february 2015 rapid river magazine

Reel Takes Movie Reviews PGS 23-27 Valentine’s Dining Guide PGS 29-32

Arlo Guthrie in Concert PG 8 Who’s New at the Asheville Gallery of Art PG 12

Jonas Gerard Paints Love and Light PG 19 Rick Hills at Mountain Made Gallery PG 22

And the Oscar Goes to… PG 26 Valentine’s Day Gifts from The Chocolate Fetish PG 29

What to Do Guide PGS 34-35™

2 February 2015 — RAPID RIVER ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE — Vol. 18, No. 6

®

Elizabeth, Sue and Bill, owners of The Chocolate Fetish

Discriminating chocolate lovers have been enjoying award-winning, handcrafted chocolates from The Chocolate Fetish since 1986.

Visit our European style shop where you’ll find handmade artisan chocolate and the perfect gift for your Valentine. You may also place your order online for speedy in-store pick-up or nationwide shipping.

www.chocolatefetish.com

Enjoy and Give the Best TM

Extended hours for Valentine’s! Call or go online for details.

36 Haywood Street • Downtown Asheville • (828) 258-2353

2013-2014

Vol. 18, No. 6 — RAPID RIVER ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE — February 2015 3

pg. 36ML

pg. 2015

A Chorus Line, February 6 through March 1. Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m., Sunday at 2:30 p.m. Asheville

Community Theatre, 35 E. Walnut St. (828) 254-1320, www.ashevilletheatre.org.

IF YOU GO

OOpens Friday, February 6 at Asheville Community Theatre.

The musical that rede-fined a genre is opening next on the Mainstage at Asheville Community Theatre. A Cho-rus Line is a brilliantly com-plex fusion of dance, song and compellingly authentic drama, this “singular sensation” redefined musical theatre. It’s a behind-the-scenes look at an audition process as well as a celebration of what it means to truly be a dancer.

A Chorus Line runs through March 1, 2015 with performances Friday and Saturday nights at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday afternoons at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are available over the phone at (828) 254-1320, in person at the Asheville Community Theatre Box Office or online at www.ashevilletheatre.org.

A Chorus Line

The cast of A Chorus Line. Pictured mid-air is Rebecca O’Quinn, who plays the role of Cassie. Photo by Studio Misha

R A P I D R I V E R A R T S

performance


pg. 38WH

828.669.0065 | www.VisionsofCreation.com

100 Cherry Street ~ Black Mountain(15 minutes east of Asheville)

ROBERTO VENGOECHEA

Your Vision

OurCreation

pg. 9MV



web exclusives

Publisher/Editor: Dennis Ray Marketing: Dennis Ray, Rick HillsCopyeditor: Kathleen Colburn Poetry Editor: Carol Pearce Bjorlie Layout & Design: Simone Bouyer Accounting: Sharon ColeDistribution: Dennis Ray

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Sandi Anton, Carol Pearce Bjorlie, Sarah Brownlee, Jenny Bunn, James Cassara, Kathleen Colburn, Michael Cole, KaChina Davine, Susan Devitt, Amy Downs, Hanna Goss, Max Hammonds, MD, Phil Hawkins, Bruce Johnson, Phil Juliano, Chip Kaufmann, Michelle Keenan, Lauren Loiacono, Joseph Malki, Kay Miller, Betina Morgan, April Nance, Wendy H. Outland, Lauren Patton, Lauren Pelletier, Ruth Planey, Claire Ratliff, Dennis Ray, Riley Schilling, Chris Stack, Patrice Tappé, Greg Vineyard, Bill Walz, Daniel Weiser, Robert Wiley, J. & R. Woods, Anna Lee Zanetti.

CONTACT USRapid River Arts & Culture Magazine is a monthly publication. Send all mail to: Rapid River Arts & Culture Magazine 85 N. Main St., Canton, NC 28716 Phone: (828) 646-0071 [email protected]

ADVERTISING SALES Downtown Asheville and other areas Dennis Ray (828) 646-0071 [email protected]

Hendersonville, Waynesville, Dining Guide Rick Hills (828) 452-0228 [email protected]

All materials contained herein are owned and cop-yrighted by Rapid River Arts & Culture Magazine and the individual contributors unless otherwise stated. Opinions expressed in this magazine do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Rapid River Arts & Culture Magazine or the advertisers found herein.

© Rapid River Arts & Culture Magazine, February 2015, Vol. 18 No. 6

Established in 1997 • Volume Eighteen, Number SixRAPID RIVER ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE

FEBRUARY 2015www.rapidrivermagazine.com

Distributed at more than 390 locations throughout eight counties in WNC and South Carolina.First copy is free – each additional copy $1.50

3 PerformanceACT – A Chorus Line . . . . . . . . . . . 3The Kontras Quartet . . . . . . . . . . . . 6Arlo Guthrie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8Anything for Love. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

7 ColumnsRiley Schilling – Stage Preview . . . . 7James Cassara – Spinning Discs . . 16Greg Vineyard – Fine Art . . . . . . . . 13Wendy Outland – Business of Art 13Max Hammonds, MD – Health . . 33Carol Pearce Bjorlie – Poetry. . . . . 14Book Reviews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

10 Fine ArtArts and Crafts Conference . . . . . . 10The Folk Art Center . . . . . . . . . . . . 11Asheville Gallery of Art . . . . . . . . . 12Jonas Gerard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19ZaPow! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19Rick Hills. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22Mountain Made Art Gallery. . . . . . 22Gallery 86 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

17 MusicA Place to Bury Strangers. . . . . . . . 17The Three Davids in Concert . . . . 18

21 Dining GuideLex 18. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21Chocolate Fetish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29B&C Winery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29BT’s Burgerjoint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30Classic Wineseller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31O’Charley’s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

23 Movie ReviewsChip Kaufmann, Michelle Keenan .23

33 Artful LivingBill Walz – Artful Living . . . . . . . . 33Massage Therapy Center . . . . . . . . 36Linda Neff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

34 What to Do GuideBest in Show by Phil Juliano . . . . 35 Callie & Cats by Amy Downs . . . . 35Corgi Tales by Phil Hawkins . . . . 35Dragin by Michael Cole . . . . . . . . 35Ratchet & Spin by J. & R. Woods . . 35

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Black Mountain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pg 9Points North . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pg 10 Downtown Asheville . . . . . . pgS 20-21 Dining Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . pgS 29-32 Waynesville . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pg 38

SPECIAL SECTIONS

IF YOU GO: Tell them you saw it in Rapid River Magazine!

Love in the Twilight, written by RF Wilson

Whips and Chains, written by Nancy Dillingham

Frying Meat, written by Celia Miles

Change is Calling, written by Phil Okrend

Livin’ in a Foodtopian Paradise, written by Ashley English

The Short Road to the Long Hike, written by John Swart

NEW ONLINE CONTRIBUTORSThis month I’m excited to announce two new regular contributors to Rapid River Magazine Short Stories. Ashley English is a local writer of sev-eral food related books including the Homemade Living Series. John Swart has recently completed the Pacific Crest Trail and will be sharing those experiences with our readers. John has also hiked the Appalachian Trail and considers these wilderness experiences to be his greatest teachers.

~ Kathleen Colburn

I Am A Dreamer – Southern Comfort by Judy Ausley.

Looking Glass Creamery – The local dairy’s Connemara cheese, made in Fairview, NC, has been selected as a 2015 Good Food Award winner.

New Offi cial Length of the Appalachian Trail – Re-measurements and relocations have brought the total mileage of the footpath to 2,189.2 miles. Who’s planning to hike even a little bit of that this year?

Artists & Writers, Promote Yourself on www.RapidRiverMagazine.comArtists and writers are invited to contribute to our new web exclusive section – “Creatives Sketched.” With a rapidly growing readership, the Rapid River Magazine website is a great way to promote yourself and a great way for potential buyers and readers to learn about you.

Rapid River Magazine’s copyeditor, Kathleen Colburn, is editor and curator of the section. Please contact her with questions and submissions by email to [email protected].

Discover More Exciting Articles, Short Stories & Blogs at www.rapidrivermagazine.com

ONLY ONLINE

SHORT STORIES

On the Cover: Porchoir Painting by Rick Hills. PAGE 22


T

R A P I D R I V E R A R T S & C U L T U R E

captivating performances

Sunday, March 1 – 2 p.m. at Unitarian Universalist Congregation, 1 Edwin Place in Asheville. $20 general; $15 for church members. Discounted

tickets available at www.amicimusic.org

AmiciMusic, the award winning chamber music group, is dedicated to performing the highest quality chamber music in intimate venues and non-traditional spaces. Amici-Music aims to break down barriers between performers and audiences by establishing a more informal and relaxed atmosphere at their concerts. As its name suggests, this is truly “Music Among Friends.” At each concert, Artistic Director Daniel Weiser tells fun and educational stories about the composers and pieces that are to be played.

Founder and pianist Daniel Weiser has performed around the world. He has been called “a force of pianistic energy” and a “true impressario and ambassador of chamber music.”

Lea Kibler, flutist, has been hailed by

AA unique program of music from the 18th century to the present, highlighting a variety of poems about twilight and the thin line between dream and reality.

The featured performers are soprano Amanda Horton, flutist Lea Kibler, and pianist Daniel Weiser. They will perform some rarely heard, but beautiful works by Handel, Rameau, Mozart, Ravel, Gaubert, and Previn among others. Please check www.amicimusic.org for further information.

SCHEDULED PERFORMANCESFriday, February 27 – 7:30 p.m. at White Horse Black Mountain. $15 for advanced reservations; $20 at the door. Tickets available at www.whitehorseblackmountain.com.

Saturday, February 28 – 11 a.m. at Isis Restaurant in West Asheville. Eat a delicious brunch and experience some great music. $15 for concert; $7-11 for brunch. More details at www.isisasheville.com.

Saturday, February 28 – 7:30 p.m. at All Soul’s Cathedral in Biltmore Village. $20 general; $15 for church members. Discounted tickets available at www.amicimusic.org

The Enchanted Hour: Songs of TwilightAMICIMUSIC PRESENTS BEAUTIFUL MUSIC FOR FLUTE, SOPRANO, AND PIANO

Flutist Lea Kibler

Soprano Amanda Horton

AmiciMusic is a professional chamber music organization dedicated to performing the highest quality music in intimate venues and non-traditional spaces.

For more information please visit www.amicimusic.org

Daniel Weiser, AmiciMusic founder and

Artistic Director

nationwide, and a performance on the main stage of MerleFest, the biggest bluegrass festival in the world.

Future performances in the 2015 series include Brevard Music Center’s violinist Jason Posnock with Dilshad Posnock, flute, Alistair MacRae, cello and Allison Pohl, soprano on Sunday, March 8; Moment Mu-sicale, North Carolina Symphony principals Mary Boone, flute and Vonda Darr, harp on Sunday, March 29 and the internationally reknowned Minneapolis Guitar Quartet on Sunday, April 26.

Their program boasts a delightfully romantic Valentine’s Day theme. It includes Beethoven’s String Quartet Op. 18 #1, a work deeply influenced by Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet; Anton Webern’s Langsamer Satz, said to have been inspired by a hiking holiday Webern took with his soon to be fiancée and later wife in the mountains outside of Vienna; and, Leoš Janácek’s String Quartet No. 2, Inti-mate Letters, a work inspired by Webern’s long and spiritual friendship with a married woman 38 years his junior.

The quartet’s rise in the chamber music world has been nothing short of meteoric! Recently appointed Quartet in Residence at Western Michigan State University, the quar-tet also continues their relationship with both the Chicago Youth and Ars Viva Symphony Orchestras. Recent performances include concerts at Chicago’s Symphony Center, Paul Recital Hall of the Juilliard School, television appearances on NBC and PBS, multiple broadcasts on classical radio stations

A Delightfully Romantic Evening with the Kontras Quartet The Kontras Quartet, one of the most lauded string ensembles to emerge from Chicago’s classical music scene, brings their exceptional artistry to Hendersonville in what should be one of most exciting performances of the Hendersonville Chamber Music 2015 season.

Kontras Quartet, Sunday, February 8 at the First Congregational Church, Fifth Avenue and White Pine in

Hendersonville at 3 p.m. $20 individual tickets and $75 series tickets for all four performances will be available at the door on the day of performance. Students admitted free. More details at www.hendersonvillechambermusic.org.

IF YOU GO

BY ROBERT WILEY

critics as “bewitching and unforgettable” and a “top drawer flutist.” Active in all aspects of today’s music making, she has made her career as an orchestral player, solo and chamber musician, recording musician, teacher and advocate for the arts.

Amanda Horton, a native of Asheville, has been lauded by the Classical Voice of North Carolina as a “beautiful, rich soprano” of “great color and vocal expressiveness,” ca-pable of “quiet passion and simplicity” as well as “joy and power”.

In addition to opera and musical theater, Ms. Horton often appears as soprano soloist with various groups across the region includ-ing the Asheville Symphony, Asheville Choral Society and the Carolina Concert Choir. Ms. Horton operates a private voice studio in Asheville and Brevard for singers of all musical styles. More information is available by visiting www.AmandaHortonSoprano.com.

The award-winning Kontras Quartet performs

in Hendersonville Sunday, February 8.


Asheville Contemporary Dance Theatre

Zelda and Scott Loved DanceThis fundraiser is themed in the “flapper”

tradition of the 20’s, inspired by the Fitzger-ald’s love of dance. Held at the Homewood in Montford (note: historical significance), featuring live music by the Warren Gaughan Trio and piano virtuoso Chris Zhang, a champagne bar (with beer and wine), heavy hors d’oeuvres, a silent auction, and of course, dance! Enjoy shorts by Asheville Contem-porary Dance Theatre (ACDT) and an open floor for guests to dance. Come in costume to earn a free drink. Proceeds benefit ACDT’s international tours. IF YOU GO: Friday, February 13. $25 before February 6, $30 at the door. Homewood, 19 Zillicoa St., Asheville. Details: (828) 254-2621, www.acdt.org.

Asheville Lyric Opera

Winter GalaThe Winter Gala opens the Opera’s

2015 season with an event destined to please newcomers alongside longtime members. The evening features fine appetizers, family style entrees, wines, coffee and desserts provided by select local restaurants as well as sneak-peak performances by lead artists.

A silent auction will be ongoing through-out the evening offering opera memorabilia, a private concert, tickets to ALO shows, area music and theatre, a chance to attend the PGA World Tour, and items from various Asheville artists, boutiques and vendors. IF YOU GO: Saturday, February 21 at 6 p.m. at the Double Tree by Hilton - Biltmore. Details: (828) 236-0670, www.ashevillelyric.org.

pg. 20N

Flat Rock Playhouse Downtown

The Music of ABBAThe annual Music on the

Rock series kicks off Valentine’s weekend with their most re-quested concert. This regularly sold out event, in an intimate acoustic space, seats only 250 per show. Featuring, for the first time, the Flat Rock Playhouse Chorus led by Diane David, starring Music on the Rock series’ showstopper, Dustin Brayley, with Erin Mosher and Beth Kuhn. Musical Director is Michael Sebastian. IF YOU GO: February 12-15. Thursday and Friday, 8 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Tickets range from $15-$25. Flat Rock Playhouse, 125 S. Main Street, Hendersonville. (828) 693-0731, www.flatrockplayhouse.org

Hendersonville Little Theatre

The Miracle WorkerOpening their 50th Season, Director

Theresa Cox leads her cast in presenting Wil-liam Gibson’s play based on the true events of Helen Keller and her teacher Annie Sullivan. IF YOU GO: February 13-15, 19-22, and February 26-March 1. Thursday-Saturday 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, 2 p.m. Tickets: $10-$20. Hendersonville Little Theatre, 229 S. Washington St., Hendersonville. Details: (828) 692-1082, www.hendersonvillelittletheatre.org

Asheville Symphony Orchestra

Denk Plays Asheville ConcertoNature-lovers are sure to enjoy

this Valentine’s program themed in earthbound inspiration. The medita-tion on our beloved environment is punctuated with a piece crafted in our own backyard.

Bela Bartok spent the summer of 1945 in Asheville recovering from a seri-ous illness that later carried him on in September of that year. During days of healing, the beauty and birdsong of our Appalachian woods inspired his most beloved Piano Concerto No. 3 for piano and orchestra. Internationally-acclaimed Jeremey Denk is featured on piano.

Directed by Daniel Meyer. The evening also includes Zhou Tian’s A Thousand Years of Good Prayers and Dvorak’s Symphony No. 8. IF YOU GO: Saturday, February 14, 8 p.m. US Cellular Center, Thomas Wolfe Auditorium, 87 Haywood St, Downtown Asheville. Details: (828) 254-7046, www.ashevillesymphony.org.

CMagical February Performances

BRILLIANT MUSIC, COMPLEX DRAMAS, AND A POIGNANT COMEDY

Create a special night with your partner by attending any of these live performances, sure to sweeten your Valentine’s heart.

Choose from compelling dramatics, stun-ning sound, sensual dance, or any combination thereof! Single? So! What better way to spend the evening than in a darkened theater seat im-mersed in the enchantment of live theatre?

Asheville Community Theatre

A Chorus LineThis brilliantly complex fusion of dance,

song, and authentic drama redefined musi-cal theatre. Directed by Chanda Calentine, with Musical Direction by Gary Mitchell, and Choreography by Tina Pisano-Foor, A.C.T. is thrilled to produce this show for the first time. Truly an ensemble piece, Director Calentine says, “The roles in this show are all triple-threats… [requiring] 25 people who can really dance, sing, and act. Fortunately, we got exactly who we needed.” IF YOU GO: February 6-March 1. Friday and Saturday, 7:30 p.m., Sunday, 2:30 p.m. Tickets range from $15-$25. Asheville Community Theatre, 35 E. Walnut St., Asheville. (828) 254-1320, www.ashevilletheatre.org.

NC Stage

AnnapurnaUlysses

is a formerly celebrated poet and English professor, and after a 20 year estrangement, his wife Emma tracks him down and finds him living in a trailer park in the middle of nowhere. It’s a comical and poignant story of mending lost love, star-ring Michael MacCauley and Callan White. IF YOU GO: Now through February 22. Wednesday-Saturday, 7:30 p.m., Sunday, 2 p.m. Tickets $10-$32. NC Stage, 15 Stage Lane, Asheville. (828) 239-0263, www.ncstage.org.


stage previewBY RILEY SCHILLINg

Help us promote local arts, organizations, and businesses. Great

for earning extra income. Set your own hours. Potential earnings are up to you!

Seniors are encouraged to apply.

Advertising Sales Representatives Needed

INTERESTED? Call (828) 646-0071, or e-mail [email protected]

Annapurna stars Michael MacCauley and Callan White.

Photo: Blue Ridge Pictures with Ray Mata

Giles Collard, Amy Hamilton, and Caroline Althof. Photo by Toby Maurer

A Chorus Line opens at ACT February 6.

You may contact Riley Schilling by email to [email protected]


ment in tone and irreverent as heck, it per-fectly captures the “in your face” zeitgeist of the time. But it’s the other half-dozen originals that provided a glimpse into his uniformly outstanding, yet maddeningly over looked early sides on Warner Bros. Such standouts as the haunting “Chilling of the Evening” or the charming if somewhat dated “Ring-Around-a-Rosy Rag,” showed the depth of Guthrie’s song construction.

The first installment of “The Motor-cycle Song” – updated for the live self-titled follow-up release Arlo (1968) – became one of his most enduring moments. The album sold well over a million copies and occupied the top tier of the charts for an amazing 65 weeks. Moreover it allowed Guthrie the freedom to embark on a career that has now hit the mid-century mark. Along the way he has recorded numerous albums, performed countless times, and became a vital figure in American music.

“Alice’s Restaurant Massacree” imme-diately transformed Guthrie into a concert attraction; he came off as a wry, yet gentle and charming hippie able to puncture the pretensions of “the establishment” with comic hyperbole. Guthrie appeared at a memorial concert for his father held on January 20, 1968 at Carnegie Hall, which was later released on disc as A Tribute to Woody Guthrie, Pt. 1 and featured his performances of “Do Re Mi” and “Oklahoma Hills.”

A second concert from 1970 was released as A Tribute to Woody Guthrie, Pt. 2, on which Guthrie performed “Jesus Christ” and participated in a version of “This Land is Your Land.” Alice’s Restaurant was still selling when Reprise released Arlo in October 1968. Re-corded at the Bitter End nightclub in Green-wich Village it featured more of Guthrie’s zany humor, along with original songs.

Overshadowed by its predecessor, it peaked at number 100 in Billboard, although it got to number 40 in rival Cash Box magazine. Soon after, Guthrie agreed to have “Alice’s Restaurant Massacree” adapted into a motion picture and to star in the film. Veteran director Arthur Penn (The Miracle Worker, Bonnie

P

rant Massacree” – recorded in front of a live audience – is rooted in a series of comical events.

After graduating high school at the Stockbridge School in Massachusetts, Guthrie enrolled at Rocky Mountain College in Billings, MT with an eye on becoming a forest ranger. However after only six weeks he dropped out and returned to Massachusetts. While there he stayed at the home of Alice and Ray Brock, former faculty members of the Stockbridge School and longtime fam-ily friends, who had recently opened a restaurant called the Back Room.

Celebrating Thanksgiving with them, Guthrie and his friend Rick Robbins undertook what he later called the “friendly ges-ture” of attempting to dispose of a large amount of accumulated garbage. Finding the city dump closed, they threw it down a hillside, where-upon they were arrested for littering. Convicted of the offense, they paid fines of $25 each and were ordered to retrieve the garbage. Soon after, when Guthrie was summoned for the military draft, his conviction registered him as unfit for service. Quite of fortunate turn of events!

As for the record itself, anti-establish-

R A P I D R I V E R A R T S & C U L T U R E M A G A Z I N E


Pan Harmonia - Season 15LOCAL, AUTHENTIC, WORLD-CLASS CHAMBER MUSIC

the chamber music repertoire. The February concerts spot-light Kate Steinbeck, flute, Ro-salind Buda, bassoon, and Ivan Seng, piano, playing works by Camille St. Saëns, Joseph Jon-gen, Ludwig van Beethoven and North Carolina composer Michael Burns.

GeneratioNext Young Musicians take the Stage, directed by bassoonist Rosalind Buda, Sunday, February 1 at 3 p.m. St.

Matthias Episcopal Church, 1 Dundee St, Asheville. Free admission.

Sonata Series, Friday, February 20 at 7:30 p.m. White Horse Black Mountain, 105 Mon-treat Rd., Black Mountain. Sunday, Febru-ary 22 at 3 p.m. First Presbyterian Church, 40 Church St., downtown Asheville. $16.50 advance; $22 at the door; $5 for students.

Pan Harmonia, Kate Steinbeck, Artistic Director, (828) 254-7123, www.pan-harmonia.org

Pan Harmonia begins the month of February with the fresh sounds of GeneratioNext!

Thanks to a grant from The Mary Duke Biddle Foundation, Pan Harmonia has created a mentoring program for young musicians at AC Reynolds High School. These students have received weekly coaching from working profes-sionals, flutist Kate Steinbeck and bassoonist Rosalind Buda and others, in an intimate group setting at no charge.

The first concert by these GeneratioN-ext musicians takes place on Sunday, February 1 at St. Matthias Episcopal Church in down-town Asheville. Other spring performances are in the works through Pan Harmonia’s “Shining Light Project,” which brings music to underserved audiences.

Pan Harmonia’s Sonata SeriesA sequence of four programs from late

January to early May, this series features a vari-ety of instruments and treasured sonatas from

RRolling Stone Magazine recently released a list of the 40 Most Iconic Albums of the Past 50 Years.

While such lists are by nature arbitrary and subjective – and certainly open to fiercely passionate discussion – the omission of Arlo Guthrie’s 1967 masterwork Alice’s Restaurant is inexplicable. Released mid-year, with the singer having just turned twenty, it’s a rollick-ing ride of acerbic wit, blistering indignation, and laugh out loud humor. More importantly it proved that folk music could be funny and still get a point across.

Others, most notably Dylan and Dave Van Ronk, certainly imbedded much of their music with political wit but it was typically subservient to the social message; the mes-sage of Alice’s Restaurant was decidedly less substantial. Guthrie’s story is well known; the fourth child and only son of folk giant Woody Guthrie, he had a tangled relationship with his famous father even while formulating his own musical path.

Although he’d been a fixture on the East Coast folk circuit for several years, Alice’s Restaurant was his recording debut. Its center-piece was the epic 18-plus-minute title track, which sprawled over the entire A-side of the long-playing album. Although as much fiction as fact (and the better for it) “Alice’s Restau-

Alice’s Restaurant 50 Years Later

BY ROSALIND BUDA

A wonderful evening of entertainment and fun is headed your way Valentine’s evening.

Please join us at 7 p.m. for the heart-piercing music of Forte (fresh from a sold-out performance at the Altamont), a silent auction stuffed with art and ad-ventures, delectable hors d’oeuvres and desserts, a cash bar, and a chance to catch up with friends of the theatre.

Help us get our 2015 year of excel-lence off to a warm-hearted start as the Southern Appalachian Repertory Theatre throws a wingding on Valentine’s Day. We look forward to seeing you!

IF YOU GO: The Hearts for SART fund-raiser takes place Saturday, February 14, downtown at the historic Asheville Masonic Temple, 80 Broadway. Tickets (only $25) are available online at www.sartplays.org.

Hearts for SART

The Altamont Theatre is under new management and ownership!

General manager, Richard Barrett and production manager, Chris Medrano, have teamed up with Sam Katz (former owner of Asheville Music Hall). They will continue to bring you the same quality entertainment you’ve come to expect, while integrating new talent and events that are sure to bring a breath of fresh air to the beautiful space.

Friday, February 6 – Kristin Luna Ray CD Release Party. Shining Through is the third album to be released by Luna Ray, and her second consecutive album devoted solely to kirtan and mantra. Joining Luna for this show is legend-ary Asheville based percussionist, River Guerguerian, and his band. Doors open 7 p.m. Show at 8 p.m. All ages. Tickets: $15 adv.; $17 at the door.

Saturday, February 28 – The Billy Sea with Casey Driessen. A special night of global Americana music featuring some of the finest musicians who call Asheville home. Casey will kick the night off with “Casey Driessen: Singularity,” followed by a set from The Billy Sea (Billy Car-dine, River Guerguerian, and Jake Wolf). The evening ends with The Billy Sea and Casey Driessen performing together. Doors open 7 p.m. Show at 8 p.m. All ages. Tickets: $15 adv.; $18 d.o.s.

IF YOU GO: The Altamont Theatre, 18 Church St., Asheville. For more details, tickets, and show times, call (828) 270-7747 or visit www.myAltamont.com

Altamont Theatre

BY JAMES CASSARA

Arlo Guthrie in concert, Friday and Saturday, February 13 and 14, at the Diana wortham Theatre.

continued on page 17

Ivan Seng, Rosalind Buda, and Kate Steinbeck.

Photo by Micah Mackenzie



MA

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BLACK MOUNTAIN - 28711

MB

Winter is a great time to explore. We’re rocking year-round! Warm and inviting shops. Art & craft galleries. Specialty shops, including furniture and antiques. More than 35 restaurants, 3 breweries, and music

venues! Spend a few hours or stay a while at a cozy B&B, cabin, or cottage. We have just what you're looking for!

BLACK MOUNTAIN

EEvery Thursday - Aereo-Plain Early Show. Newgrass. Free. 6 p.m. Inside the taproom. Pisgah Brewing, (828) 669-0190, www.pisgahbrewing.com

Friday, February 13 - Creative Mountain Food Tours. Two uniquely different tours – both beginning at 2 p.m. Register online, www.creativemountainfoodtours.com

Saturday, February 14 - Valentine 5K Run, Kids Fun Run, and Health & Wellness Expo. At Lake Tomahawk Park. Kids Fun Run around the lake will begin at 9 a.m. 5K Race begins at 9:30 a.m. Expos will have health screen-ings, activity demos, chair massages and more. Blk. Mtn. Recreation & Parks, (828) 669-2052, www.blackmountain-rec.com

Friday, February 20 - Big Daddy Love w/Likewise. Inside the taproom. Door 8 p.m.; show 9 p.m. $8 in advance; $12 day of show. Pisgah Brewing, (828) 669-0190, www.pisgahbrewing.com

Saturday, February 28 - Black Mountain Marathon Mt. Mitchell Challenge. One of the “Top Races” in the country. Beginning in scenic Black Mountain at 2,400 feet in elevation and running to the highest peak east of the Mississippi 6,687 feet. Marathon is 22.6 miles and challege is 40 miles. www.blackmountainmarathon.com

Saturday, February 28 - Martin Luther King Prayer Breakfast. Swannanoa Valley MLK Foundation presents the 25th annual breakfast. 8-11 a.m. at Dorothy Walls Conference Center. Speaker Tyrone Greenlee. $15 adults, $6 children 3-12 yrs. Tickets available at the Visitor Cen-ter. See web site for details, www.svmlk.org

Black Mountain Events

MA

Arts, Crafts, Fine Gifts

FAISON O’NEIL

828.357.5350 Mon-Sat. 10-5; Sun. [email protected]

128 Cherry StreetBlack Mountain, NC

www.faisononeil.com

Queen’s Guard by Dan Reiser

Night in the Mountains by Linda Johnson

Mg

Bpoemumbles: 30 years of Susan Weil’s poem/images.

Susan Weil is a painter, printmaker and book artist living in New York City. She studied at Académie Julian in Paris before enrolling at Black Mountain College in 1948. Weil’s poemumbles are a unique form of poetic expression that explore the

limitless potential and fluidity of her thoughts in visual and verbal form.

The exhibition includes more than 60 of Weil’s po-emumbles made between 1984 and 2014. On display through May 23, 2015.

R. Buckminster Fuller: The History (and Mystery) of the Universe One-man play written by D.W. Jacobs from the life, work, and writings of inventor, designer, and BMC summer faculty member Buckminster Fuller.

Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center

Collage, April 23, 2000 by Susan Weil

BY ALICE SEBRELLPerformed by noted actor and storyteller David Novak, Saturday, February 21 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, February 22 at 3 p.m. $10 for BMCM+AC members + students w/ID; $15 non-members.

The Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center, 56 Broadway, downtown Asheville. For more details visit www.blackmountaincollege.org

IF YOU GO


www.thesingingtelegram.com 828.290.5715

Heartfelt & Memorable

Same Day Service

Birthday

Valentine’s Day

Anniversary

Get Well

Retirement

Songs & Comedy Skits Celebrating Life’s Special Events

Find us on Facebook

Mon-Thur 10-6 • Fri & Sat 10-7 • Closed Sunday

Loose Leaf TeasTaza Chocolates

Hot Soups, Sandwiches & Salads

French Press CoffeeCAFÉ

828-484-1542

62c North Main St.Weaverville, 28787

New Books • Lenox Gifts

Large Selectionof Used BooksBOOKS

❖ Vintage Furnishings❖ Workshops

Monday - Saturday 10-5 www.Facebook.com/ThePinkHouseAsheville

ReLove YourFurniture withChalk Paint®

178 Weaverville Rd.Asheville, NC 28804

828-645-7310

A Repurpose Design Studio

THE PINK HOUSE

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In just three days you will see more, do more, and learn more about the American Arts and Crafts movement than you could anywhere else in an entire year.

With a focus on intergenerational skill-sharing, this exhibition positions craft-practice alongside the histories of community service, citizen journalism, and volunteerism, as an-other potential strategy for cultural resistance. In addition to traditional techniques such as weaving, quilting, ceramics, and woodwork-ing, artists in this exhibition incorporate video, photography, archival material, and

performance into their multi-disciplinary projects that often hybridize the historical with the contemporary.

FEATURED ARTISTSGina Adams (Lawrence, KS);

Tanya Aguiñiga (Los Angeles, CA); Natalie M. Ball (Chiloquin, OR); Jonathan D. Barnett (Kansas City, MO); NedRa Bonds (Kansas City, KS); Sonya Clark (Rich-mond, VA); Matthew Dehaemers (Kansas City, MO); Josh Faught (San Francisco, CA); Christopher

The Arts and Crafts Style Comes South

Loving After Lifetimes of All This

It was the style that changed America forever.

In 1910 the Arts and Crafts movement swept across the country, creating a demand for handcrafted oak furniture by Gustav Stickley, matte green pottery by Grueby and Rookwood, mica lighting by the Roycroft Copper Shop, and handwoven textiles deco-rated with cattails, gingko leaves, and purple iris blossoms.

And while it began in New York and Chicago, it didn’t stay just there.

Every February for the past 27 years Arts and Crafts collectors from across America have converged on the historic 1913 Grove Park Inn Resort and Spa for three days of Arts and Crafts antiques, reproductions, seminars, workshops, house tours, and demonstrations celebrating America’s only truly original style.

The 28th National Arts and Crafts Conference and Shows will be held February 20-22 at the Omni-Grove Park Inn, the most famous example of Arts and Crafts architec-ture in the South, where more than 2,000 people will be shopping the booths of more than 115 exhibitors. They’ll be looking at both new and old jewelry, rugs, furniture, pottery, artwork, and metalware, all done in the Arts and Crafts style showcasing hand craftsman-ship and simple, yet elegant designs.

An exhibition considering the intersections of craft, (self-)care, apprenticeship and survival within the practices of historically disadvantaged populations.

Including artwork and ephemera from more than 15 artists, activists, and archives nationwide, this exhibition considers ‘craft’ in an expanded sense to include such practices as homeopathy, scrapbooking, gardening, and other do-it-yourself strategies for self-reliance.

Arts and Crafts collectors can discover new finds at the National Arts and Crafts

Conference at the Grove Park Inn.


fine arts & craftsDiscover New Shops, Galleries & Restaurants

POINTS NORTH

EXPERIENCE POINTS NORTH OF ASHEVILLE

Infinite Shopping

Art Galleries & Antiques Galore

Comfortable Inns and Unique Cabins

The 28th National Arts and Crafts Conference. February 20-22 at the Omni-Grove Park Inn. Admission is

$10, students $5, and outdoor parking is free. Information, agenda, and lodging details can be found at www.Arts-CraftsConference.com

IF YOU GO


BY BRUCE JOHNSON

BY LAUREN pELLETIER

Booklet Cloud by Temporary Services. Publications, paint, and string. Photo by E.G. Schempf

WEAVERVILLE HWY.

WEAVERVILLE

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Leitch (Kansas City, MO); Judith G. Levy (Lawrence, KS); Ramekon O’Arwisters (San Francisco, CA); Tina Takemoto (San Fran-cisco, CA); and Temporary Services (Chicago, IL & Copenhagen, Denmark)

EXHIBITION HIGHLIGHTSHighlights include an installation of

artwork and video from San Francisco artist Tina Takemoto’s Looking for Jiro Onuma and Gentleman’s Gaman projects (2011). Inspired by the life of Jiro Onuma, a gay Japanese-American imprisoned within America’s Japanese incarceration camps during WWII, Takemoto has produced a performance film and various handcrafted objects that investigate Onuma’s strategies for survival.

Sonya Clark, of Richmond, VA, will have four artworks on view relative to her ongoing investigations of early African-

T so that a hundred years later, when a stranger looks at it, it moves again, since it is life.”

Other Southern Highland Craft Guild members represented in the show are Nancy Kubale of Rutherford-ton, NC and Marilee Hall of Cookeville, TN. They are joined by nine additional American artists. Some of the themes represented in “Dynamic Narratives” are Alzheimer’s disease,

endangered animals, relationships, confines of life, victimization, and hope.

Prior to its installation at the Folk Art Center, “Dynamic Narratives” was on display at the National Association of Women Artists Gallery in New York City, and at the Tennes-see Art League in Nashville.

The Folk Art Center is is the headquar-ters for the Southern Highland Craft Guild, an educational non-profit organization founded in 1930. The Guild’s mission is “to bring together the crafts and craftspeople of the Southern Highlands for the benefit of shared resources, education, marketing and conservation.”

Dynamic Narratives

The Folk Art Center’s Main Gallery begins the new year with “Dynamic Narratives,” an exhibition highlighting the work of Women Ceramic Sculptors.

The twelve featured artists address important issues of society, using clay to express their point of view, individually and collectively. The exhibi-tion will run through April 19, 2015.

Cindy Billingsley of Cookeville, TN is a mem-ber of the Southern Highland Craft Guild and was instrumental in forming Women Ceramic Sculptors and curating “Dynamic Narratives.” She says, “Clay is the only medium that uses every element: fire, water, air and earth. It is meant to be touched by the heart, the eyes, and

the hands.” Citing

William Faulkner as inspiration, the group believes that “the aim of every artist is to arrest motion, which is life, by artificial means and hold it fixed


fine arts & crafts

The Folk Art Center is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and located at Milepost 382 on the Blue Ridge Parkway in east

Asheville. For more information call (828) 298-7928, or visit www.craftguild.org.

IF YOU GO

Benchspace Gallery & Workshop at The Center for Craft, Creativity & Design, 67 Broadway Street, Asheville.

On display through May 23, 2015. Gallery Hours: Tuesday - Saturday, 10 am - 6 pm. www.craftcreativitydesign.org

IF YOU GO

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8 2 8 . 2 7 5 . 7 0 2 8 828-575-5534

P H OTO G R A P H YO F 2 D A N D

3 D A R T W O R K

www.doteditions.com

2004 RIVERSIDE DRIVE, UNIT W. ASHEVILLE, NC 28804

DOT EDITIONS

Archival Pigment Prints

Custom Framing&

Stretchers

Asheville’s Full Service Fine Art Studiopg. 36RB

‘Loving After Lifetimes’ cont’d. from pg. 10 American entrepreneurship and endurance, including Barbershop Pole (2008) produced entirely from black combs. Two painted quilts from Klamath/Modoc artist Natalie M. Ball (Chiloquin, OR) interpret the reemer-gence of Modoc Ghost Dance ceremonies within contemporary tribal contexts.

Temporary Services contributes Booklet Cloud (1998-2014), an interactive installation of suspended publications, including How-To’s and guides to ‘creative approaches to living radi-cally.’ Self-help periodicals also appear within the weavings of San Francisco-based artist Josh Faught, whose artwork Triage (2009) pays tribute to home-care, self-care, and activism throughout the ongoing AIDS crisis.

BY ApRIL NANCE

In Provovo by Nancy Kubale

From Exile to Home by Marilee Hall


Toast Asheville

Asheville Gallery of Art, Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The gallery is located at 16 College Street in downtown Asheville, across from Pritchard Park. Details:

(828) 251-5796, www.ashevillegallery-of-art.com.

IF YOU GO

Toast Asheville, Thursday, February 5 from 5:30 - 8:30 p.m. $30 for members, $35 for non-members, $40 at the door. Asheville Art Museum, 2 S. Pack Square, downtown

Asheville. www.ashevilleart.org

IF YOU GO

WWW.CRAFTGUILD.ORG

Milepost 382 - BlueRidge Parkway, Asheville, NC828.298.7928

26 Lodge Street, Asheville, NC828.277.6222

930 Tunnel Road/Hwy 70, Asheville, NC828.298.7903

Michael Hatch

Betsy MorrillPeter Chapman

Steven Forbes-DeSoule

The Southern Highland Craft Guild is an authorized concessioner of the National Park Service, Department of the Interior.

Tradition. Vision. Innovation.


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Asheville Gallery of Art’s February show, “Who’s New?,” will feature the work of three new artists, Jane Molinelli, Juditta Musette, and Elise Okrend.

The diverse styles represented by the artists, from expressive to abstract to realistic, highlight the range of work found at the AGA, Asheville’s longest established downtown gallery.

Jane Molinelli prefers to use the term contem-porary painter to describe herself rather than using the description of abstract artist. “In reality, my work is rarely an abstraction of anything. I use color, line, and mark to convey an emotion, memory, or experience. In this way, I believe I can best com-municate to the viewer using the universal visual language we all share.” She works primarily in acrylics and oil, incorporating other media in her paintings, such as pastels and graph-ite. Molinelli began her work in art as a fiber artist in New York City, having studied fabric design at the Fashion Institute.

Juditta Musette, painter and musician, holds the heartfelt desire that each piece of art she creates is skillfully crafted while

Guests sample the region’s delicious beer, wine and spirits and enjoy tastes from local chefs and eateries at the Asheville Art Museum.

A silent auction will feature art, gift packages and items from local wineries and breweries. Reserve your ticket by calling the Asheville Art Museum at (828) 253-3227 or purchase online at www.ashevilleart.org.

being infused with whimsy, irresistible insight, and delight. In describing her process she says, “My visions come from within my mind’s eye. I am motivated to capture light and energy through textures and colors, while engaging with the mysteries of shadow feelings.” Musette feels it is through pure sponta-neity and gut feelings that she is able to bring the inanimate to life. She has a film & video degree from the Rhode Island School of Design with a minor in Theatre from Brown.

Elise Okrend, pastel artist, finds inspiration in her observations of the natural world. Okrend says of her work, “My attention is given to a strong sense of light and an intense richness of color. My intent is to connect the viewer to a sense of healing and inner peace.” Okrend loves using pastels because she feels, “they create a direct connection from my body to the paper.” She starts each piece by blocking and building layers of color in the dark areas and working toward the lightest tones and highlights. Okrend has a background in commercial art and design. She worked for many years developing a nationally known greeting card company, MixedBlessing, before returning to her first love of painting.

“Who’s New?” runs from February 1 through February 28. The public is cordially invited to meet the artists at a reception on Friday, February 6, from 5 to 8 p.m. Their work and that of the other 25 gallery members will be on display and for sale through the month during regular winter hours.

Who’s New at the Asheville Gallery of Art

Time Alone to Think by Jane Molinelli

Located insideOmni Grove Park Inn

Gallery of the Mountains290 Macon Avenue • Asheville, NC

www.galleryofthemountains.blogspot.comTOLL-FREE (800) 692-2204 (828) 254-2068

Local and Regional Handmade Crafts

Now in our 30th year of supporting

American handmadePendant by

Niki Fisk

pg. 36gM

BY SANDI ANTON

Dreaming In Red by Juditta Musette

Max Patch Variation II by Elise Okrend


decision. To avoid stall-out, present only your three most popular colors; when a customer shows interest, that’s the time to mention ad-ditional choices.

And while you want to put out top-grade work, tuck your one-of-a-kind spectacular pieces out of sight. Once a viewer expresses serious interest in what you have to offer, you can divulge that you have something special tucked away that they may appreciate. The seduction of the unseen is quite a powerful sales incentive.

In addition, your ability to convey owner-ship by inviting a prospective buyer to pick up and examine a carved piece – or try on a scarf – will help engage them even more. For pieces not meant to be handled (such as most 2D works), take time to point out the details and share a story about your inspiration for the piece.

And finally, when a sale is made, provide care instructions as well as your business card. Thank them for their purchase and ask if they would like to be added to your mailing list.

Greg Vineyard is a marketing professional, and an artist and writer living in Asheville, NC. ZaPOW Gallery carries his illustrations, prints and cards, www.zapow.com.

www.gregvineyardillustration.com


fine art

Do I live in a fantasy world? Of course! If you’ve read my column for any length of time, you know I’m a bit of a Rah-Rah Cheerleader for Art, Community, and Positive Outcomes. But I’m also a realist. It’s impossible to have a 100% Local footprint. Just look at the labels on anything in your home, studio or business. But we can take small steps to Localize, helping to offset some of the other stuff.

Some considerations to increase one’s LocalnessShop local in the first place. Check out the Go Local 2015 Directory at participating merchants, and online at ashevillegrown.com. Walk around. Visit humans.

Advertise your venture, services and goods in person, in print, in programs like Go Local, and in your social media circles.

Shop at local non-profits like Brother Wolf Animal Rescue’s store and Habitat for Humanity’s Restore, as well as at our many

IIncrease Your LocalNess

MONSTER MYTHS AND CONSUMERISM BY gREg VINEYARD

I’m not sure WHY I randomly think about things like the Loch Ness Monster, except that it fits in well with my science fiction trendencies.

I’m also a proponent of our region’s strong Buy Local movement. “Loch Ness”… “Local-ness”… I guess the two thoughts were destined to parallel in my word-play brain at some point. Unlike the Monster (which, if it does exist, is apparently on a very long vacation), the need for mutual support of each other in our com-munity is very present and real.

Many in a consumer-based society enjoy shiny, new processes and gadgets, as well as the mystique of shopping online. I imagine drones hovering at doorsteps, dropping off everything from books to shoes to hot lunches. I can certainly understand the appeal, as I advocate for innovation all the time.

I love movies where everything flies (like when you’re in another galaxy, for example. And everyone knows HOW to fly, too.); however, I like to shop in person from local businesses whenever I can. In the creative arts here, where one can’t swing a plate of

regionally sourced barbecue & greens without hitting an artist, we have seen the closings of two Asheville art supply stores over the years, partly due to online competition.

Sometimes saving a hundred dollars over a year’s period by shopping in the void – while thrifty – can also nibble-away at the delicate financial web we have woven in communities like ours that are composed of inter-connected individuals and businesses, counting on each other’s patronage to keep on building and growing.

I am reminded of our Go Local shopping card campaign, which has continued to gain steam over the years, especially with our entre-preneurial set. It’s our own in person Hello!-I’m-here-good-to-see-you-how’s-things?-hey-that’s-awesome-see-you-tomorrow economy – where our support of everything from farmer’s market stalls to art studios to home buying keeps each of us progressing onward and upward.

Every local purchase any of us makes, from one dollar to one million and higher, means someone here gets to continue eating, paying the rent, and then further improving their offerings and services.

It is critical that you never make as-sumptions regarding sales potential based on a person’s appearance. Often major collectors will “dress down” to avoid attracting unwanted attention. Once you have greeted your visitors in a polite manner, remain friendly and alert, but not overbearing. Sales can be lost by artists that jabber nonstop!

Your space should be clean and inviting. Take time to develop a display that will knock their socks off. When you hear a positive com-ment from someone approaching your work, don’t drop the ball. You must be ready to talk with them about your inspiration for a piece, the materials and process used, and perhaps your education and training.

In order to create an effective presenta-tion, keep the following guidelines in mind. Too much inventory jammed together results in visual overload, so allow each piece adequate space. Also, when folks are looking at something that is available in seven differ-ent colors, they often have trouble making a

WWhether you show your work at art festivals or have a studio that is open to the public, it is important to keep your sales skills honed.

Keep Your Sales Skills HonedTHE BUSINESS OF ART

FINE ART SHOWCASE

BY WENDY H. OUTLAND

The Business of Art is written by visual arts consultant Wendy H. Outland. Contact her by email to [email protected]. With more than 30 years of arts administration experience, WHO Knows Art provides visual artists with career development resources and helps galleries and arts organizations function more effectively. Wendy H. Outland (“WHO”) is a qualified juror and curator, also offering personalized consultations and workshops. www.whoknowsart.biz

antique, thrift, and gently used goods shops.

Trading goods and services (up to a certain percentage of one’s business plan) is another way to help each other get what each party needs, keep a transaction in town, and main-tain some connections.

Donate. Not just art for events, which I’ve written about often. But also any stuff you no longer want or need that’s useful for a younger family to help keep a roof over their heads, or for that newer business owner who is trying to keep retailing. I’m saying, quite literally, Give Stuff Away.

Our lives, even in consumerism, are about connection, communication, friendship, caring, love. And Giant Swimming Lizards. In a small town buying local is especially good, because we really do know each other. Each person who retains a foothold, strengthens bonds, and continues to flourish in our region enhances our cohesive success. Unlike chasing mythical creatures, this is a reality we can work toward and celebrate.

Connections, 2015. Illustration by Greg Vineyard

Brown Windows, oil on canvas by Asheville artist John Stennett. His work

is on display at MAHEC’s Education building until early April.

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authors ~ poetry ~ books

www.aptitudeforwords.com 828-581-9031

KathleenColburn

A sharp eye for the big picture and the small details.

Books • WebsitesShort Stories • Cookbooks

Assistance with Self Publishing

PROOFREADING SERVICESCOPYEDITING &

SHORT STORY WRITERS WANTED

NNEW! Web Exclusive

Rapid River Magazine is looking for writers to contribute to the online edition’s short story section. We’re accepting submissions of a variety of works including flash fiction, articles, travel journals and short stories in more than 20 genres.

Writers are encouraged to submit works that have been properly edited.

All submissions will be reviewed for appropriateness and quality. If editing is required, the writer has the option of working with the section editor. Submission guidelines and special editing rates are available at www.rapidrivermagazine.com.

Rapid River Magazine’s copyeditor, Kathleen Colburn, is editor and curator of the section. Please contact her with questions and submissions by email to [email protected] is a freelance copyeditor available for a variety of literary projects. Visit her website, www.aptitudeforwords.com

T

MThe Poet’s Voice

of the New York Times headlines on 9/12, BEYOND BELIEF! Staff editor Stephane, cartoonists Bernard, Georges, Jean, and Philippe, deputy editor Bernard M., copy artist Franck, copy editor Mustapha, columnist Elsa, and maintenance and welcome desk manager Frederick, are names to remember. Include policewoman Clarissa, and policeman Ahmed.

We have freedom of speech here and in Paris. With freedom comes responsibility. I believe that “responsibility” in this sentence is responsibility to truth.

My immediate reaction to the news from Paris was, “what a waste of life and tal-ent. What a waste of mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, sons and daughters.” It doesn’t mat-ter to family that these people were martyrs. It matters that they are gone.

What do I do when I am overwhelmed? I go to my poetry bookcase and look for friends, lucille, Robert (Bly), William (Shakespeare and Stafford), Jim (Moore), and James Wright. I take out Elizabeth (Bishop), thumb through Raphael (Campo), and Liesl (Mueller). AND there’s Wendell.

A Timbered Choir opens to page 192:

To my granddaughters who visited the Holocaust Museum on the day of the burial of Yitzhak RabinNow you know the worstwe humans have to knowabout ourselves, and I am sorry,for I know that you will be afraid.

To those of our bodies givenwithout pity to be burned, I knowthere is no answerbut loving one another,even our enemies, and this is hard.

MARTYRS TO TRUTHTell It Slant

Truth tellers, raise your pens! It is our job to be brave. It is our job to recognize the miracle of being alive. It is our job to pay at-tention, be astonished, tell it! (all words you’ve heard before from poets, teachers, and me.)

I had never heard of Charlie Hedboe. I can tell you now, I will never forget this satirical magazine. Terroists have made certain that the staff, and policemen and women will never be forgotten. They are martyrs. We have lessons to learn.

Writers who have left guidestones for truth include Lutheran Theologian, Deitrich Bonhoeffer, who was hanged days before Al-lied Army forces freed Buchenwald concentra-tion camp. He left his truth behind in numer-ous sermons and books, including, The Cost of Discipleship. Osip Mandlestam, the great modern Russian poet, was born in Poland and grew up in Russia. His wife, Nadezhda, memorized his poems so they would not be read by Soviet purgers.

In Nadezhda’s book, Hope Against Hope, published by The Modern Library in New York, 1999, a preface by Joseph Brodsky begins: If there is any substitute for love, it is memory. To memorize, then, is to restore inti-macy. Osip Mandlestam died in a forced labor camp in 1940. (The date is not certain.)

Writers telling truths include Mandles-tam’s friend, Anna Akmatova. To get her to write a Stalin-positive poem, Communists took her son hostage, tortured him, and upon receipt of a “good” Russian poem, released her son to her care. The cost of truth telling is severe.

When I read of the massacre at Char-lie Heboe’s headquarters, I was reminded

BY CAROL pEARCE BJORLIE – THE pOET BEHIND THE CELLO

But remember:when a man of war becomes a man of peace,he gives a light, divinethough it is also human.

When a man of peace is killedby a man of war, he gives a light.

You do not have to walk in darkness.If you will have the courage for love,you may walk in light. It will bethe light of those who have sufferedfor peace. It will beyour light.

I read this and thought, Wendell, shine on!On a recent Saturday, my husband and I

took the Blue Ridge “short cut” to Swannanoa. It was early in the day, the sun rising. I had never seen winter trees in this light. It was a new “slant,” and I saw them differently. I had been thinking about what I would write for this column, and there she was, Emily.

Soon as I got home, I pulled out my Complete Poems of Emily Dickenson, and looked up first lines. Emily never disappoints.

poem 1129Tell all the Truth but tell it slant - Success in Circuit liesToo bright for our infirm DelightThe Truth’s superb surpriseAs Lightning to the Children easedWith explanation kindThe Truth must dazzle graduallyOr every man be blind -

I’ll be honest with you, I always liked this poem, but I didn’t “get it” until I saw that morning sun and realized I was seeing trees in a different light, or “slant.”

At the end of it all, I come back to Mandlestam’s widow, and her book. She was a smoker, and often sat in the dark reciting her husband’s poems. I want to burn like this, a red hot hope in the dark.

I want to meet you all, writers, dreamers, readers and listeners. We need each other. Contact Carol at [email protected]

POETRIOSunday, February 1 at 3 p.m.Readings and signings by three poets at 3 p.m. This month features John Lane (The Old Rob Poems), Cedric Tillman (Lilies in the Valley), and Al Maginnes (Music from Small Towns).

IF YOU GO: Malaprop’s Bookstore & Cafe, 55 Haywood Street, downtown Asheville. Call (828) 254-6734, or visit www.malaprops.com.

Asheville and The Grove Park Inn host booksellers, authors, editors and publishers February 8-11 for an impressive schedule of events.

Malaprop’s will host several events throughout the four-day institute, featuring Azar Nafisi, Stewart O’Nan, Lynn Truss, Maureen Corrigan, Reif Larsen, and many other authors, editors, and publishers.

On Sunday, February 8, attendees have several tours to choose from including an Indie Retail Crawl downtown. Asheville Bee Charmer, ZaPow! Gallery, and Malaprop’s Bookstore & Café will be some of the stops.

The Venue, located at 21 N. Market St. in downtown Asheville, will host the welcome reception from 6-8 p.m. Later in the evening attendees will move to Elaine’s Dueling Piano Bar for “drink, song, and Southern fun.”

Be sure to check out the special exhibit at ZaPow! in honor of the convention, “Art of the Book.” Rapid River Magazine’s very own Greg Vineyard is participating in the exhibit with his interpretation of Winnie the Pooh, depicted in one of his playful illustrations. The gallery will host an opening reception on Sunday, February 8 from 3 to 6 p.m.

Franzi Charen and Caroline Green Christopoulos will lead a discussion on Mon-day, February 9 on how to start and grow a downtown alliance. Charen is the director of the Asheville Grown Business Alliance, and Christopoulos is sidelines buyer for Mala-prop’s. Both have been involved in Asheville’s “Shop Local First” movement.

For more details visit www.malaprops.com

American Booksellers Association’s 10th Annual Winter Institute

Enter any unpublished poem 35 lines or less.

RAPID RIVER ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE

Deadline May 31, 2015. Winning poems will be published online. Reading fee: $5 for three poems; $1 for each additional poem.

Details at (828) 646-0071.

Send poems to: Rapid River Poetry Contest

85 N. Main StreetCanton, NC 28716

18th Annual Poetry Contest5 WINNERS! Prizes Include: Tickets to local concerts; Mellow Mushroom Gift

Certificates; and books from Malaprops.

BY KATHLEEN COLBURN


B

mountaineer himself, in his poem, “Green Mountain,” he writes, “I have a world apart that is not among men.” When asked why he dwells in the green mountain he smiles and makes no reply, “for my heart is free of care.”

The poems in For I am Mountainborn have appeared in dozens of maga-zines, books and antholo-gies and have drawn critical acclaim. Lee Smith, New York Times bestselling author of Guests on Earth, is “utterly swept away” by her beauti-ful poems which “manage to be plainspoken yet profound, down-home and deeply so-phisticated all at once. They bring back cow paths, broom sage, pawpaws, lilacs blooming around porches, yet Coberly is not lost in nostalgia, and these poems are anything but sentimental.”

Unlike the poems of Jo Carson, her po-ems also lack the scoldings, drama and cliches one sometimes expects from the genre of rural storytelling (such as the use of the word “ain’t”). Coberly only uses the vernacular in one poem, quite unlike Carson’s “Mountain People,” from her book, Stories I ain’t Told Nobody Yet, with the drama of “living on cow peas, fat back and twenty acres straight up and down.” Neither are Coberly’s poems any-

thing like George Sterling’s mountain poetry in which he concerns himself with the enormity, austereness and malevolence of mountains—one of which he describes as a “shape of ancient fear.”

One must thank the friends and family of Coberly for the publication of For I am Mountainborn. As the author writes in her Acknowledgements, a manuscript group met at her home for twenty-seven years, providing advice and moral support. “Then, one winter night by the fire, part of my family looked at a stack of my poems and said they wanted

it published, encouraging a poet of my age to go for it.”

Coberly thanks her readers and hopes that something in her book will speak to us. Her poems have universal appeal and would make a wonderful addition to anyone’s book collection. A perfect gift.

As long as she lives, Coberly will write for us. She goes nowhere without a little notebook and finds poems everywhere, whether “on streets or hanging from trees.” One can imagine her walking mountain paths, chewing on the tropical-tasting paw-paw and spitting out its black seeds. Note-book in hand, she tells it true.

For I am Mountainborn, written by Lenore McComas Coberly. Fireweed Press 2014,

www.fireweedpoetry.com.

Monday-Saturday 9AM to 9PMSunday 9AM to 7PM

(828) 254-6734 • 800-441-982955 Haywood St.

Tuesday, February 3 at 7 p.m. NATALIE BASZILE, Queen Sugar, debut novel.

Wednesday, February 4 at 7 p.m. YA authors M. Shepherd, M. Miranda & R. Graudin.

Thursday, February 5 at 7 p.m. GREGG LEVOY, Vital Signs: The Nature of Passion.

Friday, February 6 at 7 p.m. JAMIE MASON Monday’s Lie, mystery.

Monday, February 9 at 7:30 p.m. STEWART O’NAN, West of Sunset, F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Tuesday, February 10 at 7:30 p.m. LYNNE TRUSS, Cat Out of Hell, a missing woman.

Wednesday, February 11 at 3:30 p.m. NICK BRUEL, Bad Kitty: Puppy’s Big Day.

Wednesday, February 11 at 7:30 p.m. AZAR NAFISI, The Republic of Imagination: America in Three Books.

Thursday, February 19 at 7 p.m. DARLENE O’DELL, The Story of the Philadelphia Eleven.

Friday, February 20 at 7 p.m. JONATHAN ODELL, Miss Hazel & the Rosa Parks League.

Saturday, February 21 at 4 p.m. MARCIE FERRIS, The Edible South.

Sunday, February 22 at 3 p.m. LORI HORVITZ, The Girls of Usually, essays.

Tuesday, February 24 at 7 p.m. DEBBY MAUGANS & CHRISTINE SYKES-LOWE, Farmer & Chef Asheville.

Thursday, February 26 at 7 p.m. EVAN WILLIAMS stories of apple farmers.

Friday, February 27 at 7 p.m. THEODORE RICHARDS, The Conversions, the oil era.

Saturday, February 28 at 3 p.m. HEATHER WEBB, Rodin’s Lover, historical fiction.

We host numerous Readings & Bookclubs, as well as Salons! Visit www.malaprops.com

FEBRUARYPARTIAL LISTING

READINGS & BOOKSIGNINGS


authors ~ books ~ readings

pg. 20M

E“Each verse is a haiku droplet distilled from clearing mountain mists.”

For I am Mountainborn, by Lenore McComas Coberly, is sublime. Open this book to any page and sink into beauty. Each verse is a haiku droplet distilled from clearing mountain mists. One is reminded of William Blake’s dictum: ‘Great things are done when men and mountains meet.’ Coberly, a lovely, gracious and eternally young West Virginia mountaineer in her nineties, has written, to put it simply, a great collection of poems.

This author shows us that mountain people cannot be separated from their land-scapes, that they are connected in infinitely complex ways to their mountains, the animals who call it home, the trees on its slopes and those beings which climb them. Her rural storytelling has a global essence, countries become compressed as she recognizes in the Chinese laborer pulling his cart behind him on steep roads in the city of Changsa, China, the dignity of a mountain man, a lost tradition plodding alongside the motorized vehicles passing him by on the busy street of today’s world. The last poem in her poetry collection, titled “Changsa,” is an ode to this laborer and ends with these words: “I think I know this man, this place, for I am mountainborn.”

The legendary poet Li Bai might have appreciated Coberly’s deep, empathetic nature and sense of global kinship with China half-way across the earth—far from her ancestral home in Lincoln County, West Virginia. A

For I am Mountainborn

Local Author Will Kindle Your FireBeneath the Chatter: the wise self awaits – A Contemplative Photography Companion for the Journey Home.

If ever a book could inspire you into a new way of viewing life, this is it. Beneath the Chatter is an engaging contemplative verbal and vi-sual experience both wise and whimsical, with gentle and yet raw honesty. It is like having a conversation with your most wise self within.

Tina FireWolf publishes her first book and energizes audiences with her stories and photography from Beneath the Chatter. She describes it as “a book that will stir you to ask yourself questions, to allow yourself to feel, and inspire you to see life for yourself.”

After eight years of studying and teaching what she called “The Science of Self” she fol-lowed the urgings of students and colleagues. “You really need to be a motivational speaker.

You should write a book.” She sold her home,

all her belongings and life became a wild ride to write the book. When moving to Asheville five years ago FireWolf began many solo vision quests to find her wise self within. “I had to get the fearful chatter to stop in my head so I sat on rocks with nothing, for hours at a time and camped solo, always

leaving pen and paper at home. I stripped myself of everything so I could stop.”

FireWolf is trained in the fields of biol-ogy, education, and interfaith ministry, and is a self-taught photographer who does not alter her images in anyway. She has years of adventure travel under her belt. It is her goal to combine her experiences and create a bridge extending the reach of self-leadership and con-templative practice by presenting life’s lessons in such a way that learning is lighthearted and easily digestible.

Included throughout the book are Everyday Enlightenment Tips that assist the reader in connecting to a heightened intimacy with themselves, others and the mystery in the natural world. These tips are well worn by FireWolf herself who even fits in moments of meditation while brushing her teeth!

[email protected]

You should write a book.”

all her belongings and life became a wild ride to write the book. When moving

vision quests to find her wise

REVIEW BY pATRICE TAppÉmalevolence of mountains—one of which he describes as a “shape of ancient fear.”

the friends and family of Coberly for the publication of As the author writes in her Acknowledgements,manuscript group met at her home for twenty-seven years, providing advice and moral support. “Then, one winter night by the fire, part of my family looked at a stack of my poems and said they wanted

Tina Firewolf reading and booksigning for Beneath the Chatter, Thursday, March 5 from 7-8 p.m. Malaprop’s

Bookstore/Cafe, 55 Haywood St., downtown Asheville. For details call (828) 254-6734 or visit www.malaprops.com

IF YOU GO

“A deeply honest offering that infused me with

peace, tranquility and hope.”

~ Bill Tipper, photographer and author of The Nature of Yoga


So much good music out there and not nearly enough time to cover it all; check out rapidrivermagazine.com for more reviews, posted throughout the month. But for now, here are my latest offerings on music worth supporting.

spinning discs

CD Reviewsby James Cassara

Sarah Lou Richards the woman behind the curtainSARAHLOURICHARDS.COM

It’s hard to imagine an album like the woman behind the curtain having existed a decade ago. Funded largely by a Kickstarter initiative, streamed via iTunes and Spotify, it’s a grassroots project for the 2010s. The backing performers are all friends of the Nashville based artist – whose vocal style belies her mid-western roots – and you’re unlikely to find a physical copy in even the hippest of record shops. Yet for all its millen-nial trappings (which in this case are a good thing) the woman behind the curtain is a bit of a throwback.

Recorded at a trio of smallish studios in northern Alabama and Nashville it’s soaked in the visceral sounds of Memphis soul, Southern rock, and Dusty Springfield styled country pop. There’s plenty of heartbreak (the moving “Soul To Keep”) matched with un-yielding declaration (“Don’t Break My Heart”) and road weary doubt (“Mile Marker”). But throughout the record Richards maintains a sense of balance between sadness and romantic optimism that makes the album a cut well above most DYI efforts.

The arrangements are crisp, varied, and surprisingly upbeat while her buoyant vocals make even the darkest corners seem like glimpses of appending sunrise. “Nod to Neil”, with its Sedaka like fifties bounce and Rich-ard’s giddy delivery is my favorite track but there’s plenty herein to savor and celebrate. Not the least of which is the continued resil-ience of the independent music movement, and the many ways in which artists are now able to connect with their audiences. ***1/2

Robyn Hitchcock The Man Upstairs YEP ROC RECORDS

“I’ve always wanted to make a folk

record produced by Joe Boyd and now I have,” says the ever prolific Robyn Hitchcock in the liner notes for this, his twentieth studio solo album. In view of Boyd’s legendary status and the long friendship between the two it remains a mystery why it took so long. Unfortunately, given the lofty expectations such a pairing might elicit, The Man Upstairs is a bit of a letdown. Not to say it’s a bad record, far from it and after four decades of music making Hitchcock remains as restless and inventive as any artist of his age. But it’s a far more straightforward affair than you might welcome – gone (or at least kept to a minimum) are the usual odd references to strange flora, indigest-ible food, and sex as surrealism that populate

Hitchcock’s best work. Split between five originals and five

covers (including a stupendous retake on The Psychedelic Furs’ “The Ghost in You”) it’s a stripped down affair, utilizing the talents of Hitchcock on vocals and acoustic guitar, and the Norwegian pop duo I Was A King as backup ensemble. As such it sonically occupies a space halfway between such Hitchcock masterpieces as Eye or Spooked. But with the exception of the stunningly brilliant “Trouble in Blood” and “San Francisco Patrol” (which sounds like an outcast from the I Often Dream of Trains era) the originals feel a bit lightweight, especially for an artist so effort-lessly capable of greatness. ***

Jack Kerowax self-titled ST. CAIT RECORDS

What originally began as a new project from Dallas based

singer/songwriter Johnny Beauford morphed into a full-fledged band when guitarist Beauford, joined by fellow Texans Garrett Padgett (guitar, keyboards, backing vocals), drummer Nathan Adamson and bassist Nash Griggs decided the chemistry between them was too good to let go of. Thus was born Jack Kerowax.

Establishing a weekly residence at a Dal-las area café they honed their craft and, when the time came to make an album they deliber-ately went old school. As in no digital tracking; everything was recorded direct to analog tape, the way it ought to be.

With its dual guitars, thundering drums, and wildly energetic approach the resultant album sounds like a contemporary incarnation of “frat rock” (that glorious but short lived movement of the mid 1960s), complete with road songs, hard luck love, and an insatiable desire to be anywhere but where you are.

Standout tunes include the lovelorn ballad “Stella”, the country rock swagger of “Moonshine Barber”, and the Tom Petty like “Fancy Cigarette.” There’s certainly a misstep or two but all in all Jack Kerowax is as much fun to hear as I suspect it was to make. Void of auto-tune, unnecessary over dubs, and digitized “correcting” it’s a fine example of addition by subtraction! ***1/2

Farmer Jason Christmas on the Farm with Farmer Jason COURAGEOUS CHICKEN RECORDS

The alter ego of “cowpunk” pioneer Jason Ringenberg – he of Jason and the Scorchers – returns with his third album of kid friendly material.

Formulated precisely like its predecessors (A Day in the Forest and A Day at the Farm) Christmas on the Farm is a relatively slight but oh so enjoyable homage to Christmas, nature’s bounty, family traditions, and the simple pleasures of life.

With its deference to healthy eating, the virtues of outdoor play, and the novel idea of treating our planet as something other than a toxic dumping ground, the entire Farmer Jason series is an ideal listen for those wishing to get their priorities reordered. ****

Ruthie Foster Promise of a Brand New Day BLUE CORN MUSIC

From the album title to the buoyant production values

of Meshell Ndegeocello everything about Ruthie Foster’s Promise of a Brand New Day speaks of fresh beginnings and optimism for the future.

By employing Ndegeocello, an artist of no small stature, Foster is free to concentrate on what she does best; groove laden neo-soul that captures the heart and spirit of life via music. The inclusion of Memphis pioneer William Bell (“It Might Not Be Right”) gives the album a welcome throwback feel while Foster’s songwriting, particularly the opening “Singing the Blues” and the gritty “Let Me Know” has never been stronger.

I’ve been a fan of Foster’s for quite some time – she’s an artist willing to unmask her own hurts and hopes with brutal honesty – but with Promise of a Brand New Day she’s better learned to temper the pain with the pleasant. It’s among her best efforts, and an album I’ll be revisiting again and again. ****

The New Basement TapesLost On The River HARVEST/ ISLAND RECORDS

The New Base-ment Tapes is the name tagged to the collective of musicians – gath-ered and guided by T Bone Burnett – to make sense of a handful of recently discovered “Big Pink” era Dylan lyrics. It’s a quite a trick to pull off: Bestow cohesion and substance to nearly 50 year old fragments (and cast off fragments at that) while maintaining the ragtag off-handedness that the writer gifted upon them. Of course if anyone is up to the task Burnett is the guy. His skill at reconstruct-ing an image of Impressionistic America via music is unparalleled, as witnessed by his previous work with Dylan, Johnny Cash, and



of Meshell Ndegeocello everything about

singer/songwriter Johnny Beauford morphed

record produced by Joe Boyd and now I have,”

“cowpunk” pioneer Jason Ringenberg – he


the Grammy-winning O Brother Where Art Thou soundtrack.

Assembling a band of Dylan associates and adherents – Elvis Costello, Jim James of My Morning Jacket, Taylor Goldsmith of Dawes, Marcus Mumford of Mumford & Sons, and Rhiannon Giddens of the Carolina Chocolate Drops – Burnett has not only cho-sen the right people, he had the good sense to get out of their way.

As such, each artist gets to play to their in-dividual strengths. Since none of the lyrics had music set to them – not even a suggestion as to what key they should be played in – they’re as much a true collaboration as were many of the original Basement Tape tracks. Certainly, given the uneven nature of the source material, some


sound experience

tracks work better than others. Beautifully arranged and sung by James,

“Nothing To It” captures the spirit of ir-reverent fare do well that marked the time in which it was conceived, while Costello’s breezy “Married To My Hack” might have been lifted from any of his better albums. But the strongest efforts come from Goldsmith (whose band has toured as Dylan’s handpicked opener) and Giddens. Both strike a difficult balance between their own artistic sensibilities and those of 1967 Dylan in ways that are fresh and respectful.

And that’s the real attraction of Lost on the River. It bridges a gap between genera-tions, connecting the past and present with an idiosyncrasy that never takes itself too seriously. In that regards it best honors and celebrates the genius of Bob Dylan. ****1/2

The Rolling Stones From The Vault: Hamilton Coliseum (Live In 1981) EAGLE VISION DVD

As the 1980s rolled in The Stones were at a curious time in the band’s history. Ron Wood was now firmly ensconced as a full member; the shows were getting more extravagant, the band was never tighter, but somehow the spark had faded. Some Girls, their triumphant return to making great albums was now three years behind them and, depending on which leg of the tour you heard, Tattoo You had yet to be released.

It’s into this curious mix of the old and new that Hamilton Coliseum falls, a cross-roads between the Stones as still vital band and tottering towards yet another oldies act. There’s no shortage of new material and while Ronnie Wood was still getting his feet wet as a permanent band member the inclusion of Stones stalwarts Ian McLagan and Bobby Keys (both of whom have passed away in the last few months) only adds to the fun.

The remote recording is first rate and for the most part the Stones never lose their swagger and swirl. The bonus DVD might be a toss in – shot with only three cameras and not a bit of artistic flair – but the behind the scenes glimpses of life as a Stone help compensate. ****

‘CDs’ cont’d from pg. 12

D

for so long it is just amazing to look back on it all. Sometimes I just want to shake people for feeling useless; there are so many potential and amazing things going on all around. Help make something great for us all to enjoy.”

As the band ventures forth on its longest tour yet, they are clearly ready to make their mark. Part of that tour includes a Saturday, February 21 stop in Asheville at the New Mountain Theatre. Other bands on the bill include local favorites the Shine Brothers and Alligator Indian.

Drawing inspiration from classic indie rock and fascinated by a variety of atmospheric and dark sounds, the Brooklyn-based band, A Place to Bury Strangers is made up of Oliver Ackermann, Jay Space, and Jono Mofo.

Forming out of the ashes of the likeminded Skywave, the band has moved into a darker, slightly heavier, and more experimental approach than had its previous incarnation.

The three friends initially joined forces in 2006, recording and playing gigs with fellow Brooklyn bands Read Yellow, Bravo Silva, the Funeral Crash-ers, and the Brian Jonestown Massacre. Their 2007 self-titled debut album (Killer Pimp Records) gave hints to their sonic assault; 2009’s Exploding Head (Mute Records) found the three honing their song craft while building on their commitment to beautiful noise.

With the 2012 EP Onwards to the Wall, the band moved in a darker, louder direction reminiscent of their early releases. By the time of 2012’s Worship, the band had trimmed down to the duo of Ackerman and bassist Dion Lunadon, who recorded and produced the album themselves. The two have just released Transfixiation on the Dead Oceans la-bel. After one listen (look for an online review later this month) I can attest to its being an outburst of sounds, drawing from the band’s past while moving in a new direction.

“We’ve Come So Far” captures A Place to Bury Strangers’ sense of raw energy; guitar-ist Ackermann says of the song, “The lyrics wrote themselves. The meaning is absolute truth. Life is super intense and f*ck*d up so even accomplishing anything is a huge feat. We should all be proud of that. When we have worked extremely hard for something

A Place to Bury StrangersBY JAMES CASSARA

A Place To Bury Strangers plays a heavy, atmospheric wall of sound-influenced blend of psychedelic rock,

shoegaze and space rock.

A Place to Bury Strangers at the New Mountain Theatre located at 38 N. French Broad Road downtown. Doors

open at 9 p.m. for this 10 p.m. show, limited to 18 and over with tickets priced at $10 in advance and $12 day of show.

IF YOU GO

and Clyde) was brought in, and he co-wrote the screenplay with Venable Herndon, elabo-rating on the song’s story to create a virtual screen biography of the 21-year-old Guthrie.

The movie premiered at the New York Film Festival on August 24, 1969, to favorable reviews, earning Penn an Academy Award nomination for Best Director. Alice’s Restau-rant the album promptly jumped back into the charts. It was certified gold on September 29 (the same day that Guthrie appeared on the cover of Time magazine) and achieved a new peak in Billboard at number 17 on November 15. Ultimately, it spent a total of 99 weeks in the Billboard chart, and it was certified plati-num in 1986.

United Artists, the distributor of the film, released a soundtrack album featuring a dif-ferent, two-part version of “Alice’s Restaurant Massacree” along with instrumental music by Guthrie on its record label in September. Simultaneously, Reprise released Guthrie’s third album, Running Down the Road. Given this glut of product, it is striking that both albums sold fairly well. The soundtrack album had peaked and soon after fell off the charts. Nevertheless, Running Down the Road did not attract as much attention as it deserved.

Produced by Lenny Waronker and Van Dyke Parks and featuring such prominent ses-sion musicians as James Burton, Ry Cooder, and Clarence White, it was Guthrie’s first album without any comic monologues, and it combined some excellent new originals, including the psychedelic rocker “Coming into Los Angeles” and the tender ballad “Oh, in the Morning” (later covered by McKendree Spring), with covers of old folk and blues stan-dards like Woody Guthrie’s “Oklahoma Hills” and Mississippi John Hurt’s “My Creole Belle.”

In October 1969, Guthrie, who had bought a 250-acre farm in Stockbridge, MA, married Alice “Jackie” Hyde, with whom he would have four children: Abraham (Abe), Annie, Sarah Lee, and Cathy. Abe has been a longtime member of his father’s band. Sarah

Lee has also continued the family tradi-tion; along with her husband she has established herself as a noticeable figure in Americana music.

Over the next forty plus years Guthrie has maintained a steady schedule of touring and a studio album every two or three years. He has become a seminal figure in music and co-starred in a largely forgotten (but much loved by this writer) 1994 television series (The Byrds Of Paradise, created by Steven Bochco and featuring Timothy Busfield, Bruce Weitz, and then up and comers Jennifer Love Hewitt and Seth Green). In short, his has been an amazing career.

A few years ago Guthrie began think-ing about the importance of Alice’s Res-taurant; aware that the 50th anniversary was approaching he began creating a stage show to mark the event. Those plans were set aside when Guthrie’s wife passed away. He understandably grieved, retreated, and eventually regrouped.

And now is the time: Embarking upon a lengthy tour, reaching from late January well into May, booking venues both large and small, with our very own Diana Wortham Theatre among a select few hosting consecutive nights. Guthrie and his band, celebrating his life in music and the legacy of Alice’s Restaurant, will be appearing on February 13 and 14. It’s a rare opportunity to see an artist of such stature in a venue known for its intimacy, great acoustics, and not having a bad seat in the house.

This event will likely sell out, mak-ing the evening even more special. This is one show I would not hesitate on!

‘Alice’s Restaurant’ cont’d. from pg. 8

Two nights with Arlo Guthrie and the 50th Anniversary of Alice’s Restaurant at the Diana Wortham

Theatre on Friday and Saturday, February 13 and 14. For ticket information and more details, go to www.dwtheatre.com

IF YOU GO


his band the Lightning Bolts and his new group Deep River Rising with Bryan Sut-ton and T. Michael Coleman.

David WilcoxConsidered a ‘song-

writer’s songwriter’, David’s songs have been covered by artists such as k.d. lang and many others. In addition to his writing prowess, his skills as a performer and storyteller are unmatched. He holds audiences rapt with nothing more than a single guitar, thoroughly written songs, a fearless ability to mine the depths of human emotions of joy, sorrow and everything in between, and all tempered by a quick and wry wit. His lyrical insight is matched by a smooth baritone voice, virtuosic guitar chops, and creative open tunings, giving him a range and tenderness rare in folk music.

Wilcox’s 2014 release, blaze is a “com-plex blossom of contradictions that is held to-gether at the center by this blissfully focused state of mind that I first came to know while pedaling across the country.” With blaze, Da-vid has stayed true to himself and artistically alive …, leaving only the path ahead and the trail to blaze.

David LaMotteDavid LaMotte is an award-winning

songwriter whose music has taken him around the globe, performing 2500 concerts to de-voted fans on five continents. Along the way, he has had the chance to perform with many

of the artists who inspired him as a young man, including Pete Seeger, Arlo Guthrie and the band America. The Boston Globe says he “pushes the envelope with challenging lyrics and unusual tunings, but he also pays homage to folk tradition.”

LaMotte has recorded 11 albums includ-ing one for children, S.S. Bathtub, which led to the publication of his first children’s book. That was followed by a second illustrated book for children, White Flour. In 2014 he pub-lished his first book for adults, Worldchanging 101: Challenging the Myth of Powerlessness.


sound experience

DDavid Holt, David Wilcox, and David LaMotte perform February 21.

Join three of Asheville’s favorite award-winning songwriters and entertainers, David Holt, David Wilcox and David LaMotte, at the Diana Wortham Theatre in downtown Ashe-ville for an auspicious evening of insightful songs, woven with warm-hearted, meaningful stories and an abundance of laughter.

These three internationally-known musi-cians have harmonious roots in Western North Carolina, which will echo in their musical conversation. Each of these musicians is ac-customed to entertaining large audiences by themselves and the spontaneous musical and personal interaction between them promises to multiply the fun and make for an exceptional evening to remember.

ABOUT THE THREE DAVIDSDavid Holt

Four time Grammy award winner David Holt has lived a life of musical adventure. For over three decades, David’s passion for tradi-tional music and stories has fueled a success-ful performing and recording career. He has hosted numerous television shows including Fire On The Mountain, the PBS Folkways series and Great Scenic Railway Journeys and has performed and recorded with many of his mentors including Doc Watson, Chet Atkins, Bill Monroe and Earl Scruggs. He can be heard each week on public radio’s Riverwalk Jazz and seen in the movie O Brother Where Art Thou.

Holt’s new recording, Let It Slide features his original songs and slide guitar work. David lives in Asheville and tours both solo,and with

The Three Davids in Concert

The Three Davids, Saturday, February 21 at 8 p.m. Tickets: $35; $25 for students and children under

12. Diana Wortham Theatre, 2 South Pack Square, downtown Asheville. (828) 257-4530, www.dwtheatre.com.

IF YOU GO

Darin & Brooke Aldridge present Snapshots, Friday, February 13 at The Isis Restaurant & Music Hall, 743

Haywood Road, Asheville. Phone (828) 575-2737 between noon and 5 p.m. daily, or visit www.isisasheville.com

IF YOU GO

Internationally-known musicians David Holt, David Wilcox and David LaMotte.

Master Storyteller David NovakMetro Wines hosts a one of a kind, entertaining and interactive

salon experience with the award-winning storyteller, author and actor. Enjoy a glass of wine while the master of all genres brings stories to life. To learn more about David Novak, please visit www.novateller.com

IF YOU GO: Salon with David Novak, Sunday, February 8 at 3 p.m. at MetroWines, 169 Charlotte Street in Asheville. Seating is limited. Tickets are $15 and include a complimentary glass of wine or beverage. For reservations, email: [email protected] or call (828) 658-4151

Darin & Brooke Aldridge Release CD

more. Sam Bush joins the Al-dridge band on “Get Up John,” the mandolin tune written by Bill Monroe. “When He Calls” includes harmonies with Ricky Skaggs. The closing song, “Wait “Till The Clouds Roll By”

comes from the repertoire of early Opry star Uncle Dave Macon.

Snapshots is filled with virtuosity, at-tention to musical precision, and a sense of history. The album is available for pre-orders now on iTunes and Amazon.

TThe exquisitely talented Darin and Brooke Aldridge present a very special CD release event to be held Friday, February 13.

To celebrate the release of their new CD, Snapshots (Moun-tain Home Music Company), the Darin & Brooke Aldridge Band will share songs from the album with fans at The Isis in Asheville.

With Snapshots, Darin & Brooke con-tinue their own tradition of comfortably and naturally balancing a respect for tradition with their engagement in the innovative and chal-lenging musical world of today. The album is filled with gospel songs and sentiments that reflect Darin & Brooke’s deep faith.

The clarity and heartfelt emotion in the singing and playing on Snapshots is delivered with care and skill by the band and special guests including Steve McMurry, Bluegrass Hall of Fame member Doyle Lawson and

BY CLAIRE RATLIFF


JONAS GERARD FINE ART

828.350.7711 jonasgerard.com

240 Clingman Ave & 191 Lyman St (Riverview Station)

Open Every Day 10am-6pm

Jon

as

Pa

ints

Love &

Lig

ht

20% OffHearts, Floral &

Silk PaintingsFeb 1-14

T

T

nificant; to play without passion is inexcusable.” In this sense it can be said that all of Jonas’ paintings are works of passion. Everything from the purely abstract to landscapes and other figurative paintings… even his sculptures are imbued with profound emotion.

This February, in time for Valentine’s Day, we are celebrating his “grand gestures”. In order to “spread the love,” from February

1-14, all of Jonas’ original floral, hearts and soft, luxurious silk paintings will be on sale at 20% off. This is the perfect opportunity to give her a bou-quet (or a heart or silk) that lasts for-ever… and then on Valentine’s Day take her to a special painting performance… where passion

ZaPow artists who elected to participate: one children’s book, one literary classic, and one contemporary fiction title.

The artists selected a book to inspire a work of art in their own style and medium of choice. A total of 52 artists will be showcasing works inspired by everything from Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird to Tolstoy’s War and Peace to E.L. James’s Fifty Shades of Grey.

Free beer sampling will be provided courtesy of

our local Oskar Blues Brewery. Live Django Reinhardt-style gypsy swing guitar will be performed by Stephen Karla.

meets brush and canvas.It all culminates with a special Valentine’s

Day Live Painting Performance at our River-view Station Gallery.

Jonas Paints Love and LightFLORAL, HEARTS AND SILK PAINTINGS

FOR VALENTINE’S DAY

Art of the Book at ZaPow!

The emotions of love, affection and passion can be expressed in a wide variety of ways.

Often it is with a grand gesture, full of the undisguised symbolism of romance. Other times it is in the subtle beauty that emerges when you work to incorporate these powerful feelings into your everyday actions.

Jonas Gerard has spent a lifetime striving to infuse every brush stroke with deep, raptur-ous feeling. This combined with his creative philosophy that “there are no mistakes when it comes to art”, brings to mind Beethoven’s famous quote: “To play a wrong note is insig-

The artists of ZaPow! have created an art exhibit in honor of the American Booksellers Association’s National Winter Institute.

“Art of the Book” will have its opening reception on Sunday, February 8 from 3 to 6 p.m.

Asheville has a well-established community of writers both past and present. Our creative populace has helped support the success of our indie booksellers, including Malaprop’s Bookstore and Café, Downtown Books and News (which is owned by Malaprop’s), Battery Park Book Exchange & Champagne Bar, and Spellbound Children’s Bookshop, as well as more than twenty art gal-leries in the downtown area.

For this book inspired show, Lauren Patton—ZaPow’s Creative Director and Co-owner— assigned three books to each of the

Purple Passion by Jonas Gerard. Acrylic on canvas, 24x48 inches


fine art

Jonas Gerard painting performance, Saturday, February 14, 2 p.m. at Jonas Gerard at Riverview Station, 191 Lyman

St. in Asheville’s River Arts District. For more information, visit www.jonasgerard.com

IF YOU GO

Two locations in the River Arts District

Jonas Gerard Fine Art240 Clingman Avenue

Jonas Gerard at Riverview Station

191 Lyman St., #144

(828) 350-7711 www.jonasgerard.com

BY CHRIS STACK

River Of Love II by Jonas Gerard. Dye and paint on silk, 36x60 inches

In Bloom #107 by Jonas Gerard. Acrylic on canvas, 20x24 inches

Artwork by Allison Weeks Thomas

Art of the Book opening reception, Sunday, February 8 from 3-6 p.m. ZaPow!, 21 Battery Park Ave.,

downtown Asheville. Visit www.zapow.com.

IF YOU GO


15

Dreaming In Red Juditta Musette“I am motivated to capture

light and energy through

textures and colors.”

Max Patch Variation II

Elise Okrend“My intent is to connect the

viewer to a sense of healing

and inner peace.”

ASHEVILLE GALLERY OF ART 16 College St., Downtown Asheville 828.251.5796 www.ashevillegallery-of-art.com

WHO’S NEW?FEBRUARY 2015Reception

Friday

February 6

5-8 pm

Show runs

February 1-28, 2015

Winter Hours:

Tuesday - Saturday

10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Time Alone To Think Jane Molinelli

“I use color, line, and mark to

convey an emotion, memory,

or experience.”

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1 Page Avenue ~ Historic Grove ArcadeSuite 123 ~ 828.350.0307

[email protected] www.MtnMade.com

“After the Storm”

Porchoir painting by Rick Hills with handmade

bark frame

pg. 2014


The Best Shops, Galleries & RestaurantsMore of What Makes Asheville Special

Fabulous Downtown Asheville

pg. 20pH

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Lex 18 is hosting a Valentine’s Date Night dinner, music and Tango Revue.

Lex 18, Asheville’s Southern Appalachian Supper Club and Moonshine Bar, will host an Argentinian feast and dance review on Saturday, February 14 for friends and lov-ers searching for the perfect Valentine’s evening.

Expected to be an unforgettable romantic evening, our Valentine’s Dinner Show Revue takes you to another time and place: 1920’s Buenos Aires, Argentina. Our romantic restaurant, lit by candle light and fireplaces, is the perfect escape.

In the classic style of dinner shows, couples are seated side-by-side facing the dance floor. The evening’s experi-ence is filled with the sultry music of Argentine Tango in-spiring one of the most sensual ballroom dance styles. We’ll

Lex 18 stages unique dining experience. We walked through the doorway and were immedi-

ately brought into the 1920s with a fun blend of fictional and factual Asheville aristocracy. Dennis Ray, Rapid River Magazine publisher, and I were among the honored guests received by actors portraying Susan and Douglas Ellington. Douglas being the renowned architect who designed several notable buildings in Asheville. We were quickly attended

to by the Ellington Manor’s butler and staff of servants.

Cocktails and wine flowed as guests ar-rived into the “library.” My favorite part? The vintage

costumes! Most of the guests were in carefully chosen period attire, clearly showing their commitment to making the evening their experience. Lex 18 was beautifully dressed too, setting a perfect scene for the evening.

The magic continued when the bell rang and dinner was announced. We were served our five courses just as they would at the Downton estate. Each course was beautifully presented, each very special and delicious, each a pleasing blend of flavors and textures. The timing between courses allowed an opportunity to savor the distinct flavors on my palate just long enough.

My second favorite part? Sitting in the dining room watching our scene played out on the screen as we viewed the first episode of Downton Abbey Season 5. All the guests around the table were clearly enjoying themselves through-out the evening and slowly brought their attention back to

the present (partially), to watch this extremely popular Masterpiece series.

The vintage dinner series has been extended into February. Don’t delay as it will likely sell out again.

present four of the top Tango and Latin dancers of the region; two couples expressing romance, pas-sion and temptation in the synchronized dance we know as Tango.

Works by Cheryl Keefer are also on display at:

Wedge Studios129 Roberts St., by appt.River Arts District

Seven Sisters Gallery Black MountainBlack Mountain

Opening Reception 5-8 pm Friday, March 6, 2015

Asheville Gallery of Art16 College StreetDowntown Asheville

On display March 1-31, 2015 at the Asheville Gallery of Art

JOURNEYS: Landscapes, Cityscapes, Interiors

828-450-1104 • www.CherylKeefer.com

PLEIN AIR ~ LANDSCAPES ~ CITYSCAPES

CHERYL KEEFER

pg. 365

pg. 20Rp

pg. 9MS

Passion, Temptation and TangoA 1920’S CANDLELIT DINNER, MUSIC AND TANGO REVUE

Downton Abbey Vintage Banquet Experience

For reservations call (828) 575-9494, or visit 18 N. Lexington Ave. in Asheville. Seatings are at 6:15 and 8:15 p.m. Tickets are $90 per person (2 person

minimum) and may be purchased at www.lex18avl.com.

IF YOU GO

BY JOSEpH MALKI

Lex 1818 North Lexington Avenue, Downtown Asheville

(828) 575-9494, www.lex18avl.com

BY KATHLEEN COLBURN

Each course was beautifully presented.


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and carries it home to his studio to bring life to his paintings.

Hills graduated from the Univer-sity of Florida with a degree in fine art, then began a 30-year career as a festival artist, combining his love of art with his love of travel. He had the oppor-tunity to explore most of the US and finally settled in the beautiful North Carolina mountains.

Currently, Hills uses a unique and colorful painting style which he has developed through experimenta-tion. The new style is called Porchoir Painting, using airbrush and stencils to render his art on board or recycled tin roofing.

First, the artist masks, primes, and applies a colorful underpainting to the tin or wood surface. Often many layers of underpainting are required to produce the desired atmosphere or climate.

Next, the artist creates his com-position using leaves, ferns, sticks, and other plants as stencils, which he se-cures so they stay flat and motionless.

Then, Hills uses an airbrush to overspray the surface using many lay-ers of paint to create the desired effect. As the plant stencils are removed, it’s like opening a gift on Christmas morn-ing. The underpainting shines through the outline of the stencil, creating a glimpse of one of the many moods of the forest. The finished painting is then mounted on a piece of weathered barn board.

Mr. Hills will be in the Grove Arcade demonstrating his Porchoir Painting style at Mountain Made Gallery. The gallery

features many of Rick Hills’ most recent paintings along with the work of dozens of other wonderful local artists. Please stop by and experience the colorful variety of hand-made treasures.

features the work of about 150 WNC artisans – with both contemporary art pieces and traditional Appalachian mountain crafts – such as hand wrought jewelry, ceramics & pottery, wood art & furniture, quilts & fiber art, photographic prints and wall art, along with

hand-blown glass and other gift ideas.

Located inside the historic Grove Arcade building in the heart of downtown Asheville, Mountain Made Art Gal-lery should be one your “must see” destinations for anyone who wants to take a “piece of the mountains” home with them!

Fine Artist Rick Hills Loves the Lonely Places

Mountain Made Art Gallery

It is in the forests and mountains that the artist finds inspiration for his artwork and his faith.

“To truly understand the subject of your art, you must immerse yourself in it fully. And so he does—living in Waynesville, near the Blue Ridge parkway and the Great Smokey Mountains National Park. From here, he jour-neys regularly with his three collies (Sugar, Lily, and Toppie) to favorite spots where he finds truth, beauty, and connection.

“It’s getting out and observing the things that are happening around you that matters—the smell of the pines, the crunch of the forest floor beneath your feet, the cloud that appears, seemingly out of nowhere—this is how God speaks to me, through His creation,” Hills says. As he has grown closer to his Creator in recent years, he understands that his creativity comes from God, and he desires to use his art as a reflection of the awesome works of God.

His connection to his surroundings deepens as he returns to favorite locales again and again, in every season and at different times of day, coming to know them intimately, as you might come to know a lifelong friend. It becomes a kind of conversation—one in which he listens to the silence, absorbs its wisdom,

Are we one of the best local galleries in Asheville?

Well, naturally we would like to think so... because here at Mountain Made, we showcase what we feel are some of the most interesting and unique arts and crafts made by local artists from the Asheville area and sur-rounding Great Smoky Mountains.

Of course there are other galleries in the area that you might want see as well. But we warn you while many might boast of larger floor plans, few of them can offer you a better selection of the local art, books and music that has made Asheville an arts and craft lover’s destination for over 70 years.

Currently the Mountain Made art gallery

Eastern Hemlock by Rick HIlls

Dawn’s Light by Rick HIlls

Fun Forest by Rick HIlls

Rick Hills displays a completed Porchoir Painting.

You can contact Mr. Hills by email at: [email protected]; by phone at: (828) 452-0228; or by visiting his

Facebook page: Art by Rick Hills.

IF YOU GO


fine art

After the Storm by Rick HIlls

Mountain Made Art Gallery 1 Page Ave., downtown Asheville

Monday - Saturday 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. Sunday 12 noon - 5 p.m.

www.MtnMade.com

Mountain Made Art Gallery features works by more than 150 WNC artisans.

The gallery is located in downtown Asheville in the Grove Arcade.


Reel Take Reviewers:CHIP KAUFMANN is a film historian who also shares his love of classical music as a program host on WCQS-FM radio.

MICHELLE KEENAN is a long time student of film, a believer in the magic of movies, and a fundraiser for public radio.

- Fantastic - Pretty darn good - Has some good points - The previews lied - Only if you mustM- Forget entirely

Questions/Comments?You can email Chip or Michelle at

[email protected]

who also shares his love of classical

For the latest REVIEWS, THEATER INFO and MOVIE SHOW TIMES, visitwww.rapidrivermagazine.com

Illustration of Michelle & Chip by Brent Brown.

BRENT BROWN is a graphic designer and illustrator. View more of his work at

www.brentbrown.com.

before I remembered who Chris Kyle was. My next thought was, how would the ending be handled? Although there are those who don’t like the ending, I’m glad that it ended the way that it did. It was perfect for Eastwood’s “print the legend” approach. In fact if this had been made 60 years earlier, John Ford would have directed and John Wayne would have starred.

For those unfamiliar with the book on which the movie is based, Chris Kyle was the number one American sniper in military history with more acknowledged kills than anyone in his profession. Trained as a Navy Seal, he came back from his tours of duty in the Middle East with severe PTSD but like

Movies continued on page 24

American Sniper Short Take: Solid but not spectacular. Clint Eastwood’s straightforward adaptation of Chris Kyle’s autobiography benefits from his no-nonsense direction and quality performances from Bradley Cooper & Sienna Miller.

REEL TAKE: What is one to make of American Sniper? When I watched it as a potential Oscar contender back in December, I thought it was a good, solid, well made movie but nothing spec-tacular. I also thought that it had the potential to be an audience pleaser despite its somewhat grim scenario. However when the film was released in mid-January, it became a cultural phenomenon with an unbelievable opening weekend gross of $105 million.

By the time you read this, American Sniper will have crossed the quarter mil-lion mark towards an overall unknown total although the subject matter will surely keep

it from being as big a hit overseas as a typical Marvel franchise picture. Yet in some circles it is being compared to them with the caveat that it’s about a real life hero. I wouldn’t go that far but with the international situation being what it is, I can see where Sniper’s surprising popularity is coming from.

Putting aside cultural and historical dis-

cussions, what about the movie itself? Unlike a number of critics, I had no problem with American Sniper. I felt that Clint Eastwood’s non-flashy nuts and bolts directorial approach suited the material perfectly. It contained just the right mix of Zero Dark Thirty’s you-are-there shaky cam footage with what can only be described as a Lifetime movie-of-the-week naïve quality that suited the characters in their respective environments.

The real standouts in American Sniper are the lead performances. Bradley Cooper, almost bulked up beyond recognition, gives a direct, heartfelt portrayal of the central character un-like any other that I have seen him give before. Even though I knew he was playing Chris Kyle, I had a hard time recognizing him as Brad-ley Cooper. As for Sienna Miller, I was over halfway through the film before I even realized that it was her! She was completely and heart-breakingly believable as a Texas housewife.

I was also halfway through the movie

Bradley Cooper as Chris Kyle takes aim in Clint Eastwood’s American Sniper.

TTHE MONTHLY REEL

This is it, movie geeks! Award season is in full swing and the

fashion police are out in full force, covering every inch of the red carpet on the road to Oscar. The 87th Academy Award nomina-tions were announced in January and now the campaign for Oscar gold is ‘on.’

Unlike recent years, when several cat-egories seemed to have it ‘in the bag,’ there are no clear-cut front runners. At press time Boyhood seems to be the Oscar darling this year, but it is by no means a sure-thing. The good Professor Kaufmann and I give you our Oscar race ruminations and predictions on page 25. We’ve also included our annual Oscar ballot for your own predictions (a must for every Oscar party!).

You can still catch several of the Oscar nominated films at local theatres. We included reviews for three of the films - American Sniper, The Imitation Game and Selma. For those not so into award season, who just want to be entertained, Chip also offers his thoughts on a couple

of recent sequels, Taken 3 and Woman in Black 2.

At press-time the Sundance Film Festival was just about to get un-derway. Last year’s festival marked the debut of two of the films up for Oscars this year – Boyhood and Whiplash. We’re curious to see what emerges this year and we hope 2015 is as strong a year for great, smaller, performance-driven films as last year was.

Be on the lookout for the Oscar Nomi-nated Shorts playing at The Carolina this month as well as A Most Violent Year and the Oscar nominated Two Days One Night. While the masses will no doubt flock to the theatres to see Fifty Shades of Grey, we’ll be looking forward to Colin Firth in Kingsman: The Secret Service.

Last but not least, we said goodbye to several talented actors recently and wanted to honor their contributions with a mention here: Rod Taylor, best known for The Birds and The Time Machine passed at the age of

84. (We last saw him not that long ago in Quentin Tarantino’s Inglorious Basterds as Winston Churhill) La Dolce Vita actress and Swedish-born sex-symbol of the 1950’s and 60’s Anita Eckberg died at 83, and two-time Academy Award winner Luise Rainer died at the wonderful old age of 104.

We hope you enjoy this issue, and we welcome your thoughts, questions and feedback at [email protected]. Until next time.

BY MICHELLE KEENAN

Rod Taylor and Anita Eckberg in 1962. Ironically the two passed the same week.

Luise Rainer

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Fine Arts Theatre (Asheville)Movieline (828) 232-1536www.fineartstheatre.com

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Theatre Directory


Louis Zamperini of Unbroken fame, he overcame it. However his life ended differently.

You’ll be hearing a lot more about American Sniper be-tween now and Oscar time both good and bad. With all the buzz surrounding it, it will ultimately be up to you to decide how you feel about it. In some ways it resembles Saving Private Ryan in its matter-of-fact war time violence so keep that in mind when you go to see it, but see it you should.

Rated R for disturbing war violence and language throughout.Review by Chip Kaufmann

The Imitation Game 1/2Short Take: The story of Alan Turing, the mathematician who cracked the Nazi’s Enigma code and helped changed the course of WWII.

REEL TAKE: Largely touted and long awaited, The Imita-tion Game finally made its way to wide release at Christmas. As expected, it’s garnered several Oscar nomina-tions including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actress and its most deserving nomination, Best Actor. The film is very much the type of Oscar bait we see at this time of year, but it’s very, very good Oscar bait.

The Imitation Game tells the story of Alan Turing (Bene-dict Cumberbatch), the mathematician who built the machine that that cracked Nazi Germany’s Enigma code during World War II and helped win the war (it was also the machine from which all computers derived). He and his team at Bletchley Park helped shorten the war by two to three years, saving an estimated 14 to 21 million lives. The story unfolds in a series of flashbacks, which sounds rather simple, but is anything but.

The various moments in time are layered articulately and elegantly interwoven to take us from Turing’s life in pres-ent day [1952] England to two other pivotal parts of his life; his work during the war and his adolescent years at boarding school. Both of which frame the story which build to the sorry circumstances Turing finds himself in after facing prosecution from the British government for the crime of being a homo-sexual. (So, you can save 20 million lives, but shag a guy and you are a morally bereft beast?!)

Turing was not a particularly likeable chap. Socially inept and relentlessly bullied as a child, he found comfort working crossword puzzles and passing encrypted notes with his best [and only] friend at school. By the time England is entrenched in WWII, Turing is working against the clock to break Enigma, Tur-ing is as socially awkward as ever, but now a cocky mathematical genius to boot. Neither characteristic warms his team to him but his confidence in his ability to build a machine that can sort through and decode millions of possible encrypted Nazi codes far faster than humans can, ultimately does.

The Imitation Game falls prey to some of the familiar trappings of standard biopic fare, but rises above them on the merit of its actors and Morten Tyldum’s direction. It is mainstream enough to be a crowd-pleaser, but sharp enough to pay tribute to a brilliant mind. Cumberbatch turns in one of the best performances of the year, deftly balancing Tur-

Movies continued from page 23

Benedict Cumberbatch delivers a pitch perfect performance as Alan

Turing in The Imitation Game.


film reviews


SOur Favorite Films of 2014

Chip Kaufmann’s FavoritesA Walk Among The Tombstones – This powerful urban crime drama gives Liam Neeson his best role in years and features a challenging storyline along with a pair of memorable and very disturbing bad guys.

Captain America:The Winter Soldier – This Marvel blockbuster got lost in the shuffle after Guardians of the Galaxy came out but a solid story and a villainous Robert Redford made it a memorable film experience.

The Drop – An excellent example of a little movie that is character and story driven.Tom Hardy’s outstanding portrayal and James Gandolfini in his final role add depth to the proceedings.

The Grand Budapest Hotel – My favorite film of the year. This updated version of an Ernst Lubitsch comedy has everything I look for in a movie. Great sets, costumes, photography, writing, and an ensemble cast to die for.

The Homesman – Shades of Clint East-wood’s Unforgiven can be found in this mesmerizing but very downbeat western with great performances from Tommy Lee Jones (who also directed) and Hilary Swank.

Maleficent – I went to this expecting a live action version of Sleeping Beauty but instead found a beautiful and complete-ly reworked version of the fairy tale loaded with Victorian storybook imagery. Angelina Jolie is perfect!

Mr. Turner – British filmmaker Mike Leigh’s leisurely paced biopic of 18th century painter J.M.W. Turner contains an extraordinary lead performance from Timothy Spall (channelling Charles Laughton), and truly incredible cinematography.

Only Lovers Left Alive – I expected to like this movie because of Jim Jarmusch, Tom Hiddleston, and Tilda Swinton but I was blown away by the depth of character and social observations. An unorthodox vampire picture primarily set in Detroit.

Tusk – Writer-director Kevin Smith’s take on the traditional mad scientist horror flick with a wonderfully deranged per-formance from Michael Parks. How can you not like a film where a loud, obnoxious radio host is turned into a walrus?

Veronica Mars – My favorite guilty pleasure of the year based on the old TV series. Kristen Bell returns as the title character now a young woman who helps clear an old beau of a murder charge. This is how you upgrade a TV show into a movie.

Michelle Keenan’s Favorites Calvary – A shatteringly beautiful drama by John Michael McDonough (The Guard) starring Brendan Gleeson as a good priest who’s threatened by a parishioner to pay for the sins of the church. A powerful film. Not for the faint of heart.

The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Them – Boyhood was not the only cinematic experiment this year. First time feature film director Ned Benson wrote and directed three versions of his relationship drama – a ‘his,’ ‘her,’ and ‘them.’ It sounds pretentious, but earnest performances from Jessica Chastain and James McAvoy con-vinced me otherwise.

The Drop – A wonderful and enter-taining broody little drama directed by Michael R. Roskam (Bullhead) star-ring Tom Hardy and James Gandolfini in what is sadly his last role.

Grand Budapest Hotel – This old school caper comedy from Wes Ander-son was my favorite film of the year.

But its massive success with critics and audiences has me worried – is Wes Anderson now mainstream?

The Imitation Game – A performance driven drama about Alan Turing, the mathematician who broke Nazi Germany’s Enigma code and helped change the tide of WWII.

Inherent Vice – Paul Thomas Anderson’s adaptation of Thomas Pynchon’s novel. Apparently if you cross Sam Spade and a doped up hippie in 1970 this is what you get.

Locke – I thought a film about a man driving from Birming-ham to London while facing a personal crisis and talking on his mobile would be a.) a gimmick, and b.) boring, but it was anything but. Tom Hardy’s performance, from the seat of a BMW, is nothing short of riveting.

The Lunchbox – A gem of a film about an unhappily mar-ried housewife who begins a correspondence with the man who accidentally receives the lunches she makes for her ungrateful husband.

Only Lovers Left Alive – An elegant and alternative vam-pire film as only Jim Jarmusch could make starring Tom Hiddleston, Tilda Swinton, and John Hurt. I was utterly sucked in.

Pride – Based on a actual events in 1984, when gay activists and British unionized mineworkers joined forces, Pride is one of the most joyous, crowd-pleasing little films to come down the pike in a long time.

Some have said that 2014 wasn’t a great year for the movies.

Box office receipts on certain intended blockbusters disappointed the bean counters. And I have to admit, this year’s Oscar nominations do not generate quite the excite-ment that other years have. However, for movie buffs like us at Reel Takes, we loved 2014.

It was a banner year for smaller, wonderfully creative, moving and entertaining films. In fact, in composing our personal best lists (which can and do differ from our criti-cal top ten lists), the most challenging point was limiting ourselves to just 10 films. Our lists contain titles that we thoroughly enjoyed; films that stayed with us on some level, and some that were simply a guilty pleasure. With that we offer our favorite films of 2014 in alphabetical order.

Kelly Reilly and Brendan Gleeson star in the shatteringly wonderful

Calvary.

Timothy Spall delivered an Oscar worthy performance in Mr. Turner.



film reviews

well as the everyman / woman. It also depicts the differences of opinions among the key players, the chaos and confusion of it all and the figure-it-out-as-we-go aspects of the movement. This is not a sanitized history lesson about the civil rights movement. Instead we see how the sausage is made so-to-speak.

DuVernay has taken some heat for the scenes depicting the negotiations between Presi-dent Johnson (Tom Wilkinson) and Dr. King in regards to King’s push for the Voting Rights Act. As a history major I didn’t take much umbrage with them. Again, I thought the film smartly showed the man’s strengths and weaknesses and moreover gave a wonderful and complex political context for the time, a context which shaped LBJ’s approach to many issues.

What flaws there are in Selma are easily forgiven because of what the film ultimately accomplishes. While Oyelowo gives a standout performance he is very much an ensemble play-er, and what an ensemble it is. The supporting cast, of which there are too many to name here, doesn’t miss a beat. The film is beautifully pho-tographed and tightly edited. Every element of this film was a labor of love and it shows. See it on the big screen while you can.

Rated PG-13 for disturbing thematic material including violence, a suggestive moment, and brief strong language.

Review by Michelle Keenan

Taken 3 1/2Short Take: Although mauled by most critics, I found this third (and reportedly last) installment in the Taken series more entertaining than the last.

REEL TAKE: What a difference a movie makes. Earlier last year Liam Neeson was in the quality production A Walk Among the Tombstones, where he was given one of his best roles in quite awhile. He followed that with this sequel, and while it is not in the same league, I found it to be an improvement over Taken 2, and it no doubt provided a healthy paycheck for Neeson.

The title is somewhat misleading as the principal abduction doesn’t occur until late in the film, but at this point in the game the title

ing’s positive and negative attributes to eloquently portray this complex man and simultaneously entreat our empathy. The supporting cast is top drawer as well, especially Keira Knightly as Joan Clarke, the only female member of his team in a male dominated profession and world. Clarke befriended Turing, loved him in spite of his sexuality, and believed in him, even after the world destroyed him.

Clarke’s faith was not ill-placed. She knew his work was important. His ‘Turing Machines’ paved the way for the world we live in today. Most of you reading this know that Turing killed himself after suffering chemical castration as punishment for his ‘crimes.’ What you may not know is that he laced an apple with cyanide and took a bite. Sound familiar? The next time you see that logo, take a moment to say thank you.

Rated PG-13 for some sexual references, mature thematic material and historical smoking.

Review by Michelle Keenan

Selma 1/2Short Take: A timely and eerily relevant portrayal of the months leading up to the pivotal march from Selma to Montgomery and its impact on the civil rights movement.

REEL TAKE: The fact that Ava DuVerNay’s Selma is being largely snubbed this award season may have something to do with the fact that the film was scarcely screened until well into award season. The distributor’s reluctance to provide screenings and screeners to critics and industry insiders seems to have hurt it in the end. Keeping it a closely guarded secret didn’t help build criti-cal or audience appeal.

This is a real shame because Selma is one of the year’s must-see movies. The film never quite achieves greatness, though it does possess truly great moments, but it is an utterly compelling and [I think] important film. Sadly, it’s eerily relevant at this point in our nation’s history.

David Oyelowo gives a magnificent perfor-mance as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. during the months leading to the historic march from Selma to Montgomery in 1965 and turned the tide in the civil rights movement. The film has been criticized for taking some liberties with history, but the liberties are minor in comparison to the light and the truth it sheds. DuVernay smartly shows King’s flaws and human failings, without demeaning his greatness or casting any disre-spect. If anything the film and the man’s legacy is the better for it.

Selma is not a biopic about Dr. King. The film provides glimpses into Dr. King’s life, his marriage, his dedication to the cause and the toll it was already taking on his life three years before that fateful day in Memphis. Rather, Selma is about the movement, a movement that Dr. King shepherded with non-violent action. The film showcases the pivotal players in the movement as

Movies continued from page 24

H2015 Oscar Musings

Armchair Picks & Preferences

Here we go again! Eight Best Pictures and only

five Best Directors, leaving another three films that directed them-selves. While it’s a simple matter to remove the three films in ques-tion, they should have never been nominated in the first place. But nominations mean more money and in Hollywood, Oscar isn’t the only thing that glitters gold.

Even more irksome were some of the snubs and inconsistencies this year. Selma was nominated for Best Picture, but its director, Ava DuVer-nay, was not recognized. Its lead ac-tor, David Oyelowo as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was strangely omitted from the Best Actor category. Meanwhile Bennett Miller was nominated for Best Director for Foxcatcher, but the film wasn’t nomi-nated for Best Picture. Foxcatcher, a good but not great film, suffered from pacing problems which fall square on the shoul-ders of its director, not on the cast that gave it their all.

We also thought, with all of the accolades bestowed on Grand Budapest Hotel, Ralph Fiennes would have at least been given a nod, but then again it was a comedy and Best Actors are serious, right? We could go on, but really, what’s the point?

We thought 2014 was a marvelous year for film, particularly for small, per-formance-driven, wonderfully creative titles that may not have garnered Oscar’s attention, but they did ours. Take a look at our personal Favorite Films of 2014 on page 24. In the meanwhile here are our votes for the Oscar race.

Best Picture – Boyhood seems to be the favorite for Best Picture at press time, but we’d both prefer to see Grand Budapest Hotel take the honor.

Best Director – Why Ava DuVernay didn’t get nominated for Selma we don’t know. We were also a little surprised that Christopher Nolan wasn’t recognized for Interstellar, but given the nominations, our preferences and predictions are an exact repeat of the Best Picture category.

Best Actor – We don’t disagree that Michael Keaton’s performance in Bird-man was award worthy and we’ll be very happy to see him win, but we’d love to see Benedict Cumberbatch take it for his brilliant portrayal of Alan Turing in The Imitation Game.

Best Actress – We both agree Hilary Swank should have been nominated for her role to date in The Homesman (another overlooked film this year). We think they’ll give the edge to Julianne Moore for her portrayal of a woman with early onset Alzheimer’s Disease in Still Alice (Oscar loves disability and affliction). It is an excellent performance, but we’d love to see the statuette go to Rosa-mund Pike for her fantastically

memorable performance in Gone Girl.

Best Supporting Actor – This is one category where we differ. We think the academy will recognize J.K. Simmons as Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Whiplash. Michelle concurs with this vote while the good Professor Kaufmann would like to see the award go to Mark Ruffalo for Foxcatcher.

Best Supporting Actress – This one is a tough one. All are solid performances, and it’s hard to say which way it’s going to go. Meryl Streep was a whole lot of fun in Into the Woods, but she’s been there, done that and she’ll do it again, just probably not for ITW. We have a feeling Patricia Arquette is probably going to win for Boyhood. Chip would like to see Laura Dern get it for Wild, but Michelle is leaning towards Keira Knightly for The Imitation Game.

The Grand Budapest Hotel, with Ralph Fiennes and Tony Revolori was our Best Picture

of the Year.

Rosamund Pike gave a disturbingly terrific and memorable performance

in Gone Girl.


David Oyelowo as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. leads the civil rights marchers to the bridge in Selma.

26 February 2015 — RAPID RIVER ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE — Vol. 18, No. 6RAPID RIVER ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE Vol. 18, No. 6

And the Oscar Go� to…The 87th Academy Awards take place Sunday, February 22 on ABC.

After record audience numbers and breaking Twitter with the world’s best celebrity selfie last year, we were surprised the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences didn’t invite Ellen Degeneres to host the show once again. But they are keeping it fresh by enlisting the talents of veteran Tony Awards host and Gone Girl’s collateral damage, Neil Patrick Harris. There will no

doubt be a song and dance number or two, or three. If you love the glitz and glamour of the red carpet and the

excitement of Hollywood’s biggest night, tune in to ABC at 7 p.m. on February 22. Whether you’re hosting an Oscar party or just planning on keeping score from the comfort of your own Snuggie, use our handy dandy Reel Takes Oscar Ballot to cast your own votes and keep track of the winners.

Best Actress in a Supporting Role• Patricia Arquette – Boyhood • Laura Dern – Wild • Keira Knightley – The Imitation Game • Emma Stone – Birdman or The

Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance • Meryl Streep – Into The Woods My money is on: _____________________

And the winner is: ____________________

Animated Feature Film• Big Hero 6 – Don Hall, Chris Williams and Roy Conli• The Boxtrolls – Anthony Stacchi, Fraham Annable

and Travis Knight• How To Train Your Dragon 2 – Dean Deblois

and Bonnie Arnold• Song of The Sea – Tomm Moore and Paul Young • The Tale of The Princess Kaguya – Isao Takahata

and Yoshiaki Nishimura My money is on: _____________________________________

And the winner is: ____________________________________

Cinematography• Birdman or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance

– Emmanuel Lubezki• The Grand Budapest Hotel – Robert Yeoman • Ida – Lukasz Zal and Ryszard Lenczewski • Mr. Turner – Dick Pope • Unbroken – Roger Deakins My money is on: _____________________________________

And the winner is: ____________________________________

Costume Design• The Grand Budapest Hotel – Milena Canonero • Inherent Vice – Mark Bridges • Into The Woods – Colleen Atwood • Maleficent – Anna B. Sheppard and Jane Clive • Mr. Turner – Jacqueline Durran My money is on: _____________________________________

And the winner is: ____________________________________

Adapted Screenplay • American Sniper – Screenplay by Jason Hall • The Imitation Game – Screenplay by Graham Moore • Inherent Vice – Screenplay by Paul Thomas Anderson • The Theory of Everything – Screenplay by Anthony McCarten • Whiplash – Damien Chazelle My money is on: _____________________________________

And the winner is: ____________________________________

Original Screenplay• Birdman or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance

– Written by Alejandro G. Inarritu, Nicolas Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Jr and Armando Bo

• Boyhood – Written by Richard Linklater • Foxcatcher – Written by E. Max Frye and Dan Futterman • The Grand Budapest Hotel – Screenplay by Wes Anderson;

Story by Wes Anderson and Hugo Guinness• Nightcrawler – Written by Dan Gilroy My money is on: _____________________________________

And the winner is: ____________________________________

Music (Original Score)• The Grand Budapest Hotel

– Alexandre Desplat • The Imitation Game – Alexandre Desplat • Interstellar – Hans Zimmer • Mr. Turner – Gary Yershon • The Theory of Everything

– Johann Johannsson My money is on: ______________________

And the winner is: _____________________

Music (Original Song)• “Everything Is Awesome” from The Lego Movie.

Music and lyrics by Shawn Patterson.• “Glory” from Selma. Music and lyrics by John Stephens

and Lonnie Lynn.• “Grateful” from Beyond The Lights. Music and lyrics

by Diane Warren.• “I’m Not Gonna Miss You” from Glenn Campbell…

I’ll Be Me. Music and lyrics by Glenn Campbell and Julian Raymond.

• “Lost Stars” from Begin Again. Music and lyrics by Gregg Alexander and Danielle Brisebois.

My money is on: _____________________________________

And the winner is: ____________________________________

Directing• Birdman or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance

– Alejandro G. Inarritu • Boyhood – Richard Linklater • Foxcatcher – Bennett Miller• The Grand Budapest Hotel – Wes Anderson • The Imitation Game – Morten Tyldum My money is on: _____________________________________

And the winner is: ____________________________________

Best Motion Picture of the Year• American Sniper – Clint

Eastwood, Robert Lorenz, andrew Lazar, Bradley Cooper and Peter Morgan, producers.

• Birdman or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance – Alejandro G. Inarritu, John Lesher and James W. Skotchdopole, producers.

• Boyhood – Richard Linklater and Cathleen Sutherland, producers.

• The Grand Budapest Hotel – Wes Anderson, Scott Rudin, Steven Rales and Jeremy Dawson, producers.

• The Imitation Game – Nora Grossman, Ido Ostrowsky and Teddy Schwarzman, producers.

• Selma – Christian Colson, Oprah Winfrey, Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner, producers.

• The Theory of Everything – Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Lisa Bruce and Anthony Mccarten, producers.

• Whiplash – Jason Blum, Helen Estabrook and David Lancaster, producers.

My money is on: _____________________________________

And the winner is: ____________________________________

Best Actor in a Leading Role• Steve Carell –

Foxcatcher• Bradley Cooper –

American Sniper • Benedict

Cumberbatch – The Imitation Game

• Michael Keaton – Birdman or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance

• Eddie Redmayne – The Theory of Everything

My money is on: _____________________________________

And the winner is: ____________________________________

Best Actor in a Supporting Role• Robert Duvall – The Judge • Ethan Hawke – Boyhood • Edward Norton – Birdman or The Unexpected Virtue

of Ignorance • Mark Ruffalo – Foxcatcher • J.K. Simmons – Whiplash My money is on: _____________________________________

And the winner is: ____________________________________

Best Actress in a Leading Role• Marion Cotillard – Two Days, One Night • Felicity Jones – The Theory of Everything• Julianne Moore – Still Alice • Rosamund Pike – Gone Girl • Reese Witherspoon – Wild My money is on: _____________________________________

And the winner is: ____________________________________


play along with oscar

Neil Patrick Harris will host the Oscars on

February 22nd on ABC.

Birdman takes Michael Keaton to new heights.

Benedict Cumberbatch plays Alan Turing in The Imitation Game.

Felicity Jones and Eddie Redmayne star in the challenging love story of

Jane and Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything.



film reviews

is a pre-sold commodity, so it really doesn’t matter. In lieu of a kidnapping, the screen-writers have actually come up with a more interesting variation for the series, although the idea is hardly original.

In a set-up, former CIA operative Bryan Mills (Neeson) is accused of murdering his ex-wife and after quickly escaping, must track down the real killer or killers. Pursued by the LAPD, headed up by Inspector Dotzler (Forest Whitaker), he uncovers a plot involving not only a former KGB man but his ex-wife’s husband (Dougray Scott). After a protracted cat and mouse game involving his daughter (Maggie Grace), loose ends are tied up and it all comes to a satisfactory end.

That it would, is already a foregone con-clusion, especially if you’ve seen the previous two films. But that’s not the point. Audiences go to see Neeson kick the stuffing out of the bad guys and emerge triumphant in the end. In that respect he’s like a 21st century John Wayne, although he more closely resembles the aging Burt Lancaster in a movie like Scorpio (1973).

While Neeson, Whitaker and Grace fulfill what is expected of them, the film belongs to Dougray Scott who is the best thing about it. Director Oliver Megaton keeps the action flowing and the cameras rolling in the best Bourne like manner (perhaps Neeson as a geriatric version of Jason Bourne would be a more fitting description).

In the end Taken 3 is just another big budget potboiler. An order of good ol’ sequel hash reheated in the celluloid (now digital) crockpot. It satisfies a craving without provid-ing any cinematic nutrition. That’s all right with me. Not every movie can be or should be a high end meal.

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and for brief strong language.

Review by Chip Kaufmann

The Woman in Black 2: The Angel of Death 1/2Short Take: Sequel to the hugely successful first film not only doesn’t have Daniel Radcliffe, it has little else outside

of some gorgeous photography and the occasional creepy moment.

REEL TAKE: I didn’t hate Woman in Black 2, in fact I rather enjoyed it, but that still doesn’t alter the fact that it just isn’t all that good. The setting is the same, the title character is still there and there are children-a-plenty. All that’s missing (aside from Daniel Radcliffe) is a sem-blance of a coherent storyline. If you hadn’t seen the first film, you wouldn’t have a clue as to what’s going on. Oddly enough, in some cases, that worked in the film’s favor.

Box office tabulations showed that more than 50% of the ticket purchasers were women. This is the opposite of the usual hor-ror film today, which is usually male domi-nated. Perhaps the period setting, the heavy clothing, and a minimal gore factor kept them away. The other interesting statistic is that the majority of those who hadn’t seen the first film liked it much better than those who had.

To describe the storyline as incoherent is a kindness. The basic points are these: the time is World War II England some 40 years after the original story. Children are being evacu-ated from London and deployed to the coun-tryside for their protection. One group is sent to Eel Marsh House, which the title character haunts and proceeds to terrorize the children and their teachers, with predictable results.

Virtually no background from the first movie is given, which makes the goings on ex-tremely confusing. Yet a number of people said that this contributed to their sense of unease. It’s as if they saw the film from the children’s point of view. I hadn’t thought of it that way, but, having seen and liked the first movie, my reaction was colored by that.

The Woman in Black 2 is beautifully shot, effectively scored, well performed, and highly atmospheric. However, the key to a successful ghost story is a STORY (as in The Changeling or the first WIB), which WIB2 doesn’t have. While proper atmosphere is very important in a film of this type, it needs more story. The movie did make money, so we’ll see if there’s a WIB3. If there is, I just hope that it’s better.

Rated PG-13 for disturbing and frightening images and for thematic material.

Review by Chip Kaufmann

Movies continued from page 25HENDERSONVILLE

FILM SOCIETYIf you think they don’t make them like they used to, you’ll enjoy these great clas-sic films. Coffee and wonderful flicks are served up on Sundays at 2 p.m. at Lake Pointe Landing in Hendersonville. For more information call (828) 697-7310.

Our four movies this month include Orson Welles’ follow-up to Citizen Kane, a contemporary thriller with Anthony Hopkins, the second most popular ballet movie ever made, and a silent movie set in a cheap sideshow.

Sunday, February 1: The Magnificent Ambersons

(1942) Orson Welles’ follow-up to Citi-zen Kane traces the rise and fall of a pow-erful Midwestern family at the start of the 20th century. Drastically re-cut from what Welles intended, it’s still a great movie. The film stars Joseph Cotton and Agnes Moorehead. Directed by Orson Welles.

Sunday, February 8: Fracture

(2007) Anthony Hopkins plays a cat and mouse game with a green, young lawyer (Ryan Gosling), hired to prosecute him for murdering his wife in cold blood. Also

in the cast are Rosamunde Pike and David Strathairn. Directed by Gregory Hoblit.

Sunday, February 15: The Turning Point

(1977) The second most popular ballet film (after The Red Shoes) concerns two ballerinas, one (Shirley MacLaine) who became a housewife, the other (Anne Bancroft) an international star. When MacLaine’s teenage daughter joins Ban-croft’s company, the friendship/rivalry is renewed. Directed by Herbert Ross.

Sunday, February 22: The Show

(1927) This fascinating silent melodrama takes place in a run-down sideshow and focuses on the interaction between a callous barker

(John Gilbert), the performer who loves him (Renee Adoree), and the local hood-lum (Lionel Barrymore) who loves her. Directed by Tod Browning.

Tuesday, February 3: Blancanieves (Snow White)

(2012) A twist on the Snow White fairy tale, this version is set in 1920s Seville and centered on a female bullfighter. Stars Maribel Verdu, Emilio Gavira and Daniel Gimenez. Directed by Pablo Berger.

Tuesday, February 10: Gypsy Wildcat

(1944) A wicked baron oppresses Gypsies but is fascinated by the beautiful Carla, who loves a stranger on a white horse. Stars Maria Montez, Jon Hall, Peter.

Directed by Roy William Neill.

Tuesday, February 17: High, Wide, And Handsome

(1937) Pennsylva-nia, 1859. Railroad tycoon Charles Bickford wants to take over the land

of the oil-drilling farmers, led by Peter Cortland. Stars Irene Dunne, Randolph Scott and Dorothy Lamour. Directed by Rouben Mamoulian.

Tuesday, February 24: Charlie Chan In Shanghai

(1935) When a prominent official is murdered at a banquet honoring Charle Chan, the detective, and son Lee, team up to expose an opium-smuggling ring. Stars Warner Oland, Irene Hervey and Jon Hall John. Directed James Tinling.

ASHEVILLE FILM SOCIETY

The Asheville Film Society will show the following films on Tuesday nights at 8 p.m. in Theater 6 at the Carolina Cinema on Hendersonville Road. Tuesday night screenings are free, but membership dues for the society are only $10. Membership gets you into any special members-only events and screenings.

Carolina Cinemas, 1640 Hendersonville Rd. (828) 274-9500.

For more information go to www.facebook.com/ashevillefilmsociety

Liam Neeson comforts his daughter one last time in Taken 3.

Jeremy Irvine and Phoebe Fox are at a loss as to what to do next in The Woman

in Black 2: The Angel of Death.


Bof his Golden Rod Puppets as well as the beautiful sets that surround them. A resident of Asheville, Hobey also draws on his early experiences growing up in coastal Connecticut and living in a Nevada Native American community in writing the scripts for some of his performances.

Ford first created the Golden Rod Puppets in 1980 and often adapts folk tales and global cultural traditions for his performances. Ford is quick to credit his audiences for completing the creative spark that is ignited with every live per-formance. He has brought his amazing talent to family audiences all over the world for more than two decades.

Bring the family and join in the fun with Animalia, a delightful story based in the magical world of animals.

Award-winning puppeteer Hobey Ford presents a thrilling puppet per-formance on Saturday, February 28 at 4 p.m. A sing along with Hobey’s wife Sue Ford begins at 3:30 p.m. at the new Rainbow Community Center Audito-rium in West Asheville.

There will be a generous raffle of family fun items, gift certificates and other wonderful goodies. All proceeds go toward improvements for the Rain-bow Community Center and making the auditorium available to non-profit organiza-tions in Asheville.

Rainbow Community School is a private, independent and alternative educa-tional program for preschool through middle school-aged children that draws from the best in current educational thinking and holistic models of child development. The school’s progressive program supports the development of the whole child in seven domains: mental, spiritual, emotional, moral/social, physical, natural, and creative. To ensure learning is a lifelong process, we help children master essential learning skills that encourage self-directed exploration.

The addition of the Orchard House property, the new fantastical playground, and the drive to double the size of the campus, gives life to our vision to share Rainbow’s fa-cilities with the West Asheville community as an act of service, and to share our educational model with the greater educational commu-nity around the world.

Hobey Ford designs and constructs all

Anything for Love, Tuesday, February 10 at 7 p.m. at the Grace Centre, 495 Cardinal Rd., off 280 just west of the

airport. Individual tickets will be available for purchase at the night’s screening for $10, students $5.

IF YOU GO

Anything for Love

wise would be laid out, and I’ve tried to keep it natural feeling because this is a real story.”

Shooting in and around New Orleans was both a delight and a challenge. Says Schae-fer, “It’s a fun place to shoot because when you

wrap you have fun. But it’s not the easiest place to shoot because it’s a noisy place. There are trains, planes, boats with horns, tourists, cars and calliopes on the river... it’s a challenge.”

The sound track for the film is authentic New Or-leans. “New Orleans music beats to a rhythm unique to the history of the city. Jazz, Blues and Cajun music are at home in New Orleans,” Anton notes.

“I hope that audiences will see this movie as some-one going after his dreams against all odds. The story uncovers family dysfunc-

tion, but at its core it’s about two people who should be together. In relationships, people need to have things in common… pursue the same dreams, have the same values and have the same faith in God.”

Russell puts it in her words, “My dream for the film is that it feels real… real family life with all its problems. If it touches people and they can see themselves in other people who face the same kinds of challenges and prob-lems… that we’re all connected in this way and that there’s hope for a happy ending… then I’m happy.”

View the trailer at www.atlastthemovie.com

JJust in time for Valentine’s Day, Anything for Love will screen Tuesday, February 10.

The Anton’s will also introduce their renamed film society, WNC Film Society and their new venue to the Asheville, Hendersonville, Brevard, Arden and Mills River areas.

Former New Orleans resident, Tom Anton, now resident of Brevard, wanted to make sure that the unique beauty, history and romance of his beloved city was fully captured in his film, Anything for Love, based on Tom and his wife and writer, Sandi Russell’s, true love story.

Anything for Love will be screened on Tuesday, February 10 at 7 p.m. at Grace Cen-tre in Asheville. The Anton’s are presenting Anything for Love to kick off the WNC Film Society, the result of combining the Bre-vard Film Society and the Asheville Cinema Society. For information on how to join go to www.wncfilmsociety.com

Anything for Love, previously entitled At Last, was filmed entirely on location in New Orleans. Anton wanted New Orleans, particu-larly the French Quarter and Garden District, to be its own unique “character” in the film. “As a past resident of the French Quarter in New Orleans, I wanted to make sure that the romance of the most European city in the US with its gas lanterns and amazing architecture was fully captured in my film.” Anton boasts, “And you can’t beat filming in the cemeteries.”

For his first feature film, Anton was able to attract director of photography, Roberto Schaefer, who has worked with several direc-tors on their first movies. Says Schaefer, “I enjoy giving input on how to arrange, choreo-graph, and illustrate the shoot. I’m used to that: I worked with Mark Forster (Monsters Ball, Finding Neverland, Kiterunner, Quantum of Solace) on his first movie project. Tom Anton and I went over how the production image-

BY KACHINA DAVINE

.AB. • S’ F • S 712-B Merrimon Ave • Asheville, NC • (828) 285-0515

Let Asheville Brewers show you how affordable, enjoyable and delicious

homebrewing can be!Mon-Sat 10-6

Sun 11-4Plenty ofParking!

pg. 36MW



Martin Donavan and Kelly Lynch pursue romance in Anything for Love, a film by Tom and Sandi Anton.

Animalia, Saturday, February 28. Doors open at 3 p.m. Hobey Ford performance at 4 p.m. Rainbow

Community Center Auditorium, 60 State St., Asheville. Tickets on sale at Malaprops, at www.rainbowcommunityschool.org, or call (828) 258-9264.

IF YOU GO

HOBEY FORD’S GOLDEN ROD PUPPETS PRESENT

Animalia

Tom and Sandi Anton on set.

A secret rendezvous in the romantic city of New Orleans.

Hobey Ford has received numerous awards for his brilliant and priceless contributions to the

world of puppetry.



Reservations Recommended

Breakfast • Lunch • DinnerArtisan Crafted Scrumptious FoodMade Fresh with Local Ingredients

Valentine’s Dinner Specials

536 N. Main Street • Hendersonville

828.692.6335

Introducing Chef Nicolas

DeSorboNew Winter MenuNew Wine, Beer

& Coffee Bar

Breakfast: Tues-Sat 8:30-10:30 am • Lunch: Everyday 11 am - 3 pmDinner: Friday & Saturday 5:30 - 8:30 pm

pg. 36Hg

B&C Winery145 Wall Street, Waynesville

Go down the steps from Main Street and down the hallway – watch for the signs.

(828) 550-3610

T

B

The tradition of giving a heart-shaped box of chocolates for Valentine’s Day began in 1861 with Richard Cadbury.

His first heart-shaped box featured Victorian images of roses and cherubs. If you are ready to break tradition The Chocolate Fetish has a wide variety of non-traditional chocolate gifts, perfect for your sweetheart.

Elizabeth Foley, Chocolatier and General Manager of The Chocolate Fetish offered up these creative sug-gestions. She also mentioned that if you want to uphold the tradition, The Chocolate Fetish has Western North Carolina’s largest selection of heart-shaped boxes filled with delicious handmade artisan chocolates.

Chocolate High Heel ShoesEach chocolate high heel shoe is

made by hand using hand-tempered colored chocolates. The edible choco-late shoes come decorated in a variety of seasonally inspired unique patterns. Take your Valentine’s Day celebration to the next level by filling the shoe with chocolate mousse or whipped cream and sprinkling fresh berries on top. What

woman doesn’t love chocolate and shoes?

Chocolate Champagne Bottles

Chocolate Champagne Bottles are a fun way to celebrate! Each champagne bottle is made entirely of The Chocolate Fetish’s custom blends of premium chocolate and is filled with little morsels of Belgian chocolate. Simply smash the champagne bottle on a hard surface then enjoy the decadent chocolates.

Chocolate BearsNew this year, our choco-

late bears are a super cute way to celebrate. Each bear is hand decorated using colored chocolates and stands nearly 10” tall. A great Valentine gift for the kids in your life.

Chocolate and Wine PairingInstead of a heart-shaped box, how

about a box of chocolates carefully selected to pair with your loved one’s favorite wine? Not sure where to start? Start with their favorite wine and then find pairings that will compliment that. A good rule of

that is great with a T-bone steak or even pizza. For dessert we suggest Springs in the Air (white) or Blue Notes (red). Either pair well with a piece of cheesecake or chocolate cake.

With a great variety of 40 different styles of wines, you are sure to find your favorite blend.

thumb is to match lighter flavored choco-lates with lighter bodied wines and more intensely flavored chocolates with more full bodied wines.

One of my favorite pairings is our After Midnight Truffle with a nice Cabernet. The After Midnight Truffle is the darkest truffle we offer, blending four high cocoa content chocolates and featuring a single origin chocolate from Peru. The strong flavor and subtle bitter notes of this truffle pair well with the strong oaky flavor of a cabernet. More info about wine and chocolate pairing as well as beer and chocolate pairing is available on our website in the ‘chocolate facts’ section.

Chocolate Covered StrawberriesValentine’s Day just wouldn’t be

complete without a classic chocolate covered strawberry. Best eaten on the same day that they are made, the ber-ries will be dipped throughout the day, ensuring you get the freshest ones pos-sible. Consider purchasing a platter of chocolate covered strawberries for your beloved, for your co-workers, or for a group of friends to share.

Strawberries are also available decorated to look like they are wearing tuxedos. The sweetness of strawber-ries pairs well with Champagne for the ultimate Valentine’s Day indulgence. We strongly encourage ordering ahead as we often sell out!

Guests can always sample any wine or purchase a flight of four, and they get to keep the souvenir glass.

Truly a unique art form, making wines from the juice and grape skins is what B&C Winery has been doing for several years (formerly operated as Wall Street Wines). Each wine is created in small batches to enhance the flavors.

The wine juice and grape skins are outsourced from many different vine-yards from around the United States, as well as Italy, Chile, and Argentina. Chris takes the juice and skins and using local mountain spring water, gets crisp and clear varieties of wines that contain low levels of sulfites and preservatives.

One favorite is Gracious Sky, a white wine that goes well with barbeque chicken or a salmon dinner. Another great wine is The Big Bear a red wine

Thinking Outside the Heart-Shaped Box5 UNIQUE VALENTINE’S DAY GIFT IDEAS FROM THE CHOCOLATE FETISH

B&C WineryNOT YOUR TYPICAL WINE STORE

B&C Winery makes the wines on site and has many varieties (approximately 40) available to taste.

Chocolatier Jessica Lied puts the finishing touches on some Valentine’s Day-inspired chocolate shoes.

Blue Notes pairs well with desserts.

VALENTINE’S DINING GUIDE Your Passport to Discovering Excellent FoodYour Passport to Discovering Excellent Food

Eat, Drink, Love

The Chocolate Fetish36 Haywood Street, downtown Asheville

(828) 258-2353www.chocolatefetish.com 145 Wall Street

Downtown Waynesville

828.550.3610

Locally Crafted Wines

B&C Winery

pg. 38WB


828-676-1678

asheville.oilandvinegarusa.com

8 Town Square Blvd.Asheville, NC 28803

a CulinaryGi Shop

pg. 36BC

pg. 20C

pg. 38WB

Advertise in Our Dining Guide ~ Free Web Links~ Free Ad DesignCall now for a great deal!(828) 646-0071 B sauce that really

works.For the

buns, choose white, whole wheat, pretzel bread or gluten free. Yes, pretzel bread. They have a Pretzel Bacon Cheeseburger with honey mustard. I’m pretty sure you haven’t had that one yet…it was smoky, sweet and scrump-tious. Another favorite burger is the Caro-lina Burger with cheese, mustard, chili and slaw – all those Carolina flavors on one juicy burger. We tried several sides includ-ing sliced and made fresh French fries, but our favorite was the fried pickles. My husband doesn’t even care for pickles, but we both loved them!

BT’s is a family spot so bring the kids. Under 10 year olds have their own menu with lots of choices and each comes with drink, side and dessert. All for around $5, that’s a great deal.

On the drink side BT’s carries about 50 beers of which 8 are on rotating taps. About half the beers are lo-cal. They also carry Sutter Home wines.

Biltmore Park Town Square, the planned community off Exit 37 on I-26 in South Asheville, has slowly come to life.

It is now officially booming. On this mid-January night it was still glowing with the festive winter lights of the holidays making the visit extra special. Our destina-tion was BT’s Burgerjoint, located just steps away from the movie theater.

If nostalgia has you yearning for a trip back to a 1950s burger joint for that magical all-American combo of a burger, French fries and a milkshake than wait no more. BT’s Burgerjoint may look like 2015, but the taste is undeniably the fresh and flavorful food of yesteryear. But unlike the good-ol’-days, this burger joint offers the creative additions of the New American palate, with all the choices we’ve come to expect (and if you have diet restrictions you’ve come to depend on). There’s also a huge beer selection that won’t disappoint the locals or our visitors.

Walk in and discover the style of ¾ service. Order at the counter, pay and they bring your order to your table. The service is outstanding and attentive. They know the importance of weekday quick lunch service, but take your time and relax for dinner. All while enjoying the high quality of real and delicious food, cooked to order.

BT’s Burgerjoint offers grain-fed and grass-fed beef that comes in fresh, never frozen, every other day. The burgers are 7 oz. and cost about $6 to $8. It’s so simple, but you’re going to love the choices! 9 cheeses, 9 sauces, and a dozen toppings – the combinations are endless to get you to that soul-satisfying burger. And if burgers aren’t your thing, they have chicken sandwiches, turkey burgers and hot dogs.

For the vegetarian, there’s a garden burger, or ask for the new black bean burger, available by request. Go for the Black Bean burger with sweet potato fries, we did. These fries come with a house made honey butter


BT’s Burgerjoint BY SUSAN DEVITT

BT’s Burgerjoint uses grain-fed and grass-fed beef.



Eat, Drink, Love

If burgers aren’t your thing, they also have chicken

sandwiches, turkey burgers, and hot dogs.


Junior (vocals), Michael Jefry Stevens (piano), Mike Holstein (bass), and Justin Watt (drums). Tickets are $45 per person. Seat-ing is limited and reservations can

be made by calling (828) 452-6000.

Friday, February 20 at 7 p.m. The Clas-sic Wineseller welcomes Mike Pilgrim (mandolin), Don Mercz (guitar), and Drew Kirkpatrick (guitar) for a Gypsy jazz tribute. Mike Pilgrim and Don Mercz have been playing music together for more than 30 years and share an affinity with Kirkpatrick for passionate and exhilarat-ingly up-tempo Gypsy jazz music.

Friday, February 27 at 7 p.m. Dulci El-lenberger (guitar, vocals, melodica) will perform Americana, oldies, and originals. Ms. Ellenberger performs regularly with Asheville-based Sweet Claudette, and the soul-inspired rock band Holy Ghost Tent Revival.

Saturday, February 21 and 28 at 7 p.m. Joe Cruz will be back at the Steinway piano singing and playing the hits of the Beatles, James Taylor, and Elton John.

Visit www.classicwineseller.com for additional information about wine dinners,

tastings, and weekly live music events.

Live Music, Wine Tastings, Valentine’s Dinner & Live Jazz

777 Haywood Road, Asheville (828) 225-9782www.westvillepub.comBar & Grill · Pool & Billiards

Eclectic Homemade CuisineMon - Fri 11:30am - 2am

Sat & Sun 10:30am - 2am Kitchen open until 1am Daily

pg. 36HW

Monday-Friday only. One coupon per check. Pizza of least value is free. Not valid with other coupons or discounts.

Asheville location only. Expires 2/27/2015.

pg. 36BX


33 Town Square Boulevard, Asheville • 828.651.8481

GREAT FOOD! GREAT BEER! GREAT SERVICE! ANYWAY YOU LIKE IT!

The Classic Wineseller20 Church Street in Waynesville

828-452-6000 www.classicwineseller.com

Your Passport to Discovering Excellent FoodYour Passport to Discovering Excellent FoodEat, Drink, Love

TThe Classic Wineseller, Waynesville’s premier retail shop, small plate restaurant, and intimate live music venue, presents local, regional, or national talent on Friday and Saturday evenings.

The on-premises restaurant serves small plate and tapas-style fare from 4-9 p.m. each Friday and Saturday. Reservations are taken anytime by calling (828) 452-6000. Seating is guaranteed until 7 p.m. on non-ticketed evenings, after that, seating is based on a first come, first served basis.

WINE TASTINGS$15 per person plus gratu-ity. Call for reservations at (828) 452-6000.

Tuesday, February 3 - Five Zinfandels from Oak Ridge Winery.

Thursday, February 26 - Cabernet Sauvi-gnons from five California appellations.

Friday, February 6 at 7 p.m. The Classic Wineseller welcomes The Moon and You, a duo comprised of cellist Melissa Hyman from New York, and finger style guitarist Ryan Furstenberg from Eastern North Carolina.

Saturday, February 7 at 7 p.m. Joe Cruz (piano, vocals) performs the music of the Beatles, Elton John, and James Taylor. Cruz has toured internationally and opened for Chicago, Bonnie Raitt, and Santana.

Friday, February 13 at 7 p.m. Singer-songwriter Angela Easterling (guitar, vocals). Her debut album, Earning Her Wings was chosen as Americana Pick of the Year by Smart Choice Music. Her second album, BlackTop Road, stayed on the Americana Top 40 chart for seven weeks. Easterling’s 5th album is due for release this year.

VALENTINE’S DINNER + JAZZSaturday, February 14 at 7 p.m. Enjoy a delicious four-course Valentine’s dinner and an evening of jazz standards by the Jesse Junior Quartet, featuring Jesse Earl

BY KAY MILLER

Angela Easterling

Jesse Junior and Mike Holstein Photo by Frank Zipperer

Dulci EllenbergerPhoto by No Alarms Studio

pg. 36BT



DDid you know that O’Charley’s has its very own niche?

Neither did I, but they do and it’s PIE! Yes, pie. They specialize in pie, so when you go, you don’t just save room for dessert, but you save room for their amazing selection of pies. They have rotating seasonal specials and an array of standards (that are anything but standard). We tried the peach pie and the chocolate silk. You know what they say: ‘Life is short, eat dessert first.’ Well, we did have our pie at the end of the meal, but I’ve always liked that saying.

We arrived at O’Charley’s on a weekday evening about 7 and it was hopping. I immediately liked the warmth of the room, with curved brick archways, cubbies for cozy seating, and a happy staff. We sat across from the bar, which happens to be a full bar that can create about anything you’d ask for, down to the bitters. Or if it’s beer you’re after they have eight taps, local beers and a big selection.

The first O’Charley’s started in Nashville, Tennisee, so it makes sense that the food is American Southern. It makes no apologies for the home-cookin’ menu of steaks, seafood and chicken, lots of sides, starters to share, and, yeah…pies.

Every meal starts with a basket of their fa-mous yeast rolls. Nearly as light as cotton candy, a basket of melt-in-your-mouth dinner rolls with whipped butter will make you happy while you

look through the menu.O’Charley’s house special

is slow-roasted prime rib (served Friday thru Sunday only, because of the s-l-o-w roasting), and it’s going to be very popular this coming Valentine’s Day, which falls on a Saturday. It pairs with two sides and a starter. Save room for pie. Since it wasn’t a weekend night Tom had a combo of sirloin steak and the Baby Back Ribs, hand rubbed and tender-off-the-bone delicious.

I love the sound of Honey Drizzled Southern-Fried Chicken with mashed potatoes, don’t you? And the home-style chicken potpie with white meat and veggies rings southern yum too.

But I decided to go with the Cedar Plank cooked Atlantic salmon. At nine ounces it was on the large side, so I brought some home. It was perfectly cooked and flavorful. The cedar added a new taste twist. It came with two sides and I chose the asparagus, again cooked pitch-perfect, and the hush pup-pies, which were a little different, but the best I’ve ever tried, with a sweet and smoky taste.

I’ll admit the cornmeal breaded and golden-fried catfish with hush puppies, Southern coleslaw, seasoned fries and tarter sauce did tempt me, but it’s January and I wanted to be good….up until the pie.

I don’t think you can say you’re Southern if you don’t have a signature Mac and Cheese. O’Charley’s has theirs; it’s a bacon mac and cheese. Double south-ern hitter!

If this all sounds like a long lazy family meal at Grandma’s house, you’re right, but there are plenty of salads and daily soups to choose from as well. The poblano chowder popped out as a new soup I’d like to try. They also have a lunch menu and a $9.99 menu offering nine choice meals any day or time.

If you’re looking for Sunday brunch and don’t want to go down-town, try O’Charley’s from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. There’s everything you’d like to see on a brunch menu, plus the unex-pected like chicken and waffles. And if you’d like a mid-day cocktail there’s the Southern Bacon Bloody Mary, a Moonshine Mary or classic Mimosa.

We could see why O’Charley’s is a popular spot, even as it’s a bit out of site up on the hill off Tunnel Road. It’s a casual or date night spot, great for families, kids, celebrations and friends. It has a good feel inside, the service is impeccable, the staff is happy and it shows. Give it a try. And don’t forget the pie!

O’Charley’s

50 Broadway ~ Asheville, NC

(828) 236-9800Open 7 Days a Week

Wireless Internet Access!

Specialty Pizzas • Spring Water Dough • Salads Vegan Soy Cheese, and other Vegetarian Options!

Hoagies & Pretzels

Fresh-Baked Calzones

Delicious

15% Off

Bring in this Ad and We’ll Take

Your Order Excluding Alcohol

1 Coupon Per Table

pg. 20B

Please go to www.wncap.org for a list of participating restaurants.

We need your help. Rapid River Magazine, along with our generous advertisers, are com-mitted to helping the

Western North Carolina Aids Project raise awareness and find a cure for HIV/AIDS.

You can help by making a donation and dining at a participating restaurant on Thursday, April 30, 2015. By dining out, 20% of your dining total will be donated to WNCAP.


Eat, Drink, Love

O’Charley’s2 Kenilworth Knolls, Asheville

(828) 281-0540

Sunday 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday & Saturday 11 a.m.-11 p.m.

Susan Devitt is co-owner of BelloLea Artisan Kitchen, which makes delicious, fun Pizza Kits. She and husband Tom are

confessed foodies. Contact her at [email protected]

BY SUSAN DEVITT

Save room for pie!

O’Charley’s house special is slow-roasted prime rib, served Friday thru Sunday.

Thank You for Your Compassion!

DINING OUT FOR LIFE

Arts&CultureRAPID RIVER MAGAZINE

Committed Supporters

Paid in part by Haywood County Tourismwww.visitncsmokies.com

Reservations at 828-452-6000 20 Church Street • Waynesville, NC

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$45.00 PER PERSON++INCLUDES FOUR-COURSE DINNER

& LIVE JAZZ

THE JESSE JUNIOR QUARTET

JESSE JUNIOR, VOCALSMICHAEL JEFRY STEVENS, PIANO

MIKE HOLSTEIN, BASSJUSTIN WATT, DRUMS

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THE JESSE JUNIOR QUARTET

JESSE JUNIOR, VOCALS

•

pg. 38WA


W

It may sound easy, but to sustain it successfully is very challenging. It

requires the willpower to which Gunaratana refers.

Encouragingly, however, there is almost immediate ben-efit for most people. Using the breath as the object of medita-

tion is really quite inge-nious because conscious breathing readily brings with it calming of the mind and body along with enhancement of

sensory experience. Usually, a sense of balanced presence and clarity also will occur as the rhythm

of the breathing and the access to the parasympa-

thetic nervous system that comes with con-scious breathing creates these results naturally. The experience can be a reminder of what real sanity feels like.

With a little practice, most people can fairly readily learn to hold awareness on the breathing for a noticeable, if brief, period. The mind’s long established habit of wander-ing off into thought or sensory distraction, thereby disrupting concentration on breath-ing, will occur readily and frequently, and this can be a discouragement for people who are not being instructed that the noticing of this phenomenon is a very important develop-ment in their training. It is opening the door to mindfulness, to the noticing mind of wisdom and discernment.

It is very important to realize that this distractibility had been happening regularly

before we began our meditation training, but had never really been noticed, and that the noticing is important progress. The very noticing of this distractibility is a new insight, and so too, our now flowering capacity to hold attention on and notice our quiet mind while also holding attention on the breathing is a new insight. We are learning to expand concentrated awareness in a stable field that can hold seemingly separate phenomena in perceived unity.

We are developing what is called sha-matha, a mind that can “peacefully abide” in the present moment with increasingly less distractibility. We are also at the doorstep of Vipassana: insight, wisdom and increasing clarity. As the power of our concentration stabilizes, we begin to notice that the field of our present-moment awareness can expand to the field of the sensations of our entire body and its perception of the environment without losing any focus on the central object of the breathing. We begin to notice that the field of our present-moment awareness can expand to include activity of the mind without being distracted from the sensations of breathing and body/environment. We begin to notice that we


artful living

BY BILL WALZ

to realize these capacities. In our training, we

must begin with concen-tration. All more refined levels of meditation are dependent on cultiva-tion of the ability to hold consciousness steady, to not flit from one thought, emo-tion, and sensation to the next. And to develop our capacity for concentration, we must have what is called an “object of meditation,” some-thing to concentrate on. In the Zen, Vipassana and Shamatha styles of Buddhist meditation, the principle object of meditation for the train-ing of concentration is one’s own breathing.

As Gunaratana pointed out, this level of meditation training is work – it requires effort. We begin by taking a posture that sup-ports alert relaxation and good dynamics of breathing. We then place our attention on the sensations of breathing, the gentle rise and fall of the chest and diaphragm, the sensation of the breeze of air across our nostrils. We attempt to hold our concentration on these sensations, and when concentration wanders, we notice that it has wandered and replace attention back on the sensations of breathing.

When learning Buddhist meditation we must begin with concentration.

Buddhist meditation is the training of the mind into subtler, deeper, more stable and insightful states of consciousness, and this training can be viewed as therapeutic or rehabilitative, for our culture does a very poor job of training young people to have calm and focused minds. We overload them with stimulation and anxieties about their status in the world, causing minds that are easily distracted, that tend toward compulsive self-absorption and are too easily indoctrinated into acceptance of attitudes and ways of seeing the world that are conventional and far short of their true potential.

As with issues of personality neuroses and disorders, our culture has a very low bar for what is considered “normal” when it comes to mental focus and discernment. Attention-defi-cit disorder is epidemic and what constitutes a diagnosable level is just the tip of the iceberg. We simply do not know how to concentrate our consciousness in ways that can lead to the world revealing itself in its full subtlety, variety, interconnectedness and wonder, and it is the purpose of Buddhist meditation training

“Concentration is often called one-pointedness of mind… It can be developed by force, by sheer unremitting willpowe r… Mindfulness, on the other hand, is a delicate function leading to refined sensibilities. These two are partners in the job of meditation. Mindfulness is the sensitive one... Concentration provides the power... Mindfulness… notices when the attention has gone astray. Concentration does the actual work of holding the attention steady… If either of these partners is weak, your meditation goes astray.”

~ Bhante Henepola Gunaratana


It may sound easy, but to sustain it successfully is very challenging. It

requires the willpower to which Gunaratana refers.

Encouragingly, however, there is almost immediate ben-efit for most people. Using the breath as the object of medita-

tion is really quite inge-nious because conscious breathing readily brings with it calming of the mind and body along with enhancement of

sensory experience. Usually, a sense of balanced presence and clarity also will occur as the rhythm

of the breathing and the access to the parasympa-not flit from one thought, emo-

“Concentration is often called one-pointedness of mind… It can be developed by force, by sheer unremitting willpowe r… Mindfulness, on the other hand, is a delicate function leading to refined sensibilities. These two are partners in the job of meditation. Mindfulness is the sensitive one... Concentration provides the power... Mindfulness… notices when the attention has gone astray. Concentration does the actual work of holding the attention steady…

~ Bhante Henepola Gunaratana

Concentration and Mindfulness

in a population need to keep their immunity high – known has herd immunity – to keep an infectious disease from spreading rapidly. Third, adults who catch childhood diseases may not have devastating consequences. But they can pass the disease on to a child who will. Adults who contract whooping cough (pertussis) may cough for a few weeks. An infant has a high likelihood of being hospital-ized and dying. Fourth, severe consequences of childhood illness can appear in adulthood, such as shingles (from the chicken pox virus) or post-polio syndrome (from the polio virus). You don’t want these consequences.

Check the CDC web-site for some excellent information on adult vaccinations at www.cdc.gov/vaccines. Armed with this information, talk with your doctor about your vaccinations. Protect your neighbor against the infectious disease you might unknowingly transmit. It’s the neighborly thing to do.

T of vaccinations. Unfortunately, no parents of young children today remember the devasta-tion of the Flu Epidemic of 1918 or the death and disability caused by diphtheria, measles, whooping cough, and polio in the first half of the 20th Century.

So why should adults get immuniza-tions? Unfortunately, this immune system “memory” ability fades with time. Therefore, adults need to be immunized to “boost” their immune system “memory”. Why?

First, childhood diseases in adults can have some nasty consequences that children don’t have. The recent mumps in hockey play-ers had a high risk of orchiitis and infertility. Second, the fewer people in a population that have immunity, the easier it is to continue to pass on an infection. At least 70% of all people

The most potent killer of humans for a long time has been infectious disease – viruses, bacteria, and parasites.

These invaders from the outside world infiltrate various parts of the human body, rep-licate themselves, and by multiplication and by the toxins they produce, overwhelm the body’s defense mechanisms.

One of the great medical advances of the past 150 years is vaccination. Vaccina-tion works by exposing the body’s immune system to an inactivated germ or a part of the protein from the germ. The immune system creates antibodies in large quantity to fight the infection, should it appear. Furthermore, the immune system now has a “memory” of that first exposure and can react vigorously should the disease appear in the future.

Children today have an excellent chance of surviving to adulthood because of the con-trol of infectious disease partly through the use

Immunizations – Not Just for ChildrenBY MAX HAMMONDS, MD


Every ThursdayFebruary 5 - March 19 Seeing Systems: Peace, Justice & SustainabilityJoin us to address the connections between three of society’s most press-ing challenges, and become equipped to promote peace, justice, and sustain-ability within our community. 6-7:30 p.m. Battery Park Book Exchange & Champagne Bar, 1 Page Avenue in the Grove Arcade, downtown Asheville. For more details and to register, visit www.mountaintrue.org.

Thursday, February 5Selma to Montgomery 1965Opening reception for an exhibition of photographs by James Barker. Includes talk by photographer. 5:30-7 p.m. In UNC Asheville’s Karpen Hall lobby. On display February 2-27. Free. Info: [email protected] or (828) 232-5024

Saturday, February 6 Zach Deputy and Dean Ween GroupTwo amazing artists debut at The Grey Eagle. Zach Deputy’s one-man show of “Island-infused, Drum ‘n’ Bass, Gospel-Ninja-Soul” has the energy and sound of a six-piece band. The Dean Ween Group, self described as a “vicious brand of rock n’ roll,” presents an enthusiastic, raucous rock show like from when you were a kid. All ages, 8 p.m. The Grey Eagle, 185 Clingman

insightful songs, woven with warm-hearted, meaningful stories and an abundance of laughter. 8 p.m. Tickets are $35; $25 for students and children under 12. Diana Wortham Theatre, 2 S. Pack Square, Asheville. (828) 257-4530, www.dwtheatre.com.

February 26 - March 1QtopiaAn original dramatic performance pre-sented by TheatreUNCA in partner-ship with Youth OUTright. February 26, 27, 28 at 7:30 p.m. February 27 at 10:30 p.m. March 1 at 2 p.m. $12 general admission. For tickets and more information call (828) 251-6610 or visit drama.unca.edu.

Friday, February 27 Solas Celtic-Americana-folk-country barely hints at the seamless mix, the elegant melodies, and the masterful musician-ship of Solas. NPR’s The Thistle and Shamrock says Solas is “Irish America’s most influential band.” 8 p.m. Diana Wortham Theatre. Tickets: $30; Stu-dents $25; Children 12 and under $15; Student Rush day-of-show with valid I.D. $10. Tickets/Info: (828) 257-4530 or www.dwtheatre.com.

Friday & Saturday, February 27 & 28 Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl Hailed as the most important narra-tive of its time depicting the life of a female slave, Harriet Jacobs’ true story is brilliantly dramatized by star of stage and screen, Cherita Armstrong. 8 p.m. in The Forum at Diana Wortham Theatre. Tickets: $28; Students $23; Children 12 and under $15; Student Rush day-of-show with valid I.D. $10. Tickets/Info: (828) 257-4530 or visit www.dwtheatre.com

Saturday, February 28The Apache RelayThe band’s single, “Katie Queen of Tennessee” has been labeled by NPR Music’s Bob Boilen as one of the catchiest tunes of the year. Michael Ford Jr. (vocals), Mike Harris (guitar, vocals), Brett Moore (keys, guitar, mandolin), Kellen Wenrich (fiddle, keys), Ben Ford (guitar, vocals) and Stephen Smith (drums). The Grey Eagle, 185 Clingman Ave., Asheville. (828) 232-5800, www.thegreyeagle.com

Avenue, Asheville. (828) 232-5800. www.thegreyeagle.com

Saturday, February 7Seeing into the Sacredness of IntuitionWith psychic/medium MariJo Moore. One day workshop. 10-5 p.m. at Comfort Inn Suites, Biltmore Room, downtown Asheville. $105 per person. To register and for more information visit www.marijomoore.com

Sunday, February 8Home-Grown RevolutionHow re-imagin-ing your home & yard can trans-form the world.

A day-long workshop with author and permaculturalist Peter Bane. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the French Broad Food Coop, 90 Biltmore Avenue, Asheville. Cost is $70. www.organicgrowersschool.org.

Saturday, February 14 Business of Farming ConferenceThe Appalachian Sustainable Agricul-ture Project hosts the annual confer-ence from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at UNC Asheville’s Sherrill Center. The event focuses on the business and marketing side of farming. Learning and network-ing opportunities for regional farmers. Tickets are $75. Register at www.asapconnections.org/conference.

Thursday, February 12An Evening of the Arts Performances by: Flat Rock Play-house, pianist Dr. Kevin Ayesh, a brass quintet, the Blue Ridge Community College music department, an Art of Jazz concert, and more! Contributions from: Dickey’s Barbecue Pit, The Green Room Cafe & Coffeehouse, Hannah Flanagan’s Pub, The Italian Cookie Lady, Kilwin’s, Outback Steak-house, Panera Bread, Southern Ap-palachian Brewery. 5:30 - 8 p.m. Blue Ridge Community College Confer-ence Hall, 180 W. Campus Drive, Flat Rock. $25 in advance, $30 at the door. Inclement weather date: Tuesday, February 17. Visit the Hendersonville Chamber at 204 Kanuga Road, or call (828) 692-1413 to purchase tickets.

Friday, February 13The Contagion of FreedomAnti-Slavery, Women’s Rights, and Economic Justice. Lecture by Sarah Judson, associate professor of history and Africana studies. 11:25 a.m. in UNC Asheville’s Lipinsky Auditorium. Free and open to the public. Info: hu-manities.unca.edu or (828) 251-6808.

Friday, February 13Symphony TalkAsheville Symphony Orchestra Music Director Daniel Meyer discusses the symphony’s next concert. 3 p.m. in the Reuter Center. Free. (828) 251-6140, www.olliasheville.com.

Saturday, February 14 Jonas Gerard Painting Performance 2 p.m. at Jonas Gerard at Riverview Station, 191 Lyman St. in Asheville’s River Arts District. For more informa-tion, visit www.jonasgerard.com

Sunday, February 15Inside the MusicLecture by Melodie Galloway, artistic director of Asheville Choral Society, chair and associate professor of music at UNC Asheville. An inside look into the choral performance, a sneak peek at upcoming ACS season with a featureed vocalist. 3 p.m. in UNC Asheville’s Reuter Center. Info: (828) 251-6140 or olliasheville.com.

Sunday, February 15 Dart for a HeartBenefit for Jadyn Cash who is 5 years old. Jadyn’s six year old brother died suddenly a few months ago. Jadyn was born with the same

heart condition that took her brother’s life. Learn more at www.facebook.com/heART4Jadyn. Donations may be made to Wells Fargo Bank in care of A Heart for Jadyn. The 2nd annual Dart for a heart event takes place at The Art House, 5 Highland Park Rd., E. Flat Rock. Details at (828) 595-9500, or www.arthousegalleryandstudio.com

Monday, February 16Projecting the UrbanHumanists and Designers in Col-laboration, with Dana Cuff, founding director of cityLAB, a research center that explores the challenges facing the 21st century metropolis through design and research. 6 p.m. in UNC Ashe-ville’s Karpen Hall, Laurel Forum. Free and open to the public. Info: [email protected] or (828) 251-6296.

Thursday, February 19Geneology, Genetics and African American HistoryA rare chance to hear Henry Louis Gates Jr., one of America’s most prominent intellectuals and an Emmy Award-winning filmmaker, in person. 7 p.m. in UNC Asheville’s Lipinsky Auditorium. Free and open to the pub-lic. (828) 258-7277, cesap.unca.edu.

Thursday, February 19 3rd Annual SoumuAll encompassing party featuring mu-sic, dance, food, and art. Music by Diali Cissokho & Kaira Ba. Dinner served at 6 p.m. $12 in advance/$15 at the door. Children under 12 are half price. Children under 5 free. Tickets on sale at www.ashevillesoumu.com. Held at New Mountain, 38 N. French Broad Avenue, Asheville. (828) 785-1701, www.newmountainavl.com

Friday, February 20History of Slavery in AshevilleLecture by Deborah Miles, director of UNC Asheville’s Center for Diver-sity Education. 9:30 a.m. in UNC Asheville’s Reuter Center. Free. (828) 251-6140, www.olliasheville.com.

Friday, February 20Opera Talks at OLLIAsheville Lyric Opera Director David Craig Starkey and a cast of indus-try professionals guide you through their operatic world. 3 p.m. at UNC Asheville’s Reuter Center. Free. (828) 251-6140, www.olliasheville.com.

Friday, February 20Asheville Hooper’s BallFeaturing Asheville Hoops Troupe and Friends at 8 p.m. Geo starts the dance party at 9 p.m. DJ Cosmo Q from 10 p.m. - midnight! $12 adv.; $15 at the door. Tickets available at www.cosmi-chooper.com. Toy Boat Community Arts Space, 101 Fairview Rd., Asheville.

Saturday, February 21Asheville Dance Party Co-Op 10 p.m. third Saturdays at New Moun-tain Asheville. The collective vision for this monthly series is to create a space for more dancer/performer driven events. Space for dancers, flow artists, acrobats, aerialists, etc., bringing the attention back to movement and each other. $3 before 11 p.m.; $5 after. Free for performers. New Mountain Ashe-ville, 38 N. French Broad Ave. (828) 785-1701, www.newmountainavl.com

Saturday February 21 The Three David’s in ConcertAward-winning songwriters and enter-tainers, David Holt, David Wilcox, and David LaMotte present an evening of

FEBRUARY EVENTS ~ ANNOUNCEMENTS ~ OPENINGS ~ SALES


what to do guide™

How to place an event/classified listing with

Rapid River Art MagazineAny “free” event open to the public can be listed at no charge up to 30 words. For all other events there is a $14.95 charge up to 35 words and 12 cents for each additional word. 65 word limit per event. Sponsored listings (shown in boxes) can be purchased for $18 per column inch. Deadline is the 19th of each month. Payment must be made prior to print-ing. Send to: 85 N. Main St, Canton, NC 28716; call (828) 646-0071; or email [email protected] to place your ad.

– Disclaimer –Due to the overwhelming number of local event submissions we get for our “What to Do Guide” each month, we can not accept entries that do not specifically follow our publication’s format. Non-paid event listings must be 30 words or less, and both paid and non-paid listings must provide infor-mation in the following format: date of event, title, description and time, cost, location, and your contact info. Please do not type in all caps. Any entries not following this format will not be considered for publication.

Diali Cissokho & Kaira Ba

Peter Bane

Solas


what to do guide™

Medical GuardianTop-rated medical alarm and 24/7 medical alert monitoring. For a limited time, get free equip-ment, no activation fees, no commitment, a 2nd waterproof alert button for free and more – only $29.95 per month. 1-800-892-4631.

Safe Step Walk-In TubAlert for seniors. Bathroom falls can be fatal. Ap-proved by Arthritis Foundation. Therapeutic jets. Less than 4 inch step-in. Wide door. Anti-slip floors. American made. Installation included. Call 800-886-8956 for $750 off.

Arrowhead Artists and Artisan LeagueEvery Sunday, 2-4 p.m. For those interested in painting, drawing, pastels, or other media. Materials provided free of charge for the first two sessions. To continue, join the league for $25 per year. At the Arrowhead Gallery & Studios, 78 Catawba Ave., in Old Fort. Contact Helen Sullivan at [email protected].

CLASSES ~ AUDITIONS ~ ARTS & CRAFTS ~ READINGS


by Amy DownsCallie & Cats

Dragin by Michael Cole

Best in Show by Phil Juliano

Corgi Tales by Phil Hawkins

by Jessica and Russ WoodsRatchet and Spin

www.jackiewoods.org • Copyright 2015 Adawehi Press

Sunday, March 1 4th Annual Asheville Wing WarThe competi-tion is part of the

Asheville Food Fights annual series of competi-tive food events. Begins at 4 p.m. The wings will be judged by a panel of celebrity judges in a blind taste test in two categories: specialty, and traditional buffalo style. Attendees will also have the opportunity to vote for the People’s Choice Award. $20 per person includes unlimited wings and beer, as well local music. $25 at the door; $12 for children under 18. New Mountain Asheville, 38 N. French Broad Avenue, Asheville. www.ashevillewingwar.com

Sunday, March 8Jason Posnock and FriendsTwo husband and wife teams combine to present a stunning program of intimate music. Per-formers include Jason Posnock, violin; Dilshad Posnock, flute; Alistair MacRae, cello and Allison Pohl MacRae, soprano. Tickets are $20, available at the door on the day of performance. 3 p.m. at the First Congregational Church, Fifth Avenue and White Pine in Hendersonville.

Call for VendorsFront Street Arts & Crafts ShowThe town of Dillsboro will host the inaugural Front Street Arts & Crafts Show on Saturday, June 20 from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. The town has also planned an Arts & Crafts Market to take place every third Saturday – vendors are encour-aged to attend for a small fee. Apply for these shows by downloading an application from www.visitdillsboro.org. For details, call Connie Hogan at (954) 707-2004.

Live Music Every Friday and Saturdayat the Classic WinesellerRestaurant serves small plate and tapas starting at 4 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Live music at 7 p.m. 20 Church Street, Waynesville. Details (828) 452-6000, www.classicwineseller.com.

The Writers’ Workshop

Saturday, February 7 – Writing for Magazines, Journals & Newspapers with Jodi Helmer. Learn how to develop ideas for articles and how to turn life experiences into essays for national magazines, newspapers and literary journals. Meets 10-4 pm. $75/$70 members. Saturday, February 21 – Short Fiction Workshop with Richard Krawiec. This writing-intensive class will explore writing sequenced action, effective dialogue, how to organize and integrate description and theme, and revision techniques. Meets 10-4 pm. $75/$70 members.Classes held at 387 Beaucatcher Rd., Asheville. Register by calling (828) 254-8111, or visit www.twwoa.org

The Strand TheaterNow through February 4 – Boxtrolls. PG, 1 hr. 40 min. Stop-motion animated comedy.

Sunday, February 1 at 6 p.m. – Superbowl Party. Come watch the game on the really big screen. Free admission, beer specials and snacks.

February 6-18 – Gone Girl. R, 2 hrs. 29 min. Mystery/Thriller.

WINTER MOVIE SHOW TIMES

Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Tuesday, and Wednesday at 7 p.m. Saturday 5 p.m.; Sun-day 2 & 4 p.m. Free kids movie Saturdays at 12 noon and 2 p.m.

LOVE THE LOCALS SPECIALBuy one movie ticket, get one free.

LIVE MUSICThursday, February 5 at 7:30 p.m. The Friendly Beasts, acoustic Christian pop. $5

Thursday, March 5 at 7:30 p.m. Darren Nicholson Band, bluegrass. $12 in adv.; $15 day of show.

Thursday, March 19 at 7:30 p.m. The Don Juans. $18 in adv.; $20 day of show.

Thursday, March 26 at 7:30 p.m. Linda McRae. $18 in adv.; $20 day of show.

Thursday, April 16 at 7:30 p.m. Pat Donohue. $18 in adv.; $20 day of show.

The Strand Theater38 North Main Street

Waynesville, NC 28786www.38main.com


reflected in the living wage they will pay their staff. Adam and Lauren believe that by offering affordable mas-

sage with quality childcare in a peaceful and pleasant environ-ment, Ebb & Flow Massage Therapy Center will be a valuable asset to the health and well-being of the Asheville community.

The public is invited to attend a wine and cheese reception to celebrate the opening of their new business. The open house will offer tours of the spacious, newly re-modeled facilities, free chair massage, and a prize drawing for a free 60-minute massage.

IF YOU GO: Open House, Wednesday, February 18 from 5-8 p.m. Ebb & Flow Massage Therapy Center, 947 Haywood Road, West Asheville. (828) 552-3003, www.ebbandflowavl.com

are noticing, to have awareness of awareness. Perhaps the insight even arises that most fundamentally we

are awareness that notices we have a body and we have a mind that function in particular ways in a society and among people that function in particular ways. This awareness of awareness and how our body, mind and the environment occur in and are all connected within awareness is mindfulness, and its applica-tion and benefit are virtually boundless, for we begin to realize the quiet mind of awareness is the actual source of intelligence, wisdom and discern-ment.

Again, it must be emphasized, developing our capac-ity for concentration is essential to this opening of the door of mindfulness, of opening the door to noticing with increasingly sensitive, subtle and discerning skill the marvel and beauty and mystery of Life. We then, as Gunaratana noted, must continue our practice in balancing these two mental capacities of con-centration and mindfulness hand-in-hand. The benefits of this work grow and grow as our sense of mental balance and even the spiritual realization of our connection to our fellow beings in this unbroken field of awareness grows and grows.

Now, with practice, we can sit, walk, work, play, and relate in ways that will ultimately reveal the great realization of Bud-dhist meditation: that there really is no separate “me” that suf-fers from the insecurities of our cultural training in materialism and competition. We begin to accomplish glimpses of Samadhi – the sense of oneness, the consciousness of non-duality - in ex-panding circles, first with individual people, animals, and plant life, perhaps with whole scenes and vistas. Eventually, we can experience this oneness with Life itself, realizing the ultimate in “refined sensibilities.” Do the work of developing concentration power – then balance it with awareness – mindfulness – and the world gently opens.


artful livingAsheville Brewers Supplywww.AshevilleBrewers.com

Asheville Gallery of Artwww.ashevillegallery-of-art.com

Asheville Locksmith Nowwww.AshevilleLocksmithNow.com

Asheville Symphony Orchestra www.ashevillesymphony.org

B & C Winery(828) 550-3610

BlackBird Frame & Artwww.blackbirdframe.com

Black Box Photographywww.blackboxphoto.infowww.doteditions.com

Black Mountain Swannanoa Chamber of Commercewww.exploreblackmountain.com

Bogart’s Restaurantwww.bogartswaynesville.com

Brixx Pizza, www.brixxpizza.com

BT’s Burgerjointwww.btsburgerjoint.com

Cafe 64www.cafe-64.com

The Chocolate Fetishwww.chocolatefetish.com

Cheryl Keeferwww.CherylKeefer.com

Classic Winesellerwww.classicwineseller.com

Double Exposure Giclee www.doubleexposureart.com

Faison O’Neil Gallerywww.faisononeilgallery.com

Frugal Framerwww.frugalframer.com

Gallery of the Mountainsgalleryofthemountains.blogspot.com

The Green Room Caféwww.thegreenroomcafe.biz

HART Theaterwww.harttheatre.com

Hearn’s Bicycle(828) 253-4800

Heart & Soulwww.thesingingtelegram.com

Kirk’s Collectables(770) 757-6814

Malaprops Bookstore/Cafewww.malaprops.com

Mellow Mushroom(828) 236-9800

Mountain Area Information Networkmain.nc.us

Mountain Madewww.MtnMade.com

Mountain Top Appliancewww.mountainviewappliance.com

Linda Neff, [email protected]

Norbury Bookswww.facebook.com/norburybooks

O’Charley’swww.ocharleys.com

Octopus Gardenwww.theOG.us

Oil & Vinegar Ashevilleasheville.oilandvinegarusa.com

On Demand Printingwww.ondemandink.com

The Pink Housewww.facebook.com/ThePinkHouseAsheville

Points of Lightwww.pointsoflight.net

Southern Highland Craft Guildwww.craftguild.org

Starving Artistwww.StarvingArtistCatalog.com

Susan Marie Designswww.susanmariedesigns.com

Town Hardware & General Storewww.townhardware.com

The Three Davidswww.dwtheatre.com

Twigs and Leaves Gallerywww.twigsandleaves.com

Visions of Creationwww.visionsofcreation.com

Westville Pubwww.westvillepub.com

Interactive Maps are on our website! www.RapidRiverMagazine.com/maps

Find It Here

Bill Walz has taught meditation and mindfulness in university and public forums, and is a private-practice meditation teacher and guide for individuals in mindfulness, personal growth and consciousness.

He holds a weekly meditation class, Mondays from 6:30-7:30 p.m., at the Friends Meeting House, 227 Edgewood in Asheville. By donation. Information on classes, talks, personal growth and healing instruction, or phone consultations at (828) 258-3241, e-mail at [email protected]. Learn more, see past columns, video and audio programs, and schedule of coming events at www.billwalz.com

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HENDERSONVILLE RD.

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WNC OVERVIEW

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GET ON THE MAP, CALL(828) 646-0071

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GROVE PARK INN

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NORTH ASHEVILLE

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MERRIMON AVE.

PATTON AVE.

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RIVERSIDE DRIVE

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TUNNEL ROAD

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WEST ASHEVILLE

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‘Concentration and Mindfulness’ cont’d from pg. 31

HENDERSONVILLE

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OOn Wednesday, February 18, Ebb and Flow Massage Therapy Center will host an Open House.

Ebb and Flow Massage Therapy Center is a community-minded, locally-owned practice centered on providing high-quality therapeutic massage. Owned and operated by licensed massage therapists Lauren Loiacono and Adam Caddick, Ebb and Flow will offer affordable massage in a warm and welcom-ing, beautifully-appointed space with six treatment rooms and a variety of therapists to choose from.

Among the amenities offered is a comfy tea room for post-massage relaxation where clients can enjoy a selection of teas and other beverages. Prices range between $65 for a 60-minute massage to $120 for a two-hour massage, with many options in between.

To better serve families, Ebb and Flow’s innovative ap-proach includes free, on-site child care by caring, CPR-certified professionals for the duration of the client’s massage and post-massage relaxation time. Their dedication to community is also

New West Asheville Massage Therapy Center

BILTMORE VILLAGE

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The quiet mind of awareness is the actual source of intelligence,

wisdom and discernment.


Linda Neff is a member of the North Carolina Reflexology Association, and the Reflexology Association of America. She is a licensed Spiritual Healer, Reiki Master/Teacher, and Bowen Technique Instructor. Contact her at (513) 675-2819, or [email protected]. Learn more at her website, www.soul2soulheals.com

Hanna Goss is a Spiritual Wellness Coach, and author of Love Your Way Slim.


artful living

pg. 36pA

1-770-757-6814 [email protected] 11-8 Sunday 12:30-6

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O

It is said that if you want to become a “healer” you must first heal yourself.

A year-long struggle to heal her own severe foot pain spurred Linda Neff of Clyde, NC to become a master healer.

Neff, who taught physical education for 30 years in Ohio, just celebrated her one year anniversary practicing reflexol-ogy and Reiki in Waynesville at Mountain Spirit Wellness, 254 Depot Street. Before moving to North Carolina, Neff had a thriving 15-year practice in Ohio, incorporating additional healing modalities such as the Bowen Technique, homeopath-ics, nutrition, herbology, mechanotherapy, mental touch, and aromatherapy.

The transition from teaching to healing all started with painful feet. “I suffered through Plantar Fascititis for a year after

One Center Yoga will host a six-week series which offers the beginner or novice the foundation needed to begin your Iyengar yoga practice.

Cindy Dollar will teach a foundational course for anyone interested in yoga basics and alignment. The series is geared towards students seeking a slower paced, mindful practice. Explore stress-free ways to modify yoga poses to suit your body and level. All body types welcome! The class meets from 6-7 p.m. Tuesday, February 3 through March 10, 2015. Cost is $60 for the six-week series.

IF YOU GO: One Center Yoga, 120 Coxe Avenue, Suite 3B, in downtown Asheville. To register call (828) 225-1904 or visit www.onecenteryoga.com.

receiving traditional medical care, with very little relief,” Neff said. “Someone suggested I try reflexology and I had amazing results.”

One month after beginning twice-a-week reflexology treatments, she was free of foot pain. Neff wanted to know how a simple application of pressure on the feet, hands, and ears could make such a big impact so quickly when nothing else had worked.

In 1998 Neff took a 12 month course in reflexology. “It opened me up to an entirely new perspective, not only on healing but also life,” she says. “Reflexology works in a similar manner as acupuncture by causing the brain to release chemicals that lessen pain signals. It can restore energy and create better overall health.”

Neff became so fascinated with “energy” work that in addi-tion to reflexology, she studied Reiki, a Japanese technique for stress reduction and relaxation that also promotes healing. Soon, her focus became helping others relieve their pain and learning more ways to heal.

Her experience teaching physical education has been an asset to her healing practice, Neff said, as she seems to have an intuitive way of finding aches and pains and releasing them, bringing the body back into balance.

SORE FEET TO MASTER HEALERThe Healing Journey of Linda Neff

Linda Neff, NCBTMB #582633-09

LSH#VAHS1124

BY HANNA gOSS

II’ve been thinking about movement and inflammation.

Moving our bodies regularly contributes to our well-being. Certainly. How much is individual. If I miss a few days of stretching I’m uncomfortable sleeping. You can get good exer-cise right at home for free, if that works for you. I feel best with a mix - some stretching, a few minutes of qi gong and a few minutes of dancing. No cost and no driving! Did you know you can break a sweat to Hawaiian slack key guitar music? Nothing that hurts. And that’s my next point.

It makes sense to me that straining or overexerting our bodies creates inflammation, which causes pain and many other ailments. Would you like a healthy approach to reducing inflam-mation? Try fresh ginger every day. Additionally try curcumin. I suggest a good quality supplement to get a high concentration rather than using turmeric. Research and inform yourself.

Healthy, Good Thoughts

Iyengar Slow and Mindful Yoga

Kathleen is a whole foods personal chef with more than 30 years of experience. She is Rapid River Magazine’s copyeditor and a freelance editor available for a variety of literary projects. She can be reached by email: [email protected]. Visit her website: www.aptitudeforwords.com.

BY KATHLEEN COLBURN


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Live Webcamwww.downtownwaynesville.com

WAYNESVILLE GREAT SMOKY MTN EXPY.

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GALLERY 86 PRESENTS

Local Flavors 2015

IIn the heart of the Appalachian culture and heritage, a very special event is taking place throughout the month of February, in downtown Waynesville.

The ‘Love the Locals’ campaign is an annual op-portunity for businesses to show the local residents appreciation for their support throughout the year. Big red hearts, proudly displayed on the doors of participating merchants, will signify some wonderful discounts and sales within.

In conjunction with the festivities, the Hay-wood County Arts Coun-cil’s Gallery 86, located in Downtown Waynesville, at 86 North Main Street, is planning it’s 2nd annual membership exhibit - Local Flavors 2015. The exhibit will display fine works of art produced by members of the Arts Council who are local to the area.

As a wonderful side note, Waynesville was found-ed in 1810 by a Colonel Robert ‘Love’, who named the town after his former commander in the Revolution-

ary War, a General Antho-ny Wayne. Colonel Love, we salute you!

We thank Craig Burg-wardt for his investment of time and energy in the skilled production of this year’s Local Flavors 2015 poster.

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Photography by Barbara Sammons

Folk Art by Francine Menor

Oil Paintings by Silvia Herschegger

Linda Neff, NCBTMB #582633-0968 Sugar Grove Ct., Clyde, NC 28721

513-675-2819 • 828-565-0061

Bowen Training Instructor ~ Reiki Master / Teacher

Health & Healingare Just 2 Feet Away

One Hour Session: $40

Reiki re-aligns one with one’s true path,

source and spirit.

Reflexology ~ Reiki ~ Reiki Drumming

Find us on Facebook!

98 N. Main Street, Waynesville828-456-1940 www.twigsandleaves.com

pg. 38WT


WAYNESVILLEWILD ABOUT

Local Flavors 2015 opens February 4, and runs through March 28. An opening reception will be held on Sunday, February 8 from 1 to 4

p.m. at Gallery 86, located at 86 North Main Street in Waynesville.

IF YOU GO

BY BETINA MORgAN


DDiscover breathtaking vistas, rushing waterfalls, historic homesteads, and much more on guided hikes with Friends of the Smokies.

Friends of the Smokies Clas-sic Hikes feature trail interpreta-tion, history and park projects that donations to Friends of the Smokies have supported. Hikes are guided by author and hiking enthusiast Danny Bernstein.

This year’s hikes include Smokemont, Caldwell Fork, Lake Shore, Hemphill Bald, overnight at LeConte Lodge, Big Creek, Booger-man, Purchase Knob, Chimney Tops and Noland Creek.

Participants will learn about the many stewardship projects in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. These projects include but are not limited to native trout management, hemlock wooly adelgid treatment, historic structure preservation, Parks as Classrooms program, and elk management.

Hikes are offered on the second Tuesday of each month. Guided Classic Hikes are $35 and include a complimentary membership to Friends of the Smokies. Current Friends of the Smokies members receive a discount and hike for $10. Members who bring a friend hike for free. All registration donations benefit the Smokies Trails Forever program.

The first Classic Hike of 2015 takes place

Tuesday, March 10. This hike to Smokemont is 6.2 miles round trip and is moderate in difficulty with a total elevation gain of 1,400 feet. Participants will visit a historic chapel and cemetery on this hike.

Sea of clouds above Fontana Lake.

BY ANNA LEE ZANETTI

pg. 20O


noteworthy2015 Classic Hikes of the Smokies

Thank You Rapid River Magazine. I was pleasantly surprised by the wonderful response my cafe attracted when I advertised in your monthly magazine.

Café 64, 64 Haywood St., downtown AshevilleOpen daily, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., for breakfast and lunch.

828-252-8333 • www.cafe-64.com

“

”

Advertise with Rapid River MagazineFree Web Links, Ad Design, Easy Monthly Billing

(828) 646-0071 • www.rapidrivermagazine.com

Magazinesurprised by the wonderful response my cafe attracted when I advertised in your monthly magazine

“

~ Gary Taylor, owner of Cafe 64

BT’s Burgerjoint33 Town Square BoulevardBiltmore Park, Asheville

(828) 651-8481Sunday-Thursday, 11 a.m. - 9 p.m., Friday & Saturday 11 a.m. - 10 p.m.

To register for a Classic Hike of the Smokies, contact [email protected]. To view a

complete listing of Friends’ monthly Classic Hikes of the Smokies, visit www.friendsofthesmokies.org/hikes.html.

IF YOU GO

Did I mention the milkshakes? Make room, they’re thick, rich and creamy, made to order with real ice cream! We had chocolate, ‘cuz, you know, it’s chocolate, and it was the old-timey real taste of a milkshake!

They have daily specials too, dreamed up by the staff, so check the board when you walk in. BT’s is a fairly large joint with plenty of seating, and outside covered seating for about 30 more. Even in the winter Asheville gets those sunny warm days that go with a juicy home-style burger!

And if you happen to be a moviegoer bring in your stub for a 10% discount that day. Who doesn’t love dinner and a movie? It’s the perfect casual date. From the 50s to today, it’s hard to beat the fun and yum of a GREAT burger joint!

‘BT’s Burgerjoint’ cont’d from pg. 30Live Music at Bogarts Restaurant & Tavern

Waynesville’s favorite steakhouse not only offers the best steaks in town, they also feature live Old Time/Bluegrass music on Thursday nights at 6:30 p.m. Stop in on a Thursday night to catch some local favorites and a few travelers. With exceptional service geared towards true customer appreciation, you are sure to enjoy the many entrees, sandwiches, fresh salads, homemade soups. Bogart’s also serves up a wide variety of desserts to appeal to the ultimate foodie.

Thursday, Feb 5 - Ragtime Hawks, Old time/ Rag time string band

Thursday, Feb 12 - Eddie Rose & Highway Forty, Bluegrass

Thursday, Feb 19 - Darren Nicholson Band, Bluegrass

Thursday, Feb 26 - Boogertown Gap String Band, Old time string band

Bogart’s Restaurant & Tavern 303 South Main St., Waynesville

(828) 452-1313www.bogartswaynesville.com

36 Haywood StreetDowntown Asheville, NC

(828) 258-2353

Voted Best Chocolate Shop in Western North Carolina Twelve Consecutive Years!

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Voted Best Chocolate Shop in Western North Carolina Twelve Consecutive Years!

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© Copyright The Chocolate Fetish

#3davids

Photo: Lynne Harty

Holt Wilcox LaMotte

Tickets: $35/$25 for students and children under 12. On sale now at www.dwtheatre.com or 828.257.4530

An auspicious evening of insightful songs, meaningful stories and an

abundance of laughter!

8pm • Diana Worthham TheaterSaturday, February 21

pg. 20E

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Documents

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gallery pg

p i d r i v e r

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