Calendar of Events
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.
Option 1: Classic Rock for acoustic guitar
Join beloved Polk County musician Woody Cowan and learn YOUR favorite tunes. In this setting, the students pick the songs, and Woody leads the teaching. This friendly class is full of peer-to-peer encouragement and collaboration. Artists covered included Janis Joplin, Neil Young, Old Crow Medicine Show, & Grateful Dead. Whether you know a lot of chords or just a couple, this class will move you forward musically while taking you back through the best era of radio-played folk music.
Option 2: Beginner/Intermediate Folk Jam
World-class musician Gaye Johnson leads this class, gently raising your comfort level to play freely in a group setting. Rooted in traditional folk music, aspiring mandolin, and guitar students will join together to gain more comfort and self-assurance in a group setting, while also diving into rhythm techniques and ornamentations.
Option 3: Intermediate/ advanced band
Bob and Amy Buckingham guide adults on all instruments (guitar, clawhammer banjo, fiddle, mandolin, ukulele, & bass). Several songs are picked by the group at the start of the semester, and over the 10 week semester, the musicality and “setlist” grow exponentially. Adults love this format for
guided jamming.
Three weekly farmers tailgate markets in Buncombe County will operate through the winter in 2022. Though smaller, these markets will continue to offer the freshest seasonal produce in addition to meats, eggs, cheeses, bread, beverages, and artisan foods. Expect to see storage crops, like sweet potatoes, potatoes, and winter squash, plus cold-weather veggies like turnips, radishes, and dark leafy greens.
Buncombe County farmers markets with weekly dates January to March are:
ASAP Farmers Market, outdoors at A-B Tech Community College, 340 Victoria Rd., Saturdays, 10 a.m.–1 p.m. Averaging 45 vendors each week with more than two dozen produce farms, half a dozen bakers, several meat and cheese producers, coffee, and a wide variety of artisan and prepared foods.
River Arts District Farmers Market, outdoors and indoors at Plēb Urban Winery, 289 Lyman St., Wednesdays, 3–5:30 p.m. Two dozen weekly vendors, including two produce farms, mushrooms, cheese, bread and baked goods, and more.
Weaverville Tailgate Market, indoors at Weaverville Community Center, 60 Lakeshore Dr., Wednesdays, 3–6 p.m. Bread, cheese, and fermented food makers alongside a small lineup of craft and artisan vendors.
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You can also attend one of our weekly garden workday events:
Pearson Garden and Nursery Garden workdays Wednesdays from 3-5pm. Located at 408 Pearson Dr. in Montford. Please click this link to sign up. Contact [email protected] for more information.
Hall Fletcher Elementary School FEAST Garden Wednesdays 2:45-4:00pm, 60 Ridgelawn Rd. Please click this link to sign up. Contact [email protected] for more information.
Lucy Herring Elementary School Peace Garden (formerly Vance Elementary School) in West Asheville. Workdays Tuesdays 2:45-3:45. The garden will again be closed to the public from 8 AM- 2:30 pm so that classes can use the garden for outdoor learning. Please contact [email protected] for questions and to RSVP
**We give away free produce donated by Mother Earth Food every week at our Sharing Table Mondays after 3 pm
Three weekly farmers tailgate markets in Buncombe County will operate through the winter in 2022. Though smaller, these markets will continue to offer the freshest seasonal produce in addition to meats, eggs, cheeses, bread, beverages, and artisan foods. Expect to see storage crops, like sweet potatoes, potatoes, and winter squash, plus cold-weather veggies like turnips, radishes, and dark leafy greens.
Buncombe County farmers markets with weekly dates January to March are:
ASAP Farmers Market, outdoors at A-B Tech Community College, 340 Victoria Rd., Saturdays, 10 a.m.–1 p.m. Averaging 45 vendors each week with more than two dozen produce farms, half a dozen bakers, several meat and cheese producers, coffee, and a wide variety of artisan and prepared foods.
River Arts District Farmers Market, outdoors and indoors at Plēb Urban Winery, 289 Lyman St., Wednesdays, 3–5:30 p.m. Two dozen weekly vendors, including two produce farms, mushrooms, cheese, bread and baked goods, and more.
Weaverville Tailgate Market, indoors at Weaverville Community Center, 60 Lakeshore Dr., Wednesdays, 3–6 p.m. Bread, cheese, and fermented food makers alongside a small lineup of craft and artisan vendors.
Montford Pre-Teen Afterschool Program
Pre-registration required. FREE for the 2021-2022 school year
August 23, 2021 – June 3, 2022 | Monday-Friday | 3:30-6pm
5th-6th graders.
New program designed to meet the needs of your pre-teen.
Providing time dedicated to school assignments, life skills, arts,
communication, leadership, fitness, nutrition, and loads of fun.
Location: Montford
Teen Leadership Program
Pre-registration required. FREE for the 2021-2022 school year
August 23, 2021-June 3, 2022 | Monday-Friday | 3:30-6pm
6th-9th graders.
Looking for a cool and enriching alternative for your Teen to attend
this school year? We offer creative activities, diverse projects,
field trips, and more.
Locations: Grant, Shiloh, Stephens-Lee
Before you even begin thinking about volunteering, ask yourself – Am I well enough to volunteer?
Your safety and limiting the spread of COVID-19 is everyone’s main priority. We encourage you to review and adhere to the recommendations on the Buncombe County readiness site on how best to avoid COVID-19 and what to do if you think you might have it.
Literacy Together (formerly the Literacy Council of Buncombe County) is a nonprofit organization working with children, youth, and adults to increase comprehensive literacy and English language skills through access to literacy resources and specialized instruction by trained volunteer tutors. Literacy Together relies on volunteer tutors to offer students personal instruction and high-quality materials through various programs.
The Youth Literacy Program is seeking tutors to meet with students K-5 twice a week for 50 minutes, between 3:30 pm and 5:30 pm. The Youth Literacy Program works with two after-school programs that primarily serve youth of color. The two locations are in Asheville.
Youth Literacy tutors work with children from low-income families who read, write, and/or spell below their grade level. Tutors in this program complete an initial orientation and a 16-20 hours training, which includes some pre-course work and/or homework (short articles to read, short videos to watch). They then receive follow-up support and the option to attend in-service training throughout their tutoring commitment. Youth Literacy tutors commit to working with their students for at least one school year.
Time Commitment:
- Twice a week for 50-minute sessions between 3:30 pm and 5:30 pm.
- Youth Literacy tutors commit to working with their students for at least one school year.
Requirements:
- GED or High School diploma
- Excellent customer service skills
- Ability to work patiently with various levels of literacy skills
- Access to reliable internet
- Ability to navigate virtual meetings with minimal distractions
- Complete a background check
Training:
- Tutors must complete 16-20 hours of training prior to being assigned a student
Wednesday
4:00 pm – 5:30 pm
All beginning students receive 45 minutes of group instruction and 45 minutes of singing/storytelling.
Group song & story: Gaye Johnson (known for having the sweetest voice in the region) gives students the strong foundation they need for learning an instrument. To learn music most effectively, students must know the songs before they play them on an instrument – then the learning becomes intuitive. This fun class equips students with the classic songs and stories of the region and helps launch their musical abilities.
Instrument options:
Age ranges are suggestions. Please email Julie if your child is outside the age range for the class they wish to take.
Option 1: Beginning ukulele, ages 6-8
Option 2: Instrument Survey, ages 8-14
Continuing from last semester, this instrument survey class will focus on clawhammer banjo, plus one additional instrument to be chosen by the students.
Option 3: Beginning guitar, ages 8-14
Option 4: Beginner mandolin ages 8-14
Option 5: Beginner fiddle ages 8-14
*Please be sure to select the student’s 1st and 2nc\d instrument choices when registering.
Enjoy a $6 glass of wine and 1/2 off bottles every Wednesday night!
Does your little kid have a big imagination and lots of energy? Then this class exploring the fundamentals of theatre is just for them! During this 8-week class, students will explore favorite storybook characters and bring them to life through acting, creative movement, and music! This high-energy class will celebrate your young artist’s creativity, develop skills in improvisation, public speaking, and expression, and release creative energy in a meaningful way. With new material every semester, this class can (and should) be taken multiple times!
Instructor: Tania Battista
Notes: This class will be held outdoors when the temperature allows. When indoors, all students and staff will be required to wear masks.
Our Youth Production Classes offer youth theatrical instruction from the first audition to the last curtain call! All productions listed are performed by youth in middle and high school. We will be offering TWO sessions of The Giver – 1 session for middle school students, and one session for high school students. Classes will meet afterschool, and each session will end with two performances on the Mainstage!
Registration for both sessions will begin on Tuesday, February 8, 2022. Tuition will be $350.00 – payment plans and scholarships will both be available.
Directed by: Janice Schreiber
Classes/rehearsals: Meet Monday and Wednesday afternoons March 7-May 4, 2022 from 4:30-6:00 pm
Tech Week: Monday, May 9 – Thursday, May 12, 2022; 4:30-6:30 pm each night
Performances: Saturday, May 14, 2022 at 2:30 pm and Sunday, May 15, 2022 at 6:30 pm
Our Youth Production Classes offer youth theatrical instruction from the first audition to the last curtain call! All productions listed are performed by youth in middle and high school. We will be offering TWO sessions of The Giver – 1 session for middle school students, and one session for high school students. Classes will meet afterschool, and each session will end with two performances on the Mainstage!
Registration for both sessions will begin on Tuesday, February 8, 2022. Tuition will be $350.00 – payment plans and scholarships will both be available.
Middle School Cast:
Please note: Advanced level memorization is required for this class. Most roles will not be split and the number of lines each performer will be expected to memorize may be larger than in past middle school Youth Performance Classes.
Directed by: Michael Jorizzo
Classes/rehearsals: Meet Monday and Wednesday afternoons March 14-May 11, 2022 from 4:30-6:00 pm
Tech Week: Monday, May 16 – Thursday, May 19, 2022; 4:30-6:30 pm each night
Performances: Saturday, May 21, 2022 at 2:30 pm and Sunday, May 22, 2022 at 6:30 pm
Wednesdays
4:30 pm-6:00pm
All students with some experience under their belt will take an intermediate or advanced group instrument class, and a band class.
- 4:30-5:15
Jam Band: Phil Jenkins & Carson Moore help young musicians find their voice in a band environment.
- 5:15 – 6:00
Option 1: Intermediate Guitar
Option 2: Intermediate Fiddle
Option 3: Intermediate Mandolin
Option 4: Three-finger banjo- all levels
Clover Pickers: 4:00- 6:00
PacJAM’s house band gets rigorous coaching this semester from Emily Wait and special guest coaches. Clover Pickers will spend 5 weeks of the semester practicing their teaching skills from 4-4:45 weekly, and 5 weeks working on choosing and arranging songs for Clover Picker performance. Band rehearsal and coaching last from 4:45-6 for all 10 weeks. Clover Pickers band is by invitation and the commitment requires extra rehearsals as determined by the group.
Join Habitat for Humanity for a month of fundraising events on behalf of our “Spring into Action” project benefitting Dodd Meadows!
Hendersonville Habitat for Humanity is pleased to announce a month-long fundraising campaign, “Spring into Action” for Dodd Meadows Playground project. Proceeds raised for this project will go to improve and expand the play area for our growing Dodd Meadows Community.
A key mission of Habitat’s work is to support the local community by building safe, affordable homes for underserved communities. This includes serving the next generation of children to ensure happy, active and healthy lives, and is why the Dodd Meadows Neighborhood Playground Project needs your help! Playgrounds are an incredible place for children to run, play, and exercise, formulating the basis for future health and wellness. Our goal is to raise an incredible $100,500 which will go to the following:
- New Athletic Field— $6,500
- Improved Safety Ground Cover— $55,000
- New Picnic Area with Tables and Shade Trees — $4,000
- Safety Handrails for Steps to Playground — $3,000
- Playground Equipment — $15,000
- Safety Fence for Play Area — $17,000
Cook teams of 4-6 individuals are invited to bring ingredients and prepare meals onsite or bring meals that have been prepared elsewhere. To meet our dietary standards, we ask that each meal provides a meat, vegetable and starch.
Requirements:
- Background Check
- Brief orientation prior to service
- Ability to Multi-Task
- Friendly Demeanor
Health & Safety:
- We are asking volunteers to wear/bring their own face mask if you have not been fully vaccinated
- Temperatures will be checked and a COVID-19 disclosure will be signed at the volunteer entrance
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Before you even begin thinking about volunteering, ask yourself – Am I well enough to volunteer?
Your safety and limiting the spread of COVID-19 is everyone’s main priority. We encourage you to review and adhere to the recommendations on the Buncombe County readiness site on how best to avoid COVID-19 and what to do if you think you might have it.
ABCCM Transformation Village provides up to 100 beds of transitional housing and will provide emergency shelter beds, post Covid-19. Transforming lives is through four developmental phases called Steps to Success including stabilization, life skills, education and reintegration. We are honored to report that 8 out of 10 leave us with a living wage job and permanent housing.
Transformation Village gives hope, healing, health and a home to single women, mothers with children, and female Veterans experiencing homelessness. We provide residents a fresh start and a place to heal surrounded and supported by Christian love, trust, education and companionship.
We are seeking energetic volunteers to prepare and serve meals for our residents for lunch and dinner. This opportunity provides you with the chance to prepare meals in our commercial kitchen alongside our trained staff while serving the women and children of Transformation Village.
From March 13-17, the gallery will be open to the public to grab a beer and browse. On March 18th we are closing our doors to the public and throwing a special event celebrating the Asheville service industry and essential workers who made this possible. If you have some favorite establishments you love and woudl like to purchase an 8×12 mounted Photograph for them, please visit this site here. Your name will be printed on a card included with the print.
https://www.carolspags.com/curbsiderevival
We know how resilient and creative our community is, and so glad this time was captured in such a powerful way.
While participating in the Lights program, students can develop their songwriting, performing, and musicianship skills while exploring music from around the world. They will have extensive performance opportunities with a focus on music that inspires, uplifts, and spreads a music of unity and hope. Students will record their music in the One Mic studio and learn about the music industry and explore topics such as audio engineering, stage presence, graphic design, videography, website development and more while learning to use their music to be a force for change. Advanced students will have the opportunity to work towards touring locally and regionally with the Lights concert tour. They will also have the opportunity to regularly interact with and learn from LEAF resident artists. Students will be exposed to music from a diverse range of genres and cultures. Students will have the opportunity to see how music connects us on a deep level and how it can create joy, bring people together, and instigate change. LEAF lights will lift young leaders and give them a platform to make a difference in the lives of others.
Wednesdays at 5pm (Junior Group) & 6pm (Senior Group) at LEAF Global Experience (19 Eagle St, Asheville, NC, 28801)
Dates/times subject to change – interested in attending this class but unsure if it works with your schedule, or if it suits your student’s skill level? Reach out to us at [email protected]! We are always looking to adapt and expand our class schedules to accommodate new students!
Hone your acting, singing, and dance skills in this class that dives into Broadway repertoire. With a focus on vocal technique, storytelling through song, and ensemble-based performance, this class will celebrate each actor’s individuality and boost their confidence to make more bold choices on and off stage. With new material every semester, this class can (and should) be taken multiple times!
Instructor: Anna Kimmell
Notes: This class will be held outdoors when the weather allows. When indoors, all students and staff will be required to wear masks.
you all!
vs. 
TV: BALLY SPORTS SOUTHEAST – RADIO: CHARLOTTEWFNZ 610 AM/102.5 FM
Versatile hard rock quartet, All Them Witches, thrive on contrast. Now six records deep into a tenure that began in 2012, Ben McLeod (guitarist,) Charles Michael Parks, Jr. (bass/vocals,) Robby Staebler (drums,) and Allan Van Cleave (keys) are unremittingly forward-looking. There is a ferocious energy and rhythmic nuance to the band that delivers devastating guitar riffs in a raw blend of progressive, bluesy, neo-psychedelic rock.
The band has relentlessly toured since inception, performing at festivals including Voodoo Music & Arts, Bonnaroo, Forecastle Festival, and Pukkelpop; while also sharing tours with acts such as Mastodon, Ghost, and Primus.
All Them Witches’ most recent record was recorded in Abbey Road and released September 4, 2020 on New West Records. They continue to hone their unique meld of crafted songwriting and spacious grooves on the road with 30+ date tour this winter with plays at Shakey Knees Festival and a sold-out Halloween show at Ryman Auditorium in their hometown, Nashville. All Them Witches have deep musical roots and grow a heavy, visceral sound, with sheer dexterity delivered in every song.
THE ORANGE PEEL PRESENTS
Legendary artist Graham Nash is a two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee – with Crosby, Stills, and Nash and with the Hollies. He was also inducted twice into the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame, as a solo artist and with CSN, and he is a GRAMMY Award winner.
Towering above virtually everything that Graham Nash has accomplished in his long and multi-faceted career, stands the litany of songs that he has written and introduced to the soundtrack of the past half-century. His remarkable body of work, beginning with his contributions to the Hollies opus from 1964 to ’68, including “Stop Stop Stop,” “On A Carousel,” and “Carrie Anne,” continues all the way to This Path Tonight (2016), his most recent solo album. Fifteen of his songs are celebrated in the 2018 release, Over the Years…, a 2-disc collection of some of Nash’s best-known works from the past 50 years and more than a dozen unreleased demos and mixes.
The original classic union of Crosby, Stills & Nash (& Young) lasted but twenty months. Yet their songs are lightning rods embedded in our DNA, starting with Nash’s “Marrakesh Express,” “Pre-Road Downs” and “Lady Of the Island,” from the first Crosby, Stills & Nash LP (1969). On CSNY’s Déjà Vu (1970), Nash’s “Teach Your Children” and “Our House” beseeched us to hold love tightly, to fend off the madness that was on its way.
Overlapping CSNY, Nash’s solo career debuted with Songs For Beginners (1971), whose “Chicago/We Can Change the World” and “Military Madness” were fueled by the Long Hot Summer, the trial of the Chicago Eight, and the ongoing Vietnam war. Songs from that LP stayed in Nash’s concert sets for years including “I Used To Be A King” and “Simple Man”. His next album, Wild Tales (1974), addressed (among other issues) unfair jail terms for minor drug offenses (“Prison Song”), unfair treatment of Vietnam vets (“Oh! Camil”) and the unfairness of fame (“You’ll Never Be the Same”).
The most resilient, long-lived and productive partnership to emerge from the CSNY camp launched with the eponymously titled Graham Nash/David Crosby (1972), bookended by Nash’s “Southbound Train” as the opening track and “Immigration Man” as the closer. The duo contributed further to the soundtrack of the ’70s on their back-to-back albums, Wind On the Water (1975) and Whistling Down the Wire (1976).
On the CSN reunion studio LP (1977), Nash took top honors with “Just A Song Before I Go” (written in the space of one hour, and a Top 10 hit single). Lightning struck once more on CSN’s Daylight Again (1982), on which Nash penned their second (and final) Top 10 hit, “Wasted On the Way,” lamenting the energy, time and love lost by the group due to years of internecine quarrels.
Nash’s passionate voice continues to be heard in support of peace, and social and environmental justice. The No Nukes/Musicians United for Safe Energy (MUSE) concerts he organized with Jackson Browne and Bonnie Raitt in 1979 remain seminal benefit events. In 2011, Nash was instrumental in bringing MUSE back to the forefront with a concert to benefit Japan disaster relief and groups promoting non-nuclear energy worldwide. That same year, he and Crosby were among the many musicians who made their way to the Occupy Wall Street actions in lower Manhattan.
In September 2013, Nash released his long-awaited autobiography Wild Tales, which delivers an engrossing, no-holds-barred look back at his remarkable career and the music that defined a generation. The book landed him on the New York Times Best Sellers list, and was released in paperback in late 2014.
In recognition for his contributions as a musician and philanthropist, Nash was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) by Queen Elizabeth. While continually building his musical legacy, Nash is also an internationally renowned photographer and visual artist. With his photography, Nash has drawn honors including the New York Institute of Technology’s Arts & Technology Medal and Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters and the Hollywood Film Festival’s inaugural Hollywood Visionary Cyber Award. His work is collected in the book, Eye to Eye: Photographs by Graham Nash; he curated others’ work in the volume Taking Aim: Unforgettable Rock ‘n’ Roll Photographs Selected by Graham Nash (2009).
VIP PACKAGES
GRAHAM NASH FRONT ROW – VIP PACKAGE
– One reserved ticket in Front Row (See map for exact location. Distributed day of show)
– Visit to preshow Sound Check with Graham Nash
– One autographed tour poster
– One commemorative Graham Nash laminate
– One commemorative Graham Nash ticket
– Crowd free merchandise shopping
– On site VIP staff
GRAHAM NASH SOUNDCHECK PACKAGE
– One reserved floor ticket within first 5 rows (See map for exact location. Distributed day of show)
– Visit to preshow Sound Check with Graham Nash
– One autographed tour poster
– One commemorative Graham Nash laminate One commemorative Graham Nash ticket
– Crowd free merchandise shopping
GRAHAM NASH PREMIUM PACKAGE
– One reserved floor ticket within first 10 rows
– One Graham Nash tour item
– One commemorative Graham Nash ticket
GUACAMOLE FUND
Graham Nash’s passionate voice has often been heard in support of social and environmental justice. During this tour, Graham is partnering with the Guacamole Fund and 100% of lift on Guacamole Fund tickets is paid to organizations that work in the areas of the environment and wildlife, social change, peace with justice, energy and a non nuclear future. Graham has supported the Guacamole fund for decades.
All VIP & GUACAMOLE FUND tickets are for WILL CALL ONLY and will be available exclusively for pick up at the venue on the evening of the show with valid ID. Tickets are non-transferable.
For Briston Maroney, it’s been a journey to arrive at the current moment. A mental, physical, emotional, and musical one. But it’s left him equipped: not only with a deep understanding of self, discovered through life’s trials and errors, but just as important, with a piece of art that reflects his personal growth. Sunflower, Maroney’s debut album, is the culmination of the past decade of the now-22-year old’s life. “It’s all of the things I’ve been stoked about since I was 12 coming together,” the wise-beyond-his-years, Nashville-based singer-songwriter says with a laugh of his striking album. “It’s been a literal and physical relationship with the record as far as coming to a point where I understand what parts of me it represents, what it means to me as a person and what it means for my entire life.”
Recorded between the summer of 2019 and early 2020 in LA with acclaimed producer John Congleton, Sunflower is “definitely a milestone,” Maroney admits. “I’d be lying to say I didn’t feel a little bit of that. And why not let yourself enjoy it?” It’s also a gut-punch of fuzzy power chords (“Sinkin”) and genteel acoustics (“Cinnamon”); deftly-composed pop songs (“Freeway”) and hard-charging rockers (“Rollercoaster”). “I put all of myself into it,” Maroney adds of the 10-track LP. In retrospect, he adds, “I definitely have this sense of calmness now. I did what I was capable of doing and I’m just glad I was around my friends and my people to help me get to this point.”
An energetic live performer with a craft first honed in basements, living rooms, and jam-packed clubs, Maroney quickly developed a style steeped in the sweat and sounds of Nashville’s DIY scene. After self-releasing his 2017 debut EP Big Shot and amassing a strong local fan base, Maroney ultimately attracted the attention of Canvasback Music. After signing with the label, his subsequent releases — Carnival (2018), Indiana (2019), and Miracle (2020) — remained entirely self-written with just a single producer credited on each project, namely Grammy Award-winning producer Tone Def and UK-based producer Jim Abbiss (Arctic Monkeys, Adele).
When Maroney began to tour the US and Europe alongside other artists, co-writing sessions became commonplace as they created music together while on the road. It was at this point he made the conscious decision that he would seek out additional songwriters and producers to work with on his debut full-length project; as Maroney’s music world grew, so too did his desire for collaboration.
While Maroney is the first to admit he was ‘terrified-in-a-good-way’ to be working alongside top-notch talents with the likes of Manchester Orchestra’s Andy Hull and venerated songwriter Dan Wilson on the creation of Sunflower, over time he came to understand a simple lesson. That being, “If you’re approaching what you’re doing from a place of love and kindness and passion you can be as open and flowing artistically as you want to be with your collaborators,” he says. “I learned a ton from writing with those people,” Maroney continues. “I think the biggest thing I took away is you get to decide how open you want to be, and you get to decide how much of a stage you want to set for emotions in songwriting.”
If there was a sense of apprehension heading into such sessions, it’s only because songwriting, for Maroney, has long been such a highly personal process. “It’s been my journal for a really long time,” he explains. “There’s a beauty in songwriting. It’s a scrapbook. It’s a photo album. And if you’re really putting your heart into what you’re doing and writing songs for the right reasons, every one of them should take you back to a very specific place.” For Maroney, the songs that comprise Sunflower take him along the long and winding path to the present, from his time as a young, upstart-tween musician busking at the Knoxville farmer’s markets to playing dank basement gigs, sobering up amid personal struggles, and finally arriving right now at his most fully-realized self.
“Hopefully this record is representative of my journey,” Maroney says, singling out the opening track “Sinkin” as summing up the record to him in a single cut. “Here’s 100 percent of who I am,” he says of the brash and bursting song. “It feels the most connected to my heart.”
“I hope that people hear the record and see the songs as windows into what I’ve been experiencing and hopefully they’ll relate to that,” Maroney says, continuing. “I know these songs will continue to do that for me.”
Working with producer John Congleton, Maroney explains, was about learning to trust his impulse. While Maroney had long been the first to question initial instincts, Congleton taught him to respect his gut. “He communicates really directly and really taught me a lot about speaking precisely and speaking about what you want to accomplish with a song and a record,” Maroney recalls. “Whereas I have a tendency to be really abstract. I learned to be able to switch into that mode. He had my back the whole time.”
Maroney gushes as he reflects on the session with Congleton that resulted in “It’s Still Cool If You Don’t.” Their initial stab at writing together, “was the first experience of really letting go,” Maroney contends of the song. “Just coming in and having a silly idea and being down to see where it goes.” Working on “Cinnamon” alongside seasoned songwriter Jenny Owens Young, which Maroney describes as a “quieter more low-key song,” was by contrast an exercise in “being all gushy” and exploring his feelings on love. “That was really fun to write a love song with someone else who was also in love with a person,” Maroney offers.
Where “Rollercoaster,” an older track that Maroney and his band typically closed out their sets with, was his attempt at getting a bit raucous, the track “Deep Sea Diver,” which Maroney penned with Dan Wilson, was a far more meditative affair. Or as Maroney says with a laugh, “It’s like, well, if this really pissed off angry rock thing doesn’t work here’s my best attempt at trying to be John Prine.”
If anything, the process of assembling Sunflower was the best way Maroney learned to take his foot off the gas a bit and ease into his life in a more gratifying way. Where he admits at times throughout the recording process he was “squeezing it so hard,” completing a brilliant debut album to him “was so much about just learning to be a little more laid back,” Maroney says with a smile. “I still feel really connected to it, but I’m so stoked to share it and especially one day play it live,” Maroney adds of Sunflower. “Right now, I am just so thankful and happy.”
Comedy Open Mic at Asheville Music Hall in downtown Asheville. Every Weds. 8pm. Doors and comic sign up at 7pm. Free
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The 2022 Contest has Officially Begun!This year we want you to show us “How the river has inspired your creativity”. We love seeing all of the talent and passion on display in your submissions, and can’t wait to see what you come up with this year! Submissions are due by March 22nd. Check out the contest guidelines and submission form below to learn how to participate. Calling All Young Artists, Poets, and Creative SoulsEach year students reflect on the streams, rivers and forests of the French Broad River watershed. Their work serves as a reminder that the rich natural resources of the Southern Appalachian Region continue to inspire and provide for new generations. To get the creative juices flowing, we invite kids of all ages to reflect on “How the river has inspired your creativity” and submit a work of art showcasing your creative talent. Students may submit 2D or 3D art, poetry or writing, and video composition which includes mini-documentaries, dance films, video of song, and other creative outlets expressed through video. Entries are due by March 22nd and winners will be announced in late April. All submissions will be displayed at RiverLink’s Earth Day Family Festival and at cafe’s throughout the watershed. Submissions are judged by local artists, community members and RiverLink staff. Prizes are awarded by age group and submissions category. If you have any questions about the contest you can contact Ben Duerr at [email protected]. |
What makes a place idyllic?
Start with an emerald river that flows from ancient mountains. Add an abundance of living creatures that co-evolved over millennia. Bring in humans who honor their place in the interconnected web. And rebuild a vital stream that supports us all.
Your support and engagement helps ensure the health of this watershed for the ages! We can’t do it without you.
The YELP Assistant position is an 11 week paid internship between May 23 – August 5 for young BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) adults aged 18-22.
Interns are responsible for helping to lead an educational, environmental service work internship for BIPOC high schoolers. Interns work in the field locally in the greater Asheville area, as well as in the Great Smoky Mountains, completing environmental service work, learning from experts and relevant community partners, and developing their own group initiatives.
The intern does not need to arrive with these skills. Part of their internship will include learning to canoe and kayak, how to collect scientific data, hiking etiquette, and nonviolent communication leadership training.
More information can be found through the Job Description linked above.
Questions? Email [email protected] or [email protected]
Asheville Gallery of Art
March 2022 Exhibit, New Members Show
“Color Dance”
Asheville Gallery of Art’s March exhibit, “Color Dance” will feature works by four new gallery members: Anne Marie Brown, Raquel Egosi, JoAnn Pippin, and Cindy Shaw. The show will run March 1-31 during gallery hours, 11am-6pm. An event to meet the artists will be held at the gallery on First Friday, March 4, from 5-8pm at 82 Patton Avenue.
These four exciting artists have selected “Color Dance” as the theme for their show. Paintings are generally static, and are confined within a frame. The combined creative energy of these artists has seemingly moved beyond these limits, to create beautiful expressions of dynamic, moving shapes, captured within a spatial environment. They wish their works to evoke thoughts, emotions, and awareness to celebrate the sentient meaning of life.
Please join us for “Color Dance” to revel in the paintings presented by these new gallery artists. They will deliver dynamic color, vibrancy, and hue into scenes that will dance their way into your heart.
Anne Marie Brown
Anne Marie began painting when, as a florist, she would paint small watercolors of her floral designs. She has exhibited in outdoor shows for over ten years and has had exhibitions in numerous galleries. Now settled in the mountains, she is inspired to paint the sweeping vistas and flora and fauna within. Anne Marie works in watercolor, gouache, oil, and acrylic, and hopes the images that touch her heart and canvas will touch yours as well.
Color is music to my eyes. The song that is created on the canvas makes my heart dance.
Raquel Egosi
Raquel’s art career began in 1996 in Brazil. Studying with acclaimed artists and attending a variety of painting classes, she was active in her local art community, collaborating and setting up art shows. She currently participates regularly in gallery shows and museum exhibitions. Her art sells internationally and she leads workshops for mixed media techniques in both the United States and overseas.
Constructed using a variety of mixed media, my compositions are exceedingly rich in color and texture, with partial or fully figurative and abstract elements.
JoAnn Pippin
JoAnn’s passion is to explore different watercolor techniques, with her subjects. Her paintings have been exhibited in juried art shows throughout the US, and her focus is on color, composition, and texture, to create light and mood through technique.
The theme “Color Dance” is especially meaningful to watercolorists, because we literally watch color dance and blend when we add wet paint to wet paper. It is not simply mixing colors on the palette and placing them in our work, but the excitement of observing the action as they blend and mingle to create wonderful new hues.
Cindy Shaw
Cindy originally trained as an Architect and worked for many years on projects as well as teaching. However, when her husband’s career took her to rural Italy, she purchased art supplies and began to paint. While there, she enjoyed exploring the Italian countryside and capturing “le viste belle!”. Returning home to the USA, she has continued to grow and develop as an impressionist artist over the past decade.
“Color adds depth and meaning, not only to our paintings, but also to our outlook on life. Color can be joyful, dramatic, and exciting.”
For further information about this show, please contact the Asheville Gallery of Art at (828) 251-5796, visit the gallery’s website at www.ashevillegallery-of-art.com, or go to the gallery’s Facebook page.