The world is a vastly different place than it was just a few years ago, and Atmosphere’s seventh album, Mi Vida Local, reflects the ways in which the world, and Atmosphere’s place in it¬, has changed. The idyllic domesticity of their past few records has morphed into anxiety over keeping loved ones safe during turbulent times. Instead of bragging about backstage misadventures it’s about grappling with mortality. The easygoing collaboration between Ant and Slug has started to feel more like the life-or-death intimacy of two men trapped together on a lifeboat.

At times it’s a heavy album (“I might be the last generation of grandparents,” goes a key line from “Virgo”), but it’s far from grim. There are jokes being cracked, joints getting smoked, a little trash talking here and there- after all, it’s still a rap record.

And Atmosphere’s never sounded better.

As the name implies, Mi Vida Local is intensely focused on the place it was created- the southside of Minneapolis- where Slug and Ant work tirelessly in their “beautiful basements”, refining their sound without interruption, save for a handful of friends from the Minneapolis hip-hop community who showed up to contribute. A year of one-on-one collaboration resulting in an album that matches complex subject matter with equally deep beats- ones that show a clear lineage back to the psychedelic funk landmarks from an earlier era where America was going through a post-utopian hangover, and prove that there won’t ever be a time where boom-bap beats don’t sound perfectly of the moment.

Mi Vida Local might be the best album Atmosphere’s ever made. It’s definitely the one they needed to make right now, and one listeners need to hear just as urgently. If it’s sometimes an album about how the fight to find happiness never really ends- even after you get the house and the kids and the artistic freedom to make dad-rap records- it’s also about discovering that there’s happiness to be found just in fighting.

rhymesayers.com/atmosphere

Twenty years after they began releasing records as the Indigo Girls, Amy Ray and Emily Saliers have politely declined the opportunity to slow down with age. With a legacy of releases and countless U.S. and international tours behind them, the Indigo Girls have forged their own way in the music business. Selling over 14 million records, they are still going strong.Amy & Emily are the only duo with top 40 titles on the Billboard 200 in the ’80s, ’90s, ’00s and ’10s.

“Along with Simon & Garfunkel and The Everly Brothers, Amy Ray and Emily Saliers rank at the very top of all-time great duos. The sublime music-making-machine-skewering “Making Promises” is one of their finest rockers.”–The Boston Herald

After signing to Epic Records in 1988, the Indigo Girls released their critically acclaimed eponymous album to thunderous praise; it remained on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart for 35 weeks, earned double platinum status, received a Grammy nomination for “Best New Artist” and won “Best Contemporary Folk Recording.” They were overnight folk icons who continued to live up to the high standards they’d set for themselves: they’ve since released 14 albums (3 platinum and 3 gold), received six Grammy nominations and have won one. Indigo Girls have toured with innumerable star acts including Neil Young, Emmylou Harris, Joan Baez, R.E.M., Sarah MacLachlan, Natalie Merchant, Jewel and Mary Chapin Carpenter.

The duo has balanced their long, successful musical career by supporting numerous social causes–the Indigo Girls don’t just talk the talk; they walk the walk. Having established an intensely dedicated fan base, the duo continues to remain relevant and attract new fans. With their latest release, Beauty Queen Sister, released on IG Recordings distributed by Vanguard Records,Emily Saliers and Amy Ray have secured their spot as one of the most legendary musical acts of this generation.

“Their 14th studio album finds the Indigo Girls operating as powerfully as at any time in theircareer, on a set of uncommonly strong songs performed with the kind of typically understated Nashville polish that affords their signature harmonies the full spotlight.”–The Independent (UK)

In 2015 Indigo Girls released their 14th studio album, One Lost Day, produced by Jordan Brooke Hamlin and mixed by Brian Joseph.

Live Music – never a cover charge!

The Lumineers have announced a 2020 headlining North American tour of arenas and amphitheatres. The tour dates are in support of their upcoming album III out September 13 on Dualtone (an Entertainment One Company) in the U.S. and Canada, and on Decca Records for the rest of the world.

The Lumineers will once again partner with CID Entertainment to offer fans the opportunity to pair a premium concert ticket with merchandise or pre-show access to the III Lounge, with hospitality and entertainment. Packages will be available beginning August 12th at 10am local time. For details, visit cidentertainment.com/events/the-lumineers-tour/

Seven Singers Singing is cabaret-style musical revue, featuring some of the area’s finest vocal talent. The songs, written by local musician Dave Bates, run the gamut from bouncy show tunes to soulful ballads. Seven singers will also delight audiences with comic novelty songs and uplifting inspirational numbers. If you’ve ever said you want to leave the theatre with a song to hum, this is the show for you.
Seven Singers Singing includes well known singers, Richard Blue, Mandy Bean, Alex Guazzo, Nana Hosmer Griffin, Tasha Pepi, Matt Wade and Hannah Williams.

Call for tickets

Yonder Mountain String Band’s first new album in two years, LOVE. AIN’T LOVE is undeniably the Colorado-based progressive bluegrass outfit’s most surprising, creative, and yes, energetic studio excursion to date. Songs like “Chasing My Tail” and “Alison” are rooted in tradition but as current as tomorrow, animated by electrifying performance, vivid production, and the modernist power that has made Yonder one of the most popular live bands of their generation. Melding sophisticated songcraft, irrepressible spirit, and remarkable instrumental ability, LOVE. AIN’T LOVE is a testament to Yonder Mountain String Band’s organic, dynamic, and intensely personal brand of contemporary bluegrass-fueled Americana.

“I think this is our best album yet,” says Adam Aijala, guitarist.

Yonder founding members Aijala, banjo player Dave Johnston, and bassist Ben Kaufmann reconfigured Yonder Mountain String Band as a traditional bluegrass instrumental five-piece in 2014 with the recruitment of new players Allie Kral (violin) and Jacob Jolliff (mandolin). The reconstituted group debuted with 2015’s acclaimed BLACK SHEEP, but truly gelled as they toured, the new players’ personalities seamlessly blending and elevating the intrinsically tight Yonder sound. Yonder made certain to show off the current roster’s growing strength with the 2017 release of MOUNTAIN TRACKS: VOLUME 6, the first installment in their hugely popular live recording series since 2008.

Our Leap Year concert celebrates a series of musical oddities; lesser-known pieces that are rarely played combine in this unusual jewel of a concert. This is Music Director Milton Crotts’s final concert of the season before he heads to Shanghai.

Program

Jacques Ibert, Concerto for Cello and Wind Instruments – Mandy Grace Guilfoyle, cello

Richard Percival, Sicilienne for Strings and English Horn – Carlton Alexander, English horn

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Symphony No. 29 in A major – Full orchestra

Josef Haydn, Farewell Symphony (No. 45) – Full orchestra

Snow Contingency

If this concert is canceled due to snow, it will be rescheduled for 4:30pm on Saturday, February 8, at Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church.

Concert Sponsor

         Sponsorship still available!

Kickshaws & Quiddities: Musical Oddities for a Leap Year

Milton Crotts, conductor

Our Leap Year concert celebrates a series of musical oddities; lesser-known pieces that are rarely played combine into this unusual jewel of a concert.

Program

Jacques Ibert, Concerto for Cello and Wind Instruments – Mandy Guilfoyle, cello

Richard Percival, Sicilienne for Strings and English Horn – Carlton Alexander, English horn

Michael Haydn, Symphony No. 29 – Full orchestra

Astor Piazzolla, Libertango – Hobart Whitman, horn; Casey Coppenbarger, trumpet; Richard Plyler, trumpet; Rienette Davis, trombone; JP Carney, tuba

SNOW CONTINGENCY

If these concerts are canceled due to snow, they will be rescheduled for the same times on Saturday, February 8, at Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church.

The U.S. Cellular Center Asheville is proud to announce The Lumineers III: The World Tour

The Lumineers have announced a 2020 headlining North American tour of arenas and amphitheatres. The tour dates are in support of their upcoming album III out September 13 on Dualtone (an Entertainment One Company) in the U.S. and Canada, and on Decca Records for the rest of the world.

The Lumineers will once again partner with CID Entertainment to offer fans the opportunity to pair a premium concert ticket with merchandise or pre-show access to the III Lounge, with hospitality and entertainment. Packages will be available beginning August 12th at 10am local time. For details, visit cidentertainment.com/events/the-lumineers-tour/

Seven Singers Singing is cabaret-style musical revue, featuring some of the area’s finest vocal talent. The songs, written by local musician Dave Bates, run the gamut from bouncy show tunes to soulful ballads. Seven singers will also delight audiences with comic novelty songs and uplifting inspirational numbers. If you’ve ever said you want to leave the theatre with a song to hum, this is the show for you.
Seven Singers Singing includes well known singers, Richard Blue, Mandy Bean, Alex Guazzo, Nana Hosmer Griffin, Tasha Pepi, Matt Wade and Hannah Williams.

Call for tickets

Seven Singers Singing is cabaret-style musical revue, featuring some of the area’s finest vocal talent. The songs, written by local musician Dave Bates, run the gamut from bouncy show tunes to soulful ballads. Seven singers will also delight audiences with comic novelty songs and uplifting inspirational numbers. If you’ve ever said you want to leave the theatre with a song to hum, this is the show for you.
Seven Singers Singing includes well known singers, Richard Blue, Mandy Bean, Alex Guazzo, Nana Hosmer Griffin, Tasha Pepi, Matt Wade and Hannah Williams.

Call for tickets

Jack of the Wood : Sunday-Irish Session 

Sundays

1 till who knows when?

Traditional Irish music is kept alive at Jack of the Wood with our unplugged Sunday session.

Jack of the Wood

95 Patton ave

Asheville, NC 28801

(828) 252.5445

http://www.jackofthewood.com/

Ensemble 4.1 is a “piano windtet” brought to life by four wind soloists from top German orchestras and one unmistakable pianist. Their exceptional communicative power and intoxicating on-stage presence are repeatedly praised by critics and have become the hallmark of Ensemble 4.1.

In addition to the original masterworks for this instrumentation by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Ludwig van Beethoven, the ensemble is devoted to discovering rarely played compositions from the Romantic and Modern periods. After many years of silence, composers like Walther Gieseking, Theodor Verhey, Herrmann Zilcher, and Arne Oldberg are again being performed for an enthusiastic public.

Since its inception in 2013, Ensemble 4.1 has crisscrossed the globe and performed recitals in China, Pakistan, Austria, Germany, Algeria, Canada, and the United States.

Official Website

Free Master Class

Monday, February 3, 2020 • 10 am

Ticket holders may observe a master class with Ensemble 4.1 for free. To inquire about becoming a participant in the master class, email [email protected].

Pre-Show Talk

Arrive early to the show to be guided through the pieces and performance you are about to experience in our FREE Pre-Show Talks hosted by Peace Center Artist-in-Residence, Igor Begelman.

The Rhythmic Arts Project of Asheville will be hosting monthly classes at Pack Memorial Library for teens and adults with developmental disabilities. TRAP is dedicated to empowering and educating individuals with developmental disabilities through the power of percussion and music. Caretakers, parents, and family members are welcome to participate! This event is free, but you do need to register. Please visit the library web page and use the link on the calendar for this program or call 250-4718 to register for the class. Registration is required so we know how many participants to expect, there is no charge for this class.

Wednesday, Feb. 5 at 6 p.m.

Wednesday, Feb. 12 at 4 p.m. at

All Ages – 12 and under requires venue approval

Zoso – The Ultimate Led Zeppelin Experience formed in 1995 to perform the most accurate and captivating Led Zeppelin live show since the real thing. For Zoso, it’s much more than just being a tribute. It’s about touching a golden era in music. Zoso embodies Page, Plant, Bonham and Jones in their spirit, tightly wound talent and authenticity.

Each band member has been carefully selected to portray both the appearance and playing styles of their Led Zeppelin counterparts. In eighteen successful years of touring, they have perfected their art.As one of the longest tenured Zeppelin tributes, Zoso’s 2400 live shows around the world, including a slot at Bonnaroo in 2003,have established them as the most traveled and successful band in the market.

Zoso’s live shows are not about simply playing the right notes, they are about aura and feeling, harkening back to the unique atmosphere Led Zeppelin created. It’s in the way they play: Each band member’s mastery of authentic vintage instruments coupled with spot on vocals, guitar, bass, drums, and keyboards, their compelling stage persona and distinct Led Zeppelin sound, with astounding visual imagery recreates the music, magic, and mystery of a Zeppelin concert. The impact is so powerful that band members constantly hear from young rockers that they were the catalyst behind turning them into new, die hard Zeppelin fans.

Their passion, musical ability, showmanship and precise attention to detail earned them critical acclaim, name recognition and a loyal national following. The Los Angeles Times hailed the group as being “head and shoulders above all other Zeppelin tributes,” and the Chicago Sun Times declared Zoso is “the closest to the original of any tribute.”

If you missed Led Zeppelin live in the 70’s or are looking to relive the “Hammer of the Gods” phenomenon, you must experience what the St. Petersburg Times calls “the most exacting of the Zeppelin tribute bands in existence.”