Raucous Caucus

See y'all there!

Found Cat, Downtown Asheville

A friend found a black, shorthaired cat on Christmas Day wandering around downtown near Zambra's/North Carolina Stage Company.

This kitty has short and shiny black fur and orange-yellow eyes. Mellow and affectionate, clearly from a loving home. Based on her behavior, she might be an indoor cat.

If you want more info about this found cat, send email to the address on this page.

POP Asheville Festival - January 19, 20

Been feeling like you don't know enough about local bands to decide who to see? Pop Asheville is offering you the chance to see 31 of Asheville's hottest acts in two days at the Grey Eagle, The Rocket Club, and Stella Blue on January 19th and 20th.

"POPAsheville began as IdFest in 2003 with a one-night, 5-band, multimedia show meant to repay some bands who had helped Asheville band Stephanie's Id with shows on the road. The fest remained a one-night affair for a few years until April 2007, when it erupted into a 2-day, 2-venue event, showcasing 28 bands/acts over 2 nights in 2 venues on 3 stages. The fest also included a music biz panel discussion for musician attendees, a viewing of a recording session at Asheville's legendary Collapseable Studio, and a tour of the new award-winning state-of-the art Echo Mountain Studio.

The fest became too big for one band to manage. It was renamed POPAsheville, and lots of people started getting involved. Over MLK weekend in January 2008, POPAsheville (formerly IdFest) celebrates its second year as a venue-based music festival celebrating the uniqueness, artistry, and authenticity of Asheville’s modern music scene."

Here's who's playing:

Stephanie's Id
Menage
Seth Kauffman
Future Islaneds
The Electric Pearls
Night's Bright Colors
Violet Vector and Lovely Lovelies
Dave Turner Band
Dixie Dirt
Ruby Slippers
Killin Watson
Kings of Prussia
Suttree
Bandazian
Ear Pwr
The Cheeksters
Banana or Terra
Charles Alllison
The Howlies
If You Wannas
Nevada
Speedsquare
The Poles
Jar-E
Heypenny
The Mend
One the Take
The Greenfields
Jon Scales
Stereofidelics
Hellblinki

One very exciting aspect of this year's POP Asheville is having The Rocket Club open. Located in west Asheville across from newly minted The Admiral, The Rocket Club has been long awaited by we east-side-of-the-west-side denizens.

One $15 ticket will buy you access to all the shows at all the venues. It's easily the best music bargain you'll get in Asheville. Click here to see the schedule at all the venues and to purchase your tickets!

Warren Wilson Public Lecture & Reading Schedule

From Warren Wilson College's website, a condensed schedule of the MFA Program's public reading and lectures:

The public is welcome to attend the morning lectures and evening readings in fiction and poetry offered during the Master of Fine Arts Program for Writers’ winter residency. Events last approximately one hour. Admission is free. For more information, call the MFA Office: (828) 771-3715.

Readings will begin at 8:15pm in the Fellowship Hall behind the Chapel unless indicated otherwise.

READINGS
by MFA faculty and graduating students
Thursday, January 3 : Brooks Haxton, Anthony Doerr, Barbara Ras, Dominic Smith
Friday, January 4 : Marianne Boruch, Charles D’Ambrosio, Van Jordan, Michael Martone
Saturday, January 5 : C.J. Hribal, Debra Allbery, Debra Spark, Steve Orlen
Sunday, January 6 – in Gladfelter, Canon Lounge : David Haynes, Betty Adcock, Victor LaValle, Heather McHugh
Monday, January 7 : Wilton Barnhardt, Jennifer Grotz, Maud Casey, Maurice Manning
Wednesday, January 9 : Gabrielle Calvocoressi, Megan Staffel, Ellen Bryant Voigt, Peter Turchi
Thursday, January 10 : Graduating student readings: Amy Cloud, Kira Obolensky, Henry Kearney, Matthew Simmons, Maeve Kinkead
Friday, January 11 : Graduating student readings: Sara Bauer, Kande Culver, J.J. Penna, Tom McHenry, Mark Prudowsky
Saturday, January 12 – 4:30pm, followed by Graduation Ceremony
Graduating student readings: Allison Paige, Justin Bigos, Sunil Rao, Scott Challener

Faculty Lectures
All lectures will be held in the Fellowship Hall behind the Chapel.
Friday, January 4 – 11:15am: MAURICE MANNING: In Kind: Some Thoughts on Sympathy
Wednesday, January 9 – 9:15am: DEBRA ALLBERY: ‘When Light Went Forth Looking for the Eye’: A Meditation on the Contemporary Ekphrastic Poem
Thursday, January 10 – 9:15am: JENNIFER GROTZ : The Pathetic Fallacy
Friday, January 11 – 9:15am: DEBRA SPARK: New Wave Fabulism
Saturday, January 12 – 9:30am: HEATHER McHUGH: Matters of Letters
Saturday, January 12 – 10:45am: C.J. HRIBAL: Vision and (Re)vision

New Bloggers Abound

Art by Asheville Artist, Gabriel Shaffer


Ya'll, Welcome these new bloggery type folks to BlogAsheville!

Mountain Circus Arts
"Mountain Circus Arts is a character based entertainment company that has been serving Western North Carolina since 1992"

Arratik
"The scissors are the barbers."

Realestate in Asheville
"Asheville Real Estate, Green Building, Sustainability & Random Thoughts"

Port Asheville
"The Internet Portal For Well-Informed Asheville"

WNCSOS
"landslide advisory blog"

stupidmommy
"known (by some), loved (by a few), and even dumber than anyone imagines"

Tao Student
"A Personal Site for Gary Ardito"

Happy Holidays! And a very happy ending to this 2007 year!


>Art by Asheville Artist, Gabriel Shaffer

Asheville's Homebrew Holiday Music Mixes

Now that winter officially arrives this week, Christmas music seems more the order of the day. Unless you're a hardcore hater.

If you're not, here are two of my homebrew holiday mixes (which unfortunately require extra steps to listen). My promise to you is that my mixes have no stale Christmas crap, but do contain references to the drunk tank and winter in the Hamptons:

2006 mix (requires free Rhapsody player; fast download, no sign-in )

2007 mix (requires Napster free trial or you only get 30-second samples);
just click the button Christmas Mix on Napster

Petulant's holiday selections are on his (their?) main page.
(Selections include the Miss Piggy version of "Santa Baby.")

If you have a mix of your own to share, leave a comment with a link...

New discussion forums

Mountain Xpress has just put up a bunch of discussion forums, ranging from local politics to the music scene, to, yes, Edgy Mama (you must discuss my columns, not me personally, kay?). Check 'em out and start yakking.

Other Voices, Other Rooms

This picture is from Bill's blog, Ashevillein.

Jason Bugg, author of So Much For Tact and off-putting commenter at various sites, has a touching post that will give you a fuller picture of this complicated guy. Excerpt:

"I know this is selfish, but the thing that makes me the saddest is that when people who don't know me will hear or read that my mother is dead, they'll react to it a lot more severely than they did when my grandmother died. This makes me sad."

Pancho at Pancho's Via is psyched that Sirius.B made the Knoxville News.

WNC Outdoors Info Blog has cool interactive maps for you:

"I’ve been busy adding features to HikeWNC and MTB WNC recently, including a public “beta” of the new Interactive Maps and making it easier to save and print the Best Hikes to take along with you as you head out on the trails. Now, you’ll find each hike and ride organized into tabs to make perusing the information even easier. And now, the details page (along with driving directions) is nicely formatted when you click “Print”. No more borders, navigation bars, or backgrounds! "

Anne Fitten Glenn, author of Edgy Mama and blogger-made-good freelancer at Mtn. X and AC-T, has her latest piece up at the Mtn. X site. Kids Giveth and Kids Taketh Away.

Cecil Bothwell at Bothwell's Blog is all over the Bobby Medford bust, a story which he spearheaded investigation on over two years ago.

Lowell Allen's Serial Photo continues to inspire and amaze.

Lastly, please go help Jennifer Saylor rescue her friend from a life without red lipstick:

"So here is my request: My friend might be persuaded to wear red lipstick again if she can find a cheap brand you can get online or at Target/Walmart/Kmart/drugstores rather than the upscale department stores. (Part of her reason for quitting red is that her brand, Clinique, is $14 a tube.)

I am looking for a bluish/purplish red (NOT an orange or pink red) matte lipstick, preferably with no scent, that you can either get online cheap, or at the drugstore (the place where, I know, most “red” lipsticks turn a horrible pink or orange when applied to your lips). Ideally, the price would be $12 or less a tube.

My friend is a hazel-eyed dyed blonde with fair skin, early 50’s, handsome and attractive."

Demolition

If you're looking for some action tomorrow morning:

The iconic smokestacks of the former American Enka plant will be demolished Tuesday morning.

“We’re looking at popping them at 8 a.m. sharp,” said Brian Alexander, division manager for the Asheville office of D.H. Griffin Wrecking Co., which will do the work.

Workers will insert about 1,000 pounds of dynamite into the two brick structures to topple them. American Enka built the plant — which is between Smoky Park Highway and Sand Hill Road — in 1928, and in the following years the company built much of Enka Village itself.

Holiday Boombox Parade Saturday, 7 p.m.

From a friend's email:

UNSILENT NIGHT is a holiday season boombox sidewalk parade featuring the music of Phil Kline, a New York composer who created the outdoor ambient music piece for an INFINITE number of boombox/tape players.

The parade (started in 1992 in Washington Square) is like a Christmas caroling party except you don’t sing, but rather carry boomboxes, each playing a separate tape which is a "voice" in the piece.

In effect, everyone becomes part of a city sidewalk, multi-dimensional stereo sound sculpture! The 43 minute tape/CD is a beautiful shimmering, ringing sound piece.

In 2006, Unsilent Night was presented in New York, Baltimore, Philadelphia, San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Tucson, Charleston, Milledgeville, Georgia, Banff, Vancouver, the Yukon, Sydney and Melbourne, Australia, Berlin, Germany and Middlesbrough, England (and Asheville, NC!).

You are invited to bring your family and experience this boombox sound sculpture parade in Asheville on December 15th, 2007 at 7:00 pm. starting at Pack Square, walking down the sidewalks to Lexington and then up Hiawassee to Flint, then to Haywood and then back to Pritchard Park and back to Pack Square. It will take roughly an hour to spread an aural fog over the downtown area. It could be quite an evening!

Unsilent Night cassette tapes and/or CDs will be provided free to people with boomboxes who want to participate. For iPod people, here is a link for downloading an MP3 file of Phil's music to play Saturday night.

The Mp3 link: http://www.unsilentnight.com/download

Select Asheville from the city list and then you can download the Mp3.

Consider bringing your family and joining this grand, silly, beautiful and hopeful performance. This event is not really about Christmas or Hanukkah or any faith tradition, but it is about a larger creative human community and the wonder and weirdness we can create for ourselves.

Phil Kline's website with information about the Unsilent Night event is http://www.philkline.com

For more information and other cities participating in Unsilent Night, visit: http://www.unsilentnight.com/

Vance Monument in Pack Square

Saturday, December 15, 2007

7 p.m. to 8 p.m.

bring your boombox or music player (or just come listen)
info: Jim Julien at 335-7708

You May Say I'm A Dreamer...

More on Helping Bobby Sax and Tony Heath

(Image: Steve Dixon, Asheville Citizen-Times. Robert "Bobby Sax" Hughes playing his new saxophone on the streets of Asheville today)

I just got off the phone with someone from Bobby Sax's church who's been in touch with Bobby. Turns out that Tony Heath, Bobby's friend who also lost everything in the fire, not only lost the tools he needs for work (he's a cabinet-maker), but also lost the vintage motorcycle he used to participate in the Smoky Mountain Toy Run and the Shriners' "We Ride So Kids Can Walk" events.

Heath also lost some Christmas gifts bought for his 10-year-old son, who turns 11 on December 28, as well a collection of baseball memorabilia including more than 10,000 baseball cards and 40-50 autographed bats. The son also lost his Playstation.

From the comments of today's Asheville Citizen-Times article:

Now let's help get Bobby into a more stable home. He's staying at a motel and has need of other goods. Tony Heath, Bobby's friend, who also lost everything, needs tools and items for both himself and his ten year old son.

Here's how to give:

The Asheville Tourists have set up a collection fund. Checks can be made out to Eblen Charities with Bobby Sax/Tony Heath Relief Fund written in the memo.

Checks can also be mailed to:

The Bobby Sax/Tony Heath Relief Fund
c/o The Asheville Tourists
McCormick Field
30 Buchanan Place
Asheville, NC 28801

Donations and checks can also be dropped off at McCormick Field Mon.-Fri. from 8:30-5:30.

For more information, send email to iambermoon (at) bellsouth (dot) net

UPDATE: To donate to help Bobby Sax and friends

Go here on the Citizen-Times website.

Fire Leaves "Bobby Sax" Homeless

(Image: Bill Sanders, Asheville Citizen-Times)

A Monday trailer fire in Swannanoa destroyed the possessions (including the four saxophones) of local fixture Robert "Bobby Sax" Hughes, the street musician known for playing the saxophone around downtown Asheville.

Click here for a photo series from the Asheville Citizen-Times (site requires Asheville C-T login).

From the series:

Bobby Hughes, better known locally as Bobby Sax, holds the burned remains of two of his saxophones at the Swannanoa mobile home where he was staying. Fire destroyed the mobile home Monday night. Bobby lost all of his possessions, including four saxophones.

UPDATE 12:15 a.m.: C-T article, Fire snatches street musician's saxophones.


UPDATE, FRIDAY, 3:24 p.m.: The Citizen-Times reports that someone bought Mr. Hughes a new horn and he's already wailing away downtown, just like before. (I sure hope he manages to find replacements for the other three.)

From the article:

Two funds have been established to assist Asheville street musician Bobby Sax and his friend Tony Heath, who were left homeless and lost their possessions after a Monday night fire in Swannanoa.

Contributions may be made to the Bobby Sax Fund at First Citizens Bank in downtown Asheville.

Contributions for the two men may also be sent to the Asheville Tourists. Contact the Asheville Tourists baseball club at 258-0428. Checks for the men may be made payable to the Asheville Tourists Children’s Fund and sent to the club at 30 Buchanan Place, Asheville, NC 28801.

ASHEVILLE ROCKS!

Remember the Season

Healing Art Missions provides vital health care and educational services in the area around Dumay, Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Some of the funds to operate this mission are obtained by purchasing original art produced by Haitian artists and reselling it at auctions in Ohio, Washington and this year for the first time in Asheville. All the proceeds from this auction go to Haiti, either to pay the artists for their work or in the form of medicine, supplies and salaries for Haitians delivering these desperately needed services.

You are invited to read more about Healing Art Missions at www.healingartmissions.org and to bid on the more than 150 works to be offered at auction.

HAM founder Dr. Tracee Karaffa will deliver a short presentation on the work of the organization at the Saturday evening event. Both events are at Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church at the corner of Merrimon Avenue and Gracelyn Road in Asheville.

You can hear an interview with Dr. Karaffa on WCQS, (88.1 FM or streaming on the web) at 12:09 PM on Wednesday, December 5.

Asheville's World Harmony Concert

Jim Roush, Membership Chair of the UN Association Chapter for Western NC, sent this:

"As some of you may be aware, our UN Assn. Chapter for Western NC co-sponsored, with the Sister Cities group, the October 26th World Harmony Concert in Asheville. We filmed the Concert, and it will be on the local access station, URTV, next week as follows: Tuesday @ 3:30 pm; Wednesday @10:30 am; and Friday @ 7 am. At the concert, we had some poetry as well as music from the countries of the sister cities: Russia, France, Greece and Mexico -- plus dances from a couple of the areas."

Looks like a great show.

Found Cat, West Asheville

Way back in April, just before that frost that hit us so hard, I found this black and white cat near the Malvern Hills area of West Asheville.


I put notices online and in the paper, but never found his owner.

Because he is completely adorable and was clearly raised in a loving home (I can tell from how he acts in the kitchen that someone fed him snacks all the time), I can't shake the idea that someone might be missing him.

Do you know anyone who lost a black and white cat in the West Asheville area this spring? If you do, click here to find a way to contact me.

* found black and white cat, spring 2007
* Malvern Hills area of West Asheville
* male, appears to be about 4 years old
* no tail

(Animal lovers don't worry, I will not hand this cat over to just anyone who says they lost him. I will require unassailable proof he's theirs.)

Smoky Mountain Toy Run

Thousands of bikers - 2,500 to 3,000 - gathered in downtown Asheville and drove out to Swannanoa Saturday to drop off toys they'd collected. An amazing event. Hope you didn't get stuck in traffic waiting for them to pass.