This must be the place: They’re cutting through the steady wind and landing on the ground
Like every Thanksgiving, I’ll figure something out. With my family over 1,000 miles away back up in the North Country,…
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This must be the place: There’s all kinds of magic, it’s hard to believe
So, where am I right now? Well, physically, I’m sitting in the back of our office, by myself in the…
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See that love, rise like a river: A conversation with G. Love
For the better part of the last 30 years, G. Love (aka: Garrett Dutton) has been radiating his message of…
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This must be the place: Too much of anything is bad, but too much champagne is just right
It was during the third sip of my second glass of wine that I decided to splurge. As a minimalist,…
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Priceless expression when space is possession: A conversation with Keller Williams
When it comes to Keller Williams, there are three key elements of his storied live performances — experimentation, fun, unity. …
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This must be the place: The velvet it rips in the city, we tripped on the urge to feel alive
I could hear the planes overheard from the nearby Nashville airport. The room was cool. The bedsheets warm. It took…
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Cooking on The Mountain
The drive to The Mountain Retreat & Learning Center in Highlands sets the stage for its seclusion from the outside…
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This must be the place: Ode to the front porch, ode to the pink couch
I awoke to the hammering of nails and the sound of a cement mixer. Opening the front door, it was…
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Courage for the road: Anders Beck of Greensky Bluegrass
Coming into 2020, Greensky Bluegrass was looking forward to celebrating its 20th anniversary. A relentless national touring act, it would…
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This must be the place: Things change but you don’t realize you have all you need
About halfway through the first set of the sold-out Goose drive-in show last Saturday, a friend turned to me and…
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Turn up the radio: Canton station remains a cherished community gem
Not far from Main Street in Canton and the bright lights of the nearby football stadium is an unassuming one-story…
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The dark side of Mill Street
Crossing the threshold of the White Moon café in downtown Sylva, one is immediately drawn in by the scent of…
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This must be the place: Winter’s cold, spring erases, and the calm away by the storm is chasing
Awakening in the hotel room in downtown Pineville, Kentucky, it took me a moment to realize where I was this…
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The art of sitting and listening
In a seismic move that will further propel the Asheville and greater Western North Carolina music scene into the national…
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This must be the place: You’ve got to get up to get down
Approaching the backside parking lot of Upslope Brewing Company in Boulder, Colorado one recent evening, I was immediately greeted by…
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This must be the place
It’s 9:29 a.m. on Tuesday at the Holiday Inn off Interstate 135 near the city of Salina, Kansas. Looking out…
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Seasons of my heart: A conversation with Del McCoury
In the 21st century, the living bridge of the “high, lonesome sound” that is bluegrass music is Del McCoury. At…
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Play by your own rules: A conversation with Sam Bush
Fresh out of high school in 1970, Sam Bush was a teenager in Bowling Green, Kentucky, with aspirations of being…
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This must be the place: Ain’t it funny how the time just flies, don’t you think it’s time to get on board?
Nearing midnight here in Eastern Idaho. A landscape I used to call home some 12 years ago. The faces I…
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This must be the place: Oh, the day we met I went astray, I started rolling down that lost highway
It’s 4:41 a.m. at the Motel 6 in Laramie, Wyoming, which means it’s nearing 7 o’clock back at my apartment…
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This must be the place: I get the urge for going, but I never seem to go
Labor Day 2020. After finishing up my arts feature for this week’s newspaper, I jumped into the old Tacoma and…
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This must be the place: Do you believe in what you see, motionless wheel, nothing is real
Stepping out of the muddy truck, I laced up my trail running shoes and disappeared down the Cataloochee Divide Trail…
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Rising country star Justin Wells releases ‘The United State’
Sitting in a booth upstairs at The Water’n Hole on North Main Street in Waynesville one recent evening, Justin Wells…
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This must be the place: High above the chimney top, that’s where you’ll find me
On Aug. 11, my late grandfather, Frank Kavanaugh, would have turned 100 years old. But, alas, it’s been some 13…
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This must be the place: But long as there are stars above you, you never need to doubt it
Pulling onto Lake Street last Saturday afternoon, an odd sense of self flowed through my veins while cruising through Rouses…
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Maggie Valley Band release new EP, return to stage
With its latest EP, “Something New: Vol 1,” the Maggie Valley Band is breaking new ground, whether it be sonically…
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Between midnight and the dawn: Graham Sharp of Steep Canyon Rangers
Celebrating two decades together this year, the Steep Canyon Rangers have evolved from a group of budding musicians in a…
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David Joy releases latest novel 'When These Mountains Burn'
Situated at the corner of N.C. 107 and 281, in the Tuckasegee community of rural Jackson County, is a newly-built…
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This must be the place: Wake now, discover that you are the song that the morning brings
On Aug. 9, 1995, I was 10 years old and living in an old farmhouse on the Canadian Border of…
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The roots of Joy: Ron Rash and Western Carolina University
Acclaimed Appalachian writer and poet Ron Rash has made a substantial impact on American literature during his three-decade career, but…
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This must be the place: Your neighbor isn’t out to get you, nor is your local newspaper
Stepping out of my pickup truck this past Saturday afternoon, I stood in the parking lot of the Maggie Valley…
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‘Save Our Stages Act’ now in the hands of Congress
Standing in front of a microphone on Sunday evening, singer-songwriter Jane Kramer looked out onto the small, socially-distant crowd inside…
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Brothers of a feather: New acoustic duo to make WNC debut
With the current pandemic and economic shutdown, the music industry was the first business sector to close its doors and…
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This must be the place: Cast your dancing spell my way, I promise to go under it
It was odd and surreal feeling to be watching live music this past weekend. As you probably read on the…
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Bringing down the ghosts: A conversation with Eleanor Underhill
One of the most versatile and intriguing musicians in Asheville and greater Western North Carolina, singer-songwriter Eleanor Underhill chases the…
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This must be the place: Not where but what you think that really matters
Stepping out of the pickup truck in my little sister’s driveway last Saturday, I was immediately greeted with the sounds…
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The abstract beauty of humanity: A conversation with painter Avery Rowan
If you’ve ever spent time in New Orleans, Louisiana, you know all too well the grandiose nature and immense splendor…
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This must be the place: Staring out at nothing, listening to an old dog bark
I’m currently sitting at the old kitchen table in my parents’ 1840 farmhouse in Upstate New York. Our family dog,…
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This must be the place: Ain’t it funny how you feel, when you’re findin’ out it’s real?
Much like New Year’s Eve, the Fourth of July is one of those holidays that everyone you know will definitely…
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Don’t know where I’m going, all I know is where I’ve gone: Isaac Gibson of 49 Winchester
Hailing from the Southern Appalachian backwoods of Castlewood, Virginia (population: 2,045), 49 Winchester is a rapidly rising alt-country/rock act. For…
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Artist grants now available
Artists in all disciplines are eligible to apply for grants to support their professional and artistic development through a partnership…
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Concerts on the Creek
Presented by the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce, the 11th season of Concerts on the Creek will return with Summer…
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Nurturing the creative flame: Haywood County Arts Council holds steady during pandemic
Back in January, the Haywood County Arts Council was setting itself up for another year of growth, creatively and financially.…
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This must be the place: ‘Don’t let ‘em pick guitars and drive them old trucks’
Sitting in the back den of my parents’ Upstate New York farmhouse last week, I could hear the familiar sounds…
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Hear the sounds that carry you: A conversation with Andrew Scotchie
At just 27 years old, singer-songwriter Andrew Scotchie has already become a beloved fixture and voice of reason in the…
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This must be the place: Acadian driftwood gypsy tailwind, they call my home the land of snow
It’s been a wild and wondrous thing to be able to wander around my native North Country right now: to…
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Groovin’ On the Green canceled
The Village Green has announced that the Friday night summer concert series, Groovin’ On the Green is canceled for the…
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Frogs Leap Public House celebrates 10 years
Coming into this spring, Executive Chef Kaighn Raymond was looking forward to his restaurant hitting the 10-year mark. What he…
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This must be the place: Like the morning sun you come and like the wind you go
Somewhere between finishing my column last Tuesday morning and lunchtime, it was decided by my mother that she and I…
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Open call for volunteers
The historic Shelton House in Waynesville is currently in need of volunteers for an array of upcoming events.
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