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OUR 22ND YEAR OF WEEKLY INDEPENDENT NEWS, ARTS & EVENTS FOR WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA VOL. 23 NO. 22 DECEMBER 21 - DECEMBER 27, 2016

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OUR 22ND YEAR OF WEEKLY INDEPENDENT NEWS, ARTS & EVENTS FOR WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA VOL. 23 NO. 22 DECEMBER 21 - DECEMBER 27, 2016

C O N T E NT S

PAGE 8 THE SPIRITUALITY ISSUE Each December, Xpress devotes an issue to exploring the many manifestations of religion and spirituality in our community. From prayer to dance to food traditions, WNC residents find diverse ways to connect with the divine.

COVER DESIGN Scott Southwick

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CA RTOO N BY RAN D Y M O LT O N

The pitfalls of biblical cherry-picking

How did ‘progressive’ become ‘godless’?

I enjoyed Dale Neal’s cover story on local religious leaders and their reactions to the presidential election [“Keeping the Faith: Asheville Clergy Offer Wisdom in Election Aftermath,” Dec. 7, Xpress]. It was thorough and fair. Mostly he let his subjects speak for themselves.

I have got to point out to the folks who called for “biblical values” on Election Day that the Bible doesn’t much like elections in the first place. Elections are something those heathen Greeks and Romans do. If you want a king (1 Samuel 10:20-24) or a new member of the apostles (Acts 1:23-26), you throw dice. Really. Literally. God will load the dice for you.

Relax, I’m not actually advocating that as the way to elect a president. I’m pointing out that cherrypicking your passages from the Bible is an exegetical method that sooner or later will bite you in the ass.

Oh, and while I’m on my feet, one other thing — assuming that God hates the same people you do is pretty nasty theology. Franklin, I’m looking at you.

— Preston Woodruff

Brevard

I have been puzzling over some of the terms quoted in the recent article, “Keeping the Faith: Asheville Clergy Offer Wisdom in Election Aftermath” [Dec. 7, Xpress], namely “the godless, atheistic progressive agenda” and “biblical values.”And I find myself wondering: How did the term “progressive” come to be associated with atheism and godlessness? And, what exactly are “biblical values?”

What I understand is that progressives want what the founders of this country wanted for its citizens — “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” In other words, people should have what is necessary for life: adequate food, shelter, clothing, medical care, money, education, etc.

And they should have the freedom to be themselves and live in ways that bring them happiness. Progressives work for policies that will create prosperity for the country and help everyone to benefit from it. I don’t see how this can be considered “godless” or “atheistic.” Seems like God would certainly want these things for his “children.”

I have read a fair amount of the Bible, especially the New Testament, and as far as I can see, “biblical

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values” are those that Jesus taught: Love your neighbor — even your enemy — feed the hungry, care for the sick, visit those in prison, comfort the oppressed and so on. Some say this is a Christian country, but, if so, we do not do very well at following Jesus’ teachings.

In fact, some who call themselves Christians seem to be working toward opposite ends — cutting food stamps, cutting funds for education, letting people go without medical care and so forth. This I do not understand. And then there are the Ten Commandments, which are regularly disregarded. Are there other “biblical values” that are more important than these?

— Susan A. Stone

Black Mountain

Animal farming debate reflects larger decisions I was very moved by John Sanbonmatsu’s thoughtful letter,

“Flawed Arguments Offered for Animal Farming” [Dec. 7, Xpress].

In the past few months, strong arguments have been made by both sides regarding the lives and killing of animals, including my own two letters. I am grateful we are having these conversations, and people are making new choices around plant-based diets.

The bigger picture that is starting to emerge, however, reflects where we are as humans in regard to how we treat others, how we treat ourselves and how we treat the planet.

We know of human atrocities in the past involving each other as well as animals. It seems to be the result of depersonalizing the “other” and then rationalizing our aggression to take what we want as a result.

So many of us felt devastated by the recent election results and felt we immediately fell backward in time.

Many minority groups are now wondering about their safety and place in this country. We are at a pivotal point in humanity. We can go backward or go forward in terms of how we treat others. Like a slippery greased pole, the momentum to slide downward is strong. At the same time, awareness

is trying to free up old patterns and break through in new directions.

I don’t agree with Frank Salzano’s letter from Nov. 30 [“Wild Abundance Looks Forward to Apology,” Xpress], where he says, “People are going to eat meat, and sorry to say this, but get over it!” No, people are not necessarily going to continue to eat meat.

We are changing. The key, it feels, is to continue to have the courage to see the other, be it a human or animal, with fresh eyes and with the awareness that the “other” is a living, sentient being just like myself.

This is not only true with how we view animals, but so crucial in the coming months as strong forces in the political realm try to convince us otherwise. It feels we are on the razor’s edge just now, and all the small decisions we make add up to the direction we are heading. We can choose a healthy, plant-based diet that shines kindness on all creatures and this planet or, regressively, can choose a path of ignorance with regard to the suffering of billions of animals and the planet that is destructive and leads nowhere but down.

— Miriam Hard

Asheville

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The Spirituality Issue

OPINION

From difference to diversity The many faces of faith in Asheville

BY RODGER M. PAYNE A few years ago I began offering a first-year colloquium at UNC Asheville titled “World Religions in Asheville.” I wanted to help students learn a little bit about their community while introducing them to the study of religion as an academic subject. Besides hosting guest speakers and engaging in lively classroom discussions, we visited a number of local religious communities — including the Islamic Center, Beth Israel Synagogue, the Western North Carolina Baha’i Center, Mother Grove Goddess Temple and Great Tree Zen Temple — during a regularly scheduled service or ceremony. But while the student evaluations were quite favorable, it quickly became apparent to me that, as with all new courses, this one would need some tweaking before I taught it again.

First of all, framing our subject matter as “world” religions suggested that what we were examining was some sort of religious Other — something foreign and perhaps a bit exotic — which was the exact opposite of my intentions. The Muslims, Jews, Baha’is, Wiccans and Buddhists whom we met were certainly not “outsiders”: We were all members of the same community.

Secondly, by limiting the students’ exposure to these groups’ regularly scheduled devotional activities, the course inadvertently reinforced the idea that religion is something people carry “between their ears,” a set of beliefs that might be outwardly expressed only within a specifically defined context. Religion, in other words, is something best done in private, or at least in concert with those who share one’s own beliefs. When religion moves out of such confines, it always seems to do so in some contentious way. These were not the lessons I’d envisioned, however.

So the next time I taught the course, I called it “Religious Diversity in Asheville,” and rather than focusing on the subject’s most formal expressions, we

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RODGER M. PAYNE sought religion in less conventional arenas. Thus, we attended the Greek Festival, ate moussaka and baklava, learned about the art and architecture of Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, and considered the ways in which religion might help create and sustain cultural identity.

Food was also an important component of our visit to the HardLox Jewish Food and Heritage Festival, where students discovered such delicacies as kugel, rugelach and, in at least one case, pastrami. At the various booths, students explored the many different ways of being Jewish in Asheville, from Hasidic to Conservative to Reform to secular. A visit to the sparsely decorated “zendo” (meditation hall) at the Windhorse Zen Community contrasted sharply with the colorful shrines and images in the temple room at Urban Dharma, suggesting that, as with Judaism, many forms of Buddhism were alive and well in the Asheville area.

Both in and out of class, students heard from representatives of these

different communities — Orthodox Christian priests, Jewish rabbis, Wiccan priestesses and a Muslim student who spoke about the challenges she’d faced after she began wearing the hijab. The students began to see that religion isn’t simply a set of beliefs whose expression is confined to formal spaces: It takes place all around us, in our everyday lives. For some, it determines what they eat or refrain from eating, or what type of clothing they wear. It reinforces various kinds of identity.

The most significant change in the course, though, was shifting our approach to the study of religion from “difference” to “diversity.”

Instead of “othering” the religions we studied, diversity allowed us to examine the societal benefits — and inevitable tensions — created by the public presence of multiple religions. Differences between and even within religions are the products of their own varied histories; diversity is the deliberate byproduct of a free society. Differences might be merely “tolerated,” but in a democratic society, diversity must be embraced and even celebrated. Differences might even be ignored, as long as they’re kept in their “proper” place: behind the walls of a temple, church, mosque or synagogue. Diversity, on the other hand, may confront us in grocery store aisles, in restaurants or when strolling downtown.

Growing numbers of Americans — including about a quarter of the millennials now entering college — claim no religious affiliation. But even for these religious “nones,” as the Pew Research Center terms them, the increasing multiplicity of religions in the United States means that questions about the role of religion in the public square will only grow more acute. And while a single semester is hardly enough time to consider — much less answer — those questions, Asheville certainly offers us a wonderful starting point. X Professor Rodger Payne is the chair of UNC Asheville’s Department of Religious Studies.

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OPINION

The Spirituality Issue

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BY KAREN RICHARDSON DUNN It’s Christmas Eve in Bedford Falls. A distraught George Bailey climbs aboard a bar stool at the local watering hole, hands trembling as he clutches a drink and desperately begins to pray. A man whose grand dreams have fallen away one by one, sacrificed to helping those in need, Bailey now faces utter ruin and scandal. As he sits alone at the bar, he broods upon his own relevance: Would his small world have been better off if he’d never existed?

Although It’s a Wonderful Life was released 70 years ago, on Christmas Day 1946, this iconic moment in film history continues to resonate — and not simply for its portrayal of a human being hanging in the balance between destruction and redemption.

George Bailey’s self-doubt offers a glimpse into a question that we, too, will most likely confront as we try to find meaning in, and second-guess the relevance of, our own lives.

Increasingly, the institutional church finds itself in a similar position. According to churchleadership. org, some 4,000 U.S. churches close their doors each year, and 2.7 million church members are relegated to the “inactive” rolls. Further, in most of Asheville’s estimated 174 houses of worship, you’ll see far more gray heads than otherwise. In a 2015 Pew Research Center survey, only 27 percent of millennials attended weekly religious services, and only 40 percent said religion was “very important” in their lives. All of which begs the George Bailey question: If the church ceased to exist in this community, would it really matter?

To those homeless folks who’ve found their way to the Haywood Street Congregation, the very question of the church’s relevance might seem irrelevant. “Haywood Street intends to subvert the ‘helping model’ of traditional church,” the Rev. Brian Combs explains. “Instead of preaching a gospel of prosperity, where God has cursed the poor and blessed the privileged, we have led with the more biblical view that God incarnates as a homeless man. So rather than trying to convert, fix or change, we welcome the psychotic, intoxicated and impoverished Jesus instead of trying to be him.”

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KAREN RICHARDSON DUNN This theology, notes Combs is primarily reflected in the Downtown Welcome Table, which serves up a twice-weekly feast for the city’s homeless that includes acceptance and inclusion as well as food. “Following a Jesus who was crucified for his terrible table manners, who unapologetically broke bread with all the wrong people, we have partnered with dozens of Asheville’s finest restaurants to offer a chair of dignity, to prepare a banquet of grace, to serve a five-course meal to the many street siblings starving for want of a seat at the table.”

Over in Swannanoa, Warren Wilson Presbyterian Church and College Chapel provides financial and personnel support to “agencies that address the immediate symptoms and the causes of food insecurity,” says the Rev. Steve Runholt. Partner agencies include the Swannanoa Valley Christian Ministry, the Asheville Buncombe Community Christian Ministry, Habitat for Humanity, Just Economics and the Asheville Poverty Initiative. Runholt is also involved in efforts to mitigate the effects of climate change, having spearheading a letter to Duke Energy CEO Lynn Good, signed by many North Carolina clergy, that urged the utility to close its coal-fired Lake Julian power plant.

Local churches help bind this community together Asheville’s Congregation Beth Israel is similarly invested in providing basic necessities to local people in need, holding food drives for MANNA FoodBank and maintaining a long-standing working relationship with Habitat for Humanity’s Interfaith House project. In addition, the congregation supports Room in the Inn, a mobile shelter for homeless women, notes Rabbi Justin Goldstein.

Women’s well-being is also a focus at Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church, whose Project NAF (Nurturing Asheville and Area Families) offers local AfricanAmerican women both pre- and postnatal care.

In a city that honors and celebrates its LGBT community, Asheville’s First Congregational United Church of Christ has been a strong advocate for same-sex marriage rights. When a lesbian couple who were church members sought to be married there, the congregation immediately rallied behind them. In April 2014, First Congregational joined with the national General Synod of the United Church of Christ and several other denominations as plaintiffs in the lawsuit that overturned North Carolina’s ban on same-sex marriage.

Nonetheless, the question remains: Couldn’t this work be done just as well by secular organizations? After all, in It’s a Wonderful Life, George Bailey is also engaged in do-gooder work through his position at the family building and loan business. But ultimately, it isn’t Bailey’s altruistic business practices that make his life more than relevant to those in his community.

The Rev. Mark Ward of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Asheville understands this well. “I suspect that like many local churches, we definitely had our ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ moment around the time of the November elections.

Attendance shot up both before and after the election.” That, he continues, “speaks to what religious congregations exist to be and do. They’re places where people come to have life-giving hopes and values affirmed, and where

The Spirituality Issue they hope to find others who seek to build community centered on those values.

“Whatever you may think of the results, this campaign season was one of the ugliest and most dispiriting in our history, and it’s left many people shaken and looking for hope.

But people are looking for something beyond the tit-for-tat of politics — a reminder that we are better than this. That there is a ground for hope. That we’re in this together.”

Hope. In the end, that’s George Bailey’s true gift to Bedford Falls — and the gift that Asheville’s churches bestow upon our own community.

In this time of difficulty and turmoil, as we confront a new reality, could there be anything more relevant? X Karen Richardson Dunn is an ordained minister with the United Church of Christ and a member of First Congregational UCC in Asheville. She facilitates the Southern Conference’s Creation Justice Network.

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The Spirituality Issue

NEWS

LOSING MY RELIGION Wrestling with the shadow of doubt Spirituality takes many forms in WNC: Some find it in the halls of churches, mosques and synagogues, others within the folds of a mountain or inside themselves. Regardless of the path, belief is a guiding light for many in times of turmoil or doubt.

Each December, Xpress opens its pages to religious and spiritual groups at sponsored rates so they can share their stories. The following pages offer a glimpse of the diverse practices that nurture our community.

With this, we offer you the following meditations in hopes they will illuminate your holiday season.

BY DAN HESSE dhesse@mountainx.com Are you there, God? It’s a common question for believers, skeptics and seekers alike. And according to the Pew Research Center’s Religious Landscape Survey, religious uncertainty may be on the rise. In Pew’s 2014 survey of over 35,000 families from all 50 states, 63 percent of those surveyed said their belief in God was absolutely certain, down from 71 percent in 2007.

Many Buncombe County residents consider themselves religious.

According to the Association of Religion Data Archives, 122,565 Buncombe County residents identified as adhering to a religion in 2010. Since the county’s population was 238,822 in that same year, at least half of Buncombe inhabitants are among the faithful.

Where do people turn when that faith runs dry and they start to question what they believe? A number of Asheville-based faith leaders say those who experience doubt aren’t alone and freely admit to struggling with faith in their own lives.

FAITH RAZED “If you could walk into any room and ask, ‘Anybody in here ever struggle with faith?’ — if people felt free to raise their hands, I bet more people would raise their hands than not,” says Russell Jones, a pastoral counselor in Asheville.

The Rev. Mark Ward, lead minister at Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Asheville, agrees. “I think that’s part of everyone’s life. I think doubt is a central part of belief. It’s like yin and yang,” he says.

It seems only natural that crisis in life breeds a crisis of faith, and Jones and Ward say that traumatic experiences and loss are among the top reasons people question their beliefs. “You lose somebody you love, maybe you prayed for them to get well and they didn’t.

Maybe they were taken from you too young. Maybe you lose your job,” says Jones as he cites some of the reasons religious faith can be transformed from a source of comfort into one of turmoil.

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DARKEST BEFORE DAWN: There are many reasons people question their faith. Faith leaders say loss and trauma are two significant factors leading to the so-called dark night of the soul. Photo by Dan Hesse But those periods of doubt are also seen as opportunities by faith leaders. “The most important thing for anyone experiencing a crisis of faith, no matter the tradition, is it’s OK. It’s OK to question, to doubt, to explore new ideas,” says Rabbi Justin Goldstein of Asheville’s Congregation Beth Israel. He says the Jewish tradition welcomes scrutiny as a tool for advancing understanding and belief.

From his faith’s perspective, Goldstein says, questioning is normal.

“In American Judaism, a substantial portion of people identify as agnostic.

An atheist might define them as a believer, and a believer might define them as an atheist,” he explains. “If you don’t doubt what you believe, then you don’t actually believe what you profess to believe, because doubt is a natural outcome of belief.”

SPECIAL SPIRITUALITY SECTION

Ward sees the struggle as a crucial part of a person’s spiritual development. “Your doubt informs and deepens your belief because it forces you to dig deeper and think harder about where your core lies. … I think it’s important. It’s an instrument to deepening your faith,” he says.

“I find my own sense of faith isn’t a fixed thing,” Ward says.

“It evolves as I evolve. I gain new understanding, perspectives that shape it. That’s healthy. That’s part of being a human being, part of the spiritual journey.”

CONGREGATION CON JOB Cheri Britton Honeycutt was raised as a Southern Baptist but now “completely rejects it.” A pivotal moment came when she witnessed the sexual assault of a family member.

The Spirituality Issue Other members of her congregation looked the other way. “Everybody in the church, people in leadership, knew about [the incident], yet nobody ever came to talk to us about it. Nobody,” she says.

Britton Honeycutt says the trauma alone was difficult to deal with, but it was her sense of isolation that made her question her belief. “I was really disillusioned that in a time of crisis these people weren’t there. I mislabeled it as God wasn’t there, but I was 17. And the truth was, it was the people who were uncomfortable,” she notes.

Sexual abuse also played a role in Asheville resident Dennis Shipman’s decision to leave the nondenominational charismatic church he had belonged to for 20 years. After he revealed the incident, the reaction of other members was far from supportive. “One of the worst things you can do to a survivor of sexual abuse is not believe them,” he says. “In the darkest hour of my life, when I tried to confide in people I thought were part of my life … some of them responded saying, ‘Do you expect me to believe that?’ And others even literally made fun of me,” says Shipman.

“Where was God then?” he asks.

“Why wasn’t I being protected?”

Lacking good answers to those hard questions, Shipman says he cut ties with the church and his faith. “If there is a God, he wouldn’t have any involvement in activities such as that, so I just separated myself from all of it,” he says.

Sometimes a loss of faith is triggered by more abstract questioning.

That’s what Karen Richardson Dunn, an ordained minister with the United Church of Christ and a member of First Congregational UCC of Asheville, says she experienced as a younger person. “I lost my faith altogether as a teenager because I could not find a satisfying answer to how God, a loving God, could exist in the face of the great suffering of the world,” she says.

“I wish I could say that I’ve found the perfect response to that question, and I have made headway, but it continues to haunt me on difficult days.”

DARK NIGHT OF THE SOUL

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Jones says his own struggles with faith help him counsel others

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Asheville Buncombe Community Christian Ministry Asheville Buncombe Community Christian Ministry has brought hope this year to the lives of more than 35,000 men, women and children in our community through the service of over 6,000 volunteers.

Those faithful volunteers provide hope of transformation each day to the homeless residents of our Steadfast House and Veterans Restoration Quarters. Volunteers offer healing and hope to half of the uninsured residents of Buncombe County who utilize our Medical Ministry. Jail Ministry volunteers serve those seeking hope and light at the Buncombe County Detention Center.

Volunteers in our Crisis Ministry bring hope to those who are provided emergency assistance at our four Crisis Ministry sites. At our downtown Crisis Ministry location, hope often comes in the form of a hot meal — served by volunteers.

How can you foster hope in our community? Gifts of just $50, or monthly gifts of $10 or $20, can help: • Keep on the lights and heat for a family.

• Provide a homeless woman with education and training to get back into the workforce and earn a living wage.

• House homeless families who need emergency shelter.

• Feed, clothe and shelter veterans so they can focus on their restoration.

• Offset soaring costs for medical and dental care.

• Make sure children have warm clothing.

• Ensure a safe, secure space for domestic violence survivors.

• Bring encouragement to the incarcerated.

Your gifts bring hope to the homeless, hungry and needy in our community!

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The Spirituality Issue going through similar experiences.

However, he warns against telling people how to view their own conflict. “I think what people need when they are having a spiritual struggle isn’t someone to tell them, ‘Look, here’s how you should think about this differently.’ They need someone to come alongside and say, ‘I get what you’re saying and feeling,’” he says.

“Sometimes religion can want to give answers too quickly.”

Ward agrees that faith leaders should resist the urge to offer one-sizefits-all solutions. “If you are struggling with belief, I’m not going to hand you a book and think it will fix it. I think the way you grow and deepen your spirituality is in conversation,” he says.

“That’s why here we focus on small group work where you can have those conversations and reveal that personal doubt and questioning you have.”

“I don’t hold myself as any kind of model or person who has it all figured out,” says Ward.

Goldstein says he believes those in doubt need to stay plugged in. “For people who don’t believe and don’t have faith, being able to participate in the debate keeps them involved in the tradition,” he says. “You’ll find

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many people in synagogues who don’t believe in God, or don’t observe the traditions, but they are engaged in the tradition through the questions. And through their cynicism, there is still an entry point.”

And Richardson Dunn advises people to lean into their doubts with open eyes. “Do not be afraid to question, or struggle, or even to disbelieve,” she says. “Rather, allow yourself to be open and mindful in each moment as it comes, to the still, small voice of divine presence. Just listen. Closely.”

Ultimately, Jones says there can be unexpected value in a crisis of faith; being outside your comfort zone, he says, can lead to growth. “As much as you can tolerate it, don’t rush through it. Don’t waste the experience. If you’re going to go through this misery, at least get something good from it,” he advises.

CLOSED DOORS, OPEN WINDOWS As with any crisis, there is eventually resolution. For some, it’s a renewed sense of faith and commitment to God. For others, it’s a time to say goodbye.

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Jones says that in his experience most people come out with faith intact.

“More often than not, people get reoriented, recalibrated,” he says. “Life bumps them out and they’re disoriented for a while, but [then they] find a way to re-establish equilibrium.”

Richardson Dunn says many times people conclude it’s the organization that let them down, not God. “People don’t tend to leave church over their loss of faith in God, but over disillusionment with the actions and attitudes of people within the church or within their church’s denomination.”

For Britton Honeycutt, becoming a mother helped catalyze a return to the church after some 20 years away.

“I, for whatever reason, was really called to go to the UUCOC. I jokingly said I just needed to make peace with Jesus,” she says.

Belonging to her new congregation has helped Britton Honeycutt come to terms with her past. “I don’t resonate with the way I was raised, but I’m not bitter about it. People teach what they believe,” she says. “There is something powerful with community, turning things over, knowing that I don’t have control.”

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Britton Honeycutt offers advice for those who have been hurt by the church. “I would encourage people to separate out the people that created the crisis and realize that people are flawed,” she says. “If we judge whether God is real based on how people behave, we’ll all be in a crisis of faith.”

However, Shipman says he’s not yet ready to embrace religion. “I live in a place I call the gray area. I’m not sure right now, but I’m at peace with that,” he says. Shipman says he’s made progress over the past few years and has been able to release some of his anger.

While not looking to rejoin a congregation, Shipman says a small part of him is receptive to God. “My eyes are going to have to be opened to God,

by God. That door is open,” he says. “I can’t see where this would be God or Jesus’ fault, so I’m not faulting them.

That’s why the door is open.”

“The Bible says he’ll leave the 99 and go after the one, so that’s where the door is open. If that’s true, he’ll come get me.

If not, then I’ll remain in the gray area.”

And for Goldstein, doubting means you’re still seeking, “As long as you continue to question and try on different perspectives, then you are still a part of the conversation.” X

NEWS

The Spirituality Issue

PRAYING TOGETHER

Diverse Muslim community finds common ground in Asheville

WILLING SUBMISSION TO GOD: Local Muslims gather every Friday for fellowship, a short sermon and salah (pictured here), the act of worship that combines physical, mental and spiritual elements — reciting verses and praying along with different postures. Photo by Able Allen

who wish to attend. The center doesn’t have an imam (prayer leader) at the moment, so the “khutbah” (Friday sermon) is usually given by a volunteer, often Bashir.

Visitors are welcome here. Muslims, non-Muslims and student groups from Warren Wilson College and UNC Asheville come to learn about Islam and the Quran. In addition, the facility serves as a kind of community center: Each Friday after prayers, some of the men stick around for a family-style meal; there are also monthly potlucks.

The Asheville Islamic Center is the only formally organized mosque in North Carolina west of Morganton, and it continues to see modest but steady growth. Perhaps the busiest time is Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan, the holy month of fasting. During this major holiday, the mosque hosts about 200 people, notes Bashir.

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BY ABLE ALLEN aallen@mountainx.com “You could say I was hungry for the truth without even realizing I was searching for it,” says Western North Carolina native Joseph (Yusuf) Gantt, “and that led to a journey of maybe 10 or 15 years in which I finally recognized Islam. It satisfied my hunger.” Two of Gantt’s family members, his mother and a sister, have also embraced the faith.

Some 35 or 40 years ago, Gantt recalls, he’d returned to the area to do a 40-day fast in Pisgah National Forest. “I just went deep in the forest. … I had known how to pray, and I knew about Islam for many years before that but didn’t consider myself a Muslim. Then it occurred to me: Why am I sitting here praying in a forest by myself when I should be praying with other people that have the same belief?”

So Gantt, who was born in Fletcher, left the forest and went to study at The Islamic Center in Washington, D.C., followed by more study in Egypt. After that, he worked in various capacities as a consultant to nonprofit Islamic organizations. Now retired, Gantt devotes his time to his family and his faith community.

Until a few decades ago, most Americans probably had little awareness of Muslims. These days, Islam and individuals claiming to be its adherents appear frequently in screaming news headlines, yet most people in this country still consider themselves Christians and don’t know much about what the Pew Research Center and others say is the world’s fastest-growing religion.

Western North Carolina has had a Muslim population for decades, says Khalid Bashir, a physician at the local Veterans Affairs Hospital who serves as president of the Islamic Center of Asheville. “There are some people who were originally from here and they converted to Islam, probably in the late ’70s to ’80s.” Today, he continues, there are about 75-100 Muslim families in the area, many of them immigrants from far corners of the world.

But who are these people, and how do they fit into Asheville’s kaleidoscopic faith community?

VISITORS WELCOME On any given Friday, Gantt can be found at the Islamic Center on Old Fairview Road, praying alongside maybe 60 others. The masjid, or mosque, is a large carpeted room; only males are required to go there for prayer, but part of the room is partitioned off for women

First Congregational United Church of Christ extravagantly welcomes all people — regardless of race, gender, economic status or sexual orientation. We believe that God is still speaking and calls us to be servants to all people. We also believe that each person is unique and valuable. Wherever they are on their spiritual journey, they are welcome at First Congregational.

We believe in the power of peace and work for nonviolent solutions to local, national and international problems. We are a people of endless possibilities.

We worship on Sundays at 10:30 a.m. and would be delighted to have you join us.

We hope you will find our Sunday worship services to be thought-provoking and inspiring.

Our Christmas Eve service, a traditional Service of Lessons and Carols, will be begin at 5 p.m. Christmas morning we’ll gather for singing and storytelling in Friendship Hall, with coffee and cocoa and sweet treats.

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15

The Spirituality Issue THE LANGUAGE OF FAITH On one recent Friday, the sermon was short and simple, essentially a guide to proper behavior in the masjid. Besides telling worshippers how to enter, move around and find a place in the room, the speaker, Bashir, urged his listeners to wear clean clothes and avoid eating stinky food.

That practical approach was a far cry from the rousing, persuasive, inspirational model followed by many modern Protestant sermons.

But to this outsider, at any rate, the core of the short service seemed to be those parts that are always the same: ceremonial words spoken in Arabic, personal prayer and the physical movements of praying. The name Islam comes from an Arabic word meaning “submission”: The faithful are supposed to demonstrate their submission to God by, among other things, praying five times a day. But though some local Muslims attend the masjid daily, many do much of their praying and connecting with God outside the mosque.

Lina and Mohamid Abuadas run the Pita Express in Hendersonville, serving Middle Eastern food. Verses

from the Quran and other Arabic words adorn the walls. But since Friday, Muslims’ holy day, is typically very busy at the restaurant, the couple can’t always make it to the early afternoon service at the Islamic Center.

Still, Lina says she always makes time to pray: The energy it gives her helps her make it through the day.

And when the restaurant closes after lunch, she turns it into a studio, teaching classes in cooking and belly dancing as well as Arabic and Hebrew. Arabic is the language of the Quran and, for Muslims, the language of prayer. Lina stresses the importance of knowing the language and being able to read the text in its original form. A Hendersonville rabbi, she says, is studying Arabic with her in hopes of being able to do that one day. Two other students, a husband and wife, were so moved by what they learned that they converted to Islam.

The husband, notes Lina, “said, ‘I want to experience what you experience. I want to have that peace of mind; I want to have that energy.’ So he studied Arabic, Quran and Islam.

And he is practicing, he is actually praying, just like us.”

HOME AWAY FROM HOME Several decades ago, WNC residents like Gantt began praying together in living rooms. Others joined them and, over time, the community grew large enough to rent spaces where they could worship. Finally, about ten years ago, the congregation built the Islamic Center.

Immigration has been a driving force for the religion’s growth in the area.

“It’s a pretty heterogeneous population of Muslims,” says Bashir. In addition to local African-Americans and a handful of Caucasian converts, “We have all kinds of people from all countries,” including Algeria, Libya, Morocco, Egypt, Palestine, Pakistan, India, Southeast Asia, Sudan and Kosovo.“ Lina is Palestinian and she moved to Houston from Jerusalem with her husband nearly 30 years ago to pursue the American dream and leave behind the violence, poor economy and stressful environment of their homeland.

But they didn’t like the noise and crowds in Texas, so when friends told them about Western North Carolina, they visited, fell in love with the area and decided to move here. With its four seasons, mountains and natural

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The name “All Souls” recognizes that all human beings share universal desires, even though we come from varying paths of experience. All of us share a common desire to have fruitful relationships with ourselves, others, the world around us and the Sacred. This faith community also understands and values the inherent interconnectedness of these relationships.

All Souls is a community that is clear about its grounding in the Christian tradition while also understanding healthy spiritual paths include mystery, paradox and uncertainty. This is what we find in Jesus: one who was grounded in sacred tradition while growing through his relationship to all people. For 120 years, this has been a place of pilgrimage for and a community of all souls.

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9 Swan St. Asheville, NC 28803 • 828-274-2681 mail@allsoulscathedral.org • allsoulscathedral.org 16

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beauty, says Lina, the Land of the Sky felt more like home.

Many local Muslims voice similar sentiments. Born in Algeria, Ferhat ben Massod moved here from New Jersey. He says he and his now exwife chose this area because of its trees and mountains. And though Rochdi Ammar, who’s originally from Tunisia, moved here to be with his then-wife, the Hendersonville nurse says he, too, finds the climate and environment friendly.

Having an established and welcoming mosque also helps: Both men say they searched the internet for a mosque before deciding to relocate here, and they’re proud to be part of the local community. Nonetheless, being Muslim in America has its challenges.

One Pita Express customer, remembers Lina, asked her, ”You are so good, why can’t you be Christian?“ Her response was, ”Why can’t you accept me the way I am?“ The customer, Lina explains, was wondering whether she feared a backlash from Americans upset about the violent acts committed by some in the name of Islam. But Lina says she isn’t worried because those people aren’t her.

The Spirituality Issue “I practice my religion without imposing on anybody. It doesn’t matter to you if I take five minutes, go into the office and pray: I’m not affecting you in any way.” If anything, she maintains, she’s helping her customers, because when she returns from prayer, she’s energized and provides better service.

THE POLITICAL THICKET Still, it can be hard for outsiders and Muslims alike to disentangle the religion from political movements, both here and abroad. And even Muslims who are secure in their own spiritual identity are likely to encounter uncomfortable questions.

When Xpress asked Gantt for an interview, for instance, his initial response was, “You don’t want to talk to me: I’m a terrorist.” And though he was joking, his reaction reflects the way many Muslims feel about being unfairly labeled.

Social media, notes Ammar, spread the misconception that a huge percentage of Muslims are involved in terrorism and violence. To him, that seems like propaganda designed to

divide people who are simply trying to live in peace.

A lot of his fellow worshippers agree. They’re disappointed that so many of their neighbors are content to form their opinions about one of the world’s major religions based on distorted perceptions gleaned from media reports. Massod, for example, invites non-Muslims to visit the local Islamic Center and learn about the religion firsthand.

“Muslims are human,” he points out. “They can make any mistake, like any other religion or any other people around the world.” Besides, he explains, it’s a religious duty to teach everyone about Islam in a nonforceful way.

Gantt, meanwhile, says he’s spent time with people all over the world, and misconceptions exist among both Muslims and non-Muslims. Traveling and living abroad, he says, he’s encountered “people who tend to be a little ignorant or suspicious about white American males. ‘What are you doing here? Are you CIA or FBI or something?’ But I just tell them, ‘The religion is for everybody: It’s not just for whoever you think it’s for.’”

Without exception, though, all the local people interviewed for this article emphasized that anytime violence rears its head, the motivation is power, culture, economics and/or politics — not God. And while political disagreements divide many people in the Middle East and elsewhere, they report, their faith is uniting Muslims here in WNC. E PLURIBUS UNUM “Islam itself is the religion,” Gantt explains. “Muslims are people who claim to follow the religion. Whether they follow it or not is one thing, but the religion doesn’t change. And Muslims being amongst each other can be a positive reminder of what they share.”

The local Muslim community’s relatively small size, he says, creates a culture of inclusivity that promotes spiritual growth. In larger communities in non-Muslim countries, Gantt points out, “Whether it’s in Europe or South America or the Caribbean, it’s easy for the Muslims to separate based on ethnic or cultural biases.

But when they come here … it’s not enough people for all of the people

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from one culture to go start a mosque over here, another one start a mosque over there. They are forced to be here together, knowing that the only thing they have in common is Islam.”

Bashir agrees. Muslims in other countries, he says, behave more the way Christians do in the West, banding together in sectarian groups. But for Muslims, that’s wrong, Bashir believes.

And while the local masjid doesn’t discourage small differences such as hand placement during prayer, it doesn’t cater to ideological divisions.

At the end of the day, Gantt maintains, the local Muslim community may actually benefit from a quintessentially American phenomenon: the melting pot. This, he says, affords the opportunity to separate culture from religion, “because, in most other parts of the world in which Muslims can be found, they don’t have the economic or religious or political or educational freedom that they do here.”

And though realizing the ideal isn’t easy, Gantt admits, it’s important “that they be able to learn from each other, share with each other and strengthen themselves in the religion, rather than in cultural or ethnic identity.” X

DECEMBER 21 - DECEMBER 27, 2016

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The Spirituality Issue

NEWS

WORLDS IN COLLISION Cherokee spirituality straddles past, present and future Creator] gave us this. What that means is the people, the animals and everything else have learned to live within that balance, and that spirit understands that.”

In traditional Cherokee society, says Taylor, there’s a spiritual aspect to just about everything. “I used to play Indian stickball, which is riddled with spirituality. Water is a spiritual thing: Cherokees see it as a living, breathing entity of God, one of his great tools. It not only cleansed us, it was a way of communing with God, of saying, ‘Lord, I have come.’”

A key aspect of spirituality, says Grant, is the idea of being present in one’s prayers and actions.

“That is what a ceremony is about: knowing that it’s going to work; knowing there’s a Creator; knowing there’s four directions; knowing there’s another place. You have to take time to look at yourself, look at your spirit and where you come from, and let the spirit guide your interests and love.”

BY MAX HUNT mhunt@mountainx.com “What is that thing?” asks General B. Grant, pointing to the metal ring in my nose as we sit in the backroom of his Qualla Boundary jewelry shop. “It bothers me,” he says, laughing. “Why do you do that?”

I mumble some half-coherent explanation about being “unique.”

The 71-year-old Cherokee artist regards me for a moment, then lifts his shirt to reveal a set of crosshatched scars across his breast.

“I do the body-changing too: I’m a Sundancer,” he says. “There’s a reason we do what we do. It has a spiritual connection, to get closer to the Creator; to have a better understanding and relationship with myself. That’s what spirituality is: It’s action that we do that we don’t realize we’re doing, when we’re seeking something in life.”

DEVIL’S IN THE DETAILS “Guys like you use the word ‘culture,’ but it isn’t really a culture — it’s a lifestyle that we still live,” stresses Sonny Ledford, who works with the Museum of the Cherokee Indian as one of the Cherokee Friends — tribal members who share their expertise through demonstrations of traditional crafts and presentations about Cherokee life and practices. The Eastern Band alone has over 13,000 registered members, and there are many more in Oklahoma, where most Cherokees were forced to move in the 1830s. Therefore, the very idea of “traditional spirituality” can be misleading, says Trey Adcock, who teaches in UNC Asheville’s Cherokee studies program (see sidebar, “Flipping the Argument”).

“There are 40-odd churches on the Qualla Boundary. For some families, what is traditional is being a Baptist,” notes Adcock, a member of the Tahlequah, Okla.-based Cherokee Nation.

Bo Taylor, the museum’s executive director, melds traditional

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LEARNING FROM THE ELDERS

PATH TO THE CREATOR: Raised in Tennessee, General Grant says he lived “as a white man” for much of his youth, before a chance encounter with an elderly Native American man set him on a path of spiritual discovery. Grant now lives within the Qualla Boundary, where his beliefs influence the art he makes and sells at his Traditional Hands Native Jewelry & Art shop. Photo

by Thomas Calder beliefs with his Christian faith. “I’m a member of the Methodist Church, but I also honor and still do my Cherokee things,” the former Tribal Council member explains. “My relationship with God is the same whether I’m sitting in the sweat lodge, dancing around a spiritual fire or sitting in a church.”

Ultimately, spirituality is a deeply personal matter, and many Cherokees are reluctant to discuss it with outsiders. “You don’t go into a Methodist church and ask how they do their sacraments,” Taylor points out. “If you take a look at Christianity, it evolves and has changed, and it has a different meaning now.” Cherokees, too, “still have a living, breathing culture that’s evolving and changing.”

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ONE WITH THE WORLD Whatever else they may do, spiritual practices typically help people understand the world around them and their place in it. That holds true for traditional Cherokee beliefs as well.

“There’s always a Creator, a God or a Jehovah,” notes Grant. “The Creator shook out his medicine bag, and it all formulated into this ball, which is spirit.”

A strong sense of place and reverence for the Southern Appalachians features prominently in Cherokee traditionalists’ worldview. “When everything fell, the way that it fell dictated the environment,” continues Grant, gesturing out his workshop window to the woods beyond. “The Cherokees were put right here: [the

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Raised in a white community in Tennessee, it took Grant decades to find the path to his Cherokee roots. “I was a white man until I was 36,” he says. “All the things I learned came from the community I lived in.”

A chance encounter with “an old drunk who’d been sober for 25 years” opened Grant’s eyes to the beliefs he follows today. “He told me the truth: what the colors mean, what the directions mean, what the songs and prayers mean.”

Ledford, who’s now in his 50s, was shaped by his experiences growing up in the Qualla Boundary.

“My parents were fluent speakers, full-blooded,” he explains. “We lived in a log cabin built by my dad and my brothers. Most people think that was 100 years ago. It’s not: A lot of families my age grew up that way.”

The elders, says Ledford, are the ones who instill a desire to pass on the lessons learned to future generations. “People try to pat me on

The Spirituality Issue the back, but I’m not the one who should get the compliment: It goes to all those that taught me because without them I couldn’t teach what I teach.”

Jarrett Wildcatt, who’s also part of the Cherokee Friends program, says the example set by Ledford, Taylor and The Warriors of AniKituhwa, a performance group that showcases traditional Cherokee ways of life and thought, inspired him to begin examining his heritage more closely.

“Growing up, I knew the top of the cultural iceberg: the crafts, a little bit of the language, reading books,” he recalls. “The Warriors group helped me start realizing that there’s more to it than just dressing up and dancing. Now, I’m going beneath the surface, learning more about the language, the beliefs, the orientation: As Sonny would say, ‘Being Cherokee.’”

GREAT WONDERS Ledford, Wildcatt and their colleagues now work with the museum and other organizations to help disseminate that deeper understanding

of traditional culture, both within their community and beyond its borders.

Many people, notes Wildcatt, think Cherokees “lived in tepees or wore headdresses because you see the dancers wearing them on the street.” But while tourists “can have fun watching the Indians dance or take pictures of Indians wearing headdresses,” the museum tries to present a more accurate picture of the history and culture.

These educators also urge those who claim Cherokee heritage to go beyond the surface and really explore their ancestors’ history.

When people visit the museum or the boundary, he maintains, “At least 80 percent of the time they want to claim Cherokee lineage.

That’s fine, but we encourage them to learn from it, live it: There’s more to being Cherokee than just having an enrollment card or having a casino.”

One current focus is ensuring the survival of the Cherokee language.

As the remaining fluent speakers age, their numbers are dwindling.

In response, the Eastern Band

CONTINUES ON PAGE 20

Peace on Earth is in our hands One person can make a difference; together, we can change the world!

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“I stand as an ambassador, advocate and activist for the sanctity of all life.

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I commit to stand up and take loving action as needed.

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— Rev. Darlene Not only do I proclaim a gospel of inclusivity and love, I am now actively involved in championing our emerging world of a beloved community.”

Sunday services, 9:45 and 11:30 a.m.

Christmas Eve candlelight service, 6 p.m.

Christmas morning service, 10 a.m.

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19

The Spirituality Issue established the New Kituwah Academy. “Basically, it’s a language immersion school: They get young children and put them in an environment where they can speak the language,” Wildcatt explains, adding, “That academy has done great wonders.”

TO EACH HIS OWN

SPREADING THE WORD Formed in 2003, The Warriors of AniKituhwa troupe travels the country giving lectures and performing traditional Cherokee songs, dances and ceremonies.

But originally, there was resistance, even within the Cherokee community. “In the beginning, it was rough,” remembers Ledford, one of the group’s original members. “We were getting cussed at by churchgoing members, calling it the devil’s dance and worshipping the devil.”

Since then, however, attitudes have changed. “Now, they kind of pat us on the back and come to us to learn,” he says, smiling. “It’s kind of 180’d from how it was.”

In addition, the Warriors use their position as cultural ambassadors to speak out about national issues such as excavating Indian burial sites. “Society acts like we’re less than human, digging up our burial mounds and villages, studying us like we’re from another planet,” says Ledford. “It makes me feel good that I can actually help that stop.” Even well-intentioned outsiders, he maintains, have only limited ability to represent Cherokee ways, saying, “This article you write, people will read it, but they won’t feel it.”

Ledford also works with Boy Scout groups in the region, drawing on his extensive knowledge to give them an accurate understanding of the symbolism of badges and programs based on native culture.

“If you’re going to teach a class about something, are you going to hire a professor or a kindergarten teacher?” he asks rhetorically.

FIGHTING STEREOTYPES Despite the progress, however, prejudice and misconceptions still abound, says Wildcatt. The Cherokee Friends, for example, try to educate visitors about the offensive connotations of words like “redskin” and “squaw” while correcting erroneous ideas about daily life in his community.

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LESSONS FROM THE PAST: Spirituality features heavily in many of the traditions and artwork of the Cherokee people of the Eastern Band. Richard Saunooke, a Cherokee friend of the Museum on the Boundary, recreates traditional wampum belt designs, which offered the Cherokee lessons on how to live a righteous and honorable life. Photo

by Max Hunt “We’re going to tell people the truth: We’re not going to sugarcoat everything,” Wildcatt explains. But that approach, he continues, can be misunderstood. “People come here and say we hate the white man, but I don’t have any hate toward nonCherokees. That’s why I’m glad I’m here to educate people: If we’re not going to do it, who will?”

Adcock, meanwhile, asks his students “to use their cellphones and record images of natives that they see. By the end of the semester, we had 100. Culturally, images are so deeply embedded in the American psyche — as far as what native people are and should be — that we often can’t see real people.”

For Ledford, a big goal is simply driving home the message that the Cherokee don’t exist solely in history books. “A lot of people come and ask, ‘How does it feel to be a conquered people?’” he reveals. “If I was conquered, I wouldn’t be sitting here dressed as I am. We’re not conquered — never have been. We’re probably more spiritual now than we ever were.”

OVERFEEDING Sometimes, though, spirituality spills over into the contentious realm

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of politics, which transcends cultural boundaries. The mainstream media, says Wildcatt, paint the outcry over the Dakota Access Pipeline “like it’s all an Indian thing.” But Standing Rock, he maintains, “is not an Indian issue: It’s an environmental issue.

That’s people’s drinking water, water they use to clean. It’s Earth.”

Taylor hopes more non-native groups and “people who say they’re Christians” will recognize the importance of what Indian people are fighting for there and choose to stand with them. “Water is one of God’s great, awesome powers,” he points out, “Why would you desecrate that?”

Grant agrees. “We’re fed off this earth; we all feed off it. When we overfeed, then everything we need gets eaten up and we starve to death.

That dictates our spirituality.”

Ledford, too, sees Standing Rock as an opportunity for outsiders to gain a deeper understanding of how his people see the world around them. “We look at society differently here on the boundary because we live differently than you guys do,” he says. “We’ve always been connected to the earth, animals, trees. People used to look at us like we were stupid when we talked about that, but they’re finally opening their eyes and understanding that what we’re talking about is right.”

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In the end, however, Grant stresses that future generations must chart their own spiritual course in relation to their people, their past and the world at large.

“You remember I said I was white until I was 36? Well, that’s what I allow to the younger generation — to be themselves,” the jewelry maker explains. “I’m not going to force anyone to do something that I say that’s going to hurt them later on. I’m only a model, that’s all.”

And over time, each individual’s understanding will evolve.

Regardless of a person’s race or cultural heritage, he maintains, “Your answers are never going to be the same as you grow, as your mind absorbs. It’ll be different all the time, but it’ll be the same, like an attachment or a postscript.

“What does it mean? You have to decide what you’re looking for and what you need.” X

Flipping the argument Local universities are also working to promote the native culture.

Both UNC Asheville and Western Carolina University have established Cherokee studies programs.

“We offer Cherokee language now for the first time in our institution’s history, and almost every Cherokee student on campus is in that class,” notes Trey Adcock, UNCA’s director of American Indian outreach and the faculty adviser for the Native American Student Association, a campus group. “Many of them have shown a renewed interest in things like traditional Cherokee dress, dance, song and ceremony. I think it kind of flips the argument on its head that if kids go away, they lose interest in the culture: If anything, what I’m seeing is that it pulls them closer to those cultural lineages.”

And when non-native students ask Adcock how they can help support the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, his advice is simple: “Know the history of this country in relation to indigenous people. I think just listening to native people themselves — what they need, what they think — is a good place to start.” X

FOOD

The Spirituality Issue

MIRACLE OF OIL

Asheville’s Jewish congregations honor tradition and history with Hanukkah foods But the primary culinary tradition for Hanukkah is fried food so that Jews can remember and celebrate the miracle of rededication.

“Another thing about oil is that it gets all over the place but never loses its identity,” Susskind says, which is symbolic of the Jewish diaspora and the miracle of Jews being able to maintain their cultural and religious identity for centuries, even without a homeland.

Susskind’s daughters, twins Mushka and Pessel, who will turn 8 in January, Devorah, 6 and Sarah’le, 4, already know why they eat latkes and sufganiyot this time of year, and they enjoy sharing what they’ve made with their community. “I like to bring them to old-age homes and to light the menorah there,” Pessel says.

The food traditions vary slightly from place to place, says Rabbi Justin Goldstein of Temple Beth Israel in Asheville.

“Since Hanukkah is heavily inspired by the story of the miracle of a small

MEANINGFUL SWEETS: Devorah Susskind, 6, adds jelly to fresh doughnuts called sufganiyot at Chabad House. Fried foods are often served at Hanukkah to represent the oil used in the lamp at the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem in 165 B.C. Photo by Leslie Boyd

BY LESLIE BOYD leslie.boyd@gmail.com Hanukkah is all about the oil. The miracle of one day’s worth of oil lighting the Temple in Jerusalem for eight days is only the beginning as Asheville’s Jewish families cook traditional foods for the eight-day celebration of lights.

The two most common foods are potato pancakes known as latkes in Yiddish and jelly doughnuts called sufganiyot. These foods “are meant to remind us of the oil used in the lamp at the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem,” says Lauren Rosenfeld, education director at Temple Beth Ha Tephila in Asheville. “In fact, Hanukkah means rededication.”

Oil also represents resilience in Jewish tradition, says Rabbi Shaya Susskind of Chabad House.

“Some of the greatest light comes after challenge.”

The Temple in Jerusalem was deliberately defiled by Syrian-Greek conquerors, but it was reclaimed and rededicated by the Maccabees in 165

B.C. As the temple was rededicated, the lamp contained enough oil for just one day, and more oil was eight days away, yet the lamp stayed lit until more oil arrived.

“No matter how dark things may seem, we can still reclaim the sacred in our lives, for our children and in memory of our ancestors,” Rosenfeld says.

Hanukkah traditions always include children, says Susskind, who has four daughters and another baby due any day. The dreidel, a top spun by children, is designed to help them learn their faith and culture and stems from the time when the Syrian-Greeks banned the teaching of the Torah. The Hebrew letters on the sides of the top say “A great miracle happened there” (dreidels made in Israel say, “A great miracle happened here”), and encourage children to learn Hebrew and to study the scriptures.

In Jewish tradition, gelt, or money is offered each day of Hanukkah as a gift.

One reason, Susskind says, was to make sure poor people could afford the candles needed to observe the holiday. Susskind and his wife, Chana, give their children $1 on the first day, $2 on the second day, and so on — $36 in total.

cruse of oil without enough for even one day burning for eight days, it has become the custom to consume oil, largely through fried foods,” he says.

In Eastern Europe, this was latkes.

In North Africa, it’s a deep fried sponge cake called sfenj, which inspired the doughnutlike sufganiya that are eaten in Israel. The sufganiya in Israel, where global Jewish culture blends, is a mix of the sfenj and the German Hanukkah treat known as ponchkes, which is two pieces of fluffy dough wrapped around jam or custard and deep-fried.

Sephardic Jews (from Spain and Portugal) eat bimuelos, a Jewish version of the traditional Spanish dessert buñuelos. While buñuelos have no connection to winter, many descendants of Sephardic Jews whose families had converted to Christianity centuries ago still eat the fried dough balls around Christmastime.

CONTINUES ON PAGE 22

The School of Peace Teaching inner peace, social peace and peace with nature.

“Our Interfaith Peace Ministry Program is a nontheological ministry skills program.

We teach the art of ministering to the hearts and souls of your community through peace, according to your spiritual practice.

With peace as the unifying factor, people of all religious and spiritual traditions find a home.

We teach pastoral counseling, pastoral healing, the creation of ceremony, ethics, business and more. A special focus on eco-spirituality is offered for those who love to honor God (Spirit) within nature. This is a program for anyone who feels that their life is already a ministry and wants to be trained and ordained. It’s ideal for healers to support the work they already do.

SPECIAL SPIRITUALITY SECTION MOUNTAINX.COM

Graduates are ordained as interfaith peace ministers. A new Asheville course begins in February, and online classes are ongoing.

We also teach energy healing, meditation, intuition development and holistic business.” - Rev. Bonnie Willow, instructor

The School of Peace

29 Ravenscroft Drive #206 Asheville, NC 28801 828-776-8288 • info@TheSchoolofPeace.com theschoolofpeace.com DECEMBER 21 - DECEMBER 27, 2016

21

ILLUMINATE e Psychic and Healing Arts Expo

APRIL 1ST & 2ND, 2017, 10AM-6PM

The Spirituality Issue For the past several years, Chabad House has offered a public event called Chanukah Live! to observe the holiday.

But because the first day of Hanukkah

www. eIlluminateExpo.com Produced by Julie King and Itha Trantham, the Illuminate Expo offers real intuitive guidance, alternative healing therapies and great information, while celebrating our wonderful holistic and spiritual communities in the upstate and mountain areas. The first expo in July 2016 was a great success.

The next Illuminate Expo is April 1 and 2 at the Blue Ridge Community College Conference Hall, 180 W. Campus Drive in Flat Rock. Admission of $9 per day includes all lectures. It runs 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. both days.

WHEN 7-9 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 24

HOW MUCH Tickets are $25 for adults, $12 for children.

MORE INFORMATION

Co-sponsored by Crystal Visions & Natural Awakenings/Upstate and Channel 70 Video Productions

For more information contact Julie King at 831-601-9005 or via eIlluminateExpo@gmail.com

Biltmore United Methodist Church 376 Hendersonville Road Asheville, NC 28803 828-274-2379 • biltmoreumc.org

We believe that God calls us to love others unconditionally — as God loves us — and that literal interpretations of the Biblical message can distort that message. We affirm that diversity enriches our witness and practice. We welcome, support and defend immigrants and refugees, the LGBTQ community, people of all faith traditions and no faith tradition, persons of color, veterans, people who are homeless and/or hungry, survivors of abuse and bullying, women and children, and persons with disabilities. We invite you to join us in proclaiming God’s love, both in voice and action.

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DECEMBER 21 - DECEMBER 27, 2016

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Latkes

WHERE Chabad House of Asheville, 660 Merrimon Ave.

Over 30 intuitive, psychic readers and healers are available for $20 per session. Each day, great speakers offer talks on diverse topics such as symbology, healing, accessing the future, color therapy, chakras, archangels and more.

Other vendors provide aura photography, gifts, books, healing tools, crystals, jewelry, art, music and much more.

In these uncertain times, the Branches Sunday School Class of Biltmore United Methodist Church wishes to declare to Asheville and the surrounding communities:

Drinks and Dreidels

falls on Christmas Eve this year, the 2016 event will be a little different.

Called Drinks and Dreidels, the evening celebration will feature a menorah lighting, a Chinese food buffet, latkes and sufganiyot, music, dancing and games.

“We’ll have Chanukah Live! again next year,” Susskind says. “I know our non-Jewish friends will want to know that because a lot of them join us for the celebration.” X

The event includes music and dancing, traditional foods, activities for children, a menorah lighting and a Chinese buffet dinner. For more details and to buy tickets, visit chabadasheville.org.

Recipe provided by Rabbi Shaya Susskind

5 potatoes, grated 3 eggs 1 medium onion, minced 1 teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon pepper Enough olive or other oil for frying

Grate the potatoes and mix in the rest of the ingredients, Form into patties and fry until crisp. Serve with apple sauce.

Kairos West Community Center is a sacred space in a secular world, accessible to all and set apart for community building and the empowerment of emerging leadership through art, liturgy and social service.

Kairos, which in Greek means “an abundant moment,” is what we hope for all who walk into our community center, located in the heart of West Asheville at 610 Haywood Road, underneath Firestorm Books & Coffee. We host a number of community organizations and meetings each week, including 12 Baskets Cafe in partnership with Asheville Poverty Initiative.

With representation from multiple denominations and a central location, Kairos offers a neutral, open meeting ground and a place for collaboration across subcultural, socioeconomic and racial lines. We seek to provide a space for radical hospitality.

Kairos is always seeking volunteers, and anyone interested should contact our missioner, the Rev. Canon Milly Morrow at milly@allsoulscathedral.org.

Kairos West Community Center is a church-in-the-world mission of The Cathedral of All Souls and The Episcopal Diocese of Western North Carolina. Find more info at facebook.com/KairosWest.

610 Haywood Road Asheville, NC 28806 • (828) 772-1429 SPECIAL SPIRITUALITY SECTION

A & E

The Spirituality Issue

EXPRESS YOURSELF

Ecstatic Dance movement grows in Asheville

LET IT OUT: Expressive movement is a prominent and growing phenomenon in Asheville. “If you’re sad, dance that sadness. If you’re angry, dance the anger,” says Asheville Movement Collective member Marta Martin. “Just make sure you don’t kick somebody.” Photo courtesy of the Ashevile Movement Collective

BY COOGAN BRENNAN coogan.brennan@gmail.com Every Sunday at the Masonic Temple, people of all ages bustle in through the grand archway for Asheville Ecstatic Dance. They fill up the elegant main dining hall, which has been cleared of tables, and begin to stretch. A facilitator from Asheville Movement Collective steps forward and discusses the theme for the session. It’s a secular-but-spiritual group filled with people who shun labels or classification. The gathering so resembles a religious service, though, the attendees jokingly (but consistently) call it dance church.

Devotees of dance church proclaim the physical and metaphysical benefits of free, expressive movement that takes place during the two “waves,” or sessions, on Sunday, which collectively attract anywhere from 95 to more than 200 dancers, according to the organizers.

“There’s no opportunity to go crazy in society. We provide a safe place to do it,” says dance church facilitator and Asheville Movement Collective member Marta Martin.

WERK IT OUT Expressive movement is a prominent and growing phenomenon in Asheville.

While dance church is one of the largest regular gatherings, there is at least one expressive movement event every day of the week. Many of them are based on, or derived from, a practice known as 5Rhythms, developed by the artist Gabrielle Roth in the 1970s. The 5Rhythms philosophy can be summarized by her quote, “Put your body in motion and your psyche will heal itself.”

During a 5Rhythms wave, a trained facilitator leads participant-dancers through five sequences related to different tempos, typically over the course of two hours, to live or recorded music.

Each sequence has a distinct attitude, and dancers are encouraged to observe what comes up through the movement of their bodies and express that energy in whatever way they feel.

One of the most popular 5Rhythms events in Asheville is “Sweat Your Prayers” on Wednesday nights at the Homewood building in Montford.

Dancers gather in a grand room of the old stone house that has hosted the likes

of the Vanderbilts, Nina Simone and the famous classical composer Béla Bartók.

Karen Chapman is one of three certified 5Rhythms instructors in Asheville who hosts the Wednesday night event.

She leads dancers through the tempos and their accompanying themes. These, she explains, are flowing (“Your feminine energy, grounded, Mother Earth energy,” she says); staccato (“Your masculine energy, your passion, your fire”); chaos (“An energy that’s releasing, that’s emptying the mind. It’s all about letting go”); lyrical (“It’s about the soul, about love and beauty and grace”); and stillness (“The mother rhythm, where all the rhythms come together”).

The 5Rhythms website lists events occurring all over the world. Chapman recently conducted a wave in Barcelona, Spain. “We are a tribe, we’re a community of dancers,” she says. “When we gather together, it’s like family.”

Part of that bond is the extensive training that goes into becoming a certified 5Rhythms instructor. People log hundreds of hours dancing in sessions for years before applying. Once accepted, they go through a number of intense workshops conveying the original intent

of Roth and the essential message of the organization. The tuition alone is $8,900 and, while financial scholarships are available, there are also travel, lodging and materials expenses.

LOSE YOURSELF TO DANCE For those who appreciate the practice of 5Rhythms but wish to cultivate a more free-form style of movement, there’s the broad term ecstatic dance. A facilitator for dance church, for example, will invite dancers at the beginning to consider a certain theme throughout.

Dancers then move to the music provided by the facilitator geared toward that theme. After the initial introduction, there is no further verbal instruction. In fact, dance church guidelines encourage a “nonverbal space” to “do the work.”

“We encourage people to be there.

If you’re sad, dance that sadness. If you’re angry, dance the anger. Just make sure you don’t kick somebody,” says Martin. “If something comes up, you say, ‘OK, let’s do that.’ It’s not guided at all. You find what you have

CONTINUES ON PAGE 24 SPECIAL SPIRITUALITY SECTION MOUNTAINX.COM

DECEMBER 21 - DECEMBER 27, 2016

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The Spirituality Issue

Celtic Soul Craft, born in Scotland, is celebrating seven years of being in Asheville, Our focus lies in reclaiming ancient wisdom and weaving it into our everyday lives.

Celtic Soul School offers a program of workshops, retreats and online courses, Through working with ancestors, shamanic art and dollmaking, participants engage their personal intentions to create powerful, transformative tools.

In 2017, we will launch a women’s spiritual journey, a retreat exploring the ancestral mothers of Scotland on the country’s Isle of Eigg, Participants will visit sacred sites and weave together storytelling, ceremony and ritual, all while working with ancestral energies and sinking their roots down deep to be replenished, inspired and empowered, We will host an evening talk in January for those wishing to hear more.

Visit our website to learn more about the retreat as well as activate your free membership to the Celtic Soul School.

judelally@celticsoulcraft.com www.celticsoulcraft.com

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DECEMBER 21 - DECEMBER 27, 2016

MOUNTAINX.COM

to feel. And sometimes it’s just a dance, and you just have fun.”

Organizers and practitioners of expressive movement all emphasize the importance of holding space for people to feel. “There’s an invitation to be completely free with whatever comes out,” says Maeve Hendrix, a licensed therapist focused on bodycentered and expressive arts therapy in Asheville.

In her workshops, Hendrix may use yoga to introduce expressive movement that might be unfamiliar to participants. “Because we’ve all entered through our bodies in this more familiar, structured realm of yoga, we can all transition into a more free-form flow together,” she says. Her background as a yoga instructor allows her to create that space.

“It’s still guided, but there’s an invitation to explore movement. Not in terms of dance, but more as a movement lab, where you’re exploring different movements,” she says. “It inevitably brings up emotions for individuals. They experience emotions they’ve been avoiding or they’ve been blocked from being able to access.”

Movement is “a way for people to experiment and find where in their

SPECIAL SPIRITUALITY SECTION

body they hold certain emotions and how they can use their body as a map to discover the kaleidoscope of their human emotion. The wide range of human experience can all be explored and felt through the body,” Hendrix says. “It bypasses the reasoning, conceptual mind. In that way, it can be extremely therapeutic.”

Expressive movement adherents stress you can only truly understand their practices through firsthand experience. “It’s like getting in through the back door,” says Hendrix.

“You’re getting in without knowing where you’re going. Then you find yourself in this space of ‘This is exactly what I needed.’”

To learn more about dance church, visit ashevillemovementcollective.org.

AMC will be hosting a live music wave Sunday, Jan. 1, 10 a.m. to noon at Asheville Masonic Temple. Karen Chapman will be hosting a workshop on 5Rhythms Waves in January, see Facebook.com/Asheville5Rhythms for details. Maeve Hendrix will be conducting a four-week Art and Movement Lab called “The Art of Being” on Tuesdays in January; details at maevehendrix.net. X

WELLNESS

The Spirituality Issue

LIKE A ROLLING SOUL

Local spiritual leaders, healers explore connection between past-life recall and health

BY NICKI GLASSER nickiglasser@hotmail.com Board-certified master hypnotist Susan Sawyer uses hypnosis to help people with stress, weight loss and insomnia, but her real passion is doing past-life regression — a technique that uses the deep relaxation and enhanced mental awareness of hypnosis to recover what is said to be past lives. It is perhaps an unlikely passion from a woman who spent 27 years working with victims of rape, domestic violence and child abuse in Iowa, where she saw firsthand the challenges many people face in the here and now of this life.

Although Sawyer uses past-life regression under hypnosis as a way to help improve mental health and overall well-being, she prefers to call it “spiritual hypnosis.” “When people come and work with me, they usually have been thinking of doing [a past-life regression] for quite some time,” she says. “I don’t see people who are on a vacation and want to do it for fun. This is powerful soul work. ... People usually have it in their mind for a while.”

Overcoming a severe phobia is one reason some people choose to explore past lives, she explains.

Drowning phobias are not uncommon, she says, and often a person is deathly afraid of drowning but has never had a near-drowning experience in this life.

“If that person, during a regression, finds that they drowned in a previous life, then they have the opportunity to do a ‘releasement,’” says Sawyer. “A releasement allows the soul to recognize that while [drowning] was a horrifying thing back in that lifetime, it doesn’t need to have an effect in this lifetime. The soul can choose to release the fears that were cramping its style, and then they can go through the rest of their life without that terrible fear of water.”

Just the mention of past lives can elicit eye rolls from many people, but according to a 2009 survey by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, one in four Americans

INFINITE POSSIBILITIES: Hun Lye, founder and spiritual director of Urban Dharma, says, “Buddhists traditionally believe in the notion that we have an infinite number of lifetimes in the past, and if left to the way things are, we’ll also have an infinite number of lifetimes in front of us.” Photo by John Schweitzer

family healing as well as developing a relationship with the natural world. Past-life stories can be useful, especially “as a way for people to talk about experiences they feel that don’t have any easy explanation in this life,” says the Asheville resident, who has studied Mongolian shamanism, West African Ifá/Òrìsà tradition, Native American practices and European paganism.

One of the most powerful things about doing past-life work, according to Sawyer, is that people do not even need to believe in past lives to benefit. They simply need to be open to the possibility of past lives, she says. “I have people all over the map [doing past-life regressions], everyone from a 76-year-old Roman Catholic nun to rabbis to [people from] every religion I am familiar with,” she says.

CONTINUES ON PAGE 26

believe that past lives exist. And even among Christians, by far the largest religious denomination in the U.S., comprising 70 percent of the population, 22 percent believe in reincarnation, compared with 24 percent of non-Christians.

Still. Past life?

Bobby Baranowski, founder of the Asheville Past Life Project, admits that accessing past-life stories can be “out there.” “We start at woo-woo and then it gets weird from there.

Luckily, Asheville is very comfortable woo-woo,” he says, laughing heartily. “It’s a very open-minded community here.”

Baranowski accesses past-life stories with a guided meditation developed by the late William Swygard.

Baranowski learned it in the 1970s and found it to be a surprisingly simple method for accessing past-life memories. When he recently began using it again, he “realized this is something people should know about.” To that end he started a meetup group and is offering to lead people through the process.

Belief in past lives has deep historical, religious and native roots going back thousands of years, as demonstrated by its prevalence in many indigenous cultures, says Daniel Foor. His business, Ancestral Medicine, focuses on ancestral and SPECIAL SPIRITUALITY SECTION MOUNTAINX.COM

DECEMBER 21 - DECEMBER 27, 2016

25

The Spirituality Issue Baranowski agrees. “What I tell people is that [the past-life memory] is either a physical manifestation that you were in a different body at a different time, or if you can’t accept that, then look at it like your consciousness is giving you a metaphor for your situation that you didn’t have,” he says.

Exploring past lives can be a consciousness-expanding experience that can also enhance peace of mind, he adds. “It gives a bigger context for your life. You’ll be stuck in dayto-day stuff and then you realize ‘I’m more than this, I’m bigger than this body, bigger than this life, bigger than this situation,’” he says.

In contrast, Buddhists believe in reincarnation but are not concerned with learning about specific past-life stories, says Hun Lye, founder and spiritual director of Urban Dharma in downtown Asheville. “Buddhists traditionally believe in the notion that we have an infinite number of lifetimes in the past, and if left to the way things are, we’ll also have an infinite number of lifetimes in front of us,” says Lye, who has a doctorate in religious studies and has previously taught at Warren Wilson College.

This cycle of birth and death continues until people are able to release what Lye describes as “confused mental and emotional projections.” He says that “the Buddha taught that the basic existential problem we all face — the experience of suffering, of unsatisfactoriness, of stress, of disease, of unhappiness ... is rooted in a fundamental discrepancy between reality and perception and our failure to recognize this gap.” He explains that people will project onto whatever they “encounter [in life] based on [their] fears, delusions, anxieties, biases, conditioning and habit-patterns” stemming from this gap.

Confused mental and emotional projections that arise from anger, hatred, worry and jealousy not only disrupt peace of mind but are intimately connected with overall health, says Lye: “Tibetan medical understanding, an ancient medical system basically grounded in [the] Buddhist world view, says that all disease, all sickness, all illness arise from these basic confused projections [and] that all maladies come from there.”

One of the ways to be released from suffering related to confused projections is meditation, says Lye. “But meditating [on its own] is insufficient from a Buddhist perspective; you have to complement that with an appreciation of not causing harm and being careful with one’s actions and at the same time practicing openness of heart, or what we call generosity,” he adds.

Rabbi Justin Goldstein of Beth Israel Congregation in Asheville says ancient texts in the mystical wing of Judaism called Kabbalah also ascribe to a belief in reincarnation. The Hebrew word for reincarnation is “gilgulei neshamot,” which means “ the rolling of souls,” as in the soul rolls through time from one body to another body, says Goldstein. The belief “has been a foundational aspect of Jewish mystical theology at least since in the first century,” he says.

The basic idea is that “souls will inhabit a physical body, which are kind of like garments or clothes, and when that body expires, they will inhabit another one,” says Goldstein, who teaches the mystical stream of Jewish thought once a month after Friday night services.

But, he adds, the contemporary Jewish Bible does not address reincarnation. “Most Jews are unaware this exists, and most contemporary Jews probably don’t believe ... the soul will resurrect.”

Sawyer says she’s passionate about past-life regression because it can dramatically improve people’s lives in the here and now. “I’ve just seen people so transformed by having the experience and writing me later saying, ‘Oh my gosh, two weeks after seeing you I had this huge ‘aha!’ moment, and now I am doing something completely different with my life.’ It does transform lives, it really does. I think it touches all parts of life.” X

MORE INFO WHAT Past Life Project Meetup, led by Bobby Baranowski WHEN Jan. 9, 2017, 6:30-8:30 p.m.

WHERE Community room, North Asheville Library, 1030 Merrimon Ave.

SOUL JOURNEY: Rabbi Justin Goldstein of Beth Israel Congregation in Asheville says the Kabbalah, a mystical form of Judaism, describes reincarnation as “the rolling of souls” from one body to the next. Photo by Liam Pohlman Although the ancient mystical texts do not directly tie reincarnation to health, they do suggest that people have an obligation to protect their physical bodies, says Goldstein. The body is like an apartment you rent: “You need to keep it in same or better shape as when you rented it; the body belongs to God and it’s our responsibility to keep it in good form.”

RSVP pastlivesprojectavl@gmail.com or meetup.com/Asheville-Past-LivesProject Daniel Foor, Ancestral Medicine ancestralmedicine.org Susan Sawyer, Clinical Master Hypnotist sawyerhypnosis.com Bobby Baranowski pastlivesproject.org Hun Lye, Urban Dharma udharmanc.com Rabbi Justin Goldstein, Beth Israel Congregation bethisraelnc.org

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B U N C O M B E B E AT

No charges filed in fatal shooting Council maintains ban on ADU homestay rentals DA TODD WILLIAMS REVEALS INVESTIGATION FINDINGS IN DEATH OF JAI ’JERRY’ WILLIAMS No charges will be filed against Asheville Police Department Sgt. Tyler Radford for shooting and killing local man Jai Lateef Solveig “Jerry” Williams. Buncombe County District Attorney Todd Williams says an investigation by the State Bureau of Investigation has revealed that Radford acted lawfully and justifiably in self-defense.

Williams announced the decision in a press conference Dec. 15. Earlier in the day, he met with Jerry Williams’ family to explain his conclusions.

The DA summarized the testimony of witnesses along with other evidence. According to statements given by two adult female passengers, he said, Jerry Williams drove to Pisgah View Apartments on July 2 to retrieve a cellphone from another person.

During a dispute over the cellphone, Jerry Williams fired shots into the air with a rifle.

Radford responded to a 911 call for service from residents reporting the gunfire. Radford followed Williams’ white sedan on a high-speed chase to Deaverview Apartments, where Williams stopped the car.

According to the accounts of the two women in the car, the front-seat passenger struggled with Williams while the back-seat passenger removed a child from a car seat and exited the car with the child through the rear passenger door.

Breaking free of the front-seat passenger’s grasp, Williams stepped out of the car, opened the rear door and withdrew the rifle, the passenger told SBI investigators. Radford then fired the nine shots that fatally wounded Williams.

A third witness, a bystander, said she saw Williams exit the car and pull a rifle from the back seat just before he was shot by Radford.

According to the DA, all three witnesses testified in separate interviews that Williams’ intention seemed to be to shoot at the police officer.

Although Radford has been cleared of any legal wrongdoing by the DA, APD Chief Tammy Hooper says the officer will remain on leave

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PHOTO EVIDENCE: Buncombe County District Attorney Todd Williams points out “substance consistent with blood” on the stock of the rifle recovered where Jai Lateef Solveig “Jerry” Williams was mortally shot. Photo by Able Allen until the department finishes its internal administrative investigation, which is slated to be finished by year’s end.

More info: avl.mx/38u

— Able Allen RENTAL HOUSING SHORTAGE EASES Third-quarter data released by two real estate research firms show an improving environment for Asheville metro area renters. After a late 2014 report showed a rental vacancy rate of less than 1 percent in Asheville and Buncombe County, local officials and renters have frequently described the area’s shortage of affordable housing as a crisis. Any easing of the rental market is likely to be received as welcome news — except perhaps by landlords.

In 2016, rent-price inflation slowed, and rental vacancy rates increased, according to Reis, a New York-based company, and Axiometrics Inc., of Dallas.

Asking monthly rental-rate increases dipped to 0.5 percent during this year’s third quarter from 2 percent during the second quarter, according to a Reis report on the Asheville metro area.

The median asking rent in Buncombe, Haywood, Henderson and Madison counties rose to $1,044 in the third quarter over $1,016 in the previous quarter, Reis researchers wrote.

MOUNTAINX.COM

Reis surveyed all units — from studio to multibedroom apartments — in 58 multifamily developments to determine its figures.

Using a different methodology, Axiometrics researchers also found rent inflation dropped in this year’s third quarter from the previous quarter.

The effective monthly rent increase fell to 3 percent from 3.1 percent between the two quarters.

Effective rental rates include any discounts or concessions landlords provide tenants. Asking rental rates do not.

The metro’s average effective monthly rent climbed to $1,097 during the third quarter over $1,080 in the second quarter.

Axiometrics does not provide a median figure. Its conclusions are based on a survey of 26 multifamily developments in the metro area.

The rental rates reported by both firms fall within the range that the January 2015 Bowen report found during its late 2014 examination of rental properties in Buncombe, Henderson, Madison and Transylvania counties. Median rents for market-rate apartments ranged from $832 to $3,300 and $583 to $1,187 for tax-credit units, according to researchers from Bowen National Research, an Ohiobased real estate market consulting firm.

Asheville officials paid Bowen $29,750 for that report.

The Bowen assessment also concluded that a less than 1 percent rent-

al-unit vacancy rate existed in those four counties.

Bowen researchers determined that Asheville’s rental vacancy rate and Buncombe County’s rental vacancy rate also were below 1 percent.

But the Reis data for 2016 show a 6.8 percent vacancy rate during the second and third quarters and 7 percent for all of this year’s quarters.

Vacancy rates were lower during this year’s first three quarters, according to Axiometrics. The rate dropped to 4.1 percent in the third quarter from 4.5 percent in the second. It stood at 4.8 percent during the first. The company’s report did not provide a percentage for 2016’s first three quarters combined.

Asheville officials plan to release an updated report from Bowen, focused exclusively on the rental landscape in Asheville and Buncombe County, before the year’s end, said Jeff Staudinger, the city’s assistant director of community and economic development. The city paid the company $4,500 for that work, Staudinger said.

More info: avl.mx/38t

— Mike Cronin COUNCIL CONTINUES ADU HOMESTAY BAN In its final meeting of the year, Asheville City Council heard the recommendations of a task force on the possible use of accessory units as homestay short-term rentals. The city’s homestay program, which was expanded just over a year ago, allows residents to host paying visitors in no more than two bedrooms in their homes. Renting out a separate unit, such as a basement or garage apartment, isn’t permitted for stays shorter than one month.

The 12-member task force presented two recommendations: one in support of maintaining the city’s existing ban on using accessory dwelling units, or ADUs, as homestays and the other advocating for an 18-month pilot program to allow a limited number of homestay permits in ADUs. As in previous Council discussions on the issue, many of those who commented before Council said renting out separate living units to visitors would contribute to the city’s shortage of affordable housing.

Others pointed out that rental housing vacancy rates have recently risen to around 6 percent from the 1 percent reported at the end of 2014. Those who advocate ending the ban on ADU homestays said the proposed pilot program would carry little risk and would provide valuable data for future planning and policymaking.

Concerns about the task force process and voting got a hearing. In the end, Council voted 4-3 to maintain the existing ban on ADUs as homestay rentals, with Council members Cecil Bothwell, Brian Haynes and Keith Young opposed. More info: avl.mx/38v — Virginia Daffron CITY ACKNOWLEDGES LACK OF NOTICE FOR TASK FORCE MEETINGS Shortly before the Council meeting began on Dec. 13, the city acknowledged that it had not provided public notice of meeting dates, times and locations for its ADU task force.

State law requires that all advisory committees appointed by municipal governments follow open meeting rules, which include making meetings open to the public, providing notice of the meetings and recording meeting minutes,

according to Amanda Martin, attorney for the North Carolina Press Association.

In response to a Dec. 8 public records request by Mountain Xpress, the city acknowledged that it had not provided public notice of meeting dates, times and locations for the ADU task force: “At the time the task force was created, staff did not consider official public notice to be required under the open meetings law. Upon review, notice may have been advisable, and in the future, processes will be put in place to ensure that all official meetings of public bodies are properly noticed. Please be aware that all of the task force meetings were open to the public, and information as to the dates and times was available,” Ben Farmer, a city staffer, wrote in an email.

At the Dec. 13 Council meeting, Mayor Esther Manheimer said the city will continue to use citizen task forces to consider complicated issues.

Given the mayor’s statement that the city will continue to appoint special citizen advisory committees, the city’s acknowledgment that such bodies may need to conform to all provisions of open meeting requirements, including public notice, takes on added significance. More info: avl.mx/38w

— Virginia Daffron X

MOUNTAINX.COM

DECEMBER 21 - DECEMBER 27, 2016

29

COMMUNITY CALENDAR DECEMBER 21 - 29, 2016

CALENDAR GUIDELINES In order to qualify for a free listing, an event must benefit or be sponsored by a nonprofit or noncommercial community group. In the spirit of Xpress’ commitment to support the work of grassroots community organizations, we will also list events our staff consider to be of value or interest to the public, including local theater performances and art exhibits even if hosted by a for-profit group or business.

All events must cost no more than $40 to attend in order to qualify for free listings, with the one exception of events that benefit nonprofits.

Commercial endeavors and promotional events do not qualify for free listings.

Free listings will be edited by Xpress staff to conform to our style guidelines and length. Free listings appear in the publication covering the date range in which the event occurs.

Events may be submitted via email to calendar@ mountainx.com or through our online submission form at mountainx.com/calendar. The deadline for free listings is the Wednesday one week prior to publication at 5 p.m.

For a full list of community calendar guidelines, please visit mountainx.com/calendar. For questions about free listings, call 251-1333, ext. 137. For questions about paid calendar listings, please call 251-1333, ext. 320.

=❄ ANIMALS BROTHER WOLF ANIMAL RESCUE 505-3440, bwar.org • WE (12/28), 6pm - Pet adoption event.

Free to attend. Held at Sanctuary Brewing Company, 147 1st Ave., Hendersonville FIRESTORM CAFE AND BOOKS 610 Haywood Road, 255-8115 • Fourth FRIDAYS, 6pm - Animal rights reading group. Free to attend.

BENEFITS ASHEVILLE BROWNS BACKERS CLUB 658-4149, ashevillebbw@gmail.com • SUNDAYS, 1pm - Proceeds raised at this weekly social group supporting the Cleveland Browns benefit local charities.

Free to attend. Held at The Social, 1078 Tunnel Road

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DECEMBER 21 - DECEMBER 27, 2016

WINTER LIGHTS WONDERLAND: You have until New Year’s evening to experience Asheville’s brightest holiday tradition — Winter Lights at the North Carolina Arboretum. Open nightly through Sunday, Jan. 1, from 6-10 p.m., Winter Lights is an outdoor holiday light exhibit placed throughout the arboretum’s gardens. Walk through the Winter Lights wonderland and enjoy unique displays and landscapes composed of nearly 500,000 energy-efficient LED lights. Participants can grab a cup of cocoa and a s’mores kit from the café to enjoy at fire pits that are placed throughout the exhibit. Proceeds from the event benefit the N.C. Arboretum. All tickets are date-specific and must be purchased in advance. For more information, visit ncarboretum.org.

Photo by Pat Barcas (p. 38)

❄ DECK THE TREES

❄ MARSHALL PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

libbafairleigh@gmail.com, facebook.com/ montevistahotel • Through SU (12/25), 10am-9pm - Proceeds from donations at this exhibition of unique hand-decorated Christmas trees benefit the Swananoa Valley Christian Ministry Fuel Fund. Free to attend. Held at Monte Vista Hotel, 308 W. State St., Black Mountain

167 Main St., Marshall • TH (12/22), 7pm - Proceeds from this Christmas concert with Steve Davidowski, Mary Eagle, Darius Hill, Rodney Sutton, Players from Madison High and Don Petty benefit Madison County Neighbors in Need. Free to attend.

BUSINESS & TECHNOLOGY

BRAZILIAN JIU JITSU GIVES BACK facebook.com/events/716885158480062/ • WE (12/21) & FR (12/23), 6:30pm Proceeds from donations at this jiu jitsu seminar featuring Kelly Crossface Anundson benefit Children First of Buncombe County. Admission by donation. Held at Fighter Within Mixed Martial Arts 127 Four Seasons Mall, Hendersonville

❄ MAKE A WISH BENEFIT • TH (12/22), 7:30pm - Proceeds from this all ages concert featuring The Dirty Soul Revival, White Soul, Lou Noggins, The Company Stores and White Dog benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation. $12. Held at Orange Peel, 101 Biltmore Ave.

MOUNTAINX.COM

G&W INVESTMENT CLUB klcount@aol.com • 3rd WEDNESDAYS, 11:45am - General meeting. Free to attend. Held at Black Forest Restaurant, 2155 Hendersonville Road, Arden

CLASSES, MEETINGS & EVENTS AERIAL ARTS, DANCE & FLEXIBILITY CLASSES AT EMPYREAN ARTS (PD.) • Beginning Aerial Arts drop-in classes happen weekly every Sunday at 4:15pm, Monday at 5:15pm, Tuesday at 11:00am, Wednesday at 4:15pm, and Thursday at 5:00pm • Flexibility drop in classes hap-

pen weekly every Tuesday at 8:00pm and Thursdays at 1:00pm • Liquid Motion Dance class happens every Wednesday at 8:00pm • SIGN UP AT EMPYREANARTS. ORG OR CALL/TEXT AT 828.782.3321.

POLE DANCE & FITNESS CLASSES AT EMPYREAN ARTS (PD.) • Beginning Pole drop-in classes happen weekly every Sunday at 5:45pm, Wednesdays at 5:30pm, Thursdays at 11:00am, and Saturdays at 11:45am • SIGN UP AT EMPYREANARTS.ORG OR CALL/ TEXT 828.782.3321.

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

BUNCOMBE COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARIES buncombecounty.org/governing/depts/ library • 4th TUESDAYS (7/26), 7-9pm - "Advance Care Planning Workshop," sponsored by the Mountain Coalition for Healthcare Decisions. Free. Held at West Asheville Library, 942 Haywood Road • 4th TUESDAYS, 6-8pm - "Sit-n-Stitch," informal, self-guided gathering for knitters and crocheters. Held at North Asheville Library, 1030 Merrimon Ave.

Scoreboard

As of Monday, Dec.19

261 Donations $45,005 raised SO FAR!

Here’s what Give!Local nonprofits have raised at presstime. Giving continues until Dec. 31.

ARTS ANAM CARA THEATRE

$195

COMMUNITY ASHEVILLE COMMUNITY YOGA

APPALACHIAN BARN ALLIANCE

$75

$250

THE MAGNETIC THEATRE

$200

ASHEVILLE MUSIC PROFESSIONALS

ASHEVILLE GREENWORKS

$575 BOUNTY & SOUL

$140

$500

ASHEVILLE MUSIC SCHOOL

THE COMMUNITY TABLE

$172

LEAF COMMUNITY ARTS

$105

$325 THE COUNCIL ON AGING OF BUNCOMBE COUNTY

BENEFITS BRAZILIAN JIU JITSU GIVES BACK facebook.com/ events/716885158480062/ • WE (12/21) & FR (12/23), 6:30pm - Proceeds from donations at this jiu jitsu seminar featuring Kelly Crossface Anundson benefit Children First of Buncombe County.

Admission by donation. Held at FighterWithin Mixed Martial Arts 127 Four Seasons Mall, Hendersonville

THE LORD’S ACRE

$2,958

LOVING FOOD RESOURCES

$380

MEMORYCARE

$1,505 $2,635

OUR VOICE

$975

PROVISION ASHEVILLE

SPECIAL OLYMPICS OF BUNCOMBE COUNTY

$330

YOUTH

THE ANIMAL RESCUE OF WNC

$340

$23

AUDITIONS & CALL TO ARTISTS

ECOFORESTERS

$760

$431

CHILDREN FIRST

FRIENDS OF THE SMOKIES

$790

HUMANE SOCIETY

ELIADA

$675

MY DADDY TAUGHT ME THAT mydaddytaughtmethat.org • MONDAYS & WEDNESDAYS,

KIDS ATTIC SALT THEATRE COMPANY 505-2926 • SATURDAYS through (12/31)

MUDDY SNEAKERS

ASHEVILLE JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER

$5,155

FRIENDS OF THE WNC NATURE CENTER

$496

SCHOOL

$130

$620

HEART OF HORSE SENSE

$215

PROJECT CHALLENGE NORTH CAROLINA INC.

$65

WILD FOR LIFE

SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN HIGHLANDS CONSERVANCY

$5,825

SLEEP TIGHT KIDS

WNC GREEN

$330

$5,585

$409 ORGANIC GROWERS

MY DADDY TAUGHT ME THAT

BUILDING COUNCIL

BOB MOOG FOUNDATION

$100

GIRLS ROCK ASHEVILLE

WILD SOUTH

$355

$2,425

$495

BRAZILIAN JIUJITSU GIVES BACK: Don’t be fooled by the name — FighterWithin Mixed Martial Arts wants to give back. The Hendersonville martial arts studio is hosting a jiujitsu seminar on Wednesday, Dec. 21, and Friday, Dec. 23, featuring American light heavyweight mixed martial artist Kelly “Crossface” Anundson. The event is open to the public, and admission is by donation of cash, food, toys clothes, gas cards or services for the Give!Local nonprofit, Children First of Buncombe County. For more information, visit facebook. com/events/716885158480062/.

Want to help but can’t make it to the event? You can easily donate online to Children First of Buncombe County at givelocalguide. org. Photo of Kelly “Crossface” Anundson courtesy of FighterWithin Mixed Martial Arts

- Family theater performances. $5. Held at The Magnetic Theatre, 375 Depot St.

VOLUNTEERING

255-9282, admin@lovingfood.org • SA (11/26) through SA (12/31) - Volunteer with Loving Food Resources. Registration: ngavin@lovingfood.org or 443655-3074.

MOUNTAINTRUE

SUPPORT GROUPS

$840

$1,580

ANIMAL RESCUE

$390

MOUNTAINTRUE

FEAST

CHARLIE’S ANGELS

LOVING FOOD RESOURCES ANAM CARA THEATRE 545-3861, anamcaratheatre.com • Through FR (12/30) Submissions accepted for play proposals for the 2017-2018 season. Visit the website for full guidelines.

$307

$865

Go to Givelocalguide.org for updates and to make your contribution!

6-8pm - Men's discussion group. Free. Held in 16-A Pisgah Apartment, Asheville

ENVIRONMENT

ASHEVILLE MUSEUM OF SCIENCE

ASHEVILLE

MOUNTAIN BIZWORKS

HELIOS WARRIORS

$244

$975

$2,530

$375

$275

SOUTHERN HIGHLAND CRAFT GUILD

HOMEWARD BOUND

$145

ORISON BOOKS

POP PROJECT

ANIMALS

258-8737, wnca.org • TH (12/22), 10am-4pm - Volunteer to help plant live-stakes along eroding riverbanks. Registration: mountaintrue.org/eventscalendar/

MOUNTAINX.COM

DECEMBER 21 - DECEMBER 27, 2016

31

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

MOUNTAIN XPRESS PRESENTS:

2016

Wellness Issues

By Kat McReynolds | kmcreynolds@mountainx.com

The Dirty Soul Revival headlines Make-A-Wish benefit

ART PROJECTS: The Dirty Soul Revival is headlining an upcoming benefit for Make-A-Wish and expects to have the band’s new album available for purchase at the show. Photo courtesy of the band

Coming Soon!

Jan. 27th & Feb. 3rd

Contact us today!

828-251-1333

advertise@mountainx.com 32

DECEMBER 21 - DECEMBER 27, 2016

WHAT: The 15th annual Make-AWish Christmas Party benefit concert WHERE: The Orange Peel WHEN: Thursday, Dec. 22, at 7:30 p.m.

WHY: For many musicians, taking the stage at a renowned concert venue can represent a dream realized. But a roster of local performers will go beyond self fulfillment at the 15th annual Make-A-Wish Christmas Party Benefit Concert. Proceeds from the event go to Make-A-Wish, a nonprofit that sends children with lifethreatening illnesses on their chosen adventure of a lifetime.

“The entire venue will have Christmas decorations,” says Jason

MOUNTAINX.COM

Taylor, who is co-organizing the event with Mike Brinkley of Wicked Quick Promotions. Meanwhile, a silent auction will offer eclectic items like bar stools and a neon clock from motor oil brands Shell, Pennzoil and Quaker State (Brinkley is employed by their distributor), a gift bag from Highland Brewing Co., Painting with a Twist gift certificates and a two-night stay at Crowne Plaza Resort.

The main attraction, however, is the live music lineup, which includes sets by White Soul, The Log Noggins, The Company Stores, Up Dog, Colby Deitz, Andalyn and Rachel Alleman.

For the headlining slot, Taylor’s band

The Dirty Soul Revival will summon a sound he describes as “funky, gritty, Southern rock rooted in the dirty blues,” and Andrew Scotchie will join as a guest musician.

“We just finished our brand-new record [Welcome to the Black] in Kentucky with the Kentucky Headhunters’ producer and guitar player Richard Young,” Taylor says. “We’re trying to get it all zipped up and ready to throw out at this event.”

For more information or tickets ($12), visit theorangepeel.net.

Advanced tickets are also available at Guitar Center and Music City Asheville. X

Save with our Holiday Specials!

C OMMU N IT Y CA L E N D AR MARINE CORPS LEAGUE ASHEVILLE 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., 255-5166, ontrackwnc.org • WE (12/28), noon - "Understanding Credit. Get it. Keep it. Improve it." Seminar.

Registration required. Free.

TRANZMISSION PRISON PROJECT tranzmissionprisonproject.yolasite.com • Fourth THURSDAYS, 6pm - Tranzmission Prison Project. Free to attend. Held at Firestorm Cafe and Books, 610 Haywood Road

DANCE POLE FITNESS AND DANCE CLASSES AT DANCECLUB ASHEVILLE (PD.) • Pole Dance, Burlesque, Jazz/Funk, Hip Hop, Flashmobs! Drop in for a class or sign up for a series: • 4 Week Beginner Jazz/Funk to Bruno Mars - Begins Jan. 3 • 6 Week Intro to Pole - Begins Jan. 10 • Tues. and Thurs. at 12PM - Pole class for $10 • 21 classes offered every week!

• Memberships available for $108/month DanceclubAsheville.com 828-275-8628 Right down the street from UNCA - 9 Old Burnsville Hill Rd., #3

• Beer Special - Equipment, Ingredients, Bottles,

POLK COUNTY FRIENDS OF AGRICULTURE BREAKFAST polkcountyfarms.org • 3rd WEDNESDAYS, 7-8am - Monthly breakfast with presentations regarding agriculture. Admission by donation. Held at the 4-H Center, Locust St, Columbus

FOOD & BEER

SHOWING UP FOR RACIAL JUSTICE showingupforracialjustice.org • TUESDAYS, 10am-noon - Educating and organizing white people for racial justice.

Free to attend. Held at Firestorm Cafe and Books, 610 Haywood Road

Ho Ho Homebrew!

FARM & GARDEN

DOWNTOWN WELCOME TABLE haywoodstreet.org/2010/07/ the-welcome-table/ • SUNDAYS, 4:30pm - Community meal. Free. Held at Haywood Street Congregation, 297 Haywood St.

and Sanitizer - only $115.25

• Wine Special - Equipment, Bottles, and Sanitizer The area’s largest selection of ingredients and equipment for making beer, wine, cider and mead.

- only $144.50 plus take 15% off wine kit of choice!

No further discounts. In store purchases only. Deal good through December 24, 2016

ASHEVILLE BREWERS SUPPLY 712-B Merrimon Ave • Asheville • (828) 285-0515 Mon-Sat 10-6 and Sun 11-4 • Free Classes! www.AshevilleBrewers.com • Family Owned • Living Wage Certified

FAIRVIEW WELCOME TABLE fairviewwelcometable.com • THURSDAYS, 11:30am-1pm - Community lunch. Admission by donation. Held at Fairview Christian Fellowship, 596 Old Us Highway 74 Fairview FOOD NOT BOMBS HENDERSONVILLE foodnotbombshendersonville@gmail.com • SUNDAYS, 4pm - Community meal. Free.

Held at Black Bear Coffee Co., Rosdon Mall, 318 N Main St., #5, Hendersonville

Six Month Accredited Certificate Program Next Class March 8, 2017

• COMTA & NC Approved • Federal Financial Aid • Scholarships Available

• 2 1/2 Days Per Week • Weekly Self-Care Immersions • Enhanced Clinic Experience

CenterForMassage.com | 828-658-0814 | At the corner of Biltmore & Eagle

STUDIO ZAHIYA, DOWNTOWN DANCE CLASSES (PD.) • Monday 5pm Ballet Wkt 6pm Hip Hop Wkt 7pm Hip Hop Fusion 8pm Tap • Tuesday 9am Hip Hop Wkt 4:30pm Teen Bellydance 6pm Intro to Bellydance 7pm Bellydance 2 8pm Bellydance 3 8pm Hip Hop Choreography •Wednesday 9am Hip Hop Wkt 5:30pm Hip Hop Wkt 6:30pm Bhangra 7:30pm POUND Wkt 8pm • Thursday 9am Hip Hop Wrkt 4pm Girls Hip Hop 5pm Teen Hip Hop 7pm West African • Saturday 9:30am Hip Hop Wkt 10:45 Electronic Yoga Wkt • Sunday 3pm Tap 2 6:30pm Vixen • $13 for 60 minute classes, Wkt $5. 90 1/2 N. Lexington Avenue. www.studiozahiya.com :: 828.242.7595

ECO ASHEVILLE GREEN DRINKS ashevillegreendrinks.com • 3rd WEDNESDAYS, 7pm - Ecopresentations, discussions and community connection. Free. Held at Lenoir Rhyne Center for Graduate Studies, 36 Montford Ave.

MOUNTAINX.COM

DECEMBER 21 - DECEMBER 27, 2016

33

C OMMU N IT Y CA L E N D AR

by Abigail Griffin

LEICESTER COMMUNITY CENTER 2979 New Leicester Highway, Leicester, 774-3000, facebook.com/Leicester.Community.Center • WEDNESDAYS, 11:30am-1pm - Welcome Table meal. Free.

MONTMORENCI UNITED METHODIST CHURCH 89 Old Candler Town Road, Candler, 6671211 • MONDAYS 6-7:30pm & THURSDAYS noon-2pm - Community meal. Free.

SANCTUARY BREWING COMPANY 147 1st Ave., Hendersonville, 595-9956, sanctuarybrewco.com/ • SUNDAYS, 1pm - Community meal. Free.

FESTIVALS

❄ LAKE JULIAN FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS 684-0376, david.blynt@buncombecounty.org • Through FR (12/23), 6-8pm - Drive through holiday light show featuring animated and stationary light displays.

Twenty percent of ticket sales benefit the Buncombe County Special Olympics. $5 per car/$10 per van/$25 per motor coach.

Held at Lake Julian Park, 406 Overlook Road, Ext. Arden

❄ N.C. ARBORETUM WINTER LIGHTS 665-2492, ncwinterlights.com • FR (11/18) through SU (1/1), 6-10pm "Winter Lights," outdoor holiday lights exhibition. $18/$16 children under 12/Free children under 4. Held at N.C. Arboretum, 100 Frederick Law Olmsted Way

34

DECEMBER 21 - DECEMBER 27, 2016

KIDS

ornaments from animal tracks. Registration required. Free.

URBAN DHARMA udharmanc.com • Last SUNDAYS, 10am - "Meditation for the Young," children's meditation program in conjunction with Jubilee! Community Church. Free.

MALAPROP'S BOOKSTORE AND CAFE

❄ ASHEVILLE ART MUSEUM

640 Merrimon Ave., #204, 708-7570, spellboundchildrensbookshop.com • SATURDAYS, 11am - Storytime for ages 3-7.

Free to attend.

2 N. Pack Square, 253-3227 • TU (12/27) through TH (12/29), 1-4pm "Annual Holiday Arts Extravaganza Holiday Art Camp," for students in grades 1–4.

Registration required. $20 per day/$18 per day for members.

ATTIC SALT THEATRE COMPANY 505-2926 • SATURDAYS through (12/31) - Family theater performances. $5. Held at The Magnetic Theatre, 375 Depot St. BUNCOMBE COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARIES buncombecounty.org/governing/depts/ library • WE (12/21), 3:30pm - Pack Makers & Shakers Club: Make pottery with the Dry Ridge School of Art. Participants will be glazing ceramic bowls to be donated to Manna Food Bank. For ages 5 and up.

Free. Held at Pack Memorial Library, 67 Haywood St. • 4th TUESDAYS, 1pm - Homeschoolers' book club. Held at North Asheville Library, 1030 Merrimon Ave. FLETCHER LIBRARY 120 Library Road, Fletcher, 687-1218, library.hendersoncountync.org • WEDNESDAYS, 10:30am - Family story time. Free.

❄ LAKE JAMES STATE PARK 6883 N.C. Highway 126 Nebo, 584-7728 • WE (12/21), 10am - "Animal Track Ornaments," ranger-led activity to create

MOUNTAINX.COM

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

SPELLBOUND CHILDREN'S BOOKSHOP

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

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

METAPHYSICAL COUNSELING AND ENERGY HEALING (PD.) • New to Asheville. 33 yrs. experience.

Pechet Healing Technique: experience intuitive counseling + have one core issue cleared for good every session!

Trauma, depression, anxiety + more.

Call today! Ellie Pechet, M.Ed. 508-237-4929 www.phoenixrisinghealing.com

OPEN HEART MEDITATION (PD.) • Come experience a relaxing, guided meditation connecting you to the peace and joy of the Divine within you. 7-8pm Tuesday. Suite 212, 70 Woodfin Place. Suggested $5 donation.

SHAMBHALA MEDITATION CENTER (PD.) • Wednesdays, 10-midnight, Thursdays, 7-8:30pm and Sundays, 10-noon • Meditation and community. Admission by donation. 60 N. Merrimon Ave., #113, (828) 200-5120. asheville.shambhala.org

❄ ASBURY MEMORIAL UMC 171 Beaverdam Road, 253-0765 • SA (12/24), 5pm - Christmas Eve candlelight service. Free.

CENTER FOR ART & SPIRIT AT ST. GEORGE 1 School Road, 258-0211 • Last Tuesdays, 7-9pm - Aramaic, Hebrew and Egyptian vocal toning, breath work and meditation. Admission by donation.

❄ CHRIST COMMUNITY CHURCH Graham Chapel inside Gaither Hall, Montreat College • SA (12/24), 5pm & 7pm - Christmas Eve Candlelight Service. Free. ❄ LAND OF THE SKY UCC 123 Kenilworth Road, 279-0467, landoftheskychurch.org • WE (12/21), 6:30pm - "The Blue Christmas Service," religious service focused on sadness in the holiday season. Free.

• SA (12/24), 5pm & 7:30pm - Christmas Eve service. Free.

A new pole dance, burlesque, & jazz studio for adults!

SPOKEN & WRITTEN WORD

Give the gift of DANCE with Danceclub gift certificates

MALAPROP'S BOOKSTORE AND CAFE 55 Haywood St., 254-6734, malaprops.com • TH (12/29), 7pm - Works in Translation Book Club: To Each His Own by Leonardo Sciascia and translation by Adrienne Foulke.Free to attend.

• 4 Week Beginner Jazz/Funk Starts Tuesday, January 3

• Intro to Pole Series!

Starts Tuesday, January 10

(828) 275-8628

NORTH CAROLINA WRITERS' NETWORK ncwriters.org • Through MO (1/30) - Submissions accepted for the 2017 Thomas Wolfe Fiction Prize. See website for full guidelines.

DanceclubAsheville.com

Right down the street from UNCA 9 Old Burnsville Hill Rd., Suite 3

VOLUNTEERING TUTOR ADULTS IN NEED WITH THE LITERACY COUNCIL (PD.) • Literacy and English language skills help people rise out of poverty and support their families. Volunteer and give someone a second chance to learn. Sign up for volunteer orientation on 1/4 (5:30 pm) or 1/5 (9:00 am) by emailing volunteers@litcouncil.com. www.litcouncil.com

❄ CARE PARTNERS FOUNDATION 277-4815, carepartnersfoundation.org • Through SA (11/24) - Volunteers needed to wrap gifts in exchange for a donation to CarePartners Hospice.

Registration: carepartnersfoundation.org/ event/ or 989-5067. Held at Asheville Outlets, 800 Brevard Road HANDS ON ASHEVILLE-BUNCOMBE 2-1-1, handsonasheville.org • TH (12/22), 11am-12:30pm - Volunteer to serve a homemade lunch to the men staying at the ABCCM Veteran's Restoration Quarters. Registration required.

LOVING FOOD RESOURCES 255-9282, admin@lovingfood.org • Through SA (12/31) - Volunteer with Loving Food Resources. Registration: ngavin@lovingfood.org or 443-655-3074.

MOUNTAINTRUE 258-8737, wnca.org • TH (12/22), 10am-4pm - Volunteer to help plant live-stakes along eroding riverbanks. Registration: mountaintrue.org/ eventscalendar/

❄ N.C. ARBORETUM WINTER LIGHTS 665-2492, ncwinterlights.com • Through SU (1/1) - Volunteer to help with the Winter Lights exhibition. ​ Individuals, couples and groups are welcome! Must be 18 or over. Registration and training required. Held at N.C. Arboretum, 100 Frederick Law Olmsted Way For more volunteering opportunities visit mountainx.com

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DECEMBER 21 - DECEMBER 27, 2016

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NEWS OF THE WEIRD Radical dentistry was on display in November in London’s Science Gallery, where installations offered “art-science collaborations”— including Taiwan artist KuangYi Ku’s “Fellatio Modification Project.” Former dentist Ku, complaining that textbooks on mouths tragically under-regard their value in sex, created (the ordinary way) a custom retainer for the client’s mouth but then added rubber “bumps” and “cones” and “ribs” and “ripples” that might be pleasing to a partner.

Suspicions confirmed Evolution, according to scientists, likely explains why some “prey” develop defense mechanisms to avoid “predators,” i.e., the prey who fail to develop them are unable to procreate (because they’re dead), but a team of scientists from Sweden and Australia recently concluded that something similar happens in a species of fish in which males mate basically by huge-appendaged rape.

Growing nine generations of the species in the lab, the researchers concluded that the females who can avoid the “rapist” evolve larger brains than those who fall victim.

(Researchers, loosely speaking, thus concluded that as males grow bigger penises, females grow bigger brains to outsmart them.)

Recurring themes Whistleblower goes to jail; responsible industry executives make millions. Long-time Mississippi environmental activist Tennie White is 27 months into a 40-month sentence (for “falsifying” three $150 tests in her laboratory), but high-ranking executives at the Kerr-McGee chemical conglomerate made millions on the case White helped expose: leakage of cancer-causing creosote into communities, including White’s Columbus, Miss. neighborhood. A detailed investigation by TheIntercept.com in November noted the executives’ brilliant response to the 25,000 creosote lawsuits nationwide: put all the liability into one outlying company (eventually going bankrupt) but selling off, highly profitably, the rest of the firm.

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DECEMBER 21 - DECEMBER 27, 2016

by Chuck Shepherd

Compelling explanations Texas is among the most enthusiastic states for jailing low-income arrestees who cannot pay a money bail, especially during devastating family hardships, and the four Houston bail magistrates are particularly harsh, according to a recent report of the Texas Organizing Project. After hearing one financially overwhelmed woman beg sarcastically that $1,000 bail is “nothing” next to her other bills, unsympathetic magistrate Joe Licata shrugged, “It’s nothing to me, either. It’s job security.”

Pervert — or not (1) When police in Port Orange, Fla., arrested Anthony Coiro, 76, in November, he admitted that he had a stash of “crazy” pornography, some featuring children. However, he adamantly insisted, “I’m not a pedophile. I’m just a pervert,” adding, “a law-abiding pervert.” He faces 52 counts. (2) In November in Osaka, Japan, an unnamed arrestee apparently had his sexual molestation charge (against a woman on a crowded train) dramatically downgraded. “Actually,” the man indignantly told the judge, he is not a pervert — but just a pickpocket (a lesser crime). The victim had testified that the man had brushed against her for “3 seconds” and not the “30” she originally told police.

Weird quantities recently in the news (1) Price tag for one round of a 155mm projectile shot from the Navy’s USS Zumwalt: $800,000. (2) Trees killed in California by the now5-year-old drought: 102,000,000.

(3) Recent finding of “water” farthest from the Earth’s surface: 621 miles down (one-third of the way to the Earth’s “core”). (4) Odds that Statistics Lecturer Nicholas Kapoor (Fairfield University, Fairfield, Conn.) said he played against in buying a $15 Powerball ticket: 1 in 913,129 (but he won $100,000!).

MOUNTAINX.COM

(5) Speed police calculated Hector Faire, 19, reaching in an Oklahoma police chase: 208 mph (but they got him, anyway). (6) Different languages spoken by children in Buffalo, N.Y., public classrooms: 85.

Hardly need a breathalyzer (1) Michelle Keys, 35, among those joyously caught up in Iowa’s upset win over highly ranked Michigan in football in November and celebrating that night in Iowa City, was slurring and incoherent and told police she was certain she was standing in Ames, Iowa (120 miles away), and had just watched the “Iowa State - Arizona” game (a matchup not played since 1968). (She registered .225) (2) A 38-year-old woman was arrested in Springwood, Australia, in November when police stopped her car at 3 a.m. at an intersection — with a children’s swing set wedged onto the roof of her SUV. (She had shortly before mistakenly driven through someone’s back yard and through the swing set.) (.188.)

Perspective “Sexually-based offenses,” a TV show intones, are “particularly heinous,” but to the small Delaware liberal arts Wesley College (according to the U.S. Department of Education) even an accusation of sexual misconduct is so heinous that there was no need even to interview the alleged wrongdoer before expelling him. (An informal meeting did occur, but only after the investigation was completed.) The expulsion occurred even though the victim herself had not originally accused that particular student. The expelled student’s offense was to have helped set up video for a consensual sex encounter that was (without consent) live-streamed. (The Department of Education accepted a settlement in which Wesley agreed to revamp its code of student rights.)

Recent Alarming Headlines • “Man Mixing LSD and Cough Syrup Saves Dog From Imaginary Fire” (WNYT-TV, Albany, N.Y.),

10-15-2016). (Panicked, he had first sought help from neighbors — who were unpersuaded by the sight of a fireless fire.)

• “Santa Claus Speaks Out Against North Pole Ban of Marijuana Sales” (KTUU-TV, Anchorage) (Cannabis is legal in Alaska unless towns ban it, and the legally-named Mr. Claus needs it for cancer pain.)

• “Dog On Loose Causes Sheep To Have Sex With Their Sisters in Walton On The Hill” (The wild dog has wrecked a planned mating program, leaving female sheep to canoodle with each other) (Surrey Mirror, Redhill, England, 9-22- 2016)

Least competent artists • Apparently the plan by a 33-year-old unlicensed, un-car-registered driver in Perth, Australia, in November to keep from being stopped by police was to print “POLICE” in large, “official”-looking letters on the sides of her white Hyundai, using a blue dry-erase board marker. (She was, of course, quickly stopped by police.)

• A woman in a quiet north Minneapolis neighborhood told reporters she became fearful after seeing a large swastika spraypainted on a garage door down a nearby alley (just after election day!). (Problem: The base “X” of the correct design has “hooks” that should always extend to the right, clockwise; three of the Minneapolis “artist’s” awkwardly hook left.)

The passing parade (1) In November, a court in Christchurch, New Zealand, ordered the local police to “undo” the 493 bottles’ worth of liquor they had recently poured down the city’s drain after raiding an unlicensed bar. The court said the police must pay a pumping company to recall the hooch because of environmental regulations. (2) In November, the Littleton, Colo., city government, faced with the need to “blot” sticky tar on 120 streets whose potholes it was filling, bypassed expensive “detackifiers” in favor of stuffing toilet paper over the tar, causing the streets to have a trick-or-treat look.

Winter packages available! • advertise@mountainx.com

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DECEMBER 21 - DECEMBER 27, 2016

37

WELLN ESS CA LEN DA R WELLNESS

www.preginfo.org A safe place to find real answers

2017 CE BEGINS!

Dynamic Bodywork-Intro - 1/6 or 3/2 6Hrs • Dynamic Bodywork-Axial Skeleton - 3/3 6Hrs Myofascial Components of Low Back - 3/9 7Hrs Myofascial Components of Leg Pain - 3/10 7Hrs • Scar Management - 3/16 7Hrs

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AshevilleMassageSchool.org • 828-252-7377

Chinese Medical Treatment for Injury & Illness

Acupuncture • Herbal Prescription Therapeutic Massage

Andrew & JulieAnn Nugent-Head

828-398-0667 / www.alternativeclinic.org 23 Broadway Street, Downtown Asheville

learn more from our site walk in or schedule online

Bring to Asheville 30+ Years Experience in China

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

Evidence-based: The only form of meditation recommended for high blood pressure by the American Heart Association. NIH-sponsored research shows deep revitalizing rest, reduced stress and anxiety, improved brain functioning and heightened well-being. Thursday, 6:30-7:30pm, Asheville TM Center, 165 E. Chestnut.

828-254-4350. TM.org or MeditationAsheville.org LET YOUR LYMPH SYSTEM WORK FOR YOU (PD.) • Clear stuffy heads, heal quicker, reduce stress, detoxify, decrease fluid retention.

Discover Manual Lymph Drainage Massage with Jean Coletti, PT. 828-273-3950.

ColettiPT.com BUNCOMBE COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARIES buncombecounty.org/governing/ depts/library • WE (12/21), 11am "Laughter Yoga," class for adults. Free. Held at Swannanoa Library, 101 West Charleston St., Swannanoa QIGONG/CHI KUNG COMMUNITY PRACTICE GROUP allen@ashevilleqigong.com • FRIDAYS, 9:30am - Qigong/ Chi Kung class. All levels welcome. Free to attend. Held at The Alternative Clinic, 23 Broadway THE MEDITATION CENTER 894 E. Main St., Sylva, 3561105, meditate-wnc.org • 4th WEDNESDAYS, 6-8pm - "Reflections Through The Looking Glass," journaling and meditation. Registration required. $10.

SUPPORT GROUPS ADULT CHILDREN OF ALCOHOLICS & DYSFUNCTIONAL FAMILIES adultchildren.org

Winter packages available! • advertise@mountainx.com 38

DECEMBER 21 - DECEMBER 27, 2016

MOUNTAINX.COM

• Visit mountainx.com/support for full listings.

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS • For a full list of meetings in WNC, call 254-8539 or aancmco.org ALZHEIMER’S LGBT SUPPORT GROUP 277-5950, dparris@phhc.com • 3rd WEDNESDAYS 6-7pm - Alzheimer's support for the LGBT community. Held at Premier Home Health Care Services, 1550 Hendersonville Road, Suite 210 ASHEVILLE WOMEN FOR SOBRIETY 215-536-8026, womenforsobriety.org • THURSDAYS, 6:30-8pm – Held at YWCA of Asheville, 185 S French Broad Ave. ASPERGER'S TEENS UNITED facebook.com/groups/ AspergersTeensUnited • For teens (13-19) and their parents. Meets every 3 weeks. Contact for details.

CODEPENDENTS ANONYMOUS 242-7127 • TUESDAYS 7:30pm - Held at Asheville 12-Step Recovery Club, 370 N. Louisiana Ave., Suite G4 • FRIDAYS, 5:30pm - Held at First United Methodist Church of Waynesville, 556 S. Haywood Waynesville • WEDNESDAYS, 7-8pm & SATURDAYS, 11am – Held at First Congregational UCC of Asheville, 20 Oak St. DEBTORS ANONYMOUS debtorsanonymous.org • MONDAYS, 7pm - Held at First Congregational UCC of Asheville, 20 Oak St. DEPRESSION AND BIPOLAR SUPPORT ALLIANCE 367-7660, depressionbipolarasheville.com • WEDNESDAYS, 7pm & SATURDAYS, 4pm – Held at 1316-C Parkwood Road

FOUR SEASONS COMPASSION FOR LIFE 233-0948, fourseasonscfl.org • THURSDAYS, 12:30pm Grief support group. Held at SECU Hospice House, 272 Maple St., Franklin • TUESDAYS, 3:30-4:30pm Grief support group. Held at Four Seasons - Checkpoint, 373 Biltmore Ave. GAMBLERS ANONYMOUS gamblersanonymous.org • THURSDAYS, 6:45pm 12-step meeting. Held at Basillica of St. Lawrence, 97 Haywood St. HONORING GRIEF CIRCLE griefcircle.net • 2nd & 4th TUESDAYS, 6pm - Layperson support group for grief. Held at Swannanoa Valley Friends Meetinghouse, 137 Center Ave., Black Mountain LIFE LIMITING ILLNESS SUPPORT GROUP 386-801-2606 • TUESDAYS, 6:30-8pm - For adults managing the challenges of life limiting illnesses. Held at Secrets of a Duchess, 1439 Merrimon Ave. MINDFULNESS AND 12 STEP RECOVERY avl12step@gmail.com • WEDNESDAYS, 7:308:45pm - Mindfulness meditation practice and 12 step program. Held at Asheville 12-Step Recovery Club, 370 N. Louisiana Ave., Suite G4 MY DADDY TAUGHT ME THAT mydaddytaughtmethat.org • MONDAYS & WEDNESDAYS, 6-8pm Men's discussion group.

Free. Held in 16-A Pisgah Apartment, Asheville NATIONAL ALLIANCE ON MENTAL ILLNESS 505-7353, namiwnc.org, namiwc2015@gmail.com • 4th MONDAYS, 11am Connection group for individuals dealing with mental illness. Held at NAMI Offices, 356 Biltmore Ave.

DIABETES SUPPORT 213-4788, laura.tolle@msj.org • 3rd WEDNESDAYS, 3:30pm - In room 3-B. Held at Mission Health, 509 Biltmore Ave.

OUR VOICE 35 Woodfin St., 252-0562, ourvoicenc.org • Ongoing drop-in group for female identified survivors of sexual violence.

FOOD ADDICTS ANONYMOUS 423-6191 or 242-2173 • SATURDAYS, 11am- Held at Asheville 12-Step Recovery Club, 370 N. Louisiana Ave., Suite G4

OVERCOMERS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE 665-9499 • WEDNESDAYS, noon-1pm Held at First Christian Church of Candler, 470 Enka Lake Road, Candler

NAMASTE 90 CHALLENGE

OVERCOMERS RECOVERY SUPPORT GROUP rchovey@sos-mission.org • MONDAYS, 6pm - Christian 12-step program. Held at SOS Anglican Mission, 1944 Hendersonville Road OVEREATERS ANONYMOUS • Regional number: 2771975. Visit mountainx.com/ support for full listings.

RECOVERING COUPLES ANONYMOUS recovering-couples.org • MONDAYS 6pm - For couples where at least one member is recovering from addiction. Held at Foster Seventh Day Adventists Church, 375 Hendersonville Road REFUGE RECOVERY 225-6422, refugerecovery.org • THURSDAYS, 7:30pm Held at Sunrise Community for Recovery & Wellness, Unit C4, 370 N. Louisiana • FRIDAYS, 7-8:30pm & SUNDAYS, 6-7:30pm - Held at Urban Dharma, 29 Page Ave • TUESDAYS, 7pm - Held

at Shambhala Meditation Center, 60 N Merrimon Ave., #113 SEX ADDICTS ANONYMOUS saa-recovery.org/Meetings/ UnitedStates • SUNDAYS, 7pm - Held at First Baptist Church of Asheville, 5 Oak St. • MONDAYS, WEDNESDAYS & FRIDAYS, 6pm - Held at Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church, 789 Merrimon Ave. SHIFTING GEARS 683-7195 • MONDAYS, 6:30-8pm Group-sharing for those in transition in careers or relationships. Contact for location.

SMART RECOVERY 407-0460 • WEDNESDAYS, 6:30-8pm Held at Sunrise Community for Recovery & Wellness, Unit C4, 370 N. Louisiana Ave. SUNRISE PEER SUPPORT VOLUNTEER SERVICES facebook.com/ Sunriseinasheville • TUESDAYS through

THURSDAYS, 1-3pm - Peer support services for mental health, substance abuse and wellness. Held at Kairos West Community Center, Haywood Road, Asheville SUPPORTIVE PARENTS OF TRANSKIDS spotasheville@gmail.com • 4th WEDNESDAYS, 6pm - For parents to discuss the joys, transitions and challenges of parenting a transkid. Held at First Congregational UCC of Asheville, 20 Oak St.

BE THE SPA RK .

←

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

Nature’s Vitamins & Herbs (formerly Nature’s Pharmacy)

locally owned & operated since 1996

We now stock CBD oil by Cannavest, Charlotte’s Web, and Palmetto Harmony!

T.H.E. CENTER FOR DISORDERED EATING 337-4685, thecenternc.weebly.com • WEDNESDAYS, 7-8pm – Adult support group, ages 18+. Held in the Sherill Center at UNCA. WNC ASPERGER'S ADULTS UNITED facebook.com/ WncAspergersAdultsUnited • 4th SATURDAYS, 2-5pm - Occasionally meets additional Saturdays. Contact for details. Held at Earth Fare South, 1856 Hendersonville Road

3 MONTHS FOR $150 JAN. – MARCH MORE DETAILS

Owners:

Mike Rogers, PharmD & Bill Cheek, B.S. Pharm:

Available as: • sublingual spray • sublingual solid extract • oral liquid • oral capsules • liquid for vaping We stock great vitamin brands including:

Pure Encapsulations, Thorne Research, Barleans, and more!

We carry a variety of hard-to-find specialty products, including:

CBD oil • Lugolʼs Solution • Estriol Cream • Bi-Est Cream • Progesterone Cream

Vitamin K Liquid for Newborns • Glutamine Powder • Boric Acid Vaginal Capsules 35% Food Grade Hydrogen Peroxide • Sulfur Powder

752 Biltmore Avenue • 828-251-0094 • www.naturesvitaminsandherbs.com

Give the GIFT

of RELAXATION Massages, Eminence Organic Facials, Manicures, Pedicures and Spa Packages, including our Year of Indulgence are the perfect gifts!

INSTANT E-GIFT CERTIFICATES NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE

Downtown : 59 Haywood St. : 828.253.3222 South : Hilton Asheville Biltmore Park : 828.687.8760

sensibilities-spa.com MOUNTAINX.COM

DECEMBER 21 - DECEMBER 27, 2016

39

FOOD

HOLIDAYS ON ICE Asheville bartenders mix up seasonal cocktails for the home bar

BY JONATHAN AMMONS

mojokitchen.biz

2016

Wellness Issues Jan. 25th & Feb. 1st

Contact us today!

828-251-1333 advertise@mountainx.com

SWEET TREATS

AND

GOODIES FOR

AND

GIFTING

GATHERINGS

ASHEVILLE:

60 Biltmore Avenue // 252.4426 88 Charlotte Street // 254.4289 40

DECEMBER 21 - DECEMBER 27, 2016

jonathanammons@gmail.com It’s that time again. Time to open presents you will probably return in a week, then linger around a dinner table gorging and struggling not to bring up the uncomfortable topic of politics.

It seems to me that the best way to sufficiently lubricate oneself through the holiday season is with proper cocktails.

There’s no need to pound straight whiskey; this is a time to be festive and imbibe proudly of good concoctions made from quality ingredients. Fortunately, some of Asheville’s finest barkeeps have stepped up with some offerings for the seasonal Festivus bar.

LA GOURDITA En la Calle has been one of the most well-received bars to pop up in Asheville this year. This Limones expansion blends fresh Latin flavors with craft cocktail traditions that go beyond the margarita.

The holiday season is “a time for giving, and, if you made Santa’s nice list, a time for receiving,” says bartender Joaquin Gomez. “It’s a time when family flocks in and peace and love are the themes of the day. But let’s be honest — it doesn’t always work out that way, does it? You’re hosting, Uncle Mike insists on talking politics and Na-Na keeps wandering off down the driveway, thus, Christmas is a time for drinking. too.”

The best prescription for the holiday blues, he says, is En La Calle’s pumpkin spice martini, La Gourdita — an easy-to-make yet interesting soon-to-be classic. “Imagine if summer apple pie and the Great Pumpkin made sweet, drunken love brightened with fresh lemon juice. That’s our kind of Christmas booze,” says Gomez.

2 ounces rye whiskey 2 ounces pumpkin juice (En La Calle prefers Natalie’s Orchid Island Juice Co.’s Pumpkin Apple Spice) 1/2 ounce fresh lemon juice 1/2 ounce grade B maple syrup

Pour all ingredients into a shaker, shake and strain into martini glass.

Grate a little fresh nutmeg ... el fin.

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FELIZ NAVIDAD: Mixologist Joaquin Gomez grates fresh nutmeg for the finishing touch on a La Gourdita pumpkin-spice cocktail at downtown Latin restaurant En La Calle. The simple but festive drink blends rye whiskey, spiced pumpkin juice, lemon juice and maple syrup.

Photo by Jack Sorokin AUTUMN SWEATER Zambra has been slinging seasonal tipples for over a decade, and a favorite on its list has been owner Peter Slamp’s Autumn Sweater. Named for the Yo La Tengo song, Slamp says the drink was inspired a couple of years ago by a trip he made to a local tailgate market in search of fresh ingredients for a fall cocktail menu. “I tend to work backwards and start with the fresh stuff then come up with the spirits and mixers, etc.,” says Slamp.

The bounty of local apples and apple jams, jellies and butters seemed like a perfect fit for the drink’s base, he says, and he knew he wanted bourbon to be the spirit. “And from there it’s a balancing act — what is going to be sweet, what is going to provide the acid, bitter component, etc. After a lot of trial and

error as a result of ratios and ingredients, I came up with the final result,” he says. “I tried to take it off the menu after that season and had so many requests we made it a permanent drink.” Slamp says his bartenders even persuaded him to put the drink on the menu at Slamp’s now-closed North Asheville restaurant, King James Public House.

1 1/2 ounces bourbon 1/2 ounce Combier Orange liqueur 1/2 ounce Aperol 1/2 ounce lemon juice 2 bar spoons local apple jelly Dash of apple bitters

Fill shaker tin with ice and all ingredients; shake and strain over rocks or a large whiskey rock. Garnish with two apple slices and fresh grated nutmeg.

LONG WAY AROUND THE SEA

greenteasushi.com

I am always a sucker for flips, fizzes and most any other creamy, egg-based cocktail, particularly around the holidays. Apple brandy is also always a good way to add some seasonal flair to most any style of tipple. This year, I’ve been making a spiced tea syrup to accompany the deep flavors of Fee Brothers Black Walnut Bitters. The cocktail is named after indie rock band Low’s Christmas tune about the three Magi taking the long route home in order to avoid Herod’s rage.

2 ounces Fair Game Apple Brandy 1/4 ounce Averna (substitute Fernet Branca if you prefer something drier) 1/4 ounce spiced tea syrup (see directions below) Dash of Fee Brothers Black Walnut Bitters 1 egg white

Dry shake egg white to froth before adding other ingredients.

Fill shaker with ice and shake all ingredients until tin is frosted.

Double-strain into a coup glass or martini glass and garnish with either a cinnamon stick or dust with grated cinnamon.

Spiced tea syrup: 1 cup demerara sugar 1 cup Earl Grey tea 5 whole cloves 1 cinnamon stick

Add Earl Grey tea to a French press, then add clove and cinnamon stick before adding hot water. Once tea is ready, measure off one cup and pour into a pan. Add one cup of sugar and transfer the cinnamon stick from the French press. Heat, stirring until sugar dissolves and continue until it has turned dark brown.

Strain and bottle. Refrigerate. X

Happy Holidays!

We will be open Christmas Day 12 Noon — 10pm!

Locally roasted craft coffee

Geography Cold Brew Now available in growlers and mini-growlers

Roastery + Tasting Room

From all of us at Green Tea! 2 Regent Park Blvd. | 828-252-8300 Like us on facebook.com/greenteasushi

362 Depot Street

Downtown Cafe

39 S. Market Street Suite D

pennycupcoffeeco.com

Join us for dinner featuring NYE menu 5-11 pm.

Party the night away & ring in the New Year with us!

CHAMPAGNE

DJ RA MAK

CELEBRATE MOUNTAINX.COM

DECEMBER 21 - DECEMBER 27, 2016

41

SMALL BITES

FOOD

by Thomas Calder | tcalder@mountainx.com

Doc Brown’s BBQ gets cooking in Candler mondays: $6 mule cocktails w/ house-made ginger syrup sundays: $1 off draft beers and burgers 828.505.7531 1011 Tunnel Rd, Asheville NC 28805 Home Trust Bank Plaza

coppercrownavl.com

Come into The Chocolate Lab of Asheville for a warm shot of drinking chocolate and do your Holiday shopping! We have gift boxes of chocolates in several sizes, bagged hot chocolate mix and t-shirts available!

Monday - Saturday 11am - 8pm

2 Weaverville Rd. Suite 201

828.774.5589

42

DECEMBER 21 - DECEMBER 27, 2016

David Brown recently opened his first brick-and-mortar venture, Doc Brown’s BBQ, in Candler. Having spent the previous three and a half years operating out of a food truck, Brown is the first to admit that his has been a circuitous journey to the world of barbecue.

In 1994, Brown left New England to earn his doctorate in American history at the University of South Carolina.

One of the first restaurants Brown ate at was a place called Maurice’s Piggie Park BBQ. “That was an eye-opening experience,” he says. “They gave me this plate of yellow meat — this South Carolina golden mustard sauce — and I was like, ‘What is this?’ I saw a pork that was pink; I didn’t know it was from the wood smoke, I thought it was raw. I was a rube, you know?”

Brown, however, was also a quick study. He developed a deep interest in the history of the recipes. Over the last two decades, this fascination has led him down blue highways throughout the South, stopping at any and all barbecue joints — especially ones that appeared to operate out of former gas stations and other run-down spots. “I knew those were going to be the best,” he says.

In speaking with Brown, you quickly discover there is no way of separating the historian from the chef. “I don’t think of hamburgers and hot dogs as American food,” he says. “I think of Southern food as American food.

You’ve got native ingredients, some European techniques and, of course, the labor from the forced immigration of the African slaves. These are the people that brought their own folkways.”

In discussing his menu, he can’t help but share historical tidbits. Macaroni pie, for example, originated from Barbados and Jamaica. “You’ve got to remember that Charleston was settled

by Barbadians,” he says. “That’s why you’ll see, even up into Greenville, this particular square macaroni and cheese pie.”

Other menu items include pulled pork and beef, smoked house-made sausage, chicken bog, watermelon-cucumber salad, potato salad, corn casserole and slaw — a lot of slaw. At Doc Brown’s,

MOUNTAINX.COM

MAC AND CHEESE PIE: At Doc Brown’s BBQ in Candler, the mac and cheese goes quick. Its owner, historian and chef David Brown, previously operated a food truck by the same name.

He opened the brick-and-mortar eatery earlier this month. Photo by Tipton Gentry, Portable Onsite Photography guests have the option of slaw flights, which involve a sample of any four of Brown’s seven variations — creamy, vinegar, Lexington, Reid’s, Asian, jicama and mustard.

The reasoning is simple: “People get tribal with their slaw,” Brown says.

He hopes these flights will encourage guests to expand their palates.

“I’m a teacher,” Brown says. “I’m a guy who can’t stop talking and wants you to be happy. I’m hospitable. I get a charge when someone eats my sandwich, and they look at the person sitting next to them satisfied ... or when a 75-year-old woman puts her hand over her mouth and whispers that my potato salad might — might — be better than hers.”

His latest venture in Candler seats 37. Sandwiches run $6-$7, with plates going for $11-$12 and wood-smoked spare ribs costing $8-$24.

Doc Brown’s BBQ is at 1320 Smoky Park Highway, Candler. Hours are 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Saturday. For more information, visit avl.mx/389.

O HOLE-Y NIGHT AT HOLE DOUGHNUTS Hole Doughnuts’ new owner, actress Hallee Hirsh, has announced that Hole will celebrate the holiday season with O Hole-y Night on Thursday, Dec. 22. Guests will find seasonal doughnut flavors for sale at the event, including brandy eggnog glaze, pfeffernusse, sugar and pine and panettone glaze. Carolers will perform throughout the evening.

O-Holey Night runs 5-8 p.m.

Thursday, Dec. 22, at Hole Doughnuts, 168 Haywood Road. For details, visit avl.mx/38g.

FEAST OF THE SEVEN FISHES On both Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, Strada Italiano will host the traditional Catholic Feast of the Seven Fishes. The two-course dinner will begin with fritto misto tricolore salad with fried smelts, calamari fritti and lobster arancini served with baby

winter greens, roasted red peppers, red onions, shaved pecorino and tomato-basil vinaigrette. The second course will include fresh squid ink linguini cioppino with scrimp, scallops, scungilli, mussels and clams served with arugula and garlic pesto ciabatta.

Reservations for the Feast of the Seven Fishes are available noon-9 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 24, and 4 p.m.late Saturday, Dec. 31. The meal is $35, not including tax, beverages or gratuity. Reservations can be made by calling 348-8448.

changes will be implemented after the holiday rush is over. Boone notes that chef Jay Medford has created a number of popular specials since Bone and Both’s launch, including a Scotch egg and others, which are being considered for the new menu. Sunday hours will likely be 4-11 p.m. More information to come.

Bone and Broth is at 94 Charlotte St. For updates, visit boneandbrothavl.com.

CHANGES AT BONE AND BROTH

Congratulations to A-B Tech’s student culinary team, which won its 18th state title on Dec. 3 at Central Piedmont Community College. In addition to placing first, team members Emma Wieber, Jessica Olin, Habiba Smallen, Nina Patterson and Emily Welch were

Bone and Broth, which opened in August, has plans to expand its small plates menu and add Sunday hours.

Kirk Boone, the building’s owner and the restaurant’s co-partner, says both

awarded gold medals for their high scores. Next month, the team moves on to compete at the American Culinary Federation’s Southeast Regional com-

petition at Johnson & Wales University in Charlotte. If the team wins the regional championship, it will advance to the national level. X

A-B TECH’S CULINARY TEAM WINS STATE TITLE

Are you prepared for the holidays?

A delicious assortment of cookies & treats available.

Gingerbread Houses, too!

re s o l u t i on ta s tes g ood di n n e r N ew Yea r ’s Day, 5 :0 0 u n t i l ...

165 merrimon avenue | 828.258.7500 | www.plantisfood.com

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$50 Gift Card 1987 Hendersonville Rd. Ste A • Asheville, NC • (828) 676-2172 (near the intersection of Longshoals & Hendersonville Rd) • Reservations Available M-F 11am-2:30pm & 5pm-9:30pm • Sat 11am-9:30pm • Sun 12pm-9:30pm

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DECEMBER 21 - DECEMBER 27, 2016

BEER SCOUT

FOOD

by Scott Douglas | jsdouglas22@gmail.com

Giving back with brews Appalachian Vintner’s annual holiday auction supports local children’s organizations Entering its eighth year, Appalachian Vintner’s annual silent charity auction is bigger than ever. With over 50 beer- and wine-related items on offer, this year’s contributions to the Olson Huff Center at Mission Children’s Hospital and Arts for Life promise to be substantial. The Huff Center specializes in developmental and behavioral therapies for children that incorporate families in the process, and Arts For Life is a nonprofit that provides educational art programs for children facing serious illness or disability.

For Vintner co-owners Geoff and Charles Alexander, philanthropy has been a part of their business from the beginning. Since holding their first charity auction in 2009, the Alexander brothers have donated money and equipment to local nonprofits ranging from Brother Wolf Animal Rescue to Habitat for Humanity to the Asheville Area Art Council and MANNA FoodBank. The brothers routinely raise funds for Pisgah Legal Services and founded the Puzzle Pieces Project, a nonprofit dedicated to autism awareness and research.

The charities Appalachian Vintner supports have often been chosen based on events in the Alexanders’ personal lives. The brothers’ first auction was held to benefit CarePartners Hospice in response to the role hospice services played in their grandmother’s protracted battle with cancer in the late ’90s.

And their continued support of Mission Children’s Hospital and the Huff Center stems from those institutions’ efforts with Geoff’s son, who has struggled with health problems throughout this life and is on the autism spectrum.

“Our goal has always been to have a positive impact on people whose lives have been disrupted by illness,” says Geoff. “It’s easy to get caught up in negativity and pessimism when a loved one is afflicted with medical problems, and we feel it’s important to contribute whatever we can to helping people achieve a positive outcome in dark times.”

Charles adds, “There are so many families that are affected by sick or special needs children — in times of need, it’s very difficult for them to cope with what’s going on in their lives. It’s important for us to be able to contribute something to them, whether that’s MOUNTAINX.COM

HOLIDAY CHEER: Appalachian Vintner co-owner Charles Alexander, right, and employees Joel Clark, left, and Matt Levin show off the store’s auction display. Photo by Cindy Kunst equipment or educational resources or financial support for the organizations that help them.”

Auction items are donated from local breweries and wineries as well as beer and wine distributors, and 100 percent of the money raised through the auction is donated each year, either through direct cash contributions or through the procurement of much-needed tangible assets such as iPads and arts supplies. Geoff’s partner, Shelly Friesland, is tasked with managing the disbursement of resources and coordinating with the charitable organizations.

This year’s auction includes a host of interesting lots from beer and wine producers worldwide, as well as from Asheville-area breweries of all sizes.

Gift cards and glassware from Zebulon, Fonta Flora, Wicked Weed and Burial are available, as well as wall hangings and metal signage from over a dozen breweries. There are also special beers to bid on, including a 3-liter jeroboam of St. Feuillien Triple and a vertical of Sierra Nevada’s Bigfoot Barleywine spanning from 2006-16 donated by the brewery’s Western North Carolina area manager, T.J. Gardner.

More esoteric items include a Hi-Wire VIP tour experience, an Oskar Bluesbranded ENO DoubleNest two-person hammock and a signed hat worn by Sierra Nevada founder Ken Grossman.

For wine drinkers, there are magnums of Fontanavecchia and a gift set valued at over $350 donated by the Biltmore Wine Co. that includes three bottles of wine, two books and two tickets to the Biltmore Estate.

Auction items are on display at Appalachian Vintner in Biltmore Village, and bids are being accepted now. Final bids must be submitted by close of business on New Year’s Eve, with winning bids announced on Monday, Jan. 2. Most items have low minimums, with suggested bidding increments of $5.

“We really want people to come down and support these worthwhile charities. It’s an easy, fun way to give a little back and get something awesome in return,” says Charles. “You can get some supercool beer swag from the major breweries here in town and some of the smaller guys as well, all while helping out children at the same time.”

Geoff reiterates the brothers’ altruistic aims: “It’s our duty to help the vulnerable in society, the young and the elderly and the sick. Especially this time of year, people want to celebrate with a beer or a glass of wine or anything fermented, so why not try to incorporate charitable giving into the party? It’s a chance to give something back, to contribute in a positive way.” X

MOUNTAINX.COM

DECEMBER 21 - DECEMBER 27, 2016

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

BEYOND THE MOUNTAINS Cherokee artists consider the impact of a broader audience

BY THOMAS CALDER

Cruz notes, however, that some of the younger artists are incorporating more contemporary approaches and designs into their craft. Long, for example, uses a laser engraver to imprint traditional Cherokee designs on her work. Some artists capture ancient traditions, such as stickball, through the more modern forms of drawing and print.

The internet, Cruz adds, has offered these younger artists a broader audience. “That’s why I’m so happy the Sequoyah Fund is doing what they’re doing,” she says of the independent, nonprofit Native American community development financial institution based in Cherokee. “They’re helping the artists with their bios and promoting the contemporary arts.”

tcalder@mountainx.com There’s a cultural amnesia about what it means to be Native American, says Cherokee woodcarver Christy Long. “When you look at what people understand about a native, you get people who only understand natives from [a] romantic point of view.”

Such misconceptions mean tourists to Cherokee seek headdresses and dreamcatchers — neither of which are native to the tribe. That doesn’t mean, however, that headdresses and dreamcatchers aren’t sold. “When you’re trying to make a living, you still have to look at those things that people will purchase, so that you can make money to feed your family,” says Long. “It’s [an] existential struggle for a native person.”

Cultural norms within the tribe itself represent another struggle within the arts community, according to Long. Many artists grapple with what it means to sell their work. Are they doing it for personal recognition and gain, or for the good of the community? “In the non-native world, making a name for yourself is a valuable thing,” says Long. “Coming from Cherokee, it’s not something that’s heralded or appreciated.”

Still, some artists in Cherokee are looking into ways to do just that.

The preservation of heritage and tradition remain the driving force behind the work, but many in the area have an interest in seeing their designs go beyond the mountains of Western North Carolina. Through their artwork, they wish to represent and distinguish the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians from the generic, misappropriated and romanticized version of the native. They also view wider reception of their work as a way to honor and celebrate a past that continues to shape their presentday craft.

MADE IN CHEROKEE: Christy Long showcases her handcarved butternut bowl.

Photo by Hope Huskey

Faye Junaluska was 20 years old before she attempted her first handmade basket. She spent her youth watching her mother fell trees, peel bark and dye splits in order to weave

both decorative and functional designs.

Rather than inspire baskets of her own, this early exposure created resistance.

On occasion, her mother would ask if Junaluska wanted to learn, but when she was a child and teen, the process looked tedious.

Now in her late 50s, Junaluska laughs at her early refusal. “I didn’t realize that’s what put food on the table and a little bit of clothes on my back,” she says. Only after Junaluska became a parent did she seek out instruction. She remembers proudly proclaiming herself a basketmaker after completing her first design. Her mother was quick to point out that Junaluska had only woven a basket. She had not felled a tree, peeled its bark or dyed its splits. She still had a way to go.

Now, 38 years later, Junaluska has earned the title. Seated inside the Permanent Collection Gallery of the Qualla Arts and Crafts Mutual in Cherokee, she is surrounded by the baskets of her predecessors, including the

DECEMBER 21 - DECEMBER 27, 2016

MOUNTAINX.COM

THROUGH THE GENERATIONS

46

REACHING OUT

works of Agnes L. Welch, her mother.

She notes that it even goes further back in her family. “Our grandmother made them,” she says. “Our great-grandmother made them. ... It’s important. ... I’m preserving that task.”

CONTEMPORARY AND TRADITIONAL Formed in 1946, Qualla Arts and Crafts Mutual is the nation’s oldest Native American cooperative. Since its opening, it has been one of the leading locations in Cherokee for artists to sell their work. “Quality has always been on the front burner,” says the coop’s manager, Vicki Cruz.

Qualla Arts focuses on traditional works. Baskets are made from white oak, river cane and honeysuckle.

Black walnut and native bloodroot are among the natural dyes used. The pottery, meanwhile, is still fired over an open flame.

In 2013, the Sequoyah Fund offered a training course for businesses. “The only people who showed up were artists,” says Hope Huskey, the organization’s associate director. “We decided we’d start looking into art programs and how to develop art as a business.”

As a result, Sequoyah Fund partnered with ONABEN (an Oregonbased nonprofit that encourages the development of the private sector within native communities), to create Authentically Cherokee. Its mission is to celebrate and preserve Cherokee culture in a contemporary way.

Huskey says she works closely with 25 local artists, estimating there are an additional 25 who take part in programs offered by the organization. The Sequoyah Fund assists in marketing Authentically Cherokee artists, running its website, managing its social media, offering additional free business courses and shipping out orders.

There is no charge for its services or classes beyond a 5 percent commission fee.

The organization is actively working with these artists to get their pieces out to a larger audience. The artists “don’t realize the uniqueness of what they can

CARRYING ON TRADITION: Basketmaker Faye Junaluska stands before her mother’s works, on display inside the Permanent Collection Gallery of the Qualla Arts and Crafts Mutual Inc. Photo by Thomas Calder do outside of this community,” says Huskey. “A lot of times there’s a lack of self-confidence, and, in general, we [the Cherokee community at large] don’t do a great job of elevating the artists to where they need to be.”

In addition, Huskey notes the inner conflict that several of the makers continue to struggle with.

“There is a little bit of a conversation about what we are selling,” she says. “Are we selling our culture by giving this to people? And by giving this to people, are we giving away a part of something that is sacred to our community?”

KEEPING THE CULTURE ALIVE At Cherokee High School, Josh Adams teaches woodcarving. A member of the tribe, he says it took him moving to Sante Fe, N.M., to break away from this former mindset of guilt and self-doubt. Adams returned to Cherokee in 2013. The award-winning artist says part of his goal as a teacher is to help students see that art isn’t simply something to fall back on. It can be a career — one that doesn’t have to compromise a tribe member’s integrity.

“There are some masks I carve that I wouldn’t carve to sell,” Adams says. “I think it’s a fine line to walk, and you have to teach [students] both sides of that. ... They should be carving to preserve culture and to preserve heritage, but also, at the same time, if you’re good enough, you should be carving to make a living out of it. That’s something we constantly talk about.”

In discussing the state of the arts in Cherokee, visual artist Preston Bark exemplifies both the struggle within the community and the resolution required to grow as an artist. As a member of the Qualla Arts co-op and Authentically Cherokee, he understands the value of bringing Cherokee art to a broader audience. “It’s about keeping the culture alive,” he says.

Yet there remains ambivalence about what that broader audience means in relation to both the community and the artist. “It’s not all about making money and making a living,” Bark says.

Bark reflects on the greater, collective good. “It’s about keeping the art alive, so we don’t lose our identity,” he says. “If we lose it, then we’re nobody. We’re just another group of people living in a small town in North Carolina.” X

MOUNTAINX.COM

DECEMBER 21 - DECEMBER 27, 2016

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A&E

by Bill Kopp

bill@musoscribe.com

CRITICAL CONDITION New album features Asheville artists sounding the alarm on threats to civil liberties

New Beer Thursdays

Dec. 22 PINEAPPLE IPA

TASTING ROOM LOCATIONS

32 Banks Ave Asheville, NC 28801 63 Brook St Asheville, NC 28803 212 S Green St Morganton, NC 28655 catawbabrewing.com 48

DECEMBER 21 - DECEMBER 27, 2016

IT CAN’T HAPPEN HERE: Asheville musicians, including André Cholmondeley, pictured above, are among those contributing their talents to Code Red, a new compilation to support the work of the American Civil Liberties Union. Photo by Bill Kopp To many observers, statements by presidential candidate (and now President-elect) Donald Trump during the 2016 election cycle raised serious concerns. The reality TV star and purported billionaire made many public pronouncements that suggest a hostility toward free speech and civil liberties.

From calling for bans on Muslim immigrants to “open[ing] up our libel laws so … we can sue [newspapers] and win lots of money,” Trump has caused alarm among those who value the rights guaranteed by the Constitution. Responding to those concerns, Washington, D.C.based label Verses Records has compiled and rush-released the album Code Red: An International Compilation to Benefit the ACLU. Released on Dec. 1, the digital-only Code Red is curated by Asheville musician Dave Harris (formerly the owner of Smashing Guitars) and features six local artists among the 40 musicians

MOUNTAINX.COM

represented. “But the support has been far and wide,” Harris says, noting that several of the artists appearing on Code Red are from outside the U.S. “Six countries are represented; it’s truly global.”

All proceeds from the sale will go to the American Civil Liberties Union.

“The idea for Code Red came to me the day after the election,” Harris says.

“I really liked the ACLU’s first post-election response: ‘We’ll see you in court.’ So many things proposed during the campaign were, I think, unconstitutional.

And un-American, quite frankly.” Harris notes that he and Verses Records are — like the ACLU itself — nonpartisan and he believes the issues at stake transcend party politics.

Harris’ initial thought was to join the ACLU. And then he thought, “Maybe I could do a little more.” He considered organizing a benefit concert. But then the idea of a compilation album came to him. It had the advantage of being rela-

tively easy to put together and allowed involvement and support from likeminded people well beyond Asheville.

In his capacity as part of the Verses Records organization, Harris reached out to his contacts within the local, national and international music communities. The response was swift and decisive. “In no time at all, I had artists from all over the world committed to help out,” he says. All of the musicians involved provided their recordings without compensation.

As the album’s Bandcamp page notes, Code Red was “22 days from conception to release.”

“It needed to happen quickly,” Harris says, “as a show of solidarity.” The plan is to collect the proceeds from Code Red sales and make an initial donation to the ACLU on a date with special significance — Jan. 20, 2017: Inauguration Day. Harris’ initial goal for the project is to raise $1,000, and a week after Code Red’s

release date, sales were already halfway to that goal. Additional donations will be made as sales of the album continue, Harris says.

Unlike some compilations with a cause, the songs on Code Red aren’t all pointed lyrically; many are instrumental. “The artists all asked me what I wanted,” Harris says. “I told them that I wanted music that represented how they felt about the current situation.

It’s their call. I’m an artist, too; I’m not going to tell anybody how to conduct their art.”

The tracks on Code Red are a mixture of previously unreleased songs, new recordings and what Harris calls “boneyard” recordings — unfinished or abandoned works. “All of us artists who record have boneyards. And within that, you find some really interesting things.”

There isn’t a specific Asheville event to promote Code Red, but a few of the musicians taking part in the album have local dates in the coming days or weeks.

Among his myriad other projects, Code Red contributor André Cholmondeley (who contributed the track “Situation Critical”) leads Frank Zappa tribute band Project/Object; he also plays guitar in Wham Bam Bowie Band — that latter plays The Orange Peel Friday, Dec. 23.

Divine Circles’ Meg Mulhearn (“Hymn”) was awarded a 2016 Regional Artist Project Grant from the Asheville Area Arts Council; Mulhearn will be a guest performer at the release party of the Yours Truly album Holophrase on Saturday, Jan. 7, at The Mothlight.

Nationally touring modern psychedelic/motorik band Nest Egg contributed the heady rocker “Write Thus Snake” to Code Red. Other Asheville artists featured on the album include Shane Parrish (“I Know That I Was Complacent, but Now You Can Expect a Visit”), Xambuca (“Lamprophony”), and Harris (“Swarm,” on which he’s billed as mrscientificterms, and a collaborative work with Italian artist Bicho Raro, “Burn All Borders”).

Code Red isn’t the first benefit project for Verses Records. Harris says that the Verses crew sees its label as “a platform to fight for the things that we believe in.

“In my world, things happen,” Harris says. “And I’ve already put pen to paper on our next release. Don’t be surprised to see Verses drop more benefit compilations.”

Learn more and download the album for $5 at versesrecords.com. X

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DECEMBER 21 - DECEMBER 27, 2016

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A&E

Photos by Adam McMillan

amphotoavl@gmail.com

LIGHT SHOW Each year, local merchants around downtown Asheville decorate their shop windows in celebration of the season — and to win bragging rights as the Downtown Holiday Windows Contest winners. The competition, held by the Asheville Downtown Association,

features an annual theme: This year’s is “Light up the holidays.”

Winners, selected by a team of ADA members and media personalities (including this writer), include Hip Replacements and Purl’s Yarn Emporium, in a tie for Judge’s Favorite; Patton Avenue Pet Co. for

Downtown shop windows reflect the holidays Best Interpretation of Theme; and The Chocolate Fetish for Best Use of Merchandise.

Participating businesses also include Asheville Community Theatre, Asheville Museum of Science, Diamond Brand Outdoors, Duncan and York Modern Market, Embellish

Asheville, Fired Up! Creative Lounge, HomeTrust Bank, Horse + Hero, Keating Dental Arts, Kilwins, Mast General Store, Sensibilities Day Spa, Southern Charm, Spiritex, Ten Thousand Villages, Tops for Shoes, Traveling Chic Boutique, Wedding Inspirations and the Weinhaus. X

SHINING EXAMPLES: “Local heroes light up our community — so can you!” reads the RETRO DONE RIGHT: Clothing store Hip Replacements was inspired by the TV show window of Purl’s Yarn Emporium. Sock monkeys nominate local activists like DeWayne Barton and Franzi Charon for the honor.

“Stranger Things,” interpreting the holiday theme in spooky ’80s style.

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640 Merrimon Ave • (828) 255-2442 • wineanddesign.com/asheville 50

DECEMBER 21 - DECEMBER 27, 2016

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COUPON BOOK Give $20 or more through G iveLoc alG uid e. o rg

and get:

MAKE A WISH: The Dunkin & York shop windows on Lexington Avenue showcased whimsical and classic Christmas decor.

HOPE FOR THE HOLIDAYS: Fired Up! Creative Lounge displayed this inspirational message along with other examples of art that can be made instore.

• Pizza slice from Barley’s • Kiddie scoop from The Hop • Cookies from Zuma • Snack from UpCountry Brewing • Coffee from Mosaic Cafe • Other great stuff!

Thanks to our great business partners for supporting charitable giving in WNC. If your business would like to be represented in the coupon book, contact GiveLocal@mountainx.com.

PUPPY LOVE: Patton Avenue Pet Co.’s display features furry friends, of course, as well as symbols of Christmas and Hanukkah.

GiveLocalGuide.org MOUNTAINX.COM

DECEMBER 21 - DECEMBER 27, 2016

51

SMART BETS

A&E

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

Carolina Wray It’s been a big year for Hendersonville natives Jantzen and Dillon Wray — the brothers who form the duo Carolina Wray. They released their new album Barn Party, a collection of singable, raucous country-rock. An acoustic cover album reimagined those tunes (with no lack of the Wrays’ signature rowdiness). And the brothers are readying to release two new songs recorded at Nashville’s legendary Sound Emporium Studios. After a busy year of touring, the duo will return to their hometown for their fifth annual seasonal performance. “We love the holiday show because it always signifies the end of a chapter and the beginning to the new year and the next phase of our musical path,” says Jantzen. The performance will include other regional artists like The American Gonzos and Rookie of the Year. It takes place at Black Bear Coffee Co. in Hendersonville on Friday, Dec. 23, at 6:30 p.m. Free. blackbear.coffee. Photo courtesy of Carolina Wray

Holy Ghost Tent Revival ’Tis the season for Home Alone. Asheville-based Holy Ghost Tent Revival’s affection for the film inspired its upcoming holiday show. “We’re hoping to really deck out The Mothlight with nods to some of the movie’s most famous moments, and we’re going to play our favorites from the soundtrack interspersed with our own material,” says vocalist/guitarist Dulci Ellenberger. “One of the best things about that movie is how low the stakes actually are, so you’re able to just let go and revel in the slapstick comedy and overall good-time holiday feeling. With this show so close to Christmas, we want to give people the opportunity to do just that: Let go, get a little silly and enjoy time with friends.” The band will perform at The Mothlight on Friday, Dec. 23, at 9 p.m. $10/$12. themothlight.com. Photo by Evoke Emotion Photography

Ian Ridenhour At just 16, Ian Ridenhour is an incredibly accomplished musician with 10 years of performing, recording and composing experience under his belt. After winning big on the “Who Wants to be a Millionaire” Whiz Kid week earlier this year, Ridenhour used his sizable purse to fund his new album, Cry About It. Ridenhour will play the album’s astute rock songs, defined by his energetic piano playing, at his holiday extravaganza show in Black Mountain.

Listeners can expect a few festive covers and a selection of neverbefore-heard originals along with his fab-favorites. Ridenhour also promises performances by surprise guest artists and, in keeping with the spirit of the season, a Santa hat or two. White Horse Black Mountain hosts the show on Friday, Dec. 23, at 8 p.m. $10/$12. whitehorseblackmountain.com.

Photo courtesy of Ian Ridenhour

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DECEMBER 21 - DECEMBER 27, 2016

Double Crown’s fourth anniversary When West Asheville’s crimson-lit haunt Double Crown first opened its doors in December 2012, on the night of the Mayan Apocalypse, it was with a very special performance: the Legendary Singing Stars. The group, founded and formerly headlined by the late superstar of gospel music, Tommy Ellison, returns for its sixth performance at Double Crown, on the evening of the bar’s fourth anniversary. Thanks to the influence of the Singing Stars, gospel music is now inherent to the venue. “This is the first full year that we have had a gospel group perform every month,” says Double Crown owner Steve Mann. “And we have a great lineup for next year.” Buxton Hall Barbecue caters the celebratory event on Thursday, Dec. 22, at 10 p.m. $10. thedoublecrown.com.

Photo by Steve Mann

MOUNTAINX.COM

A& E CA L E N DA R

by Abigail Griffin

‘WISH LIST CELEBRATION’: American Folk Art’s annual Wish List Celebration, a curated exhibition of works made by folk artists of the Southern region, continues until Friday, Dec. 30. This year’s show includes work from 40 artists who are represented by the gallery — including pottery from Shawn Ireland and Matt Hallyburton, face jugs by Michal Ball and seasonal wood block prints by Kent Ambler. For more information, visit amerifolk.com. Wood block print by Kent Ambler courtesy of American Folk Art (p. 55)

=❄ ART TRANSYLVANIA COMMUNITY ARTS COUNCIL tcarts@comporium.net • 4th FRIDAYS, 5-8pm - Gallery Walk. Held in downtown Brevard. Free to attend.

AUDITIONS & CALL TO ARTISTS ANAM CARA THEATRE 545-3861, anamcaratheatre.com • Through FR (12/30) Submissions accepted for play proposals for the 2017-2018 season. Visit the website for full guidelines.

ART LEAGUE OF HENDERSON COUNTY 692-9441, artleague.net • Through FR (1/6) - ​ Submissions accepted for the

annual "Mini Challenge" art show. Contact for full guidelines and fees.

Burger Bar. Contact: burgerbar.asheville@gmail. com.

ASHEVILLE AREA ARTS COUNCIL 258-0710, ashevillearts.com • Through WE (2/15) Submissions accepted for the Asheville Art in the Park Arts & Community Grant application. Contact for full guidelines. Information session: Wednesday, Jan. 18, 5pm. Held at The Refinery, 207 Coxe Ave.

CALDWELL ARTS COUNCIL 601 College Ave., SW Lenoir, 754-2486 • Through TU (1/31) - Portfolio submissions accepted for 2018 exhibitions. Information: caldwellarts.com/ 157-guidelines/CALDWELL.

BLACK MOUNTAIN COLLEGE MUSEUM & ARTS CENTER 56 Broadway, 350-8484, blackmountaincollege.org • Through WE (12/21) Letter of intent accepted for the 2017 {Re}HAPPENING which takes place on Saturday, Mar. 25. For more information visit the website.

BURGER BAR 1 Craven St. • Through SA (12/31) - Open call for artists and teachers who wish to offer free classes to the community on Saturday's from 4-7pm at the

TRANSYLVANIA COMMUNITY ARTS COUNCIL 349 S. Caldwell St., Brevard, 884-2787, tcarts.org • Through TU (2/7) - Open call for submissions for the Folk Art exhibition taking place Friday, Feb. 10 through Tuesday, Feb. 28. Submission accepted Monday, Feb. 6 and Tuesday, Feb. 7. Contact for full guidelines.

MUSIC VILLAGE MARIMBA CLASSES • ALL AGES (PD.) • New session of classes beginning January. Sue Ford, voted Best Music Teacher

Downtown on the Park

TAVERN

Eclectic Menu • Over 30 Taps • Patio 13 TV’s • Sports Room • 110” Projector Event Space • Shuffleboard Open 7 Days 11am - Late Night

Buffet and e v E s ’ r a e N ew Y to 2017!

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Buffet: 6:30 PM – 9 PM Countdown to 2017: 9 pm – 1 am $50 per person – call for reservations 828-225-6944 Buffet limited to 100 tickets and includes reserved table seating for Countdown to 2017 Includes pre-celebration & buffet, hats & toppers, Countdown to 2016 ticket (does NOT include additional beverages, tax & gratuity)

$10 cover starting at 8:00pm Big Deal Band in the Century Room and DJ MoTo in the South Bar Drink Specials, $17 Bottles of Bubbly, Three bars!

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DECEMBER 21 - DECEMBER 27, 2016

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A &E CA LEN DA R

in WNC, Mountain Xpress, 3 years in a row. Registration/

by Abigail Griffin

THEATER

information: (828) 776-7918 or

❄ N.C. ARBORETUM

❄MONTFORD PARK PLAYERS 254-5146,

100 Frederick Law Olmsted

montfordparkplayers.org

Way, 665-2492,

• FRIDAYS through SUNDAYS

ncarboretum.org

until (12/23) - A Christmas

• SU (12/25) & TU (12/27),

Carol. Fri. & Sat.: 7:30pm. Sun.:

6:30pm - Duo Vela, flute and

2:30pm. Free to attend. Held at

guitar concert. Admission

Asheville Masonic Temple, 80

fees apply.

Broadway

suef444@gmail.com

54

DECEMBER 21 - DECEMBER 27, 2016

MOUNTAINX.COM

❄NC STAGE COMPANY 15 Stage Lane, 239-0263 • WEDNESDAYS through SATURDAYS until (12/23), 7:30pm - All Is Calm. $16-$40.

❄THE MAGNETIC THEATRE 375 Depot St., 279-4155 • THURSDAYS through SATURDAYS until (12/23), 7:30pm & WE (12/21), 7:30pm - Bernstein Family Christmas Spectacular. Saturday, Dec. 10 & 17 also have 10pm shows. $24.

GALLERY DIRECTORY AMERICAN FOLK ART AND FRAMING 64 Biltmore Ave., 281-2134, amerifolk.com • Through FR (12/30) - The Wish List Celebration, group exhibition.

ASHEVILLE AREA ARTS COUNCIL 258-0710, ashevillearts.com • Through SA (1/7) - Beauty + Function: Ceramic Artists in Western North Carolina, exhibition. Held at The Refinery, 207 Coxe Ave. ASHEVILLE BOOKWORKS

MAHEC EDUCATION CENTER 121 Hendersonville Road, 257-4400, mahec.net • Through TU (1/31) - Painting exhibition by Rich Elwyn and Valerie McGaughey.

MORA CONTEMPORARY JEWELRY 9 Walnut St., 575-2294, moracollection.com • Through SA (12/31) - Exhibition of the jewelry of Stacey Lane.

428 1/2 Haywood Road, 255-8444, ashevillebookworks.com • Through TU (2/28) - Let the Good TImes Roll, printmaking exhibition.

ODYSSEY COOPERATIVE ART GALLERY

ASHEVILLE GALLERY OF ART

• Through SA (12/31) - Exhibition of

82 Patton Ave., 251-5796, ashevillegallery-of-art.com • Through SA (12/31) - All Squared Away, exhibition featuring small works by gallery artists.

the ceramic art of Anna Koloseike

BLACK MOUNTAIN CENTER FOR THE ARTS 225 W. State St., Black Mountain, 669-0930, blackmountainarts.org • Through FR (2/17) - Clay Studio exhibit and pottery market featuring the work of 12 local potters.

pushtoyproject.com

BUNCOMBE COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARIES buncombecounty.org/governing/ depts/library • Through FR (12/30) - Exhibition of the watercolor, acrylic and oil paintings of Barbara Frohmader. Held at West Asheville Library, 942 Haywood Road

❄ CARLTON

GALLERY

10360 Highway 105 S. Banner Elk, 963-4288, carltonartgallery.com • Through TU (1/17) - Winter Group and Small Works Exhibition.

HappyfromHolidays Our Family to Yours

238 Clingman Ave., 285-9700, facebook.com/odysseycoopgallery

and BlueFire MacMahon.

PUSH SKATE SHOP & GALLERY 25 Patton Ave., 225-5509, • Through MO (1/23) - Running From Madness, a group show curated by Maxx Feist.

568 Haywood Road • Asheville, NC 28806 828-255-2628 • www.organic-mechanic.com

Brake Service Special Includes a FREE Brake Inspection 2 wheel service 4 wheel service

$25 OFF $50 OFF

* Most vehicles. Not to be combined with any other

RAMP STUDIO GALLERY

offer on same product or service. No cash value.

Void where prohibited. See store for details.

Limited time only.

Oil Change Special

$10 OFF Any Oil Service

Includes Complimentary Vehicle Inspection by a Certified Technician

* Shop supplies and taxes extra. Most vehicles. Some

makes/models require special oil, cost extra. Includes oil filter and 5 qts. synthetic oil. Cannot combine with any other offer. Limited time only.

821 Riverside Drive • Through SA (12/31) - We're not who we thought we were, exhibition of

Something for everyone on your list!

the multimedia sculpture by Jameid Ferrin.

SOUTHERN HIGHLAND CRAFT GUILD 298-7928, craftguild.org • Through SU (2/12) - Legacy of Makers and Mentors, exhibition from the University of Georgia members.

Held at Folk Art Center, MP 382, Blue Ridge Parkway

CRUCIBLE GLASSWORKS 60 Clarks Chapel Road, Weaverville, 645-5660, crucibleglassworks.com • Ongoing - Exhibition of the glass work of Michael Hatch.

❄ TRANSYLVANIA

FLOOD GALLERY FINE ART CENTER

• Through TH (12/22) - Aluminum

2160 US Hwy 70, Swannanoa, 273-3332, floodgallery.org/ • Through MO (1/30) - Outsider painting exhibition featuring works

by Scarlett Swann.

Christmas Tree Museum, exhibition

HERITAGE

MUSEUM 189 W Main St., Brevard, 884-2347, transylvaniaheritage.org

of vintage trees and ornaments. Free to attend.

TRYON ARTS AND CRAFTS SCHOOL

HICKORY MUSEUM OF ART

373 Harmon Field Road, Tryon,

243 3rd Ave., NE Hickory, 327-8576 • Through SU (3/5) - Innocent & Ethereal: The Visionary Work of Paul Lancaster, exhibition.

• Through SU (4/23) - Woman Made, exhibition of the works of over 80 women artists.

859-8323 • Through FR (12/23) - Holiday Gift Show, exhibition.

Contact the galleries for admission hours and fees

With 70,000 square feet of shopping in a historic tobacco barn, we have the largest selection of antiques and collectables in North Carolina!

Asheville, NC • minutes from the Biltmore Estate 75 Swannanoa River Rd (Hwy 81, Asheville) 828-252-7291 • www.atbarn.com MOUNTAINX.COM

DECEMBER 21 - DECEMBER 27, 2016

55

CLUBLAND

EVOLUTION NUMBER 9: Making a name for yourself as a bluegrass ensemble in Appalachia is a tall order for any musician, but Nashville-based upstarts Circus Number 9 are already making waves with their multifarious concoction of jazz, blues, folk and traditional styles. Fronted by 2016 Rockygrass mandolin competition winner Thomas Cassel, the five-piece band is working towards releasing its debut EP in the near future. For now, curious bluegrass-lovers can catch a glimpse of Circus Number 9’s rising star on Thursday, Dec. 22 when it rolls into White Horse Black Mountain for a 7:30 p.m. show. Photo courtesy of White Horse Black Mountain WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 21

12/19 - Old Time Jam, 6:30pm 12/20 - Open Mic, 8pm 12/23 - Story Telling Blues 7pm (4 acts) Free

upatight 9:30pm S 1 3 / 1A2night of dance music with high energy funk.

Complimentary champagne toast!

185 KING STREET Vinyl Night, 6:00PM 5 WALNUT WINE BAR Ten Cent Poetry (folk, pop), 5:00PM Les Amis (African folk), 8:00PM ASHEVILLE GUITAR BAR Brad Hodge & friends (singer-songwriter), 7:00PM BARLEY'S TAPROOM & PIZZERIA Dr. Brown's Team Trivia, 8:30PM BLUE MOUNTAIN PIZZA & BREW PUB Open Mic w/ Billy Owens, 7:00PM BONFIRE BARBECUE Trivia Funtime w/ Kelsey, 8:00PM BURGER BAR Karaoke, 9:00PM BYWATER The Woodshed, 9:00PM CREEKSIDE TAPHOUSE Open mic w/ Roots & friends, 7:00PM DOUBLE CROWN Classic Country w/ DJ David Wayne Gay, 10:00PM FUNKATORIUM

2-28-17

56

DECEMBER 21 - DECEMBER 27, 2016

MOUNTAINX.COM

Staves & Strings (bluegrass), 6:30PM GOOD STUFF Jim Hampton & friends perform "Eclectic Country" (jam), 7:00PM GREY EAGLE MUSIC HALL & TAVERN Movie Night: A Christmas Story, 6:00PM Movie Night: Christmas Vacation, 8:00PM GRIND CAFE Trivia night, 7:00PM HIGHLAND BREWING COMPANY Woody Wood Christmas Show! (rock, soul, funk), 5:30PM ISIS RESTAURANT AND MUSIC HALL De la Noche (tango experience), 7:00PM Celebrate the Season w/ Sweet Claudette & Big Sound Harbor, 8:30PM JACK OF THE WOOD PUB Old-time session, 5:00PM LAZY DIAMOND Killer Karaoke w/ KJ Tim O, 10:00PM LOBSTER TRAP Ben Hovey (dub, jazz), 6:30PM NOBLE KAVA Open mic w/ Caleb Beissert, 9:00PM O.HENRY'S/THE UNDERGROUND "Take the Cake" Karaoke, 10:00PM

Bywater

ODDITORIUM Bake Sale and Show for Harry Potter Alliance, 5:00PM

BLACK MOUNTAIN ALE HOUSE Bluegrass Jam w/ The Big Deal Band, 8:00PM

OSKAR BLUES BREWERY Josh Carter (bluegrass), 6:00PM

OFF THE WAGON Piano show, 9:00PM

BLUE MOUNTAIN PIZZA & BREW PUB Ionize, 7:00PM

PULP Slice of Life Comedy Open Mic, 9:00PM

OLIVE OR TWIST 3 Cool Cats (vintage rock), 8:00PM

BONFIRE BARBECUE Social Function, 8:30PM

PACK'S TAVERN Marc Keller (acoustic rock), 8:00PM

ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL What It Is w/ members of Snarky Puppy, ESB & The Digs (jazz, funk), 8:00PM

BURGER BAR Garage/surf rock w/ DJ PAPA Wheelie, 9:00PM

PISGAH BREWING COMPANY The Lazybirds, 8:00PM

DEC

CLADDAGH RESTAURANT & PUB Irish Music Thursdays, 7:00PM

PURPLE ONION CAFE Sally and George, 8:00PM

FRI

CROW & QUILL Carolina Catskins (gritty ragtime jazz), 10:00PM

ROOM IX Throwback Thursdays (all vinyl set), 9:00PM

ONE WORLD BREWING Billy Litz, 8:00PM ORANGE PEEL Ralphie May w/ Ricky Cruz (comedy), 8:00PM PISGAH BREWING COMPANY Dennis "Chalwa" Berndt & friends, 6:00PM ROOM IX Fuego: Latin night, 9:00PM SANCTUARY BREWING COMPANY Adoptable Pet Night w/ Blue Ridge Humane Society, 6:00PM Tessia Doerfler (singer-songwriter), 7:00PM

DOUBLE CROWN Sonic Satan Stew w/ DJ Alien Brain , 10:00PM ELAINE'S DUELING PIANO BAR Dueling Pianos, 9:00PM FOGGY MOUNTAIN BREWPUB Siamese Jazz Club (jazz), 9:00PM FRENCH BROAD BREWERY Benjo Saylor from Brushfire Stankgrass, 6:00PM

SLY GROG LOUNGE Sound Station open mic (musicians of all backgrounds & skills), 7:30PM

GREY EAGLE MUSIC HALL & TAVERN Greg Payne & The Piedmont Boys w/ Corey Hunt (country), 9:00PM

THE BLOCK OFF BILTMORE Hemp Day w/ Endymion is the Moon (folk), 6:00PM THE MOCKING CROW Open Mic w/ Jeremy Indelicato & Susan Bargar, 8:00PM

ISIS RESTAURANT AND MUSIC HALL Warm December : An evening of Yuletide jazz, carols and songs, 7:00PM "Everybody is a Star" w/ Peggy Ratusz, 8:15PM

THE PHOENIX Jazz night w/ Jason DeCristofaro, 8:00PM

JACK OF THE WOOD PUB Bluegrass jam, 6:00PM

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

LAZOOM BUS TOURS The Krektones [SOLD OUT], 7:00PM

TOWN PUMP Open mic w/ Billy Presnell, 9:00PM

LAZY DIAMOND Marco Butcher w/ Burning Itch (rock 'n' roll, punk), 10:00PM

TRESSA'S DOWNTOWN JAZZ AND BLUES Blues & Soul Jam (blues, soul), 9:00PM WHITE HORSE BLACK MOUNTAIN The Core (jazz), 7:30PM

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 22 185 KING STREET Trufant & friends Holiday Jam, 8:00PM 5 WALNUT WINE BAR Pleasure Chest (blues, rock, soul), 8:00PM ALTAMONT THEATRE Grateful Dead Night w/ Phuncle Sam, 8:30PM ASHEVILLE GUITAR BAR Will Ray & The Space Cooties, 7:00PM BARLEY'S TAPROOM & PIZZERIA Alien Music Club | Holiday Songs, 9:00PM

LOBSTER TRAP Hank Bones ("The man of 1,000 songs"), 6:30PM ODDITORIUM Bloom w/ Fractured Frames & Ghostdog (rock, punk), 9:00PM

SANCTUARY BREWING COMPANY Just Carver (Americana), 7:00PM SCANDALS NIGHTCLUB DJ dance party & drag show, 10:00PM

DEC

30

FRI

DEC

STONE ROAD RESTAURANT & BAR Open Mic w/ Tony the Pony, 8:00PM

SAT

THE BLOCK OFF BILTMORE Unite! Open mic night (sign up @ 7 p.m.), 7:30PM THE JOINT NEXT DOOR Tricky Trivia w/ Sue, 8:00PM THE MOCKING CROW Acoustic night w/ Steve Moseley & Heath Lewis, 8:00PM

31

THE SUMMIT AT NEW MOUNTAIN AVL Summit Jam, 6:00PM

MON

OLIVE OR TWIST Michael Filippone's Guest Artist Night, 7:30PM

WHITE HORSE BLACK MOUNTAIN The Circus No. 9 (bluegrass, Americana), 7:30PM

ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Holiday Vybz w/ DJ Atreau & Haiku Bastard, 10:00PM

WXYZ LOUNGE AT ALOFT HOTEL WXYZ Unplugged, 8:00PM

CALVIN GET DOWN (LOCAL FUNK) 9pm

WINDOW CAT NYE CELEBRATION 9pm - 11:30pm

OPEN MIC

ft. ROOSTER

OPEN DRUM CIRCLE TUE

6pm

SPIN JAM 9pm

WED

TRAILHEAD RESTAURANT AND BAR Open Cajun & swing jam w/ Steve Burnside, 7:00PM TRESSA'S DOWNTOWN JAZZ AND BLUES Jesse Barry & The Jam (live music, dance), 9:00PM

MEMBERS OF LEFTOVER SALMON, STEEP CANYON RANGERS, AND MORE

8pm

TIMO'S HOUSE TRL REQUEST NIGHT w/ DJ Franco Nino, 7:00PM TOWN PUMP John Dickie (acoustic, singer-songwriter), 9:00PM

SONGS FROM THE ROAD BAND ft.

WEEKLY EVENTS

THE MOTHLIGHT Holiday Party (improv, comedy, music), 8:00PM

TWISTED LAUREL Karaoke, 8:00PM

ORANGE PEEL 15th Annual Make-A-Wish Christmas Party benefit w/ The Dirty Soul Revival, White Soul, Log Noggins, The Company Stores, Up Dog & more, 7:30PM

23

SPRING CREEK TAVERN Open Mic, 6:00PM

OFF THE WAGON Dueling pianos, 9:00PM

ONE WORLD BREWING Matt Sellars, 8:00PM

UPCOMING MUSIC

COCKTAIL NIGHT ft. DJ KYURI 9pm

THU

TAP TAKEOVER

ft. Local Brewery & Band

7:30pm

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 23 185 KING STREET Holiday Blues Bash w/ Lee Griffin & Brian Phillips, 8:00PM

MOUNTAINX.COM

DEC

18

SUN

GRATEFUL SUNDAY ft. DIRTY DEAD 8pm

796 RIVERSIDE DR. ASHEVILLE, NC BYWATER.BAR

DECEMBER 21 - DECEMBER 27, 2016

57

CLU B LA N D

Send your listings to clubland@mountainx.com

5 WALNUT WINE BAR Firecracker Jazz Band, 9:00PM ASHEVILLE GUITAR BAR Live Music, 7:00PM ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL A Very Jerry Xmas w/ Mother McCrary's Uptown Electric Jug Band, 9:00PM

BEN'S TUNE-UP Woody Wood & the Asheville Family Band (acoustic, folk, rock), 7:00PM

PISGAH BREWING COMPANY Holiday Travers Jam (open jam), 6:30PM

BURGER BAR Bike Night, 9:00PM BYRISH HAUS & PUB 3 Cool Cats (vintage rock 'n' roll), 7:30PM CLUB ELEVEN ON GROVE Hot Bachata Nights (salsa dance), 9:30PM CORK & KEG Old-Time Jam, 7:30PM CREEKSIDE TAPHOUSE Jason Homan (gospel), 7:00PM DOUBLE CROWN DJ Greg Cartwright (garage & soul obscurities), 10:00PM

SALVAGE STATION 80's Night w/ The Spazmatics, 9:00PM SANCTUARY BREWING COMPANY Jamison Adams Project (Americana), 8:00PM SCANDALS NIGHTCLUB DJ dance party & drag show, 10:00PM SCARLET'S COUNTRY DANCE CLUB Christmas Party at Scarlet's w/ White Soul Band (classic rock, Southern rock), 8:00PM THE ADMIRAL Hip-hop dance party w/ DJ Warf, 11:00PM THE BLOCK OFF BILTMORE What Will I Do About Christmas? w/ Barbara Bates Smith (one-woman play), 7:00PM LOOK Fridays Dance Party w/ DJ Audio, 10:00PM THE DUGOUT Mudlick, 9:00PM THE MOCKING CROW Closed for the holidays, All Day

ELAINE'S DUELING PIANO BAR Dueling Pianos, 9:00PM

THE MOTHLIGHT Holy Ghost Tent Revival (rock, soul, folk), 9:00PM

FOGGY MOUNTAIN BREWPUB Palm Sweat Quartet (funk, jam), 10:00PM

THE SOCIAL Steve Moseley (acoustic), 6:00PM Christmas Comedy Jam! w/ Hilliary S Begley, Scooter Fowler, Brandon Rainwater & more, 10:00PM

FRENCH BROAD BREWERY Ty Alan & Friends , 6:00PM GOOD STUFF Benjo Saylor (banjo, singer-songwriter), 8:00PM HIGHLAND BREWING COMPANY The Circus No. 9 (bluegrass, Americana), 7:00PM ISIS RESTAURANT AND MUSIC HALL Don Clayton's Lucky Man album release party, 8:30PM JACK OF THE WOOD PUB Bayou Diesel Cajun Christmas Dance Party, 9:00PM JERUSALEM GARDEN Middle Eastern music & bellydancing, 7:00PM K LOUNGE DJ Phantom Pantone (Korean pop, trap, dance), 10:00PM LAZY DIAMOND Rotating Rock 'n' Oldies DJs, 10:00PM LOBSTER TRAP Rob Parks Trio (swingin' grass), 6:30PM MARKET PLACE The Sean Mason Trio (groove, jazz, funk), 7:00PM O.HENRY'S/THE UNDERGROUND Drag Show, 12:30AM

THE SOCIAL LOUNGE Ultra Lounge w/ Phantom Pantone, 10:00PM TIGER MOUNTAIN Friday Nite Mash Up w/ B-Boy Evan & Nex Millen, 10:00PM TRESSA'S DOWNTOWN JAZZ AND BLUES Chuck Lichtenberger (jazz, dance), 7:00PM Lyric (funk), 10:00PM TWISTED LAUREL Request-powered dance party w/ Phantom Pantone, 10:30PM WHITE HORSE BLACK MOUNTAIN Ian Ridenhour & band (rock), 8:00PM WILD WING CAFE Andalyn Lewis Band, 9:00PM WXYZ LOUNGE AT ALOFT HOTEL WXYZ Electric, 8:00PM ZAMBRA Zambra Jazz Trio, 8:00PM

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 24

ODDITORIUM A Very Metal Xmas (metal), 9:00PM

ASHEVILLE GUITAR BAR Closed for the holidays, All Day

OFF THE WAGON Dueling pianos, 9:00PM

ATHENA'S CLUB Michael Kelley Hunter (blues), 6:30PM

OLIVE OR TWIST 42nd Street Band (big band jazz), 8:00PM ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Free Dead Fridays w/ members of Phuncle Sam (jam), 5:00PM Bald Mountain Boys, 10:00PM ONE WORLD BREWING Spanky, 9:00PM

MOUNTAINX.COM

PACK'S TAVERN DJ MoTo (dance hits, pop), 9:30PM PATTON PUBLIC HOUSE Marc Keller (acoustic classic rock), 6:00PM

BLUE MOUNTAIN PIZZA & BREW PUB Acoustic Swing, 7:00PM

DECEMBER 21 - DECEMBER 27, 2016

OSKAR BLUES BREWERY Zuzu Welsh, 6:00PM

ATHENA'S CLUB Dave Blair (folk, funk, acoustic), 7:00PM

BLACK MOUNTAIN ALE HOUSE Fox Medicine, 7:30PM

58

ORANGE PEEL Wham Bam Bowie Band! (David Bowie tribute), 9:00PM

BURGER BAR Asheville FM 103.3 DJ Night, 9:00PM DOUBLE CROWN Pitter Platter w/ DJ Big Smidge, 10:00PM ELAINE'S DUELING PIANO BAR Dueling Pianos, 9:00PM HIGHLAND BREWING COMPANY The Paper Crowns (indie, folk), 7:00PM

Wed•Dec 21 JERUSALEM GARDEN Middle Eastern music & bellydancing, 7:00PM LAZY DIAMOND Sonic Satan Stew w/ DJ Alien Brain, 10:00PM LOBSTER TRAP Sean Mason Trio (jazz), 6:30PM MARKET PLACE DJs (funk, R&B), 7:00PM O.HENRY'S/THE UNDERGROUND Drag Show, 12:30AM

MONDAY, DECEMBER 26 185 KING STREET Open mic night, 7:00PM 5 WALNUT WINE BAR Siamese Jazz Club (soul, R&B, jazz), 8:00PM ASHEVILLE GUITAR BAR Classical Guitar Mondays, 7:00PM BLUE MOUNTAIN PIZZA & BREW PUB Ben Phan (indie, folk, singer-songwriter), 7:00PM

OFF THE WAGON Dueling pianos, 9:00PM

BURGER BAR Honky Tonk night, 9:00PM

OLIVE OR TWIST Crown Jewels (1920s-1990s dance music), 8:00PM

BYWATER Open mic w/ Rick Cooper, 8:00PM

PACK'S TAVERN Grand Theft Audio (classic rock), 9:30PM

COURTYARD GALLERY Open mic (music, poetry, comedy, etc.), 8:00PM

PURPLE ONION CAFE Closed for the holidays, All Day

CREEKSIDE TAPHOUSE Trivia, 7:00PM

ROOM IX Open dance night, 9:00PM

DOUBLE CROWN Country Karaoke, 10:00PM

SANCTUARY BREWING COMPANY Yoga w/ Cats with Blue Ridge Humane Society, 10:00AM

GOOD STUFF Songwriter's "open mic", 7:30PM

THE ADMIRAL Soul night w/ DJ Dr. Filth, 11:00PM THE BLOCK OFF BILTMORE Christmas Eve Salsa Dance Night w/ DJ Malinalli & Audio, 12:00 AM THE MOCKING CROW Closed for the holidays, 11:59PM WHITE HORSE BLACK MOUNTAIN Annual free Christmas Eve Community Concert, 7:00PM WILD WING CAFE Karaoke, 9:00PM WXYZ LOUNGE AT ALOFT HOTEL WXYZ Live, 8:00PM ZAMBRA Zambra Jazz Trio, 8:00PM

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 25

JACK OF THE WOOD PUB Quizzo, 7:00PM Open Mic Night, 9:00PM

O.HENRY'S/THE UNDERGROUND Geeks Who Drink trivia, 7:00PM ODDITORIUM Risque Monday (burlesque), 9:00PM

Fri•Dec 23

Countdown to 2017!

THU. 12/22 Marc Keller (acoustic rock)

The Circus #9 7-9pm Sat•Dec 24 The Paper Crowns 5-7pm (closing at 7pm) Sun•Dec 25 Closed for Christmas Day

FRI. 12/23 DJ MoTo

Tue•Dec 27 Team Trivia 6-8pm

(dance hits, pop)

SAT. 12/24 Grand Theft Audio (classic rock)

20 S. Spruce St. • 225.6944 packStavern.com

OLE SHAKEY'S Jonathan Ammons & Take The Wheel (honky-tonk karaoke), 9:00PM OSKAR BLUES BREWERY Mountain Music Mondays (open jam), 6:00PM THE JOINT NEXT DOOR Trivial trivia w/ Geoffrey & Brody, 8:00PM THE SOCIAL LOUNGE Rooftop movies w/ Phantom Pantone DJ Collective, 8:00PM

CROW & QUILL Orphan's Christmas (potluck, movies), 10:00PM

TIGER MOUNTAIN Service industry night (rock 'n' roll), 9:00PM

DOUBLE CROWN Killer Karaoke w/ KJ Tim O, 9:00PM

UPCOUNTRY BREWING COMPANY Old-time jam w/ Mitch McConnell, 6:30PM

LAZY DIAMOND A Very Krektone Kristmas! w/ The Krektones, Russ Wilson & more!, 10:00PM

URBAN ORCHARD Old-time music, 7:00PM

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 27

OSKAR BLUES BREWERY Closed for the hlidays, All Day

5 WALNUT WINE BAR The John Henrys (hot jazz), 8:00PM

PURPLE ONION CAFE Closed for the holidays, All Day

550 TAVERN & GRILLE Shag Night, 6:00PM

SCANDALS NIGHTCLUB DJ dance party & drag show, 10:00PM

ASHEVILLE GUITAR BAR Gypsy Jazz Jam Tuesdays, 7:00PM

THE BLOCK OFF BILTMORE Plant-based Holiday Potluck w/ Caroling (benefit for Eliada Homes), 4:30PM

ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Tuesday Night Funk Jam, 11:00PM

THE SOCIAL Get Vocal Karaoke, 9:30PM

Eclectic Menu • Over 30 Taps • Patio 14 TV’s • Sports Room • 110” Projector Event Space • Shuffleboard Open 7 Days 11am - Late Night

LOBSTER TRAP Bobby Miller & Friends (bluegrass), 6:30PM

THE VALLEY MUSIC & COOKHOUSE Monday Pickin' Parlour (open jam, open mic), 8:00PM

THE OMNI GROVE PARK INN Lou Mowad (classical guitar), 10:00AM Bob Zullo (pop, rock, blues), 7:00PM

Holiday Show 5:30-7:30pm

Downtown on the Park

LEXINGTON AVE BREWERY (LAB) Kipper's "Totally Rad" Trivia night, 8:00PM

ASHEVILLE GUITAR BAR Closed for the holidays, All Day

OFF THE WAGON Piano show, 9:00PM

Woody Wood

TAVERN

BACK YARD BAR Open mic & jam w/ Robert Swain, 8:00PM BEN'S TUNE-UP Eleanor Underhill (country, soul), 7:00PM BLACK BEAR COFFEE CO. Round Robin acoustic open mic, 7:00PM

MOUNTAINX.COM

DECEMBER 21 - DECEMBER 27, 2016

59

A Christmas Story 6PM

12/29 cbdb FUTUREBIRDS 12/30

7PM DOORS 7PM DOORS

W/ CHRIS ROSSER AND MICHAEL LILLIE

8PM DOORS

12/28

cary cooper

W/ STEREOSPREAD AND ADIR L.C.

8PM DOORS

CREATURE COMFORT

WED

W/ THE HIGH DIVERS AND ALARM CLOCK CONSPIRACY

12/31

Yo Mama’s Big Fat Booty Band + THE BROADCAST

8PM DOORS

THU

DANCE PARTY W/ DJ MAD SCI

12/27

SAT

FRI

8PM DOORS

12/23

BRING US SOME FUNKIN’ PUDDING

W/ COREY HUNT

BLUE MOUNTAIN PIZZA & BREW PUB Mark Bumgarner (Americana, bluegrass), 7:00PM

FREE

8PM DOORS

12/22

GREG PAYNE AND THE PIEDMONT BOYS

TUE

THU

hristmas Vacation 8PM

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

Where The Blue Ridge Mountains Meet the Celtic Isles

MONDAYS Quizzo – Brainy Trivia • 7:30pm Open Mic Night • 9pm CAJUN TWO STEPPIN’ TUESDAYS

Featuring THE CREOLE & IN THE WAY

Every Tuesday in Nov. • 7pm Gumbo, Po Boys and more!

WEDNESDAYS Asheville’s Original Old Time Mountain Music Jam • 5pm THURSDAYS Mountain Feist • 7pm Bluegrass Jam • 9:30pm Bourbon Specials

BAYOU DIESEL CAJUN FRI CHRISTMAS DANCE 12/23 PARTY 9PM / $5

12/22 thu the deep end presents

holiday party:

improv, comedy, muisc & more

12/23

fri a home alone themed christmas party!

holy ghost tent revival

12/30 fri 12/31 1/5 1/6

the nude party

w/ ron gallo, the all arounders

sat big nye party w/ cover bands!

the traveling wilburys vol. 2 & tom petty

thu fri

sweet claudette '

galen holland s birthday ' party w/ 40-20-10 s!

w/ the nightshirts

Woodpecker Pie

BUFFALO NICKEL Trivia, 7:00PM BURGER BAR Old Time Blues Jam, 9:00PM BYWATER Spin Jam, 9:00PM CREEKSIDE TAPHOUSE Matt Walsh (blues), 6:00PM CROW & QUILL Boogie Woogie Burger Night (burgers, rock n' roll), 9:00PM DOUBLE CROWN Honky-Tonk, Cajun, and Western w/ DJ Brody Hunt, 10:00PM

IRON HORSE STATION Open mic, 6:00PM ISIS RESTAURANT AND MUSIC HALL Tuesday bluegrass sessions w/ John O & friends, 7:30PM JACK OF THE WOOD PUB Cajun Two-steppin' Tuesday w/ The Cre'ole & In the Way (Cajun, zydeco, dance), 7:00PM LAZY DIAMOND Heavy Metal Karaoke, 10:00PM LOBSTER TRAP Jay Brown (folk, singer-songwriter), 6:30PM MARKET PLACE Bob Zullo (rock, jazz, pop), 7:00PM

OLIVE OR TWIST Blues Night w/ Remedy, 8:00PM

9PM / $10

IRISH SUNDAYS Irish Food and Drink Specials Traditional Irish Music Session • 3-9pm

OLE SHAKEY'S Booty Tuesday, 11:00PM

ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Turntable Tuesdays (DJs & vinyl), 10:00PM ONE WORLD BREWING TRIVIA! w/ Ol' Gilly, 7:00PM OSKAR BLUES BREWERY Trivia night w/ DJ Josie Breeze, 6:00PM SANCTUARY BREWING COMPANY Taco and Trivia Tuesday!, 7:00PM THE BLOCK OFF BILTMORE Jazz-n-Justice Tuesday w/ Searra Jade & The Jazzy Folks (benefit for Seed Corn), 7:30PM THE JOINT NEXT DOOR Open jam w/ Rob Parks & Chuck Knott, 7:00PM THE PHOENIX Open mic, 8:00PM THE SOCIAL LOUNGE Phantom Pantone (DJ), 10:00PM

OPEN MON-THURS AT 3 • FRI-SUN AT NOON

TRESSA'S DOWNTOWN JAZZ AND BLUES Early Funk & Jazz Jam (funk & jazz), 9:00PM

Yoga at the Mothlight

Tues., Thurs., and Sat. 11:30am

CRAFT BEER, SPIRITS & QUALITY PUB FARE SINCE 1996

URBAN ORCHARD Billy Litz (Americana, singer-songwriter), 7:00PM

Details for all shows can be found at

95 PATTON at COXE • Downtown Asheville

themothlight.com

DECEMBER 21 - DECEMBER 27, 2016

252.5445 • jackofthewood.com

MOUNTAINX.COM

ASHEVILLE GUITAR BAR Brad Hodge & friends (singer-songwriter), 7:00PM BARLEY'S TAPROOM & PIZZERIA Dr. Brown's Team Trivia, 8:30PM BLUE MOUNTAIN PIZZA & BREW PUB Open Mic w/ Mark Bumgarner, 7:00PM BONFIRE BARBECUE Trivia Funtime w/ Kelsey, 8:00PM BURGER BAR Karaoke, 9:00PM BYWATER The Woodshed, 9:00PM

CROW & QUILL The Old Rose Duo (ambient rock), 9:00PM

SUN 12/25

NYE CELEBRATION SAT w/ WOODY WOOD & 12/31 THE FAMILY BAND

5 WALNUT WINE BAR Patrick Fitzsimons & Priscilla Hunt (folk), 5:00PM Les Amis (African folk), 8:00PM

GREY EAGLE MUSIC HALL & TAVERN Creature Comfort w/ Stereospread & Adir L.C. (indie space rock), 8:00PM

ODDITORIUM Odd comedy night, 9:00PM

TOWNSEND & THE FRI MATT WONDER 12/30 9PM / $5 OF THE WORLD

185 KING STREET Vinyl Night, 6:00PM

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

SAT CHRISTMAS EVE PARTY! CIRCUS NO. 9 12/24 7PM / $5 CLOSED FOR THE HOLIDAY

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 28

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

Savory and Sweet Hand Pies!

5pm to last call

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Send your listings to clubland@mountainx.com

BLACK MOUNTAIN ALE HOUSE Trivia, 7:30PM

5PM DOORS

12/21 C

MOVIE NIGHT

FRI

WED

CLU B LA N D

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

DOUBLE CROWN Classic Country w/ DJ David Wayne Gay, 10:00PM FUNKATORIUM Staves & Strings (bluegrass), 6:30PM GOOD STUFF Jim Hampton & friends perform "Eclectic Country" (jam), 7:00PM GREY EAGLE MUSIC HALL & TAVERN Cary Cooper w/ Chris Rosser & Michael Lille (singersongwriter), 8:00PM GRIND CAFE Trivia night, 7:00PM ISIS RESTAURANT AND MUSIC HALL An evening w/ Rhoda Weaver (acoustic, gospel), 7:00PM JACK OF THE WOOD PUB Old-time session, 5:00PM LAZY DIAMOND Killer Karaoke w/ KJ Tim O, 10:00PM LOBSTER TRAP Ben Hovey (dub, jazz), 6:30PM NOBLE KAVA Open mic w/ Caleb Beissert, 9:00PM O.HENRY'S/THE UNDERGROUND "Take the Cake" Karaoke, 10:00PM OFF THE WAGON Piano show, 9:00PM OLIVE OR TWIST 3 Cool Cats (vintage rock), 8:00PM ONE WORLD BREWING John The, 8:00PM PISGAH BREWING COMPANY Campfire Reverends w/ Company News & Fox Medicine, 6:00PM ROOM IX Fuego: Latin night, 9:00PM SANCTUARY BREWING COMPANY Adoptable Pet Night w/ Brother Wolf Animal Rescue, 6:00PM Karaoke Night!, 7:00PM SLY GROG LOUNGE Sound Station open mic (musicians of all backgrounds & skills), 7:30PM THE MOCKING CROW Open Mic w/ Jeremy Indelicato & Susan Bargar, 8:00AM

THE PHOENIX Jazz night w/ Jason DeCristofaro, 8:00PM THE SOCIAL LOUNGE DJ Phantom Pantone (international soul, R&B), 8:00PM

Mitch's Totally Rad Trivia Night, 7:00PM ONE WORLD BREWING Berlyn Trio, 8:00PM

TOWN PUMP Open mic w/ Billy Presnell, 9:00PM

ORANGE PEEL Mindshapefist w/ Amnesis & Telic (metal, rock), 8:00PM

TRESSA'S DOWNTOWN JAZZ AND BLUES Blues & Soul Jam (blues, soul), 9:00PM

OSKAR BLUES BREWERY Palace Doctor (garage rock), 6:00PM

WILD WING CAFE Ashley Heath (acoustic), 7:00PM

PULP Slice of Life Comedy Open Mic, 9:00PM

WILD WING CAFE SOUTH Jordan Okrend, 7:00PM

PACK'S TAVERN Jeff Anders & Jason Whitaker (acoustic rock), 8:00PM

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 29 185 KING STREET LeMasterpiece Music (indie, folk, rock), 8:00PM 5 WALNUT WINE BAR Pleasure Chest (blues, rock, soul), 8:00PM ALTAMONT THEATRE Honey Be Nice w/ Better Twin, 7:00PM ASHEVILLE GUITAR BAR Will Ray & The Space Cooties, 7:00PM ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Nth Power w/ Dynamo (soul, jazz, funk), 9:00PM BARLEY'S TAPROOM & PIZZERIA Alien Music Club (jazz), 9:00PM

PURPLE ONION CAFE David Childers & The Serpents (singer-songwriter), 8:00PM ROOM IX Throwback Thursdays (all vinyl set), 9:00PM SANCTUARY BREWING COMPANY Ben Phan (singer-songwriter), 7:00PM SCANDALS NIGHTCLUB DJ dance party & drag show, 10:00PM SPRING CREEK TAVERN Open Mic, 6:00PM STONE ROAD RESTAURANT & BAR Open Mic w/ Tony the Pony, 8:00PM THE JOINT NEXT DOOR Tricky Trivia w/ Sue, 8:00PM

BLACK MOUNTAIN ALE HOUSE Bluegrass Jam w/ The Big Deal Band, 8:00PM

THE MOCKING CROW Acoustic night w/ Steve Moseley & Heath Lewis, 8:00PM

BLUE MOUNTAIN PIZZA & BREW PUB Billy Litz (soul, roots), 7:00PM

THE SUMMIT AT NEW MOUNTAIN AVL Summit Jam, 6:00PM

BONFIRE BARBECUE Social Function, 8:30PM

TIMO'S HOUSE TRL REQUEST NIGHT w/ DJ Franco Nino, 7:00PM

BURGER BAR Garage/surf rock w/ DJ PAPA Wheelie, 9:00PM

TOWN PUMP The Paper Crowns, 9:00PM

CLADDAGH RESTAURANT & PUB Irish Music Thursdays, 7:00PM

TRAILHEAD RESTAURANT AND BAR Open Cajun & swing jam w/ Steve Burnside, 7:00PM

CROW & QUILL Carolina Catskins (gritty ragtime jazz), 10:00PM

TRESSA'S DOWNTOWN JAZZ AND BLUES Jesse Barry & The Jam (live music, dance), 9:00PM

DOUBLE CROWN Sonic Satan Stew w/ DJ Alien Brain , 10:00PM

TWISTED LAUREL Karaoke, 8:00PM

ELAINE'S DUELING PIANO BAR Dueling Pianos, 9:00PM FOGGY MOUNTAIN BREWPUB Sean Mason and friends (funk, jam), 10:00PM GOOD STUFF An English Place (rock), 6:00PM GREY EAGLE MUSIC HALL & TAVERN CBDB (prog rock, jam), 9:00PM ISIS RESTAURANT AND MUSIC HALL Jamie Laval's Scottish Solstice Holiday Celebration, 8:00PM JACK OF THE WOOD PUB Bluegrass jam, 7:00PM LAZY DIAMOND Heavy Night w/ DJ Butch, 10:00PM LOBSTER TRAP Hank Bones ("The man of 1,000 songs"), 6:30PM ODDITORIUM Goth night, 9:00PM OFF THE WAGON Dueling pianos, 9:00PM OLE SHAKEY'S O.S.O.M. Open Mic, 10:00PM OLIVE OR TWIST Michael Filippone's Guest Artist Night, 7:00PM ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 30 185 KING STREET DJ DOGG Dance Party, 8:00PM 5 WALNUT WINE BAR Juan Benavides Trio (Latin, Flamenco), 9:00PM ASHEVILLE GUITAR BAR Closed for the holidays, 11:59PM ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL The Goodies! (rock 'n' roll), 9:00PM ATHENA'S CLUB Dave Blair (folk, funk, acoustic), 7:00PM BEN'S TUNE-UP Woody Wood & the Asheville Family Band (acoustic, folk, rock), 7:00PM BLUE MOUNTAIN PIZZA & BREW PUB Acoustic Swing, 7:00PM BURGER BAR Bike Night, 9:00PM CORK & KEG One Leg Up (Gypsy jazz, Latin, swing), 8:30PM CREEKSIDE TAPHOUSE Spanky Twang, 7:00PM CROW & QUILL Maggie Valley Band (indie folk), 9:00PM

North Carolina’s First Cider Bar Family Owned & Operated Seasonal, craft-made hard ciders and tasting-room delights from local farmers & artisans.

COMING SOON wed 12/21 7:00PM – DE LA NOCHE:

Holiday Hours:

TANGO EXPERIENCE

8:30PM –CELEBRATE THE SEASON

Christmas Eve: Noon-10pm Christmas Day: 4pm-10pm

WITH SWEET CLAUDETTE AND BIG SOUND HARBOR thu 12/22

7:00PM – WARM DECEMBER: AN INTIMATE EVENING OF YULETIDE JAZZ, CAROLS AND SONGS FROM CHRISTMAS PAST WITH AMANDA HORTON

210 Haywood Road, West Asheville, NC 28806

8:15PM – EVERYBODY IS A STAR:

UPLIFTING SONGS TO CELEBRATE THE SEASON WITH PEGGY RATUSZ & FRIENDS

(828)744-5151

fri 12/23 8:30PM – DON CLAYTON CD RELEASE

www.urbanorchardcider.com

BENEFIT FOR LEAF tue 12/27 7:30PM – TUESDAY BLUEGRASS SESSIONS wed 12/28 7:00PM – RHODA WEAVER thu 12/29 6:30PM – HANNAH TELLE

ASHEVILLEFOODPARK.COM

8:00PM – JAMIE LAVAL’S

CELTIC CHRISTMAS fri 12/30

Happenings

7:00PM – LYRIC 10:00PM – PHILO (W/ MEMBERS OF

EMPIRE STRIKES BRASS) AND NATURAL BORN LEADERS: CD RELEASE PARTY sat 12/31

WED Ugly Sweater Contest & Party 12/21 6-9pm w/ Foothills Brewing Co.

Prizes, Gift Packs, Free Pint Glasses Winners Announced- 9pm

SAT Elf on a Bar Stool- Pot Luck 12/24 6-9pm at Cascade Lounge

Come and Dine, bring a dish!

8:30PM – NEW YEARS EVE WITH

THE HONEYCUTTERS, JON STICKLEY TRIO, AND TAYLOR MARTIN’S ENGINE thu 1/5

CASCADE LOUNGE: FULL BAR

MIKE GUGGINO AND BARRETT SMITH

EDNA’S CAFE & COFFEEHOUSE OPEN DAILY

6:00PM – JAY BROWN & FRIENDS 8:00PM – ITALIAN NIGHT WITH

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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Winter Hours: 2pm-1am, 7 Days

daily updates @

AshevilleFoodPark DECEMBER 21 - DECEMBER 27, 2016

61

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Send your listings to clubland@mountainx.com

DOUBLE CROWN DJ Greg Cartwright (garage & soul obscurities), 10:00PM ELAINE'S DUELING PIANO BAR Dueling Pianos, 9:00PM

TIGER MOUNTAIN Friday Nite Mash Up w/ B-Boy Evan & Nex Millen, 10:00PM

FOGGY MOUNTAIN BREWPUB Murmuration (funk, jam), 10:00PM

TOWN PUMP Jimmy & the Jawbones, 9:00PM

GREY EAGLE MUSIC HALL & TAVERN Futurebirds w/ The High Divers & Alarm Clock Conspiracy (psychedelic, country, rock), 9:00PM

TRESSA'S DOWNTOWN JAZZ AND BLUES Company Swing (swing, dance), 7:00PM Asheville Blues & Soul All Stars (blues, soul), 10:00PM

ISIS RESTAURANT AND MUSIC HALL An Evening w/ Lyric, 7:00PM New Year's Eve Eve CD release party w/ Philo, members of Empire Strikes Brass & Natural Born Leaders, 10:00PM JACK OF THE WOOD PUB Matt Townsend & The Wonder of the World (folk, indie, pop rock), 9:00PM JERUSALEM GARDEN Middle Eastern music & bellydancing, 7:00PM K LOUNGE DJ Phantom Pantone (Korean pop, trap, dance), 10:00PM

And

MONDAY: OPEN MIC Jam Session

7pm - 11pm TUESDAY: ELEANOR UNDERHILL Americana Roots Fusion

7pm - 10pm

WEDNESDAY: WINDOW CAT Future Soul, R&B, Jazz

8pm - 11pm

THURSDAY: CRIS COLEMAN Blues Experience

8pm - 11pm

FRIDAY: WOODY WOOD Live Acoustic Sounds

8pm - 11pm

SATURDAY: GYPSY GUITAR TRIO 3pm - 6pm WILDCARD SoulFunkJazzFuzion

9pm - 12am

SUNDAY: DUB KARTEL Roots, Rock, Reggae

BREWS East Asheville’s Craft Beer Destination

BEST DEALS IN TOWN

MON: Burgers & Trivia 7-9pm TUE: Tacos + Blues w/ Matt Walsh WED: Wings & Open Mic Jam - 7pm THU: Keegan Avery - 7pm (Feel Good) FRI: Jason Holman - 7pm (New Orleans Jazz) SAT: BBQ Nachos - 7pm (Closing Early) SUN: CLOSED MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Happy Holidays from the Creekside Fam!

Call us to book your next party!

Parties of 10+, please call ahead

6pm - 10pm

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DECEMBER 21 - DECEMBER 27, 2016

LAZY DIAMOND Rotating Rock 'n' Oldies DJs, 10:00PM

TWISTED LAUREL Request-powered dance party w/ Phantom Pantone, 10:30PM WHITE HORSE BLACK MOUNTAIN Sam Burchfield (folk), 8:00PM WILD WING CAFE A Social Function (acoustic), 9:00PM ZAMBRA Zambra Jazz Trio, 8:00PM

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 31

LOBSTER TRAP Calico Moon (Americana), 6:30PM

5 WALNUT WINE BAR Pleasure Chest (blues, rock, soul), 6:00PM Shake It Like A Caveman (rock 'n' roll), 10:00PM

MARKET PLACE The Sean Mason Trio (groove, jazz, funk), 7:00PM

550 TAVERN & GRILLE New Year's Eve Party w/ Flashback (Motown, R&B, dance), 9:00PM

O.HENRY'S/THE UNDERGROUND Drag Show, 12:30AM

ASHEVILLE GUITAR BAR Asheville Guitar Bar New Year's Eve Jam, 4:00PM

ODDITORIUM Variety hip hop/rock show, 9:00PM OFF THE WAGON Dueling pianos, 9:00PM ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Free Dead Fridays w/ members of Phuncle Sam (jam), 5:00PM Whiskey Dixie (rock), 10:00PM ONE WORLD BREWING Copernicus, 9:00PM ORANGE PEEL Papadosio w/ Midnight Snack (prog rock), 9:00PM

ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Ring in 2017 w/ Grass is Dead, 9:00PM ATHENA'S CLUB Michael Kelley Hunter (blues), 6:30PM AVENUE M New Year's Eve Dance Party, 5:00PM BLACK MOUNTAIN ALE HOUSE New Year's Eve w/ The Get Right Band (funk, rock, reggae), 10:00PM BLUE MOUNTAIN PIZZA & BREW PUB Mark Bumgarner (Americana, bluegrass), 7:00PM

OSKAR BLUES BREWERY Scott Low (indie, folk), 6:00PM

BOILER ROOM New Year’s Eve Bash w/ Three Dance Floors, DJ & Drag Show, 8:00PM

PACK'S TAVERN DJ MoTo (dance hits, pop), 9:30PM

BURGER BAR Asheville FM 103.3 DJ Night, 9:00PM

SANCTUARY BREWING COMPANY King Possum (Americana), 8:00PM

BUXTON HALL BBQ NYE '17 Modern Masquerade w/ DJ Chef Sarah Cousler, 10:15PM

SCANDALS NIGHTCLUB DJ dance party & drag show, 10:00PM SCARLET'S COUNTRY DANCE CLUB Open Mic night w/ Sam Warner, 8:00PM STONE ROAD RESTAURANT & BAR 3 Cool Cats (vintage rock 'n' roll), 7:30PM

CLUB ELEVEN ON GROVE New Year’s Eve Bash w/ Three Dance Floors, DJ & Drag Show, 8:00PM CORK & KEG New Year's Eve w/ Cafe Sho, 8:30PM

THE DUGOUT Landers Effect, 9:00PM

CREEKSIDE TAPHOUSE Island Bob, 6:00PM Hunter Grigg (singer-songwriter, folk, Americana), 8:00PM The Paper Crowns (indie, folk), 10:00PM

THE MOCKING CROW Trivia and karoke night!, 9:00PM

CROW & QUILL Firecracker Jazz Band, 9:00PM

THE MOTHLIGHT The Nude Party w/ Ron Gallo & The All Arounders (rock 'n' roll, rockabilly), 9:30PM

DOUBLE CROWN Pitter Platter w/ DJ Big Smidge, 10:00PM

THE ADMIRAL Hip-hop dance party w/ DJ Warf, 11:00PM

THE SOCIAL Steve Moseley (acoustic), 6:00PM THE SOCIAL LOUNGE Ultra Lounge w/ Phantom Pantone, 10:00PM

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THE SOUTHERN Dave Stone (comedy), 8:00PM

ELAINE'S DUELING PIANO BAR Dueling Pianos, 9:00PM FOGGY MOUNTAIN BREWPUB New Years Eve Party w/ Hustle Souls (roots, rock), 10:00PM

GREEN ROOM CAFE & COFFEEHOUSE Deb Bridges & The Groove (jazz, blues, funk), 6:00PM

New Year's Eve Party: "The Traveling Wilburys Vol. 2" & Tom Petty (Traveling Wilburys, Tom Petty tribute), 9:00PM

The King Zeros (delta blues), 7:30PM Tressa's Annual New Year's Eve Bash featuring Jesse Barry & The Jam (blues, dance), 8:00PM

GREY EAGLE MUSIC HALL & TAVERN Yo Mama's Big Fat Booty Band & The Broadcast (rock, funk, soul), 9:00PM

THE RIDGE AT NEW MOUNTAIN AVL New Year's Masquerade w/ Push/Pull, Empire Strikes Brass & more, 9:00PM

TWISTED LAUREL DJ Phantom Pantone, 11:00PM

HIGHLAND BREWING COMPANY Murmuration (groove, rock), 7:00PM

THE SOCIAL LOUNGE DJ Ryan G, 9:00PM

ISIS RESTAURANT AND MUSIC HALL New Years Eve w/ The Honeycutters & Jon Stickley Trio, 8:30PM

THE SUMMIT AT NEW MOUNTAIN AVL New Year's Masquerade w/ Push/Pull, Empire Strikes Brass & more, 9:00PM

JACK OF THE WOOD PUB New Year's Eve celebration w/ Woody Wood & The Family Band (rock, Appalachian soul), 9:00PM

THOMAS WOLFE AUDITORIUM Asheville Symphony: Joyous New Year, 8:00PM TRESSA'S DOWNTOWN JAZZ AND BLUES

WHITE HORSE BLACK MOUNTAIN New year's Eve Party w/ The Virginia Slims, Vollie Mckenzie & His Western Wildcats, 9:00PM WILD WING CAFE Karaoke, 9:00PM WXYZ LOUNGE AT ALOFT HOTEL DJ Phantom Pantone, 8:00PM ZAMBRA Zambra Jazz Trio, 8:00PM

JERUSALEM GARDEN Middle Eastern music & bellydancing, 7:00PM

NYE with ReggaeInfinity

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

K LOUNGE Phantom Pantone DJ Collective, 10:00PM LAZY DIAMOND Sonic Satan Stew w/ DJ Alien Brain, 10:00PM LOBSTER TRAP Sean Mason Trio (jazz), 6:30PM MARKET PLACE DJs (funk, R&B), 7:00PM NEW MOUNTAIN THEATER/ AMPHITHEATER New Year's Masquerade w/ Push/Pull, Empire Strikes Brass & more, 9:00PM ODDITORIUM NYE Celebration w/ Zin Vetro, Morbids & Fasion Bath (rock, punk), 9:00PM OFF THE WAGON Dueling pianos, 9:00PM OLIVE OR TWIST New Year's Eve Gala w/ 3 Cool Cats, Paula Hanke and a DJ, 8:00PM ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Vinyl Time Travelers New Years Eve Party, 10:00PM ORANGE PEEL GZA [CANCELLED], 9:00PM New year's Eve w/ Talib Kweli, RBTS WIN & Mike L!VE (hip hop), 9:00PM OSKAR BLUES BREWERY Oskar Blues New Years Hootenanny w/ Southern Culture on the Skids, Jonny Fritz & Pretty Little Goat, 7:00PM PACK'S TAVERN New Year's Eve Celebration w/ The Big Deal Band (bluegrass/covers) & DJ MOTO (dance hits, pop), 9:30PM PISGAH BREWING COMPANY Phuncle Sam's Free NYE, 9:30PM PURPLE ONION CAFE The Shana Blake Band (funk, R&B, rock), 8:00PM ROOM IX Open dance night, 9:00PM SALVAGE STATION New Year's Eve Bash w/ Laura Reed, Santos Glocal Soul & more, 7:00PM SANCTUARY BREWING COMPANY Yoga w/ Cats with Blue Ridge Humane Society, 10:00AM New Year's Eve w/ The Stipe Brothers!, 8:00PM SCANDALS NIGHTCLUB New Year’s Eve Bash w/ Three Dance Floors, DJ & Drag Show, 8:00PM SCARLET'S COUNTRY DANCE CLUB New year's Eve Red Carpet Gala w/ The Dixie Devils Band (Southern rock, country), 8:00PM THE MOTHLIGHT

MOUNTAINX.COM

DECEMBER 21 - DECEMBER 27, 2016

63

MOVIES

REVIEWS & LISTINGS

BY JUSTIN SOUTHER & SCOTT DOUGLAS

HHHHH =

M A X R AT I N G

H PICK OF THE WEEK H

Benoît Poelvoorde as “God,” hard at work in Jaco Van Dormael’s The Brand New Testament

The Brand New Testament HHHHS

DIRECTOR: Jaco Van Dormael PLAYERS: Pili Groyne, Benoît Poelvoorde, Catherine Deneuve, Yolande Moreau, David Murgia RELIGIOUS SATIRE RATED NR THE STORY: God lives in a small Brussels apartment, splitting his time between tormenting humanity with petty suffering and antagonizing his wife and daughter — until that daughter decides to follow

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DECEMBER 21 - DECEMBER 27, 2016

in her brother’s footsteps by taking matters into her own hands.

THE LOWDOWN: A subversive comedy, with a heart of gold, that may alienate some. But those open to its message will be richly rewarded.

The Brand New Testament is a remarkably singular film, a Gnostic satire with a massive heart barely concealed beneath its absurdist facade. Its premise, that God is a

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largely ineffectual tyrant living in a small Brussels apartment, may well prove too challenging to many viewers of a fundamentalist bent.

But those who indulge in a kneejerk reaction to Testament’s setup would be missing the film’s point if they take offense without adequate consideration of the message it conveys. This one will definitely be filed under the “Not for Everyone” heading, but The Brand New Testament is an adventurous film that takes

big chances in the pursuit of a payoff I think it largely attains.

Testament espouses a cosmology not unlike that of the Simonian or Valentinian Gnostics, in which the God of the Old Testament is a demiurge — in literal translation, a “public worker” — who set the events of creation in motion without any motivation beyond his own gratification. Unlike the neo-Platonic and neo-Pythagorean philosophies from which the term was adopted,

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YOUTH Asheville Museum of Science

Bounty & Soul

Children First

Asheville Music School

The Community Table

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Girls Rock Asheville

Asheville Jewish Community Center

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COMMUNITY Asheville Community Yoga

Helios Warriors Homeward Bound The Lord’s Acre MemoryCare

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Our VOICE Provision Asheville Special Olympics of Buncombe County

ARTS

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Orison Books Southern Highland Craft Guild ENVIRONMENT EcoForesters

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DECEMBER 21 - DECEMBER 27, 2016

65

M OVIES Gnostics viewed the demiurge as the engineer of all suffering, and the material world which he created as evil in and of itself. In this film — as in the Gnostic conceptions — he’s a bit of a jerk. Where director and cowriter Jaco Van Dormael diverges from these religious traditions is in his comedic tone and visual sensibility, rendering a Gilliam-esque world with surrealist overtones and a touch of Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Monty Python thrown in for good measure.

This is a world in which God busies himself with crafting Annoyances instead of Commandments, in which the other line is always faster and the toast always falls face down by divine decree rather than mere misfortune.

The implications of the title say a great deal about its content, as the film recounts the gospel of God’s slightly gothy 10-year-old daughter Ea through her rebellion against her father’s impotent despotism.

Ea is following the example of her beloved older brother, euphemistically referred to as simply “JC,” in her quest to gather apostles and write a new testament — or, more specifically, have one written about her by a homeless prophet with questionable spelling abilities. The heretical humor of the script could easily have come across as meanspirited, but Van Dormael and cowriter Thomas Gunzig strike a delicate balance between sarcasm and sacrilege that amounts to an almost miraculous achievement.

The film lags slightly in the second act as the new apostles are introduced, but pacing in this case is a reasonable sacrifice on the altar of character- and world-building.

Ea’s final act before fleeing her father’s house is to simultaneously text everyone in the world their exact time of death (thereby absolving them of their fear and uncertainty), and her apostles are a motley crew of the liberated who will use whatever time they have left to fully engage with life. It’s in the second act that Testament gets to its real purpose, which is not to decry the shortcomings of God but to prompt the audience to question the myriad ways in which we all waste our lives because we know that they will end, just not when.

Significantly, the resolution of the plot hinges on Ea’s mother, a repressed goddess preoccupied with cleaning and baseball until her overbearing husband is out of the picture (apparently, God prefers hockey).

This turning point in the narrative

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provides an absolutely essential statement on the historical relationship between the genders — especially in a religious context — and it’s carried flawlessly. The early Gnostics were a Christian sect predating the Catholic church that granted women equal status to men and allowed them to lead congregations, going so far as to venerate God’s female syzygy, Sophia. While Testament appears to be openly antagonistic toward women (and children) in its early chapters, it comes around like any Gnostic parable should under the story’s circumstances.

All of this talk about religion glosses over the fact that Testament is a profoundly funny and wellexecuted film. My illustrious predecessor would almost certainly have approved, even if only for the simian value of watching Catherine Deneuve romance a gorilla. Balancing farcical provocation and uplifting humanism, Van Dormael and Gunzig have delivered a film that has earned a place alongside masterpieces such as Life of Brian and The Last Temptation of Christ on my list of the best religious movies ever made. Those who can’t conceive of a joke about religion holding any value will be disgusted from the outset, a loss that will be strictly their own. Those harboring more tolerant sensibilities will find no shortage of appeal in this piece of irreverent Christmas counterprogramming. Not Rated.

French with English subtitles.

Opens Friday at Grail Moviehouse.

REVIEWED BY SCOTT DOUGLAS JSDOUGLAS22@GMAIL.COM

Collateral Beauty HS DIRECTOR: David Frankel PLAYERS: Will Smith, Edward Norton, Keira Knightley, Michael Peña, Naomie Harris, Jacob Latimore, Kate Winslet, Helen Mirren.

DRAMA RATED PG-13

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THE STORY: A New York ad exec struggles to find meaning in the sudden death of his young daughter by addressing his anger in a series of letters to Love, Time and Death, while his friends try to exploit his downward spiral into psychosis for their own financial benefit.

THE LOWDOWN: Treacly, exploitative melodrama with an accomplished cast, this film is indicative of the worst impulses toward holiday heartstring-pulling harbored by money-hungry studio heads, cynical writers and egotistical actors.

If anyone wants to sell a spec script to Will Smith, I think I’ve cracked the formula: Take a saccharine premise that allows him to be stoically noble in the face of tragedy, plug in some half-baked peripheral characters hitting unearned emotional beats and tack on a contrived happy ending.

The details don’t matter so much, just as long as it’s at least as melodramatic as The Pursuit of Happyness or Seven Pounds and offers plenty of opportunities for Smith to indulge in his lateperiod proclivity for eyebrow acting.

If anyone’s been dying to watch the Fresh Prince grimace for an hour and a half, your Christmas present has come early.

For those of you wondering what the title Collateral Beauty refers to, don’t worry. The film will let you know with a five-minute sequence in which the phrase is repeated half a dozen times without providing any real clarification. It’s almost as though screenwriter Allan Loeb was under the misguided impression that reiteration would render his euphemism significant — while, in fact, it only makes the whole thing seem significantly stupider. Loeb, the “writer” previously responsible for bringing to the screen a Kevin James MMA movie no one wanted (Here Comes the Boom) and the Miley Cyrus-Jeremy Piven team-up that less than no one wanted (So Undercover), deserves to be singled out because his script is an insult to anyone who has ever put one word next to another in an attempt convey meaning.

Loeb’s idea of a high-concept script is to shoehorn some tepid new-age navel-gazing into a pretentious, soulless retread of A Christmas Carol populated exclusively by unlikable onenote characters. Smith plays Howard, a grieving dad whose work has suffered following the death of his young daughter. Howard’s “friends” from work (Edward Norton, Kate Winslet, Michael Peña), concerned their cushy

jobs and luxuriant Manhattanite lifestyles are at risk, hire a private investigator to dig up some dirt on their bereaved boss. Upon discovering Howard has written hate mail to Love, Death and Time, they concoct a ruse to have him declared legally incompetent so they can take control of his successful advertising firm. To this end, they hire three actors (Keira Knightley, Helen Mirren, Jacob Latimore) to personify the natural forces who have drawn Howard’s ire — all in the hope of documenting his increasing kookiness by instigating confrontations and then editing the actors out. To say this overcomplicated scheme doesn’t make a hell of a lot of sense would be a severe understatement.

The plot’s inherent absurdity aside, the film falters on the basis of its shallow characterization and utterly ridiculous narrative implausibility.

Aside from the fact that their ploy to abscond with their friend’s livelihood makes them terrible people, Howard’s circle of associates have put into motion one of the most harebrained efforts to gaslight a character in the history of cinema. Incidentally, the film’s blunt attempt to explain its conceit by delineating the etymology of the verb “gaslight” made me wish someone had undertaken a similar conversation with Loeb regarding the term “lampshading.” Each character has exactly one motivating factor and approximately two defining characteristics, give or take. Norton wants to reconcile with his estranged daughter (kind of?). Winslet wants a baby. Peña wants to know his family will be cared for after his impending death. The actors played by Mirren, Knightley and Latimore don’t seem to want much more than to be paid for acting.

This does not make for compelling dramatic conflict. While the cast’s performances are generally competent, they’re also uniformly uninspired and underwhelming, but that’s probably the best that can be expected given the material they’re working with.

Little needs to be said of Collateral Beauty other than it’s a blatant case of Xmas exploitation, pure and simple. The fact that such a talented cast signed on for this sort of project is something of a mystery, but the film’s intentions cannot be called into question. While emotionally manipulative mawkishness can occasionally be affective — especially during the holiday season — this film provides ample evidence of the inverse. I was concerned I was being too tough on a movie which might have some hidden appeal I hadn’t quite grasped, but that was before one of the worst

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Rogue One: A Star Wars Story stabs at a twist ending I’ve ever seen reaffirmed my suspicion that this is, in fact, a terrible film. At one point, Smith’s Howard opines, “There’s no such thing as collateral beauty.” I only wish that were the case. Rated PG-13 for thematic elements and brief strong language.

Now Playing at Carmike 10, Carolina Cinemark, Regal Biltmore Grande, Epic of Hendersonville, Flat Rock Cinema.

REVIEWED BY SCOTT DOUGLAS JSDOUGLAS22@GMAIL.COM

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story HHHH

DIRECTOR: Gareth Edwards PLAYERS: Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Ben Mendelsohn, Donnie Yen, Mads Mikkelsen, Alan Tudyk, Riz Ahmed, Jimmy Smits, James Earl Jones, Wen Jiang, Forest Whitaker SCI-FI ACTION ADVENTURE RATED PG-13 THE STORY: The daughter of one of the Death Star’s chief architects must steal its plans, allowing the Rebels a chance to destroy it, while redeeming her father in the process.

THE LOWDOWN: The bleakest Star Wars film since The Empire Strikes Back, Rogue One is a great film that doesn’t quite ascend to perfection.

If box office figures can be taken as any indication, most of you have already seen Rogue One. I suspect many of you will wind up seeing it again over the holidays. If anyone was expecting Disney’s domination of nostalgia-driven film marketing to misstep, 2016 has not been the year.

Rogue One expands the already robust Star Wars universe, plugging a particularly glaring plot hole from the original trilogy while reinforcing the mythology that turned George Lucas’

low-budget space opera into one of the most profitable franchises in film history. In short, this film accomplishes exactly what it set out to achieve, and audiences predisposed to another dose of Star Wars after last year’s The Force Awakens will not be remotely disappointed.

Even with a running time extending beyond the two-hour mark, Rogue One is a tightly paced action spectacle with very little lag. Following the efforts of heroine Jyn Erso to steal the schematics to the Death Star that would provide the narrative momentum of A New Hope, the film adheres to the classic tropes established in the better installments of the franchise, throwing together a band of misfits and outcasts in the service of the Rebel Alliance’s quest to overthrow the Empire. The dramatic stakes are

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M OVI ES

by Scott Douglas

just as black and white as always, but the film’s depictions of good and evil allow for more gray area than any of the previous Star Wars films, contributing a level of enhanced tonality absent from Luke Skywalker’s prototypic Hero’s Journey.

The cast performs admirably, with Felicity Jones’ turn as Jyn likely to inspire thousands of Halloween costumes in years to come. Mads Mikkelsen and Forest Whitaker are characteristically impressive as Jyn’s biological and adoptive fathers, respectively. Diego Luna is perfectly proficient as Jyn’s foil, Cassian Andor, while Donnie Yen and Wen Jiang steal several scenes with their kung fu Jedi odd-couple act. Ben Mendelsohn is suitably slimy as the Death Star mastermind and commander, Orson Krennic. And it’s a rare pleasure to hear James Earl Jones voicing Darth Vader once again. But the real standout, surprisingly and somewhat improbably, is Alan Tudyk as reprogrammed Imperial droid K-2SO, whose sarcastic one-liners and spot-on comedic timing provide some much-needed relief from what would otherwise have been a pretty dour picture.

Director Gareth Edwards develops a sense of scale throughout the proceedings, with the Death Star eclipsing a sun to convey not only its physical stature but also the true extent of its metaphysical menace.

Edwards also knows his way around a fight scene, packing plenty of action and atmosphere into his CG-besotted galaxy and seeming equally at ease both with massive space battles as well as allowing Yen to dispatch Imperial troops via more traditional methods. His sets feel distinctive and original, whether revisiting the pseudo-Mesoamerican pyramids that make up the rebel base on Yavin 4 or establishing the Jedi holy city of Jedha as a Mecca-like pilgrimage site — while also referencing the contemporary destruction of such realworld religious relics as the Buddhas of Bamayan or, more recently, the Ziggurat of Nimrud.

Yes, Rogue One is very good, but it has enough drawbacks that I can’t quite call it perfect. These aren’t deal breakers on par with Jar Jar Binks or the insertion of digital dewbacks, but they warrant a

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mention. Particularly ill-conceived and poorly executed is the return of Peter Cushing as Grand Moff Tarkin. Or, to be more precise, the computer-animated ghost of the late Peter Cushing. Extensive scenes featuring this monstrosity of the uncanny valley indicate that the technology for reintroducing dead actors for posthumous performances is just not where it needs to be for integration in live-action cinema, and the results are immediately off-putting. But there are larger systemic problems with the script, which feels overstuffed in spite of its length and often serves spectacle at the expense of characterization.

Jyn’s character arc seems unduly compressed, and there are the distinct remnants of interesting story beats left on the cutting room floor during substantial rewrites.

Rogue One is a particularly dark film thematically, the first Star Wars movie to feel like an actual war film.

If there is indeed such a beast as a “hard PG-13” film, this would be an excellent case in point as the level of violence is remarkably high for a movie likely to be seen by a broad swath of children under the advised age. However, that violence is relatively bloodless and doesn’t go beyond anything on display in the majority of action-oriented media aimed at kids, so it’s likely that parents will have more of an aversion to the film’s substantial body count than their children, who are unlikely to bat an eye. If Return of the Jedi and Episode I were the nadir of the Star Wars films in terms of excessive pandering to children, Rogue One represents the zenith of emphasizing appeal to adults. While it may occasionally feel like an overreaction, this movie is undeniably worth watching if only for the chance to see Darth Vader massacre a bunch of red shirts. But then again, we all know you’ve already seen it at least once. Rated PG-13 for extended sequences of sci-fi violence and action.

Now Playing at Carmike 10, Carolina Cinemark, Grail Moviehouse, Regal Biltmore Grande, UA Beaucatcher, Epic of Hendersonville, The Strand Waynesville, Co-Ed Brevard.

REVIEWED BY SCOTT DOUGLAS JSDOUGLAS22@GMAIL.COM

STA RTI NG FRIDAY Due to holiday schedules, bookings may change after time of press.

Assassin’s Creed

Passengers

Big budget video game adaptation directed by Justin Kurzel(Snowtown; Macbeth) starring Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard. According to the studio, “Through a revolutionary technology that unlocks his genetic memories, Callum Lynch (Fassbender) experiences the adventures of his ancestor, Aguilar, in15th Century Spain.

Callum discovers he is descended from a mysterious secret society, the Assassins, and amasses incredible knowledge and skills to take on the oppressive and powerful Templar organization in the present day.” No early reviews.(PG-13) Opens Tuesday, Dec. 20

High-concept sci-fi blockbuster bait, directed by Morten Tyldum (Headhunters; The Imitation Game) and written by Jon Spaihts (Doctor Strange; Prometheus). According to the studio: “Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt star in an exciting action-thriller about two passengers who are on a 120-year journey to another planet when their hibernation pods wake them 90 years too early. Jim and Aurora are forced to unravel the mystery behind the malfunction as the ship teeters on the brink of collapse, with the lives of thousands of passengers in jeopardy.” Limited early reviews are thus far unfavorable.(PG-13) Opens Tuesday, Dec. 20

Fences

Another animated animal kiddie flick from Illumination (Secret Life of Pets), in which a koala tries to save his theater by staging a singing competition. Written and directed by Garth Jennings (The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy) and featuring a star-studed vocal cast including Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Seth MacFarlane, Scarlett Johansson and John C. Reilly among many others. Early reviews mixed to positive.(PG) Opens Tuesday, Dec. 20

Sing

Denzel Washington stars and directs this adaptation of the late August Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize and Tony Awardwinning stage play of the same name, with a screenplay written by Wilson before his death in 2005. Washinton and co-star Viola Davis reprise their roles from the 2010 Broadway revival in this story of a former baseball star (Washington) now working as a garbage collector in 1950s Pittsburgh, who struggles with everything from race relations to his son’s athletic aspirations as he navigates complex familial and interpersonal relationships. Early reviews are strongly positive.(PG-13) Opens Sunday, Dec. 25

The Brand New Testament See Scott Douglas’ review

MOUNTAIN

Why Him?

La La Land

Throwback musical written and directed by Damien Chazelle (Whiplash), according to the studio: Mia (Emma Stone), an aspiring actress, and Sebastian (Ryan Gosling), a dedicated jazz musician, are struggling to make ends meet in a city known for crushing hopes and breaking hearts. Set in modern day Los Angeles, this original musical about everyday life explores the joy and pain of pursuing your dreams.” Early reviews are overwhelmingly positive.(PG-13) Opens Saturday, Dec. 24

XPRESS

PRESENTS:

2016

Wellness Issues

Comedy starring James Franco and Bryan Cranston, directed by John Hamburg (Zoolander; Meet the Parents). According to the studio: “Over the holidays, Ned (Bryan Cranston), an overprotective but loving dad and his family visit his daughter at Stanford, where he meets his biggest nightmare: her well-meaning but socially awkward Silicon Valley billionaire boyfriend, Laird (James Franco). A rivalry develops, and Ned’s panic level goes through the roof when he finds himself lost in this glamorous high-tech world and learns that Laird is about to pop the question.” Early reviews are mixed, leaning negative.(R) Opens Friday, Dec. 23

SPECI AL S C REEN INGS

Coming Soon!

Black Christmas HHHH DIRECTOR: Bob Clark PLAYERS: Olivia Hussey, Keir Dullea, Margot Kidder, John Saxon, Andrea Martin HORROR Rated R Merry Christmas from the Thursday Horror Picture Show with Bob Clark’s Black Christmas (yes, the same Bob Clark who made A Christmas Story).

What better way to celebrate the season than with the original “slasher” picture? Yes, Black Christmas pretty much started it all — predating Halloween (1978), Friday the 13th (1980) and A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984). Though it flopped in 1974 (despite being rechristened Silent Night, Evil Night so it wouldn’t be mistaken for a blaxploitation picture), it has come to be recognized as the groundbreaking minor classic that it is. The plot is simple — sorority girls being offed one by one by a crazed killer in the house — but the execution is surprisingly clever, creepy and restrained. At its core, Black Christmas is essentially an “old, dark sorority house” picture, but it offers variations that would soon become conventions. It draws from the land of the urban myth with its “oh my God, the killer is in the house” development (it’s only a development to the characters; we’ve known it all along). That’s part of terrorized-babysitter lore that goes back at least to the 1950s —and almost certainly earlier. It quickly became a staple. The much-debated use of subjective camera, where the audience “becomes” the killer, is here, too. You may recall that this became a controversy — mostly due to Siskel and Ebert — in the early 1980s as an example of the depravity of modern horror where the audience is, by implication, doing the killing. This was said mostly in reference to Friday the 13th, but it’s also used here. (The theory fails to consider that — in both of these cases — the approach is less psychological than utilitarian, since it keeps the viewer from seeing who the killer is.) This excerpt was drawn from a review by Ken Hanke published on Dec. 15, 2015. The Thursday Horror Picture Show will screen Black Christmas Thursday, Dec. 22, at 9:15 p.m. at The Grail Moviehouse, hosted by Xpress movie critic Scott Douglas.

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FREEWILL ASTROLOGY ARIES (March 21-April 19): NPR’s Scott Simon interviewed jazz pianist and songwriter Robert Glasper, who has created nine albums, won a Grammy, and collaborated with a range of great musicians. Simon asked him if he had any frustrations — “grand ambitions” that people discouraged him from pursuing.

Glasper said yes. He’d really like to compose and sing hip-hop rhymes. But his bandmates just won’t go along with him when he tries that stuff. I hope that Glasper, who’s an Aries, will read this horoscope and take heart from what I’m about to predict: In 2017, you may finally get a “Yes!” from people who have previously said “No!” to your grand ambitions.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Humans have drunk hot tea for over two millennia. Chinese emperors were enjoying it as far back as the second century B.C. And yet it wasn’t until the 20th century that anyone dreamed up the idea of enclosing tea leaves in convenient one-serving bags to be efficiently brewed. I foresee you either generating or stumbling upon comparable breakthroughs in 2017, Taurus.

Long-running traditions or customs will undergo simple but dramatic transformations that streamline your life.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): “What you do is what counts and not what you had the intention of doing,” said Pablo Picasso. If I had to choose a single piece of advice to serve as your steady flame in 2017, it might be that quote. If you agree, I invite you to conduct this experiment: On the first day of each month, take a piece of paper and write down three key promises you’re making to yourself. Add a brief analysis of how well you have lived up to those promises in the previous four weeks. Then describe in strong language how you plan to better fulfill those promises in the coming four weeks.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): During the campaign for U.S. President in 1896, Democratic candidate William Jennings Bryan traveled 18,000 miles as he made speeches all over the country. But the Republican candidate, William McKinley, never left his hometown of Canton, Ohio. He urged people to visit him if they wanted to hear what he had to say. The strategy worked.

The speeches he delivered from the front porch of his house drew 750,000 attendees and played an important role in his election. I recommend a comparable approach for you in the coming months, Cancerian. Invoke all your attractive power as you invite interested parties to come see you and deal with you on your home turf.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): “Poetry is a way of knowledge, but most poetry tells us what we already know,” writes poet Charles Simic. I would say the same thing about a lot of art, theater, film, music, and fiction: Too often it presents well-crafted repetitions of ideas we have heard before. In my astrological opinion, Leo, 2017 will be a time when you’ll need to rebel against that limitation.

You will thrive by searching for sources that provide you with novel information and unique understandings. Simic says: “The poem I want to write is impossible: a stone that floats.” I say: Be on the lookout for stones that float.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): The Economist magazine reports that if someone wanted to transport $10 million in bills, he or she would have to use eight briefcases.

Sadly, after evaluating your astrological omens for 2017, I’ve determined that you won’t ever have a need for that many. If you find yourself in a situation where you must carry bundles of money from one place to another, one suitcase will always be sufficient. But I also want to note that a sizable stash of cash can fit into a single suitcase. And it’s not out of the question that such a scenario could transpire for you in the coming months. In fact, I foresee a better chance for you to get richer quicker than I’ve seen in years.

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LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): For a bald eagle in flight, feathers are crucial in maintaining balance. If it inadvertently loses a feather on one wing, it will purposely shed a comparable feather on the other wing. According to my analysis of the astrological omens, this strategy has metaphorical meaning for your life in 2017. Do you want to soar with maximum grace and power? Would you like to ascend and dive, explore and scout, with ease and exuberance? Learn from the eagle’s instinctual wisdom.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): In August 2012, a group of tourists visited the Eldgja volcanic region in Iceland.

After a while, they noticed that a fellow traveler was missing. Guides organized a search party, which worked well into the night trying to track down the lost woman.

At 3 a.m., one of the searchers suddenly realized that she herself was the missing person everyone was looking for. The misunderstanding had occurred many hours earlier because she had slipped away to change her clothes, and no one recognized her in her new garb.

This is a good teaching story for you to meditate on in 2017, Scorpio. I’d love to see you change so much that you’re almost unrecognizable. And I’d love to see you help people go searching for the new you.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): In 2017, you will be at the peak of your ability to forge new alliances and deepen existing alliances. You’ll have a sixth sense for cultivating professional connections that can serve your noble ambitions for years to come. I encourage you to be alert for new possibilities that might be both useful for your career and invigorating for your social life. The words “work” and “fun” will belong together!

To achieve the best results, formulate a clear vision of the community and support system you want.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Capricorn writer Edgar Allan Poe has been an important cultural influence. His work appears on many “must-read” lists of 19th-century American literature. But during the time he was alive, his best-selling book was not his famous poem “The Raven,” nor his short story “The Gold-Bug,” nor his novel The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket. Rather, it was The Conchologist’s First Book, a textbook about mollusk shells, which he didn’t actually write, but merely translated and edited. If I’m reading the astrological omens correctly, 2017 will bring events to help ensure that your fate is different from Poe’s. I see the coming months as a time when your best talents will be seen and appreciated better than ever before.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): “My goal is to create a life that I don’t need a vacation from,” says motivational author Rob Hill Sr. That’s an implausible dream for most people. But in 2017, it will be less implausible than it has ever been for you Aquarians. I don’t guarantee that it will happen. But there is a decent chance you’ll build a robust foundation for it, and thereby give yourself a head start that enables you to accomplish it by 2019. Here’s a tip on how to arouse and cultivate your motivation: Set an intention to drum up and seek out benevolent “shocks” that expand your concepts of who you are and what your life is about.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): The birds known as winter wrens live in the Puget Sound area of Washington.

They weigh barely half an ounce, and their plain brown coloring makes their appearance unremarkable. Yet they are the avian equivalents of the opera star Pavarotti. If they weighed as much as roosters, their call would be ten times as strong as the rooster’s cock-a-doodle-doo.

Their melodies are rich and complex; one song may have more than 300 notes. When in peak form, the birds can unleash cascades at the rate of 36 notes per second. I propose that we make the winter wren your spirit animal in 2017, Pisces. To a casual observer, you may not look like you can generate so much virtuosity and lyrical power. But according to my analysis, you can.

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OFFICE p YOUTH MEDIATION COOR- g ASHEVILLE PROGRAM MEDICAL/ DINATOR The Mediation Cen- I MANAGER The Asheville HEALTH CARE ter is hiring a full-time Youth A Program Manager will assist Mediation Coordinator for a in the creation, sales, market- OVERNIGHT PSYCH RNthe Henderson County office. f BEHAVIORAL HEALTH ing, recruitment, coordination, www.mediatewnc.org/jobs p and implementation of the URGENT CARE Overnight HIRING FULL-TIME THIRD s Asheville Homestay Camp Pro- PSYCH RNs needed for 24/7 SHIFT Eliada Homes is hiring f Behavioral Health Urgent Care gram. Full job description on Night Residential Counselors! TEACHING/ O xploreusa.org-contact-Work Make an impact in the lives of EDUCATION UNIT MANAGER ADULT i for Xplore.

816-589-6462 children in our community by CANOPY GUIDE-NAVITAT m CARE HOME We are seeking emily.terry@xploreusa.org providing overnight awake applicants for a Unit Manager CANOPY ADVENTURES Now a care to our students that are position with our care home. hiring for spring/summer 2017. i ages 12-17 and in need of menYour duties will include assisIf you are looking for a thrilling, N tance with activities of daily liv- tal health treatment. All direct educational and inspiring sea- d ing for our residents, personal care staff at Eliada help our sonal opportunity check us out i care and medication adminis- children develop the skills nec- at www.navitat.com. w essary to be successful memtration. bers of society. This is an excel- GO JOB OPPORTUNITY: f a lent opportunity for those with CURRENT POSITIONS A-B HUMAN SERVICES GO BUILD PROGRAM MANan interest in social work and AGER Green Opportunities is p Tech is currently taking applicae 2 POSITIONS • THE MEDIArelated fields to gain experitions for: • Veteran Services currently accepting resumes Coordinator • Student Life TION CENTER Is hiring for 2 ence and training. This position for a full-time GO Build Pro- y r positions in Henderson Coun- comes with excellent benefits Advisor • Purchasing Card and gram Manager. Compensation Compliance • Event Facilities ty's Family Visitation Program. including paid leave time, for this position is $27,000 P t No phone calls, faxes, emails or amazing insurance plans and Attendant positions. For more walk-ins accepted. See website discounts at various business- to $34,000, please visit N details and to apply: www.greenopportunities.org b for details. mediatewnc.org www.abtech.edu/jobs es! Eliada offers a team focused for more information. w environment that fosters learning and growth while you make GO JOB OPPORTUNITY: an impact in the lives of North TEACHING CHEF Green Carolina's youth. Applicants Opportunities is currently must be able to stay awake and accepting resumes for a partCLINICIANS Meridian Behavioral Health Services is seeking alert overnight; a minimum of a time Teaching Chef. Compen- F sation for this position is $14.00 NC licensed or Associate high school diploma/GED MOUNTAIN TECH SPA MAN- licensed clinicians to join our required; must be at least 21; to $16.00 per hour, please visit O must be able to work in high www.greenopportunities.org p AGER/RECEPTIONIST A-B recovery oriented organization high stress for more information. in the beautiful North Carolina pressure, $ Tech is currently taking

T H E N E W Y O R K TI M ES CR OSSWOR D PU ZZLE SERVICES BEAUTY/SALON TEACHER WANTED Trails Carolina Wilderness, a yearround experiential and adventure based therapeutic wilderness program for boys and girls ages 10-17 based in Transylvania County North Carolina, is seeking a Licensed Teacher to join its staff. Interested applicants should email copies of their resume, teaching license, 3 letters of reference, and any pertinent wilderness certifications (WFR, CPR, etc.) to jwhitworth@trailscarolina. com www.trailscarolina.com

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES PAID IN ADVANCE! Make $1000/week mailing brochures from home! No experience required. Helping home workers since 2001! Genuine opportunity. Start immediately! www.IncomeStation.net (AAN CAN)

HAIR BY IRINA GRINDSTAFF 828-989-2463 www.hairbyirinagrindstaff.com hairbyirinagrindstaff@gmail. com Walk-ins welcome (wait time may vary).

HOME IMPROVEMENT HANDY MAN HIRE A HUSBAND • HANDYMAN SERVICES Since 1993.

Multiple skill sets. Reliable, trustworthy, quality results. $1 million liability insurance. References and estimates available. Stephen Houpis, (828) 280-2254.

ARTS/MEDIA ANNOUNCEMENTS GRAPHIC DESIGNER NEEDED Highly skilled designer needed for page layout and creating compelling advertising, The ideal candidate has excellent graphic design and layout skills for print publication, has experience working with style guides and adhering to brand structures, understands project management, can thrive in a fast-paced environment, is exceptionally organized and deadline-driven, and has excellent communication skills, strong attention to detail, an exceptional creative eye and a desire to ensure high quality output. You must have the proven ability to create original, effective advertising and marketing materials, and to assist in the layout of our weekly print publication and guides. Candidates must: • Be able to simultaneously handle multiple projects • Be proficient in Adobe CSC programs (inducing, InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, and Acrobat) • Be able to prepress and troubleshoot a variety of file types and to work interdepartmentally to organize, schedule and maintain workflows. • Be fluent in the Mac OSX platform • Be able to interface with other departments in the company. • Have a minimum of 2-3 years graphic design experience Newspaper, and web-ad design experience a plus. This is a part time time position with opportunity to become full-time. Other skills such as admin or writing ability are a plus. Email cover letter explaining why you believe you are a good fit, your resume, and either a URL or PDF of your design portfolio to: design@mountainx.com.

No applications or portfolios by mail, and no phone calls or walk-ins, please.

XCHANGE FURNITURE OUTDOOR FURNITURE 8 piece. Restoration Hardware. $650. Call 712-5815.

ANNOUNCEMENTS CASH FOR CARS Any Car/Truck 2000-2015, Running or Not! Top Dollar For Used/Damaged. Free Nationwide Towing! Call Now: 1-888-420-3808 (AAN CAN) MAKE THE CALL TO START GETTING CLEAN TODAY Free 24/7 Helpline for alcohol & drug addiction treatment. Get help! It is time to take your life back! Call Now: 855-732-4139. (AAN CAN) PREGNANT? CONSIDERING ADOPTION? Call us first. Living expenses, housing, medical, and continued support afterwards.

Choose adoptive family of your choice. Call 24/7. 877-362-2401.

(AAN CAN)

ACROSS

1 Like a virgin 7 “Apocalypse Now” setting, familiarly 10 ___ fides (credentials) 14 Bees collect it 15 Altar vow 16 Olympian war god 17 Easily bruised fruit 18 “This weighs a ___!”

19 Jacob’s first wife 20 Bob Cratchit’s job in “A Christmas Carol” 21 City called the “Silicon Valley of India” 23 Like yellow 17-Acrosses 25 College in New Rochelle, N.Y. 26 Org. with a “100 Years … 100 Movies” list 29 Ask “Can I?” repeatedly, say 30 Musher puller 34 Little Italian girls 37 Actress Davis of “Beetlejuice” 38 Bad to the bone 39 Hang-ups 42 Chows down 43 Ball’s partner 45 Post-lunch pick-me-up 47 British soldier in the Revolution Therapeutic Massage: Deep Tissue, Swedish, Trigger Point, Reflexology. Energy, Pure Therapeutic Essential Oils. 30 therapists.

Call now! thecosmicgroove.com

50 Computer cooler 51 Mini-albums, informally 52 Hawaiian coffee region 53 Basics 55 Hendrix famously used one in his Woodstock rendition of “The StarSpangled Banner” 59 Record of the year 63 Granny 64 Like most knock-knock jokes 65 Cool, in the 1960s 66 Hamburger holders 67 When doubled, a 2010s dance 68 Duke Ellington’s “Take the ___” 69 Pub orders 70 Tee preceder 71 1960s TV icon whose name follows a pair of letters found, appropriately, 16 times in this puzzle’s Across answers

DOWN

1 News network with a stock ticker 2 Get better 3 Teen’s affliction 4 Bart or Ringo 5 Modest two-piece bathing suit

FREE TAROT AND CONSULTATION (ABOUT ANYTHING.) Hello reader, if you would like a hidden insight into your past present and future or would like an outside consultation on an issue, leave a message at 252597-5894 (donations appreciated.)

CLASSES & WORKSHOPS CLASSES & WORKSHOPS CLAY CLASSES AT ODYSSEY CLAYWORKS Scratching The Surface with Laura Peery, Put A Lid On It with Cayce Kolstad, Beginner Wheel with Julia Weber, Garden Planters with Cynthia Lee, Online Marketing with Raina Lee Scott, Narrative Sculpture with Mac McCusker, Bottles and Plates with Becca Floyd, Valentine's Day Pottery For Couples

MIND, BODY, SPIRIT

LOCAL INDEPENDENT MASSAGE CENTER OFFERING BEST BODYWORK IN ASHEVILLE December Special- 60 minute Deep Tissue for $65! All massage therapists are skilled and dedicated. Deep Tissue, In tegrative, Prenatal, Couples, Reflexology.

Complimentary tea room. Beautifully renovated space. Convenient West AVL location. Free parking in lot.

(828)552-3003 ebbandflowavl@charter.net ebbandflowavl.com

COUNSELING SERVICES

BODYWORK

#1 AFFORDABLE COMMUNITY CONSCIOUS MASSAGE AND ESSENTIAL OIL CLINIC 4 locations: 1224 Hendersonville Rd., Asheville, 505-7088, 959 Merrimon Ave, Suite 101, 7851385 and 2021 Asheville Hwy., Hendersonville, 697-0103. 24 Sardis Rd. Ste B, 828-633-6789 • $33/hour. • Integrated

HYPNOSIS | EFT | NLP Michelle Payton, M.A., D.C.H., Author | 828-681-1728 | MichellePayton. com | Dr. Payton’s mind over matter solutions include: Hypnosis, Self-Hypnosis, Emotional Freedom Technique, NeuroLinguistic Programming, Acupressure Hypnosis, Past Life Regression, Mindful Writing Coaching.

Find Michelle’s books, audio and video, sessions and workshops on her website.

RETREATS

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

SHOJI SPA & LODGE * 7 DAYS A WEEK Day & Night passes, cold plunge, sauna, hot tubs, lodging, 8 minutes from town, bring a friend or two, stay the day or all evening, escape & renew! Best massages in Asheville 828-299-0999.

FOR MUSICIANS EQUIPMENT FOR SALE GUITAR SPEAKERS AMP 2 Bang and Olufson speakers, 1 Beomaster amp $585. Gibson

edited by Will Shortz

6 Time in history 7 Silent screen actress Naldi 8 Dreamboat 9 Genghis Khan, e.g.

10 Singer of love songs 11 Cookie that started as a Hydrox knockoff 12 Close 13 Tennis player who posthumously received a Presidential Medal of Freedom 21 Kicked off 22 Rare blood type, for short 24 Gives a bad review 26 Build-___ Workshop (toy retailer) 27 QB Brett 28 “Why should ___?” (“No, it doesn’t bother me”) 31 Early American diplomat Silas 32 Available from a keg 33 Crowd reactions to a daredevil 35 2015 Whitey Bulger biopic 36 Maple syrup, essentially 40 Achieve great success 41 Mop, as a deck 44 Quickly pan (in)

1995 USA Nighthawk Fireburst electric guitar. Great condition. $950. Call 712-5815.

MUSICAL SERVICES NOW ACCEPTING STUDENTS IN JAZZ PIANO, COMPOSITION, AND IMPROVISATION (ALL INSTRUMENTS). Michael Jefry Stevens, “WNC Best Composer 2016” and “Steinway Artist”, now accepting students in jazz piano, composition, and improvisation (all instruments).

35 years experience. M.A. from Queens College (NYC). Over 90 cds released. 9179161363. michaeljefrystevens.com WHITEWATER RECORDING Mixing • Mastering • Recording. (828) 684-8284 whitewaterrecording.com

PETS PET SERVICES ASHEVILLE PET SITTERS Dependable, loving care while you're away. Reasonable rates.

Call Sandy (828) 215-7232.

PROFESSIONAL AND RELIABLE PET CARE IN YOUR HOME! Mountain Pet Valet is an experienced pet sitting service with commitment to your pet's needs! Daily dog walks, pet visits and overnight stays. Mention ad for 10% off!

(828)-490-6374 www.mountainpetvalet.com

No. 1116

46 Microsoft’s defunct digital encyclopedia 48 Question repeatedly posed by Ferris Bueller’s teacher 49 Indian drums similar to bongos 54 Embarrassing laugh accompanier 55 Org. for the New York Liberty

PUZZLE BY JIM PEREDO

56 Lug 57 Diarist Frank 58 Citrus drinks 60 Chomsky who wrote “Syntactic Structures” 61 Big name in sports shoes 62 Country singer Loretta 65 Gift of ___

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE

AUTOMOTIVE MOTORCYCLES/ SCOOTERS FOR SALE 2004 POLARIS RANGER 6X6 $2250. 746 Hours, Kept under roofed enclosure, many upgrades. Call: 520-222-7110 5202227110

RECREATIONAL VEHICLES FOR SALE 1981 SHULTZ MOBILE HOME 14 x 70 ft. 3BR, 1.5BA. Fair condition. Needs to be moved from property. $6,000, price negotiable. (828) 7475002.

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

ADULT

Furniture Magician • Cabinet Refacing • Furniture Repair • Seat Caning • Antique Restoration

ADULT

• Custom Furniture & Cabinetry

LIVELINKS CHAT LINES Flirt, chat and date! Talk to sexy real singles in your area. Call now!

(877) 609-2935. (AAN CAN)

MOUNTAINX.COM

Paul Caron

(828) 669-4625

• Black Mountain

DECEMBER 21 - DECEMBER 27, 2016

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