{"id":24857,"date":"2023-03-27T05:30:33","date_gmt":"2023-03-27T09:30:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/?p=24857"},"modified":"2023-03-30T10:33:15","modified_gmt":"2023-03-30T14:33:15","slug":"avant-garde-in-wnc-it-might-get-weird","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/2023\/03\/27\/avant-garde-in-wnc-it-might-get-weird\/","title":{"rendered":"Avant Garde in WNC: It Might Get Weird"},"content":{"rendered":"

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 touring jam bands, there exist homegrown exponents of countless forms of musical expression. Some are widely accessible, but others appeal to a more select audience. Citing a variety of motivations for doing so, many avant garde<\/a> musical artists have taken up residence in the area. The challenging music they make exists well outside the mainstream.<\/p>\n

\"\"Nathan Duvall is one of the deejays at AshevilleFM. The nonprofit community radio station\u2019s noncommercial status lends itself to support of noncommercial music. Asked which programs (beyond his own weekly show, Lucid) feature avant garde sounds, he says that \u201cmost of the programming on AshevilleFM is free form by nature.\u201d He mentions four shows with an especially strong commitment to the experimental and unusual: Ecstatic Listening, Orchestral Maneuvers, Tenor to Tabla and Melody in Mayhem. All are as eclectic and engaging as their names suggest.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt AshevilleFM it’s our responsibility to keep our ears to the ground and hearts open to the wide array of artistic talent,\u201d Duvall says. \u201cIt’s our mission to balance professionalism with an ability to give the underrepresented \u2013 or even misunderstood \u2013 a voice in our community.\u201d<\/p>\n

Avant garde music purposefully redefines what society declares as the language of music, says AshevilleFM\u2019s Duvall. And he emphasizes that the rewards are potentially great for listeners who step beyond the ordinary. \u201cCuriosity and a willingness to explore boundaries that make folks uncomfortable: that\u2019s avant garde,\u201d he enthuses. And with a thriving local avant garde musical community to explore, Duvall recommends that approach for listeners, too: \u201cBe curious.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the days to come, I’ll profile three Asheville-based avant garde artists:<\/p>\n