The Mountain Sports Festival returns to Asheville on May 24-26, 2013

The Mountain Sports Festival returns to Asheville on
May 24-26, 2013
Introduces Outdoor Gear Builders Village

Get your groove on at Mountain Sports Festival in the spectacular mountain town of Asheville, NC on May 24-26, 2013! Hiking, biking, paddling, running, cyclocross, races, local beer, lots of exhibitors, workshops & an amazing lineup of live music!

SPORTS – Triathlon, 5k, Rock2Rock, Disc Golf, Ultimate, YOGA, Cyclocross

MUSIC – With a great lineup of indie and local bands; Brushfire Stankgrass , Bonerama , Jeff Sipe Trio, The Fritz, The Packway Handle Band, Jason Daniello, Jon Stickley Trio, Bear Down Easy, The Whiskey Grins, Chalwa, Cedric Burnside & Eleanor Underhill Solo!

CAUSES – Asheville Greenworks, Western North Carolina Alliance & Riverkeeper, City of Asheville Parks & Recreation

BEER – In cooperation with Highland Brewing Company  & Oskar Blues

The MSF Festival Village is located at Carrier Park on Amboy Road along the scenic French Broad River in west Asheville offering wide open spaces and plenty of parking and room to spread out and enjoy all the great MSF activities. Directions: http://mountainsportsfestival.com/events/map

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The Mountain Sports Festival returns to Asheville on May 24-26, 2013, with an impressive lineup to entice any pro or amateur athlete to test themselves in mountain sports. The 3 day festival brings in over 15,000 visitors and competitors in Asheville, NC, the center of the East Coast outdoor life.  Along with the competition, athletes and spectators alike will find plenty of action at the Festival Village at Carrier Park, located along the French Broad River in Asheville.

Located in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountain region of the Appalachians, Asheville is the venue for a long list of competitive events coupled with entertainment, demos and exhibitors. Many sports festivals offer competition, but few add the mountainous terrain to take it up a notch for serious challenge and endurance.  When not out at the races, the Festival Village is the place to be along the scenic French Broad River in West Asheville.

This year Mountain Sports Festival introduces Outdoor Gear Builders Village. The Festival has worked to bring a focus on local manufacturing, bringing 15 of the mountains most innovative and unique Outdoor Gear manufacturers.  The Outdoor Gear Builders Village will be packed with outdoor adventure gear manufacturers and exhibitors showing off their wares, while demonstrating all the latest equipment with tips and techniques for enjoying the outdoors.

Races and competitions will take place throughout the weekend, beginning with Rock-2-Rock Trail Run in Black Mountain and the Disc Golf Challenge at Festival Village. These events will showcase some of the best disc golf tricks and shots, followed by the Asheville Cyclocross, Race beginning at Festival Village. Things will heat up early on Saturday with a full schedule of high-energy competition highlighted by the Girls on the Run Rise & Shine 5k, Mountain Disc Golf Challenge, French Broad Challenge Triathlon, Dodgeball Tournament and Complimentary Yoga.  By Sunday, the events are still in high gear with day two of the Mountain Disc Golf Experience, Sand Volleyball Tournament, and the Ultimate Frisbee Clinic.

The Festival Village Main Stage will be going solid, beginning Friday night and running through Sunday afternoon with a broad mix of live music featuring local and national acts. This Year’s headliners are locals Brushfire Stankgrass on Friday and Bonerama from New Orleans on Saturday Night. The full lineup includes Jeff Sipe Trio, The Fritz, Jeff Sipe Trio, The Packway Handle Band, Jason Daniello, Jon Stickley Trio, Bear Down Easy, The Whiskey Grins, Chalwa, Cedric Burnside & Eleanor Underhill Solo.

About Mountain Sports Festival

The Mountain Sports Festival is organized by a volunteer group of community oriented citizens dedicated to the presenting of a well balanced series of outdoor events that encourage participation on all levels.

www.MountainSportsFestival.com

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John Driskell Hopkins & Balsam Range Asheville Album Release Show at Isis Music Hall on Fri, Feb 1st

John Driskell Hopkins has walked the musical path for the last 20 years. As a bass player, guitar player, singer and songwriter for several bands of the rock variety, Hopkins rooted himself in the Atlanta, GA music scene in 1995, producing records and touring with his band Brighter Shade and later becoming a founding member of the Zac Brown Band to this day. Now he has teamed up with North Carolina bluegrass band, Balsam Range, to record and independently produce a new album, Daylight, which is set for national release on January 22nd. They will be performing an Asheville album release show on Friday, February 1st at the NEW Isis Restaurant and Music Hall.

A lifelong fan of bluegrass and gospel music, John became an instant fan of Balsam Range, an award-winning and unstoppable 5-piece hailing from Haywood County, North Carolina. As John’s plans for a solo record took shape, he realized that BR’s authentic style and approach could bring his songs new life, and a vision for his record became clear.

Of performing with with BR, John says “Being on stage with Balsam Range is like body-surfing in warm butter-cream icing with hillbilly cherubs. Smooth…..” Balsam Range is Buddy Melton (fiddle, vocals), Darren Nicholson (Mandolin, vocals), Marc Pruett (Banjo, Vocals), Caleb Smith (guitar, vocals), and Tim Surrett (bass, dobro, vocals).

Over the course of a year, the collective made use of their sparse days off the road and arranged to pow-wow and track basics at John’s home studio in Atlanta, GA or at Crossroads Studio in Arden, NC, eventually bringing the songs to form. John utilized the Zac Brown Band’s amazing new Southern Ground Studios in Nashville, TN for the final engineering and mixing, and in the middle of September 2012, the album was completed.

John is thrilled to have included several special guests on the album, including Zac Brown on “I Will Lay Me Down,” a sweet and sacred song; Levi Lowrey on “How Could I?” a song co-written by the two, and the heavenly Joey Feek of Joey + Rory on the autobiographical “Bye Baby Goodbye.” And of the musicians featured on Daylight, John could not have done better: the unmatched Jerry Douglas opens the record with dobro on “Runaway Train,” and Tony Trischka brings his banjo mastery to the title-track, “Daylight,” a longtime song in Hopkins’ repertoire about breaking through life’s troubles into brighter times.

If you’re a Zac Brown Band fan, you’ll hear a couple familiar songs, though most tracks are newly penned with BR’s talent and magic in mind, and a couple songs are some of John’s oldest tunes, written with his band of many years, Brighter Shade, and beautifully reworked for this special new project.

Show Details at a Glance:
John Driskell Hopkins and Balsam Range
Album Release Show for Daylight
Isis Restaurant & Music Hall
Friday, Feb 1, 2013
8pm doors, 9pm show; $12 ADV, $15 DOS; All Ages
828-575-2737
743 Haywood Rd. Asheville, NC 28806
www.isisasheville.com

For more about John Driskell Hopkins and Daylight, visit www.JohnDriskellHopkins.com.

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LaZoom Bus is now offering an Art Tour of Asheville!

Explore the Asheville Art Scene through the Eyes of a Local Artist:

Introducing LaZoom Asheville Art Tour

With Artist Guide Gabriel Shaffer

LaZoom Asheville Art Tour is a first-of-its-kind art tour of Asheville, beginning Saturday, May 21, and running every Saturday at 11:00 a.m. from the French Broad Food Co-Op.  The entertaining, non-comedic tours explore the neighborhoods and studios of numerous working artists, including Downtown, the River Arts District and West Asheville, while learning about the Asheville art scene, from local artist Gabriel Shaffer.

“We are connecting people who are interested in contemporary art to the contemporary artists.  We are raising an awareness of the Asheville contemporary art scene by taking people directly into artist studios,” says Schaffer.  “This Art Tour is a way to make the contemporary Asheville arts scene accessible.”

The LaZoom Asheville Art Tours include a musical act and will explore the neighborhoods and studios of numerous working visual artists, including artists working downtown, in the River Arts District and in West Asheville, while providing insight into the local creative history. Confirmed participating artists: Ben Betsalel, Julie Armbruster, Heather Knight, Moni Hill, ClaySpace Co-Op, Sean “Jinx” Pace, Melissa Terezza, Alena Hennessy, Dustin Spagnola and more.

The tour will cover a broad scale of genres, mediums and locations to demonstrate the diverse creative landscape. Customers will walk away from the tour with a glimpse into the process of art-making and a better understanding of the Asheville art community.

DISCOUNT ART TOUR TICKETS FOR MAY AND JUNE

Tickets for the Art Tours will typically be $35 each, but for the months of May and June, LaZoom is running a special of $28 per ticket ($15 for kids).  Tell your friends!!  This tour is a one-of-a-kind glimpse into the Asheville Art Scene through the voices and work of local artists.  It’s truly a wonderful and educational experience.

To Purchase Tickets and Find out more:

828.225.6932 or http://www.LaZoomTours.com

More About LaZoom Bus Tours of Asheville

City tours with a twist! LaZoom’s iconic purple bus takes visitors and locals to the funny side of Asheville on their city-wide afternoon and evening Comedy Tours – historical and hysterical! Night-time, adult-only Haunted Comedy Tours take you to the campy, scary sections of town! Or get on board the Asheville Art Tours where a real live artist guides you through the River Arts District, downtown and West Asheville arts communities showcasing art-makers in their studios.

About Gabriel Schaffer

Artist Gabriel Schaffer, lives and works in Asheville, NC. He is the son of renowned folk/visionary artist Cher Shaffer and has an extensive background in writing and music, performing at such notable events as South By Southwest, Austin, TX and Around The Coyote Festival, Chicago, IL. Gabriel has exhibited his visual artwork across the country and sold hundreds of works throughout various major cities nationally and internationally.

GET ON THE BUS!

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Find out more about All Go West Festival: Video Interview with Jeremiah Greer Live!

All Go West Music festival to take on its second installment, located in the streets west Asheville NC. On April 23rd, 2011, The Festival will uniquely offer an array of musical talent, BBQ, and local Brew. Free!

In the second annual running of All Go West, anticipation builds for the integrating a great deal of local artistic talent to create a superior festival based upon community. The street party takes place on April 23rd, 2011 from 12 PM until 10 PM in west Asheville, in front of Harvest Records. All Go West is a festival embracing ideals of Asheville’s naturally creative progression, offering local art, food, beer vendors, and musicians. The festival’s admission remains free, hoping to enrich the cities ethos as an outstanding venue, gifted in a strong imaginative talent.

This year, All Go West is excited to introduce the newest installment, Beer and BBQ Tasting, featuring Luella’s Barbeque. The 2011 Beer vendors include Pisgah Brewing, Highland Brewing Company, Foothills Brewery, Forty Back Brewery, and more TBA. The city of west Asheville has opened up the streets of Waynesville Road and Westwood Place to local vendors, fashion boutiques, and artists for the public to contribute their own artistic venture.

The most significant feature to the festival is the broad range of musical talent to take over the Mountain Xpress and Pisgah Stage located on Waynesville Road. Spanning a vast range of different genres, All Go West incorporates everything from hip-hop, blue-grass, electronic, and even rock.

This year’s installment includes the musical likes of:

Josh Phillips Folk Festival
Floating Action

Do it to Julia
Uncle Mountain
The New Familiars

Supercollider

RBTS WIN
Wages
Sirius B
Secret B Sides
The Critters
Aaron “Woody” Wood
Doc Aquatic
Common Foundation
10 Cent Poetry
For The Birds
Lyric

www.allgowest.com

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Archive: Dehlia Low interview with the Take Five for their CD Release Party

Dehlia Low officially release “Dehlia Low – Live” tonight (Nov 5th) at the Get Down in West Asheville! Check out this excerpt of an interview with them in the Asheville Citizen Times’ Take Five:

Dehlia Low celebrates live CD with West Asheville show
by Michael Flynn • published November 5, 2010

ASHEVILLE – At traditional bluegrass gatherings, people sometimes ask members of Asheville’s Dehlia Low why the five-person string band has no banjo player. Guitarist and singer Stacy Claude has come up with an answer.

“I tell people that we had only five seats in the van,” she says with a laugh, “so someone had to go.”

Judging by the band’s growing audience and recognition, Dehlia Low’s blend of bluegrass, country and Americana music sounds just right as is.

The band is playing tonight at West Asheville’s new Get Down to celebrate its latest release, a live album that includes songs from a May gig at The Grey Eagle.

“We’ve been talking about it for a while,” Claude says about recording live. “We feel our studio albums are different than our live performances, and we wanted to capture some of that live energy.”

Along with Claude, the band features vocalist and fiddler Anya Hinkle, dobro player Aaron Ballance, mandolin picker Bryan Clendenin and upright bassist Greg Stiglets. The group came together about three years ago, sparked by connections from Jack of the Wood’s Celtic jam sessions.

The members’ blend of vocal harmonies, acoustic picking and country dobro creates a classic Asheville take on traditional music.

“We like to say we have a foot in bluegrass and a foot in Americana and roots music,” Claude says.

… … …
Look for the group to continue to grow its fan base next year, with more touring and another album written and ready to record. Asheville, Claude says, is the perfect launching pad for the band.

“Living in a community with so many acoustic musicians of this caliber keeps you on your toes,” she says.

“It’s an amazing place to be a musician.”

Michael Flynn writes about entertainment for take5. E-mail him at mickfly@bellsouth.net.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE: http://www.citizen-times.com/article/20101105/ENT/311050017/1291/ADVERTISING

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Drinks and Dialog in Asheville- Discussing Segregation

Went to Drinks and Dialog in Asheville at the Haywood Lounge this past Saturday night and had an amazing time at the talk and afterward for a night out on the town in West Asheville with a very diverse group of people!  There were some very interesting conversations discussing racial segregation. Thank you Timmy Smith/ SocialLifeAVL for organizing this! Check out the post by Ukulele Rockstar too: http://ukulelerockstar.wordpress.com/2010/08/23/drinks-dialogue/

Check out some these video’s by G social Media/ AskAsheville:

Also, Check out this blog post by David Forbes with the Mountain Xpress: http://www.mountainx.com/staffblogs/article/the_segregation_conversation

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