avant-garde Archive
13 Mar 2025
Review Roundup: Residents
I write a lot of reviews, I do. And I write about some artists more than others. Here’s a roundup of reviews covering releases from everyone’s favorite incredibly strange outfit, […]
20 Jan 2025
The Music of Mary Lattimore: ‘Not Just for Doing Yoga’
Outside of classical and Celtic music, the harp isn’t widely heard. But in the hands of Asheville native Mary Lattimore, the massive, stringed acoustic instrument has become the centerpiece of […]
15 Jan 2025
30 Days Out, Jan. 2024 #2: Angela Easterling, Alice Cooper, Al Stewart, Hub New Music
A typically eclectic assortment of music highlights the remainder of January and the first half of February here in Western North Carolina. Here we go! Artist: Angela Easterling Venue: Highland […]
02 Jan 2025
Album Reviews: Three from Hyperspace Communicaitons
I first encountered David Javelosa while working on my second book, Disturbing the Peace: 415 Records and the Rise of New Wave. Javelosa had been a prime mover of Baby […]
03 Nov 2024
Album Review: Shueh-li Ong – MissOriented Metaphor
The Theremin is an otherworldly instrument. Arguably one of the earliest synthesizers, it’s a purely analog device. One doesn’t touch the Theremin; playing it involves moving one’s hands in the […]
14 Aug 2024
Album Review: Jack Magnet Science – Future Forecast
Chances are good that when presented with the idea of combining jazz, funk and progressive rock, one’s reaction will be either a cringe at what seems a gruesome prospect, or […]
09 Jul 2024
Album Review: Min Xiao-Fen – Metta
I’ve written before about virtuoso musician and composer Min Xiao-Fen. Min has carved out a fascinating and unique niche in the musical world. With a foundation in classical music, she […]
13 Jun 2024
Album Review: Sun Ra – At the Showcase: Live in Chicago 1977-1978
Zev Feldman has applied his “jazz detective” approach to a dizzying array of artists, unearthing previously unheard recordings by landmark artists ranging from Bill Evans to Mel Lewis to Les […]
04 Apr 2024
Album Review: Mushroom – Messages from the Spliff Bunker
A kind of indie-underground supergroup, Mushroom is at its core the brainchild of Pat Thomas. Combining avant-garde, free jazz and krautrock influences and textures might – to the causal listener, […]
18 Feb 2024
Album Review: Real People, Great Radio Vol. 2
Indie by definition and indie in spirit, Real People, Great Radio Vol. 2 is a compilation featuring Asheville musical artists. Curated, sponsored and put together by community radio station AshevilleFM […]