Recommended diversions
Charles Bukowski So, you don’t like poetry? Well, maybe Charles W. Bukowski will ring your chimes. Talk about ugly? This…
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Roman Candle’s ‘Wee Hours’ aims for a place in the heart
By Chris Cooper The best rock album of the year is about to be released. No kidding. My first encounter…
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Folkmoot photo ops: International festival revamps, ramps up for 2006 season
By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer Folkmoot USA, the annual international dance festival with performances held throughout Western North Carolina,…
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Becoming art smart: The 11th Annual Studio Gallery Open House and Walking Tour in Waynesville gives people a chance to create and learn more about art
By Michael Beadle Waynesville art gallery owners don’t just want to sell art. They want people to ask lots of…
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The Second Act: ‘Unto These Hills’ opens with a new look that aims to draw big crowds and give a more authentic account of Cherokee history and culture
By Michael Beadle It’s a story 10,000 years in the making. And now Cherokees and Native Americans from all over…
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Scenes of redemption: Gallery 86 in Waynesville features paintings by Luke Allsbrook
By Michael Beadle Luke Allsbrook has a voice as soothing as his paintings. He explains his craft with the calm…
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Recommended diversions
Records As in old school phonograph records, not world records or dental records. After collecting thousands of CDs over the…
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Sweet vinegar sounds
By Chris Cooper Claiming influences as far apart stylistically as Iron Maiden and Ravi Shankar, Mother Vinegar lean further toward…
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Telling a better story
By Michael Beadle There’s a heavy heat inside Mountainside Theatre’s rehearsal studio even with fans blowing and the lights turned…
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Zeitgeist of Germany, circa 2006
By Michael Beadle Editor’s note: Smoky Mountain News Writer Michael Beadle recently traveled to Europe. The following is the second…
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Life in the (really) fast lane
By Michael Beadle Welcome to the Autobahn: land of the speedy, home of the brave. You have to be brave…
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Mental Floss For those who love collecting trivia in bite-sized tidbits, look no further than Mental Floss magazine, the sugar-coated…
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Quilting art: The Shady Ladies bring a new spin to an ancient craft with upcoming show
By Sarah Kucharski The Shady Ladies, a diverse group of quilters based in Haywood County, are gearing up for their…
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A gem from Charlotte’s crown
By Chris Cooper Some songwriters have the gift of saying volumes with very little. They don’t need to spell it…
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The Swiss experience
By Michael Beadle Editor’s note: Smoky Mountain News Writer Michael Beadle recently traveled to Europe. The following is the first…
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Recommended diversions
A+ arts schools Call me biased, but Central Elementary School in downtown Waynesville is a great place. All three of…
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Crafty, curious Codetalkers
By Chris Cooper To say that Col. Bruce Hampton has carved a colorful swath through the music industry is likely…
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Achtung Elf! Lessons in learning a foreign language
By Michael Beadle One thing that paralyzes American tourists about visiting foreign countries is the language barrier.
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Child’s Play: Swain youth is champion picker
By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer At age 12, Seth Taylor is a quiet, tanned, tow-headed boy. He seems well…
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Recommended diversions
Ebay Egad, it’s more addictive than heroin. My family always had a penchant for what some might refer to as…
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Recommended diversions
Spring One diversion in my life this past month was the weather. Surely this spring is among the most gorgeous…
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Five CDs that deserve a spin
I’m going to take a brief detour from the regular album/show review format and present five CDs that I feel…
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The media is the muse: Jackson County potter will set up studios at Green Energy Park
By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer From behind the waist-high counter that divides his studio and gallery in half, potter…
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The Bard is in: Atlanta Shakespeare Company wraps up week-long residency at Cherokee High School
By Michael Beadle Last week, Cherokee students found themselves stretching, swooning, thrusting imaginary swords and spouting 400-year-old Elizabethan English. All…
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Kenny Wayne Shepherd: Powerhouse blues prodigy leaves WCU’s Ramsey Center in his wake
First, an admission: I didn’t get to talk to Kenny Wayne Shepherd at all. No interview or anything. Kind of…
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HART opens main stage season with a ‘Miracle’
By Michael Beadle Helen Keller is an unruly child. She eats food with her fingers, drops her silverware on purpose,…
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Recommended diversions
Back-buying Have you ever noticed that people, for the most part, solidify their tastes — in music, and clothing, and…
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Recommended diversions
Leonard Cohen What can you say about a man in his 70’s who is an international sex symbol in Paris,…
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Howle’s character, craftsmanship shines through no matter the genre
By Chris Cooper I’ve seen Danielle Howle completely abandon the stage and microphone in the middle of a song and…
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Cherokee on stage: WCU student project depicts Cherokee lore theatrically
Western Carolina University students are filming the last scenes from the Theatre in Education Company’s performance of “Young Cherokee,” concluding…
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Words on the wind: New Cherokee youth radio program offers students a chance to record and broadcast news reports, tribal culture and local history
By Michael Beadle It’s Thursday morning and Cherokee High School junior Brandi Oocumma is preparing to read a news story…
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Recommended diversions
Drive-By Truckers: A Blessing and a Curse I first saw the Truckers eight or nine years ago in a little…
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Stillwell earns fans the hard way
By Chris Cooper What do the words “music career” mean to you? For many it’s big fancy studios, nice cars…
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National Poetry Month April may have been “the cruelest month” for poet T.S. Eliot, but for me it is truly…
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Solid country from outside the Nashville machine
By Chris Cooper The name Radney Foster takes me back to the earlier days of home satellite dishes and music…
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‘Doctors for Doc’ takes the lead in Watson concert fundraising
As part of an innovative fundraising effort called “Doctors for Doc,” Haywood County physicians affiliated with Haywood Regional Medical Center…
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The Doc is still in: Legendary Appalachian musician scheduled to play in Haywood County for Arts Council benefit concert
By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer There are two things Arthel Watson fans are sure to mention when asked about…
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Rash draws on his own Civil War ties in his new novel, The World Made Straight
By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer History books and literature long have recounted and regaled the Civil War, examined its…
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The Age of Anxiety: McCarthyism to Terrorism Haynes Johnson’s 2005 book isn’t frightening, but it should at least make thinking…
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High-caliber creativity and fearless fretsmanship shine on Grass
By Chris Cooper Silly, psychedelic and monstrously musical, the teaming of Keller Williams with Larry and Jenny Keel on Grass…
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A moveable feast: Mélange of the Mountains returns to Balsam Mountain Inn March 23
By Michael Beadle Succulent shrimp. Marinated roast beef. Creamy soups and sweet vegetables. And don’t forget dessert.
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Tea Leaf Green’s mixed bag contains a few nuggets for jam band disciples
By Chris Cooper It’s tricky when you find the word “hype” used repeatedly in the glowing fan reviews of a…
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Recommended diversions
“Fortunes of War” Based upon the autobiographical novels of Olivia Manning, this BBC production tells the story of Guy Pringle…
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Recommended diversions
Ali Farka Toure Guitarist Ali Farka Toure has been hailed for his distinctive mix of Arabic-influenced Malian sound and American…
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The Life Cycle: HART studio presents two shows in one night
By Michael Beadle A farm girl recounts her memories of a special calf named Rupert and a gravedigger tells of…
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Sheik’s musical soup takes swings with brutal honesty
By Chris Cooper Duncan Sheik demonstrates a sort of understated brilliance that’s almost alarming when you hear it. Ballads slip…
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Accessible art: Macon County Art Association makes strides to bring art to everyone
By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer Macon County Art Association publicity manager Pat Mennenger busied herself arranging crackers on a…
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Recommended diversions
Kindergarten The other day I went to a kindergarten class for “Career Day.” I had 15 minutes to talk about…
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Enter the mystery: World-famous extraordinist Craig Karges comes to Western Carolina University
By Michael Beadle OK, first things first — Craig Karges is not a comedian though he makes his audiences laugh.…
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