avant-garde Archive

30 Days Out, May 2023 #2: Jonny Couch, Acid Mothers Temple, Sierra Ferrell, Randall Bramblett

Four nationally-touring acts are among the live music highlights in Asheville in the coming 30 days. Go see ‘em, and support local artists as well. Artist: Jonny Couch Venue: Fleetwood’s […]

Avant Garde in WNC: Okapi

Okapi is the duo of Lindsey Miller (cello) and Scott Gorski (upright bass). Originally based in Chicago, they launched Okapi in 2012. While the couple describes their project as a […]

Avant Garde in WNC: Tashi Dorji

Experimental guitarist-composer Tashi Dorji is initially nonplussed when asked how receptive Asheville audiences have been to his brand of avant garde music. “I don’t consider what I do ‘entertainment’ music,” […]

Avant Garde in WNC: Min Xiao-Fen

Min Xiao-Fen relocated to Asheville from New York City in 2020. By that point she was already an in-demand, world-class musician. Min’s primary instrument is the pipa, an ancient lute-like […]

Avant Garde in WNC: It Might Get Weird

Asheville and all of Western North Carolina is home to a wide array of musical styles. Though Asheville is rightly seen as a hotbed of bluegrass and a magnet for […]

Hundred Word Reviews, February 2023 Part Two

More capsule reviews. All new releases. Get ‘em while they’re hot. Ward White – Ice Cream Chords When I reviewed Ward White’s 2021 album The Tender Age, I was struck […]

Album Review: Bruce Licher — Exploratorium

Bruce Licher is guitarist in post-punk band Savage Republic; that L.A.-based group has flown well under the commercial radar. But they came to my attention years ago when I read […]

Steve Hillage: Ten Albums That Changed My Life (Part Two)

Continued from Part One… Steve Hillage continues a discussion of some of his favorite albums. Pink Floyd – Ummagumma (1969) I could’ve easily chosen Piper at the Gates of Dawn, […]

Steve Hillage: Ten Albums That Changed My Life (Part One)

The following is a significantly more in-depth version of a short piece I edited for Goldmine Magazine . — bk Steve Hillage is one of those special musicians whose influence […]

Album Reviews: David Javelosa – Atomic Odyssey! and Modern Work Volume One

David Javelosa is an inspired musician whose work is primarily synthesizer-based. But his bent, whimsical and playful approach to music results in sounds that are far from the “serious” kind […]