15 Dec 2025
30 Days Out, December 2025 #2: Jon Stickley Trio, Amanda Anne Platt & the Honeycutters, A Swannanoa Solstice, The Cheeksters
It’s time for an all-local edition of 30 Days Out. I’ve been running this twice-monthly roundup of live music in Asheville for twelve years now: six for Mountain Xpress, six […]
15 Sep 2022
30 Days Out, September 2022 #2: Cheeksters, The Explorers Club, GA-20, Stereolab
I’ve interviewed three of the four acts spotlighted in this roundup of live music. But I’d recommend them all regardless. Artist: The Cheeksters Venue: The Grey Eagle Date: Saturday, Sep. […]
18 May 2011
The Cheeksters: Golden Birds Take Flight
Mark Casson and Shannon Hines Casson – the husband-and-wife musical team leading The Cheeksters — clearly aren’t originally from around here. Mark’s British accent and Shannon’s Memphis lilt make it […]
21 May 2010
Feature: The Cheeksters
Some years ago, recent college graduate Shannon Hines was traveling Europe on a EurailPass. She recounts what happened not long after the train left London: “I said to my girlfriend, […]
15 Oct 2009
Congrats to the Cheeksters!
My good friends (and, as it happens, a wonderful band) The Cheeksters have one of their songs featured on some new NFL Network spots. A big break, and one that’s […]
02 Jul 2023
Preview: Music to Your Ears — Ziggy Stardust
David Bowie was already some eight-plus into his career as a musician and recording artist when he created the landmark album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the […]
11 Jul 2022
Music to Your Ears WILL RETURN
The Music to Your Ears discussion series is on hold. The devastating September 2024 floods that destroyed much of Asheville’s vibrant River Arts District inflicted heavy damage on our beloved […]
09 Feb 2018
Thank You, Man: Asheville’s Crop of Tribute Bands (Part Two)
Continued from Part One… Peak Hour Though the group had had hits before – most notably the 1964 single “Go Now” – the Moody Blues’ most enduring material is found […]
20 Oct 2016
Hometown Writing
Asheville, NC is my adopted hometown. After more than a quarter-century in a smog-filled, traffic-jammed metropolis, I escaped to the Blue Ridge Mountains in 2000. I’m never leaving. And while […]
08 Jan 2016
Watch Those Men: Wham Bam Bowie Band
David Bowie cast off his Ziggy Stardust persona decades ago, but a fondness for the look and sound of his 1970s music remains strong among rock fans. Asheville-based touring tribute […]
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