The Asheville Rock Academy’s talented students have played some high profile gigs, including the Main stage at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. Academy bands have also played with Cliff Williams of AC/DC, Victor Wooten and Roy Wooten of Bela Fleck and the Flecktones fame, guitar shredder Joe Stump and American Idol’s Caleb Johnson. The future of rock is in good hands with these committed teen musicians and their dedicated teachers.

The Rock Academy is an Asheville Music School that teaches Year-Round Rock Band Performance Classes to students 7-17. Students learn to perform a wide variety of musical styles and songs of various genres including blues, classic rock, hard rock, punk, surf, and more.

Our music students grow into real musicians and take their skills “on the road” to play in front of live audiences at some of the top venues in the area (The Orange Peel, Gray Eagle, White Horse, Aloft Hotel, Biltmore Park, Folkmoot, Bacon-fest, and many more!). Our bands have even played on stage at The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio!

Visit The Rock Academy Website

For Family Members of the Rock Academy, CLICK HERE for a special discounted rate.

– ALL AGES
– STANDING ROOM ONLY

THE CRITICALS
The Criticals are a Nashville based rock band formed by Parker Forbes and Cole Shugart. In November 2019, they released their first EP, “Mimosa Hygienem” starting their journey. When covid hit in early 2020, the band focused on writing, recording and releasing music and music videos. Their first music video for Treat Ya Better became popular online, leading many diehard fans to their music. Their sophomore EP, “Sour Grapes” was released in October 2020, along with several singles in ’21 and ’22. In addition to the organic traction on Spotify, along with their music videos, the band has built a loyal and growing audience eager to see them live.

SWEET SPINE

“SWEET SPINE” is a band consisting of Fox Haynes, Evelyns Atkins, and Ryan Sutton. The trio was formed in 2021 and since then they have been bringing an original and fresh sound into the local music scene. It’s no secret that sweet spine grew quickly within the local music scene. And for good reason, their infectious live performances and high energy sound brings in new fans with every live performance

To this day sweet spine continues to grow at a rapid pace, and thanks to overwhelming support from the local music scene they are pushing to surpass the boundaries of the typical “three piece rock band” sound. With contagious rhythms, fast paced breakdowns, and an energy you can’t help but feel moved by, they hope to bring a new musical experience to everyone who happens to come across them.

CONNOR KELLY & THE TIME WARP
Connor Kelly & The Time Warp is dedicated to pushing sonic boundaries while persevering the anthropomorphic elements of Rock & Roll. Drawing inspiration from icons like Pink Floyd, Radiohead, and Red Hot Chili Peppers, the group cultivates a sound that pays tasteful homage to legends of the genre but not without their own unusual twist. Since their latest album release “Distant Forest” the band has accumulated over 5 million streams and joined acts like The Backseat Lovers, Vista Kicks, and Moon Taxi on the road. Connor Kelly, Ben Kelly, Aiden Lamb, and Daniel Ryan are liable to disrupt the space-time continuum.

An Asheville cultural festival favorite returns! To celebrate Israel’s 75th birthday and our beloved festival founder, Hanan Weizman, we’re serving up live Israeli music by Ovadya and traditional hand-prepared Israeli delicacies including falafel, schwarma, Israeli desserts and beers galore.

Don’t miss the children’s inflatables and art-studded silent auction featuring prized offerings from local artists and businesses. Registrants of the Jewish Community Center’s Falafel 5K, our sister event, receive a free falafel sandwich at Cafe Israel following the athletic event’s conclusion. See you there!

Event photography by Camilla Calnan Photography.

Charles Davidson, minister and author of Foster’s Pie Pan: Stories of Grace Abounding in a Fallen World, will read from his new book and sign copies for purchase at Calvary Presbyterian Church. Profits from the event benefit Homeward Bound of Western North Carolina. Jim Lowder will speak briefly about the work of Homeward Bound.

Figure Drawing Salon-
Live nude model, art instructor host, bring your own art supplies. We have a limited supply available. Some community supplies available for use. We ask for a $15 donation at the door to support the instructor and model.

Format may vary but usually consists of- 5-1 min
2- 5 min
1- 10 min
2- 20 min each pose different 10 min break in between
2- 20 minute poses same pose

Come learn and mingle with a fun and friendly community of artists! Normally hosted the last Sunday of every month.

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

DEB TALAN

Deb Talan has been writing songs since she was 14 years old. Granted, her style has changed a bit since writing the forever-unknown smash-hit “Through the Window” about feeling numb, like life was going on somewhere out there but not accessible to her (at 14. so jaded.) She played clarinet, wrote songs on piano, later taught herself to play guitar in college, got obsessed with Shawn Colvin, was a vegetarian for 4 years, ended that with a hotdog and a swim in lake Michigan, started a band in Portland, OR with her friend Mark, named it Hummingfish, wrote a lot of fun songs that people danced to ‘til they were all sweaty in that hipster/grungy/geeky Northwest kind of way, moved back to the east coast 6 years and a divorce later and began playing solo in Boston coffee houses (read: 4 different Starbucks that she also poured espresso at) opened shows for Catie Curtis (a songwriter hero of hers) met up with Steve Tannen and formed The Weepies, played shows all over the country and the world, toured in a real tourbus! moved to LA, got married to Steve, made 5 records and 3 amazing boy-children together with him, had songs placed in loads of movies and tv shows, moved to Iowa, got breast cancer, got chemotherapy and relied heavily on marijuana for pain and nausea relief(Legalize, for gods’ sakes, can we grow up as a country, please?) recovered from breast cancer, made a solo album, struggled with mental health issues (Childhood Incest Survivor, lucky to be alive, music has helped, and so have many blessed healers) and relationship issues for 6 years, got divorced from Steve. She has a lot she could say these days. She prefers to listen. But playing songs for people is a close second. Music heals. Songs can be prayers.

Deb Talan is some lovely damn proof of that.

– ALL AGES
– STANDING ROOM ONLY

COVET
Covet started in 2014 as a bedroom project by guitarist Yvette Young, who at the time, was balancing writing music part time with working as an art teacher. Over the years, the project has certainly grown beyond its “Bay Area garage band” roots and has been fortunate enough to reach people all over the world- enough so that Young eventually left her teaching job to pursue making music with a band full-time.

With a background in visual art, art therapy/education, and classical piano/violin, Young aims to write emotive songs that capture colorful imagery, uplift, and tell stories. Their sound can be described as “instrumental progressive rock” but the music draws influence from many genres like Midwest emo and shoegaze and doesn’t try to adhere to one main sound. Young’s fluid and polyphonic fingerstyle approach to guitar is often described as very piano-like, and although her playing at surface level is technical and intricate, the music still aims to make people feel something and make people want to dance.

The band has released an EP Currents, an acoustic EP, and 2 full length albums Effloresce and Technicolor. Over time the sound has really transformed from its twinkly mathrock origins to a more evolved, fuller, more melodically complex sound that incorporates a myriad of tones and
textures. There is currently one new album in the works, which the band will be playing songs from.

SCARYPOOLPARTY
Alejandro Aranda (born August 11, 1994), known by his stage name Scarypoolparty, is an American singer, musician, and reality television personality from Pomona, California, and runner-up on the seventeenth season of American Idol. His debut album Exit Form was released on November 22, 2019. His follow-up album length EP, Doom Hologram was released on September 4, 2020. L.A. was released 2021. The Act of Forgiveness/a double Album was released in 2021 also.

ALTO PALO

It was touch and go as to whether altopalo would come together to make another album again. Being best friends for over ten years has made them incredibly comfortable with each other, to the extent that their friendship has become more like a brotherhood, a familial kind of relationship with all the strains and hurt that entails.

In the wake of George Floyd’s murder in the summer of 2020, drummer Dillon Treacy decided that he needed to take a step back from the band as the only black member of a group otherwise made up of white people, at least until they could all take some time to reflect. This lasted a couple of weeks and wasn’t something that they publicly talked about on social media, but Dillon’s leave of absence led altopalo to realize how they needed to be with each other in order to make music and relate to each other.

WILD (Women in Lively Discussion) Book Club

EVERY WEDNESDAY AT 6:30 pm ~ FREE!

AGES 18+ ADULTS ONLY ~ NO KIDS ALLOWED

ON OUR HUGE SCREEN IN THEATER 2!

ENJOY DINNER & DRINKS (FULL BAR) WHILE PLAYING

There are 3 rounds with new winners each round so you can show up late, miss a round and still be a winner. Plus, we have mid-round prizes to create as many winners as possible.

The questions are presented by a hilarious host on our giant movie screen and includes fun videos in each round.  You haven’t played a trivia night like this one!

Beat the mid week grind with some fun trivia! Win a $25 gift card for our taproom along with a $25 gift card from our resident kitchen, Bears Smokehouse BBQ!

The Malaprop’s Book Club, hosted by Jay Jacoby, explores a diverse selection of fiction and nonfiction books determined by member suggestion. Click here to see a full schedule of what the club is reading. Club attendees get 10% off the book at Malaprop’s!

The club meets the first Wednesday of every month at 7:00 PM. The club will meet virtually until further notice. To join the club, please email [email protected]

Every Wednesday Trivia Night

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

We are absolutely STOKED to announce that Mother’s Pizza is coming back for a series of Pop-Ups this Spring! Come by and get delicious Neapolitan-style pizza paired with your favorite Oak and Grist cocktails. We’re even staying open a little bit later so you can enjoy the beautiful Black Mountain sunset! Make sure you cancel those dinner plans, ‘cause you won’t wanna miss this exclusive pop-up event! Available for dine-in or take-out!

MOTHERS PIZZA WEBSITE

Join us this month as we discuss Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell.  We will meet in person at the Weaverville Library with the option to join in via ZOOM. Only ZOOM participants need to register.  Copies of this title are available at the library as long as supplies last. Newcomers are always welcome.

Crime and Politics Book Club

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

Join us on select Thursdays from April through September for live Americana music from the Waverly front porch along with great southern fare and cold beverages. Bring a lawn chair and/or blanket from 6-8pm for a great evening in Hendersonville.

May 4: Jess Jocoy, Waverly Front Porch Series

June 1: Letters to Abigail, Waverly Front Porch Series

June 29: The Gathering Dark, Waverly Front Porch Series

July 27: The Last Full Measure, Waverly Front Porch Series

September 7: Angela Easterling, Waverly Front Porch Series

October 5: David Childers, Waverly Front Porch Series