Citizen Camera!

Power to the people! During the Day in the Life of Asheville project in April 2008, we put out disposable cameras around town and let anyone who wanted take a picture. The images in this profile are the result. Enjoy!

If you can name someone in a picture or know any picture details, feel free to add that stuff in a comment. All pictures will be donated to the Pack Library archive.

What a cool idea!

Citizen Camera link

What the (bleep) is Performance Art???

A variety show with local performance artists Julie Becton Gillum, John Crutchfield, Jim Julien, Claire Elizabeth Barratt, Elisa Faires, Alexander Jacobs, Julia DeVita, Qi Shen & Natalie Arosemema-Achi

Performances include “Black Snow Flying Upwards or My Embarrassment” by John Crutchfield which he describes as “a jittery vaudeville solo about a monotonous crucifixion”; Jim Julien’s “In Search of a New Delicious”, a short monologue on recent scientific discoveries in the perception of taste and a live demonstration of sensory excitement. Claire Elizabeth Barratt will present a motion sculpture/movement installation titled “Come” and “Go”.

Several of the performers are from Warren Wilson College where they take a class from well-known local performer and Butoh dancer Julie Becton Gillum.

link

The Dark Side of the Rainbow

Join the Asheville Art Museum’s ARTmob from 5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., Friday, April 25 for an evening of synchronicity as we explore the musical and magical landscapes of The Dark Side of the Rainbow.

ARTmob, the Museum’s event series and member group for social networking and art appreciation for the area’s young professionals, will bring an urban legend to life by screening the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz synchronized with the sounds of Pink Floyd’s 1973 album The Dark Side of the Moon.

The result is a fun, outrageous and at times eerie audio-visual sensation which has to be experienced to be believed.

The screening will begin promptly at 6:00 p.m., but come early to enjoy the exhibition Time is of the Essence: Contemporary Landscape Art.

link

A Celebration Of Southeast Whitewater

"On the Down Low" "LVM 26: The Southeast Issue"

World Premiere Thursday April 24th
Fine Arts Theatre in downtown Asheville, NC.
9:30pm, $8 at the door

Asheville Filmmakers, John Grace and Thomas Oliver, present a premiere film event at the Fine Arts Cinema in Asheville on Thursday April 24th at 9:30pm. Two films will premier showcasing the whitewater kayaking culture which is nestled within the creeks and rivers flowing throughout Western North Carolina and beyond.

“This premiere is for anyone who has ever seen a kayak on top of a car around here and wondered where it’s been. It’s an eye into the whitewater community which calls Asheville and the Western North Carolina mountains home.” Oliver states.

The first film is a short directed by Oliver and entitled "On the Down Low." It follows three characters as they make plans to break from their everyday routine to kayak the Green River, the home river of choice for many WNC paddlers. "This is the river that attracts so many paddlers to our region." adds Oliver. "On the Down Low" provides a brief glimpse into the lives of these kayakers while showcasing the beauty of the rivers they play on.

The second film for the evening will be the world premiere of Lunch Video Magazine's 26th DVD issue. Lunch Video Magazine, LVM for short, is a unique whitewater industry video magazine which features the freshest and most exciting video footage of the latest kayaking expeditions on a quarterly basis. "This business has always been about kayaking. More specifically, kayaking with our friends." Grace reflects.

Read More »
Filmmaker's Inc | View Trailer
LVM VIDEO | View Trailer

Asheville Calling

Email your story to Asheville Calling about how Asheville "called you".

It doesn't look like the site's been updated lately, but it is still fascinating. The very fact that this website exists helps to define the stories about the "pull" that Asheville has.

Toss in the word "Vortex" and you'll be pulled into a conversation that could last for hours. Local folklore? Asheville secret? Depends on who you ask. My first conversation about that was in the 80s at a bar called The Brass Tap on Merrimon Ave, long gone after Atlanta Bread Company mowed it down.

link

Omar Faruk and his Ensemble!

Sunday, April 20, 7 PM

Earth Day Concert with Omar Faruk- One Magical Night not to be missed!

Come and experience the world famous Sufi Master Musician, Omar Faruk, and his 7 piece ensemble, including local musical luminaries River Guerguerian and Chris Rosser, for the largest Namaste Concert yet, with 500 of your closest friends celebrating the spirit of true Peace on Earth.

Honored as a peacemaker and virtuoso, Omar Faruk is one of the most sought after Turkish/Middle Eastern musicians in the world. Relentless world wide touring and openness of all cultures position him as a rare artist who transcends political obstacles while maintaining traditional sensibilities in a way few artists can manage. He is also a master on the Nay (bamboo flute), the Zurna (double reed oboe type instrument and percussions.

See www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIIvdbHm0j0

Namaste Events, Diana Wortham Theatre, Asheville, 828-252-8149
SLIDING SCALE $15-$25!!!
EVERYONE INVITED!

For Tickets:

Namaste Events
Asheville, NC
828-252-8149

link

The Orange Peel in current Rolling Stone Magazine

Locals have always known what a treasure we have here in Asheville when it comes to live music. The variety of live music available in intimate settings is enough to satiate any passionate music lover.

Be it bluegrass, blues, jazz, mountain music, reggae, traditional rock 'n' roll, Asheville's got it all. No Britney Spears here, y'all. Just good ol' fashioned good-time, genuine artists.

Now, the secret is coming out and the world is beginning to learn about the magnetic appeal of Asheville's music scene.

In its current issue, Rolling Stone magazine is naming The Orange Peel as one of the top music venues in the country.

Read More

Asheville's Vortex Music Festival Announces Lineup

Featuring an all-star lineup of Asheville- and regionally-based bands, the Vortex Music Festival begins its residence in Asheville on June 27 at the Asheville Civic Center. The inaugural two-day event features Perpetual Groove, Dubconscious, Toubab Krewe and Yo Mama's Big Fat Booty Band, along with 16 more bands and DJs that highlight the local music scene in Asheville, NC and the surrounding region. The full lineup is posted below.

Night Skye Entertainment, the organization responsible for the Vortex Music Festival, seeks to highlight local talent as well as provide a broad spectrum of musical genres to enlighten, inspire and celebrate individual creativity through sound. From the electronica of John Kelley and Telepath to the roots rock of Laura Reed and Deep Pocket, the festival offers something for every Asheville music lover and beyond.

In addition to the event's unique lineup of stellar regional bands, Vortex offers something for the common good as well; this year's inaugural event will sponsor three nonprofit organizations, including Child Abuse Prevention Services, NCAHA and Manna Food Bank. In addition, the event will be broadcast live by 105.9 The Mountain, so that everybody can enjoy the music if they can't make it to the show, and can feel free to donate to any of the above nonprofits as well.

Tickets for the Vortex Music festival go on sale on April 20th and will be available at the door for the same price ($30 ADV, $50 DOS). The Asheville civic center will play host to vendors and booths that are accessible from the venue floor, and food and drink will be readily available to all attendees. For a complete lineup of artists, see below:

Announced Lineup

Friday, June 27:

Toubab Krewe

Telepath

SeepeopleS

Stephanies Id

Strut

Josh Phillips Folk Festival

Black Eyed Susan

Moksa

Thunder Drums

=============================================

Saturday June 28:

Perpetual Groove

Dubconscious

Laura Reed and Deep Pocket

Yo Mama's Big Fat Booty Band

Marsupial

Blues Forgotten

John Kelley

Hardcut

Psiklone

Olof

Ethermusic Festival

Weekend Theremin Festival!

The world's finest Theremin Players are gathering in Asheville to teach and showcase the music of the World's Oldest Electronic Musical Instrument (AND the only musical instrument you play without touching!) - the Theremin. Moog Music will again sponsor this International Theremin Festival – EtherMusic Festival 2008 - a celebration of the Theremin. This event will feature workshops and concerts and much, much more - all sponsored by internationally renowned Moog Music of Asheville, N.C.

Tickets at The Orange Peel website.

link | MySpace

x-posted to Easy Bake Coven

Flood Gallery Fine Art Center

Flood Gallery proudly presents Insurgents, curated by its recently hired Assistant Director, Reneé M. Cagnina. This exhibition subversively addresses the internal battles that plague the psyches of its participating artists and exemplifies a unique ability to diplomatically address politics through vibrant illustrations.

Insurgents will run April 5th through May 11th, 2008 and the opening reception is slated for Saturday, April 5th at 7:00pm on the second floor of the Phil Mechanic Building in the River Arts District (109 Roberts Street, Asheville).

This event is free and open to the public. For additional information, please call (828) 254-2166 or visit www.floodgallery.org .

link | via

Activist/Artist 'Zine and Blog Workshop

6:00pm - 8:00pm

Pack Memorial Library

Free

Grrly Show by filmmaker Kara Herold is an 18-minute film about the feminist 'zine explosion of the 1990s.

Lori Horvitz, Associate Professor of Creative Writing and Women's Studies at UNC-Asheville, will discuss what evolved out this richly independent feminist media and the way blogs have erupted.

The event will include hands-on workshops with local artists in 'zine-making, blogging, screen printing and knitting in the spirit of Do-It-Yourself culture.

This event is being held in conjunction with the smArt Speak: Distinguished Artist Series.

link

What's New @ Earthaven Ecovillage?

Earthaven is always bustling with new people and new building projects. And you can make reservations for the guided tours they have on Saturdays. This year they're planning to sponsor workshops in Qigong, The Power of Manifestation, Homeopathy, and Plant Wisdom.

News From The Ecovillage

Five Icelandic Sheep have arrived at Brian and Farmer's Gateway Farm. They are considered good breeds for milk, meat and wool. In April we expect a group lambing.

Michaeljon is rebounding wonderfully from bypass surgery, having only just come back from a trip to Machu Picchu, with Kiesa, when we were all surprised by his sudden illness.

Village Terraces neighborhood cleared another three-plus acres of land on the west side of the complex. And Martha and Finch moved into their downstairs flat next door at "Pokeberry Hill."

2008 Calendar Listing of Events

Courses
Permaculture Design Course: 7 Weekends at Earthaven Ecovillage
with Patricia Allison, Chuck Marsh, and Rudy Ballentine M.D.
April 18–20, May 17–18, June 21–22, July 19–20, August 16–17, September 13–14, October 11–12,

Email: Permaculture@earthaven.org or call (828) 664-7632 or visit http://www.patriciaallison.net/.

Internships
Sustainable Life Skills Permaculture Internship at Earthaven Ecovillage
with Patricia Allison, Chuck Marsh, and Rudy Ballentine M.D.
April 12th thru June 15th, September 1st thru November 8

Email: Permaculture@earthaven.org or call (828) 664-7632 or visit http://www.patriciaallison.net/.

Camps
Camp Katuah – Residential Permaculture Summer Camp for boys and girls, 7-15 years old near Raleigh, NC at William B. Umstead State Park.

Session One - June 30 - July 6 for campers 7-11 years old
Cost for Session One is $450

Session Two - July 21 - August 3 for campers 11-15 years old, or entering 6th - 10th grades
Cost for Session Two is $900
Email: info@campkatuah.org or call (828) 664-7632 or visit http://www.campkatuah.org

Click here for more class information!

link | Intentional Communities | Cohousing

Polis is This: Charles Olson and the Persistence of Place

Next Thursday (April 17th)

A film by Henry Ferrini & Ken Riaf
7:00 p.m., Thursday, April 17, 2008
Fine Arts Theatre, 38 Biltmore Ave., Downtown Asheville
Admission: $7 BMCM+AC members + students with ID / $9 non-members
Filmmaker Henry Ferrini will be in town for the screening and will answer questions afterward.

"A beautifully composed homage to one of the few truly monumental American poets of our times." Jack Hirschman, Poet Laureate of San Francisco

"The best film about an American poet ever made." Bill Corbett, The Boston Phoenix

"...an impressionistic, yet informative and moving document about the act of creation that neither shies away nor oversimplifies." Michael Kelleher, ArtVoice

Just in time for National Poetry Month in April, the Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center, The Captain’s Bookshelf and Western Carolina University present a striking new film about Charles Olson, poet and charismatic leader of Black Mountain College during its final years, at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 17th. Polis is This: Charles Olson and the Persistence of Place wrestles with the six foot eight inch 275lb colossus of poetry through an extraordinary mix of word and image. Filmmaker Henry Ferrini will be present at the April 17th screening at the Fine Arts Theatre to answer questions following the film.

Polis Is This combines interviews, archival footage, commentary and animation into a single voice full of insight and visual beauty. The film allows the audience access to the subject even as it captures the zeitgeist of a formative era in literary history. The 60-minute documentary features John Malkovich, as well as interviews with poets and scholars Robert Creeley, Ed Sanders, Diane di Prima, Gerrit Lansing, John Sinclair, Pete Seeger, Chuck Stein, Anne Waldman, Charles Boer, Susan Thackrey, Amiri Baraka, Robin Blaser, Michael Rumaker, Jonathan Williams, Ammiel Alcalay, John Stilgoe, Vincent Ferrini and the poet’s son, Charles Peter Olson.

Polis Is This illuminates Olson’s life and work by exploring such connections and imaginative journeys. The film traces Olson’s process of self- discovery and makes it clear why Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg and many other literary figures traveled to Gloucester to sit with the father of post-modernism — the man they called the "big fire source."

An eclectic soundtrack puts together Boston’s grandfather of punk rock Willie "Loco" Alexander with Black Mountain College avant-garde composer Stephan Wolpe along with a little banjo picking from Pete Seeger. The film has screened to enthusiastic audiences in New York, Cambridge and San Francisco.

via BM

Axis of Justice Tour 2008 in Asheville

The Justice Tour stops by The Grey Eagle at 8pm Tuesday, April 22, led by renowned rock guitarist & political activist Tom Morello performing as The Nightwatchman. Fans who like a dose of relevance with their folk won't want to miss this one. As always, all ages are welcome. Tickets are only $10, and are available now online, at the club, and at Orbit DVD and Harvest Records in West Asheville.

Musicians who have signed on to participate in the Justice Tour include Slash, Perry Farrell, Maynard James Keenan of Tool and Puscifer, Sen Dog of Cypress Hill, Davey Havok of AFI, Boots Riley of the Coup, Shooter Jennings, State Radio, Mike Einzinger of Incubus and Wayne Kramer.

I think since the Smashing Pumpkins did their residency show in Asheville, we are getting tons more respect as a music city and others are adding Asheville to their itinerary.

Asheville Events

Here is the latest batch of events on Around Asheville, especially for those of you who read the website through a feed or email and may have missed it. We keep a running list on the right side of the page. If you want to add anything to the list, just leave a comment or send an email and I'll add it.

* April 22, 2008
Earth Day Asheville 2008

* May 2-4, 2008
French Broad River Festival

* May 3, 2008
Global Marijuana March
contact: ahillsie at hotmail.com

* May 9-11
Lake Eden Arts Festival (LEAF)

* May 16-18, 2008
Goa Gill at Deerfield's

*May 23-25, 2008
Asheville Music Jamboree

* May 24-25
White Squirrel Festival

* July 10-13
Grandfather Mtn Highland Games

* July 25-29
Bele Chere

* August 22-24
Goombay

* September 18-21, 2008
Triboriginal

"A Crude Awakening"

Friday, April 4, 2008 7:00 PM, free
West Asheville Library
942 Haywood Rd., Asheville, NC 28806
********************

PANEL DISCUSSION:
WNC Peak Oil Perspectives
Thursday, April 10, 2008 7:00 PM, free
West Asheville Library
942 Haywood Rd., Asheville, NC 28806

Panelists:
John Sticpewich, retired petroleum geologist
Jim Barton, Smith Mill Creek Permaculture School,
"Transition Town Movement"
**************************
About the film
"A Crude Awakening":
Compelling, intelligent, and highly entertaining,
this film visits top experts and comes to a startling but logical
conclusion - our industrial society, built on cheap and readily
available oil, must be completely re-imagined and overhauled.

Shot on
location in Azerbaijan, Venezuela, the Middle East, and Texas, the
film provides not only questions but possible solutions to the most
perplexing and important economic, environmental and public policy
issues of our time.

In a report commissioned by the U.S. Department of Energy, Robert L.
Hirsch, Senior Energy Program Advisor, Science Applications
International Corporation) challenged the notion that the free market
can solve the peak oil emergency:

"The world has never faced a problem
like Peak Oil. Without massive mitigation more than a decade before
the fact, the problem will be pervasive and will not be temporary.
Previous energy transitions (wood to coal and coal to oil) were
gradual and evolutionary; oil peaking will be abrupt and revolutionary."

PANEL DISCUSSION:
WNC Peak Oil Perspectives
Thursday, April 10, 2008 7:00 PM,
West Asheville Library
942 Haywood Rd., Asheville, NC 28806

Panelists:
John Sticpewich, retired petroleum geologist
Jim Barton, Smith Mill Creek Permaculture School, "Transition Town
Movement"