Archive for the ‘Music Scene’ Category
Oh cool, it’s that time of the year AND they are back again this year. Downtown after Five is possibly the coolest neatest thing I’ve ever heard of in any city. It’s free! You get to hear some really great bands and music concerts and it’s free! Just bring some money for food, drinks, shopping, etc. Where you find it is at Lexington Avenue at the Interstate 240 overpass. There’s a city lot to park in right at the corner of Woodfin and Lexington. It’s the third Friday of each month from 5-9, still early enough so you can just go bar hopping and dancing when the music is done.
When you go from your Asheville Vacation Cabin Rental, go to 240 from Patton Ave and get off at Merrimon Ave. At the end of the ramp, turn left. Turn right at the first light onto Woodfin. You will see the parking lot to your right. (The music is happening right there under the ramp. If there are no spaces there, go through the light which goes into a sharp bend. At the end of the bend before you go into the civic center area, turn left and go into the parking lots along there.
One of the fun places to Contra Dance is at Warren Wilson College. There’s a weekly dance at Bryson Gym and anyone can go. One hundred or more people come together each Thursday for some old-time mountain music and the passes and twirls of the contra dance. You don’t even need a partner to go because the style of dance encourages you to dance with others. It’s a mere 30 minutes from your Asheville vacation cabin.
The gathering at the college started in the 1930′s as the Farmer’s Ball with square dancing. The dance hall closed in the 1950′s. The tradition started up again in 1982 and has been going strong ever since.
Once it was decided that it wasn’t economically feasible to set up fireworks as a free downtown Christmas event again this year, the downtown folks immediately starting putting together something else as exciting. This year downtown Asheville NC has organized an event called JingleFest. The event is free again and open to the public. The first half will be geared toward children with caroling, dancing and a visit by Santa Claus. After dark, adults will head up to Pack’s Tavern for hot toddies and a performance by Mark Keller and other musicians in a preview of the Holiday Jam benefit for Mission Hospital.
Jinglefest will start at 3 PM on Sunday Dec 5th at Reuter Terrace in Pack Square Park. That’s about 15 minutes from your Asheville vacation cabin. Attendees are encouraged to bring donations such a blankets or clothes to be given to Asheville Buncombe Community Christian Ministry or non-perishable food for MANNA FoodBank.
Asheville’s Downtown Market has just finished it’s first year in operation. It is a 42,000 square foot space that includes booths of every kind of everything you could want from food to antique leggings. More than a dozen popular Asheville bands and musicians are performing at the One Bazaar Holiday Music Festival. The Festival starts on November 26th and runs every weekend through December 18th. Shop, eat, and listen to music for your Christmas shopping experience. It’s like going to a festival but it’s indoors! where it’s warm! and you can drink a hot toddy!
The Downtown Market is only 15 minutes from your Asheville Pet Friendly cabin. Grab your dinner at the new Fusion restaurant and bring it back to the cabin and eat in front of the fireplace relaxing after your big shopping experience.
Oh boy, it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…. Why do I say that? Well, just as the first chilled night feels like winter has arrived, the Christmas parade feels like Christmas is here!! Yippee!! I am one of those old fashioned folks that love “jingle bells”, the smell of pine, houses with lights, Santas everywhere, and the buzz of children in sheer delight of the season. Asheville’s Holiday Parade is just perfect to get you in the spirit!
The schedule for the festivities are: Holiday windows contest kicks off Wed the 15th, AIR’s Taste of Asheville is on Thursday night the 16th, The Christmas Concert is on Friday night the 17th, The 64th Annual Holiday Parade is on Saturday morning the 18th. Looks like it would be good for you to book a long weekend at your Asheville vacation cabin to get to participate in it all.
There are many music clubs in Asheville. One quiet locally loved place is Grey Eagle. It’s in the River Arts District, one of the first establishments in the River Arts District. It’s been across from the Oddysey Ceramics Art school and studios for as long as I can remember. It started out as a small unknown club that featured local unknown artists. Now they feature many, unknown and famous singers, musicians and groups.
The club makes for a nice night out from your Asheville vacation cabin. Head towards downtown after the sun goes down but turn right into the river district right over the 240 bridge.
For the first time in its 24 year history, the Asheville Greek Festival won’t be downtown this year. Instead the festival will be on the grounds of Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church on Cumberland Ave. The church actually sponsors the festival. This is to help cut costs, and to introduce the newly remodeled church and educate people about their faith.
Just jot right over there from your Asheville vacation cabin on September 24-26. The festival is known for the flavorful Greek foods from spanakopita and lamb gyros to sweet baklava. There is also traditional Greek dancing and music.
The band Devo will receive the first Moog Innovation Award during its visit on October 29 for the big Festival - Moogfest. The anticipation and planning are heating up for sure. Moogfest says the band is “a perfect representation of innovative sound-sculpting and genre-defying electronic music. ” Moog Music of Asheville will be presenting the award. Devo became famous in the late 1970′s for such hits as “Whip It,” “Freedom of Choice,” “Beautiful World,” and Girl that you Want.”
Moogfest is looking like it’s going to be one of Asheville’s major major events. You won’t want to miss it. If you’re already scheduled to be here, great, but if not, book your Asheville vacation cabin and pick and choose the events you will be at – soon.
It’s time to once again mention the new festival in Asheville honoring the late Robert (Bob) Moog. The festival is for 3 nights of big-name shows at the Civic Center arena, Thomas Wolfe Auditorium and the Orange Peel club. The dates are October 29 – 31. Then names of the participants just keep getting bigger and bigger. What a great man and what a great memorial to the man. It’s awesome!!!
Stay in an Asheville Pet Friendly Cabin and go back and forth for 3 days just saturating yourself in all this amazing talent. Some to mention are: MGMT, Massive Attack, and Thievery Corporation. The plans are for 25 artists, workshops, discussions, exhibits, and film screenings. This would be the time to visit Asheville.