AVL LIFE

Five Reasons the Broadway Arts District is 100% B.A.D. Ass!
It’s an exciting time for contemporary art in Asheville, and a lot of the energy is coming from a rapidly transforming section of downtown I’ve decided to playfully dub, The Broadway Arts District, or, B.A.D.

Five Reasons This Cookbook Is Different
I was asked to contribute my thoughts about how Farmer & Chef Asheville is different from other cookbooks and was thrilled...

5 Questions with Russ Keith of the Grey Eagle Taqueria
I'm doing a new thing for Grit in which I'll be conducting very short, 5-question interviews with chefs, servers, owners, staff, and patrons of local restaurants. I start off with Russ Keith of the Grey Eagle Taqueria...

Asheville's Best Bars for Reading Books Alone
Sometimes you just want to go out to get a drink and settle in with a good book. I've compiled a list of my top 10 bars in Asheville in which to read.

Artist Finds a Niche in Asheville with Tattooing
Born in Texas, raised in Arkansas, artist Kris Roberts talks about his childhood, coming to Asheville, and what inspired his love for tattooing.

Meet Dayna Reggero + The WNC Climate Listening Project
I'm excited to share stories here on Asheville Grit. I'm starting with the Climate Listening Project because it showcases a bit of who I am and what inspires me.

Miss Gay Latina Asheville 2014!
Saturday's 7th Annual Miss Gay Latina Asheville pageant at the Diana Wortham Theatre was anything but your typical drag show.

It's Just College So Get On With It
Everyone's perception of college before they actually get in is that it's easygoing, fun, and full of free time to engage in partying and whatever else you feel like doing. But here's the real story...

Give Poetry A Chance
Pick up a book of poems and try....try to find even one line that speaks to a tombed part of yourself.

Local Flavor AVL to Celebrate its Members 11/ 5 at Highland Brewing
Since its launch earlier this year, the local smart phone app designed to showcase local businesses has expanded to three other cities.

Ta-dah! Halloween is This Week!
I love this time of year, when countless pint sized little vampires, witches, zombies and other sugar crazed fiends come out to plunder.

A Different Kind of Storytelling
Mastering the ability to emit compassion and genuine charm while still maintaining presence and laser sharp focus.

Tour Asheville’s Paranormal Past + Present Through 10 Local Tours
There are no less than 10 haunted tours of Asheville. And each offers a unique twist on the chilling tales of the city’s history and culture.

Get Off Your Ass + Vote
It’s impossible to miss that it’s Election Time. The incessant ads and memes and Facebook updates are enough to make you want to move to a remote island.

20 Things Every 20-Something Should Know
Your twenties are hard enough with trying to navigate the real world. So, here are some tips for all you Young Ashevillians.

Brutalist Modern Home in Kenilworth
Though the idea of a concrete home may sound severe, this modern, eco-friendly one being built in Kenilworth is actually quite graceful with an already timeless permanence about it.

Local Artist Kristin Hussey's 10 Favorite Things About Asheville
Get to know local artist and card maker Kristen Hussey and what some of her favorite things are about living in Asheville.

Prost to Asheville Oktoberfest 2014!
Saturday turned out to be a beautiful day to dust off the dirndl and lay on the lederhosen for a full afternoon of beer drankin', chicken dancing, pretzel tossing and overall fun having.

IamAVL Partners with LEAF to Live Stream Their Main Stage!!!
Can't make it to LEAF next weekend? Or maybe just going for a day or two? Well, don't you worry. IamAVL will be brining you all the acts from the main stage LIVE October 17th-19th!!!

Holiday Childress of The Goodies Continues Kickstarter For Solo Album
A lot of people may be familiar with local musician, actor, and all around dapper dude Holiday Childress from when he was the lead singer for The Goodies...

Bringing "Incongruence" From Asheville to New York City
Different Strokes! Performing Arts Collective presents a staged reading of the revised version of Carla Pridgen's "Incongruence," which premiered last year in Asheville, just ahead of the play's New York premiere.

CHRISTOWERKS | the Experience
Christowerks, a local graphic design studio, opened a small show on entrepreneurship Friday evening. The artistic team wanted to put together a provoking experience to create dialogue around their experience as a young company here in Asheville.

10 Things I Wish Every Woman Knew
Occasionally, I still need reminders of my own worth. So in return, I give you the ten things I wish every woman knew….and maybe ten things I have to keep telling myself.

Summer Ends With a Musical Bang
Diverse global music is all over the place in Asheville this season. Here's a run-down of cultural music events that closed out the summer, and some upcoming events.

Wisdom Council Intends to Bring Participation to Asheville’s Government
Why are we as citizens not involved in politics at the level we could be? How can we ensure participatory democracy?

Asheville Celebrates Big Booty With Two Rump-Tastic Shows
This week, Asheville will celebrate rump shaking like never before with two booty-rific concert events.

Twisted Laurel | Open For Business
The Modern Asheville team was invited to get a sneak peek of Twisted Laurel last night during their soft opening.

DIY T-Shirt Scarf
Bring yourself, some scissors and an old t-shirt and watch the magic happen. I love Pinterest and use it for organizing all the wonderful and lovely things I find on the internet.

Johnny Lewis Brings Dream Folk to Jack of the Wood Sep 28
Emerging artist Johnny Lewis started out as an electronic producer, but this city boy has gone country. He brings dream folk doused in lap steel to Jack of the Wood Sunday, September 28. Dig it.

The Grey Eagle + Jeff Whitworth Bring the Noise to Asheville This Fall
The Eagle has long been a staple of the Asheville music scene, with one of the kindest, most passionate dudes in the business running it all: Jeff Whitworth.

Rooftop Party Series Continues This Sunday With Hank West & The Smokin' Hots
The second in the hotel's series showcasing local music and benefiting local nonprofits returns on Sunday, September 28, and is bound to be another stunner of an evening.

Interview with King James Chef/Owner Steve Goff
“It just felt right,” Goff recalls, “bold, aggressive, blunt, and vulgar! Just like a punk rock show...just like me.” In no time at all he was in love with the kitchen.

Three New Orleans Acts Come To Asheville
From Dumpstafunk to Trombone Shorty to 101 Runners, New Orleans has been representing hard in Asheville as of late and there's even more from the area coming up this month.

Support Local Music - An Interview With Brown Bag's Jenny Greer-Fares
The Brown Bag Song Writing Competition kicked off its 8th season earlier this month with a revamped format, a new location, and an appetite for music.

Asheville Zombiewalk 2014: Seven Things You Need To Know
It's baaaaaack. Mark your calendars for October 12 and get ready for the return of a beloved Asheville event. Here's everything you need to know to get your Zombie on.

Turning Asheville Teal for Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month
September is officially Ovarian Cancer Awareness month and I bet you didn't know its official color is teal. I'm also betting you really haven't heard much about ovarian cancer at all.

“Identity XYZ” Auditions on September 21
Progressive theatre troupe Anam Cara Theatre announces auditions for its next show, "Identity XYZ," which explores society's rigid gender expectations.

Cucina 24's Donnie Pratt Goes to Camp
Donnie Pratt, bar manager at Cucina 24 was one of 300 participants chosen out of 3000 applicants to attend Camp Runamok.

Eating Asheville Tours
It wasn’t just because we were glad to be out on the town with each other during daylight hours without our kids, the samplings were good. Some really good.

Get Outside for Asheville's Last Summer Concerts
So for all you music fans out there, we’ve consolidated a list of free (and nearly free) outdoor shows and street festivals. That’s your cue to get off your couch and go have some fun!

Celebrate the 34th Goombay This Weekend
Western North Carolina's YMI Cultural Center is proud to announce the return of the 34th annual Goombay Festival on September 12th – 14th, 2014. And it's FREE!

We're All Just a Little Screwed Up.
Today, this post, is not only to free you of feeling like whatever you see online is the whole truth. But, even more so, to free myself of the expectation that I always have my shit together.

5 Questions with Oscar Wong
Oscar Wong, owner of Highland Brewing Company, gave us some insight to how he started, how he has maintained success, and what his hopes are for the future.

More Best of WNC > WSAVL Call Me Style
Here at Team WSAVL Call Me we came up with some extra categories we think should have made the cut.

A Boy's First Trip To The Movies
Most kids shows are fine shows with fine messages. They are tolerable in small doses, but...

Edge Gallery's Creator: Aaron Bailey
We have all passed by the Edge Gallery on the corner of College and Lexington downtown, but how many of us actually know what it's all about?

WHAT'S WRONG WITH ME
This is a repost of something I wrote to amuse my friends on Facebook a while back. I think it's a good time for me to reiterate all of these points...

Transfigured
This Saturday, I had the good fortune to attend the final day of Transfigurations II. Taking place on Blannahassett Island in downtown Marshall, the festival had the feel of attending a day at a very cool summer camp...

5 Notable AVL Jukeboxes, From Worst to Best
Just as different bars attract different people, a jukebox’s music selection either reinforces the desired clientele or drives it away. Where are the best jukeboxes on the Asheville scene? Where are the worst?

Asheville Brewing Leads as a Community Supporter + Teams Up with United Way
Doug Riley, Head Brewer for Asheville Brewing Co, talks about the September 4th launch of their new beer created for United Way, some of his favorite brews, and more.