Future Islands   The Orange Peel   Sat, May 6, 2023   Use code “FUTUREPEELS” for Local Online Presale Code valid 2/16 10am – 10pm

get tickets at Future Islands Tickets | Asheville, NC | The Orange Peel (etix.com)

Please join us at The 2nd Act in Hendersonville, NC for our first monthly book club meeting that strives to read books that create a closer knit and more inclusive community! We will meet virtually and in person monthly to discuss a book, so read the book and then join in the discussion in person or online every third Thursday. All are welcome! At the end of each meeting we will vote on the next book! The virtual club meeting will be in Zoom format and will meet 2.5 hours after the in-person meeting (8:00pm EST). After the meeting there is live acoustic music so stay and enjoy the vibe with your new friends! Put us down on your calendar for every third Third Thursday!

The first book is going to be called Disability Visibility.

Synopsis from the back cover: One in five people in the United States lives with a disability. Some disabilities are visible, others less apparent—but all are underrepresented in media and popular culture. Now, just in time for the thirtieth anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, activist Alice Wong brings together this urgent, galvanizing collection of contemporary essays by disabled people.

From Harriet McBryde Johnson’s account of her debate with Peter Singer over her own personhood to original pieces by authors like Keah Brown and Haben Girma; from blog posts, manifestos, and eulogies to Congressional testimonies, and beyond: this anthology gives a glimpse into the rich complexity of the disabled experience, highlighting the passions, talents, and everyday lives of this community. It invites readers to question their own understandings. It celebrates and documents disability culture in the now. It looks to the future and the past with hope and love. Preview:https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51456746-disability-visibility
Message me for the Zoom link to the online meetup. Thanks!

Every Thursday Live Music with Aaron Lafalce at 131 Main Restaurant, 6:00 p.m.

Trivia, Singo, tailgate games, and more! Our games are sure to challenge you, but c’mon… it’s not rocket science!

By popular demand, come on out for some board games and brews at Well Played Board Game Cafe! Kick some ass at your favorite game or pick up something entirely different while making new friends.

NOTE: This is NOT a free event, Well Played charges $8 for day pass. Update: Our group now gets a discount down to $3 for day pass!

Hops Around Comedy is a rotating show presented by Modelface Comedy that takes place in all your favorite Asheville breweries. This week we are at Eurisko Brewing in the South Slope with Kevin McCaffrey!!!

Kevin McCaffrey is a comic, actor and writer living in NYC. He made his network TV debut on The Late Show with David Letterman in 2013, after which he was hired as the show’s warm-up comic. He was a regular for 7 years on truTV Presents: World’s Dumbest, won on seasons 2 & 3 on truTV’s Comedy Knockout, and was a featured cast member on VH1’s I Love the 2000s and a series of shows on the WWE Network. Kevin’s stand up album “Nice & Drunk” was named Sirius XM Comedy album of the month, was #1 on both iTunes and Amazon comedy charts, and has over 2 million streams.

He hosts Celebrate!, a weekly interview show on Sirius XM channel 99, and the Sex and the Cidiots & The Bridgerton Bros podcasts. His videos have over 25 million views on Instagram and TikTok, where he has 200,000 followers.

Reviews:

“Very Funny” – David Letterman, host of the Late Show

“McCaffrey’s set will go beyond monologue one-liners, but expect the same sort of laid-back persona of a late night talk show host.” – New Stage City, Chicago

“My number one favorite on truTV is Kevin McCarthy. He is really cute and funny and he never fails to make me laugh.” – Dux411, a nice commenter who kind of knows Kevin’s name

Featuring TBA

ages 18+

Notorious HBC (History Book Club)

Nicola Cipriani & Brad Myrick present an incomparable blend of music, culture, instrumental virtuosity, and an ever-evolving artistic vision. For years they have performed their catalogue of songs, completely composed for, arranged with, and recorded on two acoustic guitars, around Europe and the United States, filling clubs, theaters, and universities.

Nicola & Brad have joyfully reunited, and are ready to release their most ambitious work to date! “Silver Lining”, the new album coming February 10, 2023, boldly expresses emotions grown from a journey interrupted, solitude, introspection, challenges, unrelenting hope, and new beginnings. They will tour the US in February and March, 2023 and Europe in April and May, 2023 in support of the album, and the show will also recall songs from past albums, along with a few surprises. Nicola Cipriani & Brad Myrick captivate audiences with their live show, and continue to build upon an already impressive and prolific catalogue of original music. They invite you to join, and become part of their story with them.

Ages 21+

– ALL AGES
– STANDING ROOM ONLY

SUSTO
Much like stars across the night sky, our souls dot this plane of existence, flaring brighter over time. As one fades out, another flickers into focus—and so the cycle continues into eternity and beyond.

For SUSTO, the joy of birth, the closure of death, the warmth of true friendship, and the promise of the future rotate on the axis of the band’s fourth full-length and debut for New West Records, Time In The Sun. Frontman Justin Osborne distills this ebb and flow into eleven tracks underpinned by lyrical eloquence, unpredictable dynamics, and a thoroughly alive rock ‘n’ roll spirit. “We’re all just products of the sunlight, revolving around a big ball of fire,” observes Justin. “I was thinking of the meaning of life as I’m sure many of us were in 2020. I’ve come to believe life is all one big chance happening with no deeper meaning other than what we make of it. Every album is like a timestamp, and Time In The Sun was about trying to express this moment in my life. I was stuck in the middle of losing my father and also becoming a father myself. Through these songs, I’m expressing what it felt like and how it’s changed me.”

Along the way, the collective opened up for everyone from The Lumineers and Band of Horses to The Head and The Heart in addition to gracing the bills of festivals such as Hangout, Stagecoach, Austin City Limits, and more. SUSTO also made their television debut on CBS This Morning: Saturday. In the middle of this whirlwind, Justin became a father in the summer of 2019 as he started compiling ideas. He officially entered the studio with producer and engineer Wolfgang Zimmerman [Band of Horses] at the top of 2020. After a February tour, the world shutdown and Justin retreated into his next body of work. A revolving cast of collaborators, friends, and members of the Charleston musical community rolled through and contributed to the recording. “It takes a village to make a record,” he smiles.

In the end, SUSTO launches a new cycle in their journey, and it’s bolder and brighter than ever. “I was exorcising a lot of emotions,” he leaves off. “I hope people connect to Time In The Sun enough that I can keep doing this again and again. I’m just excited to make another record and keep going. Maybe it will help someone work through their emotions. This was my dream at 12-years-old. It’s still what I want to do.”

THE HOLLER CHOIR
Clint Roberts is the founder and lead singer of Holler Choir, a string band known for their tight harmonies and heartfelt songs. Roberts, whose songs often explore themes of heartbreak and existential query, started the band in Asheville, North Carolina. With their blend of folk, Appalachian, and Americana influences, Holler Choir is turning heads quickly in the roots music scene. Following well received performances at IBMA and Americana Fest, Holler Choir is performing throughout the south East in 2023.

This live streamed virtual event is free but registration is required. Please click here to register. The link required to attend will be emailed to registrants prior to the event.

If you decide to attend and to purchase books, we ask that you purchase from Malaprop’s. When you do this you make it possible for us to continue hosting author events and you keep more dollars in our community. You may also support our work by purchasing a gift card or making a donation of any amount below. Thank you!

The Shamshine Blind

A beguiling blend of noir detective story and science fiction perfect for fans of Michael Chabon and Emily St. John Mandel, this unputdownable debut imagines a world where emotions have been weaponized, and a small-town law enforcement agent uncovers a conspiracy to take down what’s left of American democracy.

In an alternate 2009, the United States has been a second-rate power for a quarter of a century, ever since Argentina’s victory in the Falkland’s War thanks to their development of “psychopigments.” Created as weapons, these colorful chemicals can produce almost any human emotion upon contact, and they have been embraced in the US as both pharmaceutical cure-alls and popular recreational drugs. Black market traders illegally sell everything from Blackberry Purple (which causes terror) to Sunshine Yellow (which delivers happiness).

Psychopigment Enforcement Agent Kay Curtida works a beat in Daly City, just outside the ruins of San Francisco, chasing down smalltime crooks. But when an old friend shows up with a tantalizing lead on a career-making case, Curtida’s humdrum existence suddenly gets a boost. Little does she know that this case will send her down a tangled path of conspiracy and lead to an overdue reckoning with her family and with the truth of her own emotions.

Told in the voice of a funny, brooding, Latinx Sam Spade, The Shamshine Blind is “a rip-roaring beautifully crafted mash-up of cop noir, sci-fi, and alt-history that left me dazzled by its prescience and literary zing” (Leah Hampton, author of F*ckface).

Paz Pardo is an Argentine-American award-winning playwright and novelist. She received her MFA from the Michener Center for Writers, her undergraduate degree from Stanford University, and is the recipient of a Fulbright scholarship. Raised in America, she currently lives in Argentina. The Shamshine Blind is her first novel. Find out more at PazSays.com.

Leah Hampton writes about Appalachia, corpses, ecoanxiety, and smart women. She currently serves as the Environmental Humanities Fellow in Residence at the University of Idaho. Her debut collection, F*ckface and Other Stories, was released by Henry Holt and was named one of the best books of 2020 by The Paris Review, the New York Public Library, Slate, and others. A graduate of the Michener Center for Writers, she has been awarded multiple prizes and fellowships including UT-Austin’s Keene Prize for Literature and the Phillip Roth residency at the Stadler Center for Poetry. Her work has appeared in Ecotone, Guernica, McSweeneys, Electric Literature, storySouth, LitHub, and many other elsewheres. She lives in the Blue Ridge Mountains near the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Learn more at leahkhampton.com

Take your heart and lock it and small chest, hide it in the back of a bank vault, it won’t matter at all. Dark City Kings will steal your heart with their sunny goodness and their dark drunken debauchery, boisterous sing-a-long originals, lovelorn outlaw country, and revved up 80s torch songs.

When Black Mountain’s legendary Dark City Kings are not robbing banks and breaking hearts they are a six-piece band known for their wild weekly showcases at the town brewery, blasting away energetic and debauched originals as well as reinvigorated covers from John Prine’s “Angel of Montgomery” to The Cure’s “Just Like Heaven”.

Comprised of talented members of other area bands such as The Egg Eaters, Band Banker, and Tin Roof Echo, it’s absolutely true that every gang has a face (Rosie – vocals), a smooth-talker (Bayla – bass), a demolitions expert (Joe – acoustic guitar), the muscle (Craig – percussion/harp), the person who actually knows what they’re doing (JR – lead guitar), and the vagabond rogue (Johnny Guitar – rhythm guitar).

Every show this band brings a sense of danger, a truly bad attitude, & raucous laughter, they are total rock stars – and then they’re gone in the morning. The Dark City Kings – now more than ever!

Live Music at Hickory Tavern, 9:00 p.m. until 12:00 a.m.

– ALL AGES
– STANDING ROOM ONLY

VELVET TRUCKSTOP
From the Blue Ridge Mountains of Western North Carolina, Velvet Truckstop is a seasoned powerhouse that delivers a high-energy mix of Southern Rock and jam fueled Cosmic Americana  every time they take the stage! VT has recorded / performed live with many notable musicians; including Tom Constanten (  Grateful Dead) , Ike Stubblefield (Frank Zappa, Jerry Garcia Band)  Artimus Pyle (Lynyrd Skynyrd) and John Keane ( Widespread Panic) .

PYLETRIBE

Combining the iconic talents of legendary Lynyrd Skynyrd drummer Artimus Pyle, and the infectious vocal and guitar licks of son Chris Pyle, PYLETRIBE pushes the creative boundaries with their percussion influenced style dubbed “southern fried tribal boogie.”

The Asheville Celtic Festival, a Winter Indoor/Outdoor Celtic Festival bringing the Celtic Spirit of the Seven Nations to the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, will be held at the Davis Center at the WNC Agricultural Center giving us a comfortable setting in the winter months.

• Feel the Vibes of Early Settlers from the Celtic Nations   

• Participate in Entertaining Battles and Performances

• Learn About Celtic History and Traditions

• Listen to LIVE Celtic Music

• Explore your Family Background

• See Characters in 1700 Period Dress 

• Shop the Celtic Crafts and Buy a Kilt

• Eat Traditional Foods

• Drink the Stouts & Ales 

• Rest by the Fire 

TFAC invites all artists: painters, sculptors, writers, performers & more — to a casual weekly drop-in gathering on Saturday mornings at 9 AM to share your works in progress, alert others, and chat about art and what’s happening in your community. The first weekly Coffee is Saturday, August 20 at 9 am. No RSVP needed, just drop by! Free parking available on Melrose Avenue, behind and alongside TFAC.

Join us for this special program to help celebrate Black History Month. This concert features some wonderful works for violin, cello, and piano by some neglected black composers, including some fun ragtime arrangements by Scott Joplin; two Suites of Spiritual arrangements by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor and Undine Smith Moore; and Blues-inspired pieces by Florence Price and William Grant Still. This is music filled with the pain and anguish of an oppressed people, but also powerful melodies, inspirational themes, and an exciting rhythmic drive. The wonderful Borowsky siblings—Emmanuel on violin and Frances on cello—are back to perform these sadly neglected, but very soulful works of music.

Nobody’s Darling String Band is here every Saturday from 4-6! Stop in for an afternoon libation and enjoy the ladies picking’ away on the stage!

DEEP RIVER PLAYS THE EAGLES 20 GREATEST HITS !!!!!

DEEP RIVER , Asheville’s Premier Country Vocal Group, will pay homage to the Southern California band that started the country rock genre, the Eagles, by telling their story in words and songs, album-by-album, from their debut album in 1972 simply called ‘Eagles’ to their ‘Long Road Out Of Eden’ album in 2007.

The three women who front Deep River will perform all the vocals, and the Band will add a 3rd guitarist for a total of 7 pieces in order to create that iconic Eagles sound, and take the audience on an unforgettable American musical journey.

Celebrating 31 years of making music in 2023, Deep River is fronted by three women who sing all the lead and harmony vocals. All but one of our talented instrumentalists are also music instructors at the Asheville Music School.

Deep River has sung with Vince Gill, opened for Kathy Mattea and Mark Wills. One of our Nashville-era original songs, ‘Civil War’, has been played by KISS Country 99: https://www.reverbnation.com/deepriver/song/1478838-civil-war 

Here’s a composite video of Deep River’s Eagles show: https://youtu.be/buAVPHUnMXg 

Visit The Artists Website

Heavy Ticket Sales Are Anticipated.

Thus, advance ticket purchases are HIGHLY RECOMMENDED !!!!!!!

Join us for an all-levels yoga experience and stay afterward for some community!

Instructor: Claudia Strauss

No experience necessary, all levels welcome.

Please enter at the Catawba Ave entrance, follow the hall to enter.

Bring a mat.

– AGES 18+
– SEATED SHOW
– LIMITED NUMBER OF PREMIUM SEATING TICKETS AVAILABLE

BURLESQUE BRUNCH

Burlesque Brunch is a monthly burlesque and bellydance show with a classic speakeasy feel. Join our dancing dames and dandies every third Sunday of the month for a little singin’, strippin’, and sippin’ starting at noon. It’s a Sunday afternoon to delight the senses!

**Ticket price covers entry, brunch is not included in price.

– ALL AGES
– SEATED SHOW
– LIMITED NUMBER OF PREMIUM SEATING TICKETS AVAILABLE

THE GIBSON BROTHERS
There’s a reason why Ricky Skaggs pulled Eric and Leigh Gibson off the stage at the Ryman two decades ago and offered to produce their debut record. The same thing that led David Ferguson and Grammy Award winning producer and Black Keys frontman Dan Auerbach to co-write and produce their 14th album “Mockingbird” (2018) and release it on his own label Easy Eye Sound alongside cultural icons such as Hank Williams Jr. and Dr. John: the Gibson Brothers are the real deal. They can pick. They can sing. And they can write a damn good country song. They’ve won about every bluegrass award you can name and released albums on almost every premier Americana label you can think of including Sugar Hill and Rounder, and, if that’s not enough, their songs have been recorded by bluegrass legends no less than Del McCoury. It’s a resume almost anybody in country music would be proud to have. But despite all of this, the Gibson Brothers are not yet household names. Their latest album, “Darkest Hour,” produced by dobro master Jerry Douglas might just change that.

As soon as you hear Leigh singing with Alison Krauss [“I Feel The Same Way As You”] on the new project you realize that his voice is as good as anyone in music today. Add the brother harmony to that and they have something truly unique. While “Mockingbird” featured gorgeous production, recreating the sound on stage was difficult. “We put together a little band to go out and try to recreate it,” Eric told me, but we couldn’t. We would have to have such a huge band to try to recreate that record, but we did the best we could.”

Douglas—who has won 14 Grammy awards and backed up everyone from Ray Charles to Paul Simon and George Jones—wanted to make a record they could actually play on the road. So he picked the best songs (out of dozens) and squirreled them away in Sound Emporium’s Studio B.
But then the pandemic hit. “We did our last shows in March of 2020,” Eric told me. “We were in Nashville the week everything was shutting down. It was surreal, but Jerry was like, ‘Guys, the world’s going crazy. Let’s let this be our little cocoon.’ And we did. We cut all of the acoustic stuff and then went home and didn’t play any more gigs until things started opening. Then we went back and finished the record with Jerry in February of 2021.”

The result is arguably the strongest record The Gibson Brothers have ever made. The songs recorded in the first recording period featured Mike Barber (bass), Justin Moses (mandolin), Eamon McGloughlin (fiddle), and of course, Jerry Douglas, adding in John Gardner (drums), Guthrie Trapp (electric guitar), and Todd Parks (bass) for the final tracks, “Darkest Hour” showcases just how easily Eric and Leigh move from what Dan Auerbach dubbed “country soul” (“I Go Driving”) to high octane bluegrass (“What a Difference A Day Makes” and “Dust”) with Douglas always keeping the spotlight on the songs themselves. “That’s what I love about those guys,” Douglas told me, “they are just great songwriters.”

CELEBRATE MARDI GRAS WITH US!   This is one of our favorite times of the year, as we revamp our menu to reflect and celebrate Cajun and Creole cuisine on… Monday, February 20th and Tuesday February 21st.  We will also have some amazing traditional New Orleans cocktails! Please note that our regular menu will not be available. COURTYARD reservations will include live music by Les Chats Violets starting at 6pm.