This must be the place: Let it wander on my mind. Goodbye, Neal.
Heartbroken and stunned. That’s about all I can say or feel at this moment with the tragic passing of singer-songwriter…
Read More
Where the soul never dies: Richard Sterban of The Oak Ridge Boys
It’s one of the most recognizable voices in all of American music. When Richard Sterban famously coined the “oom-pa-pa-oom-pa-pa-mow-mow” bass…
Read More
This must be the place: And we got to get ourselves back to the garden
It was 50 years ago this past weekend that Max Yasgur, a 49-year-old conservative Upstate New York farmer, stood onstage…
Read More
The living melodic bridge: ‘David Holt’s State of Music’
Now syndicated on PBS stations from coast to coast, “David Holt’s State of Music” has become a beacon of traditional…
Read More
This must be the place: ‘Cause no one knows me like you anymore, as long forgotten as a debt I owe
It’s around midnight, early Tuesday morning. Just sitting here, thinking. Finally getting around to drinking a cold beer on a…
Read More
This must be the place: Living in the present, trying to forget the past
Persistence and gratitude. Those are two key words and concepts in life, personally and professionally. But, for this specific post,…
Read More
Fred Chappell releases new poetry collection
The purpose of a writer is to take observations on life and distill those sights and sounds into words and…
Read More
The rebel and the rose: Becky Buller to play ‘An Appalachian Evening’
In bluegrass, there are pioneers and there are pillars — Becky Buller is both. A beloved singer/fiddler, the Minnesota native…
Read More
This must be the place: Never for money, always for love
Please allow me to reintroduce myself. I started this column back around Memorial Day of 2013. So, by the calendar…
Read More
HCAC ‘Volunteer of the Year’
During its July meeting, the Haywood County Arts Council presented Anna Thibeault with its “Volunteer of the Year” award.
Read More
Haywood Arts expands artist, gallery reach
The Haywood County Arts Council (HCAC) is expanding beyond Waynesville’s city limits to include the artists and creative workers in…
Read More
This must be the place: If the thunder don’t get you then the lightning will
Though the roads were slick from heavy rainstorms on Tuesday morning, I momentarily couldn’t figure out why my truck was…
Read More
Sylva Art + Design Committee gets the ball rolling
Huddled around a table at the White Moon Coffee Shop on Mill Street in downtown Sylva one recent rainy afternoon,…
Read More
This must be the place: And it’s one, two, three, what are we fighting for?
Lately, or more so in recent years, I find the only way I can drown out the constant barrage of…
Read More
New book details the history of the John C. Campbell Folk School
In Craft & Community, regional author Anna Fariello presents the early history of Western North Carolina’s John C. Campbell Folk…
Read More
Lightning in a bottle: Greensky Bluegrass captures inspiration at Echo Mountain
Bordering the bustling Patton Avenue in downtown Asheville, you wouldn’t know where Echo Mountain Recording is unless you were told. …
Read More
This must be the place: Ten years later and all I got was this crappy T-shirt
This past Saturday morning, I awoke in the top bunk of an RV in downtown Sylva. I got up and…
Read More
New monthly documentary program
The Jackson County Public Library in Sylva will be starting a monthly documentary series called “DocuWednesday.”
Read More
In need of craft therapy?
The Jackson County Public Library in Sylva will be starting craft therapy. This get-together will be the first Tuesday of…
Read More
Small-town sequel: Waynesville’s Smoky Mountain Cinema reopens
Standing in the lobby of the Smoky Mountain Cinema in Waynesville this past Monday morning, owner Greg Israel is putting…
Read More
This must be the place: Ode to Jeff Austin, ode to the power of music
The hardest part of being a journalist, and especially one whose core focus is music, is seeing those you were…
Read More
Closer now and you will see what I mean: Peter Noone of Herman’s Hermits
The history of rock-n-roll music is as wide and deep as an ocean, each drop of water a band, song…
Read More
This must be the place: Scribbled notebooks and wild typewritten pages for your own joy
Sliding into the booth at Waffle House, I cracked open Larry McMurtry’s novel All My Friends Are Going to Be…
Read More
Carry me back to the days I knew then: Rock Hall of Famer Denny Laine rolls through WNC
Simply put, singer/guitarist Denny Laine is one of those mystical characters you cross paths with almost serendipitously. He’s an old…
Read More
This must be the place: In a minute I’ll be free and we’ll be splashing in the sea
On Monday morning, as I woke up, packed and said goodbye to Bonnaroo for this year, I can say —…
Read More
Fariello receives Lifetime Achievement Award
Author and curator Anna Fariello was given a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Folk Art Center during the annual meeting…
Read More
This must be the place: No fear or shame in the dignity of your experience, language and knowledge
The first week I lived and worked in Western North Carolina, I slept underneath my desk in the old newsroom…
Read More
Crafting together community: How craft beer impacted WNC
According to recent numbers, there are around 75 breweries within Asheville and greater Western North Carolina. And 19 of those…
Read More
Just look at us now: Kenneth Pattengale of The Milk Carton Kids
It’s part Simon & Garfunkel, part Abbott & Costello. When you listen to The Milk Carton Kids, you’re hearing some…
Read More
Whole lotta highway (with a million miles to go): A conversation with Marty Stuart
When you find yourself in the presence of Marty Stuart, you find yourself in the presence of the entire living,…
Read More
This must be the place: Ode to my grandfather, ode to soldiers past and present
The first time I was aware that my grandfather, Frank Kavanaugh, served in the military was being nine years old…
Read More
Comedy star Ken Jeong brings stand-up to Harrah’s Cherokee
Actor/comedian Ken Jeong will be performing live at 9 p.m. Friday, May 31, at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort Event Center.
Read More
Out of sight ain’t out of mind: Grizzly Goat to kick off CMMF
Up-and-coming on the Americana/indie scene, Grizzly Goat was formed in Provo, Utah, and is now based in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Read More
This must be the place: Out here in the fields, I fight for my meals
Sitting high up in the Bridgestone Arena in downtown Nashville last Thursday night, I couldn’t help but wonder what my…
Read More
Buddha on a hill: A conversation with David Crosby
The world has gone haywire and David Crosby is mad as hell about it. And though the years may change…
Read More
This must be the place: You’ve got to trust your instinct and let go of regret
With the wind howling in my face, the Polaris ATV rounded the third curve of the Rockingham Speedway. The odometer…
Read More
This must be the place: Home is where we wanna grow
Crossing the threshold of Rocky’s Hot Chicken Shack in West Asheville recently, I scanned the space looking for my old…
Read More
Espresso yourself: Orchard Coffee opens in Waynesville
Halfway up a steep hill in downtown Waynesville, and just a stone’s throw from the Haywood County Historic Courthouse, sits…
Read More
This must be the place: Welcome home, Riley. Our American hero.
There has been a lot of deep thoughts and emotions running through my mind this past week. And I don’t…
Read More
Waynesville Art School grand opening
The grand opening celebration of Waynesville Art School will be from noon to 5:30 p.m. Saturday, April 27, at 303…
Read More
Want to see ‘The Big Apple’?
Super Holiday Tours has organized a special six-night package Nov. 23-29 in New York City to see Western Carolina University’s…
Read More
At the Uptown Gallery
Free classes and open studio times are being offered at The Uptown Gallery in Franklin.
Read More
How do you define ‘America’?
The Western Carolina University Fine Art Museum at Bardo Arts Center is pleased to announce a year-long exhibition inspired by…
Read More
A warm fuzzy feeling
One of the newest additions to the Sylva music scene, the Fuzzy Peppers are a blend of indie-rock and psychedelic-soul…
Read More
This must be the place: With your chrome heart shining in the sun, long may you run
Last Saturday marked the 20th anniversary of the shooting massacre at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. It’s been on…
Read More
Wheels Through Time Museum updates name
Wheels Through Time, “The Museum That Runs,” has announced that they are updating their name in honor and recognition of…
Read More
This must be the place: Ain’t it funny how you feel when you’re findin’ out it’s real?
After a long week and weekend grinding away, I had to bust out and disappear into the woods. And yet,…
Read More
It starts where it ends: Perpetual Groove headlines Franklin festival
When it comes to the truly innovative and distinct jam acts of the modern era, Perpetual Groove is a name…
Read More
What should I say? Greensky Bluegrass returns to WNC
Why not? Why not include Greensky Bluegrass in the sacred — sometimes stale and stuffy — pantheon that is bluegrass…
Read More
Melody Trucks Band to play Lazy Hiker
Who: Melody Trucks Band & Donna Hopkins Band What: Daughter of the late Butch Trucks, Rock and Roll Hall of…
Read More
