This must be the place: Ode to Albino Skunk, ode to the spirit of ‘Fes-Taa-Vul’
It was just about 8:30 a.m. when I awoke in my pickup truck last Saturday.
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And I could not ask for more: A conversation with Edwin McCain
When the entire music industry shutdown last year, acclaimed singer-songwriter Edwin McCain wasn’t necessarily concerned with not being able to…
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Spring at the Rickman Store
The arrival of spring marks a new season of weekly festive gatherings at the Rickman Store in Macon County.
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Sweet heaven in my view: A conversation with Charley Crockett
Standing in a hotel room last week, Charley Crockett peered out the window onto the quiet morning streets of Amarillo,…
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This must be the place: Ode to ‘Lucinda,’ ode to busted front bumpers
Sitting in the waiting room of my hometown mechanic last week, I knew it wasn’t good when he called for…
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On my way: A conversation with Grace Potter
At 37, Grace Potter has already positioned herself as one of the finest stage performers and singer-songwriters of the early…
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This must be the place: The best things in life are truly free, singing birds and laughing bees
Woke up this morning with the thought of the impending summer, impending “state of being” for all of us slowly…
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Shelton House reopens
The Shelton House will launch its 2021 season on Saturday, May 1, promising to bring more “History, Heritage and Crafts”…
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Blue Ridge Music Trails podcast
Listen for new episodes of “Down the Road” on the Blue Ridge Music Trails of North Carolina, a series highlighting…
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This must be the place: Don’t look too far, right where you are, that’s where I am
Coming to a stop at the end of the off-ramp of Exit 40 along Interstate 87 last Saturday evening, I…
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Rivers, rains and runaway trains: Tim Surrett of Balsam Range
In its 14 years together, Haywood County’s own Balsam Range has risen into the upper echelon as one of the…
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A hard life makes a good song: Travis Book of The Infamous Stringdusters
Before the shutdown of the entire music industry in March 2020 due to the pandemic, The Infamous Stringdusters were widely-regarded…
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Rowdy heart, broken wing: A conversation with Drew Holcomb
If there ever was a 21st century musical ambassador for the state of Tennessee, it would be Drew Holcomb. Born…
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WNC Tomorrow Black Oral History Project
Western Carolina University’s Special and Digital Collections at Hunter Library has digitized a collection of interviews conducted between 1986-1989 with…
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This must be the place: Driving down a corduroy road, Ferris wheel is rusting off in the distance
Yesterday, at the corner of Brown Avenue and Hazelview Drive in Waynesville, this weird feeling washed over me. The thought…
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‘Connecting Legacies’: New art exhibit shines light on Black Mountain College
From 1933-1957, Black Mountain College was formed and thrived within the context of its seemingly unconventional methods and ways, only…
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This must be the place: Ode to Mr. P, ode to never sacrificing the gift
It is with an extremely heavy heart that I share the news of the passing last Friday morning of Brian…
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Haywood Arts director retires
Leigh Forrester, who served as executive director of the Haywood County Arts Council (HCAC) for four years has announced her…
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Interested in metal art?
A new grant from the Center for Craft is supporting an effort to share traditional metal working techniques with the…
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This must be the place: I never ever saw the stars so bright, in the farmhouse, things will be alright
It was a flood of memories I hadn’t thought of in years. There I was on a date with this…
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Just like the days: Papadosio celebrates milestone with Haywood drive-in show
In its 15 years together, Papadosio has remained on a steady, upward trajectory as one of the premier jam-bands currently…
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This must be the place: Look in the mirror, who do you see? Someone familiar, surely not me
The sound of thunder and a heavy rain awoke me from a deep slumber. Opening my eyes, I relaxed into…
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How can it be wrong if it grows wild: An afternoon with Songs From The Road Band
On March 14, 2020, Songs From The Road Band jumped onstage in the backroom of the Wicked Weed Funkatorium in…
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This must be the place: We sit together forever, by the color TV glow, telling stories, allegories
Stepping out of my old apartment in downtown Waynesville on Monday afternoon, I placed my old laundry basket on the…
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Tale of two signs: Local restaurants, breweries hold steady a year into shutdown
Wander along Everett Street in downtown Bryson City these days and you’ll be hard-pressed to find two things: a parking…
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It’s like I’m falling out of bed from a long and vivid dream
It was probably one of the most uneasy beers I’d ever drank. Sitting on the back porch of Frog Level…
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Patience, passion and pork: Big Nick’s Barbecue carries on family tradition
Coming off Exit 85 on the Great Smoky Mountains Expressway, a funny thing happens to drivers when they’re about halfway…
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This must be the place: You are the rock on the riverbed, growing smoother every year
Sunday morning. Sunshine and blue skies piercing through my dusty bedroom window. I’ve been up an hour or so. And…
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Reggae, soul rolls into WNC
The Natti Love Joys will perform at 7 p.m. Saturday, March 20, at Lazy Hiker Brewing in Franklin.
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Franklin art classes
There will be a wide array of new and ongoing art classes offered in the coming weeks and months at…
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Been a long time since I rock and rolled: Facing uncertainty amid the shutdown, WNC bands aim even higher
In the depths of The One Stop in downtown Asheville on Saturday, members of the Travers Brothership and Abby Bryant…
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This must be the place: Ode to ‘Big Jack,’ ode to $100 felines
Rest easy, “Big Jack” (aka: “Jack Kerouac”). Goodbye to my beloved cat, who passed away this week back in my…
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The human canvas: Sylva artist channels creative spirit through tattooing
It’s Monday evening. A heavy rain is soaking Sylva and greater Jackson County. Passing by the Sylva Shopping Area, the…
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Jackson County art grants
The Jackson County Arts Council has awarded $50,250.06 in business interruption grants to local nonprofit arts organizations, other organizations with…
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SCC launches Heritage Arts Endowed Fund
Over the past decade at Southwestern Community College, serving as Heritage Arts Department Chair has become much more than a…
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What lies beneath: The Get Right Band to play Grey Eagle live stream
Before the pandemic and eventual shutdown, The Get Right Band was one of the hardest work musical acts in Western…
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This must be the place: Turn my head into sound, I don’t know when I lay down on the ground
When the trail bends sharply to the right, I know the waterfall is just behind the brush. I can’t see…
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This must be the place: Welcome to my life, tattoo, we’ve a long time together, me and you
Hoisting myself up onto the leather chair, I flipped over and laid on my stomach. I could feel the sharp…
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Haywood art studio tour
The Haywood County Arts Council invites all Haywood County studio artists to participate in the annual Haywood County Studio Tour…
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May your belly be full, your cup runneth over: Amici’s brings fine Italian to Waynesville
It’s 8:45 a.m. and 28 degrees outside of Amici’s in the Hazelwood neighborhood of Waynesville. The sidewalk has been shoveled,…
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This must be the place: Bein’ a decrepit old bag of bones, that’s what’s ridiculous, gettin’ old
Late Thursday night. I’m sitting in my recliner. Netflix and the half-full lukewarm beer next to the chair have both…
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The things I’ve Seen: Pink Beds release debut rock album
What started out as a casual jam to entertain a keg party has morphed itself into one of the most…
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WCU teams with Blue Ridge Pride Center
A collaboration between Western Carolina University, the University of North Carolina Asheville and the Blue Ridge Pride Center will gather…
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This must be the place: Ode to mighty Erica, ode to the Waldrops
Western North Carolina has lost a truly kind and beautiful soul. Erica Waldrop passed away in a tragic car accident…
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Shuttered for almost a year, HART Theatre aims to reopen
In his over 30 years of being part of the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre in Waynesville, longtime Executive Director Steven…
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This must be the place: Oh California I’m coming home, oh make me feel good rock-n-roll band
It was just about a month ago when I received a text from a dear friend, a truly cosmic and…
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Local singer named international semifinalist
The nonprofit Oscar Hammerstein Museum and Theatre Education Center (OHMTEC) recently announced the semifinalists in our international solo contest.
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Show me the way to go home: WNC’s last real ‘dive bar’ turns 15
It’s a label that some avoid at any and all costs. But, for Becky Robinson, it’s a sincere and genuine…
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This must be the place: Ode to Vermont live music, ode to School Street jams
I didn’t grow up, nor have I ever lived, in the state of Vermont. That, and I’m not a musician,…
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Rehearsal studio opens in historic former Asheville motel
An internationally beloved musician, Claude Coleman, Jr. would often find himself in Asheville while on tour drumming with his band,…
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