Upcoming events and things to do in Asheville, NC. Below is a list of events for festivals, concerts, art exhibitions, group meetups and more.

Interested in adding an event to our calendar? Please click the green “Post Your Event” button below.

Tuesday, February 7, 2023
Hank, Pattie and The Current + Brek
Feb 7 @ 8:00 pm
The Grey Eagle

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

HANK, PATTIE AND THE CURRENT

Bluegrass visionaries Hank Smith (banjo) and Pattie Hopkins Kinlaw’s (fiddle) innovative twist on traditional bluegrass music is a soulful brew flavored with classical, Motown, jazz, and pop influences. Joined by Billie Feather on guitar and Stevie Martinez on bass, this dynamic, North Carolina based group is performing in support of their fifth album, LETTERS, out now on Robust Records.

BREK

Brek is an acoustic band from Iceland that mainly plays original, folky music with influences from various sources. The band members focus on creating an interesting but cozy atmosphere in their playing. In addition there is a focus on the multifaceted use of the Icelandic language in the band’s lyrics. Brek released its self-titled debut album in the summer of 2021 and received the Icelandic Music Awards for Folk album of the year as well as being featured as Album of the week on Iceland National Radio – Rás 2 in early 2022.

Wednesday, February 8, 2023
PacJAM Registration Open for Winter Session
Feb 8 @ 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Tryon Fine Arts Center
Building Community One Tune at a Time
Pacolet Junior Appalachian Musicians (PacJAM) provides an opportunity for area youth and adults to experience community through the joy of participating in traditional music.
PacJAM offers sessions each fall and winter/spring semester, as well as an intensive day camp one week each summer for youth.
Students of all skill levels ages 6-late teens and adults are invited to join us for instruction in traditional music. Click here to learn more.
Our winter program will run every Wednesday from January 18 – March 22 from 4:30 PM to 6:00 PM for Beginner & Intermediate students, & 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM for advanced students.
Proud recipients of the South Arts 2022
In These Mountains Projects Grant
Musical Theatre 6th-8th Grades
Feb 8 @ 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Studio 52

MUSICAL THEATRE

6th – 8th Grades

February 8 – April 19 (Spring Break March 13-17)

WEDNESDAY: 5:00PM-6:00PM

Instructor: Lauren Hopkins & Ethan Andersen

Build on the fundamentals of musical theatre technique by integrating acting, singing, and basic choreography in the development of a musical revue. Expand on principles of vocal technique, music theory, knowledge of Broadway repertoire, expression of character through movement, and learn how to elevate performances by making specific and unique choices on stage. Apply your skills at the end of semester performance for friends and family on Monday April 24 in the evening. With new material every semester, this class can (and should) be taken multiple times!

  • Payment plans are available through the Box Office at 828.693.0731.
  • A $50 deposit is required to secure the student’s spot in the class. The full payment must be completed by the first day of class.

  • Students and families that register for more than one class are offered a $25 discount for each additional camp. This offer applies to multiple class for one student or family discounts for siblings.

  • *Need-based scholarships are available upon application.

French Broad Valley Jam
Feb 8 @ 6:00 pm – 8:30 pm
Oklawaha Brewing Company

Join us for a weekly mountain music JAM with players in a round, where the session is focused on regional fiddle tunes and songs! You are welcome to come and listen or to learn and join in. This event supports the Henderson County Junior Appalachian Musician (JAM) Kids Program. Free but donations are accepted. Weekly event takes place at Oklawaha Brewing Company.

IRISH MUSIC CIRCLE
Feb 8 @ 7:00 pm
White Horse Black Mountain

The traditional music of the mountains of North Carolina traces its roots back to the Celtic music of Ireland and Scotland. Traditional Celtic music is still played on the porches and in the pubs of the Celtic lands… and also throughout the southern Appalachian mountains.

In true pub fashion, White Horse Black Mountain hosts a traditional Irish style session twice a month, on the second and fourth Wednesdays, starting at 7pm….

……..and there is NO COVER CHARGE.

Sessions are in many ways the heart and soul of Irish traditional music, a place for players to share tunes and socialize. It’s not a performance, but rather an informal situation in which listeners are welcome to participate, whether offering encouragement, singing along on a chorus, or asking questions about the music and instruments. White Horse sessions regularly draws players from as far away as Waynesville, Cullowhee, Rutherfordton and even Clayton, Georgia.

The sessions are hosted by Richard and Melinda Halford.

Drop by for a beer or a cup of tea and get uplifted by some great traditional tunes and a few new songs.

Come join us in a long musical tradition spanning hundreds of years.

Thursday, February 9, 2023
Death Grips PRESALE
Feb 9 @ 10:00 am – 10:00 pm
online

 

Death Grips

 

Rabbit Rabbit

 

Sun, Aug 13, 2023

 

Use code “DEATHRABBITS” for Local Presale
Code valid Thu, Feb 9
10am – 10pm

Skinny Puppy: Final Tour PRESALE
Feb 9 @ 10:00 am – 10:00 pm
online
 

Skinny Puppy: Final Tour PRESALE

 

The Orange Peel

 

Sat, April 15, 2023

 

Use code “ORANGEPUPPY” for Local Presale
Code valid Thu, Feb 9
10am – 10pm

Voivod PRESALE
Feb 9 @ 10:00 am – 10:00 pm
online

 

Voivod

 

The Orange Peel

 

Tue, May 9, 2023

 

Use code “OPVOIVOD” for Local Presale
Code valid Thu, Feb 9
10am – 10pm

tickets at Voivod Tickets | Asheville, NC | The Orange Peel (etix.com)

The Young (and not-so-young) Person’s Guide to the Orchestra with Igor Begelman
Feb 9 @ 4:00 pm
Tryon Fine Arts Center
Rent School Edition
Feb 9 @ 7:00 pm – 9:30 pm
Asheville Performing Arts Academy

La Vie Boheme! Join the HS Company in the musical that shaped a generation of audiences and taught us all to measure our life in love.

Set in the East Village of New York City, Rent School Edition is about falling in love, finding your voice and living for today. Winner of the Tony Award for Best Musical and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, it has become a pop cultural phenomenon with songs that rock and a story that resonates with audiences of all ages.

Based loosely on Puccini’s La Boheme, Rent School Edition follows a year in the life of a group of impoverished young artists and musicians struggling to survive and create in New York’s Lower East Side, under the shadow of HIV/AIDS. The physical and emotional complications of the disease pervade the lives of Roger, Mimi, Tom and Angel. Maureen deals with her chronic infidelity through performance art; her partner, Joanne, wonders if their relationship is worth the trouble. Benny has sold out his Bohemian ideals in exchange for a hefty income and is on the outs with his former friends. Mark, an aspiring filmmaker, feels like an outsider to life in general. How these young bohemians negotiate their dreams, loves and conflicts provides the narrative thread to this groundbreaking musical.

Please note, this performance is rated PG-13. This musical contains mature themes that center around the AIDS Crisis.

JOSHUA BELL, VIOLIN AND PETER DUGAN, PIANO
Feb 9 @ 7:30 pm
Peace Concert Hall

With a career spanning almost four decades, GRAMMY® Award-winning violinist Joshua Bell is one of the most celebrated artists of his era. Having performed with virtually every major orchestra in the world, Bell continues to maintain engagements as soloist, recitalist, chamber musician, conductor and Music Director of the Academy of St Martin in the Fields.

Bell’s highlights in the 2022-23 season include leading the Academy of St Martin in the Fields on tour in South America to Sao Paulo, Bogotá, and Montevideo as well in Europe,  in Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Denmark, and the United Kingdom. Joshua appears in guest performances with the Berlin Philharmonic, Orchestre National de France, Sofia Philharmonic, Franz Schubert Filharmonia as well as a European tour with pianist Peter Dugan. This season in the U.S., Bell will perform alongside the New York Philharmonic, as well as the San Francisco, Pittsburgh, Houston, Baltimore, and New Jersey Symphony Orchestras.

Bell has been named 2010 “Instrumentalist of the Year” by Musical America, a 2007 “Young Global Leader” by the World Economic Forum, nominated for six GRAMMY® awards, and received the 2007 Avery Fisher Prize. Bell also participated in former president Barack Obama’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities’ first cultural mission to Cuba, joining Cuban and American musicians on a 2017 Live from Lincoln Center Emmy-nominated PBS special, Joshua Bell: Seasons of Cuba, celebrating renewed cultural diplomacy between Cuba and the United States.

—–

Pianist Peter Dugan’s debut performances with Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony were described by the Los Angeles Times as “stunning” and by the SF Chronicle as “fearlessly athletic.” He is heard every week across America as the host of National Public Radio’s beloved program From the Top.  Mr. Dugan has appeared as a soloist, recitalist, and chamber musician across North America and abroad.  In 2020, he joined acclaimed violinist Joshua Bell for At Home With Music, a national PBS broadcast and live album release on Sony Classical. This season Mr. Dugan continues his collaboration with Bell.

Prizing stylistic versatility as the hallmark of a 21st-century musician, Mr. Dugan is equally at home in classical, jazz, and pop idioms, and has collaborated with artists ranging from Jesse Colin Young, to Renee Fleming, to Paquito D’Rivera.  Mr. Dugan performs regularly in partnership with friends and artists who share a passion for expanding the world of classical music. The Wall Street Journal described Mr. Dugan’s collaboration with violinist and vocalist Charles Yang as a “classical-meets-rockstar duo.”

Mr. Dugan advocates for a classical music culture that is inclusive and welcoming to all, from a community’s concert halls and theaters to its schools and hospitals.  As a founding creator of Operation Superpower, a superhero opera for children, he has traveled to dozens of schools in the greater New York area, performing for students and encouraging them to use their talents – their superpowers – for good.

Tom Rush + Matt Nakoa Fingerpicking Master, Singer-Songwriter Duo
Feb 9 @ 7:30 pm – 9:00 pm
Brevard Music Center-Parker Concert Hall

The contributions to the music industry from guitarist/vocalist Tom Rush have spanned more than 50 years and touched the lives of such iconic performers as James Taylor, Garth Brooks, Joni Mitchell, and Jackson Browne. Coupled with award-winning songwriter, singer, and multi-instrumentalist, Matt Nakoa, this powerhouse duo will fill Parker Concert Hall with melancholy ballads and gritty blues dappled with a bit of humor, of which Rush often brings to the stage.

Hear a message from Tom Rush about his upcoming performance in Brevard.

Tom Rush + Matt Nakoa Fingerpicking Master, Singer-Songwriter Duo
Feb 9 @ 7:30 pm
Brevard Music Center-Parker Concert Hall
Parker Concert Hall is Brevard Music Center’s state-of-the-art venue overlooking scenic Lake Milner. This season the hall plays host to a seventeen-concert series from October through May featuring a varied lineup of classical, jazz, vocal, and fusion artists. The series continues on Thursday, February 9, with Folk legend Tom Rush with multi-instrumentalist Matt Nakoa.
Kathleen Edwards
Feb 9 @ 8:00 pm
The Grey Eagle
– ALL AGES
– STANDING ROOM ONLY

KATHLEEN EDWARDS
If you ask Kathleen Edwards, the best thing she ever did was quit. By 2014, the singer-songwriter had released four studio albums and amassed widespread critical acclaim. She had been touring since the release of her 2012 album, Voyageur, and the prospect of returning home—only to start writing her way toward another album, and another tour—felt impossibly daunting. She put her guitar away, at least for awhile: she moved back to her hometown of Ottawa and settled down in Stittsville, an old village on the western edge of town. A running inside joke with bandmate Jim Bryson about opening a coffee shop and naming it “Quitters” became reality. For years, the only new music she heard was playing in the background while she served her regulars at the shop, where she slowly started to fall in love with music again.

“I had no desire to write, no desire to play,” she says of what she refers to as her “working sabbatical.” “It allowed me all the time and space I needed to even just enjoy listening to music again. There were so many times where, if I was thinking about my own writing or playing, my heart just wasn’t in it. Opening a cafe gave me such a clean break from the weight of what I was carrying, I worked my ass off building a shop, I didn’t have to be ‘just a singer’ anymore.”

But in 2018, she received an unexpected phone call that changed that. Maren Morris, a longtime fan, invited her to Nashville for a songwriting session. Edwards accepted, and “Good Woman,” their collaboration, wound up on Morris’ 2019 album, GIRL. “It reminded me that writing and creating music is entirely my wheelhouse, and it was so easy to just jump back in and do that,” she says of her fortuitous time in Nashville. “Funny enough, the third person in the room for those two days was Ian Fitchuk, and [we] ended up starting the process of producing a record.”

Edwards will make her long-anticipated return to music with Total Freedom, her fifth studio album out August 14th via Dualtone Records. Written and recorded in Canada and Nashville with longtime collaborator/guitarist, Jim Bryson, and Grammy-winning songwriter/producer, Fitchuk, Total Freedom is both a return to form and a “hard reset,” one that empowered Edwards to write and perform entirely on her terms.

“I didn’t want to write songs that were going to keep me in a dark place on stage every night,” she says. “I didn’t have to carry a lot of the pressure of whatever course I was on previously… There’s a pressure sometimes to keep that ball rolling, and that’s what was so freeing about stopping altogether. I have this whole other experience now that grounded me and helped me rebuild my relationship with myself, and writing music. I’m entirely in control and deciding what my course of action is.”

“I finally had this exhale from a year that was really hard,” she says of the forces shaping Total Freedom. “I went through a scary experience, extricating myself from someone, and it was this wonderful moment of resilience when I finished the album. I am super resilient. I’m always finding ways to adjust what’s not working. I’m not gonna let someone take me down in the process. I think that calling [the record] Total Freedom was a reminder that I am a really strong person.”

MATT SUCICH

Slice of Life Comedy Open Mic + Feature Comedy at Pulp Lounge
Feb 9 @ 8:00 pm
Pulp Lounge

2.9.23 The Orange Peel’s Comedy Basement PULP
What: Stand up Comedy at The Orange Peel’s Pulp Lounge
When: Thursday 2.9.2023. 8p-11p, doors at 7:30p
Where: The Orange Peel’s Comedy Basement, Pulp Lounge103 Hilliard Ave, Downtown Asheville
Tickets: $14 (available at door or The Orange Peel website)
Cocktails available while you laugh the night away to some of the area’s best Stand Up Comics in a ridiculously fun adult environment!! .
Open mic comics signup at door get 3-5m. [Free entry for performing comics, free snacks at comics table]
FB Event: https://fb.me/e/3aHkfNBlR
Moira Goree Moira is a comedian from Asheville,NC. With a perfect mix of heavy and humor Moira Goree brings rockstar energy to her intense storytelling and queer comedic presence. She’s a transgender woman who people have called darkly funny and authentic in her delivery. . She performs all over the southeast.She’s opened for Rory Scovel,Myk Caplan & Emma Arnold.
Host Cody Hughes: Cody is a comedian who cut his teeth in Chicago and Atlanta. He is now based out of West North Carolina and tours the Southeast. He has opened for Lewis Black, John Oliver and Maria Bamford among others and hosts the regular Slice of Life Comedy shows at The Orange Peel’s Pulp Lounge.
About Pulp: The speakeasy inspired hideaway offers a cozy space for show-goers to relax and enjoy a beverage during the concert. Boasting over 200 different Bourbons and Whiskeys, alongside a myriad of other spirits, it is a must-visit for cocktail lovers and Bourbon sippers alike. Pulp will also open various other nights to feature local artists and “Slice of Life” open-mic comedy nights. To stay informed with the happenings at Pulp, visit the Orange Peel’s website, and follow @pulp_avl on Instagram.
About Slice of Life Comedy: Slice of Life Comedy is owned and run by long standing Ashevillian Michele Scheve. Michele was the Founder and Publisher of the hit satire newspaper “The Asheville Disclaimer” in 2002 (till 2015). She also Hosts one of 103.3 Asheville FM’ longest running and most popular shows, “Slumber Party AVL”, which began in 2011. In addition to these established platforms, Michele also Co-Founded and Co-Owns Buzz Radio Asheville, which features only local music and comedy 24/7. Slice of Life Comedy began as a partnership, between Michele and comedian Kelly Rowe, doing live shows at Pulp Lounge in 2010, highlighting local up-and-coming comics through Open Mic events. From there, Slice of Life Comedy began booking feature shows, After-Party shows for national headline acts and collaboration with more and more venues and producers in the scene. Today, Slice of Life Comedy is the Premiere Partner for shows at some of Asheville’s most well-known and beloved venues.

Vijay Iyer
Feb 9 @ 9:00 pm
Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center

Described by The New York Times as a “social conscience, multimedia collaborator, system builder, rhapsodist, historical thinker and multicultural gateway,” composer-pianist Vijay Iyer is one of the leading music-makers of his generation.

His honors include a MacArthur Fellowship, a Doris Duke Performing Artist Award, a United States Artist Fellowship, a Grammy nomination, and the Alpert Award in the Arts. His most recent album, a trio session with drummer Tyshawn Sorey and bassist Linda May Han Oh titled Uneasy (ECM Records, 2021), was named Best New Music in Pitchfork and was hailed by the New Yorker as “a triumph of small-group interplay and fertile invention.”

Friday, February 10, 2023
DSSOLVR’s 3rd Annual Valentine’s Emo Night
Feb 10 @ 6:00 pm
DSSOLVR

DSSOLVR is hosting its 3rd annual Emo Valentine’s Party,
On Friday, February 10th at 6:00pm. A free event that promises to bring back the energy and excitement of concerts like Warped Tour. The party will feature music from xZaneInsanex, food by Calico Pizza, an art pop-up by Heidi Failmezger of Remember Me Tattoo, and limited edition shirts and tour badges. Then on Sunday, the party continues with a viewing of the big game on our new 65″ TV’s and a 150″ projector, and food from Master of BBQ starting at 6pm.

See you in the pit,
XxDSSOLVRxX

NY ROCKABILLY ROCKETS
Feb 10 @ 7:00 pm
Diana Wortham Theatre

Quite possibly the best 120min of 50’s, 60’s music that you will experience on one stage.
You’ll love the NY Rockabilly Rockets and their spectacular production “Shake Rattle Roll “. A nostalgic Journey through Vintage Rock & Roll. This Dynamic full production Vegas style show brings the 50’s & 60’s back to life with spectacular Lights, Sound, Stage Props, and the fantastic “NY Rockabilly Rockets” recreating the music you grew up with & loved.
The Rockets High-Octane music of the 50’s & 60’s will have you clapping & Dancing in the aisle all night long and the Ballad’s will have you holding your loved one.
If you love Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Elvis, Johnny Cash, Bill Haley & his Comets, Eddie Arnold, the Stray Cats, Dion, Del Shannon, Bobby Vee, Chuck Berry, the Ronettes and many other greats, don’t miss this show.
Strap yourself in, hold on and
“ Get Ready for Lift Off “

Rent School Edition
Feb 10 @ 7:00 pm – 9:30 pm
Asheville Performing Arts Academy

La Vie Boheme! Join the HS Company in the musical that shaped a generation of audiences and taught us all to measure our life in love.

Set in the East Village of New York City, Rent School Edition is about falling in love, finding your voice and living for today. Winner of the Tony Award for Best Musical and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, it has become a pop cultural phenomenon with songs that rock and a story that resonates with audiences of all ages.

Based loosely on Puccini’s La Boheme, Rent School Edition follows a year in the life of a group of impoverished young artists and musicians struggling to survive and create in New York’s Lower East Side, under the shadow of HIV/AIDS. The physical and emotional complications of the disease pervade the lives of Roger, Mimi, Tom and Angel. Maureen deals with her chronic infidelity through performance art; her partner, Joanne, wonders if their relationship is worth the trouble. Benny has sold out his Bohemian ideals in exchange for a hefty income and is on the outs with his former friends. Mark, an aspiring filmmaker, feels like an outsider to life in general. How these young bohemians negotiate their dreams, loves and conflicts provides the narrative thread to this groundbreaking musical.

Please note, this performance is rated PG-13. This musical contains mature themes that center around the AIDS Crisis.

MUSES AND MOCKTAILS
Feb 10 @ 7:30 pm
White Horse Black Mountain

We invite you to drink in the nectar of our heart’s creative delight… A Love Potion by OMotion!

THE SHOW

A one of a kind unique multi-dimensional event !!!!

Muses & Mocktails is not only a show to indulge the senses; it is also a fundraiser for our next full length production, Cycles of Dance, coming up Autumn 2023!

Join us for an evening of potent performance art & herbal elixirs!

OMotion Collective & featured performers convene to share an infusion of musings woven together.

Highlighting:

  • Dance
  • Burlesque
  • Flow arts
  • Comedy
  • Poetry

– & –

  • Looping Musical Mastery

The mocktails being served are The MerTails curated by local purveyor: The NOHM. These herbaceous libations hold a sweet reminder to savor every drop of this creative healing elixir as we rejoice with a cheers.

———————————————–

THE AFTER-SHOW DANCE PARTY

The show will be followed by a dance party. Electronic sets by local talents Blacknote and Atum are sure to getcha’ moving once you’re bubbling with inspiration after the spectrum of expressive acts we have brewed up.

TIming conflicts or preference to just come after the main show & shake it on out? If you can’t make it to the main show, you can purchase a reduced price ticket which is only valid for the after-show Dance Party.

_________________________

Doors at 6:30pm

Show at 7:30pm

Dance Party 9:15pm

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GENERAL ADMISSION: $33 per person – Full Access Show + Drink + Dance Party

VIP:  $88 for 2 persons – Full Access Show + Drink + Dance Party ( with reserved table for 2 with a decadent spread of fruits, nuts & local chocolate)

DANCE PARTY ONLY: $22 per person – Admittance following the end of the main show

The Magnetic Theatre Presents: HappyLand
Feb 10 @ 7:30 pm
The Magnetic Theatre

The Magnetic Theatre is thrilled to kick off its 2023 Mainstage Season with HappyLand, a fun and fantastical new musical by Brayden Dickerson and Zach Knox of Asheville’s blues-fusion band Smooth Goose, featuring live tunes and an exciting ensemble of quirky characters.

This non-stop rock opera tells the tale of a delivery person who doesn’t quite fit into the titular town of HappyLand. Tasked with delivering one last package before the vacation they have been dreaming of, our bicycling box-bearer embarks on an epic journey through the barren Neither, where a host of unsavory characters contrives to stay this courier from their appointed rounds.  Nevertheless, our maudlin messenger is determined to make it to SadLand. But what will they find when they arrive? Could the addressee be the love of their life? What message does the all-important package contain? And can our hero deliver the earth from annihilation?

Directed by Jason Phillips and featuring an ensemble cast with rotating lead actors, HappyLand is a delightful extravaganza of song, silliness, dance, romance, and splendiferous space battles.

AN EVENING WITH WILL DOWNING
Feb 10 @ 8:00 pm
Peace Concert Hall

With a career that spans over 32 years and 25 albums, Will Downing is one of the most versatile and loved voices of our time. Known as “The Prince of Sophisticated Soul,” his repertoire consists of signature interpretations of R&B classics like “I Go Crazy,” “Wishing On A Star,” and “I Try”; original hits “A Million Ways,” “Sorry I”; and the show-stopping duet with Rachelle Ferrell “Nothing Has Ever Felt Like This.”

His distinctive baritone voice has resonated in the hearts of women world-wide and carved a unique niche in the music marketplace. With fresh melodies and lush arrangements that satisfy all musical palates, Downing continues to serve his fan base through his own Sophisticated Soul record label and sold out tour dates across the country.

HARRY’S HOUSE PARTY
Feb 10 @ 9:00 pm
The Orange Peel

All Ages
Get ready for some Late Night Talking as DJ Molly Parti spins all of Harry’s hits from The Orange Peel stage. Grab some friends who Adore You and come sing and dance along to your favorite songs from Harry Styles!

Yonder Mountain String Band (NIGHT ONE)
Feb 10 @ 9:00 pm
The Grey Eagle

– ALL AGES
– STANDING ROOM ONLY
– LIMITED NUMBER OF DISCOUNTED TWO NIGHT PACKAGES AVAILABLE

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE “2-NIGHT PACKAGE” INSTEAD!

YONDER MOUNTAIN STRING BAND

With their latest album, “Get Yourself Outside,” Colorado-based Yonder Mountain String Band once again echoes out into the universe its place as not only a pioneering jam-grass act, but also one of the most innovative groups in the live music scene — something the groundbreaking ensemble has proudly held high for the better part of a quarter-century.

“The whole thing has always been about the energy and the connection between all of us onstage and everyone out in the audience,” says guitarist Adam Aijala. “And with this iteration of Yonder Mountain, we’re really tapping into that onstage connection once again.”

Aside from the obvious nature of the new album, it’s a complete restart for the live music industry. Internally, it’s also a fresh start for the group in welcoming its newest member, mandolinist Nick Piccininni.

 

“Nick is an incredibly talented multi-instrumentalist. He’s brought a whole new vibe and dynamic to the band,” Aijala says. “But, at the same time, he’s such a natural fit.

 

Recorded during the shutdown at Cinder Sound Studio (Gunbarrel, Colorado) co-produced by Yonder Mountain and John McVey, “Get Yourself Outside” (Frog Pad Records) is a musical odyssey of string instruments and sonic textures.

There’s the usual foot-stomping melodies and sorrowful ballads that reside at the core of the Yonder Mountain signature tone. But, there’s also a deep, honest sense of renewal and rejuvenation running through the heart of the record.

And, by being back on the road, Yonder Mountain has been taking note of its long, bountiful journey from its foundation in 1998 to the here and now — with its 25th anniversary just around the corner.

Looking back on those early days, the members of Yonder Mountain can’t help but shake their heads in awe — of where it all originated from, and what the live music landscape looked like at that time.

“When we started, we were the only example of what we were trying to do,” Kaufmann notes. “You can see a bluegrass band at a rock festival now. But, there was a time where something like that was incomprehensible.”

And it’s the fearlessness of youth — of being present within the serendipitous whirlwind of artistic collaboration and musical discovery — that remains a thick thread of inspiration and ambition within Yonder Mountain.

“I’ve never doubted for a second that this band wouldn’t work,” Kaufmann says. “That’s a wonderful experience to have known that early on — to not have fear or doubt in the creative experience. And when you think of it, how unlikely of a journey has this been?

Saturday, February 11, 2023
Rock N’ Roll Weekend at The Omni Grove Park Inn
Feb 11 all-day
The Omni Grove Park Inn

Turn up the classics with this rockin’ weekend. Friday night kicks off with the legendary sounds of Absolute Queen, The Ultimate Tribute to Queen, while Saturday evening is filled with the music and nonstop energy of Departure, The Journey Tribute Band. Your package includes two nights of accommodations, The Morning Table at the Blue Ridge buffet each morning, two tickets to each concert, and overnight parking.

KID HOP HOORAY!
Feb 11 @ 10:00 am – 1:00 pm
The Orange Peel
Open Floor Dance Party for Kids with Live DJ: DJ Oso Rey!
Drop in anytime.
Playing family-friendly dance music for family wintertime fun/
There will be FREE Glow accessories for your little dancers, plenty of room to run, dance, and get their sillies out while it’s cold outside, and snacks for purchase the Hop Ice Creamery!  And of course, The Orange Peel bar will be open for mom and dad’s refreshments (and/or kids‘ juice boxes)
Padded area available for crawlers and new walkers to play and explore.
12 and under are only $2 (babies under 2 years old are free) and everyone else is $6.

Ticket price includes applicable sales tax.

Cupid’s Cocktails – Blacklight Party for Valentine’s
Feb 11 @ 4:00 pm – Feb 12 @ 1:00 am
Pillar Rooftop Bar

Come join Pillar for a Valentine’s party to remember! The event will be from 4PM to 1AM, with food from 4PM to 9PM. Once the food goes away, the DJ comes out. Enjoy some fresh mixes from DJ Fresh Rosé 9PM – 1AM. On the menu will be special valentine’s themed cocktails, desserts, and a steak special.

Nobody’s Darling String Band
Feb 11 @ 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Jack of the Wood

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!

Hope Griffin Trio at Highland Brewing Downtown Taproom
Feb 11 @ 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Highland Brewing Downtown Taproom

FREE entry. This show will take place at Highland Brewing’s DOWNTOWN location, located inside the S&W Cafeteria Building. Tonight’s trio will feature Eric Congdon on guitar/mandolin and Jamie Leigh on the cello. Various food and drink options are available throughout the cafe. We hope to see you there!

Rent School Edition
Feb 11 @ 7:00 pm – 9:30 pm
Asheville Performing Arts Academy

La Vie Boheme! Join the HS Company in the musical that shaped a generation of audiences and taught us all to measure our life in love.

Set in the East Village of New York City, Rent School Edition is about falling in love, finding your voice and living for today. Winner of the Tony Award for Best Musical and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, it has become a pop cultural phenomenon with songs that rock and a story that resonates with audiences of all ages.

Based loosely on Puccini’s La Boheme, Rent School Edition follows a year in the life of a group of impoverished young artists and musicians struggling to survive and create in New York’s Lower East Side, under the shadow of HIV/AIDS. The physical and emotional complications of the disease pervade the lives of Roger, Mimi, Tom and Angel. Maureen deals with her chronic infidelity through performance art; her partner, Joanne, wonders if their relationship is worth the trouble. Benny has sold out his Bohemian ideals in exchange for a hefty income and is on the outs with his former friends. Mark, an aspiring filmmaker, feels like an outsider to life in general. How these young bohemians negotiate their dreams, loves and conflicts provides the narrative thread to this groundbreaking musical.

Please note, this performance is rated PG-13. This musical contains mature themes that center around the AIDS Crisis.