Dec 8th, 20092009-12-08T21:44:00ZM jS, Y |
By Jennifer Saylor
The Rev. Heather Dillashaw Spencer of Homeward Bound of Asheville accepts cash raised at Spookypaooza 2009 from new Asheville City Council member and Asheville blogger/activist extraordinaire, Gordon Smith. Smith and Spencer stand in front of bins where the homeless can store their possessions, one bin per person. Rev. Spencer says A HOPE, like all nonprofits, is struggling. Spookypalooza money will go into general fund to try and make ends meet.
The checks and cash from ticket sales and raffle tickets have been counted and the totals are finally in…
In the middle of crappy economic times, Asheville’s online community raised $1810 for local people in need.
By partying at the Phil Mechanic at Spookypalooza/Blogapalooza 2009, and by buying raffle tix (and by donating to our raffle), we did some good for Homeward Bound of Asheville, an area organization who helps local people find food, shelter and a better life.
Thanks Spookypalooza sponsors, and thanks to amazing local artist (and blogger!) Genie Maples. We couldn’t have done it without you.
Thanks, online community. You KNOW we’ll see you next year to help out some more and have some more fun.
Dec 1st, 20092009-12-01T22:32:00ZM jS, Y |
By Jennifer Saylor
Are you looking for work? Ready to take most anything that comes along? Discouraged and disgusted by hacking away at Monster all day, applying for jobs you know hundreds of others are also applying for?
And getting nothing?
If Asheville had a grassroots job fair, how could that work? What would we bloggers and engaged local citizens do to connect local jobs with local people–friends, family neighbors?
Could there be a grassroots job fair for small local businesses? For freelancers looking for admin help and assistance? I think there might be a demand for something like this. The problem is getting it to work.
People need work DESPERATELY, and there ARE jobs out there. How could we use the grassroots power of Asheville citizens and Asheville social media to make this happen?
I (Jennifer Saylor, one of the BlogAsheville admins) envisioned a job fair. One friend said a general meetup (Tweetup?), maybe a bimonthly meetup managed with social media.
But how would we learn about job oppty’s? How can we successfully reach out to and attract small businesses looking for help?
We have people who need jobs, but we need the other half of the equation: small local businesses and entrepreneurs/freelancers looking to fill local positions.
I know one thing for sure: this won’t happen unless people get behind the idea and send ideas and offers of help to make this happen.
Asheville, I am putting this out to you. What have you got?
Well, looks like the annual avalanche of x-mas “cheer” is upon us once again.
Art by Jake Hollifield
For those of you struggling not to be swept away by it, Mad Tea is throwing out a rope. Namely, we’re giving away two songs dedicated to the grinch in each of us. A little seasonal angst that you can dance to. So click here (or below) to download “Oh Sh*t it’s Christmastime” and “It’s Cold Outside” and add them to your holiday playlist.
You can also hear these songs live at the Mad Tea’s upcoming shows opening for Southern Culture on the Skids – Friday, December 4th at the Grey Eagle in Asheville, NC and Saturday, December 5th at the Cat’s Cradle in Chapel Hill, NC.
Nov 27th, 20092009-11-27T14:31:00ZM jS, Y |
By Jennifer Saylor
Funny Business, the new comedy club downtown is offering local bloggers HALF OFF late show tix Friday and Saturday with the promo code below. That’s only $7 for Fri-Sat shows after 8 p.m.
Enjoy!
Hi guys, We want to offer a discount to the local blog community. We will offer half off ticket prices if they use the promo code “blogitup” on our website. The offer is good for late shows Friday and Saturday. The promo code is case sensitive. Please post this discount on your blog as soon as possible. Hope to see you at the show!!
Nov 27th, 20092009-11-27T13:00:00ZM jS, Y |
By Jennifer Saylor
Send YOUR hip, hot and happening Asheville-area events to blogasheville [at] hotmail daht cahm!
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(Edwin has a new look and is really starting to look like Marc from West Asheville Orbit DVD)
Edwin McCain Band plus Nathan Lee Friday 9 p.m. (8p.m. doors), the Orange Peel $20/ $25 Ages 16+
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It’s a Wonderful Life November 27 – December 20, 2009 Thursday – Saturday at 7:30, Sunday at 2:00 NC Stage Company
A team of intrepid radio actors brings you the perfect holiday antidote to rampant cynicism and commercialism. Rediscover this classic story of friendship, love and sacrifice in times of financial struggle.
Acoustic Syndicate, one of “North Carolina’s best kept secrets” is returning this holiday season for a pair of very special shows. They will be at the Lincoln Theater in Raleigh, NC on Friday, November 27th, and return to the Orange Peel in Asheville, NC, for their annual Thanksgiving show on Saturday, November 28th.
Known for its high-energy, positive sound, Acoustic Syndicate delivers a genre-defying performance, masterfully blending its eclectic influences with trademark finesse that only 17 years of cohesive teamwork can bring.
*** Tyler Ramsey with Wayne Robbins Saturday 9p.m., the Grey Eagle $10/$12 Despite being a proud Ashevillean (I’m pretty sure I used to see him at the W Avl Earth Fare all the time), singer/songwriter/badass Band of Horses guitarist Ramsey doesn’t play a whole lot of hometown shows, so don’t miss this one. His recent solo album is a winner. Listen here.
You don’t want to miss LaZoom’s Annual Turkey Tour! It’s the wildest ride in town! Come and help Asheville’s favorite Tour Guide Babs, as she trys to catch a prize winning turkey and cook up some fun!
All tours leave from the French Broad Food Co-op at 90 Biltmore Ave. in downtown Asheville. Tours are 90 minutes long with a 15 minute break in the middle. Beer and wine are allowed on board to responsible passengers that are 21 years of age and older.
Prices listed below. No discounts apply. Please arrive at the French Broad Food Co-op 10 mins. prior to departure to allow time for boarding.
*** Dave Rawlings Machine plus Abigail Washburn Sunday 8 p.m. (7 p.m. doors), the Orange Peel $18/$20 Ages 18+
Acony Records is proud to announce the November 17 release of the Dave Rawlings Machine record, A Friend Of A Friend. The album features members of Old Crow Medicine Show, Benmont Tench from the Heartbreakers, Karl Himmel, Nate Walcott of Bright Eyes, and of course, Gillian Welch. Dave Rawlings Machine is hitting the road in November and December to play shows and visit some of the finest indie record stores in the Southeast and Mideast. The Machine will include Dave and Gillian along with Ketch Secor, Willie Watson and Morgan Jahnig of Old Crow Medicine Show.
Nov 27th, 20092009-11-27T13:00:00ZM jS, Y |
By Jennifer Saylor
Send YOUR hip, hot and happening Asheville-area events to blogasheville [at] hotmail daht cahm!
***
(Edwin has a new look and is really starting to look like Marc from West Asheville Orbit DVD)
Edwin McCain Band plus Nathan Lee Friday 9 p.m. (8p.m. doors), the Orange Peel $20/ $25 Ages 16+
***
It’s a Wonderful Life November 27 – December 20, 2009 Thursday – Saturday at 7:30, Sunday at 2:00 NC Stage Company
A team of intrepid radio actors brings you the perfect holiday antidote to rampant cynicism and commercialism. Rediscover this classic story of friendship, love and sacrifice in times of financial struggle.
Acoustic Syndicate, one of “North Carolina’s best kept secrets” is returning this holiday season for a pair of very special shows. They will be at the Lincoln Theater in Raleigh, NC on Friday, November 27th, and return to the Orange Peel in Asheville, NC, for their annual Thanksgiving show on Saturday, November 28th.
Known for its high-energy, positive sound, Acoustic Syndicate delivers a genre-defying performance, masterfully blending its eclectic influences with trademark finesse that only 17 years of cohesive teamwork can bring.
*** Tyler Ramsey with Wayne Robbins Saturday 9p.m., the Grey Eagle $10/$12 Despite being a proud Ashevillean (I’m pretty sure I used to see him at the W Avl Earth Fare all the time), singer/songwriter/badass Band of Horses guitarist Ramsey doesn’t play a whole lot of hometown shows, so don’t miss this one. His recent solo album is a winner. Listen here.
You don’t want to miss LaZoom’s Annual Turkey Tour! It’s the wildest ride in town! Come and help Asheville’s favorite Tour Guide Babs, as she trys to catch a prize winning turkey and cook up some fun!
All tours leave from the French Broad Food Co-op at 90 Biltmore Ave. in downtown Asheville. Tours are 90 minutes long with a 15 minute break in the middle. Beer and wine are allowed on board to responsible passengers that are 21 years of age and older.
Prices listed below. No discounts apply. Please arrive at the French Broad Food Co-op 10 mins. prior to departure to allow time for boarding.
*** Dave Rawlings Machine plus Abigail Washburn Sunday 8 p.m. (7 p.m. doors), the Orange Peel $18/$20 Ages 18+
Acony Records is proud to announce the November 17 release of the Dave Rawlings Machine record, A Friend Of A Friend. The album features members of Old Crow Medicine Show, Benmont Tench from the Heartbreakers, Karl Himmel, Nate Walcott of Bright Eyes, and of course, Gillian Welch. Dave Rawlings Machine is hitting the road in November and December to play shows and visit some of the finest indie record stores in the Southeast and Mideast. The Machine will include Dave and Gillian along with Ketch Secor, Willie Watson and Morgan Jahnig of Old Crow Medicine Show.
Nov 24th, 20092009-11-25T01:00:00ZM jS, Y |
By Jennifer Saylor
From Phillip Gibson of the Swannanoa Journal, a special holiday cross-post about his family’s all-local Thanksgiving meal for 18. All food was produced within a 200 mile radius of Gibson’s home in Candler.
A meal prepared with local ingredients is not a new concept to me. We had a garden growing up, canned vegetables, homemade jams, frozen corn and a deep freeze with a side of beef that carried us through the winter. My grandparents taught me to make dishes such as wilted wild poke salad with hot bacon grease for the dressing. But, that was a few decades ago.
At 43, living 600 miles from my birthplace, my memory of managing a garden or being closer to my food source is rooted back in Kentucky. So, when my wife and I decided to compose a Thanksgiving meal entirely made from local ingredients the task seemed daunting.
one of two local, minimally processed WWC turkeys for the Gibson family meal
Thanksgiving is a holiday that I greet with a bit of trepidation – baked versus deep fried turkey, potatoes versus dressing and the inherent family dynamics spurred by all their respective food preferences. Aside from these complexities, getting the ingredients without being “local” is as simple as driving to a grocery store and pushing a cart around.
But now my wife and I are tossing this ease to the side. For what? For taste and integrity.
We have been amazed over the past six months, at the cravings we have for an heirloom tomato sliced thickly and tucked neatly inside two slices of black bean turtle bread with just a thin layer of Duke’s mayo. It has been that way with each fresh vegetable we have gotten at the Asheville City Farmer’s Market.
We have gotten to the point that we know which farmer has eggs with the richest yellow yolks, who is the only maple syrup maker in NC and how to make a slaw using a variety of seasonal root vegetables.
local potatoes
The first pork chop carried home from the City Market and grilled – nothing on it – received the highest praise from my wife. The penny pincher she is…she felt it was worth every one of them.
Purchasing food locally that was made locally is an idea now reaching large numbers of people. National grocery stores are now featuring a local option to their existing produce selections. Meanwhile, the integrity of food itself has come into question with the news highlighting bacteria on national shipments of produce as well as concerns about avian flu, mad cow disease and swine flu entering the food system.
Global warming activists have also linked international food shipments to increased carbon dioxide emissions – promoting a decrease in a family’s overall carbon footprint on the planet.
Yet, between the motivators of taste and integrity, it is taste that stands tallest and gives reason to the challenge of gathering each ingredient for the upcoming holiday meal.
local onions
This has been Phillip Gibson of the Swannanoa Journal.
Nov 20th, 20092009-11-20T12:15:00ZM jS, Y |
By Jennifer Saylor
J. Tillman w/ Pearly Gate Music at the Grey Eagle Friday, 9pm $8 advance / $10 day of show. Standing room only. If you like Band of Horses, Bon Iver or Fleet Foxes, you will probably love this guy. From allmusic.com
Singer/songwriter J. Tillman’s music paints languid, sadly beautiful portraits of love and life on the margins with the moody depth of Nick Drake and the country-influenced textures of Ryan Adams. Tillman first made a name for himself playing drums in a pair of indie rock bands, Saxon Shore and Stately, while attending college in New York City. In his spare time, however, he began writing material of his own, citing the music of Nick Drake and Pete Seeger and the writings of Flannery O’Connor as key influences.
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this video is NSFW
Carl LaBove @ Funny Business Comedy Club Friday and Saturday 21+ show 8p.m. and 10:30 p.m. $16 According to the Funny Business people, the first 20 people to buy tickets for any show this weekend can see Carl LaBove for half price. Use code “outlaws” at checkout!
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The Downtown Market indoor tailgate market 8-5 Fri-Sun 45 S. French Broad
Featuring the best our LOCAL community has to offer- Produce, Artists & Crafts, Musicians, Events & Demonstrations and an Ecclectic Flea Market. Shop “local” this Christmas. Also newest location for Amazing Savings Grocery.
Interested vendors, Reserve now for upcoming “holiday shopping” weekends in this 42,000 square foot, heated/cooled facility. Ample parking in front and in parking lot for United Way of Asheville – located directly across the street. For more info, become a FACEBOOK Fan at “The-Downtown-Market”. Call 828.712.3083.
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Annual Holiday Shopping Extravaganza Tuesday, November 17 – Sunday, November 22, 2009 Regular Museum Hours Pack Place Front Gallery
Eat, drink, be merry and shop at the annual Holiday Shopping Extravaganza in the Pack Place Community Gallery! This year features unique gifts, holiday ornaments, works by local artists, calendars, children’s toys and a book sale!
Get in the holiday spirit and support local artists and your Asheville Art Museum as you shop in style! All shoppers who spend over $50 during the Holiday Market will be entered to win a fabulous prize: one night stay + dinner at Asheville’s beautiful Sourwood Inn. (Some restrictions apply.)
There will also be book signings by local authors:
* Tim Barnwell, Friday, November 20, 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. * Anna Fariello, Saturday, November 21, 3:00 – 5:00 p.m. * Andrea Clark, Sunday, November 22, 3:00 – 5:00 p.m. * AND Crafts + Cocktails with Sue Millions on Friday, November 20, 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. (ages 21 and up)
This year there will be free gift wrapping and holiday refreshments. The Museum will offer 20% off all sales for our Members Friday, November 20.
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Dr. Sketchy’s Anti-Art School Presents Casino Royale
“Dames, drinking and drawing” — also strip poker. Saturday Grove House, 11 Grove Street Doors 6:30, sketching at 7 Bring your own art supplies! $10
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The Honeycutters Saturday Jack of the Wood $5 From Mountain X Local country band The Honeycutters does not take its CD title from the Lead Belly folk standard. Instead, the tune is an original by vocalist/guitarist Amanda Anne Platt whose pragmatic voice and exceptional lyrics never falter on this 12-song collection. The crisp, waning autumn/time passing/unrequited love/dusty roads and pale sun feel of this album would be enough, but the Honeycutters breathe bittersweet nostalgia into every tasteful chord, from the lovely anguish of Ben Riva’s fiddle on “Lillies” to the nimble mandolin intro by Spencer Taylor on “Waiting in the Morning” to the gratifying twang of Matt Smith’s pedal steel on “Marie,” Irene takes all the best elements of old school country and somehow makes them new again.
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Asheville Holiday Parade (Yearly since 1946!) Saturday 11 a.m. Grand Marshals for 2009 are David Holt and Laura Boosinger The parade starts at South Charlotte Street and turns up Biltmore Avenue toward Pack Square—this year’s performance area. Action starts at 11 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 21.
Post-Parade Party Saturday 1p.m. $8, The Orange Peel From an Orange Peel Email:
Secret Agent 23 Skidoo is the top KID HOP artist performing today. What is KID HOP you ask? That’s where kids are introduced to hip hop without compromising either one! 23 Skidoo combines a love and understanding for child mentality with a deep respect for hip hop culture, resulting in music that bumps up both the volume and the self esteem.
With funk, reggae, bluegrass and classic breaks laying out a landscape populated by witty stories about dragons, mermaids, and flying fish plus a load of positive party rhymes, Secret Agent 23 Skidoo raises the bar for this genre higher than the cookie jar on top of the fridge. With a #1 hit on XMRadio and shows at Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits and the Smithsonian, 23 Skidoo won’t remain secret for long!
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photo by Anna Fisher and ninoz
Idiotarod 5K Shopping Cart Race charity event for the 12 Day Project $100 per 5-person team; free to watch Sunday 11 a.m. Riverside Drive From Pollinate Asheville: The Idiotarod is essentially the same thing [as the Alaskan Dog Sled race] except we’ll cover like a 5k and instead of dogs we use people (idiots) and instead of sleds we use shopping carts (super pods of wonder), which are extremely energy efficient by the way. This first-annual Asheville Idiotarod benefits The 12 Day Project. You can still sign up!
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If YOU have an upcoming event to share, send it to us at blogasheville [at] hotmail daht cahm!
Nov 19th, 20092009-11-19T14:07:00ZM jS, Y |
By Jennifer Saylor
From a museum email:
Annual Holiday Shopping Extravaganza!
Tuesday, November 17 – Sunday, November 22, 2009 Regular Museum Hours Pack Place Front Gallery Eat, drink, be merry and shop at the annual Holiday Shopping Extravaganza in the Pack Place Community Gallery! This year features unique gifts, holiday ornaments, works by local artists, calendars, children’s toys and a book sale!
Get in the holiday spirit and support local artists and your Asheville Art Museum as you shop in style! All shoppers who spend over $50 during the Holiday Market will be entered to win a fabulous prize: one night stay + dinner at Asheville’s beautiful Sourwood Inn. (Some restrictions apply.)
There will also be book signings by local authors:
Tim Barnwell, Friday, November 20, 2:00 – 4:00 p.m.
Anna Fariello, Saturday, November 21, 3:00 – 5:00 p.m.
Andrea Clark, Sunday, November 22, 3:00 – 5:00 p.m.
AND Crafts + Cocktails with Sue Millions on Friday, November 20, 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. (ages 21 and up)
This year there will be free gift wrapping and holiday refreshments. The Museum will offer 20% off all sales for our Members Friday, November 20.
The Rev. Heather Dillashaw Spencer of Homeward Bound of Asheville accepts cash raised at Spookypaooza 2009 from new Asheville City Council member and Asheville blogger/activist extraordinaire, Gordon Smith. Smith and Spencer stand in front of bins where the homeless can store their possessions, one bin per person. Rev. Spencer says A HOPE, like all nonprofits, is struggling. Spookypalooza money will go into general fund to try and make ends meet.
