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, April 4, 2023
LEGO Builders Club
Apr 4 @ 3:30 pm – 4:30 pm
Pack Memorial Library

Come down the Pack Memorial Library and play with LEGOs!
Show off your building skills and make new friends with other LEGO maniacs.

Please leave your personal LEGOs at home, because we’ve got plenty.

School Age – (grades K-5)
Every Tuesday 1/2 off bottles of wine at 131 Main Restaurant
Apr 4 @ 5:00 pm
131 Main Restaurant

Every Tuesday 1/2 off bottles of wine at 131 Main Restaurant

Alien Music Club Presents Leonard Cohen: The Deep Cuts
Apr 4 @ 8:00 pm
The Grey Eagle

ALIEN MUSIC CLUB PRESENTS LEONARD COHEN: THE DEEP CUTS

Audiences emerge with their minds blown, saying “I thought I knew Leonard Cohen; I had no idea how prolific he was; This is a whole new universe of songs and emotions.”

People rave about thought-provoking, meaningful songs of love, hate & redemption, with striking, original interpretations/arrangements of unforgettable songs by the late, great Canadian singer/songwriter, often compared to the likes of Bob Dylan, Tom Waits, Roger Waters & Paul Simon.

They absorb spell-binding performances with rich textures and virtuosity by a stellar lineup featuring Ryan Kijanka on bass (Sirius B, Asheville Symphony), Micah Thomas on drums/vocals (Brushfire Stankgrass, Nuclear Tiger), Scott Sharpe on pedal steel (Steelin’ Time), Franklin Keel on electric cello (Sirius B, Asheville Symphony, Upland Drive) and Jonathan Pearlman (JP) guitar/vocals.

Alien Music Club is essentially an on-going studio/live performance project conceived and produced by Jonathan Pearlman (JP) of Asheville, NC.  JP is currently showcasing two successful tribute shows: “Tom Waits: The Early Years” and “Leonard Cohen: The Deep Cuts”.  Past tribute shows include “Paul Simon Meets The Beatles” and “The British Are Coming”.  He is also showcasing his own original music in a series of jazz/rock/fusion shows starting in 2023.

The list of Pearlman’s musical collaborators is extensive. He has performed with Peggy Ratusz, Zack Page, Connor Law, Ben Colvin, Kelly Jones, Jesse Barry, Ryan Kijanka, Chuck Lichtenberger, Taylor Pierson, Micah Thomas, Jason DeCristofaro, Ben Bjorlie, Linda Mitchell, Jacob Rodriguez, Justin Ray, Justin Watt, Russ Wilson, Reggie Headen, Jay Hoots, Aaron Price, Eric Congdon…The list is long and continues to grow.

THE MOON AND YOU
At its core, The Moon and You is a charismatic husband-and-wife team. Melissa Hyman plays cello, Ryan Furstenberg plays guitar and banjo, and both sing in “voices that sound like they were made for one another” (Bill DeYoung, Connect Savannah). But whatever you might assume based on their gorgeous vocal blend and heartfelt lyrics, this ain’t your basic folk duo. With a rotating cast of talented friends to add unexpected instrumentation to their lineup, The Moon and You never plays the same show twice. This ever-evolving, expandable and collapsible model leaves the band constantly reinventing itself in ways both surprising and satisfying.

Currently calling Asheville, NC home, Furstenberg and Hyman mix up a fresh blend of influences from very different backgrounds. Melissa grew up in the NYC area studying classical cello. Her dad is a professional violinist and formal music instructor, her mom a fan of 60s folk who loves to host a good old fashioned sing-along. Ryan was born and raised among the Eastern NC tobacco fields, learning classic country and 70s rock on harmonica and then guitar. His rich country baritone and easy Southern style bring an undeniable Americana flavor to the table.

Wednesday, April 5, 2023
Adults Only Trivia Night Asheville Pizza and Brewing Company
Apr 5 @ 6:30 pm – 8:15 pm
Asheville Pizza and Brewing Company

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!

Witty Wednesday Trivia
Apr 5 @ 6:30 pm
Sweeten Creek Brewing

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!

Trivia Night
Apr 5 @ 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Hickory Tavern

Every Wednesday

Trivia Night

Michigan Rattlers
Apr 5 @ 8:00 pm
The Grey Eagle

– ALL AGES
– STANDING ROOM ONLY

MICHIGAN RATTLERS

Michigan Rattlers are a folk-rock band composed of Graham Young (guitar), Adam Reed (bass), Christian Wilder (piano), and Tony Audia (drums). Meeting as childhood friends, they began writing music and performing together in their hometown of Petoskey, Michigan.

Their self-titled Michigan Rattlers EP attracted reviews from No Depression, Bluegrass Situation, B3 Science, and Rolling Stone, who named the band one of their “Ten New Country Artists You Need To Know” in 2016. They’ve continued to evolve beyond the “country” label ever since.

In 2018, following a summer tour that included stops at Bonnaroo, Firefly and Electric Forest; the band released their debut full length album, ‘Evergreen’. “This is a band with solid songwriting chops and instrumental skills,” says No Depression. “‘Evergreen’ shows this four-piece from Petoskey, Michigan making a stand, making their way.”

Growing into a more expansive sound, the band’s second full length album, ‘That Kind of Life’, was released in 2021 to positive reviews.

With live shows being at the core of the band’s identity, the Rattlers continue to tour relentlessly, bringing their honest songwriting and high energy rock n roll to stages across the U.S and Canada.

OLD SAP
Poet from Chicago, rambled out to Montana, cut a banjo from a tamarack, strings across the country, foot like a freight train, voice rushing down over lush Appalachia, sings a thrush tune through the rush hour and into your long-forgotten prairie dreams.

Folk. Folk Rock. Americana.

Thursday, April 6, 2023
Mother’s Pizza Thursday Pizza Party!
Apr 6 @ 3:00 pm – 7:30 pm
Oak & Grist Distilling Company

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

Drinks With Dems – Black Mountain
Apr 6 @ 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Foothills Grange

Join us for good conversation and fellowship with multigenerational Democratic and like minded people interested in important issues such as expanding health care, voting rights, and protecting marriage equality.

Who should attend: Any Dem or like minded persons residing in Black Mountain or neighboring areas.

Live Music with Aaron Lafalce
Apr 6 @ 6:00 pm
131 Main Restaurant
Every Thursday
Not Rocket Science Trivia at Highland Brewing Downtown
Apr 6 @ 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm
Highland Brewing Downtown

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

COCKTAIL CLASS: “No Sleep ‘Til Manhattan”
Apr 6 @ 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Oak & Grist Distilling Company

LED BY ELLE BLACKBURN, O&G BAR MANAGER

NO SLEEP TILL… well, Manhattan! If we weren’t overtly clear, April’s Cocktail Classes will cover the classic stirred cocktail (and its many, many variations), the Manhattan. Utilize O&G whiskies, explore a curated selection of vermouth, and use that knowledge to stir your way to interesting and innovative Manhattans to make at home! We will provide everything you need for the class & afterward, you will have the chance to stock your home bar (using a special discount) while you sip on a Manhattan of your own creation! As always, if you plan on having a cocktail before class, make sure to get here early!

There are options for both paired and solo tickets, so if you’re coming with a friend, please make sure you purchase the correct ticket. One ticket per participant is required. Classes are capped at a maximum of 12 people per class.

As a special treat, we will have Mother’s Pizza here slinging delicious Neapolitan Pizza so you can snack before, during, or after class!

Please direct any and all questions to [email protected] and we’ll be sure to get back to you as soon as possible!

WHAT YOU’LL NEED TO KNOW

All O&G Cocktail Classes are 21+. Photo IDs are required to participate in our Cocktail Classes so make sure you bring yours to each class. Don’t forget to arrive early to get settled in & sip on a cocktail before the class starts.

Please reach out to [email protected] about any allergies or accessibility accommodations when booking the event and we will do our best to accommodate.

Doors open at 6:30 pm before the start of the event and will start promptly at 7:00 pm. Classes are taught in pairs and make for the perfect night out for couples, besties, or families. Paired tickets are offered at a discounted price!

There are options for both paired and solo tickets, so if you’re coming with a friend, please make sure you purchase the correct ticket. One ticket per participant is required. Classes are capped at a maximum of 12 people per class.

Oak and Grist Distilling Co. reserves the right to refuse service to any guest who appears or acknowledges to be intoxicated.

All cocktail class students will receive a complimentary barware goodie, take-home recipes, a hand-crafted cocktail, & a 15% discount in our Bottle Shop so you can keep your home bar stocked!

Friday, April 7, 2023
 Tea Party at the Rooftop Perspective Café
Apr 7 @ 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Rooftop Perspective Café


$45 Members; $50 nonmembers
Reservations for tabletops of 4 or 6 only

Treat yourself to a social afternoon filled with whimsy and fun while sampling our exquisite, in-house offerings at the Perspective Café. This afternoon tea party features local indulgences from Asheville Tea Company, as well as fresh tea sandwiches, scones, fruit, and pastries.

The afternoon also includes the opportunity to design and create your own Fascinator Hat in our art studio and a stroll through the galleries.

Pre-registration is required. Ticket includes Museum admission, studio time, tea and accompaniments, and gratuity. Members receive 10 percent discount.

LAZOOM Tours: BAND AND BEER TOUR
Apr 7 @ 5:30 pm – 8:30 pm
LaZoom Room

Wanna hear the best local music ​and​ drink the best local beers? Hop aboard LaZoom’s Purple Bus and rock out with a local band while we take you on a journey to Asheville’s premiere local breweries.

  • Curated Live Music & Brewery Bus experience
  • 3 Hours long, includes three 30 Minute Local Brewery Stops
  • You Can Drink on the Funky Purple Bus! **Must be purchased at LaZoom or at brewery stop**
An Evening With The Church
Apr 7 @ 8:00 pm
The Grey Eagle

– ALL AGES
– STANDING ROOM ONLY

– VIP MEET & GREET PACKAGES AVAILABLE INCLUDING: 

  • Access to soundcheck performance
  • Exclusive Meet & Greet with The Church
  • Merchandise shopping before doors open to the general public
  • VIP Merch Package inc: Tote Bag, Signed Copy of New Album ‘Hypnogogue’ on CD, Commemorative tour laminate, and more….
  • Very Limited availability

THE CHURCH

Few bands enter their fifth decade of making music with all the fierce creative energy of their early years. Few bands are like The Church.

The Australian psych-guitar masters are deep into recording the band’s 25th studio album over 40 years after their formation.

The 2021 epic line-up is bassist, vocalist and founder Steve Kilbey; with longtime collaborator timEbandit Powles drummer and producer across 17 albums since ’94; guitarist Ian Haug who joined the band in 2013 and Jeffrey Cain, touring multi-instrumentalist who is now a full-time member of The Church since the departure of Peter Koppes in early 2020. The band have also recently recruited one of Australia’s finest and most respected guitarists Ashley Naylor (Even, The Grapes). Ashley and Steve have collaborated on many different projects over the years and now was the perfect time to bring Ashley into the band.

Kilbey says: “A band is like a family and over 40 years it is only natural that families will change. It’s too big a body of work not to keep exploring it.”

That body of work stretches back in a continuous line to classic early albums ‘Of Skins and Heart’ and ‘The Blurred Crusade’, which revealed a distinctive soundscape of sharp pop hooks and towering guitars complementing Kilbey’s lyrics and vocal tones. The more intricate arrangements of ‘Heyday’ gave way to the wide-open atmosphere of ‘Starfish’ the 1988 album which broke into the mainstream and gave them the international hit ‘Under the Milky Way’. The hit single has been regarded as one of the most influential and recognisable Australian rock anthems of all time. Starfish also gave us ‘Reptile’, a song that never seems to date, and is a live favourite around the world.

In 2010 The Church were inducted into the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Hall of Fame and reaffirmed their status as one of the world’s great live bands with the ‘Future Past Perfect’ tour, performing their Untitled #23, Priest=Aura and Starfish albums to rapturous audiences in the US and Australia.

The five-year gap after the release of Untitled #23 became the most extended break between new albums in the band’s career. Haug, formerly of Australian rock icons Powderfinger, joined after the departure of Marty Willson-Piper, sparking a renaissance with Further/Deeper (2014) and Man Woman Life Death Infinity (2017) and introducing new anthems like Miami to the set.

In 2018 the band played the Meltdown Festival in London at the invitation of curator Robert Smith of The Cure. The Church went on to play sold-out shows in the UK, US, Canada and Australia celebrating the 30th anniversary of the release of Starfish.

Live Music at Hickory Tavern
Apr 7 @ 9:00 pm – Apr 8 @ 6:00 pm
Hickory Tavern
Saturday, April 8, 2023
Gatherings of Artists + Writers Coffee
Apr 8 @ 10:30 am – 12:00 pm
Tryon Fine Arts Center

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.

OUTPOST: Pete’s Thing
Apr 8 @ 2:00 pm
The Outpost

– ALL AGES
– STANDING ROOM ONLY
– RAIN OR SHINE
– BADMINTON TOURNAMENT
– 2PM-10PM

Live Music Featuring:
The Paper Crowns
Andy Pond (of Snake Oil Medicine Show)
Sufi Brothers (Jason Krekel + Woody Wood)
Tony Black
Mike Rhodes
+ more!

Back in 2003, I began hosting badminton parties at my Oakley house. Along with these parties came some great tunes from AL & Woody, Barefoot Manner, Hot ButterRum and so many more!  It’s time to do it again.  So on April 8th come on down and spend the day near the river.  The music will start around 2:00 and go until past 9:00! You are welcome to bring your own food (charcoal grills available) or order a taco from the onsite Taqueria.

I am very excited to say that my friends, Andy Pond, Jason Kreckel, Woody Wood, Tony Black, and Mike Rhodes along with The Paper Crowns will be playing music for us.

You have the option to join the Badminton tournament for an extra $10 fee. Cash Prizes and other goodies will be provided while playing. Random mixed-drawn teams, best of three games, & more to determined.

Proceeds will benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) of WNC

• Door Prizes

• 50/50 proceeds going BBBS

• Face Painting

Enjoy Live Music with The Gathering After Dark at the Ridge
Apr 8 @ 3:00 pm – 6:00 pm
The Ridge at Saint Paul Mountain Farms

Enjoy delicious wine, malt cider and beer while listing to The Gathering After Dark from 3:00-6:00pm

Live Music with Carver and Carmody
Apr 8 @ 3:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Saint Paul Mountain Vineyards

Come hang out with Carver and Carmody and enjoying a delicious glass of wine. Food truck on site!

LAZOOM Tours: BAND AND BEER TOUR
Apr 8 @ 5:30 pm – 8:30 pm
LaZoom Room

Wanna hear the best local music ​and​ drink the best local beers? Hop aboard LaZoom’s Purple Bus and rock out with a local band while we take you on a journey to Asheville’s premiere local breweries.

  • Curated Live Music & Brewery Bus experience
  • 3 Hours long, includes three 30 Minute Local Brewery Stops
  • You Can Drink on the Funky Purple Bus! **Must be purchased at LaZoom or at brewery stop**
Chef Craig Richards Dinner at The Farm at Old Edwards
Apr 8 @ 6:00 pm
The Farm at Old Edwards

Join Executive Chef Craig Richards of Atlanta’s Lyla Lila—a Southern European restaurant whose menu reflects the season’s availability. Get ready for a Springtime feast incorporating Easter traditions from Italy, accompanied by live music in the rustic ambiance of The Farm at Old Edwards.

An evening with NORTH MISSISSIPPI ALLSTARS
Apr 8 @ 8:00 pm
The Orange Peel
Ages 18+

tickets: North Mississippi Allstars Tickets | Asheville, NC | The Orange Peel (etix.com)

Nothing runs deeper than family ties. Brothers, sisters, fathers, mothers, sons, and daughters understand one another at the purest level. When families rally around music, they speak this oft-unspoken bond aloud and into existence. After 25 years, twelve albums, four GRAMMY® Award nominations, and sold out shows everywhere, North Mississippi Allstars open up their world once again on their thirteenth album, Set Sail [New West Records], welcoming other family (by blood and by the road) into the fold. As legend has it, Luther and Cody Dickinson started the band in 1996 as a loose collective of like-minded second-generation musicians who shared a local repertoire and regional style. Over the years, the lineup shifted by design, and each subsequent record offered up a different combination of collaborators. This time around, they mined the talents of Jesse Williams on bass and Lamar Williams, JR. on vocals. During the Allman Betts Band Family Revival, the Dickinsons first linked up with Lamar, son of the Allman Brothers bassist Lamar Williams, Sr., becoming fast friends and collaborators and eventually paving the way for Set Sail.

“The chemistry we have with this lineup is powerful,” observes Luther. “We are all second-generation musicians and share a telepathic, relaxed ease about creating and performing. I believe music is a form of communion with our loved ones and conjuring this vibe with members of musical families can be inspirational. Lamar and I are like-minded. I’ve never had the pleasure of working with a singing partner like Lamar. He has a true-blue quality in his musicality that will pull you in and break your heart. At the same time, Jesse grew up playing music with his brothers and his father—as did we. He plays like a sibling. We recorded the album fresh off the road and captured the energy we had worked up with him. I’m drawn to musical families, regardless of style. Playing with second- or third-generation players allows us an easy unspoken musical dialog. It’s not a big thing; it’s just what we do. We never had to figure out what it means and takes to be a musician. We all inherently know.”

They picked up this wisdom by osmosis. As sons of legendary producer and musician Jim Dickinson, Luther and Cody have been producing records themselves since they were teenagers. Separately, the brothers have produced albums by Samantha Fish, R.L. Boyce, Lucero, Amy Lavere, the Birds of Chicago, Ian Segal, and more. Luther produced two records from Otha Turner, including Everybody Hollerin’ Goat, which was named one of the ten most important blues albums of the nineties. Luther and Cody co-produce North Mississippi Allstars records as the “Dickinson Brothers.”

“We learned an enormous amount from our father,” Luther says, “Cody and I made mistakes, but we’ve always believed in ourselves, and we had to learn for ourselves. Rock ‘n’ roll is self-taught. Each generation has to reinvent itself and shed the skin of the elders. On Set Sail, we feel as if we’ve once again ‘broken the code,’ and know what we want and how to get it.”

Following 2019’s Up and Rolling, which received a GRAMMY® Award nod in the category of “Best Contemporary Blues Album,” Set Sail continues the band’s tradition of creating roots music that displays remarkable variety. Luther and Cody Dickinson dig in with the production and different guitar tones; the record sizzles with hard yet understated groove, grown folk music. Luther’s wide-ranging guitar style features jazz riffs, psychedelic sounds, and soulful slide. Drummer and multi-instrumentalist Cody draws on roots music, rock, jazz, rap, and other styles to create rhythms that propel the band’s sounds and move it forward. Their two aesthetics combine to create the band’s unique style, “Primitive Modernism,” melding the new and the old, traditional, and futuristic, crafted lyrics and improvisational music. Speaking of, the first single and title track “Set Sail Part I” [feat. Lamar Williams, JR.] rides a riff right out of the Southern Delta into the embrace of a horn section as the vocal interplay simmers on the line, “The water may rise again, but we shall set sail.”

“‘Set Sail’ really set the tone,” Cody goes on. “It could be taken literally or figuratively. Philosophically, it’s about the way the waters literally do rise. We’re talking about climate change in a literal sense, but it’s also symbolic in a social sense. It won’t be the first time.”

“See The Moon” [feat. Lamar Williams, Jr. & Sharisse Norman] hinges on a head-nodding bass line as Sharisse’s harmonies uplift a downright spellbinding performance from Lamar underlined by Luther’s unpredictable guitar phrasing. The most familial moments on the record happen when Luther’s daughters Lucia and Isla sing together on “Authentic” and “Didn’t We Have A Time,” marking a full circle moment in poetic fashion. Delicate instrumentation wraps around plaintive and powerful lyrics laced with nostalgia on the lullaby-style chorus. “It’s one of my favorite songs,” smiles Cody, who has recently become a father himself. “Hearing my nieces on it was a high point. It was really meaningful, deep, and beautifully sad, but also hopeful.”

Strings and horns give way to the smoky blues of “Never Want To Be Kissed” [feat. William Bell], illuminating yet another side of the sound. Luther notes, “Most of these songs have been floating around in my lyric books, waiting for their time to come. ‘Rabbit Foot’ and ‘Outside’ were inspired by conversations I remember having with Otha Turner and R.L. Burnside. We leaned into our other greatest influences: folk, soul, and psychedelic rock, but everything we play feels like North Mississippi. The recording also benefited from a new creative process I learned from a book, Q on Producing, that Cody sent me. I read about Quincy Jones’s philosophy of never recording a vocalist reading a lyric sheet. Up and Rolling was recorded with the band in the room. The genesis of Set Sail was the nylon string guitar and the vocals, and letting the memorized lyrics shape the song structure or lack thereof. This led to a whole new phonetics-based editing process that I’d never used before. Some of the lyrics were improvised and created on the mic, capturing the moment of creation.”

Building the songs from the guitar and BPM on Set Sail enabled Luther and Cody to experiment with their drum and guitar sounds in a leisurely way they hadn’t afforded themselves since their debut album, Shake Hands with Shorty (1999). In the studio, Cody mixed the songs again and again, working tirelessly but never losing perspective. Cody’s grooves and Luther’s songwriting furnish the album’s foundations.

Luther admits, “Recently, I had my mind blown by Rick Rubin saying that fitting lyrics into the puzzle of structure can compromise the message. Indeed, rules are made to be broken. I’m glad these songs came to fruition at this time because I was able to express my stance on life and love. The fear of having my children grown up and asking me why I didn’t speak up for what I believed in has driven me and helped mature my songwriting and solidify my stance. Having kids made me get my story straight.”

The Dickinson brothers have recorded and toured with Mavis Staples, Charlie Musslewhite, John Hiatt, Robert Plant and Patty Griffin, G Love, Jon Spencer, the Tedeschi Trucks Band, Los Lobos, and the Black Crowes. Meanwhile, their seminal debut, Shake hands with Shorty (2000), earned the band the first of four GRAMMY® nominations, and changed the Dickinson brothers’ lives forever.

Luther adds, “Quincy says, ‘Music gives back what you put into it.’ We have dedicated our lives to music, and it’s given us a fantastic journey that’s still only beginning.

In 1997, R.L. Burnside hired me and took me on the road. R.L., Kenny Brown, and Cedric Burnside taught me how to tour nationally after years of touring locally. The Shake Hands with Shorty tour in 2000 took Cody and I around the world and changed our lives. We never really slowed down.”

They forge ahead always as a family, first and foremost. “North Mississippi Allstars means family,” Cody concludes. “I get the joy of working with my brother. Our families keep growing too. There’s a sense of history. The older I get, the more I realize how important it is to record this music, so younger kids can hear it. I just want to make sure we pass it on. It’s a huge honor to be a part of this tradition.”

Dan Deacon
Apr 8 @ 9:00 pm
The Grey Eagle

– ALL AGES
– STANDING ROOM ONLY

DAN DEACON

How do you make something solid, beautiful, and built to last in a time of cultural chaos and personal doubt? With Mystic Familiar, Dan Deacon gives us the stunning result of years of obsessive work, play, and self-discovery. It’s at once his most emotionally open record and his most transcendent, 11 kaleidoscopic tracks of majestic synth-pop that exponentially expand his sound with unfettered imagination and newfound vulnerability.

Since 2015’s Gliss Riffer, Deacon has branched out from his core body of work as a popular recording artist into a dizzying array of collaborative projects: scoring eight films, including the feature documentaries Rat Film and Time Trial (both released as LPs on Domino Soundtracks) and HBO’s Well Groomed; collaborating with the New York City Ballet’s resident choreographer Justin Peck on the dance piece The Times Are Racing; performing expanded arrangements of his music with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra; and for the first time producing and co-writing an album by another artist, Ed Schrader’s Music Beat’s alt-rock dynamo Riddles.

But as varied and fulfilling as these projects were, they all lacked one thing: Deacon’s voice. And in the midst of that whirlwind of activity, he returned whenever he could to a personal oasis — the songs that would become Mystic Familiar, informed by all these collaborations but built from within. Propelled by the unprecedented response to Gliss Riffer highlight “When I Was Done Dying” and the exquisite-corpse animated video that vividly amplified that song’s narrative odyssey of multiverse-traveling post-life energy, Deacon’s writing took an exploratory new direction. He further developed this new material with daily prompts from Brian Eno’s deck of Oblique Strategies and the use of meditation to access that inner well of creativity David Lynch describes in Catching the Big Fish. These techniques, in tandem with his newly adopted therapeutic practices of self-compassion and mindfulness, produced Dan Deacon songs that go places far beyond those his music has traveled before — songs that wield the profundity of a philosopher and the absurdity of a court jester as they paint life as a psychedelic journey brimming with bliss and disruption, darkness and light.

Mystic Familiar’s opening track “Become a Mountain” immediately announces itself as something new, for the first time ever on record presenting Dan’s natural singing voice, unprocessed and with only minimal accompaniment. When Deacon proclaims “I rose up” here, it is Dan Deacon singing in the first person as Dan Deacon — a startlingly vulnerable shift in a songbook abundant with characters, metaphors, and distorted vocals. As other ornate voices answer this unadorned I, we’re introduced to the album’s central concept and titular character: the Mystic Familiar, that supernatural other being that we carry with us everywhere in our head, which only we can hear and with whom we live our lives in eternal conversation. “Hypnagogic” takes us deeper into Deacon’s mind, a synth swirl similar to those which have begun his recent performances, absorbing the pulse of the room and extending that abstract moment in which a journey begins.

Sunday, April 9, 2023
Easter Celebration and Hosted Weekend at Half-Mile Farm with Chef Craig Richards at Half-Mile Farm
Apr 9 all-day
Half-Mile Farm

Stay at Half-Mile Farm for a grown-up Easter weekend featuring Executive Chef Craig Richards of Lyla Lila in Atlanta! Easter is the perfect time to leave routine behind and celebrate Spring in the splendor of Mother Nature surrounded by the pastoral grounds of Half-Mile Farm.

Easter Sunday Community Brunch at Kanuga
Apr 9 @ 11:00 am – 2:00 pm
Kanuga Inn & Lodging

Guests are welcome to enjoy the grounds and trails before or after the
meal. Kanuga’s 21 miles of hiking trails will be open, as well as Daisy’s Lake Trail, which is an easy walk encircling Kanuga Lake. In
addition, Kanuga Lake’s waterfront will be open for swimming and boating from 11 a.m.-3 p.m., with canoes and kayaks available
(weather permitting). Kanuga chefs have prepared a wonderful brunch menu and we invite everyone to bring family and friends to
break bread together. The brunch buffet features rosemary beef tenderloin, brown sugar and maple ham, spring frittata, fresh fruit,
asparagus, salad bar, and more, topped off with homemade lemon bars and iced blueberry biscuits. Mimosas and Bloody Marys will
be available as well. Guests may enjoy the meal in the dining room, at outside tables, or on the Rocking Chair Porch.

Live music with our favorite Hunnilicious
Apr 9 @ 2:30 pm – 5:30 pm
Saint Paul Mountain Vineyards

Come hang with our favorite mother daughter Duo is back to perform all your favorites. Enjoy great music, great wine and food, with great friends!

Phuncle Sam at The Outpost
Apr 9 @ 4:00 pm
The Outpost

Phuncle Sam is Asheville’s own Dead-Centric “jam band”. Since their formation in 2004, Phuncle Sam has been firmly rooted in musical exploration. The band serves up inventive interpretations of Jerry Garcia, Grateful Dead, and many others. They have built up a faithful following by using an approach that respects the improvisational traditions of The Grateful Dead, while exploring what can happen when individual band members bring their unique influences and interpretations into the mix.

Tuesday, April 11, 2023
LEGO Builders Club
Apr 11 @ 3:30 pm – 4:30 pm
Pack Memorial Library

Come down the Pack Memorial Library and play with LEGOs!
Show off your building skills and make new friends with other LEGO maniacs.

Please leave your personal LEGOs at home, because we’ve got plenty.

School Age – (grades K-5)
Every Tuesday 1/2 off bottles of wine at 131 Main Restaurant
Apr 11 @ 5:00 pm
131 Main Restaurant

Every Tuesday 1/2 off bottles of wine at 131 Main Restaurant