheville professors Erica Abrams Locklear and Anne Jansen, at Malaprop’s on Friday, Jan. 25.

Just after completing her master’s degree, Squint taught at Newcomb High School, on a Navajo reservation in New Mexico. While a graduate student, Squint had taken a class on contemporary non-Western literature, where she encountered Native American writers such as Chippewa author Louise Erdrich and Navajo poet Luci Tapahonso. “That was part of why, when the opportunity came up for me to teach on the reservation …

I had a lot of interest because of that exposure in college,” she says.

Squint grew up in Kentucky and is currently based in North Carolina as an associate professor of English at High Point University. “I came back to the Southeast, and suddenly my eyes were open to the native people around me because I’d lived on a reservation and lived out west where there were so many different nations around us,” she says.

In 2008, when Squint was finishing her dissertation, Locklear (a friend of Squint’s from college) mentioned a Southern literature conference where Howe would be speaking. There, Squint interviewed Howe for the first time (LeAnne Howe at the Intersections of Southern and Native American Literature draws from that meeting

Author discusses the meeting of Native American and Southern literature

RENAISSANCE WOMAN: Author LeAnne Howe, the subject of a monograph by Kirstin Squint, pictured, is intersectional in her craft. A poet, filmmaker, playwright and critical theorist, Howe’s work is taught in Native American studies courses, and Southernists have begun to include Howe’s novel Shell Shaker in their classes. “I really feel like a book needed to be written about her,” says Squint. Photo courtesy of the author and a second interview in 2013). There, she also discovered “a whole world of scholars working on Native American literature of the South. … That conference opened up a whole new area for me in terms of what I was doing in my work,” she says. “I joke that if I hadn’t gone to that conference to interview LeAnne Howe, I don’t know that I would have become a Southernist.”

That term refers to a scholar specializing in the study of the Southern region of this country. Most such researchers are non-native, Squint points out, and “I think the native people who do this work don’t consider themselves Southernists,” though there’s some crossover. Craig Womack, who teaches at Emory University, for example, “is a creative writer, and he writes about Creek writers … but he’s a Creek guy doing work on his own tribe and tribal literatures,” Squint says.

Similarly, Howe “has stated that she hopes Shell Shaker will ‘help other Choctaws remember their own stories and so that they might bring more of the past back into existence,’” Squint writes in her book. Howe’s work has the poten-

tial to “‘forge a progressive social space’ … because of ‘its very separation from the conventional non-Native canon.’ For Howe, that ‘progressive social space’ is is a continued struggle for sovereignty that is intricately connected to storytelling.”

Beyond her work at the junction of Southern and native writing, Howe is also intersectional in her craft. A novelist, poet, filmmaker, playwright and critical theorist, her work is taught in Native American studies courses, and Southernists have begun to include Shell Shaker in their classes because it’s about Mississippi, Squint says. “She does fit in the Native American literary renaissance if you’re talking about folks from the era of 1969 when [N. Scott] Momaday’s House Made of Dawn won the Pulitzer, through the ’80s. … I really feel like a book needed to be written about her.”

Howe has a new project in the works.

Squint can’t reveal many details, but it will challenge some long-held perceptions about the treatment of and attitudes toward native people. “I do think native writers get pigeonholed, but hopefully, in recent years, some of those writers might have broken up assumptions about what

native lit might look like,” Squint says.

Cheyenne and Arapaho author Tommy Orange, whose 2018 debut novel, There There, which centers the story of multiple Native American characters in the urban environs of Oakland, Calif., is among them. But Squint points out that other writers, such as SpokaneCoeur d’Alene-American novelist Sherman Alexie, “have been writing about the urban Indian experience for a while. … But seeing native literature more for what it is — lots of different voices from lots of different cultural traditions — is being emphasized.”

Squint does take issue with certain ideas, such as the “Native South,” which “is not fair to people who were forcibly removed. … You have to take into account there are ancestral homelands that their stories come from,” she says. What Squint does hope, as people are thinking more about the native experience, is a discussion about those, such as the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, who stayed on their land: what they had to do to survive and what they had to give up. “That history is also really traumatic,” says Squint. X

WHO Kirstin L. Squint with UNC Asheville professors Erica Abrams Locklear and Anne Jansen WHERE Malaprop’s 55 Haywood St. malaprops.com WHEN Friday, Jan. 25, 6 p.m.

Flashback Friday’s Vintage Dance Night!

1/25: Jesse Barry, $5 2/1: The SUPER 60s, $10 7:30 -10:30pm 39 S. Market St, Asheville, NC 28801 254-9277 • theblockoffbiltmore.com

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A&E

by Edwin Arnaudin | Send your arts news to ae@mountainx.com

Nathan Alling Long On a quantity level, it’s difficult to find more narrative prowess in a single volume of writing and by a single author than Nathan Alling Long’s The Origin of Doubt: Fifty Short Fictions. Initially conceived as a goal for Long to have 50 flash fictions published together by the time he turned 50 years old, early manuscripts of the work were sent out under the title Fifty/Fifty, suggesting that readers would perhaps enjoy half of the shortshort stories. After eclipsing the half-century mark, the Philadelphia-based author and Stockton University creative writing professor decided on The Origin of Doubt, which is also a subsection of the book that centers on adolescence. The prolific writer and queer literature advocate will read from his newest collection at Malaprop’s on Thursday, Jan. 24, at 6 p.m. Free to attend. malaprops.com. Author photo by Gary Plouff

The Revelers One of the more entertaining genres to say (or type), swamp-pop is defined as Cajun and zydeco musicians’ interpretation of the R&B and rock that emerged from Detroit, Memphis and New Orleans in the 1950s as it made its way to Southwest Louisiana.

The musical style is at the heart of Pelican State sextet The Revelers, which also incorporates country and blues traditions into its high-energy shows. Fortified by new, soon-to-be-released tunes from the follow-up to its second full-length album, Get Ready — which earned a Grammy nomination for Best Regional Roots Music Album — the band heads to The Grey Eagle on Sunday, Jan. 27, for an 8 p.m. performance. $15 advance/$18 day of show. thegreyeagle.com. Photo by Sandlin Gaither

Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe

Chatham Rabbits Hailing from just outside of Chapel Hill in the Bynum community, the traditional folk duo Chatham Rabbits takes its name from the town’s legendary, early 1900s string band that first carried that moniker — and does so with a strong sense of historical duty. “The people of Bynum sort of elected that name for us,” Austin McCombie told UNC-TV’s “My Home, NC.” “We felt really honored.” With Austin on guitar and fiddle and his wife Sarah Osborne McCombie handling banjo, the pair share vocal and songwriting responsibilities on their debut LP, All I Want From You, which features contributions from members of Mandolin Orange and Mipso. On the road for their album release tour, Chatham Rabbits play Isis Music Hall’s upstairs lounge on Saturday, Jan. 26, at 7 p.m. $12 advance/$15 day of show. isisasheville.com. Photo by Kendall Atwater

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The mascots for Travelocity and the University of Wisconsin aren’t two entities that usually go together, which may be precisely why the combination makes for an intriguing album title. Pairing those disparate nouns is Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe, whose Gnomes & Badgers is slated for a March 8 release.

The acclaimed live act’s first new studio album in more than five years finds the saxophonist/flutist/ vocalist and his six-piece ensemble blending throwback rock, soul and funk into an upbeat sound. Prior to the record making its way into the world, the founding member of The Greyboy Allstars and touring saxophonist for The Rolling Stones brings his band to Salvage Station on Saturday, Jan. 26. Nashvillebased funk septet Luthi opens at 9 p.m. $20. salvagestation.com. Photo courtesy of the musician

A & E CALENDAR

PLAY IT LIKE YOU MEAN IT: Pan Harmonia presents Return to the Bassooniverse: Adventures in Music for 4 Bassoons in the acoustically correct sanctuary of Biltmore United Methodist Church. Bassoonists Rosalind Buda, Jennifer Anderson, Susan Cohen and Will Peebles perform original music composed for bassoon and bassoon ensembles, including works by Francisco Mignone, Amber Ferenz Spuller, Francois Devienne and Mozart. The concert takes place Sunday, Jan. 27, at 3 p.m. Tickets are $20 per person and $5 per student and active military. For more information, visit panharmonia. org/shop. Photo courtesy of Michael Hynes (p. 36)

ART 310 ART 191 Lyman St., #310, 828776-2716, 310art.com • MONDAYS, 9:30am12:30pm or 1-4pm - Marvelous Mondays, beginner and up, includes watercolor, oils, acrylics, drawing and mixed media.

Registration required. $27 and up.

ASHEVILLE FRINGE ARTS FESTIVAL ashevillefringe.org • Through SU (1/27) Performance arts festival with over 30 ticketed performances featuring cross genre fringe artists. See website for full schedule. $13-16. Held in Downtown Asheville and the River Arts District.

HAYWOOD COUNTY ARTS COUNCIL 86 N Main St., Waynesville, 828-4520593, haywoodarts.org/ • MO (1/28), 2-4pm - Watercolor class for beginners by Joan Will. $40/$35 members.

HAYWOOD COUNTY LIBRARY-CANTON 11 Pennsylvania Ave., Canton, 828-648-2924, haywoodlibrary.org • Through (3/31) - Ashley Calhoun paintings. Free.

• Through (3/31) - Russell Wyatt photography. Free.

WAYNESVILLE BRANCH OF HAYWOOD COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 678 S. Haywood St., Waynesville, 828-452-5169 • Through (3/31) - Linda Blount paintings. Free.

• Through (3/31) - Patty Johnson Coulter drawings. Free.

• Through (3/31) - Jason Woodard paintings. Free.

• Through (3/31) - Molly Harrington-Weaver paintings. Free.

ART/CRAFT STROLLS & FAIRS HISTORIC JOHNSON FARM 3346 Haywood Road, Hendersonville, 828-891-6585, historicjohnsonfarm.org • SA (1/26), 10am-3pm - Heritage Weavers and Fiber Artists,. fiber arts expo featuring demonstrations and hands-on experiences. Free.

TRANSYLVANIA COMMUNITY ARTS COUNCIL 349 S. Caldwell St., Brevard, 828-884-2787, tcarts.org • 4th FRIDAYS, 5-8pm Brevard 4th Friday gallery walk with open galleries,

art stores, restaurants, live music and refreshments.

Free to attend. Held in Downtown Brevard.

AUDITIONS & CALL TO ARTISTS ASHEVILLE GREENWORKS 828-254-1776, ashevillegreenworks.org • Through FR (1/25) Asheville GreenWorks seeks all artists and designers for Trashion Show held Saturday, April 27. Registration: avl. mx/5l7. Free.

ASHEVILLE SYMPHONY CHORUS ashevillesymphonychorus. com • TU (1/29), 3pm Auditions by appointment.

Registration: mlancastercond@gmail.com. Held at First Congregational UCC of Asheville, 20 Oak St. THE CENTER FOR ART & INSPIRATION 927 Greenville Highway, Hendersonville • SU (1/27), 4pm & MO (1/28), 7pm - Auditions held for Center Stage Repertory Company.

Information and appointment: 828-697-8547.

DANCE LEARN TO DANCE (PD.) Ballroom • Swing • Waltz • Salsa • Wedding • TwoStep • Special Events.

Lessons, Workshops, Classes and Dance Events in Asheville. Certified instructor. Contact Richard for information: 828-3330715. naturalrichard@ mac.com • www.

DanceForLife.net DANCELAB ASHEVILLE 20 Commerce St. • MONDAYS until (1/28), 7-8:30pm - Body Offerings with Isabel Bowser and Isabel Castellvi, a movement and voice series. $5.

DIANA WORTHAM THEATRE 18 Biltmore Ave., 828-2574530, dwtheatre.com • SA (1/26), 7pm - Dancing with the Asheville Stars, performances by professional and student dancers, including Ballroom, Contemporary, Latin, Ballet, Modern, Hip Hop, Salsa and Tango. $25 and up/$15 children 12 and under.

HARVEST HOUSE 205 Kenilworth Road, 828-350-2051 • WEDNESDAYS, noon1pm - Intermediate/

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advanced contemporary line dancing. $5.

Firecracker Jazz Band and hors d'oeuvres. $37.

STEPHENS LEE RECREATION CENTER 30 George Washington Carver Ave. • THURSDAYS, noon-1pm - Improver contemporary line dancing. $5.

• THURSDAYS, 1:302:30pm - Beginner contemporary line dancing. $5.

MADISON COUNTY ARTS COUNCIL 828-649-1301, madisoncountyarts.com, info@madisoncountyarts. com • SU (1/27), 4pm - The Kruger Brothers concert of folk and bluegrass. $30.

Held at Broyhill Chapel, 338 Cascade St., Mars Hill

MUSIC AFRICAN DRUM LESSONS AT SKINNY BEATS DRUM SHOP (PD.) Wednesdays 6pm. Billy Zanski teaches a fun approach to connecting with your inner rhythm.

Drop-ins welcome. • Drums provided. $15/ class. (828) 768-2826. www.skinnybeatsdrums. com BROYHILL CHAPEL 338 Cascade St, Mars Hill, 828-689-1128, mhu.edu/ campus-life/religious-life/ broyhill-chapel-bentleyfellowship-hall/ • TH (1/24), 7:30pm Faculty recital by Alan and Misty Theisen with guest artist, pianist Jennifer Reason. Free to attend.

BUNCOMBE COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARIES buncombecounty.org/ governing/depts/library • WE (1/23) & WE (1/30), 3pm - Ukulele jam, all levels. Free. Held at Weaverville Public Library, 41 N. Main St., Weaverville ASHEVILLE DRUM CIRCLE 828-251-1122, ashevillenc.gov • FRIDAYS, 6-9:50pm Asheville outdoor drum circle. Free. Held at Pritchard Park, 4 College St. DIANA WORTHAM THEATRE 18 Biltmore Ave., 828-2574530, dwtheatre.com • FR (1/25), 8pm - Molly Tuttle, folk and bluegrass music. $20-$60.

HAYWOOD COUNTY ARTS COUNCIL 86 N Main St., Waynesville, 828-4520593, haywoodarts.org/ • TH (1/24), 7pm - 'January Jazz' by

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GALLERY DIRECTORY

by Deborah Robertson

PAN HARMONIA 828-254-7123, panharmonia.org • SU (1/27), 3pm - "Return to the Bassooniverse," chamber music concert featuring four bassoonists. $25/$20 advance.

Held at Biltmore United Methodist Church, 376 Hendersonville Road SLY GROG LOUNGE 271 Haywood St., 828-552-3155, slygrog.wordpress.com/ • SUNDAYS, 7pm - Openmic for storytellers, poets, musicians and all kinds of performance artists. Sign ups at 6:30pm. Free to attend.

TRYON FINE ARTS CENTER 34 Melrose Ave., Tryon, 828-859-8322, tryonarts.org • TH (1/31), 8pm Zlatomir Fung, cello concert. $20.

SPOKEN & WRITTEN WORD ASHEVILLE COMMUNITY THEATRE 35 E. Walnut St., 828-2541320, ashevilletheatre.org • TH (1/31), 7:30pm 'Listen to This,' hosted by Tom Chalmers with stories and songs by local writers, performers and citizens, $15.

BUNCOMBE COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARIES buncombecounty.org/ governing/depts/library • TU (1/29), 6pm - Local Author Robin Gaiser presents her book, Open for Lunch. Free. Held at North Asheville Library, 1030 Merrimon Ave. • WEDNESDAYS until (3/20), 4:30pm Beginner's Spanish class for adults with Geri Solomon. Registration required. Free. Held at Pack Memorial Library, 67 Haywood St.

COLUMBUS LIBRARY 1289 W. Mills St., Columbus • TU (1/29), 6pm - At Friends of the Polk County Public Libraries annual meeting, Mark Schweizer presents his series of liturgical mysteries. Free.

FIRESTORM BOOKS & COFFEE 610 Haywood Road, 828-255-8115, firestorm.coop • SA (1/26), 3pm - Mark Bray and Eli Meyerhoff present their book, Revolutionary Pedagogy.

Free to attend.

HABITAT TAVERN & COMMONS 174 Broadway, habitatbrewing.com • LAST MONDAYS, 7:30pm - Spoken word open mic, hosted by David Joe Miller. Sign-ups at 7pm. Free to attend.

LENOIR RHYNE CENTER FOR GRADUATE STUDIES 36 Montford Ave., 828-778-1874 • TH (1/24), 6:30pm "Sisters in Words: Fiction, Nonfiction, and the Creative Process," presentation and readings by authors Elizabeth Kostova and Victoria Johnson.

Free.

MALAPROP'S BOOKSTORE AND CAFE 55 Haywood St., 828-254-6734, malaprops.com • WE (1/23), 6pm - Greg Howard presents his book, The Whispers, in conversation with Allan Wolf. Free to attend.

• TH (1/24), 6pm - Nathan Alling Long presents his book: The Origin of Doubt: Fifty Fictions. Free to attend.

• FR (1/25), 6pm - Kirstin L. Squint presents her book, LeAnne Howe, at the Intersections of Southern and Native American Literature. Free to attend.

• SA (1/26), 6pm - Stella Vinitchi Radulescu presents her book, A Cry in the Snow and Other Poems, with translator Luke Hankins. Free to attend.

• TU (1/29), 7pm - Author Salon with Jeff Jackson discussing Destroy All Monsters. Free to attend.

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• WE (1/30), 6pm - Karen McManus presents her book, Two Can Keep a Secret, and Megan Miranda presents her book, Come Find Me. Free to attend.

• TH (1/31), 6pm - Rachael Sparks presents her book, Resistant. Free to attend.

• TH (1/31), 7pm - Works in Translation Book Club: A Quiet Place by Seicho Matsumoto, translated by Louise Heal Kawai. Free to attend.

NORTH CAROLINA WRITERS' NETWORK ncwriters.org • Through WE (1/30) Submissions accepted for the 2019 Thomas Wolfe Fiction Prize. See website for full guidelines.

• Through FR (2/15) Short story submissions accepted for The 2019 Doris Betts Fiction Prize.

See website for full guidelines.

TRYON FINE ARTS CENTER 34 Melrose Ave., Tryon, 828-859-8322, tryonarts.org • SA (1/26), 6pm - MLK Jr Day Celebration, a celebration of unity and courage presented by the Thermal Belt Friendship Council. Free.

WRITER IN YOU 828-776-8248 • MO (1/28) 10am2pm - Writers group.

Bring something you are reading, six-copies of something you are writing and a packed lunch. Free.

Held at First Presbyterian Church, 40 Church St.

THEATER 35BELOW 35 E. Walnut St., 828-254-1320, ashevilletheatre.org • FRIDAYS through SUNDAYS until (1/27) - Nunsense-A-Men. Fri. & Sat.: 7:30pm. Sun.: 2:30pm. $25.

NC STAGE COMPANY 15 Stage Lane, 828-239-0263 • WEDNESDAYS through SATURDAYS (1/23) until (2/17), 7:30pm - Jeeves at Sea, satire. Wed.-Sat.: 7:30pm & Sun.: 2pm, with Saturday matinees on Feb. 9 & 16, 2pm. $20$46; $10/students.

ART IS A THREE-LETTER WORD: Lori Park, adjunct professor of art at Brevard College, showcases her recent work in an art installation called An Invitation to a Show. Park has created a viewer experience built on treasured, childhood distractions – animals, fairy tales, holidays, the circus – that took place during a “season of beautiful insanity,” when life could be awful and wonderful at the same time. It is in these memories that Park’s subjects take form, translated from the theater of the mind into fabric, color and shape. The exhibition is held at the Spiers Gallery in Sims Art Center at Brevard College from Friday, Jan. 25, through Friday, Feb. 15. An opening reception with the artist will be held Friday, Jan, 25, 5:30-7 p.m. For more information, contact Diane Pomphrey at 828-884-8188. Photo courtesy of Lori Park ASHEVILLE AREA ARTS COUNCIL 1 Page Ave., 828-258-0710, ashevillearts.com • Through FR (2/22) - Carve: Process of Reduction, curated by Nina Kawar, is seven artists working in clay, wood, glass, printmaking and paper.

ASHEVILLE GALLERY OF ART 82 Patton Ave., 828-251-5796, ashevillegallery-of-art.com • Through TH (1/31) - A Colorful Beginning, exhibition by 20+ member artists.

ELIZABETH HOLDEN GALLERY 701 Warren Wilson Road, Swannanoa • Through FR (2/22) - 10th Annual Drawing Discourse

Juried International Exhibition features 59 works of contemporary drawing.

HAYWOOD COUNTY ARTS COUNCIL 86 N Main St., Waynesville, 828-4520593, haywoodarts.org/ • Through SA (2/23) Juried exhibit of 28 local artists working in a variety of mediums: oil, acrylic, clay, watercolor, forged steel, coldwax, collage, wood, glass, fiber, jewelry, egg tempera, photography and mixed media.

SIMS ART CENTER AT BREVARD COLLEGE 1 Brevard College Drive, Brevard • FR (1/25) through FR (2/15) - Lori Park showcases An Invitation to a Show, an exhibition of sculpture

installation. Reception: Friday, Jan. 25, 5:30-7pm.

THE WCU BARDO ARTS CENTER 199 Centennial Drive, Cullowhee, 828-227-2479, wcu.edu/ bardo-arts-center/ • Through FR (5/1) School of Art and Design Faculty Biennial Exhibition.

TRACEY MORGAN GALLERY 188 Coxe Ave., TraceyMorganGallery.com • FR (1/4) through SA (2/16) - 'Table Arrangements,' exhibition of photographs by James Henkel.

TRANSYLVANIA COMMUNITY ARTS COUNCIL 349 S. Caldwell St., Brevard, 828-884-2787, tcarts.org

• Through TH (1/31) Faces of Freedom, exhibiting and performing artists.

WEIZENBLATT ART GALLERY AT MHU 79 Cascade St, Mars Hill • Through FR (2/8) Polaroids and Other Instant Photos retrospective exhibition by Jay Kranyik of 125 Polaroid and Instax images.

Reception: Wednesday, Jan, 23, 6-8pm.

WESTERN CAROLINA UNIVERSITY, FINE ART MUSEUM 199 Centennial Drive Cullowhee, wcu.edu/bardo-artscenter/fine-art-museum/ • Through (5/3) - Defining America, exhibition in a variety of media.

Contact the galleries for hours and admission fees

CLUBLAND

EXTRATERRESTRIAL VIBES: DJ and producer 12th Planet stops through Asheville during the East Coast leg of his Swamplex Tour. Credited for bringing dubstep into popularity through his jungle-reggae parties alongside the SMOG crew, he broke into the LA electronic music scene in 2006 with his electro-swamp style. Gentlemens Club and Shlump open at The Orange Peel on Friday, Jan. 25, at 9 p.m. $18 advance/$22 day of show. theorangepeel.net. Photo by Ramon Cho

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 23 5 WALNUT WINE BAR Les Amis (African folk music), 8:00PM AMBROSE WEST Andrew Scotchie & the River Rats Winter Out West Tour Send Off Party & Pop Up Petty Show, 8:00PM ASHEVILLE GUITAR BAR Chili Slaw Sessions w/ Tom Kirschbaum & Friends, 6:00PM BLUE MOUNTAIN PIZZA & BREW PUB Open Mic hosted

by Mark Bumgarner, 7:00PM CARMEL'S KITCHEN AND BAR Jazz Night w/ Adi the Monk, 5:30PM CORK & KEG 3 Cool Cats, 7:30PM DIANA WORTHAM THEATRE Asleep At The Wheel: String Band Tour, 8:00PM FUNKATORIUM Saylor Bros, 6:30PM HIGHLAND BREWING COMPANY Woody Wood Wednesdays, 6:00PM

ISIS MUSIC HALL & KITCHEN 743 Morgan Wade w/ Ashley Heath, 7:00PM JACK OF THE WOOD PUB Old Time Jam, 5:00PM NANTAHALA BREWING ASHEVILLE OUTPOST Robert's Totally Rad Trivia, 7:00PM NOBLE KAVA Poetry Open Mic w/ Caleb Beissert (7:30pm sign up), 8:00PM ODDITORIUM Jude Corbin, Caelan Burris, Tyler Cummings (emo), 9:00PM ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Disclaimer Lounge Comedy Open Mic, 9:00PM ONE WORLD BREWING WEST OWB West: Latin Dance Night w/ DJ Oscar, 9:00PM PULP BCKN4TH X 7ELIX, 8:00PM SANCTUARY BREWING COMPANY French Broad Valley Music Association Mountain Music Jam, 6:00PM

SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN BREWERY Jazz Night hosted by Jason DeCristofaro, 6:30PM THE BLOCK OFF BILTMORE Asheville's Most Wanted Funk Bandits, Kazz & Unk, 8:00PM THE GREY EAGLE Jive Mother Mary w/ Glass Magnet, 8:00PM THE IMPERIAL LIFE The Berlyn Jazz Trio (jazz, funk, soul), 9:00PM THE JOINT NEXT DOOR Mr Jimmy, 7:00PM THE MOTHLIGHT Savannah Smith & Southern Soul w/ J.W. Teller, 9:00PM TOWN PUMP Open Mic w/ David, 9:00PM TRESSA'S DOWNTOWN JAZZ AND BLUES Blues & Soul Jam (blues, soul), 9:00PM TWIN LEAF BREWERY Open Mic Night, 8:00PM

THURSDAY, JANUARY 24 5 WALNUT WINE BAR Pleasure Chest (blues, rock, soul), 8:00PM ASHEVILLE GUITAR BAR Will Ray & the Space Cooties, 7:30PM BARLEY'S TAPROOM & PIZZERIA Alien Music Club, 8:00PM BEN'S TUNE UP Offended Open Comedy Mic, 9:00PM BLACK MOUNTAIN ALE HOUSE Bluegrass Jam w/ The Big Deal Band, 8:00PM BLUE MOUNTAIN PIZZA & BREW PUB Billy Litz, 7:00PM CORK & KEG Tatiana Hargreaves & Allison de Groot, 7:30PM FLEETWOOD'S Girl Group Karaoke, 9:00PM FLOOD GALLERY FINE ART CENTER True Home Open Mic, 6:30PM FRENCH BROAD BREWERY MandoCyn (solo mandolin), 6:00PM

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COMING SOON wed 1/23 7:00PM–Morgan wade w/ ashley heath

thu 1/24 7:00PM–anna grace beatty & heather taylor 8:30PM–italian night w/ Mike guggino & barrett sMith

fri 1/25

7:00PM–the buMPer jacksons 9:00PM–zack duPont

sat 1/26

7:00PM–chathaM rabbits albuM release

sun 1/27

6:00PM–blue yonder feat. guest tony creasMan 7:30PM–greenville jazz collective big band

tue 1/29

7:30PM–tuesday bluegrass sessions w/ Powder keg

wed 1/30 7:00PM–grayson foster w/ zach cannella 8:30PM–aMy Mccarley (full band)

thu 1/31 7:00PM–freddy & francine 8:30PM–the donjuans

fri 2/1 7:00PM–grahaM whorley 9PM–”love Me tinder” seduction sideshow (night one)

sat 2/2 7:00PM–courtney hartMan 9PM–”love Me tinder” seduction sideshow (night two)

tue 2/5 7:30PM–tues. bluegrass sessions w/ Mason via & hot trail Mix

wed 2/6 7:00PM–lauren anderson & Meg williaMs

fri 2/8

7:00PM–chuck brodsky with chris rosser 8:30PM–alasdair fraser and natalie haas

sat 2/9

8:30PM–david broMberg quintet

sun 2/10

6:00PM–Matt nakoa 7:30PM–erika wennerstroM (of heartless bastards)

tue 2/12 7:30PM–tues. bluegrass sessions w/ weary travelers

wed 2/13

7:00PM–the kennedys cd release tour 8:30PM–chris wilhelM and friends

thu 2/14

7:00PM–saMson and delilah: the Music of alison krauss and robert Plant

8:30PM–divas live! valentine’s edition

ISISASHEVILLE.COM DINNER MENU TIL 9:30PM LATE NIGHT MENU TIL 12AM

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

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FUNKATORIUM Gypsy Jazz feat. Steve Karla, 6:00PM

THE IMPERIAL LIFE The Burger Kings (rock n' roll), 9:00PM

HIGHLAND BREWING COMPANY Thursday Night Blues w/ The Patrick Dodd Trio, 6:00PM

THE MOTHLIGHT 2019 Asheville Fringe Festival: Mothlight Triple Feature Night One, 7:00PM 2019 Asheville Fringe Festival: Mothlight Double Feature Night One, 9:00PM

ISIS MUSIC HALL & KITCHEN 743 Anna Grace Beatty & Heather Taylor, 7:00PM Italian Night w/ Mike Guggino & Barrett Smith, 8:30PM JACK OF THE WOOD PUB Bluegrass Jam, 7:00PM LOBSTER TRAP Hank Bones, 6:30PM LOCAL 604 BOTTLE SHOP Vinyl Night, 8:00PM OWL BAKERY Thursday Night Jazz, 7:30PM ODDITORIUM Party Foul Weekly Drag, 9:00PM ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Mitch's Totally Rad Trivia, 7:00PM Eggy, 10:00PM ONE WORLD BREWING OWB Downtown: Listen Up Nancy (multigenre, blues, jazz & more), 9:00PM ONE WORLD BREWING WEST OWB West: West Side Funk Jam (funk), 9:00PM ORANGE PEEL Space Jesus w/ Minnesota, Toadface & Huxley Anne, 9:00PM PACK'S TAVERN Jeff Anders & Justin Burrell, 8:00PM PISGAH BREWING COMPANY Mike Rhodes' Fellowship, 7:00PM PURPLE ONION CAFE Lonesome Road Band, 8:00PM SALVAGE STATION Trivia, 7:00PM SANCTUARY BREWING COMPANY The Gathering Dark EP Release Party, 7:00PM THE BARRELHOUSE Trivia w/ Geeks Who Drink, 7:00PM THE BLOCK OFF BILTMORE James Love’s In Living Color Closing Show (poems, DJ’s, art, dance), 7:00PM THE GREY EAGLE That 1 Guy w/ Dr. Aqueous & the Fantastik Apparatus, 9:00PM

TOWN PUMP Megan Jean & The KFB, 9:00PM TRESSA'S DOWNTOWN JAZZ AND BLUES Jesse Barry & The Jam (blues, rock'n Roll), 9:00PM TWIN LEAF BREWERY Craft Karaoke, 9:30PM

HIGHLAND BREWING COMPANY AMFM: Andy Mowatt's Frequency Movement, 7:00PM ISIS MUSIC HALL & KITCHEN 743 Bumper Jacksons, 7:30PM Zack Dupont, 9:00PM JACK OF THE WOOD PUB The Royal Hounds, 9:00PM LOBSTER TRAP Hillbilly Diamonds, 6:30PM LOCAL 604 BOTTLE SHOP Singer-Songwriter Night, 8:00PM NEW BELGIUM BREWERY Krekel & Whoa, 5:30PM

THE GREY EAGLE 10th Annual Django Reinhardt's Birthday Celebration w/ The Page Brothers, The John Henrys & Hot Club of AVL, 7:00PM THE IMPERIAL LIFE Select DJ Sets, 9:00PM THE MOTHLIGHT 2019 Asheville Fringe Festival: Mothlight Triple Feature Night Two, 7:00PM 2019 Asheville Fringe Festival: Mothlight Double Feature Night Two, 9:00PM TOWN PUMP Franklin's Kite, 9:00PM

WEAVER HOUSE Suede, 7:00PM

NOBLE KAVA Noble Pursuits: Jason Moore & Company (jazz improv), 9:00PM

TRESSA'S DOWNTOWN JAZZ AND BLUES Lenny Pettinelli, 7:30PM Bill Mattocks & The Strut (blue, funk), 10:00PM

FRIDAY, JANUARY 25

ODDITORIUM Asheville After Dark Presents: Perversions (kink), 9:00PM

TWIN LEAF BREWERY Local SingerSongwriter Showcase Series, 7:00PM

ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Free Dead Fridays feat. members of Phuncle Sam acoustic, 5:30PM TerraBANG w/ Randomanimals, 10:00PM

W XYZ BAR AT ALOFT WXYZ Dance Party w/ DJ Abu Disarray, 8:00PM

ONE WORLD BREWING OWB Downtown: 10th & Groove feat. Peri Meters & Captain EZ, 9:00PM

WHITE HORSE BLACK MOUNTAIN Chuck Brodsky, 8:00PM

W XYZ BAR AT ALOFT WXYZ Unplugged w/ Jeff Jones, 8:00PM

5 WALNUT WINE BAR April B & The Cool (contemporary soul), 9:00PM ASHEVILLE GUITAR BAR Bity City Blues Jam, 7:30PM ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Desert Dwellers Night One, 9:00PM BLUE MOUNTAIN PIZZA & BREW PUB Acoustic Swing, 7:00PM CAPELLA ON 9 @ THE AC HOTEL Dance Party w/ DJ Zeus, 9:00PM CATAWBA BREWING SOUTH SLOPE 5j Barrow, 7:00PM CORK & KEG One Leg Up, 8:30PM DRY FALLS BREWING CO Mr Jimmy, 8:00PM FLEETWOOD'S Comedy at Fleetwood's: Mia Jackson, 8:00PM FOGGY MOUNTAIN BREWPUB Doug Mcelvy Ensemble (folk, jam), 10:00PM

ONE WORLD BREWING WEST OWB West: Goldie & the Screamers (soul, neo-soul, electro-pop), 9:00PM ORANGE PEEL 12th Planet w/ Gentlemen's Club & Shlump, 9:00PM OSKAR BLUES BREWERY Clint Roberts Trio (singer, songwriter), 6:00PM PACK'S TAVERN DJ Moto, 9:30PM PILLAR ROOFTOP BAR Ashley Heath, 7:00PM PISGAH BREWING COMPANY The Western Den, 8:00PM

FUNKATORIUM Will Easter & The Nomads, 8:00PM

SALVAGE STATION Hip Hop Happy Hour Dance 2019, 5:00PM Gold Rose, 8:30PM

GASTRO PUB AT HOPEY Open Mic Night w/ Heather Taylor, 7:00PM

SANCTUARY BREWING COMPANY Carver & Carmody, 8:00PM

HABITAT TAVERN & COMMONS Blacklist Improv & Friends, 9:00PM

THE BLOCK OFF BILTMORE Flashback Friday at the Block: Jesse Barry, 7:30PM

WEAVER HOUSE Mikey & Geoff, 7:00PM

SATURDAY, JANUARY 26 5 WALNUT WINE BAR Fwuit (retro soul), 9:00PM AMBROSE WEST Get Right Band Album Release w/ 3 Star Revival, 8:00PM ASHEVILLE GUITAR BAR Swing Step Swing Jam, 5:00PM Jody Carroll (roots, blues), 8:00PM ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Desert Dwellers Night Two, 9:00PM BANKS AVE SES: Satisfaction Every Saturday, 9:00PM BLUE MOUNTAIN PIZZA & BREW PUB Luke Wood, 7:00PM BLUE RIDGE COMMUNITY COLLEGE Kruger Brothers, 7:30PM BOLD ROCK HARD CIDER Flashback Band, 6:00PM

JIVE MOTHER MARY

WED

23 BYWATER Black Garter Revue Presents: Nauti Girl Burlesque, 9:00PM CAPELLA ON 9 @ THE AC HOTEL Special Affair (funk, soul, R&B), 9:00PM CHESTNUT Jazz Brunch w/ The Low keys (original jazz music), 12:00PM CORK & KEG Red Hot Sugar Babies (blues, swing), 8:30PM FLEETWOOD'S Taco Mouth, VOLK, The Minnies, 9:00PM FOGGY MOUNTAIN BREWPUB Rahm Squad (funk, jam), 10:00PM HIGHLAND BREWING COMPANY Colby Deitz Band, 7:00PM ISIS MUSIC HALL & KITCHEN 743 Chatham Rabbits Album Release, 7:00PM JACK OF THE WOOD PUB Tan & Sober Gentlemen, 9:00PM LOBSTER TRAP Sean Mason Trio, 6:30PM LOCAL 604 BOTTLE SHOP Live Synth Music, 8:00PM MG ROAD Late Night Dance Parties w/ DJ Lil Meow Meow, 10:00PM NEW BELGIUM BREWERY Miss Cindy, 4:00PM

WEEKLY EVENTS

THIS WEEK AT AVL MUSIC HALL

NOBLE KAVA Shane Parish & Friends (experimental instrumental), 9:00PM

ODDITORIUM White Oak Splits, Twin Star, The Dirty Dutch Trio (rock), 9:00PM

THE GREY EAGLE The Lost Chord: Moody Blues Tribute Band, 8:00PM

ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Unaka Prong w/ TUB, 10:00PM

THE MOTHLIGHT Amen Dunes w/ Arthur, 9:00PM

ONE WORLD BREWING OWB Downtown: Queen Bee and the Honeylovers (swing dance), 9:00PM ONE WORLD BREWING WEST OWB West: Pink Mercury (art, poprock, dance music), 9:00PM

UPCOUNTRY BREWING COMPANY One More Saturday Night in January w/ Dirty Dead & Jarvis Jenkins Band, 6:00PM

TOWN PUMP Gruda Tree, 9:00PM

W XYZ BAR AT ALOFT GypsyGrass (Gypsy jazz, bluegrass), 8:00PM

TRESSA'S DOWNTOWN JAZZ AND BLUES Lenny Pettinelli, 7:30PM

WEST ASHEVILLE YOGA Restorative Yoga for Self Care w/ Live Music & Song, 3:00PM

W/ GLASS MAGNET

THAT 1 GUY W/ DR AQUEOUS AND

THU

24

10TH ANNUAL

FRI

BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION

THE LOST CHORD

26 SUN

27

TUE

ZACK MEXICO + NEST EGG

WED

EL TEN ELEVEN

30

DJANGO REINHARDT’S

SAT

ULTRAFAUX + QUEEN BEE AND THE HONEYLOVERS

29

THE FANTASTIK APPARATUS

25

MON

28

THU

MOODY BLUES TRIBUTE BAND

31

AN EVENING WITH

FRI

1

THE REVELERS

W/ JOAN OF ARC

JOHNNY FOLSOM 4 A TRIBUTE TO JOHNNY CASH

BRENT COBB & THEM

W/ THE MAGGIE VALLEY BAND

Asheville’s longest running live music venue • 185 Clingman Ave TICKETS AVAILABLE AT HARVEST RECORDS & THEGREYEAGLE.COM

ORANGE PEEL August Burns Red, Fit For A King, Miss May I w/ Crystal Lake, 7:00PM OSKAR BLUES BREWERY Redleg Husky (country, bluegrass), 6:00PM PACK'S TAVERN Grand Theft Audio, 9:30PM PILLAR ROOFTOP BAR The Paper Crowns, 7:00PM PISGAH BREWING COMPANY Phuncle Sam, 9:00PM PURPLE ONION CAFE Sufi Brothers, 8:00PM SALVAGE STATION Karl Denson's Tiny Universe, 9:00PM SANCTUARY BREWING COMPANY Matt Walsh & The Movers, 8:00PM THE BLOCK OFF BILTMORE CommUNITY Salsa & Latin Saturday Dance Night w/ DJ Edi Fuentes (lesson, 9:00PM), 9:30PM

THIS WEEK AT THE ONE STOP:

THU 1/24 FRI 1/25 SAT 1/26

DO CA$ N H

Eggy - [Down at Home, Funky Crunchadelic] TerraBANG w/ Randomanimals [Soul/Jazz/Funk/Hip-Hop] Unaka Prong w/ TUB

AT IO

N$

UPCOMING SHOWS - ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL:

TWO NIGHTS with

FRIDAY 1/25 support:

Desert Dwellers

AN-TEN-NAE, MEDISIN, OB-1K

SATURDAY 1/26 support:

LIVING LIGHT, BOMBASSIC, SHUHANDZ

FRIDAY 1/25 & SATURDAY 1/26 – S HOW: 9:30 pm (D OORS : 9 pm) 2-N IGHT T ICKET: $35 / S INGLE N IGHT: $18/$20

TUESDAY:

Turntable Tuesday - 10pm

WEDNESDAY:

THURSDAY:

FRIDAY:

disclaimer comedy

Mitch’s Totally Rad Trivia - 6:30pm

F ree Dead F riday - 5pm

9:30pm

2/1 2/2

Psymbionic + Thelem & Frequent AMH & Our House Production presents: Ramin & friends w/ Bowie, Ramin & Erik Farstad 2/7 Billy Gilmore (of The Grass is Dead) & Friends 2/8 Satsang w/ Noah Proudfoot & the Botanicals 2/9 TRUTH, Khiva, Undergrowth Showcase 2/15 Phuncle Sam

TICKETS & FULL CALENDAR AVAILABLE AT ASHEVILLEMUSICHALL.COM

@AVLMusicHall MOUNTAINX.COM

@OneStopAVL JAN. 23 - 29, 2019

39

CLU B LA N D

Local

The

Sustainability Series

CELEBRATING EARTH DAY 2019

Exploring the landscape of sustainability in WNC in all four April issues of Mountain Xpress

STRANGER THINGS: Local band Modern Strangers is no stranger to a theme. In January, the outfit joined forces with other Asheville-based musicians to celebrate the music of David Bowie. This time, the collective is taking on the never-ending saga of Groundhog Day. “Party like there is no tomorrow,” the pop-rock outfit says of its upcoming show at Blue Ghost Brewing Company in Fletcher. Expect danceable originals and covers on Saturday, Feb. 2, 7 p.m. Free. blueghostbrewing.com. Photo

by Ashley Little

WHITE HORSE BLACK MOUNTAIN Abby and the Spoon Lady & Chris Rodrigues, 8:00PM

SUNDAY, JANUARY 27 5 WALNUT WINE BAR One Leg Up (Gypsy Jazz), 7:00PM AMBROSE WEST Songful Sundays w/ Hustle Souls, 2:00PM ASHEVILLE GUITAR BAR Pot Luck & Musician's Jam, 3:30PM BILTMORE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH Pan Harmonia: Return to the Bassooniverse, 3:00PM BOLD ROCK HARD CIDER Eric Congdon, 3:00PM CATAWBA BREWING SOUTH SLOPE Andy Ferrell, 6:00PM

Contact us today!

828-251-1333 x 320 advertise@mountainx.com

FLEETWOOD'S Ornament, Shaken Nature, 9:00PM FUNKATORIUM Bluegrass Brunch w/ Gary Macfiddle, 11:00AM HIGHLAND BREWING COMPANY Reggae Sunday w/ Chalwa, 1:00PM ISIS MUSIC HALL Greenville Jazz Collective Big Band, 7:30PM

40

JAN. 23 - 29, 2019

MOUNTAINX.COM

ISIS MUSIC HALL & KITCHEN 743 Blue Yonder feat. Tony Creasman, 6:00PM Greenville Jazz Collective Big Band, 7:30PM

SLY GROG LOUNGE Sly Grog Open Mic, 6:30AM

JACK OF THE WOOD PUB Traditional Irish/Celtic Jam Session, 3:00PM

THE BLOCK OFF BILTMORE Chuck Lichtenberger’s Piano Hang, (student recital), 1:00PM UNCA’s Sunday Jazz Jam, 4:00pm De La Noche: Live Tango Orchestra, (lesson at 8pm), 7:00pm

JARGON Sunday Blunch Live Music: Mark Guest and Mary Pearson (jazz), 11:00AM LAZOOM ROOM LaZoom Comedy Night: Reena Calm, 8:00PM LOBSTER TRAP Drew Matulich & Friends, 6:30PM ONE WORLD BREWING OWB Downtown: Soul Jam feat. Rachel Waterhouse of Sister Ivy, 9:00PM ORANGE PEEL Waltz Night, 6:00PM OSKAR BLUES BREWERY Trivia Night, 5:00PM PILLAR ROOFTOP BAR Joseph Herbst, 7:00PM PISGAH BREWING COMPANY Pisgah Sunday Jam w/ Sprio & Nicole, 6:30PM SANCTUARY BREWING COMPANY 4th Annual Beerversary w/ The Stipe Brothers, 2:00PM

THE BARRELHOUSE Open Mic w/ Billy Litz, 6:00PM

THE GREY EAGLE The Revelers, 8:00PM THE IMPERIAL LIFE Select DJ Sets, 9:00PM THE MOTHLIGHT Marco Benevento w/ Daniel Shearin (of River Whyless), 9:00PM WHITE HORSE BLACK MOUNTAIN Abby and the Spoon Lady & Chris Rodrigues, 7:30PM

MONDAY, JANUARY 28

JACK OF THE WOOD PUB Quizzo Trivia, 7:30PM Open Mic, 9:30PM LOBSTER TRAP Bobby Miller & Friends, 6:30PM NOBLE KAVA Femin-Energy: Ladies Night w/ Brown Bag Songwriting Competition Winner, Pieces of Pisces, 8:00PM ODDITORIUM Risque Monday Burlesque Hosted by Deb Au Are (18+), 9:00PM ONE WORLD BREWING OWB Downtown: Open Mic Night feat.

Anthony Willingham, 7:30PM ONE WORLD BREWING WEST OWB West: Jazz Mondays hosted by Ray Ring & Jason DeCristofaro, 8:30PM OSKAR BLUES BREWERY Mountain Music Mondays Jam (all skill levels welcome!), 8:00PM

5 WALNUT WINE BAR Siamese Sound Club (R&B, soul, jazz), 8:00PM

SANCTUARY BREWING COMPANY Open Mic Night w/ It Takes All Kinds, 7:00PM

BUXTON HALL BBQ Punk Wok at Buxton Hall, 6:00PM

THE GREY EAGLE Ultrafaux w/ Queen Bee & The Honeylovers, 8:00PM

HIGHLAND BREWING COMPANY Nerdy Talk Trivia, 6:00PM

THE IMPERIAL LIFE Leo Johnson (Gypsy jazz), 9:00PM

TUESDAY, JANUARY 29 5 WALNUT WINE BAR The John Henrys (hot Jazz), 8:00PM ASHEVILLE GUITAR BAR Gypsy Jazz Jam w/ Steve Karla & Phil Alley, 7:30PM ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Tuesday Night Funk Jam, 11:00PM BEN'S TUNE UP Leading Ladies of Asheville, 7:00PM BLUE MOUNTAIN PIZZA & BREW PUB Ben Phan, 7:00PM BOLD ROCK HARD CIDER Trivia, 6:30PM FIRST CONGREGATIONAL UCC OF ASHEVILLE Auditions for the Asheville Symphony Chorus, 3:00PM ISIS MUSIC HALL & KITCHEN 743 Tuesday Bluegrass Sessions hosted

by Powder Keg, 7:30PM JACK OF THE WOOD PUB Alex Culbreth (altcountry, roots), 7:00PM LOBSTER TRAP Jay Brown, 6:30PM LOCAL 604 BOTTLE SHOP Synth Club & Synth Jam, 7:00PM NOBLE KAVA Open Jam, 8:00PM ODDITORIUM Free Open Mic Comedy, 9:00PM ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Turntable Tuesday, 10:00PM ONE WORLD BREWING OWB Downtown: Pizza Karaoke, 9:00PM PULP Logan Marie, 7:00PM PISGAH BREWING COMPANY Chris Bullock Band feat. members of Snarky Puppy & more, 8:00PM SANCTUARY BREWING COMPANY Team Trivia hosted

by Josh Dunkin, 7:00PM

THE BLOCK OFF BILTMORE Swing Asheville Tuesday Dance feat. the House Hoppers, 9:00PM Late Night Blues Dance, 11:00PM THE GREY EAGLE Zack Mexico & Nest Egg, 8:00PM THE IMPERIAL LIFE Leo Johnson (Gypsy jazz), 9:00PM THE MARKET PLACE RESTAURANT AND LOUNGE Rat Alley Cats, 6:00PM THE MOTHLIGHT Daniel Romano w/ T. Hardy Morris, 9:00PM TRESSA'S DOWNTOWN JAZZ AND BLUES Early Funk Jam (funk, jazz), 9:00PM TWIN LEAF BREWERY Roberts Twin Leaf Trivia, 8:00PM WHITE HORSE BLACK MOUNTAIN Irish Jam, 6:30PM Open Mic, 8:30PM

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 30 5 WALNUT WINE BAR Les Amis (African folk music), 8:00PM ASHEVILLE GUITAR BAR Chili Slaw Sessions w/ Tom Kirschbaum & Friends, 6:00PM BLUE MOUNTAIN PIZZA & BREW PUB Open Mic hosted

by Mark Bumgarner, 7:00PM CARMEL'S KITCHEN AND BAR Jazz Night w/ Adi the Monk, 5:30PM CORK & KEG 3 Cool Cats, 7:30PM FUNKATORIUM Saylor Bros, 6:30PM HIGHLAND BREWING COMPANY Woody Wood Wednesdays, 6:00PM ISIS MUSIC HALL & KITCHEN 743 Grayson Foster w/ Zach Cannella, 7:00PM Amy McCarley, 8:30PM JACK OF THE WOOD PUB Old Time Jam, 5:00PM LOBSTER TRAP Cigar Brothers, 6:30PM

MOUNTAINX.COM

JAN. 23 - 29, 2019

41

520 Haywood Rd.

WEST ASHEVILLE Thu. 1/24

9pm- West Side Funk Jam $3 Selected Pints

Fri. 1/25

9pm- Goldie & the Screamers $5

Sat. 1/26

9pm- Pink Mercury $5

Mon. 1/28

8:30pm- Jazz Jam

Thu. 1/31

9pm- West Side Funk Jam $3 Selected Pints

Fri. 2/1

9pm- Natural Born Leaders $5

Sat. 2/2

Mixed Culture w/ DJ Brandon Audette & Marley Carroll

Mon. 2/4

8:30pm- Jazz Jam

2019

2017

Wellness Wellness Issues

Issues

Live music several nights a week at both locations! at oneworldbrewing.com Mon-Wed 3pm-12am Thu-Sat 12pm-1am Sun 12pm-10pm

Live music several nights a week at both locations!

Find event schedule Andrew Scotchie at oneworldbrewing.com

& the River Rats

WED “Winter Out West Tour Hours of Operation 1/23 Mon-Wed Send3pm-12am Off Party & Pop Up Petty Show” Thu-Sat 12pm-1am

Coming Soon!

Jan. 25th & Feb. 4th

Sun 12pm-10pm DOORS: 7PM / SHOW: 8PM

SAT

1/26

Get Right Band (Album Release)

w/ 3 Star Revival DOORS: 7PM / SHOW: 8PM

“Songful Sundays” SUN 1/27

Hustle Souls & In Flight benefiting Experience Music DOORS: 1:30PM / SHOW: 2PM

828-332-3090 312 HAYWOOD RD, WEST ASHEVILLE

www.ambrosewest.com

42

JAN. 23 - 29, 2019

MOUNTAINX.COM

Coming Contact us today!

Jan. 30th & advertise@mountainx.com 828-251-1333 x 320 Feb. 6th 828-251-1333 x 320 advertise@mountainx.com

C LU BL A N D NANTAHALA BREWING ASHEVILLE OUTPOST Robert's Totally Rad Trivia, 7:00PM NOBLE KAVA Poetry Open Mic w/ Caleb Beissert (7:30pm sign up), 8:00PM ODDITORIUM Bad Ties, Her Pilots, The Spiral & Jesse Denaro (rock), 9:00PM ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Disclaimer Lounge Comedy Open Mic, 9:00PM ONE WORLD BREWING OWB Downtown: The Moongrass String Band (bluegrass), 9:00PM ONE WORLD BREWING WEST OWB West: Latin Dance Night w/ DJ Oscar, 9:00PM PULP Mayor Black & Friends, 8:00PM SANCTUARY BREWING COMPANY French Broad Valley Music Association Mountain Music Jam, 6:00PM SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN BREWERY Jazz Night hosted by Jason DeCristofaro, 6:30PM THE BLOCK OFF BILTMORE Asheville's Most Wanted Funk Bandits, Kazz & Unk, 8:00PM THE GREY EAGLE El Ten Eleven w/ Joan of Arc, 8:00PM THE IMPERIAL LIFE The Berlyn Jazz Trio (jazz, funk, soul), 9:00PM TOWN PUMP Open Mic w/ David, 9:00PM TRESSA'S DOWNTOWN JAZZ AND BLUES Blues & Soul Jam (blues, soul), 9:00PM TWIN LEAF BREWERY Open Mic Night, 8:00PM WHITE HORSE BLACK MOUNTAIN The Vicious Queen and Her Boys, 7:30PM

THURSDAY, JANUARY 31 5 WALNUT WINE BAR Pleasure Chest (blues, rock, soul), 8:00PM ASHEVILLE GUITAR BAR Will Ray & the Space Cooties, 7:30PM

BARLEY'S TAPROOM & PIZZERIA Alien Music Club, 8:00PM BEN'S TUNE UP Offended Open Comedy Mic, 9:00PM BLACK MOUNTAIN ALE HOUSE Bluegrass Jam w/ The Big Deal Band, 8:00PM BLUE MOUNTAIN PIZZA & BREW PUB Billy Litz, 7:00PM CROW & QUILL Carolina Catskins (gritty ragtime Jazz), 9:00PM FLEETWOOD'S Queering el dance flow (Latin dance party), 9:00AM FLOOD GALLERY FINE ART CENTER True Home Open Mic, 6:30PM FUNKATORIUM Gypsy Jazz feat. Steve Karla, 6:00PM HIGHLAND BREWING COMPANY Thursday Night Blues w/ The Patrick Dodd Trio, 6:00PM ISIS MUSIC HALL & KITCHEN 743 Freddy & Francine, 7:00PM DonJuans, 8:30PM JACK OF THE WOOD PUB Bluegrass Jam, 7:00PM LAZOOM ROOM Home-Groan Pun Battle, 8:00PM LOBSTER TRAP Hank Bones, 6:30PM LOCAL 604 BOTTLE SHOP Vinyl Night, 8:00PM OWL BAKERY Thursday Night Jazz, 7:30PM ODDITORIUM Party Foul Weekly Drag, 9:00PM ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Mitch's Totally Rad Trivia, 7:00PM Tribal Hoose, 10:00PM ORANGE PEEL Yonder Mountain String Band w/ Handsome Moments, 8:00PM PACK'S TAVERN Jordan Okrend Duo, 8:00PM PILLAR ROOFTOP BAR Queen Bee, 7:00PM PISGAH BREWING COMPANY Mike Rhodes' Fellowship, 7:00PM PLEB URBAN WINERY Leeda "Lyric" Jones, 5:30PM

PURPLE ONION CAFE Noah Proudfoot and the Botanicals, 7:30PM SANCTUARY BREWING COMPANY Alex Culbreth, 7:00PM SALVAGE STATION Trivia, 7:00PM SLY GROG LOUNGE The Half That Matters, Anywhere From Here, Aqua Mule, 8:00PM THE BARRELHOUSE Trivia w/ Geeks Who Drink, 7:00PM THE GREY EAGLE Johnny Folsom 4: A Tribute to Johnny Cash, 8:00PM THE IMPERIAL LIFE The Burger Kings (rock n' roll), 9:00PM THE MOTHLIGHT Liz Cooper & The Stampede w/ New Madrid, 9:00PM TOWN PUMP Chris Jamison's Ghost, 9:00PM TRESSA'S DOWNTOWN JAZZ AND BLUES Jesse Barry & The Jam (blues, rock'n Roll), 9:00PM TWIN LEAF BREWERY Craft Karaoke, 9:30PM W XYZ BAR AT ALOFT WXYZ Unplugged w/ Hope Griffin, 8:00PM WEAVER HOUSE 5j Barrow, 7:00PM

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 1 AMBROSE WEST Aubrey Eisenman and The Clydes Pre Release Album Show, 8:00PM ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Psymbionic w/ Thelma & Frequent, 9:30PM BARLEY'S TAPROOM & PIZZERIA Alien Music Club, 8:00PM BEN'S TUNE UP Throwback dance Party w/ DJ Kilby, 10:00PM CATAWBA BREWING SOUTH SLOPE The Skrillbillies, 7:00PM CORK & KEG The Gypsy Swingers, 8:30PM FLEETWOOD'S Chuck Lichtenberger, Tin Foil Hat & Nostalgianoid, 9:00PM

ISIS MUSIC HALL & KITCHEN 743 Graham Whorley, 7:00PM Love Me Tinder: Seduction Sideshow (night one), 9:00PM JACK OF THE WOOD PUB The Misty Mountain String Band, 9:00PM LOBSTER TRAP MandoCyn, 6:30PM LOCAL 604 BOTTLE SHOP Singer-Songwriter Night, 8:00PM NEW BELGIUM BREWERY Old Salt Union, 7:30PM ODDITORIUM Skylight Heights, SoulSeason & Lunacy Rain (rock), 9:00PM ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Free Dead Fridays feat. members of Phuncle Sam acoustic, 5:30PM MELD w/ Sister Ivy, 9:00PM ONE WORLD BREWING WEST OWB West: Natural Born Leaders (hip-hop, funk, rock), 9:00PM

TAVERN Downtown on the Park Eclectic Menu • Over 30 Taps • Patio 15 TV’s • Sports Room • 110” Projector Event Space • Shuffleboard Open 7 Days 11am - Late Night WE

H AV E FO O O N O U R T BA L L 15 SCREENS!

THU. 1/24 Jeff Anders & Justin Burrell (acoustic rock)

North Carolina’s First Cider Bar Family Owned & Operated

URBAN XCAPE

Monthly Challenge

Tues. Jan. 29th- 6:30pm-8pm

FRI. 1/25 DJ MoTo

A new team game

(dance hits, pop)

presented by Asheville Plays

SAT. 1/26

+ Trivia, Puzzles, & Teamwork Battles!

Grand Theft Audio (classic rock)

+ $600 in prizes from U.0. & Adventure Center of Asheville +Register teams at FB Event

20 S. Spruce St. • 225.6944 packStavern.com

24 BUXTON AVE. SOUTH SLOPE (828)505-7243 URBANORCHARDCIDER.COM

ORANGE PEEL Pigeons Playing Ping Pong w/ The Fritz, 9:00PM OSKAR BLUES BREWERY John Trufant ( blues, rock), 6:00PM PISGAH BREWING COMPANY Lazybirds, 8:00PM SANCTUARY BREWING COMPANY Derek McCoy, 8:00PM SALVAGE STATION Turnup Truk, 9:00PM THE BLOCK OFF BILTMORE Flashback Friday at the Block: Super 60's Band, 7:30PM THE GREY EAGLE Brent Cobb & Them: Sucker For A Good Time Tour w/ The Maggie Valley Band, 9:00PM THE IMPERIAL LIFE Select DJ Sets, 9:00PM

FUNKATORIUM Lyric, 8:00PM

THE MOTHLIGHT Blvck Mvss-VVitchgang Coven Showcase (hiphop, DJ sets), 9:00PM

GASTRO PUB AT HOPEY Open Mic Night w/ Heather Taylor, 7:00PM

WHITE HORSE BLACK MOUNTAIN AmiciMusic: Simone Vigilante & Daniel Weiser, 7:30PM

MOUNTAINX.COM

JAN. 23 - 29, 2019

43

MOVIES

REVIEWS & LISTINGS

BY SCOTT DOUGLAS & FRANCIS X. FRIEL

HHHHH =

M. Night Shyamalan’s Glass depicts the escalating collisions of three superhumans (Samuel L. Jackson, James McAvoy, Bruce Willis).

Glass HS DIRECTOR: M. Night Shyamalan PLAYERS: James McAvoy, Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson, Sarah Paulson, Anya Taylor-Joy, Spencer Treat Clark, Charlayne Woodard SUPERHERO ADVENTURE THRILLER RATED PG-13 THE STORY: Three superhumans are set on a collision course by a mysterious psychologist with ulterior motives.

THE LOWDOWN: An unnecessary and ill-conceived effort to create a shared Shyamalaniverse that fails to live up to the prior films in a poorly planned trilogy.

M. Night Shyamalan got me again — although this time the twist ending was probably unintentional. With Glass, his (hopefully) final entry in a pseudotrilogy spanning nearly two decades, the writer/ director actually had me convinced that I could safely expect to enjoy one of his films. After the surprisingly effective grindhouse grittiness of 2017’s Split, I thought maybe, just maybe, Shyamalan 44

JAN. 23 - 29, 2019

MOUNTAINX.COM

had gotten back to basics and cast aside his bloated blockbuster pretensions. I couldn’t have been more wrong, as his utterly arbitrary attempts to tie together the half-dozen plot threads loosely connecting this film to his 2000 cult sleeper Unbreakable prove to be nothing more than an exercise in diminishing returns, squandering the promise of Split’s psychological suspense and subverting it with stolid superhero silliness. Joke’s on me, I guess.

The number of narrative missteps present in Glass would be staggering, were one not familiar with Shyamalan’s already dubious curriculum vitae. As the postcredits stinger from Split would suggest, Glass engineers the unnecessary confrontation between Samuel L. Jackson’s Elijah “first name Mister” Glass, Bruce Willis’ David Dunn/The Overseer, and James McAvoy’s Kevin Wendell Crumb/The Horde. These characters share a universe only because Shyamalan says so, and the slipshod construction of their tenuous ties are evident in every frame. This is a film in which its eponymous character sits

motionless and without dialogue for the first hour of an egregiously long running time, if that gives you any insight into the consideration that went into this script.

McAvoy’s performance(s) may well be just as impressive as was the case with Split, but hearing his digitally altered voice bemoan “My Horde is losing faith!” leaves little doubt that he was underserved by the material given. To go into detail about the third-act anticlimax and its perfunctory twist would risk spoilers (not that anyone should care), but it might suffice to say that this drawn-out melodrama miserably misses its mark.

So is Glass as bad as you’ve heard? I suppose that depends on your expectations. If you were hoping for something that measures up to the forward-thinking genre revisionism of Unbreakable or the shamelessly self-indulgent sleaze of Split, prepare for bitter disappointment. In trying to have it both ways, Shyamalan has produced a film that reads like little more than a desperate plea for work helming an unspecified comic book movie, despite the fact that this film establishes to a high degree of certainty that he lacks any substantive understanding of what makes those films such box office behemoths. The film name-drops every franchise imaginable regardless of publisher or rights holder, running the gamut from Archie to X-Men — credit for casting a wide net, at least. But as far as unsolicited auditions go, this one’s an unqualified failure.

To be fair, Shyamalan’s take on superheroic storytelling is undeniably unique, though not exactly in the laudable sense of the term. His film bears all the sensibilities of an 8-year-old playing with action figures in a sandbox, constructing pale

FILM FILM AT MARS HILL mhu.edu • TH (1/24), 7-9pm - Reel Appalachia Series: After Coal, documentary screening and discussion with director Tom Hansell. Free. Held at The Ramsey Center in Renfro Library, 100 Athletic St., Mars Hill

FLOOD GALLERY FINE ART CENTER 850 Blue Ridge Road, Unit A-13, Black Mountain, 828-357-9009, floodgallery.org • FR (1/25), 8-10:30pm - Classic World Cinema: My Sassy Girl, film screening. Free.

PACK MEMORIAL LIBRARY 67 Haywood St., 828-250-4700

MAX RATING Xpress reviews virtually all upcoming movies, with two or three of the most noteworthy appearing in print.

You can find our online reviews at mountainx.com/movies/reviews. This week, they include: GLASS

HS

simulacra of the comics that he ingests without a clear grasp of why they inspire him. While his directorial work is imbued with incomprehensible stylistic tics that contribute little to the aesthetic merits of the film — jarring fight sequences that seem to be aiming for Kent Wakeford’s pre-Steadicam work on Scorsese’s Mean Streets, but come off like little more than GoPro YouTube videos — and yet it’s his unfocused script that proves the greatest detriment to the overall impact of Glass.

If the one true job of any superhero movie director is to tease out convoluted continuity and character arcs while still allowing neophytes a foothold to enjoy the story, Shyamalan has failed unequivocally. And if his ultimate aim was to set up a broader cinematic universe to explore, then we’ll have to consider any future efforts along those lines a distinctly glass-half-empty kind of proposition. Rated PG-13 for violence including some bloody images, thematic elements, and language.

Now Playing at AMC River Hills 10, Carolina Cinemark, Regal Biltmore Grande, Epic of Hendersonville, Co-Ed Brevard.

REVIEWED BY SCOTT DOUGLAS JSDOUGLAS22@GMAIL.COM

• WE (1/23), 1pm Documentary film screening, The American in Paris: The True Story of the American Hospital of Paris in WWI. Free.

TRANSYLVANIA COMMUNITY ARTS COUNCIL 349 S. Caldwell St., Brevard, 828-884-2787, tcarts.org • WE (1/23) through FR (1/25) and SA (2/3)

- Production Assistants needed for the feature film, The Good Things Devils Do. No pay but screen credit given.

TRYON FINE ARTS CENTER 34 Melrose Ave., Tryon, 828-859-8322, tryonarts.org • TU (1/29), 7pm Destinations Film Series: In Bruges. $6.

SCREEN SCENE

by Edwin Arnaudin | earnaudin@mountainx.com

S T AR TIN G F R ID AY

The Kid Who Would Be King Arthurian action fantasy from director Joe Cornish. According to the studio: “Alex (Ashbourne Serkis) thinks he’s just another nobody until he stumbles upon the mythical Sword in the Stone, Excalibur. Now, he must unite his friends and enemies into a band of knights and, together with the legendary wizard Merlin (Patrick Stewart), take on the wicked enchantress Morgana (Rebecca Ferguson). With the future at stake, Alex must become the great leader he never dreamed he could be.”

Early reviews positive. (PG)

Serenity

IN MEMORY OF KEN: Academy Award nominee Lucas Hedges’ year in film included lead turns in Boy Erased, pictured, and Ben Is Back. The former UNC School of the Arts student received the N.C. Film Critics Association’s Ken Hanke Memorial Tar Heel Award, named in honor of the late Xpress film critic.

Photo courtesy of Focus Features • Pisgah Film Project hosts screenings of Shoplifters on Sunday, Jan. 27, at The DFR Room, 36 E. Main St., Brevard. Hirokazu Kore-eda’s family drama won the Palme d’Or at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival and is Japan’s 2019 Academy Award submission for Best Foreign Language Film. Showtimes are at 1, 4 and 7 p.m. Tickets are $8 and available online and at the door. pisgahfilmproject.com • On Tuesday, Jan. 29, at 6:30 p.m., MountainTrue’s Green Riverkeeper and the Hemlock Restoration Initiative host a screening of The Hemlock Woolly Adelgid: The Loss of an Ecosystem at The Purple Onion, 16 E. Main St., Saluda.

The event also includes a locally produced short film about a group of kayakers who take on big rapids and attempt to save the hemlocks of the Green River Gorge. A Q&A session will follow the documentaries. Free to attend. purpleonionsaluda.com • The N.C. Film Critics Association has named Roma the best narrative film of 2018. Among the group’s members are Asheville-area writers Justin Souther for Xpress, Marcianne Miller for Bold Life, Jill Boniske for Chickflix, Gareth Higgins for The Film Talk and God Is Not Elsewhere, Jonathan Rich for Blooperman and BleedingCool, James Rosario for The Daily Orca and Asheville Grit and Bruce Steele and this writer for AshevilleMovies.com.

Alfonso Cuarón’s ’70s-set drama beat out four other nominees: Black Panther, BlacKkKlansman, First Man and If Beale Street Could Talk. Cuarón also earned best director, best cinematography and best foreign language film.

The awards for performing honored Olivia Colman (The Favourite) for best actress, Regina King (If Beale Street Could Talk) for best supporting actress, Ethan Hawke (First Reformed) for best actor and Michael B. Jordan (Black Panther) for best supporting actor. Other winners include Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara (The Favourite) for best original screenplay; Barry Jenkins (If Beale Street Could Talk) for best adapted screenplay; A Star is Born for best music; Black Panther for best special effects; Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse for best animated film; and Won’t You Be My Neighbor? for best documentary film.

In 2016, the NCFCA renamed its “Tar Heel” award, which recognizes a film or performer with a special connection to North Carolina, in honor of the late Xpress film critic Ken Hanke. The winner of the 2018 Ken Hanke Memorial Tar Heel Award is Lucas Hedges, the star of Boy Erased and Ben Is Back.

Hedges attended the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. Other nominees were UNCSA alums David Gordon Green and Danny McBride, co-writer/ director and co-writer of Halloween, and Raleigh native and UNC Chapel Hill alum Peyton Reed, director of Ant-Man and the Wasp. ncfilmcritics.org X

Suspense thriller from writer/director Steven Knight, starring Matthew McConaughey and Anne Hathaway. According to the studio: “Baker Dill (McConaughey) is a fishing boat captain leading tours off a tranquil, tropical enclave called Plymouth Island. His quiet life is shattered, however, when his exwife Karen (Hathaway) tracks him down with a desperate plea for help. She begs Dill to save her — and their young son — from her new, violent husband (Jason Clarke) by taking him out to sea on a fishing excursion, only to throw him to the sharks and leave him for dead. Karen’s appearance thrusts Dill back into a life he’d tried to forget, and as he struggles between right and wrong, his world is plunged into a new reality that may not be all that it seems.” No early reviews. (R)

S PEC IA L SCR E E N IN GS

My Sassy Girl (Yeopgijeogin geunyeo) HHHH DIRECTOR: Jae-young Kwak PLAYERS: Jun Ji-hyun, Cha Tae-hyun, Kim In-moon ROMANTIC COMEDY Rated NR South Korean writer/director Kwak Jae-young delivers an odd amalgam of romance, comedy, melodrama and cinematic homage with 2001’s My Sassy Girl, a film that works better than its bifurcated story structure would suggest. Adapted from novelist Kim Ho-sik’s source work, itself based on the author’s internet anecdotes of a dysfunctional real-world relationship, My Sassy Girl proves to be an anti-rom-com that remains touching and funny even as it actively eschews the cringe-worthy cliches typically characteristic of the genre. Part love story, part gross-out comedy, leads Cha Tae-hyun and Jun Ji-hyun sell the scattershot script with ample charisma and on-screen chemistry in this underacknowledged gem. Kindly disregard the execrable 2008 American remake. Classic World Cinema

by Courtyard Gallery will present My Sassy Girl on Friday, Jan. 25, at the new Flood Gallery location in Black Mountain, 850 Blue Ridge Road, Unit A-13, Black Mountain.

The List of Adrian Messenger HHHH DIRECTOR: John Huston PLAYERS: George C. Scott, Dana Wynter, Clive Brook, Jacques Roux, Herbert Marshall MYSTERY WITH A GIMMICK Rated NR John Huston’s The List of Adrian Messenger (1963) is a thoroughly enjoyable murder mystery in the classic style. The film features a solid performance from George C. Scott as the detective, Jacques Roux as his makeshift Watson and a touch of old Hollywood from the presence of Clive Brook and Herbert Marshall. The mystery, while unremarkable, is certainly reasonable enough — or it would have been if it weren’t for the movie’s gimmick. The idea was to put a number of stars — Tony Curtis, Kirk Douglas, Burt Lancaster, Robert Mitchum, Frank Sinatra — in heavy character makeup and let the audience try to spot them. Not only is the game distracting, but it also stops the whodunit aspect dead in its tracks by making the most undisguisable of those stars into the killer. What you’re left with is the enjoyment of watching Scott puzzle it out. And it’s enough, but it’s still frustrating. This excerpt was taken from a review by Ken Hanke originally published on Sept. 21, 2010. The Hendersonville Film Society will show The List of Adrian Messenger on Sunday, Jan. 27, at 2 p.m. in the Smoky Mountain Theater at Lake Pointe Landing Retirement Community, 333 Thompson St., Hendersonville.

MOUNTAINX.COM

JAN. 23 - 29, 2019

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FREEWILL ASTROLOGY ARIES (March 21-April 19): We might initially be inclined to ridicule Stuart Kettell, a British man who spent four days pushing a Brussels sprout up 3,560-foothigh Mount Snowden with his nose. But perhaps our opinion would become more expansive once we knew that he engaged in this stunt to raise money for a charity that supports people with cancer. In any case, the coming weeks would be a favorable time for you, too, to engage in extravagant, extreme or even outlandish behavior in behalf of a good or holy cause.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): The Taurus guitar wizard known as Buckethead is surely among the most imaginative and prolific musicians who have ever lived. Since producing his first album in late 2005, he has released 306 other albums that span a wide variety of musical genres — an average of 23 per year. I propose that we make him your patron saint for the next six weeks.

While it’s unlikely you can achieve such a gaudy level of creative self-expression, you could very well exceed your previous personal best in your own sphere.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Novelist Arthur Conan Doyle created Sherlock Holmes, a fictional character who personifies the power of logic and rational thinking. And yet Doyle was also a devout spiritualist who pursued interests in telepathy, the occult and psychic phenomena.

It’s no surprise that he was a Gemini, an astrological tribe renowned for its ability to embody apparent opposites. Sometimes that quality is a liability for you folks, and sometimes an asset. In the coming weeks, I believe it’ll be a highly useful skill. Your knack for holding paradoxical views and expressing seemingly contradictory powers will attract and generate good fortune.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): In 2006, a 176-year-old tortoise named Harriet died in an Australian zoo owned by “Crocodile Hunter” and TV personality Steve Irwin.

Harriet was far from her original home in the Galapagos Islands. By some accounts, evolutionary superstar Charles Darwin picked her up and carried her away during his visit there in 1835. I propose that you choose the long-lived tortoise as your power creature for the coming weeks. With her as inspiration, meditate on questions like these: 1. “What would I do differently if I knew I’d live to a very old age?” 2. “What influence that was important to me when I was young do I want to be important to me when I’m old?” 3. “In what specific ways can my future benefit from my past?” 4.

“Is there a blessing or gift from an ancestor I have not yet claimed?” 5. “Is there anything I can do that I am not yet doing to remain in good health into my old age?”

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LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): The old Latin verb crescere meant “to come forth, spring up, grow, thrive, swell, increase in numbers or strength.” We see its presence in the modern English, French, and Italian word “crescendo.” In accordance with astrological omens, I have selected crescere and its present participle crescentum to be your words of power for the next four weeks. May they help mobilize you to seize all emerging opportunities to come forth, spring up, grow, thrive, swell and increase in numbers or strength.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): When animals hibernate, their metabolism slows down. They may grow more underfur or feathers and some add extra fat. To conserve heat, they may huddle together with each other. In the coming weeks, I don’t think you’ll have to do what they do. But I do suspect it will be a good time to engage in behaviors that have a resemblance to hibernation: slowing down your mind and body; thinking deep thoughts and feeling deep feelings; seeking extra hugs and cuddles; getting lots of rich, warm, satisfying food and sleep. What else might appeal to your need to drop out of your fast-paced rhythm and supercharge your psychic batteries?

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): When people tell me they don’t have time to read the books I’ve written, I advise them to place the books under their pillows and soak up my words in their dreams. I don’t suggest that they actually eat the pages, although there is historical precedent for that. The Bible describes the prophet Ezekiel as literally chewing and swallowing a book. And there are accounts of 16th-century Austrian soldiers devouring books they acquired during their conquests, hoping to absorb the contents of the texts. But in accordance with current astrological omens, I suggest that in the next four weeks you acquire the wisdom stored in books by actually reading them or listening to them on audio recordings. In my astrological opinion, you really do need, for the sake of your psychospiritual health, to absorb writing that requires extended concentration.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Among the top “how to” search inquiries on Google are “how to buy Bitcoin,” “how to lose belly fat fast,” “how to cook spaghetti in a microwave,” and “how to make slime.” While I do think that the coming weeks will be prime time for you to formulate and launch many “how to” investigations, I will encourage you to put more important questions at the top of your priority list. “How to get richer quicker” would be a good one, as would “how to follow through on good beginnings” and “how to enhance your value” and “how to identify what resources and allies will be most important in 2019.”

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): John Lennon claimed that he generated the Beatles song’ “Because” by rendering Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata” backwards. Even if that’s true, I don’t think it detracts from the beauty of “Because.” May I suggest you adopt a comparable strategy for your own use in the coming weeks, Leo? What could you do in reverse so as to create an interesting novelty? What approach might you invert in order to instigate fresh ways of doing things? Is there an idea you could turn upside-down or inside-out, thereby awakening yourself to a new perspective?

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): A motivational speaker and author named Nick Vujicic was born without arms or legs, although he has two small, unusually shaped feet. These facts didn’t stop him from getting married, raising a family of four children and writing eight books. One book is entitled Life Without Limits: Inspiration for a Ridiculously Good Life. He’s a positive guy who has faith in the possibility of miracles. In fact, he says he keeps a pair of shoes in his closet just in case God decides to bless him with a marvelous surprise. In accordance with current astrological omens, Aquarius, I suggest you make a similar gesture. Create or acquire a symbol of an amazing transformation you would love to attract into your life.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): The Tsonga language is spoken by more than 15 million people in southern Africa. The literal meaning of the Tsonga phrase I malebvu ya nghala is “It’s a lion’s beard,” and its meaning is “something that’s not as scary as it looks.”

According to my astrological analysis, this will be a useful concept for you to be alert for in the coming weeks. Don’t necessarily trust first impressions or initial apprehensions. Be open to probing deeper than your instincts might influence you to do.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): About 11 percent of the Philippines’ population is comprised of Muslims who call themselves the Bangsamoro. Many resist being part of the Philippines and want their own sovereign nation. They have a lot of experience struggling for independence, as they’ve spent 400 years rebelling against occupation by foreign powers, including Spain, the United States and Japan. I admire their tenacity in seeking total freedom to be themselves and rule themselves. May they inspire your efforts to do the same on a personal level in the coming year.

JAN. 23 - 29, 2019

MOUNTAINX.COM

MARKETPLACE

BY ROB BREZSNY

REA L ESTATE | REN TA L S JOB S

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R O O M M ATES

A N N OU N CEM ENTS

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SER VI C ES

M I ND, BO DY, SPI R I T

CL A SSES & WORKSH OPS

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M USI C I ANS’ SER VI C ES

PETS

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A U TOMOTI VE

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ADULT

Want to advertise in Marketplace? 828-251-1333 x111 tnavaille@mountainx.com • mountainx.com/classifieds If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Remember the Russian proverb: “Doveryai, no proveryai,” trust but verify. When answering classified ads, always err on the side of caution. Especially beware of any party asking you to give them financial or identification information. The Mountain Xpress cannot be responsible for ensuring that each advertising client is legitimate. Please report scams to ads@mountainx.com

REAL ESTATE HOMES FOR SALE 4 BED, 4.5 BATH HOME West Asheville off Patton.

Hardwoods throughout.

Approved for SHORT TERM RENTAL. $469,000. John Hale & Company, john@ johnhalenc.com, Owner/ Broker. 828-226-3279.

RENTALS CONDOS/ TOWNHOMES FOR RENT NORTH ASHEVILLE TOWNHOUSES 1 mile from Downtown Asheville. Hardwood floors, nice North Asheville neighborhood on busline. • No pets. 1BR/1BA: $745 • 2BR/1BA: $845 • 3BR/1BA: $945. Call 828-252-4334.

ROOMS FOR RENT ROOM RENTAL- SOUTH ASHEVILLE On bus line, vegetarian food included, no pets, super quiet.

Urban wildlife refuge.

828-348-9183. $500/mo. (all expenses incl., $300 down payment).

ROOMMATES ROOMMATES NEED A ROOMMATE? Roommates.com will help you find your Perfect Match™ today! (AAN CAN)

EMPLOYMENT GENERAL NAVITAT CANOPY ADVENTURES - HIRING ADVENTURE GUIDES FOR 2019 Thrill, Educate and Inspire!

Seeking adventurous and enthusiastic people to join our team. An experience of a life time! Learn more at www.navitat.com TROLLEY TOUR GUIDES If you are a "people person," love Asheville, have a valid Commercial Driver's License (CDL) and clean driving record you could be a great Tour Guide. Fulltime and seasonal part-time positions available. Training provided. Contact us

today! 828 251-8687. Info@ GrayLineAsheville.com www.GrayLineAsheville. com

ADMINISTRATIVE/ OFFICE AREA GUARDIANSHIP SPECIALIST The Arc of NC is seeking an Area Guardianship Specialist for Asheville, Henderson, Rutherford, and McDowell counties. Candidate must be a motivated team player, flexible, creative and hardworking, as well as have excellent problems solving and communication skills. Graduation from a four-year college or university with a degree in the field of psychology, social work, special education, or other field related to disabilities, the elderly or substance abuse, or graduation from a fouryear college of university in an unrelated field and two years’ experience in special education, social work, psychology, or an equivalent combination of training and experience.

Candidate must have professional experience in the field of I/DD and or Mental Health. Candidate must have some knowledge of social work principles, techniques, practices, and their application to individual needs and challenges. The ability to express ideas clearly and concisely, both orally and written, and plan and execute work effectively. An Area Guardianship Specialist provides guardianship support and services in compliance with the NC General Statute Chapter 35A. It requires substitute decision making, assisting individuals with informed decisions, advocating, monitoring, reporting, service record maintenance, relationship building, liaison activities and sometimes the ability to mediate challenging positions. Candidate will be required to travel to residential facilities, home of wards, other settings and requires the ability to work independently. Please send resume to Pam Southerland at psoutherland@arcnc.org.

OFFICE MANAGER The Arc of NC is currently seeking a highly organized, self-starter to fill the position of Office Manager. Candidate must have professional administrative experience, preferably in the human service field with an Associate’s degree or higher is preferred; 2+ years’ experience working in an office setting and human service area. Candidate must be a motivated team player, flexible, hardworking and organized, as well as have excellent written and verbal communications skills. Candidate must be proficient in Microsoft Office Suite. Bookkeeping and basic accounting experience.

This position will play an integral role ensuring proper flow of office procedures and protocol. The Office Manager essential job duties include: Advocate for the rights of people with disabilities through daily contacts. Act as a direct administrative assistant to the Asheville site Regional Director. Support the operations of The Arc site/office by providing fiscal and clerical assistance. Manage all billing functions of site, including but not limited to, completing weekly reports and monitor payments and outstanding invoices of all billed/invoiced services.

Monitor authorization status of services. Prepare all data to produce financial statements for the division. Approve, code, and data enter all invoices and/or payments and many other administrative tasks as assigned. Functions as a liaison between Regional Director and Senior Staff. Please send resume to Duncan Reid at dreid@arcnc.org

DRIVERS/ DELIVERY MOUNTAIN XPRESS DELIVERY Mountain Xpress is seeking an energetic, reliable, independent contractor for part-time weekly newspaper delivery. The contractor must have a clean driving record, a reliable large-capacity vehicle with proper insurance and registration, and be able to lift 50 lbs. without strain. Distribution of papers is on Tuesday

afternoons and typically lasts about 7-8 hours per week. Occasional Wednesday morning delivery is is sometimes needed or an option. E-mail distro@ mountainx.com. No phone calls please. Preference will be given to applicants from Hendersonville or South Asheville.

MEDICAL/ HEALTH CARE RN / LPN / CNA Full & Part Time RN/LPN/CNA positions & all shifts available $1000 sign on Bonus and other Incentives for RN/LPN’s Plus other great benefits 828-210-4518 smims@deerfieldwnc.org

HUMAN SERVICES RESIDENTIAL WORKERS NEEDED! Direct Support Provider: Residential ServicesProvides resident directed support for adults with disabilities in a group home setting. Assists residents with activities of daily living and facilitates social, leisure, and recreational opportunities. Assists residents in meal preparation and medication administration. Ability to work independently and keep accurate documentation is required. High school diploma/GED required.

Background checks and DMV check required. Full Time with benefits. Fulltime position requires overnight and weekend stay that begins Friday afternoon through Monday morning. (Resident level of care does not require staff to be awake overnightSleep Stipend provided).

Please visit company website for more details and application processwww.tvsinc.org THERAPEUTIC FOSTER PARENTS NEEDED If you are interested in becoming a foster parent, please call us and we can tell you what is involved. The area is in great need of homes for foster children. Call New Horizons today for more information on how to get involved.

WANTED RESPITE WORKER Part time position available 3:30 5:30pm M-F working with a consumer with developmental disabilities. Training and High

school diploma required.

Clean background and record check completed.

Call 828-778-0260 if interested.

TEACHING/ EDUCATION

INTERESTED IN WORKING AT A-B TECH? FullTime, Part-Time and Adjunct Positions available.

Come help people achieve their dreams! Apply for open positions at http:// abtcc.peopleadmin.com SCHOOL LEADER: HEAD OF SCHOOL Searching for Head of School for Hanger Hall, all-girls middle school in Asheville, for 2019-2020 school year. Experienced educator and energetic, visionary person with practical/ managerial skills to plan and achieve goals. Send a letter of interest and resume to headsearch@ hangerhall.org. by 2/1/19.

See hangerhall.org for more details.

SPEECH PATHOLOGIST IC Imagine, a K-12 public charter school in Asheville, is seeking a licensed Speech Pathologist to start immediately. For more details and to apply, please go to icimagine.org/careers/

ARTS/MEDIA 103.3 ASHEVILLE FM SEEKS SALES PROFESSIONAL 103.3 Asheville FM seeks broadcast/digital sales professional to be our ambassador to the community and sell sponsorships. Visit. ashevillefm. org/jobs for full description. Resumes to hiring@ ashevillefm.org. An equal opportunity employer! ashevillefm.org ASSISTANT DIRECTOR NEEDED Womansong of Asheville, a women's community chorus, seeks a part-time Assistant Director. Candidates should have excellent musical and people skills and be wellorganized, flexible, collaborative. Deadline 2/13/19 www.womansong.org

CAREER TRAINING HEALTHCARE CAREER TRAINING ONLINE Start a New Career in Medical Billing and Coding. Medical Administrative Assistant. To learn more, call Ultimate Medical Academy: 877-625-9048. (AAN CAN)

XCHANGE ANTIQUES & COLLECTIBLES I BUY OLD PAPER MONEY Buying old paper money, notes, bonds, documents, etc. Asheville, WNC and East TN. • Top value offered.

Questions welcome!

Call (865) 207-8994 or papermoneybuy@gmail. com

SERVICES ART/WRITING EDITING/LAYOUT SERVICES TO WRITERS Author/ editor of novels & how-to books will edit & do layout for your manuscript, design covers, prep for Kindle & CreateSpace.

Let's confer about your project. (828) 712-5570 michael@michaelhavelin. com

BEAUTY/SALON STYLIST POSITION AVAILABLE Full Circle Salon is looking for experienced and education focused stylist. Commission and booth rental both available. mmennone@yahoo.com

ENTERTAINMENT DISH TV $59.99 For 190 Channels + $14.95 High Speed Internet.

Free Installation, Smart HD DVR Included, Free Voice Remote. Some restrictions apply. Call Now: 1-800373-6508 (AAN CAN)

HOME IMPROVEMENT HANDY MAN HIRE A HUSBAND • HANDYMAN SERVICES Since 1993. Multiple skill sets. Reliable, trustworthy, quality results. Insured.

References and estimates available. Stephen Houpis, (828) 280-2254.

ANNOUNCEMENTS ANNOUNCEMENTS LUNG CANCER? And Age 60+? You And Your Family May Be Entitled To Significant Cash Award. Call 844-898-7142 for Information. No Risk. No Money Out Of Pocket. (AAN CAN) SUFFERING FROM AN ADDICTION? To Alcohol, Opiates, Prescription PainKillers or other Drugs? There is hope! Call today to speak with someone who cares. Call Now 1-855-266-8685 (AAN CAN)

MIND, BODY, SPIRIT

RETAIL

BODYWORK

BOOKSTORE CO-OP SEEKING CO-OWNER Firestorm Books & Coffee, a feminist/queer/anarchist bookstore, is hiring a bookseller and future co-owner with leadership experience, affinity for our collective model, and commitment to social movement. More at https:// firestorm.coop/jobs.html

INTUITIVE MASSAGE THERAPY Beth Huntzinger, LMBT #10819, located in downtown Asheville, providing experienced massage for pain, tension.

Energy healing helps issues such as anxiety, insomnia, depression and digestive disorders. $60/hour. Call 828-279-7042. ashevillehealer.com

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

ACROSS 1 Hit hard 5 Beats it 11 Org. with the Wizards and Warriors 14 Prefix meaning “wine” 15 Pub spigot 16 Path of a blooper 17 Rating for many a sitcom 18 Ahab’s inspiration?

19 Give a whuppin’ 20 *Acts phony 22 Chopin piece 24 Sweat units 25 Beehive contents 26 Carl who wrote “Contact” 29 “WTF With Marc Maron,” for one 32 Industry kingpin 33 2002 animated film with a woolly mammoth 36 Warm, actionoriented sort, they say 37 Part of S O S, in popular usage 38 Each asterisked clue vis-à-vis its answer 39 Little trickster TRANSFORMATIONAL MASSAGE THERAPY For $60.00 I provide, at your home, a strictly therapeutic, 1.5-2 hour massage [deep Swedish with Deep Tissue work and Reiki]. • Relieve psychological and physiological stress and tension. • Inspires deep Peace and Well-Being.

• Experience a deeply inner-connected, trance like state • Sleep deeper.

• Increase calmness and mental focus. I Love Sharing my Art of Transformational Massage Therapy!

Book an appointment and feel empowered now!

Frank Solomon Connelly, LMBT#10886. • Since 2003. • (828) 707-2983.

Creator_of_Joy@hotmail. com

40 Scepter’s go-with 41 Like an evangelical Christian 42 Phrase on a yard sale tag 43 Kitchen gadgets for mixing 45 Unable to sit still 46 Mother that might have a beard 47 Fast-food utensil 50 2000s teen drama set in California 52 *Hint: hotel 56 Sharpshooter’s asset 57 Kevin ___, investor on TV’s “Shark Tank” 59 As a result 60 Rx watchdog 61 Sweetums 62 Alaska, before 1959: Abbr.

63 Start of many CB radio codes 64 Stands in a studio 65 “So it may ___”

DOWN 1 Ones always tossing things back?

2 Impose, as a tax 3 Potentially offensive, in brief RETREATS

4 Relative of a discotheque 5 One of the Obama daughters 6 Implore 7 Slants 8 “Let’s leave ___ that” 9 Mai ___ 10 Order from a police officer 11 *A trails nut 12 Thin fastener 13 Target of an astringent 21 “The tongue of the mind,” per Cervantes 23 Little jerk 25 Paul of “Crocodile Dundee” 26 Cartoon uncle of Scrappy-Doo, informally 27 Bright blue 28 *Bag manager 29 Catherine who married Henry VIII 30 Big rigs 31 Young slave girl in “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” 33 Like gases in the rightmost column of the periodic table

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34 They measure miles in meters 35 “I” strain?

38 One of seven for New York City 42 Common wear for female tennis players 44 Besides

45 Shapiro of NPR 47 Social media button 48 Danger 49 “Absolutely!”

50 President who later served as chief justice

51 Cry to guests at a surprise party 52 Twinings products 53 One leaving in the spring?

54 Brutish sort 55 Average guy?

58 Pasture

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