Mountain Xpress 12.25.13

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DEcEmBER 25 - DEcEmBER 31, 2013

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contEnts contact us pagE 22

Sacred activism This year was brimming with activism and civic engagement, much of it orchestrated by members of the local faith and spiritual communities. This week, Xpress highlights how they’re taking a stand for justice — and how their actions are inextricably linked to their spirituality.

letters to the editor to LEttERs@mountainx.com

coVER DEsign Caroline Stoltzfus photo (LEft) Marilynne Herbert

business news to BusinEss@mountainx.com

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Will I be required to go to court when I file for bankruptcy?

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Features

or try our easy online calendar at mountainx.com/EVEnts

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food news and ideas to fooD@mountainx.com

8 tRain Buffs Craggy Mountain Line looks to the future

wellness-related events/news to mxhEaLth@mountainx.com. venues with upcoming shows cLuBLanD@mountainx.com

nEws

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11 tEach anD tEch Grant funds pilot program at Hall Fletcher Elementary

place a web ad at wEBaDs@mountainx.com

wELLnEss

34 aLL symBoLs aRE not cREatED EquaL A look at food packaging in local markets

a&E

19 Dancing with spiRit Birth dancing fosters a connection among women

fooD

question about the website? wEBmastER@mountainx.com

42 fRom BLack Light to staRLight New Year’s Eve events across WNC

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About 30 days after filing the bankruptcy petition and schedules, you will attend a hearing presided over by a bankruptcy trustee. This hearing is called the “First Meeting of Creditors”, however, there are generally no creditors present at the meeting. The trustee is not a judge, but an attorney, appointed by the Bankruptcy Administrator to oversee your case. At the First Meeting of Creditors, the trustee will ask questions answered under oath regarding the content of your bankruptcy papers, your assets, debts and other financial matters. One of our attorneys will appear at the First Meeting of Creditors on your behalf. You will not be harassed or belittled at the meeting. Your discharge or forgiveness of debts will normally arrive in the mail about 65 days after the hearing, and a second appearance in Court is rarely required.

(828) 251-1333 fax (828) 251-1311

48 pLaiD tiDings Appalachian and Celtic traditions meet at Christmas in Scotland

find a copy of xpress jtaLLman@mountainx.com

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LEttERs caRtoon: moLton caRtoon: BREnt BRown community caLEnDaR conscious paRty smaLL BitEs statE of thE aRts smaRt BEts cLuBLanD moViEs ashEViLLE DiscLaimER cLassifiEDs fREEwiLL astRoLogy ny timEs cRosswoRD

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Bentley Leonard, Attorney A Board Certified Specialist in Consumer Bankruptcy Law

274 Merrimon Ave., Asheville, NC 28801 828-255-0456 Mr. Leonard is a debt relief agency helping people file for bankruptcy since 1973.

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Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. Mountain Xpress is available free throughout Western North Carolina. Limit one copy per person. Additional copies may be purchased for $1 payable at the Xpress office in advance. No person may, without prior written permission of Xpress, take more than one copy of each issue.

To subscribe to Mountain Xpress, send check or money order to: Subscription Department, PO Box 144, Asheville NC 28802. First class delivery.

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By Mountain Xpress aDVERtising copyRight 2013

By Mountain Xpress aLL Rights REsERVED

opinion

Send your letters to the editor to letters@mountainx.com. staff

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caRtoon By RanDy moLton

Support men who experience sexual trauma This letter responds to the article “Breaking the Silence” [Dec. 18 Xpress] regarding sexual violence experienced by men. I applaud the comments made by John Langlois, who courageously speaks out against this heinous crime that affects both women and men. This issue has been raised in the military and was the subject of a Dec. 14 report in The Baltimore Sun. According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, at least 1 in 100 men who use the VA report that they have experienced military sexual trauma (MST), which also includes repeated, threatening acts of sexual harassment as defined by the VA. I suspect that the published rates of MST are much higher since a large number of male (and female) veterans do not use VA services. Given the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s report that 1 in 6 men experience sexual abuse before age 18, I believe that many more military servicemen (and women) have been victimized. However, due to the military’s warrior mentality, men will often not report their experience

due to legitimate fears of reprisal and stigmatization.

Since the experience of MST can result in depression, anxiety, post traumatic stress disorder, substance abuse, employment issues and attempted suicide, this is indeed a serious public safety and public health issue that should be discussed openly in order to create a safe environment where women and men feel comfortable seeking help essential to healing and well-being.

— Celia Szelwach Asheville

A place for poetry I wonder why there is no poetry printed in your paper, when it was once a common fact of everyday culture to have verses printed.

Yeats was printed in local newspapers. Do you think it a virtue to have such possible genius stamped out?

I don’t work in the newspaper business. I’m a poet, editor and classicist. Why is the highest of the arts — as Hegel saw it — exempted from our paper? Surely, you don’t think so low of the population that they would find no interest in it.

A fine — sharp as a knife — editor would be required, but I can’t think that an impossibility.

contRiButing EDitoRs: Jon Elliston, Peter Gregutt, Rob Mikulak contRiButing wRitERs: Jonathan Ammons, Sharon Bell, Brandy Carl, Bridget Conn, Michael Franco, Steph Guinan, Ursula Gullow, Jordan Lawrence, Max Miller, Kyle Sherard, Toni Sherwood, Katie Souris, Justin Souther, Micah Wilkins

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opinion

The absence of poetry in your publication reduces its value.

Asheville is a city of culture, alive for the rhythms of the imagination and ripe for such a particle.

I don’t mean to criticize, but to wonder and suggest.

Ezra Pound once said, “Poetry is news that stays news.” Why print the progeny of Bob Novak over a potential Yeats, Olson, Melville or Archilochos?

— Steven Manuel Asheville Editor’s response: We do print poetry occasionally — this spring, our Kids Issue featured poems, as did our more recent story on Community High School. We also do a poetry contest every now and then. But we long ago decided to leave poetry (and fiction) up to local publications that do it so well, such as Rapid River Magazine and the Asheville Poetry Review.

Carbon dioxide does not cause global warming Among the many false beliefs with which people have been brainwashed, the belief that human generation of carbon dioxide is causing the Earth’s atmosphere to heat up is one of the most pervasive.

It’s disappointing to see public officials like Brownie Newman forcing this false belief on the rest of us [“Buncombe Commissioners Set Bar High for Carbon Reductions,” Dec. 17 Xpress].

They do it by repeating, parrotlike, the same false assertions that they themselves have been brainwashed with, e.g., the science is settled — humans are causing climate change.

Adolf Hitler and Joseph Goebbels formulated the principle of “The Big Lie.” If you choose a lie that’s big enough and keep repeating it over and over, the people will come to believe it.

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

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caRtoon By BREnt BRown

Such is the case with the big lie that CO2 caused by human activity is causing global warming, now deceptively termed “climate change.”

Just dress it up with an appearance of science and environmentalism and people will believe anything.

CO2 is not a pollutant and has never caused the atmosphere to warm. Even the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change admits that there has been no warming over the last 16 years.

The pursuit of energy efficiency is worthy, but basing it on a false premise is deluded.

— Michael Ivey Haw Creek

Dangerous highway is a disgrace Does anyone doubt that the 50 yards or so past Westgate on Interstate 240 west is the worst piece of highway in North Carolina? And every halfhearted attempt to patch it up only seems to make matters worse. My guess is that nothing serious will get done until a busload of clueless tourists goes out in a blaze of glory and all three networks salivate over the recriminations that follow. In any case, it’s a disgrace to our fair city, don’t you think?

— Brad Kepley Alexander

EDitoR’s notE In last week’s food article about Katuah Market, a new grocery store in Biltmore Village [“Katuah Market Stocks the Shelves,” Dec. 11 Xpress], it was reported that the store would have 54 employees upon opening. Marketing director Nicole White informed Xpress that since publication, the number of employees has grown to 74.

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N E W S

Train buffs With an eye on history, Craggy Mountain Line looks to the future By hayLEy BEnton

hbenton@mountainx.com 251-1333 ext. 128

Railfans, train buffs, trainspotters, tetsu-oka, gunzels — whatever the moniker, train enthusiasts of almost any nationality would know the green-and-yellow 1950 Alexander Railroad Company ALCO diesel engine No. 7 parked at Craggy Mountain Line in Woodfin.

They’d also find an open-air passenger car from the Tweetsie Railroad, a red Southern Caboose 488 and Car 9505, built in Sanford, N.C., for the Chicago Burlington & Quincy Railroad.

And that’s just the highlights at Craggy Mountain Line, a nonprofit dedicated to preserving three miles of historic track first used in 1904 as a transit system in Asheville and Woodfin.

This past holiday season, children jumped on the nonprofit’s annual Jingle Bell Trolley Train Ride.

They shouted greetings of “Merry Christmas!” and huddled together atop the restored engine while Bing Crosby’s “White Christmas” rang through the still air and echoed down the track. It was a journey back in time, with folks dressed festively in Santa hats, clutching hot cocoa in mittened hands as they climbed aboard a parked 1925 trolley car that shielded them from the cold winter weather outside.

The ride did more than transport visitors (and two intrepid Xpress reporters) down a short section of the track in North Asheville and Woodfin. It raised much-needed funds for the nonprofit, founded by railroad engineer Rocky hollifield in 2001.

“I’ve always wanted to do this,” he says. “I came to Weaverville in the late ‘90s, and I saw this railroad, walked down here and fell in love

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with it. I began to pray and said, ‘Help me somehow to do this.’”

After 18 years as an engineer for the Great Smoky Mountain Railway in Sylva, Hollifield notes, “I’ve always loved trains. That’s what I do.

I live, eat, breathe and sleep trains.”

How’d he come up with the holiday idea? “Honestly, the idea came from the song ‘Jingle Bells,’” Hollifield explains. “We’re an oldfashioned-type railroad. We’re trying to make you feel like you walked back into the 1940s.” He says to visitors, “Did y’all get that feeling? That you walked back in time? That’s our goal here.”

Hollifield and his all-volunteer crew have their eye on the long haul, with big plans for the future, including the addition of a ticket office, restaurant, retail store and museum, all set to inhabit the various collected antique train and trol-

mountainx.com

tRain LoVER: “I’ve always loved trains,” says railroad engineer Rocky Hollifield, who founded the historic Craggy Mountain Line in 2001. He poses here with a restored No. 7 1950 ALCO diesel engine from the Alexander Railroad Company.

Photo by Jesse Farthing.

ley cars purchased and restored throughout the years.

“It takes a lot of money to do this,” Hollifield says of his restoration work on the historic track. “So we formed a nonprofit and got the track, but it took a long time to get it. After that, we brought it to life.”

A team of volunteers have laid track, spread gravel, spruced up rail-car interiors and fixed engines. Their work is never-end-

ing and always evolving. Original plans called for a large structure to serve as the depot, but Hollifield and his team have recently decided to go another route due to the lack of available space on the small, pieshaped property.

“We went back to the original idea we had — to turn the railroad cars into our facility,” Hollifield explains, pointing to a few of the parked train cars. “And these cars — this will be the depot. We’ll build a loading platform, level with the cars, kind of like a subway platform.

Each car will be something.

“The subway car will be a ticket office,” he continues, referencing the American Car and Foundry Company 1935 New York City subway car 983 that’s an on-site work-in-progress.

“Right now, we have 18-20 pieces, and on the train, we use about three to five cars. We don’t plan on making

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WEDNESDAY TRIVIA NIGHT it any bigger. We don’t have that far to go. We’re not a long, tourist, scenic railroad [like the Tweetsie Railroad or the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad]. This is more of a museum ride. The green car will even be a walkthrough museum, where you can learn a little bit about the railroad history in Asheville.”

Visitors, he envisions, can learn about the first trains that rolled into Buncombe County in 1879 and, a year later, pulled into Biltmore Village.

While the Jingle Bell Trolley Train Run transported its last passengers of the season on Dec. 21, Craggy Mountain Line offers year-round train rides and excursions, from weekend group trips to private parties and picnics, which venture up the track to Woodfin Park.

“We’ve been able to restore the railroad to give passengers a 7.5 mile trip,” Hollifield says. “The [Jingle Bell Trolley Train Run] trip just runs a mile — that’s ‘Santa’s track.’

During the summer, we run the whole line.”

When visitors wish to rent the train for private parties, they “rent the train for two to two-and-a-half hours,” Hollifield says. “Basically the railroad is yours [for that time]. And in the summer and in the fall and things, we have evening train rides.”

One of the most pressing goals at the railroad is to electrify the track, which currently propels only trolley cars run-

aLL aBoaRD: The Craggy Mountain Line relies on volunteers like Phil Brown, who operated the Jingle Bell Trolley Train Run for the holiday season.

Photo by Carrie Eidson

ning on gasoline motors and the 1950 ALCO diesel engine. Once the track is electric, the deck is built and more cars are restored, the Craggy Mountain Line will be able to ride up to 100 passengers at once, with four or five trains running throughout the day, Hollifield says.

“Craggy Mountain line is one of the best kept secrets in Asheville,” Hollifield says with a smile. “We haven’t done a lot of advertising on purpose. If 100 people show up at our door right now, it’s going to scare us. We want a couple hundred people to come, but we want them to come in increments.

We’re not going gung-ho yet. The facilities aren’t ready yet. Once we get it a little closer to how it should be — handicap-accessible and all the things we plan on doing, then we’ll be ready to ride all day.”

The Jingle Bell Trolley Train Run, which ran from Saturday, Nov. 30, to this past weekend, just completed its second year — and gained enough attention to put the Craggy Mountain Line

on the region’s radar for up-andcoming attractions.

The holiday run “does raise several thousand dollars for us, and all the money we get, from tickets and donations — whatever we do, is put right back into the railroad to make it grow,” says Hollifield.

On the day Xpress got on board, the train shouted a warning, and passengers climbed out of the warm, parked trolley car, ambled across the street, and climbed aboard the two open-air cars on the opposite side of the road. Christmas lights and tinselgarland swung from the roof as the 1927 Asheville streetcar began to roll and Hollifield waved goodbye from the sidelines with a smile.

“I have loved trains all my life,” he says, smiling. “My mom told me I used to sit up in the car seat and point at trains as they went by down in Biltmore.”

And it’s easy to see that lifelong passion in every tie on the historic track, as Hollifield and Craggy Mountain Line volunteers turn the original 1904 line into a functional railroad once again.

“Folks just want to see this come to life. They just want to see this railroad bring some history back to Asheville.”

For more information about Craggy Mountain Line, go to CraggyMountainLine.com. X

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Story and graph by Steph Guinan

The electric slide WNC power generation declines

percent. Thanks to the region’s steep mountain grades and rivers, there are 22 hydroelectric plants in WNC — a significant portion of such plants statewide, according to the WNC Vitality Index.

In North Carolina, coal provides 39.9 percent of electricity generation. Nuclear sources account for 31.1 percent of the total electricity produced in the state, which made North Carolina fifth in the nation for nuclear power generation in 2011.

Although there are three new solar plants in Cherokee County, these produce a comparatively low wattage compared to the other sources.

In 2012, Progress Energy and Duke Energy merged, creating the largest electric utility in the country. It serves North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana and parts of Ohio.

It’s less than it used to be, but most of Western North Carolina’s electricity comes from coal — nearly 60 percent. WNC also gets a higher percentage of its from hydropower than the rest of the nation, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

In the U.S. in 2012, coal generated 37.4 percent of all electricity.

WNC tracks significantly higher with 58.7 percent of its electricity generation coming from coal, although since 2008, the region has had a 52.8 percent decline in coal power. WNC’s coal comes mostly from mines in Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky and Pennsylvania. Shipments to North Carolina are primarily through rail and truck.

Hydroelectricity, meanwhile, clocked in at 41.2 percent of electricity generation and has been a steady source of power in region.

The national average is just 6.8

Asheville Arden Hominy Valley

For more information on electricity use in the United States, go to the Energy Information Administration website at eia.gov/electricity. X

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by Carrie Eidson

ceidson@mountainx.com

251-1333 ext. 114

Grant funds pilot program at Hall Fletcher Elementary

Teach and tech In a fourth-grade classroom at Hall Fletcher Elementary, two boys are huddled around the pint-sized table they use as their desk. One is reading from Page 72, problem No. 4, in his math book. As the pair work through the problem, the second boy chronicles the process, recording each step on an iPad cradled in his hands.

“I’m always asking the kids how many teachers are in the room,” says Vince floriani, English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher at Hall Fletcher. “They’ll say 19 — because they are the teachers now.”

If you’ve ever wondered how grant funds are applied in classrooms, this is a prime example: These fourth-graders are part of a pilot program that launched at Hall Fletcher earlier this year that is backed by a grant from the Asheville City Schools Foundation. The grant helped Floriani and fourth-grade teacher Brian Randall incorporate a blend of technology and a new teaching model: Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol.

SIOP aims to help students better understand content and build their English language skills through methods that are incorporated into the regular lesson. In Randall’s classroom, the method begins with having all students explain how they are working through their lessons — which is where the technology comes in.

“The whole idea with the iPads is that they’re a seamless part of the day,” says Randall. “The students use them to show how they’re thinking.

“There’s always a language and a content objective,” Randall continues. “So if I’m asked to subtract 48 from 100, it’s not just that I know how to solve the problem; it’s that I can explain how I found the difference between a two-digit and a three-digit number.”

If students can explain how they solve problems or can repeat that process back to classmates, they gain a deeper understanding of the material, he explains. The process doesn’t just apply to math — in biology class, for example, Randall’s students were asked not just to name a bone, but to explain how that bone functions with the rest of

Two Hall Fletcher fourth-graders use an iPad to show how they solved a math problem as part of a grant-funded pilot program at Hall Fletcher Elementary.

Photo by Carrie Eidson

the body. The students then created audio slideshow presentations on their iPads to show they had mastered the material.

Beyond comprehension, the second goal of SIOP is to have students explain their thought processes using academic language. Instead of using phrases such as “How much is left?” or “What do I get when I combine?” students will start asking about “differences” and “sums.” Though all the students in Randall’s class speak English, academic vocabulary such as “function,” “theme,” “capacity“ or “hypothesis” may be confusing to any student, even native speakers. But Floriani says understanding how to use academic language is crucial to a student’s performance in school.

“We think that just because we all speak English, that everyone understands us,” Floriani says. “But we use a lot of idioms, vocabulary, concepts that are

harder to understand, even if you were born here.”

Floriani says a further adoption of the SIOP method will train teachers to be sensitive to how English language learners interact with the language, to think about the pacing of their speech or the incorporation of visual elements as ways to increase comprehension of the material.

As for the technology aspect, Randall says the students had no problem incorporating the iPads into their daily routine.

“The kids knew how to use the iPads right away,” Randall says. “I always joke that I show them the arrow, they show me how to change its color.”

For more information about SIOP, go to siop.pearson.com.

To learn more about the Asheville City Schools Foundation, go to acsf.org. X

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C O M M U N I T Y

C A L E N D A R

DEc. 25 - DEc. 31, 2013

Unless otherwise stated, events take place in Asheville, and phone numbers are in the 828 area code.

Day-By-Day caLEnDaR is onLinE Want to find out everything that’s happening today, tomorrow or any day of the week? Go to www.mountainx.com/events.

Calendar Deadlines fREE anD paiD Listings Wednesday, 5 p.m.

(7 days prior to publication) can’t finD youR gRoup’s Listing?

Due to the abundance of great things to do in our area, we only have the space in print to focus on timely events. Our print calendar now covers an eight-day range.

For a complete directory of all Community Calendar groups and upcoming events, please visit www.mountainx.com/events.

In order to qualify for a free listing, an event must cost no more than $40 to attend and be sponsored by and/or benefit a nonprofit. If an event benefits a business, it’s a paid listing.

If you wish to submit an event for Clubland (our free live music listings), please e-mail clubland@mountainx.com.

ExpLoRing LoVE anD DEath thRough aRt: A Girl and A Gun, Asheville Artists Cope With Love and Death, curated by Taiyo la Paix, is the sixth exhibit in Asheville Area Arts Council’s “Point of View” series, where artists work as the curators. The show is on display through Jan. 24. (p. 12)

fREE Listings onLinE (best) http://www.mountainx.com/events/submission E-maiL (second best) calendar@mountainx.com fax (next best) (828) 251-1311, Attn: Free Calendar maiL Free Calendar, Mountain Xpress, P.O. Box 144, Asheville, NC 28802 in pERson Mountain Xpress, 2 Wall St. (the Miles Building), second floor, downtown Asheville.

Please limit your submission to 40 words or less. Questions? Call (828) 251-1333, ext. 365.

AnimAls Pet loss suPPort GrouP • 1st WEDNESDAYS, 6pm - A support group for anyone who has lost a pet or is anticipating the death of a pet will be held at 21 Edwin Place. Free. Info: 258-3229.

Art

paiD Listings Paid listings lead the calendar sections in which they are placed, and are marked (pd.). To submit a paid listing, send it to our Classified Department by any of the following methods. Be sure to include your phone number, for billing purposes.

E-maiL marketplace@mountainx.com. fax (828) 251-1311, Attn: Commercial Calendar maiL Commercial Calendar, Mountain Xpress, P.O. Box 144, Asheville, NC 28802 in pERson Classified Dept., Mountain Xpress, 2 Wall St. (the Miles Building), Ste. 214, downtown Asheville. Questions?

Call our Classified Department at (828) 251-1333, ext. 335.

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DEcEmBER 25 - DEcEmBER 31, 2013

AmericAn Folk Art And FrAminG Oui-Oui Gallery is located at 64 Biltmore Ave. Mon.-Sat.: 10am-6pm; Sun.: noon5pm. Info: amerifolk.com or 281-2134.

• WE (12/25) through WE (1/22) Work from self-taught artists from the Southeast.

Art At Asu Exhibits take place at Appalachian State University's Turchin Center for the Visual Arts, unless otherwise noted. Tues.Thurs. & Sat., 10am-6pm; Fri., noon-8pm.

Donations accepted. Info: tcva.org or 262-7338.

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• ONGOING - Susan Webb Tregay: Contemporary Art for Adult Children will be on display in the Community Gallery.

• ONGOING - Photographs by Hugh Morton: An Uncommon Retrospective will be on display in Galleries A and B. • ONGOING - Orna Bentor: Landscapes Within will be on display in the Mayer Gallery.

• ONGOING - Men Working: The Contemporary Collection of Allen Thomas, Jr. will be on display in the Main Gallery.

Art in the AirPort GAllery Located on the pre-security side of the Asheville Regional Airport terminal.

Open to the public during the airport’s hours of operation. Info: art@flyavl.com or flyavl.com.

• Through FR (1/3) - The gallery's 19th exhibition will feature works from six local artists.

Art-in-heAlinG GAllery Coordinated by the Caldwell Arts Council, the gallery is located in the Caldwell Memorial Hospital, 321 Mulberry St. NW, Lenoir. Hours: 7am-8pm, daily. Info: 7542486 or caldwellarts.com.

• WE (1/1) through FR (3/28) - Paintings

by Theresa Gloster.

Asheville AreA Arts council GAllery 346 Depot St. Tues.-Sat., 11am-4pm.

Info: ashevillearts.com or 258-0710.

• Through FR (1/24) - A Girl and A Gun: Asheville Artists Cope With Love and Death Asheville Art museum Located on Pack Square in downtown Asheville. Tues.-Sat., 10am-5pm and Sun., 1-5pm. Programs are free with admission unless otherwise noted.

Admission: $8/$7 students and seniors/children under 4 free. Free first Wednesdays from 3-5pm. Info: ashevilleart.org or 253-3227.

• ONGOING - Rebels With a Cause, a traveling exhibition of artwork from the Huntsville Museum of Art. • ONGOING - Esteban Vicente: The Art of Interruption will feature paintings, drawings and collages.

• Through SU (3/9) - Cityscapes, works

by Ben Aronson.

BellA vistA Art GAllery 14 Lodge St. Hours: Mon., Wed., & Thurs., 11am-4pm; Fri. & Sat., 11am5pm. Info: bellavistaart.com or 768-0246.

• Through FR (1/31) - Works by Karen Jacobs and photographs by Paul Owen.

BlAck mountAin center For the Arts 225 W. State St., Black Mountain. Mon.Fri., 10am-5pm. Info: BlackMountainArts. org or 669-0930.

• Through (1/24) - Clay studio exhibit and ceramics sale in the Upper Gallery.

Free.

BlAck mountAin colleGe museum + Arts center The center, which preserves the legacy of Black Mountain College, is located at 56 Broadway St., Asheville. Tues. & Wed., noon-4pm; Thurs.-Sat., 11am5pm. Info: blackmountaincollege.org or 350-8484.

• ONGOING - Shaping Craft and Design.

Blue sPirAl 1 38 Biltmore Ave. Mon.-Sat., 10am-6pm, and Sun., noon-5pm. Info: bluespiral1. com or 251-0202.

• Through TU (12/31) - A group show will feature ceramics by Josh Copus and Marlene Jack, photography by John Dickson and paintings by Peggy N. Root. cAstell PhotoGrAPhy 2-C Wilson Alley. Tues.-Sat., by appointment. Fri. & Sat., 11am6pm. Info: castellphotography. com or 255-1188.

• Through SA (1/11) - NEXT: New Photographic Visions. elements sPA And shoP Located at 29 W. French Broad St., Brevard. Hours: Sat.-Wed.: 9am-6pm. Thu: 9am-7pm. Info: 884-2701 • Through WE (1/8) - Paintings

by Karen Keli Brown.

Folk Art center MP 382 on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Open daily from 9am6pm. Info: craftguild.org or 298-7928.

• Through TU (1/28) - Book arts

by Annie Fain and fiber wearables by Martha Owen will be on display in the Focus Gallery.

Foundry 92 Charlotte St. Hours: Mon.Sat., 10am-6pm. Info: digfoundry.com.

• Through TU (12/31) - Talula Love Bottoms: Echoes Collection by Maryanne Pappano.

GAllery 86 86 N. Main St., Waynesville.

Mon.-Sat., 10am-5pm. Info: haywoodarts.org.

• Through SA (12/28) - It’s a Small, Small Work featuring Matthew Zedler and others.

Grovewood GAllery Located at 111 Grovewood Road. April-Dec. Mon.-Sat., 10am-6pm & Sun., 11am-5pm.

Info: grovewood.com or 253-7651.

• Through TU (12/31) - Beauty from Wood: Natural and Paper Forms, bowls and vessels by Bill Luce and paper works by Leo Monahan. n.c. ArBoretum Located at 100 Frederick Law Olmsted Way. 9am-5pm daily.

Info: ncarboretum.org or 665-2492.

• ONGOING - A LEGO brick sculpture exhibit will feature works by Sean Kenney.

Push skAte shoP & GAllery Located at 25 Patton Ave. Mon.Thurs., 11am-6pm; Fri. & Sat., 11am-7pm; Sun., noon-6pm.

Info: pushtoyproject.com or 225-5509.

• Through FR (1/3) - The Crossroads a multi-media exhibit

by Adam Void. seven sisters GAllery 117 Cherry St., Black Mountain.

Mon.-Sat.: 10am-6pm; Sun.: noon-5pm. Info: sevensistersgallery.com or 669-5107.

• Through SU (3/16) - Acrylics and oils by Bridgette MartinPyles. the Bender GAllery 12 S. Lexington Ave. Hours: Mon.-Sat., 10:30am-5pm; Sun., noon-5pm. Info: thebendergallery.com or 505-8341.

• Through TU (12/31) - Through the Future, Brightly, works

by Eunsuh Choi and Adam Waimon.

Auditions & cAll to Artists Adult short story contest • Through WE (1/15) - The Friends of the Black Mountain Library will accept submissions to their annual Adult Short Story Contest. Info and guidelines: 250-4756. ncwn writinG contests The North Carolina Writers' Network is nonprofit literary arts service for writers of all stages.

Info and submission guidelines: ncwriters.org • Through (1/30) - Submissions will be accepted for the Thomas Wolfe Fiction Prize. The winner, to be announced in April, will receive $1,000 and possible publication in The Thomas Wolfe Review. $25/$15 NCWN members.

• Through FR (1/17) Submissions will be accepted for the 2014 Rose Post Creative Nonfiction Competition, open to residents of NC and NCWN members. $12/ $10 for members. youth tAlent comPetition • Through WE (1/15), 5pm Young artists may sign up for Transylvania Community Arts Council's Performing Arts Talent Competition, held Jan. 31.

Ages 10-17. $5 application fee.

Info: tcarts@comporium.net or 884-2787. {re}hAPPeninG cAll For Artists • Through WE (1/1) - Black Mountain College Museum & Arts Center's {Re}Happening seeks artists for the annual event, which recreates the "hap-

penings," or artists gatherings, at BMC. Info: rehappening.com.

BeneFits AurorA studio BeneFit • MO (12/30), 6-9pm - Hyphen Coffeehouse, 81 Patton Ave., will host a benefit for Aurora studio & Gallery, a planned supportive art studio for artists in recovery. Free to attend with donations encouraged. Info: aurorastudio-gallery.com. deck the trees • Through TU (12/31) - Deck the Trees, a display of decorated Christmas trees to benefit the swannanoa valley christian ministries, will be held at The Monte Vista Hotel, 308 West State St., Black Mountain.

Free to attend with donations encouraged.

675 hour Massage Certification Program Accepting applications for April 2014

Discounts Available!

New Location - 707 Haywood Rd. #001, (West) Asheville

828-252-7377 • www. AshevilleM assageSchool. org

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leAF schools And streets • WEDNESDAYS, 5-7pm - Wine tasting and jazz, to benefit leAF schools and streets, will be held at 5 Walnut Wine Bar, 5 Walnut St. $5. Info: theleaf.org or Jocelyn@theLEAF.org.

Business & technoloGy Asheville mAkersPAce tech tuesdAy • TUESDAYS, 6pm - Asheville Makers, "a group for people who make stuff," meets weekly to discuss projects and welcome new volunteers. Held at Top Floor Studio Coworking, 9 Walnut St. Info: ashevillemakerspace.org.

Goodwill cAreer clAsses Info and registration: 298-9023, ext. 1106.

• ONGOING - Classes for those interested in careers in the food and hotel industries. Hands-on training includes American Hotel and Lodging Association certification. $25.

• MONDAYS through THURSDAYS, 9am-noon General Education Diploma classes. Intake process required.

• MONDAYS & WEDNESDAYS, 5:30-8:30pm - English as a second language class.

• ONGOING - Entry-level computer classes.

• TUESDAYS & THURSDAYS, 1:30-4pm - Classes for those interested in medical office support careers. Fee waived for job seekers.

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DEcEmBER 25 - DEcEmBER 31, 2013

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by Hayley Benton & Carrie Eidson

community caLEnDaR

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Send your event listings to calendar@mountainx.com.

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Fun fundraisers

clAsses, meetinGs & events criBBAGe GAtherinG • MONDAYS, 6pm - A weekly cribbage game will meet at Atlanta Bread Company, 633 Merrimon Ave. All levels welcome. Free. Info: peter.ely@ gmail.com. emBroiderers' Guild monthly meetinG • TH (1/2), 9:30am-noon The Laurel Chapter of the Embroiderers' Guild of America will hold its monthly meeting with a program on doll making. Held at Cummings United Methodist Church, 3 Banner Farm Road, Horse Shoe. Info: 686-8298 or 575-9195.

Four seAsons toAstmAsters • WEDNESDAYS, 8-9am - Four Seasons Toastmasters will meet at Lake Pointe Landing, 333 Thompson St., Hendersonville.

Info: fourseasonstoastmasters. com.

Aurora art fights addiction what: Aurora Studio and Gallery benefit party, supporting art therapy programs for individuals recovering from addiction, mental health issues and/or homelessness. whERE: Hyphen Coffeehouse, 81 Patton Ave. whEn: Monday, Dec. 30, 6-9 p.m.

Donations encouraged. Info: aurorastudio-gallery.com. why: Art can provide an important form of therapy and that’s a notion held true by Aurora Studio and Gallery.

“I was working at the Neil Dobbins Detox Center,” says Lori Greenberg, president of Aurora Studio and Gallery. “Many of the people who walked through the doors [and] asked for help are homeless. I was working with a woman who was an artist but didn’t have a way to work because she was homeless. It was healing for her to work through art.

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DEcEmBER 25 - DEcEmBER 31, 2013

“It really hit me,” Greenberg continues. “Art can be profoundly helpful — any of the arts: visual, performing arts and music. They have a powerful way of helping people by giving them an opportunity to express themselves and feel good about themselves. It’s healing.”

Hyphen Coffeehouse and Aurora will hold a party to mark the end of Aurora’s Indiegogo campaign to help raise funds for a permanent location for the nonprofit to hold therapeutic art classes and sessions for artists in recovery from mental health issues, addiction and homelessness.

The event will feature music by Brie Capone and others, food, coffee, art and door prizes like small pieces of pottery and raku animals. Aurora will be collecting donations, supplies and volunteers to ensure the continuation of its art therapy programs.

“We want to encourage people to come who might not be able to pay a donation, but will benefit from the support,” Greenberg says. “If anyone wants to come, they can learn more about the classes.”

mountainx.com

henderson county heritAGe museum Located in the Historic Courthouse on Main St., Hendersonville. Wed.-Sat., 10am-5pm; Sun., 1-5pm. Free unless otherwise noted. Info: hendersoncountymuseum.org or 694-1619.

• Through TU (12/31) - Golden Age: Coming of the Railroad exhibit will includes replicas and relics. lookinG For mr.

GoodBAr meetuP • SUNDAYS, 1pm - The "Looking for Mr. Goodbar" group, moderated by Patrick Ochsenreiter, meets weekly at Wall Street Coffee House, 62 Wall St., for "banter about what is happening in the world of gay men." Info: pbochsenreiter@gmail.com or avl.mx/yc. music lessons At Asheville music school • TUESDAYS, 5pm - Asheville Music School, a nonprofit community music school, offers private lessons and group instruction for all instruments, voices and styles. 126 College St. Info: 252-6244. youth outriGht A group for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth ages 14-23 led by trained facilitators. Straight allies also welcome. Meets at First Congregational United Church of Christ, 20 Oak St., unless otherwise noted. Info: youthoutright.org.

• THURSDAYS, 5-6:30pm Poetry night.

comedy disclAimer comedy Info: disclaimercomedy.com.

• WEDNESDAYS, 9pm Disclaimer Stand-Up Lounge open mic is held at the Dirty South Lounge, 41 N. Lexington Ave. Free.

• FRIDAYS, 7-8pm - Disclaimer Comedy presents weekly standup at Metro Wines, 169 Charlotte St. $10 includes a glass of wine.

Info: disclaimercomedy.com.

dAnce BeGinner swinG dAncinG lessons (pd.) 4 week series starts first Tuesday of every month at 7:30pm. $12/week per person. • No partner necessary.

Eleven on Grove, downtown Asheville. Details: www. swingAsheville.com studio ZAhiyA (pd.) studio Zahiya, downtown dance classes Monday 7pm Bellydance 1 • Tuesday 8:15am 30 Minute Workout, 9am Hip Hop Workout Dance • Wednesday 5pm Beginner Bellydance, 7pm Bellydance, 7pm High Heels Hip Hop • Thursday 9am Bellydance Workout • 7pm Bollywood • 8pm Hip Hop • Sunday 3pm Yoga for Dancers$13 for 60 minute classes.• 90 1/2 N. Lexington Avenue. • www.studiozahiya.com 828.242.7595. mountAin shAG cluB • TUESDAYS - The club meets weekly at Fred's Speakeasy, 2310 Hendersonville Road, Arden.

Free lessons from 6:30-7pm.

Shag DJ from 7-10pm. $5. Info: mountainshagclub.com. old FArmer's BAll contrA dAnce Held at Warren Wilson College, 701 Warren Wilson Road, Swannanoa, in Bryson Gym. Beginner's lesson at 7:30pm. $6/$5 OFB members/$1 Warren Wilson students. Info: oldfarmersball.com.

• TH (12/26), 8pm - Contraforce will perform.

FestivAls cArl sAndBurG home holidAy events Musicians and storytellers will perform every Saturday from

Thanksgiving to New Year's.

Located at 81 Carl Sandburg Lane, Flat Rock, three miles south of Hendersonville off U.S. 25.

Info: nps.gov/carl or 693-4178.

• SA (12/28), 11am - Jim Fox and Gayle Asburn will play holiday favorites on autoharp and hammered dulcimer. oPerAtion toAsty toes chAPter 7 Makes yarn comfort items that are sent to troops deployed overseas. Info: Info@ OperationToastyToes.org or operationtoastytoes.org.

• Through TU (12/31) - Operation Toasty Toes will display Christmas trees dedicated to members of the armed forces at select Henderson County libraries.

Families of soliders are encouraged to provide a photo to Chapter 7 for inclusion. Info: operationtoastytoes.org or 6969777.

GArdeninG tAilGAte mArkets thursdAys • 8am-2pm - henderson county curb market, 221 N. Church St., Hendersonville. Ends Dec. 31. sAturdAys • 8am-1pm - Asheville city market, 161 South Charlotte St. Ends Dec. 28.

• 8am-2pm - henderson county curb market, 221 N. Church St., Hendersonville. Ends Dec. 31.

• 9am-noon - Jackson county Farmers market, 23 Central St., in the Community Table, Sylva.

Through March. tuesdAys • 8am-2pm - henderson county curb market, 221 N. Church St., Hendersonville. Ends Dec. 31. dAily • 8am-6pm - wnc Farmers market, 570 Brevard Road.

Ongoing.

kids Asheville Art museum Located on Pack Square in downtown Asheville. Tues.-Sat., 10am-5pm and Sun., 1-5pm.

Programs are free with admission unless otherwise noted.

Admission: $8/$7 students and seniors/children under 4 free.

Free first Wednesdays from 3-5pm. Info: ashevilleart.org or 253-3227.

• TH (12/26) - FR(12/27) & MO(12/30), 1-4pm - Holiday Art Camp with hands-on art activi-

ties. $20/$18 for members, per day.

Hendersonville. Free. Info: 693-9393.

hAnds on!

This children's museum is located at 318 N. Main St., Hendersonville. Tues.-Sat., 10am-5pm. Programs require $5 admission fee/free for members, unless otherwise noted. Info: handsonwnc.org or 697-8333.

• TH (1/2), 11am - Healthy Kids Club will present “Fun with Fruits & Vegetables." Sponsored by the Henderson County Department of Public Health.

music At wcu Unless otherwise noted, performances are held at the Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center on the campus of Western Carolina University. Tickets and info: bardoartscenter.wcu.edu or 227-2479.

• 1st THURSDAYS, 7-9pm - The college's Mountain Heritage Center will host an old-time and bluegrass jam on the first Thursday of the month. Held on the ground floor of the college's H.F. Robinson Administration building. Free.

holly-dAys At hAnds-on!

A month-long educational event with a wintery wonderland & holiday theme. Held in Hands On! A Child's Gallery, 318 N. Main Street, Hendersonville.

Hours: Tues.-Sat.: 10am-5pm. $5 admission not included. Info: handsonwnc.org or 697-8333.

• TH (12/26) through TU (12/31), 10am-5pm - "The Spirit of Kwanzaa," will include selfdirected educational activities.

Free with admission.

• THURSDAYS, 4-4:30pm - "Yuletide Shake, Rattle, & Rhythm," will teach simple rhythms on different instruments. Ages 5 & up.

• FRIDAYS, 10:30-noon & 2-4pm - Winter Arts & Crafts • TU (12/31), noon - "New Year's at Noon," with include costumes and materials to create noise makers. Free with admission. winter cAmP For kids • FR (12/27), MO (12/30) & TU (12/31) - The Waynesville Parks and Recreation Department, 550 Vance St., Waynesville, will hold a series of field trips for hiking, geocaching and winter exploration. Open to grades K-6. $20/ $15 members.

Registration required. Info: 4562030 or recprogramspecialist@ townofwaynesville.org.

music sonG o' sky chorus (pd.) tuesday 6:45-9:30 Pm song o' sky chorus (Sweet Adelines International) Covenant Community Church, 11 Rocket Dr., 28803 Asheville's premier a capella barbershop-style chorus!

We welcome all women who love to sing! www.songosky.org 1-866-824-9547 42nd street JAZZ BAnd • SATURDAYS, 6-9pm - The 42nd Street Jazz Band will perform at Kelsey's Restaurant and Lounge, 840 Spartanburg Highway,

voice recitAl At uuc TH (12/26), 6:30pm - Soprano vocalist Alison Tynes will perform with pianist Benjamin Blozen.

Held at Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Swannanoa Valley, 500 Montreat Road, Black Mountain. Free. Info: uusv.org. white horse BlAck mountAin Located at 105C Montreat Road. Info: whitehorseblackmountain.com or 669-0816.

• SA (12/28), 8pm Contemporary Native American music with Pura Fé and Dark Water Rising. $15.

outdoors AssAult on BlAck rock reGistrAtion • Through SU (3/22) Registration is open for the "Assault on Black Rock" a 7-mile trail race up Black Rock, located in Sylva. All proceeds donated to the Community Table, a nonprofit food pantry. $30/$25 advance. Info: barwatt@hotmail. com or 506-2802. lAke JAmes stAte PArk 6883 N.C. Highway 126, Nebo.

Programs are free unless otherwise noted. Info: 584-7728.

• SU (12/29), 2pm - Park Ranger Kevin Bischof will lead a shoreline walk. Meets at the swim beach concession building at the Paddy’s Creek Area.

PArentinG BAse cAmP oPen house • TH (1/2), 1-3pm - The Waynesville Parks and Recreation Department, 550 Vance St., Waynesville, will hold an open house for home school parents to discuss upcoming programs at Base Camp Waynesville. Info: 456-2030.

PlAy And leArn For inFAnts And toddlers • TUESDAYS, 10:30am & THURSDAYS, 10 & 11am - An 8-week series of pre-literacy classes for parents and children from Buncombe County.

Tuesdays, ages 3-12 months; Thursdays, ages 13-35 months.

Free. Info, location and registration: grace.ragaller@asheville. k12.nc.us. or 350-2932.

Now that the hustle and bustle of Christmas shopping is over... come in for a Salt Cave session and relax with your friends and family.

828.236.5999

12 Eagle St • Asheville

ashevillesaltcave.com

PuBlic lectures PuBlic lectures & events At uncA Events are free unless otherwise noted. Info: unca.edu.

• TU (1/31), 11:30am - Nels Arnold, performer with the Asheville Community Theatre, will give an interactive performance reflecting on a full life.

Free. Held in the Reuter Center.

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.

Asheville comPAssionAte communicAtion center (pd.) Free practice group. Learn ways to create understanding and clarity in your relationships, work, and community by practicing compassionate communication (nonviolent communication). 252-0538 or www. ashevilleccc.com. • 1st and 3rd Thursdays, 5:00-6:15.

AQuAriAn consciousness FellowshiP (pd.) Metaphysical program inspired by spiritual growth topics of your choice. Meditation, potluck, St. Germain live channeled piano music. • Second and Fourth Wednesday. 6:30pm.

• Donation. (828) 658-3362.

Asheville insiGht meditAtion (pd.) Free introduction to insight or mindfulness meditation. 2nd and 4th Thursday. 7pm. Asheville Insight Meditation, Suite 200, 29 Ravenscroft Dr, (828) 808-4444, www.ashevillemeditation.com mindFulness meditAtion (pd.) "Asheville insiGht meditAtion Practice Mindfulness Meditation (aka Vipassana or Insight Meditation)

ASTONISHING FINDS...

...from Furniture to Collectibles

CLEARANCE SALE Fri., Dec. 27 thru Sat., Dec. 28 9am - 5pm EACH DAY

Proceeds benefit CarePartners Foundation and CarePartners Hospice

Hospice Thrift Store has special deals every Thurs - Sat

105 Fairview Rd • Below the Screen Door in Biltmore cpestatesales.org for sale times, dates & special offers mountainx.com

DEcEmBER 25 - DEcEmBER 31, 2013

15

community caLEnDaR

by Hayley Benton & Carrie Eidson

Send your event listings to calendar@mountainx.com. sPirituAl develoPment 101 • WEDNESDAYS, 7pm Spiritual Development 101 will teach participants how to develop spiritual gifts. Held at the Dove's Nest. Free. Info and directions: mountaintwin@ yahoo.com or 808-3879.

sPoken & written word holidAy PoP-uP shoP • Through SA (1/4) - Asheville BookWorks will host A Gift of Art, with handmade book and print-related items, at 428 1/2 Haywood Road. Tues.-Fri., 1-5pm; Sat. & Sun. 1-4pm. Info: ashevillebookworks.com.

ExpREss yosELf: Youth OUTright, a group for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth ages 14-23, will hold a poetry night on Thursday, Jan. 2 as part of their monthly expressive arts program. Straight allies are also welcome. (p. 14)

with a supportive group.

Group sessions: Wednesdays, 7pm-8:30pm. Sundays, 10am11:30pm. 29 Ravenscroft Dr., Suite 200, Asheville. (828) 8084444,www.ashevillemeditation. com" Aim meditAtion clAsses (pd.) "ramp up your meditation practice with AIM’s Meditation’s Classes: mindfulness 101 Basics of Mindfulness Meditation, mindfulness 102 - More advanced, intermediate class.

Class dates and times: www. ashevillemeditation.com/events, (828) 808-4444" Asheville oPen heArt meditAtion (pd.) Deepen your experience of living a heart centered life.

Connect with your spiritual heart and the peace residing within.

Free, 7pm Tuesdays, 5 Covington St., 296-0017, http://www.heartsanctuary.org

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the process of incorporating spiritual lessons into your daily life. 880AM. www.880therevolution.com

• TU (12/31), 7pm-12am - New Year's Eve meditation with Rev. Teijo Munnich. Reservations required.

mindFulness meditAtion CLaSS • NO CLaSS decemBer 30 (pd.) Explore the miracle of healing into life through deepened stillness and presence. With consciousness teacher and columnist Bill Walz. Mondays, 6:30-7:30pm: Meditation class with lesson and discussions in contemporary Zen living. Asheville Friends Meeting House, 227 Edgewood Ave. (off Merrimon). Donation. Info: 2583241. www.billwalz.com

kirtAn ceremony

coFFee And christ • 1st & 3rd WEDNESDAYS, 7pm - "Coffee and Christ," a casual conversation about Christian cosmology, meets at Edna's of Asheville, 870 Merrimon Ave. Free. Info: MT1128@live.com.

oPeninG to your heArt’s desires (pd.) Opening to Your Heart’s Desires - Jan 9, 23, Feb 6. 6:30-8 pm. - Through meditative journaling, you are invited to hear your own Wisdom. $35/night or $95 in advance. www.maryanniyer.com/ upcomingworkshop.html

First conGreGAtionAl church in hendersonville Fifth Avenue West at White Pine Street, Hendersonville.

Info: fcchendersonville.org or 692-8630.

• SU (12/29), 9:15am - Adult Forum: "End of Year Spiritual Celebrations."

Asheville sPirituAl rAdio • SaturdayS, 1pm (pd.) “Guidance For Your Life” a talk show that explains spiritual wisdom. We guide you through

GreAt tree Zen temPle Offers retreats and zazen practice and study. Located at 679 Lower Flat Creek, Alexander. Info: greattreetemple.org or 645-2085.

DEcEmBER 25 - DEcEmBER 31, 2013

• TUESDAYS, 7-8:30pm - Kirtan with Sangita Devi will be held at Nourish and Flourish, 347 Depot St. $10-$15 donation. Info: sangitadevi.com. liGht center 2196 N.C. Highway 9 S., Black Mountain. Info: urlight.org or 669-6845.

• DAILY, 10am-4:30pm - Chakra balancing light sessions.

Donations accepted.

• DAILY - Seven Circuit Classical Labyrinth. Daylight hours. new yeAr BurninG Bowl ceremony • TU (12/31), 7:30pm - Unity Center, 2041 Old Fanning Bridge Road, Mills River, will hold a Burning Bowl Ceremony and meditation. Free. Registration required for optional fellowship supper at 6pm. Info: unitync.net. sisters on the Journey • WEDNESDAYS, 6:30-8:30pm Sisters on the Journey women's circle will focus on living genuine, wholehearted and empowered lives. $10. Info and location: 13moons.info or 13moons@ gmail.com.

mountainx.com

mAlAProP's Bookstore And cAFe 55 Haywood St. Info: malaprops. com or 254-6734. Events are free, unless otherwise noted.

• MO (12/30), 7pm - The Politics of Food Bookclub will discuss The Food Revolution: How Your Diet Can Help Save Your Life and Our World by John Robbins. sPellBound children's BookshoP 50 N. Merrimon Ave. Free, unless otherwise noted. Info: spellboundchildrensbookshop. com or 708-7570.

• SATURDAYS, 11-11:30am Story time. Ages 2-6. white horse BlAck mountAin Located at 105C Montreat Road. Info: whitehorseblackmountain.com or 669-0816.

• FR (12/27), 8pm- A reading of Dylan Thomas' A Child's Christmas in Wales will feature Celtic musical interludes. $15/ $10 children under 12.

sPorts Asheville Browns BAckers • ONGOING - Asheville Browns Backers, a nonprofit organization, invites Cleveland Browns fans to view games at Beef 'O Brady's, 2625 Hendersonville Road. Free. Info: Ashevillebbw@ gmail.com.

theAter hendersonville little theAtre 229 S. Washington St., Hendersonville. Info: 692-1082 or hendersonvillelittletheater.org.

• TU (12/31), 4:30pm & 8:30pm

- Hendersonville Little Theater will present "Rock Around The Clock: A New Year’s Eve Gala," a '50s and '60s rock 'n' rollthemed variety show. $25/ $20 students/ $10 ages 17 & under. nc stAGe comPAny Asheville's professional resident theater company, performing at 15 Stage Lane in downtown Asheville (entrance off of Walnut Street, across from Zambra's).

Info and tickets: 239-0263 or ncstage.org.

• Through SU (12/29) - NC Stage Company will present Jacob Marley's Christmas Carol, the story of Scrooge's old business partner. Wed.-Sat.: 7:30pm; Sun: 2:00pm. A food drive for MANNA Food Bank will coincide with performances. $12-$25.

thrivinG children Bedtime in A BAG drive • Through SU (12/29) - North Carolina Stage Company, 15 Stage Lane, will be holding a "Bedtime in a Bag" drive for Children First/CIS. Items accepted: toothbrush/toothpaste, shampoo, underwear, fuzzy towels, pajamas and bedtime stories. Info: 768-2072. children First/cis • ONGOING - Children First/ CIS seeks volunteers for its learning centers and after school program for elementary school children living in public and low-income housing. Mon.Thurs., 2:30-5:30pm. Info: childrenfirstbc.org, facebook.com/ SuccessEquation or 768-2072.

volunteerinG AmericAn cAncer society • WEEKDAYS, 9am-1pm - The American Cancer Society seeks volunteers to provide information to cancer patients and their families. Orientation and screening required.

• The American Cancer Society seeks volunteers to drive cancer patients to treatments in Buncombe County. Must have valid driver's license, vehicle and insurance. Info: 800-227-2345.

Asheville AreA hABitAt For humAnity • ONGOING - AAHH, a nonprofit whose goal is to provide safe and decent housing to Buncombe County residents, seeks ReStore volunteers.

Opportunities include working with the deconstruction pro-

gram and assisting with neighborhood pickups and deliveries.

Info: ashevillehabitat.org.

Asheville city schools FoundAtion • ONGOING - The Asheville City Schools Foundation seeks volunteers to tutor/mentor students (K-12) in need of support. Volunteer opportunities available Mon.-Fri., 8am-6pm.

Info: jay@acsf.org or 3506135.

AurorA studio & GAllery - sPeciAl events • Aurora Studio, a planned collective art space for artists affected by mental illness, homelessness and/or addiction, needs volunteers for planning fundraisers in 2014. Info: aurorastudio-gallery.com or 335-1038.

BiG Brothers BiG sisters oF wnc Located at 50 S. French Broad Ave., Room 213, in the United Way building. The organization matches children from single-parent homes with adult mentors. Info: bbbswnc.org or 253-1470.

• Big Brothers Big Sisters seeks volunteers 18 and older to share outings in the community twice a month with youth from singleparent homes. Activities are free or low-cost, such as sports, local attractions, etc. Volunteers age 16 and older are needed to mentor one hour per week in schools and after-school sites. hAnds on AshevilleBuncomBe Registration required. Youth are welcome on many projects with adult supervision. Info: handsonasheville.org or call 2-1-1.

Visit the website to sign up for a project.

• TH (12/26), 11am-12:30pm - Shake and Bake: Cook and serve a homemade lunch to the men staying at the ABCCM Veterans Restoration Quarters and Inn. Both men and women are encouraged to participate. interFAith AssistAnce ministry • ONGOING - Interfaith Assistance Ministry offers emergency assistance to Henderson County residents in financial crisis. Four-hour volunteer shifts available as well as substitute opportunities. Info: iamhendersoncounty.org or 697-7029. literAcy council oF BuncomBe county Located at 31 College Place, Building B, Suite 221. Info: litcouncil.com, volunteers@ litcouncil.com or 254-3442.

• Volunteers are needed to tutor adults in basic literacy skills including reading, writing, math and English as a second language. Tutors provide one on one or small group instruction in Buncombe County. No prior tutoring experience or foreign language skills required.

Orientation: Jan. 8 or 9. lovinG Food resources LFR is an all volunteer special needs food pantry that provides food and personal care items to persons living with HIV/AIDS or in Home Hospice care with any diagnosis. Info: admin@lovingfood.org or 255-9282.

• ONGOING - Loving Food Resources needs volunteers Tue. 9-11am, Wed. 9-11am, Fri. 9am-noon and Sat. 9am11 and/or 11am-2pm. Help is needed with stocking, helping clients shop, driving, food box delivery, sorting, internet related tasks, graphic design and office assistance. mAnnA FoodBAnk • ONGOING - MANNA FoodBank seeks volunteers to work in its warehouse.

Mon.-Sat. daytime and Thurs.

evening shifts available. Info: mannafoodbank.org, mgruber@mannafoodbank.org or 299-3663, ext. 245. memorycAre AdminstrAtive suPPort volunteer • ONGOING - MemoryCare, a nonprofit dedicated to providing assessment, treatment and support for memory-impaired individuals and their families, seeks a volunteer administrative assistant 2-3 hours a week on Tue., Wed. or Thur. for general office duties. Info: alexander@ memorycare.org. mountAin housinG oPPortunities • Through (12/31) - The Mountain Housing Opportunities seeks low-tomoderate income families for its Self Help Home Ownership Program, "an alternative path to affordable homeownership."

No construction experience or down payment required. Info: mtnhousing.org or 254-4030, ext. 122.

ProJect linus • ONGOING - The local chapter of Project Linus, a nonprofit which donates handmade blan-

kets to children in crisis, seeks volunteers to create blankets.

Knitted, crocheted, quilted, nosew fleece or flannel blankets will be accepted. Info: 645-8800. the rAthBun center • ONGOING - The Rathbun Center, which provides free lodging for patients and their caregivers staying in Asheville for medical treatment, seeks volunteers to support and register guests. Weekend shifts: noon3pm, 3-6pm and 6-9pm. Info: rathbuncenter.org or 251-0595. ymcA reAch & rise mentorinG ProGrAm • ONGOING - YMCA seeks adult volunteers to mentor a child once a week for one year. Mentees are students in the YMCA's at-risk afterschool programs. Training provided.

Mentors must pass a comprehensive background check. Info: ymcawnc.org or 210-2265. cAlendAr deAdline The deadline for free and paid listings is 5 p.m. wednesdAy, one week prior to publication.

Questions? Call (828)251-1333, ext. 365

We accept donations during business hours at the store, Monday through Saturday, 9:30 am to 5:00 pm. Drive up behind the store (from Church Street) to our convenient drop off bay. Arrangements can be made to donate an entire house full of contents.

For any large items call 828-696-0625 to schedule a pick-up.

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W E L L N E S S

Dancing with spirit Birth dancing fosters a connection among women

By LEa mcLELLan

lmclellan@mountainx.com 251-1333 ext. 127

A woman giving birth lies down on a hospital bed, surrounded by medical professionals clad in scrubs and latex. There are breathing exercises; perhaps pain medicine is administered. After some huffing and puffing from the mother-to-be, the doctor presents the exhausted but joyful woman with her new, blanketwrapped infant. That’s the contemporary Hollywood version, anyway — the image of birth that we get from our mothers and movies. michelle Dionne, who teaches birth dancing and belly dancing classes in Asheville and the surrounding area, says that giving birth doesn’t have to be this way. In her birth-dancing classes and workshops, Dionne encourages women to give birth standing up and teaches core-based movements derived from ancient belly-dancing techniques.

The goal is to help ease the pain, quicken labor and “keep [women] in their bodies, keep them focused where the action is.”

Too weird? The image may not be what we’re used to, but Dionne — who danced through both her pregnancies and births — says that from a historical perspective, the lyingdown-in-a-hospital-bed approach is the real oddity. “That was something that started just a few hundred years ago. [Before that], women were always on their feet,” says Dionne.

“You have gravity on your side. And it’s much more comfortable to be up and moving.”

According to Dionne, birth dancing, which is essentially a style of belly dancing while pregnant, is an ancient technique. She says that belly dancing, which has since morphed into a form of entertainment in main-

michELLE DionnE belly-dances in the French Broad Food Co-op studio where she teaches her weekly classes.

Photo by Emily Nichols

stream culture, was originally created for birth and sacred ceremonies.

Furthermore, birth dancing can be useful during “all stages of the birth journey,” including conception, pregnancy, labor and recovery. So while women who take birth-dancing classes might choose to give birth in a more traditional fashion, dancing before and during pregnancy will still have benefits. She says that belly dancing strengthens the core muscles that are “going to be expanding to carry the baby and are also the muscles that are going to be used to push out the baby. So becoming aware of those muscles and getting them strong is going to help greatly [in labor].”

And while core strength and body awareness are big parts of why a woman might choose to take birth-dancing classes, Dionne says the benefits go beyond the physiological realm and into the spiritual. Participants agree. “It feels like the ancient way we women used to

commune together when we were pregnant for the health of our bodies and the preparation for labor,” says Laura torres, whose home birth lasted three hours and incorporated the small movements she had learned from Dionne’s classes. “It feels really intuitive, and it helped me tremendously to be more present in my body and to feel my pelvis and feel the baby coming down the birth canal.”

Fostering a connection between the mind and body is one of the central goals of birth dancing.

“Birth is an altered state,” says Dionne. “So dancing helps you be in an altered state but also in your body. Instead of trying to escape pain, or all of the coping mechanisms that we could go into [during birth], the dance helps a woman to go deeply inside her body, and being deeply inside her body is where she can transcend.”

Another important aspect of the dance is connecting — socially

mountainx.com

and spiritually — with other women.

Torres says she “really appreciated meeting other moms and dancing with them. Just that glimpse sometimes out of the corner of my eye of all of us doing it together. It felt very bonding and beautiful and healthy. I could imagine us all in some forest glen 1,000 years ago just doing that naturally.”

While socializing and dancing with other pregnant women is a big part of the dance, there is also an opportunity to spiritually connect with women everywhere — past and present, says Dionne. The dance is a way to heal and connect with the feminine spirit, she says. “Doing these ancient movements makes you feel connected to the lineage of women,” Dionne explains. “I danced both of my babies into the world and could really feel ancestors and just all the women who gave birth coming through the movements.” mary morgaine, who didn’t dance during her birth but participated in a weekly group class, says that the experience is “more than just dancing” and that the instruction allowed her to let go of a lot of the fear she had around giving birth. Dionne “really weaved in the sacred and feminine and what a magical process [giving birth] is,” says Morgaine.

“Being able to give birth and go through labor … it’s not necessarily something that has to be so painful.

Oftentimes our fear around it is what makes it so painful.”

“I want people to be aware of how ancient it is,” says Dionne. “It’s probably the first preparation for childbirth technique that ever was. It sounds so strange — I know it sounded strange when I first heard about it — but having done it twice, it’s the most natural thing in the world to bring your baby in this way. And I think it’s really wonderful for the baby too. When you dance throughout your pregnancy with your baby, they learn those movements with you. So during labor, I think it’s really calming for them.”

Learn more at yellowsunfarm. blogspot.com. Contact Dionne directly at 664-9564 or yellowsunfarm@ hotmail.com. X

DEcEmBER 25 - DEcEmBER 31, 2013

19

ASKTHE

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Dr. Daniel Waldman, DPM, FACFAS

Associate, American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery Member, Council for Nail Disorders Board Certified Foot Surgeon Diplomate, American Board Podiatric Surgeons Fellow, American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons

Dear Dr. Waldman, Some of my toenails are getting ugly (yellow/brown, crumbly, thick). It’s so embarrassing! My kids are grossed out and told me you do a laser treatment for toenail fungus. Can you tell me more?

— Pat in Asheville I have been treating toenail fungus using the PinPointe Foot Laser for 5 years. I also serve on the science advisory board and lecture internationally to other doctors about this 21st century treatment. After rigorous research the laser was approved in 2010 by the FDA for clearing toenail fungus. The vast majority of my patients have been pleased with the looks of their toenails after a few treatments which we do every few months. We take digital photos before treatment to evaluate clearance of the fungus. Home care involves topical medications and proper foot hygiene. It takes months for the clear nail to take over but the results are worth it.

The treatment is not covered by insurance.

For more information please watch the video at: TOENAILHELP.com Get ready for sandals and showing off your toes in 2014!

Thanks for asking, Dr. Dan Waldman

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Who does what?: “Ensures the safety of our food. Educates Americans on nutrition and foods products. Protects and manages public lands and conserves natural resources.” Ans: USDA

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Meanwhile the FDA is part of the Department of Health and Human Services and its role is to “regulate food labeling and safety for all foods (except for meat and poultry products) and evaluate the safety and effectiveness of drugs and medical devices.”

See if you know the answers about which agency does what: 1. Inspects crops and livestock for disease USDA or FDA 2. Oversees school lunch and food stamp program USDA or FDA 3. Oversees the certified organic program USDA or FDA 4. Responsible for grading and certification of eggs USDA or FDA 5. Regulates game meat such as venison USDA or FDA 6. Regulates infant formula USDA or FDA 7. Regulates labeling of food (except for meat and poultry products) USDA or FDA 8. Regulates safety and labeling of cosmetics USDA or FDA

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wELLnEss

continuED fRom pagE 19

wellness cAlendAr yoGA For the eyes (pd.) Fridays, 10:45-12:00—Natural vision improvement through Yoga, Qigong and the Bates Method. Nourish & Flourish, 347 Depot St. River Arts District. All Levels. Instructor: Nathan Oxenfeld. $12. integraleyesight.com understAndinG the AFFordABle cAre Act (AcA) (pd.) Platinum Exchange is offering Free 30 minute public presentations on Understanding the Affordable Care Act (ACA) at the Asheville Chamber, 3rd floor. Mondays at 12:15pm, 1:15pm and 2pm and Wednesdays at 12:15pm. More info: platinum-exchange.com treAtinG Adhd without medicAtion (pd.) “The Science and Research behind Neurofeedback” by Phil Ellis, Ph.D. • Tuesday, January 7 from 6pm7:30pm. The DoubleTree by Hilton, Biltmore Village, 115 Hendersonville Road, Asheville. Registration/ Information: 828-281-2299 x 1. www.

FocuscentersofAsheville.com Guided meditAtion clAss • FRIDAYS, 3:45-4:30pm- Hyphen Coffehouse, 81 Patton Ave., will host a guided mediation class, open to all levels. Donations encouraged. red cross Blood drives Info: redcrosswnc.org or 258-3888.

Appointment and ID required for blood drives.

• FR (12/27), 7:30am-noon - Reuter Family YMCA, 3 Town Square Blvd.

Appointments and info: 1-800-REDCROSS. • SU (12/29), noon-4:30pm - Lowe’s, 24 North Ridge Commons Parkway, Weaverville. Appointments and info: 782-9020.

• MO (12/30), 9am-1pm - Skyland Fire Department, 9 Miller Road.

Appointments and info: 1-800-REDCROSS. • MO (12/30), 10am-2:30pm - Buncombe County Administration Building, 200 College St., in the conference room.

Appointments and info: 230-6322.

• TU (12/31), 10am-2:30pm - J & S Cafeteria, 800 Fairview Road.

Appointments and info: 1-800-REDCROSS. • TU (12/31), 9am-1:30pm - Walmart Supercenter, 1636 Hendersonville Road.

Appointments and info: 1-800-REDCROSS. • TH (1/2), 3-7:30pm - The Rush Complex, 1047 Patton Ave. Appointments and info: 1-800-RED-CROSS yoGA For veterAns • MONDAYS, 7-8pm - A yoga class for veterans and their families will be offered at Asheville Yoga Donation Studio, 239 S. Liberty St. All levels. Free. Info: youryoga.com or 254-0380.

Freeing the feminine For people who think belly dancing is simply a sexy form of entertainment, teacher michelle Dionne is quick to clarify: “Belly dancing is sexy,” she says, but she makes an important distinction: “Sexy for someone else [or] for random strangers is one thing. Sexy as power and as life-force energy and empowerment is different.”

In fact, Dionne’s approach to teaching the art — composed of controlled, core-focused movements and an awareness of the chakras (a Sanskrit term for energy points in the body) — is a big departure from the glitzy images you might get from pop culture. For Dionne, the dance is a sacred act, and it’s all about “healing the feminine.” A lot of that healing has to do with confidence, sexuality and body image.

For a lot of women, these can be difficult subjects to confront.

“I hear women say, ‘I want to come to your class, I’m just not ready yet.’ ‘I want to come, but I’m not ready.’ ‘I don’t know. I don’t know if I can do that,’” says Dionne. “So yeah, it goes against everything that we were brought up to be for most of us coming from a Western background. We have so much repressed sexuality, we have so much repressed personal power, especially as women.”

She explains that feminine power isn’t exclusive to one gender or one segment of society, and that men can be “wonderful” belly dancers too. “This is about femininity,” she explains. “It’s not about men and women. Moving with grace, moving

with flow, moving with confidence in your femininity, has been forgotten.”

Dionne says it was never her intention to teach belly dance. She has taught healing dance in the area for 15 years, with some belly dance mixed in. Around five years ago, her students — who range from college students to grandmothers — began to request more belly-dance classes. She has been teaching them ever since.

The demand for belly dance didn’t surprise her. “They were seeing big changes in themselves. … I think that it just touches in on a primal feminine level that we don’t get anywhere else in our culture. Nowhere else in mainstream culture are we allowed to move this way. You take out the audience and then [belly dancing] is just about yourself and connecting with sisters and connecting with spirit.”

One of the biggest changes students see is a deeper connection and appreciation for their bodies, says Dionne. Confronting body image issues, she explains, is a large part of what the dance is about. “It’s a huge passion of mine because it’s related to the repression of the feminine. It’s related to how our whole culture is so wounded. ... It goes way beyond any kind of skinny, heavy type things out there — its about learning how to really love our bodies by taking care of them and also loving what it feels like inside. If you have both those things — if you’re taking care of yourself and you love how it feels inside — then you’re beautiful. The rest takes care of itself.” — Lea McLellanX

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DEcEmBER 25 - DEcEmBER 31, 2013

21

sacred activism

Rising up foR justice, equal Rights and sustainability

s

pirituality can’t be confined to a meditation room, church or synagogue. It is inextricable from everyday action, and for many leaders and members of the local spiritual and faith community, the crux of spiritual experience comes in standing up for something larger than themselves.

“I am called to be an activist primarily because of my faith,” says Lisa Bovee-kemper, Unitarian Universalist minister. That’s a sentiment shared by many Asheville-area faith leaders who discussed with Xpress their relationship with spirituality and activism.

We learned that these spiritual leaders are part of an emerging vanguard that’s reclaiming the moral domain and adding their own inspirational element to activism. Their work is galvanizing social- and environmental-justice movements in Western North Carolina and throughout the state.

Reclaiming the conveRsation

By Jordan Foltz jfoltz@mountainx.com | 251-1333 ext. 141 Lead photo by Julia Ritchey

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“I regret how much the religious discourse in our country sounds like a swimming pool, where all the noise is coming from the shallow end,” says Father thomas murphy, priest at All Souls Cathedral in Biltmore Village and steering-committee member of WNC Green Congregations, a network of faith groups dedicated to environmental stewardship.

“Religion contains stories about people getting unstuck,” he says, “and finding a way forward. And whether I’m religious or spiritual, the question is how much I identify with those stories to give me strength to do work in the world.”

Murphy’s sentiment is common among local and state faith leaders who are actively working for marriage equality, immigrants’ rights, voters’ rights, economic and environmental justice and more.

Bovee-Kemper has seen many people, particularly in the LGBT community, ostracized and hurt by the religious establishment, and says, “The idea that the right-wing fundamentalists are the only people speaking out about what God says about our world and how

ananda marga gurukula and amuRt

“paRt of my WoRk as a being on this planet is to fRee people... fRom mental and spiRitual slaveRy.” — Nia Yaa, Ra Sekhi Arts Temple

• Ananda Marga Gurukula is a worldwide network of schools including more than 1,000 kindergartens, primary and secondary schools, and colleges that apply neohumanism, which teaches the love of all creation, animate and inanimate. Through administering these teachings, Gurukula aims to relieve disparity, foster diversity and create the spiritual foundation for transforming the world. gurukul.edu • AMURT (Ananda Marga Universal Relief Team) mobilizes volunteers and collects and stores relief supplies for communities affected by natural disasters around the world. amurt.net

we should be moving and changing things … is a huge deficit.”

Rev. william Barber, president of the North Carolina Chapter of the NAACP, says, “There has been a lot of work to undermine the moral discourse.” This year, he became the lead speaker at “Moral Mondays,” a series of weekly protests that arose in April 2013 to challenge legislation passed by the North Carolina General Assembly. Barber says that the moral voice of the people has been hijacked, and asks of legislators and other faith leaders, “How is it that you can call yourself a conservative Christian when you say so much about what God says so little, and so little about what God says so much?”

He explains: “Since John Kennedy and the civil rights movement, the extreme right made a deliberate decision to no longer allow a prophetic voice to have the moral microphone, [and] limited moral issues to three things: prayer in schools, abortion and homosexuality. We believe in making a direct challenge to that.”

Faith leaders are likewise joining the environmental conversation, which has largely been driven by the secular, scientific community. When anna jane joyner, campaign coordinator for Asheville-based environmental group WNC Alliance, first got together with Richard fireman, grace curry and julie Lehman in February 2012, the informal group focused on bringing the spiritual dimension into environmental justice. By April, their conversation had evolved into WNC Green Congregations.

“The voice that the faith community brings is the moral and justice conversation: ‘Why is it that we care about these issues?’” says Joyner. “That’s something that [the faith community] can speak to in ways that people who are more interested in the economics of it or the science piece just can’t speak to. And there’s a great deal of power in that,” she says. steve Runholt, pastor of Warren Wilson Presbyterian Church and steering committee member of WNC Green Congregations, says that it’s his duty as a spiritual leader to speak out about climate change and sustainability. “In the Judeo-Christian tradition, it was the role of the prophet to speak truth to power, and not just to power, but to the people themselves,” he says. “Environmental justice is emerging as one of the 21st century priorities for that kind of prophetic voice.”

inspiRited action Many of us tend to keep our spiritual beliefs and practices to ourselves. We want to be tolerant and politically correct, perhaps. But these spiritual leaders see no division between their public, political and spiritual experiences. In fact, to divorce these aspects would be to take out the very essence of the traditions they follow, and to reduce the value that spiritual practice offers them, they each emphasize.

“Make no mistake about it: Every major movement for social justice throughout time has had a significant moral inspiration and spiritual underpinning,” says Barber.

“For me personally, I don’t know how to be Christian without being concerned about justice.” He reflects, “Jesus’ first sermon starts out with, ‘The spirit of [the] Lord is upon me to preach good news to the poor.’ But the word ‘poor’ is the Greek word ‘ptochos’ which literally means ‘those who have been made poor by systems of exploitation.’”

Bovee-Kemper also sees her spirituality as inherently political. She and her partner have repeatedly applied for a marriage license as part of the the WE DO campaign; she has worked with local nonprofit Defensa Comunitaria to get fair pay and fair treatment for workers seized in a 2011 Immigration and Customs Enforcement raid at Shogun Buffet, and she has spoken out at Moral Mondays both in Asheville and Raleigh. “What I believe about God is that when I suffer, when you suffer, God suffers with us, and the soul of the world feels those broken places the same way that we feel the broken places,” she says.

Prayer, in her view, is more than an entreaty — it is a covenant to take action. “My work is about helping the voiceless find a voice, [like] those children who got their food stamps taken away have no voice, [and] standing up and shining a light on that is ... particularly what we are called to do when we believe there is something bigger than us — even if that’s not God.” Though Barber, Bovee-Kemper and many prominent leaders of prominent initia-

tives come from a Judeo-Christian tradition, the leaders of other spiritual traditions are also bridging the gap between the spirit and the flesh.

For local members of the international organization Ananda Marga (the path of bliss), spiritual practice and social activism are the two halves that comprise the foundation of their lives. “First you need to address housing, food, clothing and medicine before you offer people meditation,” says sid jordan, director of the Prama Institute in Marshall and president of Ananda Marga Gurukula.

“Margis” (followers of this tradition) understand that social activism is a necessary aspect of their spiritual development and that their spirituality (education, yoga, and meditation) is a vital to their ability to offer true service, he explains. “The basic tenet of the universalism in yoga is that everything is an expression of God, and everything is divine. It doesn’t separate spirituality from our daily existence,” says Jordan.

“Social action and spirituality are one; you are not going to achieve self-realization without serving others.”

Similarly, nia yaa, founder of Ra Sekhi Arts Temple and author of Kemetic Reiki One and Kemetic Reiki Two, practices her energy healing as a means for actuating social transformation. Her vision is to uplift and empower the African American community as a whole, and build the Garvey-Tubman Natural Living Center — a space of respite and healing for the downtrodden, as well as the center from which she will teach. To have a solid foundation, she says, there must be spiritual transformation on an individual level. “People of African decent have been through a lot of trauma. And that is why reiki is so important for this community. You can’t heal trauma with all of the pills that they are giving people for depression. ... We need energy work to help

We do

Spearheaded by the organization Campaign for Southern Equality (CSE), with offices based in First Congregational UCC in downtown Asheville. CSE works to establish equality in the South for same-sex couples.

• In the WE DO initiative, same-sex couples request marriage licenses in their hometowns, putting pressure on the system to acknowledge equal rights, and telling the stories of gay and lesbian couples in the South.

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DEcEmBER 25 - DEcEmBER 31, 2013

23

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We aRe heRe With the shogun WoRkeRs, people of faith, and otheR membeRs of the communtiy to Remind eveRyone that this is not a boRdeR issue, these aRe ouR fRiends and families and people in ouR community.”

— Rev. Lisa Bovee-Kemper move the trauma from all of those years of torture.”

common gRound So, getting involved is a natural spiritual expression for these leaders, but they also see the way they take action —empathically — as a gateway for spiritual growth, where loving thy neighbor is much more than a meditation.

After the economic collapse 2007-08, for example, Rev. amy cantrell and her partner Lauren white wanted to mend the damaged social safety net. They wanted to create a sanctuary for the down-and-out, and a place for community building. When 39 Grove St. came up for rent in downtown Asheville, though they only had enough money for the deposit and the first month, they took the chance and opened the Be Loved House on Easter Sunday in April 2008.

“There’s a real danger in turning spirituality into something that is very vague and other-worldly,” says Cantrell. “Inner freedom and outer freedom are deeply intertwined. You can’t have one without the other. And at the same time, we can pursue some of the outer freedoms and lose the heart of it.”

She offers the Be Loved House “not as a shelter, but as a community. When people come here, they come home.” Cantrell adds, “They become part of the leadership, and carry the work in terms of helping open the house for hospitality, doing outreach to senior citizens, or going to the Moral Monday [protests] in Raleigh to stand up for the rights of the vulnerable.”

In June, the couple converted the top floor of Be Loved into the Rise Up Studio, a space where artists can create and sell their art.

Both spaces usher social transformation, and allow individuals to transform themselves, working with each other as family and supporting each other to pursue their dreams, Cantrell explains.

One thing that all these spiritually infused initiatives have in common are participants’ commitment to genuinely reach out to the opposing side, vilifying no one and understanding that unless activists are actually growing themselves through the process of unification, then the macroscopic change will remain untenable.

In 2006, long before the Moral Monday movement, the NAACP and 16 other organizations banded together to form the Historic Thousands on Jones Street/ Forward Together coalition. Over the next six years, the coalition reached out to as many other organizations as it could to create a movement for the common causes of justice and

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“as We move closeR to god, We should also be moving closeR to people. and vice veRsa: as We move closeR to people, We aRe actually moving closeR to god.”

— Rev. Amy Cantrell (pictured with Lauren White) equal rights. The organizations weren’t all religious, they weren’t all even comprised of similar demographics, but by the time the General Assembly started rolling out legislation earlier this year, there were 160 collaborating organizations in the coalition, which helped create Moral Mondays.

Bovee-Kemper recalls a scene during the July 28 Moral Monday, after the General Assembly tacked a women’s reproductive health restriction onto a motorcycle safety bill: “I remember watching Dr. Barber and the existing NAACP stalwart crew on stage — and in came the pink-wearing, Planned Parenthood, radical women. And they just got scooped right up into the group,” she says. “That this is a movement which can encompass that broad a spectrum is very powerful to me.”

Barber says, “In the Moral Mondays movement, we believe that we must have a methodology and a message that doesn’t simply talk in these puny terms of liberal versus conservative. We need a language and a methodology that allows people to be human again.”

He continues, “That’s what the moral discussion does — it destroys the myth of isolation and suggests that we’re all intimately connected. And therefore, we have to have policy that has the kind of consciousness that honors that interrelatedness.”

“What activists sometimes get derailed in is slinging the same vitriol that they feel like they are receiving ... and that removes the idea of commonality,” says Murphy.

Through WNC Green Congregations, he’s involved with pressuring Duke Energy (recently merged with Progress Energy) to de-commission the Asheville/Skyland coal plant. But, Murphy says, “I shop at the same grocery store as people who work at Duke/Progress. These aren’t demons.”

Reaching out to the other side is more than a matter of spiritual discipline for Green Congregations clergy and other spiritual activists, he explains. It is a prerequisite for the comprehensive transformation they stand for.

The political activism, the vigils, the letters, the demonstrations and speeches are all a form of liturgy, and liturgy is a form of art, and art is a gateway for common experience and common cause, says Murphy. “Many people believe that experience is how we know truth, [so] what happens when we get in a situation where you disagree with me, is I hear you say my experience doesn’t matter. [But] art is a way to have collective, subjective experience.”

Murphy concludes, “I think art has the capacity to elevate us beyond the post-modern conundrum of people’s experiences being more important than other people’s experiences.”

Wendi loves her VW!

As the owner of my own small business, it was so important to me to buy a new car from a dealership that treated ME like I was the one buying the car – NOT my husband. After shopping at four local dealerships, Harmony Motors was the only one that met this criteria.I was skeptical about the power of TDI until I drove the diesel Jetta Sportwagen and fell in love with its pick up, handling and great mileage; plus, I can switch to manual transmission if needed. Gotta deliver my cakes and pies no matter what the terrain!

Wendi Williams and her pie wagon butterbugsbakedgoods@gmail.com (you can taste her cakes and pies at Nine Mile restaurant in Historic Montford - Asheville)

Volkswagen of Asheville 621 Brevard Rd, Asheville, NC 28806 (828) 232-4000 • www.ashevillevw.com

wnc green congregations

An interfaith coalition composed of clergy and lay members committed to fighting climate change and environmental degradation.

• Actions include: signed letters to Duke/Progress Board of Directors to decommission Asheville/Skyland Plant; gives public testimony at vigils; hosts Beyond Coal events; provides educational programming among parishioners, hosts book releases for such publications as Mallory McDuff’s Natural Saints and Fred Bonson’s Food and Faith

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“in oRdeR foR society to pRogRess, the people have to be betteR educated...to have an education that looks to the inteRRelationship of all things and people.”

— Sid Jordan, Prama Institute Naturally, then, Murphy took his three kids to Mountain Moral Monday to experience what he saw as a powerful piece of art.

“Mountain Moral Monday was a feast of people from vastly different ideologies coming together out of a sense of purpose in wanting to have agency in a world they felt out of control with. The more common experience we can have, the more we can see each other as fellow human beings, rather than as this great competition.”

He says, “All authentic, deep community begins with shared vulnerabilities.”

As such, it was a shared sense of vulnerability in face of climate change and irreversible environmental damage that provided the foundation and glue for the clergy who created Green Congregations, Murphy explains.

stRength in spiRit Activism demands standing for something larger than oneself, and putting oneself on the line for it. But when activism is a form of spiritual devotion, an extra wild card is added into the mix, because no matter how much these folks may face arrest, ridicule, denial, or intimidation, there is something they believe they hold within themselves that is untouchable, that they will hold onto regardless of the risks they take here and now.

On Oct. 15, after four attempts at submitting a marriage license application in Buncombe County, Amy Cantrell and Lauren White’s application was accepted by Register of Deeds Drew Reisinger. Though the state has not yet approved it or the other license applications that were accepted that day, it was a breakthrough in the WE DO campaign that raised the hopes of gay and lesbian couples who had persevered for months in repeated attempts to register.

“We were one of the first couples in the South to have a marriage application submitted,” says Cantrell.

“The prophetic imagination creates space for implementation,” says Barber, “The first goal is to refuse to believe the myth of domination. It is to declare that your view that things have to be this bad — is, in fact, a myth.”

It seems sacred activism incorporates the best aspects of both the lion and the lamb: acting with bravery and conviction, but also with a humility that comes with the willingness to surrender oneself to being transformed.

“Nonviolence does not mean passivity. It means respecting people who differ from you,” says. Runholt. “Humility comes in when you are willing to have your opinion, your principles, revised by new information,” he says. “You have to have the openness of being changed yourself. Relationships are really how we move forward in bending the arc of history towards justice.” X

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Jeff Firewalker Schmitt Pachakuti Mesa Tradition

Imagine one human family living in sacred balance with the Living Earth. For nearly 25 years, this has been the vision of The Heart of the Healer Alliance’s nearly 5,000 healers and earth stewards located in the U.S., Peru and Europe. Our shamanic education programs reawaken participants to the sacred dimension of life and provide tools for personal development and healing that have been refined over thousands of years. Our lineage embraces the link between personal and planetary healing. The alliance also hosts regional and international gatherings.

Heart of the Healer Alliance-endorsed teacher, former university professor and veteran medical researcher Jeff Firewalker Schmitt teaches the Pachakuti Mesa Tradition in the Asheville area. In his healing practice, Jeff also offers individual, family and group sessions (Peruvian Paqokuna and Pachakuti Mesa) for: physical illness and mental challenges, soul retrieval, divination, house and land clearings, and post-ayahuasca counseling.

828-551-8860 hummingbird.jeff@gmail.com heartofthehealer.org

Inspiration T

he end of the year and the beginning of the next are a traditional time of reflection and gathering, and so we’ve collected here a variety of spiritual voices whose visions will hopefully offer you something refreshing and powerful.

In this special advertorial section, we’ve reached out to the region’s spiritual leaders and faith-based groups, inviting them to tell their stories and what it is they are standing for. We in the Mountain Xpress Advertising Department honor their many contributions, and hope that our readers will find inspiration in them.

The following pages make it clear that WNC has a rich and diverse spiritual community. Among these messages, you may be surprised to discover how timely their concerns are, and may even discover that opportunity for spiritual growth that you were looking for. X an advertising supplement

Heart of the Healer Alliance

Heart Sanctuary Open Heart Meditation Are you interested in opening your heart more to Source?

Do you want to experience and know more about the real you? Or would you just like to be happier and not let stuff bug you as much in your daily life? Each week, we host a sweet session called “Open Heart Meditation” in West Asheville for the public to join. If you are interested in finding a simple, natural and very deep meditation that is full of love and light, we enjoy guiding new meditators as well as more seasoned sitters.

Heart Sanctuary is a local nonprofit that is part of an even larger international community. We welcome anyone who would like to let go, smile more and tangibly feel more love and light in their life. The focus of the meditation is all about the spiritual heart opening, without any visualization or special techniques.

It’s organic and effortless. Participants can expect a cozy guided relaxation, followed by some laughter and smiling! This joybased meditation is held Tuesdays at 7p.m.

To learn more, visit our website or join Facebook.com/ HeartSanctuaryWNC. To find out about our upcoming Open Heart Workshops (Jan. 11-12), visit WNCHeart.com/Open-Heart-Workshops.

Open Heart Meditation . 5 Covington St. . Asheville, NC 28806 828-296-0017 . ohworkshopswnc@gmail.com . heartsanctuary.org mountainx.com

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Church of the Advocate The Church of the Advocate serves the homeless, the vulnerable and the street people of Asheville and Buncombe County.

Everyone is welcome to be part of our faith community. I don’t know that I’ve ever felt so radically a part of reaching out to “the least of these” as I have here. Gracefully and abundantly we are enjoying the blessing of that partnership with many.

Worship and growth are the most significant parts of our life together. Though we have many projects to support individuals in their growth and self-esteem, our most significant growth and awareness come from a deepening faith in God and God’s love.

Cottage industry activities continue to “bubble,” including Redo, our online consignment efforts, our “garden creations,” facilitating our parishioners’ artistic talents, and producing “streetwafel” cookies. We’ve also completed the second phase of the self-concept and talent study, begun in 2011, through which we hope to find employment for another 30 percent of participants. God is good.

It is exciting and deeply gratifying to be a part of this faithful and loving effort to encourage the worth and wonder of people often thought of as less deserving of God’s grace. Thanks and many blessings from all of us to all of you.

60 Church Street • Asheville, NC 28801 828-243-3932 hamfuller@aol.com • ashevilleadvocate.com First Congregational United Church of Christ - Asheville

Celebrating 100 years: 1914 to 2014 Celebrate with us 100 years of combining Jesus, Justice and Prayer; Peace, Worship and Witness. We are a vital faith community that believes in advocacy, extravagant welcome and listening to a still-speaking God urging us to do new things. We participate in many local ministries, so check out our website to see our activities. This is a safe place to question, to explore the spiritual practices of Christianity and other faith traditions, to challenge ourselves toward spiritual growth.

We celebrate God through a variety of music, dance and art. Our worship services are lively, relevant, spirited and moving, with participation from a varied cross section of the congregation. We offer weekly conversations on spirituality, and adult forums on such topics as mental health and awareness. There are also youth and middle school programs.

All are accepted as they are, in a loving and inclusive environment that nourishes mind and soul. We believe that together we can grow a just and peaceful world, locally and globally. We’re a public church that honors diversity, embraces differences, seeks to live joyfully, and tries to model environmental responsibility. First Congregational United Church of Christ Asheville strives to live our vision statement: “We are an embracing community, public sanctuary and prophetic Christian voice.”

Come visit and see for yourself. Welcome!

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he science of Chinese medicine has flourished through the centuries. To practice this science is to be an artist, because it is necessary to blend logic and intuition, emotion and feeling, symptoms and syndromes, and the roles of guide and counselor. To understand illness, it is necessary to understand the person. A cough is not just a cough. Is it from a cold that has long past? Or from unresolved grief? There are many contributing factors that must be evaluated to properly assess a person’s state of health, in order to promote proper healing.

The inability to resolve illness and pain, to evolve past self-limitations, is usually due to unresolved emotional issues. The true gift of Chinese medicine is that it is one of the very few, select forms of medicine that can actually address a physical symptom and an emotional imbalance at the same time. To evoke such healing, it is necessary to touch a person at their very essence, the core of their being. In my 25 years of experience in the holistic healing field, I have yet to experience a form of medicine that is more precise in implementation and more powerful in results.

417 Biltmore Ave., Suite 5-D . Asheville, NC 28801 . 828-225-3161 kchapin@evolutionalhealing.com . evolutionalhealing.com

Mother Grove Goddess Temple Grove Temple has been around for five years and has a full schedule of programs including public rituals for the ancient holy days (and Earth Day), religious education for adults and children, Full Moon ceremonies, Sunday morning meditation time, It says everything about Asheville that the and rites of passage by appointment. chapel and offices of Workshops and the Goddess temple classes are frequently are across the street offered in the little from the First Baptist chapel, and “In the Church. Mother

Arms of the Goddess” gathers clothing and food for members of the community in need. The temple also manages the Women’s Garden at Herland in north Asheville.

Mother Grove is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit church with a focus on the many faces and names of the global Divine Feminine. You are welcome to join us for a Spiral Dance in the park or in the temple,and to stand with us under a bright full Moon.

70 Woodfin Place, Suite 1, Asheville, NC 28801

20 Oak St., Asheville, NC 28801 828-252-8729, admin@uccasheville.org, uccasheville.org 28

Evolutional Healing

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828-230-5069, Info@mothergroveavl.org, mothergroveavl.org

Asheville Insight Meditation At Asheville Insight Meditation, we regularly hear attendees say things like “Since I began meditating, my stress level has dropped; I get along better with people; I am happier, healthier and more confident.” Even though the holiday season tends to lead to added stress, at Asheville Insight Meditation, we feel that life is too precious to lose time to stress, ourselves, others, our dreams — or the wonder of this moment.

We fulfill our vision of a world filled with peace, awareness, compassion and caring by offering insight meditation (aka mindfulness or vipassana meditation) events, classes, retreats and community gatherings. When practiced regularly, insight meditation helps you develop a greater sense of peace, joy and equanimity in the face of life’s changes.

Asheville Insight Meditation is a nonprofit community providing a supportive environment for anyone interested in engaging in this amazing practice. Join us in bringing more peace, joy, mindfulness and compassion to ourselves and to people everywhere — especially the Asheville community.

May your holidays be filled with joy, peace, love and mindfulness.

— Ronya Banks, founder and leader, Asheville Insight Meditation 29 Ravenscroft Drive, Suite 200, Asheville, NC 28801, 828-808-4444

ashevillemeditation.com

Asheville Yoga Center is a community space reflecting the qualities of yoga: loving, vibrant, conscious, healing, peaceful and transformative. We bring this spirit to every level of our work.

Modern medicine has started embracing what yogis have long known: In the hands of a gifted teacher, yoga has a profound power

211 & 239 S. Liberty St.

to heal. Our talented instructors, widely recognized as among the world’s best, affirm and support each student’s innate power to heal. Their expertise, experience and passion shine through in the classroom and on the mat, helping leverage yoga to manage conditions, reduce symptoms, restore balance and regain health.

Asheville Neurofeedback Dennis Hoogerman, Ph.D.

“To See the Light and Flow like Water” is a practical and spiritual guide for living fully. It’s available on Amazon for $9.99.

To “see the light,” we need to view the world without projection or expectation. To “feel the fire,” we need to accept our feelings as they are. To “plant a seed,” we need the hope and wisdom to grow an idea.

To “flow like water,” we need the grace and power to do what needs to be done. Finally, when we realize that we are dancing on a thin crust of earth, floating on a boiling sea of lava while hurtling through infinite space, we need faith.

Dennis Hoogerman grew up in N.Y.C. and attended the City College of New York in the 60’s. After two years of travel abroad, he completed his Ph.D. and Clinical Internship. Dennis has been a Clinical Psychologist for over 40 years and his treatment approach has been deeply influenced by the work of Carl Jung. He believes in the benefits of dream analysis for individuation and spiritual development. He retired from a full-time clinical practice and is now devoting most of his time to neurofeedback, travel and writing.

72 Lakeshore Drive, Asheville, NC 28804 828-337-1982, dhoogerman@gmail.com ashevilleneurofeedback.com

Built to LEED standards, AYC is the only green-built yoga studio we know of in the country. With three yoga rooms, showers, a state-of-the-art ventilation system and an outdoor area, we offer the community an environmentally friendly gathering space.

With two locations and more than 90 classes a week, you’ll find one

to fit your mood, practice and schedule. During December, sign up for our unlimited membership and get 2 months free (see studio for details). We offer something for every budget, including $7 classes at our main building and 35 sliding-scale classes each week at the Asheville Yoga Donation Studio.

. Asheville, NC 28801 . 828-254-0380 . aycfrontdesk@gmail.com . youryoga.com mountainx.com

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Yoga Is a Little Rectangle of the Universe Here in the U.S., yoga has the reputation of being about the body, but there’s actually much more to the practice. The yoga mat is a little rectangle of the universe: How you are on the mat is how you are in life.

Using the yoga mat as a laboratory, we can notice in each pose if we are tense, loose, passive, or engaged. Emotionally, are we fearful, self-critical, or content? First, we observe how we are; then we can choose to be in the pose (or in our life) in that way or be present with other possibilities.

Yoga poses develop bodily stability, strength, flexibility, and balance. Those same poses bring focus, clarity, and awareness to the mind. Through continued practice, we learn to embody and express these qualities in life.

info@onecenteryoga.com onecenteryoga.com

Yoga is for everybody: Your flexibility, strength, gender, and age have no bearing on your ability to “do” it. We at One Center invite you to join us on the mat to explore the possibilities. As we grow as individuals through this practice, we enrich our lives and promote peace and compassion... ...towards ourselves and others.

School for Esoteric Studies Training in Purposeful Living Based on the Ageless Wisdom The School for Esoteric Studies is a nonprofit organization providing training to spiritual seekers around the world. Headquartered in Asheville, the School is part of a network of similar spiritually oriented organizations; its services are supported by donations and grants.

Our training goal is a practical understanding of the nature of the Cosmos, the Self or Soul, the Soul’s relation to the “little self” or personality, and the process of integrating and fusing the Soul and the personality using well-defined techniques.

Esotericism is a practical science, useful not only in daily life but also in world affairs, as it reveals the workings behind current events. The sequence of training we offer has been developed and tested over a period of 60 years. Coursework is by correspondence and includes structured meditation, study, the preparation of papers and practical application through service.

Visit our website to learn more about the Ageless Wisdom, register for our online Ageless Wisdom Overview Course, or watch Ageless Wisdom videos.

345 S. French Broad Ave., Suite 300 | Asheville, NC 28801 | 828-225-4272 | info@esotericstudies.net | esotericstudies.net 30

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THE SCHOOL OF PEACE At the bright, serene School of Peace in downtown Asheville, three energy healers give classes in the spiritual wellness and awakening consciousness that we all need. Their teachings focus on divine love; heart opening; precise, effective techniques; and releasing traumas and hindrances to soul growth.

Bonnie Willow, healer/teacher for 35 years, provides and teaches transformative healing. She teaches intuition expansion, and an Interfaith Ecospiritual Peace Ministry program, to develop skills for wisely, soulfully ministering to others. bonniewillow.com Deborah Mills is a medical intuitive, spiritual guide and the director of Soul Focused Healing. She teaches classes in energy medicine, advanced energy healing and mastery. She’s been in private practice for more than 20 years.

SoulFocusedHealing.com Raven Sinclaire, shamanic healer/ minister, offers sessions for removing barriers to wholeness. Work can include soul retrievals, healing, cellular reprogramming and connecting with ancestors. She is a Shamanic Priestess Process™ facilitator and teaches Living Intuitive workshops. Ravenwrites.com

29 Ravenscroft Drive, Suite 206 . Asheville, NC 28801 . 828-776-8288 info@theschoolofpeace.com . TheSchoolOfPeace.com

SeacoaSt church

aSheville campuS Seacoast Church is a community of ordinary people through which we’ve seen God do some extraordinary things. Like any church, we have our strengths and our weaknesses, but our heart is to create spaces in which we get as much of the “religious stuff” out of the way as possible, so you can experience a relationship with Jesus Christ and join with him on his mission to redeem and renew the world he so loved.

Our worship style is contemporary, and our teaching is certainly relevant, but the only thing we really have to offer to anyone is a relationship with Jesus, whom we know to be the only hope of the world. We are but one of many voices in Asheville who are convinced of the goodness of God, his passion for his people, and his desire to flood the world with his love and goodness. Our primary task is to see our community transformed to reflect those truths, in the hope that out of that transformation, we can serve our city.

123 Sweeten Creek Road . Asheville, NC 28803 . 828-348-4161 . asheville@seacoast.org . seacoast.org/asheville mountainx.com

Southern Dharma Retreat Center Southern Dharma Retreat Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit offering affordable, residential, teacher-led, silent Buddhist retreats. Traditions include Vipassana, Soto Zen, American Zen, Thich Nhat Hanh, New Kadampa and Won-Buddhism, all of which share the unifying thread of meditation, contemplation and silence.

Small groups (limited to 30 retreatants), excellent teachers, opportunities for private meetings with teachers, delicious meals, simple yet comfortable accommodations, and our setting’s natural beauty distinguish Southern Dharma’s retreats. The Center is nestled on a 130-acre forest preserve adjacent to Pisgah National Forest about one hour northwest of Asheville. Retreatants can walk in the woods, enjoy the view from the knoll, or hike up to the top of Hap Mountain.

At Southern Dharma an atmosphere of peace and tranquility prevails, offering opportunities for quiet reflection and enabling one to uncover truths within the heart conducive to personal growth and transformation. The 2014 retreat season includes 22 teacher-led retreats varying in length from three to ten nights plus two work weekends. The Center welcomes people with all levels of experience, but some retreats are limited to experienced Buddhist meditators. Scholarships are available to those with financial need. Please find retreat and teacher descriptions on our website.

1661 West Rd. Hot Springs, NC SouthernDharma.org | (828) 622-7112

Unity Center of Mills River is a wellspring of spiritual enrichment, fellowship, personal growth and human comfort. This inclusive, open and accepting community demonstrates practical application of spiritual truths. Unity is a way of life. Our philosophy is based upon five principles, one of which is “We create our life experiences through thoughts held in our mind.”

Unity is a “green congregation” that is active in community outreach, including Feed the Kids, Habitat for Humanity, holiday gifts for kids, prayer chaplains and sustainability programs. Services (Sundays at 10 a.m.) consist of music, guided meditation, prayer, an inspirational message and an adult discussion group.

Dress as you feel comfortable.

There is a beautiful labyrinth for walking meditation, plus youth education from infants and toddlers to high school. Our senior minister, the Rev. Pat Veenema, comfortably weaves the universal truths of the Bible into inspirational Sunday talks and weekly classes.

2041 Old Fanning Bridge Road . Mills River, NC 28759 828-891-8700 . unity@unitync.net . unitync.net

Baha’i Community of Asheville Baha’is believe the purpose of life is to know and worship God, and carry forward an ever-advancing civilization. Baha’is strive to bring about the unity of mankind, through principles that include the divine origin of all the major religions, elimination of all forms of prejudice and the equality of women and men.

The Baha’i Faith is an independent world religion with adherents in virtually every country. The Faith had its beginnings in Persia (Iran) in 1844, and its World Center and sacred shrines are now located in and around Haifa, Israel. There are over 5 million Baha’is residing in 230 countries, representing over 2,000 ethnic, religious and cultural backgrounds.

The founder of the Baha’i Faith is recognized by the title Baha’u’llah, meaning, “The Glory of God,” just as Jesus was referred to as Christ, meaning

“The Anointed.” Baha’u’llah’s teachings incorporate goals that educate and improve the state of humanity by promoting universal education, recognizing that true religion is in harmony with reason and scientific knowledge, and seeking spiritual solutions to global economic injustice.

We invite you to visit the local Baha’i community and learn more about our programs to promote the unity of our human family, including classes for youth, study groups and devotional opportunities for adults. Activities are free and open to the public.

Contact us at the WNC Baha’i Center, 5 Ravenscroft Drive (downtown Asheville) at 2511051. Visit our website at www.wncbahai.org and our national website at www.bahai.us to learn more about Baha’i activities!

5 Ravenscroft Dr | Asheville | 251-1051 | www.wncbahai.org mountainx.com

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Oshun Mountain Sanctuary

A W A K E N I N G

Awakening Asheville presents events that promote spiritual expansion. Our events awaken you to your life purpose at this revolutionary time for our planet. Because Asheville is located at a confluence of powerful earth and river energy, awakening here is supported. You are here for a reason! Awakening Asheville events are a step on your transformational journey that expands you to who you are meant to be. When you are operating on your destined path, you create healing and spiritual growth for yourself, for those around you and for the planet.

Oshun Mountain Sanctuary (OM Sanctuary) is a holistic educational center for retreat & renewal, located 2 miles from the heart of downtown Asheville.

Oshun represents the renewal a river brings.

Mountain represents strength and stability.

Sanctuary is a sacred place of shelter, refuge and rejuvenation.

OM Sanctuary provides experiences to renew the body, mind and spirit, reconnecting individuals with themselves, their relations, the community and nature.

Photo by Taylor Johnson

People around the world are becoming aware that our experience of the outer world is a reflection of our inner state of being. As we bring ourselves into balance, the world around us reflects that greater harmony. At this moment in our spiritual development, OM Sanctuary rises to the call for a center for reflection, offering a place of support in these changing times.

In OMS’s 2 meditation rooms, you can develop conscious awareness through mindfulness practices, accessing silence and observation and developing compassionate listening, conscious choice, breath, service and responsibility.

OM Sanctuary offers a refuge for people to come home to themselves; to experience stillness, silence, beauty and joy; to renew, reflect, explore new ideas and transform.

A S H E V I L L E

In your awakening, you need the support of others who can guide you. Past and upcoming events are presented by visionaries, wisemen and wisewomen, healers, indigenous elders, authors and artists of regional, national and international renown. These guides help erase what holds you back and enhance what lifts you up.

Workshops are held in downtown Asheville venues like Jubilee!. When you are ready for transformation, a path appears that supports it. Our workshops and events are steps on that path for you. You have greatness in you: Step up and accept it!

For more information about Awakening Asheville and workshop registration information, visit our website.

87 Richmond Hill Drive . Asheville, NC 28806 . 828.252.7313 info@omsanctuary.org . omsanctuary.org

Awakening Asheville 828-280-7003

gayle@awakeningasheville.com, awakeningasheville.com

First Baptist Church of Asheville What About Your “Middle Name,” Baptist?

Some people know us as “that church with the dome,” and we’re grateful for our landmark building, designed by renowned architect Douglas Ellington in the mid-1920s. But what about the church that meets under that dome?

We explore together what it means to know God through Jesus and how to live in our world as Jesus lived in his, with a commitment to love, grace, justice and mercy.

Jesus makes it clear that every person deserves our respect and love. So our hearts and arms are open to all people — young and old, rich and poor, longtime Christians and seekers after faith.

We seek to be a caring and compassionate church which, like Jesus, accepts everyone and serves our neighbors, community and world.

5 Oak St. 32

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Our “middle name” can be confusing, because there are so many different kinds of Baptist churches. Sometimes all people know about Baptists is what they are against. What we’re for is what we’re about. We’re for freedom: freedom for people to make up their own minds about God and faith, and to do it at their own pace. Freedom to use the mind as a gift of God — to ask questions, to debate and even to doubt. Freedom and equality between women and men, older and younger, rich and poor. Freedom to come back from heartbreak and failure. Freedom from guilt and fear. Freedom to be and become all that God made you to be.

We invite you to experience freedom, friendship and faith with us.

Asheville, NC 28801

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828-252-4781

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dblackmon@fbca.net

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fbca.net

Transformations

Celtic Soul Craft

Live on Purpose

Transformations offers personal or group spiritual teachings focused on supporting the integration of ego mind and our spiritual selves. Throughout life, we come to many thresholds, where certain thoughts or behaviors no longer work for us and we are asked to change. Transformations offers guidance through these changes with counseling and ministry services.

Our mission at Transformations is to say yes to our spirit, to recover our most beautiful, authentic selves, and to discover our amazing powers of healing, freedom and joy! As we heal our own lives and connect more fully with our spirit, we actually heal our communities and the collective consciousness.

One of the principal tools used at Transformations is the exciting and effective modality of Shamanic Breathwork™. This technique is a powerful way to clear emotional and spiritual blocks to make lasting change in our lives, bringing them more fully in line with our true spiritual purpose. If you are ready to Live on Purpose, contact Alyson Crisp at Transformations to discuss the perfect program to change your life!

100 Falling Leaf Lane 828-200-9743

Jude Lally arrived in Asheville from Scotland in 2009, creating Celtic Soul Craft from a passion to make ancient wisdom relevant , nurturing and practical to modern lives. At the heart of her mission lies the Celtic view that the divine is present in nature, a relationship we can explore through art, creatively embellishing old ways to make them relevant to our current needs.

Celtic Soul Craft is threefold. Fiber-art pieces act as reminders to integrate spirit into our daily lives.

Workshops based around the Celtic festivals allow participants to explore their relationship to divinity through sharing personal stories, ceremony, creating sacred art and shamanic journeying. And small, intimate tours of Scotland and Ireland provide a unique insight and relationship with place through myth and legend, ceremony and art.

To learn more about our 2014 tour of Loch Lomond in Scotland, as well as our workshops and courses, visit our website.

. Asheville, NC 28803

. alyson.crisp@gmail.com

| 828-545-8373 | judelally@gmail.com | celticsoulcraft.com |

West Asheville Yoga Yoga, Heart and Soul

Land of the Sky United Church of Christ

For thousands of years, yoga has been a path of self-transformation: healing your body, your heart, and bringing new depth to your life. With a nourishing yoga practice, all parts of your life get better: You are calmer, stronger, living in greater ease.

At West Asheville Yoga, we have some of the area’s most experienced and beloved teachers, with small classes so they can see you, help you, encourage you. In 2014 our expert instructors (including new faculty) will offer a Year of Therapeutics and Nourishing Yoga, with classes and themes devoted to deep listening and healing. Freedom of Movement Therapeutics with founder Cat Matlock is expanding. Cat is an expert in teaching others how to use foam rollers, therapy balls and yoga to end chronic pain. We have certified yoga therapists on faculty.

Every month we will offer special workshops to help you experience yoga safely to strengthen and nourish your body. We offer devotional music events to open your heart, and meditation and mantra workshops for your soul. Come check out the expanding little studio at 602 Haywood Road.

602 Haywood Road Asheville, NC 28806 828-350-1167 info@westashevilleyoga.com West Asheville Yoga.com

Land of the Sky United Church of Christ is an emerging, progressive community seeking to serve the still-speaking God by living justly, loving abundantly and walking humbly in the ways of Jesus. We are people of extravagant welcome. Whether you are young or old, gay or straight, single or partnered, happy or sad, confused or inspired, street-smart or collegeeducated, whether you can’t pay your bills or have more than enough to share: We invite you to join us as we worship the God who welcomes us all.

No matter who you are or where you are on life’s journey, you are welcome at Land of the Sky UCC. Worship with us on Sunday mornings at 9:15 a.m. in the sanctuary at 123 Kenilworth Road in Asheville. Childcare provided. Live Justly. Love Abundantly. Walk Humbly.

www.landoftheskychurch.org mountainx.com

DEcEmBER 25 - DEcEmBER 31, 2013

33

F O O D

All symbols are not created equal A look at food packaging in local supermarkets

stoRy By toni shERwooD writing.asheville@gmail.com

Photos by Nick King

As we peruse our local grocery store shelves, we can all rest assured that the familiar arrow symbols and numbers displayed on product packages mean the material can be recycled. Right?

“This is a common misconception,” says Barry Lawson, president of Curbside Management in Asheville.

“The symbol actually tells you what kind of material the packaging is made from. It does not necessarily identify that it can be recycled.”

Curbside Management, commonly known as Curbie, is one of many local options for recycling services and is contracted by the city of Asheville for its blue-cart, curbside pickup. Waste Management of Asheville offers residential and commercial services, Buncombe County offers drop-off at the transfer station, and there are also several drop-off locations at local stores and businesses. Many townships now participate in the county’s “blue bag” recycling program.

Recyclables from No. 1 (PET, or polyethylene terephthalate, commonly used for soda bottles) to No. 7 (which includes the plant-based, compostable polylactide, as well as hard, polycarbonate plastics), are collected and gathered in the Asheville area. Curbie collects in the city and other locations, transporting the materials to processors for making new products, Lawson explains. “We’re able to consistently move Nos. 1, 2 and 5 almost anywhere. Three, 4, 6 and 7 are more difficult because outlets are limited.” And recently it has become even harder, which Lawson suspects could be connected with the ability to export these plastics, “We mix those numbers together and ship them. Then they are exported

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DEcEmBER 25 - DEcEmBER 31, 2013

to countries with lower labor costs.”

At salad stations, hot bars, bulk bins, olive and other bars, most local grocers offer packaging choices that range from compostable plates to recyclable and reusable containers.

Grocers and retailers often provide collection bins where customers can recycle plastic bags and paper, but these same stores routinely use one of the most difficult packaging materials to recycle: the foam trays used to hold meat and fish. thE styRofoam DiLEmma Commonly referred to by the trade name Styrofoam, expanded polystyrene foam is relatively cheap and lightweight, and performs well under the supermarket wrapping process. It falls under the recyclable symbol No. 6, yet according to the Earth Resource Foundation, it is made from nonrenewable petroleum, the production process tends to be toxic, it is not biodegradable, and there are no widespread recy-

mountainx.com

EaRth fRiEnDLy: Jackie Norris, left, and Mary Beth Hoban, right, hold the plant-based containers Harris Teeter uses.

cling options. Many cities have banned this type of packaging, including Seattle, Portland, Ore., and San Francisco. Earlier this year, New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg attempted to ban polystyrene foam cups and containers from restaurants in the city.

Catherine Becker, communications manager for Harris Teeter, says the North Carolinabased supermarket chain has researched substitute packaging for foam meat trays and continues to explore possibilities. “Shelf life on certain packaging based on composition may be minimal; a more rigid tray requires a highergauge plastic to wrap the product; and a bamboo tray would start to

disintegrate if or when it came in contact with a liquid,” Becker says.

“Some alternatives we’ve looked at are cost-prohibitive and some did not prove to be a viable alternative.”

But the company has made progress replacing polystyrene foam in some areas. “Harris Teeter has introduced plant-based, nonpetroleum plastic containers for our instore, fresh-cut fruit,” Becker says.

“We also use polypropylene hot-food containers and olive-bar containers, to name a few.”

Whole Foods Market began seeking alternatives for polystyrene foam years ago, experimenting with bulrush fiber. Unfortunately, the plant fiber was twice as costly and much heavier and less visually appealing to customers than the polystyrene equivalent. The fiber trays also begin to degrade if exposed to too much moisture. “Customers are definitely concerned with freshness when it comes to meat,” says Sarah Rae German, associate store team leader at Whole

Foods’ Asheville store, Greenlife.

The result of the company’s commitment to find alternatives is evident: Greenlife offers prepackaged meat in No. 5 plastic trays and shrink-wrapped in plastic.

The majority of the grocery’s fresh meat is selected and wrapped at the butcher counter. “The wax paper used to wrap meats from the butcher counter is compostable and freezable, and our sushi trays are compostable,” German says.

Dave Campbell, food service director of the newly opened Katuah Market, says, “Packaging is a huge source of waste in the food industry.” Katuah is committed to recyclable alternatives, he says. “We are using a variety of packaging, including compostable containers on our food bars, BPAfree, consumer reusable, recyclable containers for our deli case and grab-and-go section. For wrapping up our sandwiches and meats, we use recycled, unbleached butcher paper.” Some of the packaging that appears to be plastic is actually potato-based or corn-based — it’s compostable.

Ingles Markets CFO Ron Freeman says, “Many of our meat and fish products are prepared for sale right in our stores. Purchases from our cases are wrapped in butcher paper. We also use butcher paper if a customer requests it.

We are always open to alternatives that offer a good mix of food safety, recyclability and cost.”

A big problem with recycling the polystyrene foam trays from meat and fish is cleanliness, Lawson says. Contaminated materials often cannot be recycled. This is a problem with plastic bags as well. “Many plastic bags taken to the recycler end up in a landfill,” he says. “Maybe someone puts a soda bottle in there with a tiny bit of liquid in it. It spills, and you end up with a contaminated product, and the end user doesn’t want it.”

Another issue is economics.

Most commodities sell by the pound or ton, and polystyrene tends to be very light. The transport costs are high — a combination of the low fuel efficiency of trucks and the high price of diesel fuel. To top it off, there are few end users, which makes recycling polystyrene unfeasible. “Most Styrofoam recyclers are looking for the big block packaging that protects new televisions and computers,” Lawson explains. “That’s

sushi fan: Compostable packaging for the sushi sold at Greenlife is provided by Genji, the company that supplies its sushi.

what mostly gets recycled.”

Suppliers are part of the problem grocers must contend with. Becker says, “Harris Teeter does package some meat products in-store, but others arrive packaged.”

German concurs. “Suppliers could be more mindful of the amount of packaging and what could be recycled.”

And Freeman says, “We also have customers that prefer Styrofoam due to ease of transportation, storage and leak prevention. That also applies to some of our outside vendors such as our poultry suppliers.”

responsibly managed forests.

In 2009, Evergreen Packaging aligned with three other leading carton manufacturers to form the Carton Council. Securing viable outlets for fiber recovered from recycled cartons is among the council’s key initiatives, and it serves as a matchmaker in the marketplace. Cartons are now being recycled into tissues, envelopes and other paper products. In 2011, Curbside Management became one of many companies Evergreen recruited to transport the recycled material to the end user, typically a paper mill. Now Evergreen’s product doesn’t have a recyclable symbol on it, because it has somewhere to go.

Brown says, “The recycle logo doesn’t matter. It’s whether or not the community accepts it that determines if it is recyclable.” Perhaps as public awareness increases, suppliers of polystyrene foam will follow Evergreen’s example and embrace what Brown refers to as “voluntary producer responsibility,” which means taking a more proactive approach to finding end users and methods to ensure the products they manufacture are recycled.

Curbside Management does not currently accept Styrofoam. “The best thing to do is not to use it,” Lawson says, “and to ask companies not to use it.”

Some stores have started to take this advice. “There will be no polystyrene used to package anything on our shelves at Katuah Market,” says Campbell. “We tell our vendors we won’t accept that type of packaging.”

To find out whether cartons are recyclable in your community go to recyclecartons.com. X

Best Latin Breakfast in Town Open 7 days for Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Grove Arcade Suite 139 828-350-1332

It's about the process...

suppLy-siDE soLutions But can suppliers be expected to worry about the end life of their products? One local producer made it a top priority to find ways that end products could be recycled. Derric Brown, sustainability director at Evergreen Packaging in Canton, says, “We think it’s the right thing to do.” Evergreen makes aseptic and gable-top containers — the waxy paper product used to package many organic milks, boxed soups and juices. The company creates this product from wood harvested from

...not processed

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48 Biltmore Avenue Asheville, NC, 28801 www.ChestnutAsheville.com DEcEmBER 25 - DEcEmBER 31, 2013

35

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DEcEmBER 25 - DEcEmBER 31, 2013

Zia Taqueria’s Hatch chile specialties A change of just one little letter turns a chili pepper — an ordinary spicy restaurant garnish — into a chile — an authentic, traditional New Mexican treat. The green Hatch chile packs a unique flavor profile, and West Asheville’s Zia Taqueria is one of only about 20 restaurants in the country where diners can find it.

Founder Kevin Grant (who runs the original Zia Taqueria in Charleston, S.C.) calls the green Hatch “without a doubt the most flavorful chili pepper out there.” His partner, Robert Tipsword, maintains the Asheville location. The two were lucky enough to establish a relationship with an authentic green Hatch chile supplier in New Mexico and have been consistently using the fiery fruit in dishes since mid-November. So far, notes Tipsword, the response from customers has been great.

Right now, the green Hatch chile stew is the restaurant’s main feature. A unique blend of spices, potatoes, corn and carrots (available either with pork or vegan), the stew is just the right kind of spicy to be a seasonal favorite. “The recipe isn’t all that hard,” says Grant. “The hard part is getting the chile. It’s the only one with this kind of flavor. The stew is a way for people to understand there’s a lot more than just heat in a chili.”

“It’s almost an unprecedented taste for Asheville and the Eastern Seaboard,” adds Tipsword, who’s excited about playing with new green Hatch chile recipes and flavors that will soon be featured on Zia’s menu.

Tipsword is also looking forward to creating a community-driven hub of dining, with specialty cocktails and entertainment. With one successful year under his belt, he hopes to begin hosting sports events, movies, bands and more at his prime location.

“We’re fortunate to be on Haywood with parking surrounded by fences.

I feel like with this property comes a sense of responsibility to do something that involves the community, and that’s definitely something we’re looking forward to.”

mountainx.com

chiLE wEathER: The green hatch chile stew made by Zia Taqueria co-owners Robert Tipsword, left, and Kevin Grant, right, could be a new winter go-to food for Asheville. Photo by Gina Smith

Tipsword’s passion for community involvement doesn’t end at Asheville’s city limits. New Mexico’s nearly 350 days of sunlight, he explains, have made chili peppers a primary export, and he says, “with Asheville’s growing economy, we should support and buy this worldrenowned American product.”

In 1992, he notes, 40,000 acres in the state were devoted to growing chilies; by 2010, that number had dropped to 9,500. “Unfortunately, 82 percent of chili peppers bought are from other countries now, and there’s no telling how they preserve it, package it — and what some restaurants put on it to make it look good again,” he points out.

Originally developed at the University of New Mexico, the green Hatch chile is a true American fruit — so American, in fact, that several McDonald’s restaurants in New Mexico regularly serve green-chile burgers. Zia Taqueria now has yearround access to this prized condiment, which surprisingly is never

frozen despite its long journey. “Our supplier found a way to keep that backyard flavor, roasting them first and then using lime juice to preserve them in jugs,” Tipsword explains.

This particular pepper is definitely worth the hassle. “There’s nothing else we could use that would even get close to the flavor of this chile,” says Grant. Chili peppers are naturally packed with vitamins, fiber and capsaicin (which many claim blocks the production of cancer cells), making the green Hatch chile stew a nutritious seasonal dish. Served with tortillas on the side to cut the spice while enabling diners to soak up every last drop, the stew will be served through the winter and is sure to get Zia Taqueria customers wondering what the next green Hatch chile menu item will be.

Zia Taqueria (ziataco.com) is at 521 Haywood Road and is open 11 a.m.9:30 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

575-9393. X

Wishing you and yours a Happy Holiday Season! —Chef Brian Ross + Team DOUGH

372 Merrimon Avenue doughasheville.com

Xpress readers are

Tune in

caring they make great employees

on Dec. 26 & 27 for the

Top 100 CounTDown

& on Dec. 31 for the rebroadcast of the warren Haynes Christmas pre-Jam. You can still support Public Radio online at

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www.accentonbooks.com DEcEmBER 25 - DEcEmBER 31, 2013

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fooD

by Jonathan Ammons

jonathonammons@gmail.com

Spirits of the holidays Traditionally, everyone has a beverage in their hand to raise high when the clock strikes midnight on New Year’s Eve. The standard libation is Champagne, and in a town like Asheville, I am sure folks will be spilling local beer as they lean in for their kiss. But this year, why not welcome the new year with some new spirits? Xpress asked two local bartenders to offer some fresh tipples for end-of-the-year toasts, and I offer one of my own.

jonathan ammons: what aRE you Doing nEw yEaR’s EVE?

“It’s supersimple,” says Jesse Ratliff, who’s shaking up a spirited holiday beverage at MG Road. “Spirit, sugar and milk, shaken and served up in a tall glass, maybe even some fresh nutmeg on top.” After all, he says, “Tis the season, so why not have some fun with holiday flavors? Most of us can’t get by without a candy cane or two.”

And finally, there’s my old favorite from my days as a bartender. I named one of my favorite holiday drinks after the Frank Loesser tune made famous by Ella Fitzgerald, “What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?” Since the song is technically a Christmas song, and seeing as it is about the new year, I made a bit of a twist on a classic eggnog with a local apple brandy. The mint in the Fernet Branca makes for a bitter, yet refreshingly wintery flavor.

to make: 1) Add ingredients to blender and blend until smooth.

2) Float ¼ ounce Peychaud’s Bitters on top.

3) Serve in a tall Collins glass. cynthia tuRnER hoLiDay punch I stopped in on a very busy Tiki Tuesday night at Imperial Life to catch up with Cynthia Turner, who made me a delightful riff on a Champagne cocktail. What better way to watch the ball drop than with some fizzy bubbles tickling your nose? Her cocktail is a complex combination of bittersweet Aperol, the richness of a custom-made spice dram and lemon. Not to mention how great and rare it is to see bourbon in a Champagne drink. ingredients 1 ounce bourbon ¼ ounce fresh lemon juice ¼ ounce Aperol ¼ ounce five-spice dram (*see recipe below) Prosecco to taste

DEcEmBER 25 - DEcEmBER 31, 2013

This year, instead of just popping the cork or cap on an old vanguard libation, surprise your guests with something different. Most of these ingredients are available at your local grocers and ABC stores. The Fernet Branca is sometimes hard to find, but it’s often stocked at the Charlotte Street and Merrimon Avenue ABC stores.

jEssE RatLiff (mg RoaD): pEppERmint miLk punch

ingredients 2 ounces Beefeater 24 Gin 10 drops peppermint extract ½ ounce simple syrup (1:1 ratio) 6 ounces milk (or half-and-half for richer flavor) Enough ice to overfill the glass

38

Local cocktails brighten the season

mountainx.com

pEppERmint schtick: Bartender Jesse Ratliff plays with holiday flavors in this easy-to-make, gin-based punch.

Photo by Jonathan Ammons

to make: 1) Fill the shaker with ice completely so as not to overdilute your beverage.

2) Shake the above ingredients in a cocktail shaker.

3) Strain into a Champagne glass and top with a nice, dry Prosecco.

4) Garnish with a cranberry and a lemon twist. *five-spice dram: 1 cup of rum 3 cinnamon sticks 3 slices of ginger 8 cloves 15 allspice berries ½ grated piece of nutmeg 2 cups sugar 1 cup water to make: 1) Soak the ingredients in a Mason jar for four days and then strain.

2) Combine sugar and water and add into the mixture.

ingredients 1 ½ ounce Carriage House Apple Brandy ½ ounce Fernet-Branca ½ ounce cinnamon syrup (*see recipe below) 1 egg white to make: 1) Fill a cocktail shaker to the brim with ice and shake like crazy.

2) Strain into a cocktail glass and garnish with nutmeg shavings. *cinnamon syrup: 4 broken cinnamon sticks 1 cup Demerara sugar (raw cane sugar) 1 cup boiling water to make: 1) Combine all ingredients in a Mason jar.

2) Stir until sugar is dissolved.

3) Allow the cinnamon to steep for several hours. X

editor’s note: Both Cynthia Turner’s Holiday Punch and Jonathan Ammon’s What Are You Doing for New Year’s Eve, require prep time.

Small Green HomeS

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PhỞ R Us

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Notes from the Asheville food scene

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peace on earth & goodwill to all living beings 165 merrimon avenue | 828.258.7500 | www.plantisfood.com

Red Honey

A Great Bar Serving Great Food.

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Contact 828.239.0186 for more details or visit us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ 151boutiquebar

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photo courtesy of Posana Café

Small bites

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Join Us for all the New Year’s Fun · Live Music from Red Honey · Drink Specials · Champagne toast at midnight.

No reservations required.

fooD

a Room with a VuE A new restaurant, Vue 1913, has debuted in Asheville’s historic Omni Grove Park Inn, promising an American twist on the European brasserie. The name pays homage to both the inn’s panoramic views of the Blue Ridge Mountains and the opening date of the original Grove Park Inn, which was July 12, 1913.

Traditional French brasseries are cozy, informal eateries that serve drinks and hearty cuisine.

Vue’s chef, James Lumley, relocated in August from South Florida, where he spent years as chef in various kitchens at the RitzCarlton Hotel in Naples and other resorts. At Vue, Lumley sticks with the brasserie theme by offering time-honored dishes, but he gives the concept local flavor by using ingredients sourced from area and regional producers. He buys locally grown produce from Asheville’s Mountain Food Products. Classic dishes like his clams casino feature seafood from the North Carolina coast and bacon from Tennessee’s nationally lauded smokehouse maestro, Allan Benton.

“It’s something special you have going on around here,” says Lumley, “how everyone is so tied in to food.

I’ve been so busy here getting things going, but I look forward to being able to get out and meet a lot of the farmers in the area.”

Vue’s winter menu features French onion soup, baked brie, deviled duck eggs, lobster agnolotti with wild local mushrooms and whitecorn purée, and a seafood tower of oysters, shrimp, crab and lobster tails. Each day of the week Lumley will offer a classic special such as cassoulet, coq au vin, steak au poivre, crispy duck confit or house-made tagliatelle. Seafood entrees will range from pan-seared salmon and scallops to bouillabaisse packed with mussels, shrimp and scallops.

Currently, choices for vegetarians include salads and cheeses, plus a winter entrée of vegetable potpie with sea-

fREsh aiR: Peter Pollay takes the reins as 2014 president of Asheville Independent Restaurants executive board.

sonal vegetables simmered in puff pastry. But TraceyJohnston-Crum, the inn’s director of public relations and community outreach, promises that a broader selection of meatless fare is in the works. “That’s to start but more will follow,” she says.

To accompany its Frenchinspired cuisine, Vue 1913 boasts a French wine cellar along with certified sommeliers to help diners choose the perfect vintage to accompany their meal.

Vue 1913 in southernmost tip of the Sammons wing, just past the Presidents Lounge at The Omni Grove Park Inn. Appetizers start at $8 and entrées at $21. Open for dinner nightly. Reservations are recommended and are available at OpenTable.com. — Toni Sherwood ashEViLLE inDEpEnDEnt REstauRants namEs nEw ExEcutiVE BoaRD AIR (Asheville Independent Restaurants) recently named its new executive board for 2014, tapping Posana Café co-owner and Executive Chef Peter Pollay as

president. Chosen as president-elect at the end of 2012, Pollay replaces outgoing president Sherrye Coggiola of The Cantina.

AIR’s membership is composed of more than 90 independent restaurants, and its 2014 board represents a cross section of Asheville’s eclectic food scene. Posana Café, located downtown, focuses on gluten-free fare, while other eateries represented on the board offer barbecue, fried chicken and seafood.

Other new new executive board members are: Kim Murray, coowner of The Lobster Trap, vice president; Jeff Miller, owner of Luella’s Barbecue, secretary; and Rich Cundiff, owner of Rocky’s Hot Chicken Shack, treasurer.

According to AIR Executive Director Jane Anderson, the new board reflects the wide range of businesses the group represents.

“AIR has doubled its membership in the last two years,” she says, “and it really needed to create a board that represents the diversity of this huge organization. … The nominating committee worked to come up with a board that I believe really does that.”

Anderson says Pollay, who had worked with celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck before opening Posana five years ago, has been a huge asset to AIR because of his leadership in the areas of sustainability and green business practices. The Green Restaurant Association named Posana North Carolina’s first Certified Green Restaurant in 2011.

From there, Pollay spearheaded the effort that helped Asheville win the honor of being named the first Green Dining Destination in the United States by the organization.

Pollay says he plans to maintain his local focus during his yearlong term. “We’re really excited as a whole organization to become as sustainable as possible. We have an industry that uses up a lot of natural resources,” he says. “We’re trying to do anything we can to lessen our carbon footprint.” — Gina Smith a noBLE nEw yEaR’s EVE at aLL souLs If artisan pizza and a glass of crisp, hard cider sound like a perfect combination, the Very Noble New Year’s celebration, a collaboration between All Souls Pizza and Noble Cider, may be the ideal way to ring in 2014. On New Year’s Eve, All Souls will feature a prix fixe menu with an optional Noble Cider pairing that offers tastings of

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(828) 645-8866 - 18 North Main St - Weaverville several yet-to-be-released ciders.

Midnight toasts will be done with Noble’s classic variety.

Revelers can expect to get a sneak peak at some flavors that won’t be available on tap or in bottles until mid-2014, including a hopped cider and one or two fruitflavored varieties, as well as the winter seasonal, Figgy Pudding.

“It’s made with fresh and dried figs and seasonal spices, with a nice brandylike flavor in the finish,” says Noble Cider staff member Joanna Baker.

“Noble is excited to partner on our first cider dinner with All Souls Pizza,” Baker says. “[All Souls Chef] David Bauer and his team truly believe in the local food and beverage community, and they’ve been great supporters of our product since they opened. It’s going to be a delicious evening.”

Dinner with a cider pairing is $50.

Dinner-only is $35. Guests who opt for both the dinner and the cider pairing will receive a Noble Cider glass to take home as a memento.

The event runs 5 p.m.-midnight and All Souls will stay open until 1 a.m.

It will be closed on Jan. 1.

All Souls Pizza is at 175 Clingman Avenue. 254-0169 or allsoulspizza@ gmail.com — Gina Smith X

www.glassonionasheville.com

Join us for dinner featuring NYE menu 5-10:30 pm.

DJ RA MAK

CHAMPAGNE

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DANCING

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From black light to starlight New Year’s Eve events across WNC

Dance the night away at the old farmer’s Ball. Held in Warren Wilson College’s Bryson Gym, the long-running weekly contra dance goes glitzy for the new year. clay Bay provides the music, and nils fredland calls. Waltzing from 7-8 p.m., contra at 8 p.m. This year’s costume theme is Midnight in Paris. $20-$21 in advance/$25 at the door. oldfarmersball.com.

By aLLi maRshaLL

amarshall@mountainx.com

There are a number of business maxims — dress for success, learn more from your failures than from your successes, reinvent yourself every day — that could be applied to a winning New Year’s Eve. But none is more apt than that old British chestnut, start as you mean to go on. Because, let’s face it, where you are and what you’re doing when the clock strikes 12:01 a.m. sets the tone for your entire next year.

OK, that might not be true. But for argument’s sake, let’s say it is.

Will you kick off 2014 in your PJs (no judgments, we promise), on the dance floor, or at an intentionsetting ceremony? Will the coming year be more about soul? Or perhaps it’s your time to rock ’n’ roll.

Whatever your preference, Xpress here rounds up some top options to launch your next circuit around the calendar.

For more New Year’s Eve ideas, check out Clubland, Calendar and mountainx.com.

Hendersonville Little Theater plans to celebrate twice, with Rock Around The Clock: A New Year’s Eve Gala, held at both 4:30 and 8:30 p.m. The variety show is hosted by Valerie sneade, a recent transplant to Hendersonville, who’ll perform songs from the likes of Neil Diamond, The Supremes and Elvis, along with selections from Broadway musicals. Singer/guitarist Edward Loder, vocalist Beth Norris and The Brad Curtioff Trio are also on the bill. $25 adults/$20 students/$10 kids. hendersonvillelittletheater.org.

Plan to wear your stretchy pants to Pack’s Tavern. The bar and restaurant kicks off its celebration with

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“A New Year’s Eve party of epic proportions” is what’s promised by the grove house. The venue holds a giant fete spanning all three of its clubs ― Scandals, Boiler Room and Club Eleven. five Djs will spin, there will be a balloon drop over every dance floor, a midnight Champagne toast and more. 8 p.m. to 3 a.m. $20 members/$25 guests/$30 under 21. thegrovehouse.com.

Balloon drop at thE gRoVE housE. Photo courtesy of Grove House

cocktails at 6 p.m., appetizers at 6:30 and a dinner buffet at 7. There’ll also be plenty of Champagne and dancing. $60 per person includes food and party from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. Arrive after 8 p.m. for three floors, three bars, Dj moto and sound Extreme Djs. Cover for the party only is $10. packstavern.com.

Oskar Blues in Brevard takes up the bluegrass mantle this year.

Charlottesville, Va.’s hackensaw Boys make the trip to Western North Carolina — not too big a deal for the group, considering that they traveled to the Netherlands a while back to play the memorial for a fallen Dutch fan. They’ve also recently played Pukelpop in Belgium, Bonnaroo in Tennessee, Bergenfest in Norway, Telluride in Colorado, Belfast Folk Festival in Ireland and Floyd Fest in Virginia, so the Hackensaw Boys are well-schooled in festive spirit. packway handle Band also performs, and there will be “food

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trucks and goodies.” 7 p.m., $25. oskarblues.com.

If your idea of celebration is fueled more by tea and intention-setting, less by bubbly and disco balls, join sangita Devi’s ninth annual New Year’s Eve kirtan. The evening begins with chanting and meditation. There’ll be an altar for lighting candles to symbolize intentions for the coming year and an ecstatic dance wave led by Robert Kochka.

Held at Jubilee Community Church at 7 p.m. $25 advance/$35-$50 sliding scale at the door. sangitadevikirtan.com.

New Year’s Eve is pretty much a tradition at Tressa’s. The celebration runs from 7 p.m.-3 a.m. with music from soul act Lyric with special guest Ruby mayfield. Balloon drop, Champagne fountains, party favors and the venue’s soul food buffet on its upper level are all part of the festivities. $25 per person. tressas.com.

It’s vintage rock night at Olive or Twist, with 3 cool cats headlining. The party includes Champagne toasts, hats and party favors. 8 p.m., $15 in advance. oliveortwist.net.

Catch more than a dozen local musical acts at 38 N. French Broad Ave. (formerly The Metrosphere and Club Hairpsray). Promoter/curator New Earth hosts a masquerade soiree with Zansa, Disc-oh!, Futexture, Kri, Medisin, Push/Pull, In Plain Sight, Brett Rock, FlyPaper, Olof, Bombassic, JWOB, Samuel Paradise, Collective One and Intrinsic. 8 p.m., $20. activative.com.

Foxtrot into the New Year at the asheville Ballroom and Dance centre. Recharge after all those samba moves with hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar. 8:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m., $20. Reservations required. ashevilleballroom.net.

Rootsy-jamband RailRoad Earth may not be the first group to play more than two nights in a row at The Orange Peel (Smashing Pumpkins still holds the record), but a threenight stand culminating in a New Year’s Eve show is none too shabby.

Plus, local orchestral indie-pop band River whyless opens the Sunday, Dec. 29, and Monday, Dec. 30, shows.

entail wardrobe changes — one of the many elements of showmanship that Morgan gets so very right.

Jazz-noir act crybaby opens the evening, followed by a headlining set from indie-pop outfit stephaniesid. Mogan has been pursuing her acting career lately, so this return to music (in multiple forms) is the perfect end/beginning to the year.

9 p.m., $50 four-course dinner and show (reservations required)/$15 show only. isisasheville.com.

It’s been a big year for electronicbluegrass fusion band Brushfire stankgrass. “Highlights have included an appearance at the Moog factory, a Western tour, and several notable festival appearances,” the group’s website reports.

Plus, “WNCW listeners voted One for the Salamanders a top-10 regional release of the year.” Hard to top all that, but they’ll still party like it’s almost 2014 at the Emerald Lounge.

9 p.m., $10. emeraldlounge.com.

Rapper cakEs Da kiLLa headlines the New Year’s Freakout at Toy Boat.

9 p.m., $25/$28. The New Year’s Eve show is also at 9 p.m. $50. theorangepeel.net.

A double shot of local funk and rock meets a black-light party when yo mama’s Big fat Booty Band, on the heels of new album Onward, headlines The Grey Eagle. As the album title suggests and the group’s bio confirms, the Booty Band is “deeply rooted in funk and fully committed to the ongoing evolution of the genre.”

Soul-driven powerhouse collective the Broadcast (who also recently released a new album, Dodge the Arrow) opens. 9 p.m., $20/$25. thegreyeagle.com.

White Horse Black Mountain gears up for its annual New Year’s Eve party with Bj Leiderman and guests Eric Congdon, The Screaming Js, David Lamotte, Chuck Beattie and ZuZu Welsh. 9 p.m., $30. whitehorseblackmountain.com.

Get to know the many facets of local singer-songwriter and band leader stephanie morgan: Two of her musical projects take the stage at Isis Restaurant and Music Hall. Hopefully, the persona and band changes also

After a three-year hiatus from local shows, garage rockers Reigning sound pick this, the final night of the year, to resurface. So far, rumblings have been minimal. “NYE” was the whole of Reigning Sound’s Facebook post about its show at The Mothlight. But the semi-Asheville-based band (frontman/songwriter Greg Cartwright lives here; the rest of the current lineup was cribbed from New York band The Jay Vons) has big things in the works, like recording an album at Daptone Records’ studio. 9 p.m., $15. themothlight.com.

“Start the year off right with a heart full of starlight,” say the secret B-sides. The band adds, in its Facebook invite, “Where will the Secret B-Sides be on New Year’s Eve? Asheville’s favorite watery watering hole — The Bywater — that’s where! B-Sides will be accompanied by the common foundation horns (aka the Co Fo Ho’s) for extra fun-key funk to unlock the junk stuck in your trunk.” at 9 p.m. bywaterbar.com.

Things might get loud over at The Odditorium, where the lineup includes some of Asheville’s most engaging, energetic and unpredictable acts. Slam a quadruple espresso to prep for Zombie queen, the tills (formerly The Critters), john wilkes Boothe and the Black toothe and Doomster. 9 p.m., $5.

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$14 Bottles of Champagne Featuring DJ Moto in the Century Room!

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20 S. SPRUCE ST. • 225.6944 • PACKSTAVERN.COM mountainx.com

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says the group’s bio. They’ll perform at The LAB at 10 p.m. lexavebrew.com.

Sad songs say so much, especially when they’re written and performed by the honeycutters — whose songs, by the way, are less sad than really poignant and expertly crafted. Plus, the local country/Americana band is offering up Appalachian honky-tonk for its Westville Pub show. And should any of those bittersweet notes linger, there’s a complimentary midnight Champagne toast. 10 p.m., westvillepub.com.

Fine Guitars, now in every price range.

Guitars / Ukes / Resos / Banjos / Mandos

$50 GIFT CARD toward a new or pre-owned instrument for those who visit and mention this ad.

Just minutes away in Weaverville, NC by Appointment.

cRyBaBy, along with stephaniesid, performs at Isis.

Photo by Michael Oppenheim

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There’s been a changing of the guard at Jack of the Wood. Used to be Sons of Ralph headlined the venue with all the tradition of “Auld Lang Syne.” In recent years, Jack has switched things up. Floating Action performed last year; this year local absurdist Gypsy folk-funk-punk outfit sirius.B promises its show “’Twill be a blast indeed.”

9 p.m., $15 (advance purchase recommended). jackofthewood.com.

Since 2013 is about to be the dearly departed, it makes sense to see it out with an evening’s worth of Grateful Dead covers. At least that’s how local Dead-centric jam band phuncle sam sees it. The group, on the verge of its 10th anniversary, performs its own takes on songs by Jerry Garcia, the Dead and others at Pisgah Brewing Co. 9:30 p.m., free show. pisgahbrewing.com.

Instead of moving into next year, why not go back in time — to the era of Ziggy Stardust and other David Bowie iterations? wham Bam Bowie Band’s members “are on a mission to not only faithfully present Bowie’s colossal classic-rock hits, but also to dig deep into the catalog and present the music that continues to influence generations and create new genres,”

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There’s nothing quite like the end of the year sneaking up to bring on a freakout. A new year’s freakout Viii, that is. The annual dance party, held at Toy Boat Community Art Space, brings DJs Abu Disarray, Harry Darnell, Ricoz and Zam Summers, and Jason Scott Furr on projectors.

But it’s headliner cakes Da killa who’s likely to elevate that freakout into full-on hysteria. In the best way. The New York Citybased queer rapper is known for his “outspoken and sometimes sexually charged rhymes,” and appeared in Salon‘s story, “10 queer rappers you should be listening to instead of Eminem.”

Doors at 10 p.m., $5 before 11 p.m. and $8 after. avl.mx/03v.

Forget ringing in the new year, how about rocking it in? And who better to get the job done than the sharply dressed men known as ZZ top? Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill and Frank Beard (the one, ironically, without the beard) have been honing their timeless cool blend of blues, rock and innuendo for more than 40 years. The band sees in 2014 at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino.

10:30 p.m., $75-$114, limited ticket availability at press time. harrahscherokee.com.

Billed as the “Listen Local New Year’s Eve,” Asheville Music Hall’s lineup is packed with bands that can really fill a stage. Both headliner jahman Brahman and opener makayan boast five members; both are known for dynamic live shows that meld various influences into musical cohesion. 10 p.m., $10 advance/$12 day of show. ashevillemusichall.com. X

Send your arts news to ae@mountainx.com.

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by Kyle Sherard

2013: The Year in Review During the past year, DeSoto Lounge had an entire exhibition of taxidermied African beasts. The exhibit redrew, if only for a moment, the boundaries of fine craft and the decorative arts. Warren Wilson College featured a video performance installation by Chicago-based artist Jefferson Pinder that brought about a serious dialogue on individual upward mobility and American race relations. And two back-to-back exhibitions at the Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center cemented our city’s lineage to the Bauhaus movement.

Among Asheville’s galleries, studios and arts-savvy cafes and restaurants, 2013 brought a number of exhibitions, individual works and a one-night-only event that broke the mold and helped raise the standards for the local arts community. They ranged from traditional to unique, concept-driven to well-researched.

Some were peculiar or triumphantly out of the ordinary, others were just plain simple and effective. A select few stood out for breaking the mold and for challenging both the viewers and other artists and makers. junkatRon Chas Llewellyn’s studio is filled with junk. Or so one might think. In reality, the piles of wire, rebar, steel and auto parts mounded like stalagmites in his Wedge studio are all works in progress. Back in March, Llewellyn, a techno-sculptural disciple of former Wedge Studios owner and kinetic artist John Payne, opened his workspace and brought one of those 10-foot-wide mounds of steel and circuitry to life. Junkatron, two years in the making, was exhibited for a one-night-only performance installation.

Junkatron lay in wait in the back left corner of Llewellyn’s barelylit, cavernous studio. With a single tap from a multiscreened control panel, the entire space was plunged into total darkness. Operatic music rose out of speakers. Just as the eyes began to adjust, a light bulb flickered. Then another. Then four more. The lights bursts on and off like a visual chorus, fluctuating with

the music and arcing from total darkness to rapid-fire illumination and back to black.

The piece can respond to a seemingly infinite number of audio tracks.

And though Junkatron had a short run, Llewellyn plans to expand, recalibrate and show the piece again in due time. thE phiLaDELphia stoRy While an exhilarating portrait show may seem like a misnomer, that’s exactly how the Asheville Art Museum’s spring exhibition, The Philadelphia Story: Contemporary Figurative Works Drawn from the Academy, should be described.

The show explored the aesthetic and conceptual reaches of the portrait in 40 works by former students of the nearly 200-yearold Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. The academy has a historic reputation for its figurative artworks, according to Nancy Sokolove, the exhibition’s curator.

Sokolove narrowed two centuries of focus and renown into just three decades, choosing contemporary works only.

Plenty of academy artists, says Sokolove, have excellent technical skills, but don’t apply them creatively. Those represented in the exhibit took the academy’s formal, nonconceptual framework and translated it into creative and conceptual figurative works.

The Philadelphia Story offered not only a comparative view into the upper echelon of American figurative works but a glimpse at artists and works that have found the balance between ability and and creativity.

“I wanted to show that creativity coupled with excellent skills will equal dynamic work,” the curator said. The exhibition did have one glaring letdown: It was Sokolove’s last. She and her family have since moved to Georgia. a muRaL By any othER namE In August, San Francisco-based muralist Mona Caron spent a week

A scene from Whole Earth Theory: Dimensions of Life and Death, a show by Asheville artists Valeria Watson-Doost and Jeremy Russell, held at UNC Asheville.

Photo by Kyle Sherard

in Asheville. Though it was a week of leisure, she wasted no time getting acquainted with some of Asheville’s muralists. And walls: Caron ended up leaving her mark on the side of Collaseable Studios on Haywood Road.

In a short few hours, she’d painted a small wildflower she found in a nearby parking lot. The green stalk rose out of a wispy, leafy base and reached 10 feet up the wall toward a small blue flower.

She’s painted similarly invasive little weeds all over the country, sprouting them from sidewalks, cracks in walls and the tops of buildings.

Caron’s trip was also an opportunity to scope out Asheville as a potential new home. San Francisco is getting far too expensive for much of the city’s remaining arts community: That reality serves as a foundation for Caron’s wildflowers pop-ups.

“Every invasive species is a native somewhere,” she said. “Species” is synonymous with plant and artist. Both have the weedlike tendency of moving into and reshaping undesirable areas. “We have people from all over the world living here, painting, drawing, mixing their ideas. [Weeds] are the perfect emblem for this globalism,” Caron said. whoLE EaRth thEoRy In March, Asheville artists Valeria Watson-Doost and Jeremy Russell revived the censorship argument with

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their UNC Asheville joint exhibition, Whole Earth Theory: Dimensions of Life and Death. The show provoked institutional, academic and student responses to the work, brought on a discussion panel about the role of explicit art in academia and even garnered a warning sign on the gallery’s front door. Some would call it censorship, others a gentle reminder. And for some, a lure.

It was the best show of 2013.

Russell’s works played on social and psychological domineering by using materials and imagery often associated with poverty, sexuality and mob rule, such as four lynching victims, dildos and a makeshift shanty. Watson-Doost lined the wall with a drapery of photos, clothing, lingerie and toys focussed on confronting sexual orientation and repression.

But the exhibition’s most controversial piece, a wall-mounted, glassfronted box that housed an assault rifle, wasn’t even in the show. It would have read “Break Glass In Case Of Crazy F---,” much like a fire extinguisher box. Russell created the piece in the wake of several mass shootings.

It served as a shrewd and exceedinglyclever response to the then-frontpage stories about the Second Amendment.

Though the firing pin was removed, so the gun could not be fired, UNCA would not allow the piece, citing N.C. firearms laws. X

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by Alli Marshall

amarshall@mountainx.com

Listening party A year of local music We take in a lot of music here at Xpress. Happily, there’s a lot of great music to be found in and around Asheville. Less happily, there aren’t enough hours in the day to review every CD, EP, 7-inch and MP3 collection that finds its way to our desks and our inboxes — but we’ve got that listed among our goals for 2014. So send us your new recordings in the new year.

Until then, we’ll relive a selection of 2013’s local hits. the no one faction, the echo and narcissus Lead track “Regards from a Southern Town” is a hand-clapping, sweeping-harmony, soaring-fiddle affair. Its dream-pop-Americana leanings recall The Dream Academy — specifically, that band’s “Life in a Northern Town,” though the relationship (other than the songs’ titles) is subtle. The No One Faction is the project of Asheville-born Jaron Pearlman (now an Atlanta-based audio engineer). He has an ear for collaboration, pulling from a pool of musicians that includes Old North State’s Dillon and Jantzen Wray as well as the spooky, aptly named “Dark Roads.” Full review at avl.mx/03i Even the animals, self-titled The album has a light touch — it’s gentler, more twilit and wistful than singer-songwriter Jeff Markham’s past projects. The music is well-matched to his hazy tenor, but not every song is a study in slow-core. “Fire to Metal” thumps and snaps; a tambourine pairs with kick drum and handclaps. The lyrics trip and spit; the whole track is a bonfire, popping and crackling, bright-charged and leaping against a black sky. “Better Than You Think” is a moody captured moment — as much about love and loss as the rest of the album, but here the emotion is distilled, the few words encapsulating a feeling so vivid and so fleeting. avl. mx/03j dep, ever Looming Opening track “Stretched for Home” is so pretty it almost hurts. Not initially, though: It starts off with slow,

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round tones. Gray dawn, gentle rain. Chimes and organ, then the sprightly jog of strings. Strings that dance and others that float, and still other instruments that swirl as the rhythms and patterns of the song grow more complex. This is a spiraling in but not a tightening, which is kind of a metaphor for spiritual growth and the process of gaining expertise. “Last Known Surroundings” features Stephanie Morgan — it’s the album’s only vocal track, yet even here what’s sung are not lyrics but sounds.

Morgan’s voice is another instrument, another texture for composer/musician Danny Peck to layer. avl.mx/03k Ryan sheffield and the high hills, telescope The album recalls any number of bands. The insouciance and cleverness of They Might Be Giants and Bare Naked Ladies, the boozy swagger of The Pogues, the looselimbed, starry-eyed stomp of The Lumineers. “Waves,” the opener, is a grand introduction that sways like a boat at sea, its very equilibrium dependent on a willingness to abandon the solid earth and be rocked by these poignant melodies.

“Ghosts of Summer” deftly pairs rawness and beauty. It’s a tattered love song, something sweet without being precious — and that’s kind of the thing with all the album’s offerings. There’s a tongue-in-cheekness to Sheffield’s writing, a sort of wink.

But there’s also an underlying realness that doesn’t flinch and doesn’t shrink from its own humanness. avl. mx/03l hank west & the smokin’ hots, starship nighthawk This album is a journey through eras and influences. Surely Louis Armstrong lurks in one candlelit corner while Marlene Dietrich, at the peak of her silver screen mojo, slinks just out of sight. There’s a hint of old New York, of the Cotton Club, of men in wingtips and women in pearls. But there’s also an unbuttonedness, a sultriness conveyed through the horns and the high-flying tangos. “Colombiana” is a wondrous romp through south-of-the-

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border dance styles, speakeasy piano, fierce horns, shimmering cymbals and lounge vocals. What Hank West & the Smokin’ Hots do, with Starship Nighthawk’s most exploratory songs (like the spacey-nightmare-carnival romp “Baba Kush,” one of the few offerings without lyrics), is continue to innovate. avl.mx/03m the Luxury spirit, Forgotten albatross Here, big songs are crafted from vast soundscapes of layered guitars and driving percussion. These are sonic palettes colored in measures by grunge, Americana and the heavy, straightforward rock that would fill a stadium or resonate from a basement. “Angel Bones” is slower and more melodic than opening tracks “Legionnaire” and “Light.” Frontman Bob Burnett lets his vocals take center stage (spelled by crisp guitar solos). There’s a spare romance at play here, and a hint of late nights and the kind of rough-edged melodies that make for impromptu slow dances. “Just the Opposite” is built on warm-yet-wistful chords and swirling atmospherics that portend a big moment even before the lyrics are fully understood. avl.mx/03n

acoustic syndicate, rooftop Garden The album is unexpected. “Heroes” launches with a dance beat. But don’t worry, Syndicate fans. The band has not gone electro-pop. This is still an Americana album, but it’s one that stretches and reaches. “Forward” is driving, blood-pumping and wideopen. The band’s harmonies are tight and, even as the instrumentation builds, the recording is so clear that the rhythmic plunk of the banjo shares space with the squeal of fingers over acoustic guitar frets. “Bicycle Song” opens with hand drums and, until the electric guitar comes in, it could be a world-beat song. But even with its rock base, it’s a buoyant track.

Jazz influences and syncopation (and some jaw-dropping finger-picking) burble beneath the surface while Bryon McMurry’s vocals, though not expressly lithe, rise above. The song also paints this beautiful picture of one of life’s simple pleasures: riding a bike, feeling raindrops and friendship and the heady rush of freedom. avl.mx/03o alligator indian, More songs about animals and tV On “Corpsing,” electronics and vocals leap and swoop interchangeably, sometimes with aching beau-

ty, sometimes as discordant as one red sock in a washer full of whites. “Later, Data Dog” creeps on ascending and descending scales.

It’s not the sort of song you can cozy up with, but it’s endlessly interesting. Prickly, icy, atonal, meditative but unsettling, eerily appealing.

The percussion pops and crackles beneath Spooky Bubble’s smooth voice, a vocal that never loses its polish yet never cares about being the prettiest thing in the room.

Which, of course, makes it the prettiest thing in the room. avl.mx/03p Red honey, red Honey and the pleasure Chest “Backs to the Wind” hints at psychedelia with swirling guitar licks and Erica Jane Ferraby’s commanding, marching vocal.

The music lilts and sways around her delivery, which ranges from an almost spoken-word approach to echoing, sweeping whoops of sound. “Bang Bang!” unleashes a maelstrom of cymbals and heavy guitars. Though it’s one of the record’s shortest tracks, it’s also one of the most zealous. But the band’s energy and dynamism can be felt just as well — perhaps more so, on the recording as opposed to a live show — in “Blackbird.” Part stomp and chant, it whips and churns from some unfathomable deep, resounding with tambourine and voodoo.

The final track, “Daydreaming,” is a mood changer — more honky-tonk, more old country. The guitar jangles, the drum is all snap and twostep and, as Ferraby hits vintage, rounded notes, there’s a definite wink. avl.mx/03q warm the Bell, You are the sun From the launch of lead track, “Little Bird,” it’s apparent that this is more than ’60s-reminiscent folk.

The harmonies, the unhurried guitars, the percussive rattle, the way the vocals evolve into a round by the song’s end — yes. Definitive ’60s. But there’s also indie-rock savvy. “Now I Know,” loping and breezy, is suffused with a nostalgia both personal and universal. The lyrics skip lightly over the layered guitars, but there’s ballast tucked in between the verses. “Cold in March” is a standout track. The doo-wop-style background vocals brighten up what could have been a sad song. Like all of Warm the Bell’s songs, there’s a shoe-gaze inclination, but it’s tempered with sweet harmonies. Equally potent is the orchestration, as on the achingly

dusky and longing-saturated “The Edge of the Night.” That song ought to be accompanied by a symphony. avl.mx/03r marley carroll, sings The 12-song collection leads with “Hunter,” a moody, lithe track that’s both haunting and inviting. The song wends its way through textures and bubbling rhythms while Carroll’s smooth tenor sings of childhood and ghosts. “Speed Reader” changes direction. Its sonic palette hints at jazz and funk before settling into jaunty beats and lustrous vocals. The dense, earthy, nocturnal “Woodwork,” its vocals just an accent to the sounds of gongs, rattles and heartbeat drumming, is juxtaposed with “Black Light.” The latter, with its scratchy-record lead and thumping bass, unfolds into a sylphlike pathway of seductive sway and late-night incandescence. For all the electronics employed, there’s a very human and supple thread that runs throughout Sings, its name apt for the upfront-ness of the vocals. avl.mx/03s RBts win, palm sunday The album is the band’s most fully realized effort to date, a culmination of years of experimentation, trial and error, personal growth, deepening friendship and unrelenting exploration of melody, beats and words.

“Mountain Child” is a pulsing nocturne, its wilderness barely contained between earthy bass and spacey flourishes. The instrumental “Tidal Prism” is a brief but intoxicating aerial show, all cirrus clouds and jet stream drift.

“When I Think of You” is all strong grooves and tender sentiment, bolstered by muscular beat and sophisticated sheen. “Stay Wavy” is a sort of tribute to the band’s creative process: a constant immersion in inspiration, a sort of musical telepathy with the universe. avl.mx/03t Emily Easterly, Decent animal “We went song by song and decided what each song lent itself to,” says songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Emily Easterly. Some, like opening track “Decent Animal,” with its spooky piano intro and thick drum, are polished. The title track abandons pop sheen in favor of garage-y, lo-fi rock.

The bass is menacing, and the drums are a tart slap between each staccato recitation of the chorus. “Wrecking Ball” lands somewhere between those two extremes. The drums sound as if they’re being played in a cave, but Easterly’s vocal swandives over a sonic field of crunchy guitars and galvanic keys. avl.mx/03u X

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mountainx.com

DEcEmBER 25 - DEcEmBER 31, 2013

47

a&E

by Bill Kopp

musoscribe.com

Plaid tidings Appalachian and Celtic traditions meet at Christmas in Scotland “By the time Scots-Irish settlers came to this area, the Christmas music tradition had already been well-established,” says award-winning fiddler and Asheville resident Jamie Laval. So, while there is a signature music from Appalachia, “a lot of the traditional carols that we all know and love had existed for centuries,” says Laval.

A deep love and understanding of Celtic cultural and musical traditions, a foundation of classical training, and a fresh look at celebrating the holiday season: that’s the recipe for Christmas in Scotland: Seasonal Music and Stories from Celtic Lands, at Asheville’s Isis Theatre on Friday, Dec. 27. Laval hosts the event, which will feature music and storytelling focused on the season. But not, perhaps, the season you’d think.

“Those were village dance tunes,” he says of Christmas carols. “The church took a hold of them, slowed them down and added Christianbased lyrics to them. By the time the settlers came here, the tunes were thought to be regular Christian Christmas carols. But if you look way back, that changeover from being Pagan-based holiday music had already long since taken place.”

And it’s those pre-Christian traditional village folk dance tunes that

Laval and his compatriots (David Brown on guitar, Rosalind Buda on Scottish bagpipes and bombarde, and EJ Jones on Highland pipes, as well as a Celtic harpist, soprano singer and Scottish Highland dancer) will play at this special performance. “I’ve made my specialty in really, really ancient Scottish music,” Laval says. “And I try to give a fresh spin to it.” Laval is wellsuited to such an ambitious goal: He began his formal musical training in British Columbia at the Victoria Conservatory of Music, where he studied classical violin.

But he quickly fell in with the region’s folk traditions. “My first summer job was playing chamber music in the lobby of a grand old lodge,” Laval says. “Everyone who worked at the hotel had a tendency to spend off-days at the grange hall dances. So after being in music a very short time, I started doing square dances, barn dances.” Initially, those folk dance events were a mere sideline and hobby for the young fiddler. “But,” he continues, “over the years, as I pursued a classical career in symphony playing, I got better and better at the folk music.” He says that he eventually devised his own style, a “signature rendition of Scottish and Irish” traditions within the framework of the Celtic music format.

“Ten or 12 years into classical music,” Laval says, “I realized that my heart was really leaning more toward folk music than classical. I

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DEcEmBER 25 - DEcEmBER 31, 2013

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thE fiRst noëL: Pagan dance tunes were remade into Christmas carols long before the Scots-Irish settlers arrived in the Appalachian mountains, says fiddler Jamie Laval.

made a decision to turn a corner.”

He went out in style, though: his final classical gig was Puccini’s Madame Butterfly, performed with the Seattle Opera. “A grand sendoff,” he says.

Celtic music is handed down through note-for-note re-creation of the tunes. Asked if he finds that relatively strict format limiting or liberating, Laval chooses the latter, and attributes it to a characteristic one might not think to associate with the style: groove. And, unlike classical, “the liberating part is that there’s no requirement to be faithful to a score.” In folk music, Laval points out, “it’s perfectly permissible to re-render the music in a different tempo, a different harmonic structure, with different emotion.”

Reflecting on the universal appeal of folk music, Laval suggests that humans are “hardwired for rhythm.” Moreover, he says, “I understand the depths of emotion that come across through folk music.” That, he says, is due in part to the fact that “folk music is the product of not one composer, but a collective body of people as the music is passed from one generation to another. It gets imbued with the sentiments of each of its contributors. And so

the music ends up being an expression of a people, of a whole culture.”

In Celtic music, Laval hears the “yearning and longing and struggle and triumph that’s built into that long tradition.”

And that culture — with its longheld pre-Christian traditions — will be the focus of the “Christmas in Scotland” show. “This is a chance to put together the kind of lineup I don’t usually get to play with,” says Laval. He customarily performs solo or with a very small group. Bigger ensembles usually necessitate large venues and large stages, with the accompanying divide between performer and audience. Laval promises that “Christmas in Scotland” at the Isis will be “intimate, but yet I get to work with dancers. And that’s always fun.” X

what Christmas in Scotland: Seasonal Music and Stories from Celtic Lands whERE Isis Restaurant and Music Hall isisasheville.com whEn Friday, Dec. 27, at 8 p.m., $24 advance/$28 doors/$12 students

by Alli Marshall and Lea McLellan

a&E

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Wham Bam Bowie Band and The Cheeksters It’s a decade-jumping retro-fabulous double bill. Asheville’s ’60s-pop-reminiscent Cheeksters share a stage (for the first time ever) with David Bowie tribute act, Wham Bam Bowie Band. While it wouldn’t usually be a big surprise that two popular local bands only just got around to co-billing, this is a different case.

Both bands share frontman Mark Casson. He and his wife/bandmate Shannon started the Cheeksters shortly after they met in ’89. Wham Bam Bowie Band started more recently, with Casson channeling Ziggy Stardust and other Thin White Duke incarnations. The two groups take the stage at The Grey Eagle on Saturday, Dec. 28, at 9 p.m. $10/$12. thegreyeagle.com.

Daryl Hance Daryl Hance, founder and former and guitarist of the band JJ Grey and Mofro, goes solo with his own brand of bluesy, groove-driven Southern rock. Hance says that while he throws down some loud guitar, the music is “all about fat beats, monster grooves and wideopen spaces.” Musical influences range from Sly and the Family Stone to Muddy Waters “with some early Black Sabbath-AC/DC kind of hard rock funkiness to it.”

Expect to hear songs from his 2011 debut album, Hallowed Ground, as well as new material from his as-yet-untitled sophomore album.

Hance plays solo at The One Stop on Saturday, Dec. 28, at 9 p.m.

Aaron Woody Wood also performs. $8/$10. ashevillemusichall.com.

mountainx.com

DEcEmBER 25 - DEcEmBER 31, 2013

49

C L U B L A N D JAck oF the wood PuB Groove 8 (jazz, funk), 9pm

wednesdAy, dec. 25

JerusAlem GArden Middle Eastern music & belly dancing, 7-9:30pm

Ben's tune-uP Karaoke w/ The Diagnostics, 10pm

loBster trAP King Leo Jazz, 7-9pm

olive or twist 3 Cool Cats Band (vintage rock 'n' roll), 8-11pm

monte vistA hotel Randy Hale (jazz, blues, pop), 6pm odditorium Jacked Up Joe w/ Amnesis, Twist of Fate (metal), 9pm

thursdAy, dec. 26

olive or twist 3 Cool Cats Band (vintage rock 'n' roll), 8:30-11:30pm

5 wAlnut wine BAr Hank West & The Smokin' Hots (jazz, exotica), 8-10pm

one stoP deli & BAr Free Dead Fridays feat. members of Phuncle Sam, 5-8pm Pericles w/ Cleofus (electronic), 10pm

Ben's tune-uP Island dance party w/ DJ Malinalli, 10pm BlAck mountAin Ale house Lyric (acoustic, soul), 9pm

oskAr Blues Brewery The Marcus King Band (blues), 7pm

Blue mountAin PiZZA & Brew PuB Locomotive Pie (blues), 7-9pm

PAck's tAvern DJ Moto (dance, pop), 9pm

cluB remiX Reggae dance night, 9pm

PisGAh BrewinG comPAny The Mantras ("alt-grass") w/ Brushfire Stankgrass, 9pm

cork & keG Vollie McKenzie & Jack Dillen (Beatles covers, jazz), 8pm

root BAr no. 1 Linda Mitchell (blues, jazz), 9:30pm

douBle crown DJs Devyn & Oakley, 9pm

scAndAls niGhtcluB Dance party, 10pm Drag show, 1am

hAvAnA restAurAnt Open mic (instruments provided), 8pm loBster trAP Hank Bones ("man of 1,000 songs"), 7-9pm

southern APPAlAchiAn Brewery Desiree Ricker & Company (folk, blues, bluegrass), 8-10pm

o.henry's/tuG Open mic w/ Jill Siler, 8pm

sPrinG creek tAvern Mark Bumgarner (Americana), 8-11pm

olive or twist Swing, salsa & bachata lessons w/ Randy Basham, 7-8pm DJ Mike Filippone (rock, disco, dance), 8-11pm

tAllGAry's cAntinA Contagious (rock), 9:30pm

one stoP deli & BAr Phish 'n' Chips (Phish covers), 6pm oskAr Blues Brewery Tyler Nail (Americana), 7pm

hootEnanny with hackEnsaw: The Hackensaw Boys bring the sound of the Appalachians, infused with a little rock ‘n’ roll, to Oskar Blues Brewery for the venue’s second annual New Year’s Eve Hootenanny on Tuesday, Dec. 31. The party begins at 7 p.m. with music from both The Hackensaw Boys and The Packway Handle Band.

scAndAls niGhtcluB Dance party, 10pm Drag show, 12:30am southern APPAlAchiAn Brewery Cabo Verde (flamenco, jazz), 7-9pm

tAllGAry's cAntinA Rock & roll showcase, 9:30pm

5 wAlnut wine BAr The Lions Quartet (jazz), 10pm-midnight

the sociAl Caribbean Cowboys, 8pm

AthenA's cluB Mark Appleford (singer-songwriter, Americana, blues), 7-10pm DJ, 10pm-2am

timo's house Asheville Drum and Bass Collective, 9pm town PumP Doug Neff (guitar), 9pm trAilheAd restAurAnt And BAr Open jam, 6pm

To qualify for a free listing, a venue must be predominately dedicated to the performing arts. Bookstores and cafés with regular open mics and musical events are also allowed / To limit confusion, events must be submitted by the venue owner or a representative of that venue / Events must be submitted in written form by e-mail (clubland@mountainx.com), fax, snail mail or hand-delivered to the Clubland Editor Hayley Benton at 2 Wall St., Room 209, Asheville, NC 28801. Events submitted to other staff members are not assured of inclusion in Clubland / Clubs must hold at least TWO events per week to qualify for listing space. Any venue that is inactive in Clubland for one month will be removed / The Clubland Editor reserves the right to edit or exclude events or venues / Deadline is by noon on Monday for that Wednesday’s publication. This is a firm deadline.

50

DEcEmBER 25 - DEcEmBER 31, 2013

timo's house Philo w/ The Professor, DJ Jet (hip-hop), 9pm town PumP DJ Kool-Laid (house), 9pm

PAck's tAvern Jeff Anders & Justin Burrell (rock), 9pm PisGAh BrewinG comPAny Dave Zoll Trio (rock, jam), 8pm

the sociAl My Back Pocket (classic rock, R&B), 8pm

tressA's downtown JAZZ And Blues The Westsound Revue (Motown, blues), 9pm vincenZo's Bistro Ginny McAfee (piano, vocals), 7pm wAter'n hole Karaoke, 10pm white horse Dance lessons, 6-7:45pm Asheville Tango Orchestra, 8pm wXyZ lounGe Shane Perlowin (jazz guitar), 8-10pm

FridAy, dec. 27 185 kinG street Hometown Holiday Jam w/ Jeff Sipe, Mike Guggino, Mike Ashworth, Corey Bullman & more, 8pm

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Blue mountAin PiZZA & Brew PuB Acoustic Swing, 7-9pm BywAter Jon Stickley Trio (bluegrass), 9pm cluB eleven on Grove Salsa night, 10pm cork & keG One Leg Up (gypsy jazz, latin, swing), 8:30pm douBle crown Greg Cartwright (garage, soul), 11pm French BroAd Brewery tAstinG room Matt Walsh (blues, rock), 6pm Grey eAGle music hAll & tAvern The Blue Rags ("rag-n-roll"), 9pm hAvAnA restAurAnt Ashley Heath (singer-songwriter), 7pm

tressA's downtown JAZZ And Blues Early Spotlight w/ The Lowdown (jazz), 7pm Al Coffee & Da Grind (soul, blues), 10pm vincenZo's Bistro Steve Whiddon (old-time piano, vocals), 5:30pm westville PuB Comedy open mic, 10pm white horse A Child's Christmas in Wales (spoken word & music), 8pm wild winG cAFe A Social Function Trio (acoustic), 9:30pm wXyZ lounGe Ahora Si (salsa), 9-11:30pm

sAturdAy, dec. 28 185 kinG street Strung Like a Horse (psychobilly), 8pm 5 wAlnut wine BAr Juan Benavides Trio (latin, jazz), 10pm-midnight

hiGhlAnd BrewinG comPAny Common Foundation (reggae, alternative), 6pm

AthenA's cluB Mark Appleford (singer-songwriter, Americana, blues), 7-10pm DJ, 10pm-2am

iron horse stAtion Dana & Susan Robinson (folk), 7-10pm

BlAck mountAin Ale house The Low Counts (rock, Americana, blues), 9pm

isis restAurAnt And music hAll Christmas in Scotland w/Jamie Laval (music, stories), 8pm

Blue mountAin PiZZA & Brew PuB Mark Bumgarner (folk, Americana), 7-9pm

T he

cluB eleven on Grove 30 Up Asheville Holiday Party, 9pm-2am cork & keG Zydeco Yayas (zydeco), 8:30pm douBle crown Lil Lorruh (50s & 60s R&B, rock 'n' roll), 10pm French BroAd Brewery tAstinG room Dave Desmelik (singer-songwriter), 6pm Grey eAGle music hAll & tAvern Wham Bam Bowie Band (David Bowie tribute) w/ The Cheeksters, 9pm hAvAnA restAurAnt Mande Foly (African, acoustic), noon Noah Stockdale (guitar, harmonica), 7pm iron horse stAtion Barb Turner (R&B), 7-10pm isis music hAll Jim Arrendell Dance Party, 9pm JAck oF the wood PuB Firecracker Jazz Band, 9pm JerusAlem GArden Middle Eastern music & belly dancing, 7-9:30pm leXinGton Ave Brewery (lAB) Old North State w/ Kiernan McMullen (bluegrass, Americana), 9:30pm

Selector Cleofus (bass), 9pm town PumP Bullfeather (blues, rock), 9pm tressA's downtown JAZZ And Blues Bayou Diesel (Cajun, zydeco), 10pm vincenZo's Bistro Steve Whiddon (old-time piano, vocals), 5:30pm westville PuB Wilhelm Brothers (folk rock), 10pm white horse Pura Fe (jazz) & Dark Water Rising ("rocky soul"), 8pm wild winG cAFe Sarah Tucker Duo, 9:30pm wXyZ lounGe Vinyl Time Travelers (DJ duo), 9-11:30pm

sundAy, dec. 29 185 kinG street Ronny Cox & Jack Williams (singer-songwriters), 8pm 5 wAlnut wine BAr Mande Foly (African), 7-9pm Asheville music hAll Sky Walkers w/ Disc-oh! (electronic, hip hop), 8pm Ben's tune-uP Vinyl night (open DJ collective)

loBster trAP Sean Mason Jazz, 7-9pm

BlAck mountAin Ale house NFL Sunday w/ pre-game brunch at 11:30am, 1pm

millroom Electric Masquerade, 9:30pm

Blue kudZu sAke comPAny Karaoke brunch, 1-5pm

monte vistA hotel Laura Thurston (acoustic, folk-grass), 6pm

Blue mountAin PiZZA & Brew PuB Locomotive Pie (blues), 7-9pm

odditorium Jenny Lou's Sweet 16 Pinup Show w/ The Go Devils (rock), 9pm

douBle crown Karaoke w/ Tim O, 10:30pm

olive or twist WestSound Band (rock, Motown), 8:30-11:30pm one stoP deli & BAr Bluegrass Brunch w/ Grits & Soul, 11am Daryl Hance w/ Woody Wood (Southern rock, blues, funk), 10pm oskAr Blues Brewery Riyen Roots Duo w/ Kenny Dore (blues), 7pm PAck's tAvern Howie’s House Party (blues, fusion), 9pm PisGAh BrewinG comPAny Asheville Horns (funk, jazz-fusion), 9pm PurPle onion cAFe Clay Ross (acoustic), 8pm root BAr no. 1 Thicket (prog-rock), 9:30pm scAndAls niGhtcluB Dance party, 10pm Drag show, 12:30am smokey's AFter dArk Karaoke, 10pm southern APPAlAchiAn Brewery Taylor Moore & The Dirty Deacons (blues, Americana), 8-10pm sPrinG creek tAvern Natty Love Joys (reggae), 8-11pm tAllGAry's cAntinA Unit 50 (rock), 9:30pm

SaT. dec 28

old north state

TAPROOM & PIZZERIA

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backstage • 9:30PM • $5

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BywAter Gypsy Swingers (gypsy jazz, swing), 9pm

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fri. jan 3

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reasonably priced babies improv sketch comedy backstage • 7:30PM • $7

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Pint Special Dr. Brown’s Team Trivia Live Jazz, Alien Music Club

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isis restAurAnt And music hAll Sunday jazz showcase, 6pm JAck oF the wood PuB Pleasure Chest w/ Shake It Like a Caveman (blues, rock, soul), 10pm loBster trAP Leo Johnson (hot club jazz), 7-9pm monte vistA hotel Daniel Keller (jazz), 11am odditorium Beard appreciation night & contest, 9pm scAndAls niGhtcluB Dance party, 10pm Drag show, 12:30am southern APPAlAchiAn Brewery Blue Sunday w/ Garry Segal & Lauren Bandy (blues), 5-7pm tAllGAry's cAntinA Sunday Drum Day, 7pm the sociAl '80s night, 8pm timo's house Erode 828 (art show) vincenZo's Bistro Steve Whiddon (old-time piano, vocals), 5:30pm

Xpress readers are

mondAy, dec. 30

the Green room Bistro & BAr Jon Stickley & Friends (bluegrass), 8pm

185 kinG street Monday Night Laughs (comedy), 8pm

the sociAl Karaoke, 9:30pm

5 wAlnut wine BAr Sufi Brothers (folk), 8-10pm

timo's house Subterranean Shakedown: Ho-Tron w/ Soundpimp, D:Raf,

AltAmont BrewinG comPAny Old-time jam, 7pm

active

they make great employees

Mountain Xpress classifieds work. mountainx.com

DEcEmBER 25 - DEcEmBER 31, 2013

51

cLuBLanD

Send your listings to clubland@mountainx.com. cLuB DiREctoRy

Blue mountAin PiZZA & Brew PuB Patrick Fitzsimons (roots), 7-9pm BywAter Open mic w/ Taylor Martin, 9pm douBle crown Punk 'n' roll w/ DJ Leo Delightful, 9pm emerAld lounGe Blues jam, 8pm odditorium Last of the Red Giants (rock), 9pm orAnGe Peel Railroad Earth (roots) w/ River Whyless, 9pm oskAr Blues Brewery Old-time jam, 6-8pm sly GroG lounGe Trivia night, 7pm timo's house Super Jam, 9pm vincenZo's Bistro Steve Whiddon (old-time piano, vocals), 5:30pm westville PuB Trivia night, 8pm

tuesdAy, dec. 31 5 wAlnut wine BAr Shake It Like a Caveman (rock, blues), 11pm-1am AltAmont theAter Kat Williams (blues singer), 7pm Asheville music hAll Jahman Brahman w/ Makayan (jam, rock), 10pm Avenue m NYE party (dance & dinner party), 9pm Ben's tune-uP Dance party w/ DJ Rob, 10pm BlAck mountAin Ale house New Year's Eve party w/ Lookout Brewing, 9pm Blue mountAin PiZZA & Brew PuB Mark Bumgarner (folk, Americana), 7-9pm cluB eleven on Grove Swing lessons, 6:30 & 7:30pm Tango lessons, 7pm Dance, 8:30pm

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douBle crown Punk 'n' roll w/ DJs Sean and Will, 9pm emerAld lounGe Brushfire Stankgrass (bluegrass), 8:30pm Grey eAGle music hAll & tAvern Yo Mama's Big Fat Booty Band (funk) w/ The Broadcast, 9pm

JAck oF heArts PuB NYE Bash w/ Sons of Ralph (bluegrass), 9pm

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520 SWANNANOA RIVER RD, ASHEVILLE, NC 28805 • (828) 298-1400 DEcEmBER 25 - DEcEmBER 31, 2013

creekside tAPhouse Bluegrass jam, 7pm

isis restAurAnt And music hAll stephaniesÄd w/ Crybaby (noir-pop, jazz), 8pm

BRING THIS AD IN FOR

52

cork & keG Tom Pittman (honky-tonk), 6pm

mountainx.com

JAck oF the wood PuB NYE Bash w/ Sirius B (gypsy-folk, funk, punk), 9pm leXinGton Ave Brewery (lAB) Wham Bam Bowie Band, 10pm loBster trAP Jay Brown (Americana, folk), 7-9pm odditorium The Tills w/ Zombie Queen, John Wilkes Boothe and the Black Toothe & Doomster (rock), 9pm olive or twist New Year's Eve party w/ 3 Cool Cats Band (vintage rock 'n' roll)

185 king stREEt 877-1850 5 waLnut winE BaR 253-2593 aLtamont BREwing company 575-2400 thE aLtamont thEatRE 348-5327 apothEcaRy (919) 609-3944 aqua cafE & BaR 505-2081 aRcaDE 258-1400 ashEViLLE ciVic cEntER & thomas woLfE auDitoRium 259-5544 ashEViLLE music haLL 255-7777 athEna’s cLuB 252-2456 BaRLEy’s tap Room 255-0504 BLack mountain aLE housE 669-9090 BLuE mountain piZZa 658-8777 BoiLER Room 505-1612 BRoaDway’s 285-0400 thE BywatER 232-6967 coRk anD kEg 254-6453 cLuB REmix 258-2027 cREEksiDE taphousE 575-2880 aDam DaLton DistiLLERy 367-6401 Diana woRtham thEatER 257-4530 DiRty south LoungE 251-1777 DouBLE cRown 575-9060 ELEVEn on gRoVE 505-1612 EmERaLD LoungE 232- 4372 fiREstoRm cafE 255-8115 fREnch BRoaD BREwERy tasting Room 277-0222 gooD stuff 649-9711 gREEn Room cafE 692-6335 gREy EagLE music haLL & taVERn 232-5800 gRoVE housE thE gRoVE paRk inn (ELainE’s piano BaR/ gREat haLL) 252-2711 hangaR LoungE 684-1213 haRRah’s chERokEE 497-7777 highLanD BREwing company 299-3370 isis music haLL 575-2737 jack of thE wooD 252-5445 LExington aVEnuE BREwERy 252-0212 thE LoBstER tRap 350-0505 mEtRoshERE 258-2027 miLLRoom 555-1212 montE Vista hotEL 669-8870 natiVE kitchEn & sociaL puB (581-0480) oDDitoRium 505-8388 onEfiftyonE 239-0239 onE stop BaR DELi & BaR 255-7777 o.hEnRy’s/tug 254-1891 thE oRangE pEEL 225-5851 oskaR BLuEs BREwERy 883-2337 pack’s taVERn 225-6944 thE phoEnix 333-4465 pisgah BREwing co. 669-0190 puLp 225-5851 puRpLE onion cafE 749-1179 RED stag gRiLL at thE gRanD BohEmian hotEL 505-2949 Root BaR no.1 299-7597 scanDaLs nightcLuB 252-2838 scuLLy’s 251-8880 sLy gRog LoungE 255-8858 smokEy’s aftER DaRk 253-2155 thE sociaL 298-8780 southERn appaLacian BREwERy 684-1235 static agE REcoRDs 254-3232 stRaightaway cafE 669-8856 taLLgaRy’s cantina 232-0809 tigER mountain thiRst paRLouR 407-0666

timo’s housE 575-2886 town pump 357-5075 toy Boat 505-8659 tREasuRE cLuB 298-1400 tREssa’s Downtown jaZZ & BLuEs 254-7072 Vanuatu kaVa BaR 505-8118 VincEnZo’s 254-4698 waLL stREEt coffEE housE 252-2535 wEstViLLE puB 225-9782 whitE hoRsE 669-0816 wiLD wing cafE 253-3066 wxyZ 232-2838

TAVERN

westville PuB The Honeycutters (honky-tonk), 10pm-1am

DOWNTOWN ON THE PARK

white horse New Year's Eve Party w/ BJ Leiderman, Eric Congdon, The Screaming J's, David Lamotte, Chuck Beattie & ZuZu Welsh, 9pm

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

wXyZ lounGe NYE w/ DJ Malinalli, 9pm-midnight

S EE

wednesdAy, JAn. 1

oskAr Blues Brewery Hackensaw Boys w/ The Packway Handle Band (folk, bluegrass), 8pm PAck's tAvern DJ Moto & Sound Extreme (dance, pop), 9pm PisGAh BrewinG comPAny Phuncle Sam New Year's Eve party (Grateful Dead covers), 9:30pm

(acoustic rock)

(dance, pop hits)

BlAck mountAin Ale house Bluegrass jam w/ The Deals, 9pm

SAT. 12/28

one stoP deli & BAr Gaslight Street w/ Paul Edelmen (rock, soul, blues), 10pm

20 S. SPRUCE ST. • 225.6944 PACKSTAVERN.COM

trAilheAd restAurAnt And BAr Open jam, 6pm

thursdAy, JAn. 2

the mothliGht Reigning Sound w/ Last Years Men (garage, rock), 9pm

185 kinG street Mary Gordon & Hilary Dirlam w/ Sycamore Flats (old-time), 8pm

town PumP Bread & Butter (bluegrass), 9pm

5 wAlnut wine BAr Hank West & The Smokin' Hots (jazz, exotica), 8-10pm

toy BoAt community Art sPAce New Year's Freakout w/ Cakes Da Killa, DJ Abu Disarray, DJ Harry Darnell, DJ Ricoz & DJ Zam.Sum (rap), 10pm

AdAm dAlton distillery Bridging the Gap (old school hip-hop, vinyl night), 10pm2am

vincenZo's Bistro Steve Whiddon (old-time piano, vocals), 5:30pm

(blues, fusion)

cork & keG Irish jam w/ Beanie, Vincent & Jean, 7pm

loBster trAP Ben Hovey (dub-jazz, trumpet, electronics), 7pm

tressA's downtown JAZZ And Blues New Year's Eve Party w/ Lyric & Ruby Mayfield (pop, blues, soul), 9pm

Howie’s House Party

Blue mountAin PiZZA & Brew PuB Open mic, 7pm

root BAr no. 1 Jay Brown of the Lazybirds & friends (roots, blues), 9:30pm

tAllGAry's cAntinA The LowDown & Unit 50 (rock), 9pm

DJ MoTo

Ben's tune-uP Karaoke w/ The Diagnostics, 10pm

douBle crown DJ Dr. Filth (country), 9pm

sPrinG creek tAvern Pierce Edens & the Dirty Work (folk, Americana), 9pm-1am

FRI. 12/27

AltAmont BrewinG comPAny Hank West Jam Residency (jazz, soul), 8pm

PurPle onion cAFe Scoot Pittman Trio (singer-songwriter), 9-12:30am

scAndAls niGhtcluB Grove House NYE party (various DJs), 8pm-3am

PAGE 4 3

THU. 12/26 Jeff Anders & Justin Burell

185 kinG street Bone Jugs & Harmony (novelty, jugband), 8pm AdAm dAlton distillery 3D: Local DJ party (electronic, dance), 9pm

orAnGe Peel Railroad Earth (roots), 9pm

OUR NEW YE AR’S EVE AD ON

AltAmont BrewinG comPAny George Terry (folk, blues), 8pm Ben's tune-uP Island dance party w/ DJ Malinalli, 10pm cork & keG Vollie McKenzie & Jack Dillen (Beatles covers, jazz), 6pm

mountainx.com

DEcEmBER 25 - DEcEmBER 31, 2013

53

cLuBLanD

Send your listings to clubland@mountainx.com.

Monday, December 30th

Open Blues Jam w/ the Emerald Blues Band Free!

8:30pm to Midnight

Tuesday, December 31st

NEON New Year’s Eve Bash w/ Brushfire Stankgrass $10 “Exclusive Wicked Weed Tapping”

8:30pm

Thursday, January 2nd

Dead Night w/ Phuncle Sam $5

1/3

Johnny Appleseed

douBle crown DJs Devyn & Oakley, 9pm

w/ BONE JUGS & HARMONY

9pm 1/4

French BroAd Brewery tAstinG room Pamela Jones (jazz), 6pm

The Blood Gypsies 9pm

hAvAnA restAurAnt Open mic (instruments provided), 8pm loBster trAP Hank Bones ("man of 1,000 songs"), 7-9pm

1/5 Taillight Rebellion 9pm Lee Guthrie 10/25 Sarah & Johnny Irion w/ Battlefield • 9pm $10 Owls 1/7 Crow Quill Night 9pm 10/26 Firecracker Jazz Band & HALLOWEEN Costume 1/10 &Krektones Party Contest • 9pm $8 w/ EVEN THE ANIMAL 10/27 Vinegar 9pm Creek • 9pm FREE 10/28 Mustard Plug • 9pm $8 1/11 Riverbank Ramblers w/ Crazy Tom Banana Pants 9pm 10/29 Singer Songwriters in the Round • 7-9pm FREE 1/14 Dupont Brothers w/ Anthony Tripi, Elise Davis 9pm Mud Tea • 9pm FREE Open Mon-Thurs at 3 • Fri-Sun at Noon SUN Celtic Irish Session 5pm til ?

MON Quizzo! 7-9p • WED Old-Time 5pm SINGER SONGWRITERS 1st & 3rd TUES THURS Bluegrass Jam 7pm 54

95 Patton at25Coxe • Asheville DEcEmBER - DEcEmBER 31, 2013

takE thE tRip, RiDE thE RaiL: Americana-bluegrass jam band Railroad Earth will pull into the station at the Orange Peel on Sunday, Dec. 29, Monday, Dec. 30, and Tuesday, Dec. 31, for three shows of bluegrass with a drum beat. “I always describe it as a string band, but an amplified string band with drums,” says mandolinist and vocalist John Skehan.

odditorium Ivan The Terribles (rock), 9pm one stoP deli & BAr Phish n' Chips (Phish tribute), 6pm Travers Brothership w/ Porch 40 (alternative, blues, funk), 10pm orAnGe Peel Clutch w/ The Sword, Mike Dillon Band & Crobot (rock), 8pm oskAr Blues Brewery William Schmitt (singer-songwriter), 6pm the sociAl Caribbean Cowboys, 8pm timo's house Asheville Drum and Bass Collective, 9pm town PumP Rocky & Jeff from Social Function (acoustic), 9pm trAilheAd restAurAnt And BAr Open jam, 6pm tressA's downtown JAZZ And Blues The Westsound Revue (Motown, blues), 9pm

FridAy, JAn. 3

95 Patton at Coxe • Asheville 252.5445 • jackofthewood.com mountainx.com

AltAmont BrewinG comPAny Bare Down Easy (bluegrass), 8pm

AthenA's cluB Mark Appleford (singer-songwriter, Americana, blues), 7-10pm DJ, 10pm-2am cork & keG Pleasure Chest (rock, blues, rockabilly, soul), 8:30pm douBle crown Greg Cartwright (garage, soul), 11pm French BroAd Brewery tAstinG room William Schmitt (folk), 6pm JAck oF the wood PuB Johnny Appleseed w/ Bone Jugs & Harmony (country, novelty dance music), 9pm leXinGton Ave Brewery (lAB) Turchi (blues-rock), 9:30pm odditorium Thera Roya, Furnace Head & The Mighty (metal, post-metal), 9pm one stoP deli & BAr The Woodgrains w/ Leigh Glass & the Hazards (rock, soul, blues), 10pm orAnGe Peel Todd Snider w/ Peter Cooper (alt-country, singer-songwriter), 9pm oskAr Blues Brewery Alex Krug Combo (singer-songwriter), 7pm PAck's tAvern DJ MoTo (dance, pop), 9pm root BAr no. 1 Jeff Thompson (soul, rock), 9:30pm the sociAl Jason Whitaker (acoustic), 8pm white horse Music & Meditations: Richard Shulman, Kim Hughes & Bob Hinkle, 8pm

NEW YEAR’s EVE DJ DANcE PARtY $5

WEDNESDAY • DECEMBER 25

CLOSED

THURSDAY • DECEMBER 26

OPEN 4:00PM - 8:00PM FRIDAY • DECEMBER 27

COMMON FOUNDATION SATURDAY • DECEMBER 28

HANK WEST & THE SMOKIN’ HOTS pinball, foosball, ping-pong & a kickass jukebox kitchen open until late 504 Haywood Rd. West Asheville • 828-255-1109 “It’s bigger than it looks!”

Dinner Menu till 10pm Late Night Menu till

12am

Tues-Sun

5pm–12am

COMING SOON

Sat 12/28 JIM ARRENDELL DANCE PARTY 9pm • $5

Full Bar

Tue NEW YEAR’S EVE CELEBRATION W/ CRY BABY 12/31 AND STEPHANIE’S ID $50 Dinner and Show; $15 show only Sat ROCKIN IN THE NEW YEAR WITH THREE COOL CATS: 1/4 DANCE PARTY FEATURING RUSS WILSON, MIKE FILIPPONE, AND HANK BONES $5 / $7 • 8pm

Sat 1/15

THE FAREWELL DRIFTERS

Fri 1/17

THE ARCHRIVALS: CHUCK’S 19TH 22ND BIRTHDAY PARTY $5 / $7 • 8pm

Sat 1/18

FRANK SOLIVAN & DIRTY KITCHEN

$8 / $10 • 9pm

$10 / $12 • 9pm

Every Sunday JAZZ SHOWCASE 6pm - 11pm • $5 Every Tuesday BLUEGRASS SESSIONS 7:30pm - midnite

743 HAYWOOD RD • 828-575-2737 • ISISASHEVILLE.COM

20% OFF of Any One Item MUST PRESENT COUPON. LIMIT ONE PER CUSTOMER. EXP. 1/31/14 Cannot be used on “sale merchandise”

END OF YEAR “RED

DOT” BLOW OUT SALE 40% OFF ALL “RED DOT” MERCHANDISE

LINGERIE SALE BUY ONE

FRI 12/27

THE BLUE RAGS

SAT 12/28

WHAM BAM BOWIE BAND & THE CHEEKSTERS

w/ Drunken Prayer

9pm • $10/$12

9pm • $10/$12

PIECE, GET THE 2ND AT 30% OFF

TUE 12/31

40% OFF ALL BOOTY PARLOR & LELO PRODUCTS 30% OFF ALL COOCHY SHAVING PRODUCTS

NEW YEAR’S EVE

W/ YO MAMA’S BIG FAT BOOTY BAND

and The Broadcast 9pm • $20/$25

**BLACKLIGHT THEMED PARTY!**

THU 1/9

FRI 1/10

WHISKEY SHIVERS w/ Lera Lynn

8pm

An Evening with...

HOT CLUB OF COWTOWN 8pm • $12/$15

SAT 1/11

St. Paul & The Broken Bones w/ Patrick Sweany & Band

9pm • $10/$12

Where Adult Dreams Come True • • OPEN 7 DAYS • •

SUN-THUR 8 AM - MIDNIGHT FRI SAT 8 AM - 3 AM (828) 684-8250

SUN 1/12

Howe Gelb

(of Giant Sand)

8pm • $13/$16

2334 Hendersonville Rd. (S. Asheville/Arden)

www.bedtymestories.net mountainx.com

DEcEmBER 25 - DEcEmBER 31, 2013

55

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by Ken Hanke & Justin Souther

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HHHHH = max rating contact xpressmovies@aol.com

PiCK oF thE WEEK

thEatER ListinGs

The Wolf of Wall Street

FRiDay, MaRCh 20 thuRsDay, MaRCh 26 Due to possible scheduling changes, moviegoers may want to confirm showtimes with theaters.

HHHHH

Asheville PizzA & Brewing Co. (254-1281) Please call the info line for updated showtimes. stArting thursdAy

DiRECtoR: Martin Scorsese

Closed ChristmAs dAy Cloudy with a Chance of meatballs 2 (Pg) 1:00, 4:00 ender’s game (Pg-13) 7:00, 10:00

PLayERs: Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill, Matthew McConaughey, Margot Robbie, Rob Reiner, Jean Dujardin

CArmike CinemA 10 (298-4452)

BListERinGLy aMoRaL FaCt-BasED CoMEDy DRaMa RatED R thE stoRy: Fact-based black comedy about junk-bond broker Jordan Belfort. thE LoWDoWn: Brilliant filmmaking, terrific performances and a strong screenplay come together to provide a bitterly funny indictment of wanton greed. This is noholds-barred filmmaking.

There are only a handful of films in any given year that bring a smile — really, a series of smiles — to my face for the sheer audacity of the filmmaking. Martin Scorsese’s The Wolf of Wall Street is one such film.

Every so often there is a certain use of the camera, a composition or an edit that delighted me far more than any of the year’s big special effects. It’s the kind of sensation that you only get from a master filmmaker — and the occasional upstart newcomer — and it restores one’s faith a little in film for its own sake. And yet, I have to say this is perhaps not quite top-tier 21st-century Scorsese. Oh, it’s great. I’m not

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DECEMBER 25 - DECEMBER 31, 2013

Jonah hiLL and LEonaRDo DiCaPRio in Martin Scorsese’s blistering black comedy about junk-bond king Jordan Belfort (DiCaprio), The Wolf of Wall Street.

sure I’ve ever seen a three-hour movie that moved this beautifully.

The performances are all first rate and there’s really nothing to complain about. Still, The Wolf of Wall Street, for all its brilliance, isn’t going to score the No. 1 spot on my 10-best list of the year — something Scorsese’s last two pictures did without much contest. It will be on that list — and in the top half — but not at the very top.

Why? Simply because — at least on one viewing — it entertained, it impressed, it even wowed, but it didn’t really connect with me emotionally.

It’s interesting that The Wolf of Wall Street comes out at the same time as David O. Russell’s American Hustle, because it’s

Mountainx.CoM

essentially American Hustle‘s ugly twin. Besides both being fact-based (Wolf more so than Hustle), the two films are also studies of amoral characters pursuing twisted versions of the American Dream.

But the tones are very different.

Russell’s film is cheerfully amoral.

It’s a cheeky conceit — and it can be because it’s about not very bright people getting in over their heads and damaging themselves as much as anybody. Scorsese’s film is a separate proposition. Its characters aren’t always all that smart, but they’re avaricious monsters inflicting a great deal of damage on others. That they are — sort of — brought down by their own arrogance doesn’t change this.

CArolinA CinemAs (274-9500) 47 ronin 3d(Pg-13) 11:45, 10:30 47 ronin 2d (Pg-13) 2:45, 5:30, 8:15 American hustle (r) 11:30, 2:15, 5:15, 8:15, 10:30 Anchorman 2: the legend Continues (Pg-13) 11:15, 2:30, 5:15, 8:00, 9:00 the Book thief (Pg-13) 10:30, 5:45 dallas Buyers Club (r) 9:45 Frozen 2d (Pg) 11:00, 1:00, 3:30, 6:00, 8:30 grudge match (Pg-13) 11:00, 1:30, 4:00, 7:00, 9:30 the hobbit: the desolation of smaug 3d (Pg-13) 1:15 the hobbit: the desolation of smaug 2d (Pg-13) 10:30, 5:00, 8:30 the hunger games: Catching Fire (Pg-13) 10:45, 9:30 mandela: long walk to Freedom (Pg-13) 10:15, 2:00, 4:30, 7:30 nebraska (r) 10:30, 1:00, 3:30, 6:15 Philomena (Pg-13) 1:15, 3:30, 8:15 saving mr. Banks (Pg-13) 11:30, 2:15, 5:00, 7:30, 10:00 the secret life of walter mitty (Pg) 11:00, 1:30, 4:00, 6:30, 9:00 tyler Perry’s A madea Christmas (Pg-13) 1:45, 4:00, 7:00 walking with dinosaurs 2d (Pg) 10:15, 12:45, 3:00, 5:15, 7:30 the wolf of wall street (r) 10:15, 2:00, 6:00, 9:30 CineBArre (665-7776) Co-ed CinemA BrevArd (883-2200) the hobbit: the desolation of smaug (Pg-13) 12:00, 4:00, 8:00 ePiC oF hendersonville (693-1146) Fine Arts theAtre (232-1536) dallas Buyers Club (r) 7:20, Late show Fri-Sat 9:50 nebraska (r) 1:00, 4:00, 7:00, Late show Fri-Sat 9:30 Philomena (Pg-13) 1:20, 4:20 FlAtroCk CinemA (697-2463) Philomena (Pg-13) 1:00 (Fri-Sun only), 4:00, 7:00 regAl Biltmore grAnde stAdium 15 (6841298) united Artists BeAuCAtCher (298-1234)

S

moViEs

by Ken Hanke & Justin Souther

The characters that populate Wolf may be — they are — entertaining and amusing, but they’re never likable in any significant way. (I have heard a story of an audience of high-roller investment brokers who cheered the amassed perfidy on the screen, but let’s assume they are not your average viewer.)

Leonard DiCaprio stars — and largely carries the film — as reallife (and really crooked) investment broker Jordan Belfort, on whose memoir the film is based.

DiCaprio matches the film’s intensity from the first frame. This is an excessive movie about excess and excessive people — that’s the key it starts in and maintains for its entire running time. You’ll either find it exhilarating or exhausting — or maybe a bit of both. The film is like the characters in that it never pauses to even briefly think anything over. It merely barges ahead — just like its drug-andalcohol-fueled characters. The difference, of course, is that the film is rightfully sure of itself while the characters are not (though they think they are). Scorsese recognizes what’s happening is appallingly black comedy; the characters don’t. Scorsese is the one sober person in a film full of drunks — placidly observing their actions and turning them into dark humor. We’re talking about a filmmaker who can make a scene in which Belfort — drugged to a point where he can’t walk — manages to crawl to his Ferrari and drive home funny. Better still, he’s toying with us and has in store a different payoff than what we — or Belfort — think happened.

The Wolf of Wall Street is dynamite filmmaking on every level, but it’s also clearly not going to be to everyone’s liking. And that’s fine. No film should be, and if it is, there’s probably something wrong with it. However, this is the sort of movie that anyone who is seriously interested in the art of film should see. It’s one that I’m anxious to watch a second time — and maybe more. Rated R for sequences of strong sexual content, graphic nudity, drug use and language throughout, and for some violence. reviewed by Ken Hanke Starts Wednesday at Carolina Cinemas, Regal Biltmore Grande and other undetermined area theaters.

contact xpressmovies@aol.com

Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues HH

DiREctoR: Adam McKay (The Other Guys) pLayERs: Players: Will Ferrell, Christina Applegate, Paul Rudd, Steve Carell, David Koechner comEDy RatED pg-13 thE stoRy: Buffoonish, loud-mouthed news anchor Ron Burgundy tries to rebuild his reputation on a cable news channel. thE LowDown: A generally unfunny rehash of the first Anchorman that only occasionally works when it’s being satirical.

Regardless of its standing as filmmaking or comedy (it was pretty dreadful on both counts), the original Anchorman was something of a cultural touchstone when it was released in the summer of 2004. At that time — and even to this day — the film is more surreal and strange than honestly funny, and its general conceit (Will Ferrell, playing some buffoonish character, adlibbing his way through the movie) has been so ground down by subsequent Ferrell vehicles that it has probably made Anchorman retroactively worse in the bargain. This, along with a laundry list of bad omens — like the nonstop, aggressive promotions and the seeming desperation to make a sequel to a 9-year-old movie — made the prospects of Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues gloomy.

And for the most part, the movie is lousy, being little more than a rehash of the first film. Titular anchorman Ron Burgundy (Ferrell) is a brash, idiotic dolt who — following the events of the first film — has lost his anchor job and his wife Veronica (Christina Applegate), but is suddenly offered a job on

HHHHH = max rating a brand new 24-hour cable news network. (The film takes place in some indefinable, vaguely surreal and mostly nonsensical late ’70s/ early ’80s time period.) This gives the film its redemptive plotline, plus an excuse for Ron to reunite with his old news team of Brick Tamland (Steve Carell), Brian Fantana (Paul Rudd) and Champ Kind (David Koechner) and throw out some improved one-liners and other various randomness. This isn’t as strange as it was in 2004, so the comedy feels more labored — right down to the out-and-out repurposing of the original’s most memorable bits. The film even climaxes with a big battle royal between Ron and company and a bevy of rival newscasters; the idea is to up the ante on the original’s giant newscaster brawl — and it almost does — but it goes nowhere and plays more like lip service than comedy.

That the movie never delves into the scatological is perhaps its saving grace as far as humor goes, but that just makes the movie less offensive. This (admittedly idiotic) harmlessness is partly what keeps the movie from outright disaster — along with a boost from Anchorman 2’s surprisingly satirical bent. The idea beneath the film’s goofy facade is that the brain-dead Burgundy has invented the modern, sensationalistic 24-hour news cycle, taking viewers from superficial reporting, to blind, patriotic flag-waving dispatches in the vein of Fox News.

Now, as satire, it’s pretty heavyhanded, but there are moments that are surprisingly pointed. A brief gag — where a man with a knife in his head is watching the news and mindlessly cheering at the mere mention of “America” — is perhaps the funniest thing in Ferrell’s purely comedic offerings.

This doesn’t keep the rest of the movie from being mostly unfunny and only occasionally amusing, but it does make things interesting now and then. When you consider how terrible Anchorman 2 had every right to be, this is a victory — a small victory, but a victory nonetheless. Rated PG-13 for crude and sexual content, drug use, language and comic violence. reviewed by Justin Souther

Lost Your Pet? Act Within 24 hours!

• Call: (828) 250-6430 and email: lostandfound@ashevillehumane.org Visit: 16 Forever Friend Lane, Asheville (Buncombe County Animal Shelter) • Check photos of stray pets daily at ashevillehumane.org/report-yourlost-pet-missing.php • Search and flyer the area where your pet went missing; offer a reward • Post photos on Facebook and Craigslist

828.250.6430 • ashevillehumane.org

offers expires 1/15/14

Playing at Carolina Cinemas, Epic of Hendersonville, Regal Biltmore Grande, United Artists Beaucatcher

mountainx.com

DEcEmBER 25 - DEcEmBER 31, 2013

57

moViEs

by Ken Hanke & Justin Souther

iDRis ELBa brings a natural gravitas to the role of Nelson Mandela in Justin Chadwick’s solid, but very basic, biopic.

Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom HHHS ®

DiREctoR: Justin Chadwick (The Other Boleyn Girl)

ALL Sunday Shows $1 ALL Tuesday Shows $2

Wednesdays

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Every Mon-Thu ALL Shows $1 After 9pm Saturday Morning Shows ONLY $1

Sat & Sun - Brunch Menu for all shows before 12pm Movie Line 828-665-7776 Biltmore Square - 800 Brevard Rd Asheville, NC 28808

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58

DEcEmBER 25 - DEcEmBER 31, 2013

pLayERs: Idris Elba, Naomie Harris, Tony Kgoroge, Riaad Moosa Biopic

RatED pg-13

thE stoRy: The life of Nelson Mandela, from young activist to prisoner to president of South Africa. thE LowDown: A run-of-the-mill biopic, with all the problems that entails, which doesn’t shy away from the pricklier aspects of Mandela’s life but fails to properly illustrate his importance.

While the recent death of Nelson Mandela may bring a special importance to Justin Chadwick’s Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, do not be mistaken — this is every inch your standard biopic, complete with almost every issue and flaw that suggests. The best biopics often focus on a moment or chapter in the life of their subject in order to give you a snapshot of the person. The worst kind of biopics try to cover too much ground — an approach

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contact xpressmovies@aol.com

that spreads the subject too thin and ultimately tells you little to nothing, all the while approaching the topic with too much reverence.

Mandela certainly leans toward the latter as it attempts to cover nearly five decades of the man’s life. Thankfully, the film isn’t afraid to look at the more troubling aspects of that life, namely Mandela’s womanizing in his early years and his support of armed, violent revolt. The film — which is based on Mandela’s own memoir — is fairly refreshing in its honesty, showing Mandela the man, rather than the icon. And the film gets off to a strong start with striking opening images and bits of overblown pomp such as the storming of the train station. Idris Elba as Mandela has the kind of onscreen gravitas that makes him a believable political paragon and leader of men.

But Mandela wants to do too much. The edges of the narrative — and their ability to remain captivating — soon begin to fray around the time Mandela is sent to prison, which is a pity since that’s the most iconic part of the man’s story. The problem demonstrates why trying to squeeze the bulk of a person’s life into 139 minutes is so tricky. First off, there’s 27 years in prison to depict: Mandela has a tough time translating those years into anything touching or relatable.

The movie just moves along and Elba ends up caked with increasing amounts of old-age makeup.

(Seriously, it gets so bad he starts to look like Grandpa in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)).

The film glosses over so many years of Mandela’s life that the scope and importance are lost in the bargain — an ironic outcome for a movie that wants to be grand and important. It yearns so much for serious-mindedness — and in turn, awards — that it’s got a U2 song over the end credits (nothing says “Give me any old Oscar” like trying for the Best Original Song statue). None of this quite wrecks the film. There are enough good ideas and performances to make the movie worthwhile, but in a week with legitimate must-sees, Mandela is pretty negligible. Rated PG-13 for some intense sequences of violence and disturbing images, sexual content and brief strong language. reviewed by Justin Souther Starts Wednesday at Carolina Cinemas and Regal Biltmore Grande

HHHHH = max rating

Walking with Dinosaurs HS DiREctoR: Barry Cook (Arthur Christmas), Neil Nightingale pLayERs: (Voices) John Leguizamo, Justin Long, Skyler Stone, Tiya Sircar animatED DinosauR EmpowERmEnt fantasy RatED pg thE stoRy: Documentary about WikiLeaks and its founder Julian Assange. thE LowDown: If you like looking at computer-generated dinosaurs, this may be your movie, but anyone past the age of 4 is likely to be bored stiff by the lame plot and even lamer dialogue.

Over the course of any given year, it is inevitable that I will encounter some truly dire movies, but Walking with Dinosaurs is a special kind of dire. I nodded off (for a second or two) at least six times over the course of the film, so it’s fair to say that I found the experience both boring and incredibly soporific. (I would not suggest operating heavy machinery while watching this.)

But more to the point, I couldn’t make out just who the movie was made for. It looks for all the world like something that got lost on its way to the Discovery Channel and wandered into a movie theater — but not before falling into bad company and picking up a case of mind-numbing plot and a dose of bodily function humor. In other words, it’s an educational show with the addition of a moronic plot and a lot of poop and flatulence gags. I suppose if you’re wild about dinosaurs, the film might have sufficient compensations — unless you feel that your prehistoric pals are being made fools of.

I admit I am not the target audience for this. My fascination with dinosaurs cooled so long ago that today’s take on them bears little relation to the plastic critters in my toy chest, and most of them seem to be using aliases now. (I am assuming here — since the movie is somehow derived from an educational BBC TV series — that the looks and names are the latest science has to offer.) I will say that the computer animation of these creatures is first-rate, and the business of blending them into real backgrounds is effective. But is that

staRting wEDnEsDay enough? I mean there’s nothing here I haven’t seen before — and, no, the 3D doesn’t make that much difference. In fact, the 3D isn’t especially impressive.

The approach here is to move from a completely superfluous live-action framing story where paleontologist Uncle Zack (Karl Urban) takes his gung-ho niece (Angourie Rice) and bored nephew (Charlie Rowe) into the wilds of Alaska to dig for fossils. Bored nephew wants no part of such childish nonsense — until a talking crow (voiced by John Leguizamo) shows up, turns into some prehistoric budgie and regales him — and us — with the story that makes up the bulk of the movie.

The story is all about Patchi (voiced

by Justin Long), the runt of the litter of a family of Pachyrhinosauri (something like a triceratops that got shortchanged in the horn department). This tale is your basic little-guy empowerment story — The Little Dino That Could — with some daddy issues and Disney romance thrown in.

And it’s not only dull, it’s badly and inconsistently done. There’s so little attempt at making these fellows appear to be talking that I’m not sure the dialogue wasn’t a clunky afterthought. Plus, only a bare handful of the damned things talk — namely, the juvenile leads and the Leguizamo bird.

Why? I don’t know and I don’t much care, because none of them say any-

thing worth hearing — and most of what they say is anachronistic smart assery. (I feel fairly certain that, if dinosaurs did indeed talk, they didn’t discuss what Paleological era they were in or refer to ninjas.) When I was a kid, my toy dinosaurs fought it out with each other or trampled cavemen (just like a Creationist theme park) with none of this silly chatter (and no Barry White or Fleetwood Mac for atmosphere). Frankly, I preferred that to this bastard-child-ofnature documentary and animated cartoon. Rated PG for creature action and peril, and mild rude humor. reviewed by Ken Hanke Playing at Carmike 10, Carolina Cinemas, Epic of Hendersonville, Regal Biltmore Grande

staRting wEDnEsDay

The Wolf of Wall Street See Ken Hanke’s “Cranky Hanke.” (R)

review

47 Ronin You must forgive the brief and rather down and dirty upcomers this week. They come to you via a wonky 10-plus-year-old computer and a dial-up (remember those?) Internet connection that comes and goes (mostly goes). So, here’s the publicity handout on this one: “From ancient Japan’s most enduring tale, the epic 3D fantasy-adventure 47 Ronin is born. Keanu Reeves leads the cast as Kai, an outcast who joins Oishi (Hiroyuki Sanada), the leader of 47 outcast samurai. Together they seek vengeance upon the treacherous overlord who killed their master and banished their kind.” This is clearly because nothing says Christmas like Keanu Reeves in ancient Japan. Oh, and the director is called “visionary.” (pg-13)

in

Grudge Match More

studio

publicity:

“Two

Mandela

retired boxers (Sylvester Stallone

See Justin Souther’s review in “Cranky Hanke.” (pg-13)

and Robert DeNiro) settle a longstanding beef by heading back into the ring in this sports drama.” And

spEciaL scREEnings

Targets HHHHS

hoRRoR DRama Rated R It can be argued that Peter Bogdanovich’s first film, Targets, isn’t really a horror picture. But if it isn’t, then it’s a film about how real life had outdistanced the kind of horror being shown in movies. It follows two stories that will ultimately intersect — one about an aging horror star (Boris Karloff) retiring from the screen, and one about a clean-cut young man blandly deciding to go on a shooting spree for no apparent reason. It may be uncomfortably more timely in 2013 than it was in 1968.

The Thursday Horror Picture Show will screen Targets Thursday, Dec. 26, at 8 p.m. in the Cinema Lounge at The Carolina Asheville and will be hosted by Xpress movie critics Ken Hanke and Justin Souther.

A Day at the Races HHHHS comEDy Rated NR Though compromised by too many production numbers,

too much plot and too much “humanizing” of the boys, A Day at the Races (1937) is the last really good movie the Marx Brothers made. Individual sequences are nearly as good as the best things they ever did. Groucho’s Dr. Hugo Z. Hackenbush is one of his best creations — despite the studio’s efforts to tone him down. Plus, one of the musical numbers is pure gold.

The Asheville Film Society will screen A Day at the Races Tuesday, Dec. 31, at 8 p.m. in Theater Six at The Carolina Asheville and will be hosted by Xpress movie critics Ken Hanke and Justin Souther.

this is clearly because nothing says Christmas like two geriatric actors punching the crap out of each other -- that and the fact the DeNiro will now apparently do anything he’s offered. Kim Basinger (who used to be famous) is also in this.” (pg-13)

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty Back in 1947 James Thurber’s (very) short story about a day-dreaming husband was turned into a noisy Technicolored spectacle starring Danny Kaye. Well, here we have Ben Stiller’s take on the same story, which has mostly served to cause critics to misremember the 1947 movie as actually good. (It is perhaps a comparative thing.) In any case, the early reviews are mostly very unkind. But it’s also the only PG rated movie opening on Christmas. (pg)

mountainx.com

DEcEmBER 25 - DEcEmBER 31, 2013

59

humoR

Asheville Disclaimer by Tom Scheve

tomscheve@gmail.com

Find local live standup comedy events at www.DisclaimerComedy.com (and you should follow us on Twitter at @AVLdisclaimer).

The Most Beloved Page in All the Land

asheville disclaimer

Briefs Man stabbed in fight with off-duty sheriff alleges that police receive special treatment from fellow officers

Christmas Jam musicians, fans help build Habitat house with own hands New homeowner: ‘Words cannot describe this house’

Among his other shocking allegations: Gravity pulls objects toward the earth, sunrise occurs along eastern horizon, passage of time causes increased aging

Brian Turner announces run for Tim Moffitt’s NC House seat, republicans set up fake Twitter account to attack Turner and his family Entire Moffitt campaign to use tactics of vengeful teenage girls

Candler woman charged with having sex with inmate during his work-release assignment ‘The amount of foreplay she required made it a lot like work, anyway,’ inmate insists

God’s Pantry low on food Affiliated charity, God’s Guest Bathroom, low on TP

N. Korea executes 2nd-in-command for botched modified-retweet ‘The accused’s MRT did not capture the true essence of Dear Leader’s original tweet’

Local yoga flash mob goes completely unnoticed Two-hour video of yoga flash mob also fails to go viral Asheville Disclaimer is parody/satire Contact: tomscheve@gmail.com

Twitter: @AVLdisclaimer Contributing this week: Joe Shelton, Cary Goff, Tom Scheve 60

DEcEmBER 25 - DEcEmBER 31, 2013

“Ike Stubblefield spent seven hours making a brick bread-oven before Keb Mo turned the design plans right-side-up for him,” says the homeowner.

ASHEVILLE, MONDAY — The “Xmas Jam House” that was the focus of the volunteer efforts of fans and musicians at the “Before the Jam, Lend a Hand” event preceding the 25th annual Warren Haynes Annual Christmas Jam continues to yield surprises, according to the homeowners.

“Who knew Phil Lesh doesn’t believe in hammers or screwdrivers?” said Scott Scully, who is this year’s

Xmas Jam House partner. “I’m honored to have this home, but it definitely has a strong Gregg Allman aroma.”

According to Scully, drug-addled groupies and hungover Christmas Jam musicians spent several days locked in debate over the question, “What is a ‘house’ anyways?”

“Two runaways from Reno are still up in the attic, but overall, we’re very happy,” said Scully. “I guess the Aquarium Rescue Unit is just going to hang out in the living room until their next gig materializes, and that’s cool.”

The Scully family says it needs to do a “little touching up” following the volunteers’ after-party at the newly built house.

From: Tom Scheve To: Cary Goff; Joe Shelton Re: 2014 Toughman Contest As you know, Disclaimer Comedy is sponsoring Asheville writer & comedian H.D. Wimbledon in the 2014 Toughman Contest, which takes place Jan. 31.

Earlier today, I delivered a money order to Wimbledon from the Disclaimer for his H.D. Wimbledon, Disclaimer entry fee. I have made some Comedy’s very poor investments in the sponsored past but, having seen Wim- fighter in the bledon with my very own 2014 Toughman Contest eyes today, I am happy to report those past investments now look very good compared to this current fiasco.

For starters, despite the sedentary lifestyle he has embraced throughout the past 18 months that I have known him, Wimbledon doesn’t weigh enough to make the minimum weight required for the lowest weight class. He claims that training will make it impossible for him to make weight, so either way we are in for a rather short evening come Jan. 31.

You’re probably hoping we just threw money at an untrained, unexperienced “fighter” whose primary interests are fussily searching behind his matching sofa set for his distressingly large cats and day-drinking. Worry not.

Wimbledon is a writer by trade, and hardly looks fit enough for that. His training regimen thus far has been “not chain-smoking.”

I will keep you updated on Wimbledon’s training, and please accept my sincerest apologies.

Reindeer on a Shelf™ — a Christmas tradition since 2013 Reindeer on a Shelf™ toys have been blessing homes since the early second quarter of the 2013 fiscal year. Now is your chance to adopt one of Santa’s stuffedanimal reindeers. Stuffed, that is, with magic! Your adopted reindeer magically comes to life every night to report to Santa! When the kids wake up, he’s always in a kooky, fun new place!

Don’t touch the reindeer though, or they lose their ability to fly. Also, don’t look directly at them, and make sure you yell the words, “I love you! You’re my favorite reindeer!” before you enter the room or you’ll hurt their feelings.

Reindeer on a Shelf™ are so kind and loving they give presents four times a day starting Oct. 3 to Christmas Day. So mountainx.com

remind your parents to make sure the reindeer has moved so you can get your presents at 5 a.m.! Unless you or your parents have been bad, then … uh oh … no present for you.

Your Reindeer misses home so he must always be pointed to the North Star, even during the day; more precisely, three degrees west by northwest of the North Star. So get your star chart out! If you don’t know where the North Star is or you’re a degree off they get sad and might forget a present. But don’t touch them!

Remember to feed your reindeer. Their little tummies get hungry quick and you don’t want them to tell Santa they’re hungry. Prepackaged Reindeer on a Shelf Food™ can be purchased at participat-

ing stores for just $49.99/lb. Just follow your reindeer’s feeding schedule: 5 a.m., 3 p.m. and midnight on even days and 4 a.m., 5 p.m. and 2 a.m. on odd days, except for the third Thursday of the month, then it’s one additional hour unless you’re Standard Mountain Time.

Adopt a loving Reindeer on a Shelf™ by simply filling out a Reindeer Birth Certificate™ and a Santa Claus Reindeer Request Form™. Purchase a certified Reindeer on a Shelf Crate™, an assortment of Reindeer on a Shelf Clothes™ and use your credit card or PayPal account to make one magically appear today!

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rentAls APArtments For rent NEar uNCa • NOrtH aSHEville AreA 2BR, 1BA, w\ new bath remodel, small private porch/yard, W/D hookup. $675/month includes water/ sewer. Plenty of parking! 1 cat ok w/fee. Year's lease, security deposit, credit check and references required. For appt: Graham Investments: 253-6800. north Asheville 3BR/ 1BA townhouse style apt with new floors, one mile from downtown on the busline, no pets. $745/ month. 828-252-4334.

north Asheville Adjacent to UNCA. 1BR fully furnished.

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Private entrance and parking. $800 plus deposit. 252-0035. north Asheville Townhouse style apartment: 2BR, 1BA for $645/month. Very nice, all new floors. On the bus line, only 1 mile from downtown Asheville. • No pets. 828-2524334.

homes For rent Asheville eAst-duPleXHalf house close in. 3BR, 2BA, hardwood floors, fireplace, dishwasher, WD. Woods and trails.

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rn cAre mAnAGers Buncombe Co.,Tran/Polk/Hndrsn Co’s. The ideal candidate has 2+ years of Care Management experience; the position(s) requires an RN. If interested, please send resumes to HR@ ccwnc.org and note which region you are interested in "CM-South" or “CM-Central” in the subject field.

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seekinG QuAlity emPloyees? "We advertised with Mountain Xpress looking for a Licensed Assistant for our company. Right away we received numerous responses, one of which we ended up hiring. So impressed with the quality of leads we received from Mountain Xpress compared to our other ad placed with another source. Great job as always!"

Dawn, Candy Whitt & Associates. • You too, can experience quality applicants. Advertise in mountain Xpress classifieds. two Positions At cArolinA mountAin lAnd conservAncy Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy is seeking applications for two full-time positions: Finance Director and Donor Relations & Events Manager. Full position descriptions and application instructions are available at www.carolinamountain.org. www.carolinamountain.org

medicAl/ heAlth cAre Pt or Prn PhysiciAn's AssistAnt or FAmily nurse PrActitioner needed / to Join our teAm Mountain Health Solutions-Asheville, a member of CRC Health Group and CARF accredited is an outpatient program specializing in the treatment of opiate dependence.

We are currently seeking a PRN or PT t PA or FNP to conduct routine annual physicals for program patients. contact krubendall@crchealth.com or 828-2256050 ext 120

aVaILaBLE pOSItIONS • meridiAn BehAviorAl heAlth Peer support specialists: Multiple positions open for Peer Support Specialist working within a number of recovery oriented programs within our agency. Being a Peer Support Specialist provides an opportunity for individuals to transform their own personal lived experience with mental health and/or addiction challenges into a tool for inspiring hope for recovery in others. Applicants must demonstrate maturity in their own recovery process, have a valid driver’s license, reliable transportation and have moderate computer skills. For further information, contact hr.department@meridianbhs. org. child and Family services team clinician Seeking Licensed/Associate Licensed Therapist for an exciting opportunity to serve youth and their families through Intensive InHome and Basic Benefit Therapy. For more information contact Julie Durham-Defee, julie. durham-defee@meridianbhs. org cherokee county Peer support specialist Assertive Community Treatment Team – (ACTT) Position open for Peer Support Specialist to provide community-based services.

Being a Peer Support Specialist provides an opportunity for individuals to transform their own personal lived experience with mental health and/or addiction challenges into a tool for inspiring hope for recovery in others. Applicants must demonstrate maturity in their own recovery process and must have basic computer skills. For further information, contact Erin Galloway, erin.galloway@meridianbhs.org haywood county recovery education center clinician Recovery Education Center Seeking a passionate, values-driven professional to work within an innovative MH/ SA recovery-oriented program.

Will be responsible for facilitating assessments and individual

sessions as well as teaching classes within the REC. Must have a Master’s degree and be licensed/license-eligible.

For more information, please contact Julie Durham-Defee, julie. durham-defee@meridianbhs. org Jackson county Qualified mental health Professional (QMHP) Assertive Community Treatment Team (ACTT) Must have mental health degree and two years experience. Preference for someone who has advanced training or experience providing employment services and/or an interest in vocational rehabilitation. For more information contact Kristy Whitaker, kristy.whitaker@ meridianbhs.org • For further information and to complete an application, visit our website: www.meridianbhs.org/openpositions.html elder cluB ProGrAm AssistAnt Immediate opening: Facilitate a non-medical, structured group program for older adults. Must have work experience with assisting elders in a group setting, and with dementia and physical challenges. Requires strong organization and communication skills, and volunteer management experience. Preferred: Bachelor’s degree; knowledge of Jewish culture. Tuesday and Thursday, 10-12 hours/week; possible schedule increase in future. • Submit resume by 1/10/2013 to: info@jfswnc.org • To view the full job description, go to www.jfswnc.org FAmily PreservAtion services The Hendersonville office of Family Preservation Services of NC is experiencing significant growth. We have employment opportunities in the following positions: licensed outpatient therapist; community support team lead therapist; community support team QP; and day treatment QP. Please send your resume to dreynolds@fpscorp.com

liBerty corner enterPrises is seeking support team members to work in residential homes and the community with people who have disabilities. • Applicants must have a high school diploma or equivalent, a North Carolina driver's license, proof of insurance and a reliable vehicle. Sign language skills are a plus. • Positions are available in Swain, Haywood and Buncombe counties. Pay rate based on experience. Apply in person at Liberty Corner Enterprises: 147 Coxe Avenue Asheville, NC 28801 or www.libertycornerent.com

Peer suPPort sPeciAlists Multiple positions open for Peer Support Specialist working within a number of recovery oriented programs within our agency. Being a Peer Support Specialist provides an opportunity for individuals to transform their own personal lived experience with mental health and/or addiction challenges into a tool for inspiring hope for recovery in others. Applicants must demonstrate maturity in their own recovery process, have a valid driver’s license, reliable transportation and have moderate computer skills. For further information, contact hr.department@meridianbhs.org

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61

fREEwiLL astRoLogy aRiEs (maRch 21-apRiL 19)

capRicoRn (DEc. 22-jan. 19)

scoRpio (oct. 23-noV. 21)

Edmund Kean (1789-1833) was one of the most famous British actors of his time. But a contemporary, the poet Samuel Coleridge, was frustrated by Kean's inconsistency, regarding him as a great artist who on occasion lapsed into histrionics. "To see him act," said Coleridge, "is like reading Shakespeare by flashes of lightning." Now and then I get that feeling about you, Aries. You have bursts of brilliance that you sometimes don't follow up on. You're like a superstar who loses your concentration. But I've got a strong feeling that in 2014 you will at least partially overcome this tendency. Your word of power will be consistency.

In 1588, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the ruler of Japan, confiscated the swords, daggers and spears from every citizen, announcing that they would be melted down and turned into a giant Buddha statue.

I’d love to see you undertake a comparable transformation in 2014, Capricorn.

You shouldn’t completely shed all your anger and pugnacity, of course; a certain amount is valuable, especially when you need to rouse yourself to change situations that aren’t working. But you could benefit from a reduction in your level of combativeness. What if you could “melt down” some of your primal rage and use the energy it frees up to build your personal equivalent of a Buddha icon?

“Eierlegende Wollmilchsau” is a colloquial German term for a mythical pig that lays eggs like a chicken, provides milk like a cow, supplies wool like a sheep, and ultimately becomes bacon and pork chops.

Metaphorically, it may refer to a fanciful device that performs many functions.

Imagine, for instance, a futuristic smart phone that could interpret your dreams, trim your unwanted hair, fix you a perfect cup of coffee, tell you you're beautiful in ways you actually believe, and cure your little health problems. In the real world, there's no such thing, right? Not yet. But there's a chance you will find the next best thing to an “eierlegende Wollmilchsau” in 2014.

tauRus (apRiL 20-may 20) Ernest Rutherford (1871-1937) is known as the father of nuclear physics not just because he won the Nobel Prize in chemistry. He was also a superb teacher. Eleven of his students won Nobel Prizes. That's the kind of teacher, mentor or guide I urge you to connect with in 2014, Taurus. The coming months will potentially be an optimum time for you to learn deeply and at a rapid rate. One of the best ways to fulfill that promise will be to apprentice yourself to adepts who have mastered the skills and savvy you want to acquire. gEmini (may 21-junE 20)

expectations, break off your commitment to a compromise that has drained you. It may happen suddenly, or it could take awhile to complete. How the escape unfolds will have to do with how thoroughly you extract the lessons that your "incarceration" has made available. Here's a ritual that might expedite the process: Give a gift to the people you're leaving behind, or offer a blessing in the spot where your difficult teachings have taken place.

ViRgo (aug. 23-sEpt. 22)

Your last, best hope to get rich was back in the latter half of 2001 and the first six months of 2002. From July 2025 to June 2026, the cosmos will again conspire to give you a big fat chance to expedite your cash flow to the max. But why get bogged down dreaming of the past or fantasizing about the future when fertile opportunities to boost your prosperity are in front of you right now? Financial luck is flowing your way. Viable ideas for making money are materializing in your subconscious treasure house. The contacts that could help you build your wealth are ready to play with you. (This offer is good until July 2014.)

"Now that you don’t have to be perfect, you can be good," says a character in John Steinbeck's novel East of Eden. I suggest that you make this your rallying cry in 2014, Virgo. In fact, why not begin right now, wherever you are? Say "Now that I don’t have to be perfect, I can be good."

Free yourself of the pressure to be the polished, ultimate embodiment of everything you'd ever hoped you’d be. That will allow you to relax into being more content with the intriguing creation you’ve already become. You may be surprised by how much mojo this affords you.

cancER (junE 21-juLy 22)

LiBRa (sEpt. 23-oct. 22)

French poet Edmond Jabès had this to say about the birth of big creative ideas that dramatically transform one's life: "For the writer, discovering the work he will write is both like a miracle and a wound, like the miracle of the wound." Regardless of whether or not you're an artist, Cancerian, I expect that you will experience a wrenching and amazing awakening like this in 2014. The opening you've been hoping and working for will finally crack its way into your destiny. It may be one of the most pleasurable disruptions you've ever had.

In 1972, English folk musician Nick Drake recorded his album Pink Moon, completing it in a mere four hours while singing all 11 songs and playing every instrumental track himself. It took years for anyone to appreciate his artistry, but eventually Melody Maker named Pink Moon number 48 on its list of the "All Time Top 100 Albums." Here's one way I suspect your efforts will be similar to Drake's in 2014, Libra: You will have the ability to get a lot done in a short time. Here are two ways your fate will be different from Drake's: First, you will have a big pool of trustworthy allies to call on for help. Second, what you produce won't take nearly as long to get the appreciation it warrants.

LEo (juLy 23-aug. 22) In the coming months, I'm betting that you will exit a confined place, shed cramped 62

XchAnGe

by Rob Brezny

DEcEmBER 25 - DEcEmBER 31, 2013

mountainx.com

sagittaRius (noV. 22-DEc. 21) "We don't accomplish our love in a single year as the flowers do," says Rainer Maria Rilke in the Duino Elegies. Do you promise to take that truth into consideration in 2014, Sagittarius? Will you pledge to diligently devote yourself to creating the right conditions for love to flourish? In the past, you may not have been fully able to carry out this slowbuilding marvel; you may not have had quite enough wise perseverance. But you do now. aquaRius (jan. 20-fEB. 18) The period between last July and next June is prime time to find or create your dream job. That might mean simply upgrading your existing gig so that it serves you better. Or it could involve rethinking your relationship with work and going off in quest of a new way to earn a living. So how are you doing on this project, Aquarius? If you are proceeding on schedule, you should be halfway there by now. The goal should be clear, and you should be more disciplined, organized and determined than ever. If for any reason this isn't the case, start playing catch-up. piscEs (fEB. 19-maRch 20) "Singing teaches two skills that are essential for any creative process," says author and vocalist Rachel Bagby, "the ability to listen and the ability to be flexible and spontaneous." I bring this to your attention, Pisces, because 2014 could potentially be a Golden Age for your creativity. It will be a time when you will benefit even more than usual from exploring and enhancing your imaginative originality. That's why I'm encouraging you to sing more than you ever have before.

Make a list of your 50 favorite singable songs.

Be aggressive about expanding the music you get exposed to, and learn the melodies and lyrics to a lot of new tunes. Cut loose with your vocal stylings whenever you have a chance, and take a vow to propel yourself out of funky moods with the creative energy of your singing.

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ACROSS 1 Leading 6 Class-ranking stat 9 N.C.A.A. part: Abbr.

14 Ravel’s “La ___” 15 Designer’s major 16 Lincoln Center’s Alice ___ Hall 17 Division signs 18 Chaotic scene 19 Valerie Harper title role 20 W.W. II female 21 “No kidding!”

23 Islands finger food 25 Chicago Cubs’ station 26 Have in mind 28 Third-largest city in Italia 30 Stereotypical Mensan 31 Most athletes are in it 35 “And giving ___, up the chimney …”

36 Privateer’s potation 37 Boot one 38 To be, in Québec 39 Org. criticized in “Sicko” 40 Software package medium 42 Owing the pot 44 Direction indicator 46 Like some checking accounts 49 Typical prerequisite to geom.

51 Celebrity groom in ’68 headlines 52 Blue Jays, on scoreboards 53 Put into play 55 & 57 1977 Jackson Browne album … or a hint to what’s depicted in this puzzle’s grid 59 Hightails it

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE

CAnswer H A T toS Previous P F FPuzzle A Z E S H O B O F L U E E O J S T A B L E I XK AE LA T PO UN PE O SF HO RU I R ES K RS E I PL LL Y A M DU OL T MI I NT CO ES G I A RR L S I AC X LP IS NI G ES RC IO ER E PD AA DN Z A GN RE AH TI E P A ROMRE I S GA IN N O M LA EC AS R YG SR AWN AD I OL P E R A NA AL BO ST E FD OU U R PO TB AE S CS HA OL PE BS AE SV I E LN L T E A EV TE NS A ET RI BN E UA NR I X A I N RE YA T AM SI ID SY E RA E RB S I R ST RH A CJ RA UI S HL PE IA NR EN N U BT AS B E S L A N C E O B V I A T E S A L A M O W A G O N F U L S A D D O L I V E O I L A V A C A G E R S T E W T R E E P I E T M I L O R D T I N K N O T S O L E A G E S E L K S I R S P E S T O

60 Like eggs in omelets 61 Pete Rose’s 4,256 62 Mental picture 66 Many hands may be found on it 67 Tending to the matter 68 Someone born on Columbus Day, e.g.

69 Chain that sells Borgsjö bookcases 70 P.I.’s 71 Casey with a countdown 72 “___ Flux” (Charlize Theron movie) DOWN 1 Stating firmly 2 Cuban dance 3 Kind of force that affects charged particles 4 Handy way of communicating?: Abbr.

5 Lower oneself 6 Steady look 7 Moneymaker?

8 On 9 Lobbies with trees, maybe 10 Ndamukong ___, 2010 N.F.L. Defensive Rookie of the Year 11 A bit dense 12 American flag 13 Poison pill contents 22 Mag. staffers 24 Number on a foam finger

No.1120 Edited by Will Shortz

No. 1120

edited by Will Shortz

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PUZZLE BY PETER A. COLLINS

27 Musician Johnny Winter’s musician brother

43 Eavesdropping distance

56 Exterminators’ targets

29 Bel ___ cheese

45 A bust may come 58 Omertà group of it

32 Harry Potter’s owl

47 Not busy

33 Opposite of dep.

48 1965 Physics Nobelist Richard

34 On the double 40 Shucker’s debris 41 Night ray

For

answers:

Call

63 Unaccounted for, briefly

50 Wolflike

64 Six-pack ___

54 LP introduction of 1957

65 College sr.’s test

1-900-285-5656,

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Annual subscriptions area available themore bestthan of Sunday 2,000 past puzzles, $1.49 a minute; or, with credit card, forand nytimes.com/crosswords ($39.95 a 1-800-814-5554. crosswords from the last 50 years: 1-888-7-ACROSS. year).

AT&TAnnual users: Text NYTX 386 to subscriptions are to available for download puzzles, or visit share tips: nytimes.com/wordplay. the best of Sunday crosswords the information. nytimes.com/mobilexword forfrom more last 50 years: 1-888-7-ACROSS. Online subscriptions: Today’s puzzle crosswords and more than for 2,000 young past solvers: nytimes.com/learning/xwords.

At&tnytimes.com/crosswords users: Text NYTX to 386 to($39.95 puzzles, a year). download puzzles, or visit nytimes.com/ Sharemobilexword tips: nytimes.com/wordplay. for more information.

Crosswords for young solvers: nytimes.com/learning/xwords.

Petey is a high-spirited Pup! He loves to play with tennis balls and sticks on his walks. He is very fast and loves to race around the house and play tag. Petey would do best in a home with someone who can keep up with his high energy. He loves rawhide chewies!!! Come meet Petey and make him your new forever friend this holiday season!

More Online!

Meow

Maxx

Shamrock

Nessie

Asheville Humane Society

14 Forever Friend Lane, Asheville, NC 828-761-2001 • AshevilleHumane.org mountainx.com

DEcEmBER 25 - DEcEmBER 31, 2013

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