This must be the place: ‘Don’t deny that a rambler must always be free’
Hopping out of the 15-foot U-Haul truck last week, I reached for the gas pump and began fueling up the…
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At the End of the Rainbow: A conversation with Sierra Ferrell
Musician extraordinaire. Freelance sniper. Dancer.
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This must be the place: Oh, give me a home where the buffalo roam, where the deer and the antelope play
I’m currently on a cross-country road trip. Pictured sitting on the U-Haul is Christine Kavanaugh, aka: “Aunt Chrissy.” I snapped…
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Bestselling author of ‘Dear Martin’ comes to Waynesville
Almost everyone wants the best for themselves, the people they love, the acquaintances they encounter and even the billions of…
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HCAC ‘Artist of the Month’
The Haywood County Arts Council in Waynesville has announced that painter Laura Parker is the “Artist of the Month” for…
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This must be the place: ‘People love you when they on your mind, a thought is love’s currency’
It was an odd feeling to wake up in a natural state, rather than be disturbed by the noises of…
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This must be the place: Goin’ places that I’ve never been, seein’ things that I may never see again
It was a matter of $50 when my father finally relented to his birthday celebration. In the depths of The…
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Into the fold: Blue Ridge Craft Trails foster community, tradition
The studio space of blacksmith Rachel David is vast. Inside an enormous old hay barn there is equipment everywhere –…
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‘Jewgrass’: Nefesh Mountain brings a different perspective to bluegrass music
The word “Jewish” can be used to describe both an ethnicity and a religious faith; some people are one or…
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A Life in Focus: A Conversation with Graham Nash
Within his iconic melodies that have serenaded our hearts and minds for over a half-century, singer-songwriter Graham Nash is able…
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This must be the place: Can’t you feel the whole world’s a-turnin’? We are real and we are a-burnin’
It was the sound of a fire truck roaring through downtown Knoxville Monday morning that woke me up. The window…
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This must be the place: Sipping an old fashioned like a divorcee in Vegas, I’m too young to be feeling this way
I forgot to pull down the window shade and awoke to the early morning light on Saturday. There was a…
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Flirtin’ with disaster: Upcoming Haywood rock festival sparks controversy
Musicians, promoters and supposed sponsors are all upset about the marketing associated with an upcoming performance at the Smoky Mountain…
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This must be the place: Rock and roll is here to stay, come inside where it’s okay
It was that familiar smell that conjured a slew of memories.
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The alchemy of the melody: A conversation with Andrew Thelston
In terms of musical ambassadors within the melodic melting pot of a scene that is Western North Carolina, you’d be…
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In search of a sense of community: Highly-anticipated pub opens in Waynesville
Serendipity is a word Makyia Blair has been using a lot lately.
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This must be the place: I want to hold you in the Bible black pre-dawn, what was I thinking when we said hello?
It’s Sunday, Feb. 13. The Super Bowl will be underway in about six hours. I’m sitting at a table in…
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Pouring a cup of community: Coffee shop becomes Canton staple
Like many recent businesses opening in downtown Canton, it’s usually a story of someone deciding to take a chance on…
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This must be the place: I got love that ain’t gonna change, I got love that won’t fade away
It was right around the third drink of the evening when I had the sneaking suspicion an existential crisis was…
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All this everything: Brock Butler of Perpetual Groove
It is said that a cat has nine lives. If so, then singer-songwriter Brock Butler may just be half-feline.
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This must be the place: It’s a Monday, it’s so mundane, what exciting things will happen today?
Just east of Hot Springs, I pulled off U.S. 70 and turned into the small, muddy parking lot. Emerging from…
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Show me somethin’ I can’t sell: A conversation with John R. Miller
Hailing from the rural panhandle of West Virginia, singer-songwriter John R. Miller is one of the most fascinating and captivating…
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This must be the place: I dreamt that you were Joan-of Arc and I was Don Quixote
Right at the line of Graham and Swain counties, along a stretch of N.C. 28, is the entrance to the…
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Artist support grants awarded
The Haywood County Arts Council (HCAC) and regional partners, including the Asheville Area Arts Council, Transylvania Community Arts Council, the…
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This must be the place: Someday soon, you’re gonna have families of your own
Stepping into the Cresskill Tavern in Cresskill, New Jersey, last Wednesday evening, the place looked the exact same. It had…
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Taking the leap: 828 Market on Main
What started out as a simple idea to open a bottle shop has morphed into a hub of culinary delights…
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This must be the place: There were oh so many roads, I was livin’ to run and runnin’ to live
It’s Saturday evening here at my parents’ 1840 farmhouse in Upstate New York. The temperature is hovering around 15 degrees…
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Runnin’ wild: A conversation with Railroad Earth
In the realm of string and jam music, few acts are as intricately varied as Railroad Earth. Recently crossing over…
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This must be the place: Ain’t nobody slowing down no way, everybody’s stepping on their accelerator
It was about 4:30 a.m. when the cover of the hot tub was finally pulled off and we jumped into…
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Dawn a new day: Greg Ormont of Pigeons Playing Ping Pong
In the long, storied history of jam bands and the rollicking aura of time and space surrounding each unique musical…
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The maker and the mare: Haywood artisan combines love of horses, jewelry
Raised on a family farm just outside of Greensboro, Jean Osborne was surrounded by hundreds of cows and thousands of…
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This must be the place: When the winter comes, keep the fires lit, and I will be right next to you
All bundled up and sitting on the frozen, snowy summit of Poke-O-Moonshine Mountain in the heart of the Adirondacks of…
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JAM program gives students sense of place
There is a special moment that happens whilst playing music, a moment when concentration takes over as a musician uses…
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New directors at Cherokee museum
The Museum of the Cherokee Indian is expanding its leadership with the appointment of two new directors.
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This must be the place: Catch a wave and take in the sweetness, think about it, the darkness, the deepness
It’s 8:53 a.m. Room 159. Super 8 Motel. Christiansburg, Virginia. Upon exiting the room in time for the 9 a.m.…
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Finding the will to go on: New Canton gallery reopens after flood
On Aug. 13, Hannah Burnisky’s longtime dream of owning a pottery studio and art gallery came to fruition when the…
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This must be the place: My dreams fading down the railway line, I’m just about a moonlight mile down the road
It’s 9:21 a.m. Monday. Room 130. Super 8 Motel on the outskirts of Valdosta, Georgia. The air in the space…
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This must be the place: Won’t somebody tell me what I’m doing here? Won’t somebody tell me where I’m going?
Finishing up my scrambled eggs and black cherry yogurt, I washed the dishes in the small sink. Dried off my…
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Last of the better days ahead: A conversation with Charlie Parr
To be blunt? Charlie Parr is one of the finest singer-songwriters today. Based out of Duluth, Minnesota, Parr is true…
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This must be the place
It’s 11:16 a.m. Wednesday. Sitting in the lobby of the Dunes Inn & Suites on Tybee Island, Georgia, I can…
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You left your lonely: Charles Humphrey of Songs From The Road Band
Within this modern realm of bluegrass music, there’s a particular sonic revolution occurring — one where once-fringe elements of progressive…
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‘The Little Mermaid Jr.’ at HART
There will be a special stage production of “The Little Mermaid Jr.” by Kids at HART at 7:30 p.m. Nov.…
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Man on a mission: Darren Nicholson on new album, new chapter
On his way from performing at a Sunday church service in Highlands to an afternoon gig at Ole Smoky Distillery…
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Ode to GWAR, ode to heavy metal integrity
Standing in the photo pit last week between heavy metal icons GWAR and a sold-out roaring audience at The Orange…
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This must be the place: Ode to Billy Strings, ode to breaking down musical barriers
Standing in a sea of thousands of music freaks at the Asheville Civic Center (aka: Harrah’s Cherokee Center) on Sunday…
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It will if we let it: MC Taylor of Hiss Golden Messenger
In a modern world of meaningless priorities, constant distraction, finger pointing and incessant white noise, Hiss Golden Messenger remains a…
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This must be the place: Ode to being real, ode to the dude who felt otherwise
It was Saturday. Having just strolled into my neighborhood bar in Waynesville, I walked over to say hello to my…
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Rolling down that lost highway: A conversation with J.D. Pinkus
Hunkered down at a table in the depths of the cavernous DeSoto Lounge in West Asheville, J.D Pinkus takes a…
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Holt to receive N.C. Award
David Holt is one of nine North Carolinians who will receive the state’s highest civilian honor, the North Carolina Award,…
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Now it’s me who owns the night: Blackouts, Driftwood to play Water’n Hole
In an effort to bust out of her Virginia hometown and head for the bright lights of Nashville, rising singer-songwriter…
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