live shows Archive
08 Mar 2017
Floating Festivals
Rock ‘n’ Roll-themed Cruises While retirees and young professionals might not always share the same taste in music, one leisure activity with appeal that spans generations is the music festival […]
24 Feb 2017
Andrew Scotchie’s Birthday Bash: Party and Tribute
Andrew Scotchie‘s Birthday Bash began three years ago, celebrating the Asheville singer-guitarist’s 21st birthday. The event has additional significance to Scotchie, but he’s kept that part of the story largely […]
16 Feb 2017
Steve Gunn: Soloist and Collaborator
Though they came to prominence in different eras, guitarists Steve Gunn and Lee Ranaldo have a shared musical sensibility. As co-founder of Sonic Youth, Ranaldo helped pioneer the mainstreaming of […]
11 Jan 2017
Jamie Laval’s Celtic Christmas
For several years now, Celtic fiddler Jamie Laval has crafted a special December program for audiences. Bringing together music, dance and storytelling, Laval presents “Celtic Christmas,” a family-friendly performance that […]
29 Dec 2016
Best Music of 2016: Concerts
There’s a bit of overlap where my best albums and best concerts of 2016 are concerned. And there are some old favorites, too. John Mayall Neighborhood Theatre, Charlotte NC March […]
07 Dec 2016
Captivate and Provoke: The modern black roots music of Fantastic Negrito
Note: this is the second of two features I’ve written recently about Fantastic Negrito (here’s the first one). Expect more; this guy is one to watch. — bk Fantastic Negrito […]
06 Dec 2016
NRBQ: the Unity of Man (and of former members), Part 2
Continued from Part One … From NRBQ‘s start, jazz pianist Thelonious Monk was a hero to Terry Adams and his band mates. “The music of Thelonious had a big impact […]
05 Dec 2016
NRBQ: the Unity of Man (and of former members), Part 1
Longtime critics’ darlings NRBQ has kept the music going in one form or another since before recording and releasing its self-titled debut album in 1969. While sales figures of NRBQ’s […]
19 Oct 2016
Underhill Rose: Thorns and All
Editor’s note: The shows previewed here took place in September 2016; the album is due out in 2017. — bk With three enthusiastically-received studio albums to their credit, Asheville-based Americana […]
08 Sep 2016
North Carolina Musicians Standing Against HB2
Taking full advantage of their first majority in North Carolina government in decades, the state Republican party has pushed through their conservative legislative agenda. Among the most high-profile – and […]