Chocolate has a long history with romance, love, and sex. The Aztecs believed it to be an aphrodisiac, with Montezuma supposedly drinking 50 cups of chocolate a day. (And hey, the guy did have many wives and lovers.) When Europeans returned to their homeland, they brought chocolate and its purported benefits back with them. Supposedly … Read More
Yet another indication of the thriving beer scene in Asheville is the growing success of its winter beer festival, the Winter Warmer. The first one took place in 2008 at The Garage (located in Biltmore Village where the Toy Boat Community Arts Space is now) where the attendance was about 275 people. This year, on … Read More
When Allison Weeks Thomas came to Western North Carolina, she was trying to find her niche in the talented world of Asheville-area artists. Less than two years later, her calendar is filling fast and she’s hitting her stride. Now in a house with its own small studio space (no more using the dining room table) … Read More
This is the second in a two-part series about the art of letterpress. Click to see part one of Letterpress Love. When Lance Wille wasn’t in the studio, he could be found in a shadowy corner of Vincent’s Ear with a drink, linoleum cutting tools, and a block to carve. What began as a solitary … Read More
The lauding of the subjective is upon us. Best of this, most popular of that. It’s list-making season. Here comes mine in the realm of music, probably with a few side trips and digressions. Last year was choked with the goods, so I’ll offer a scatter-shot of the year’s ear candy with clues. Eastern European … Read More
Whether it’s the mountain weather having a schizophrenic episode or the slow crawl of global climate change toward the end of days, an Asheville winter is about as predictable as a bouncing football. But on those ass-clinching, 20-degree nights when you have standing plans that you just can’t cancel, you can find warm solace in … Read More
Letterpress Love is part one of a two-part article about the Asheville letterpress community and individual letterpress artists who have influenced its growth. Samantha Urbanick pulls a handful of wooden block letters from one of her hundred antique letterpress drawers and arranges them on the bed of her Vandercook press. She handles the blocks as … Read More
I was desperately hoping that a car wasn’t parked in Chicken Alley—20 more feet, and I would finally own a piano. Instead a slim man wearing a suit swaggered up Carolina Lane demanding, “Where are you going with that piano?” My boyfriend, Adam, quickly jumped in, “Oh we found it at the corner.” “It’s my … Read More
The name Pisgah is synonymous with the geography of Western North Carolina. Outdoors enthusiasts know the natural wonders that make up the Pisgah National Forest, and Mount Pisgah is one of the more recognizable peaks in the state. The name, though, has also become synonymous with organic, handcrafted beer. Located just east of Asheville in … Read More
Local Asheville author Susan Blexrud, loves romance, the supernatural, and Civil War history. She’s poured all that passion and a dedication to historical accuracy into her latest Crimson Romance novel The Gettysburg Vampire. The story follows Abby Potter, a new theatre professor at Gettysburg College, who is determined to put on a holiday production centered … Read More
Asheville, you may have heard, has got some art. Whatever your taste—high or low; good or bad—the city probably has you covered. Its offerings are broad, comprising both tourist take-home fare and challenging street murals barely up for a month. Less familiar to casual observers, and even many locals, however, is the portfolio of artists … Read More
Aries (March 21- April 19) I know January is tough on you; the social calendar seems so bleak with all the holiday parties over. What’s a social superstar to do? Well, my little babies of the universe, we’re all being asked to make profound choices this month. There’s actually a lot going on, in the … Read More