Putting the “mock” in Democracy: Capitol Steps troupe brings political laughs to WCU
By Michael Beadle Along with death and taxes, one of the most predictable things in life seems to be political…
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National Poetry Month In honor of National Poetry Month this April, here are some recommendations for poetry lovers and those…
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Guests of the Ayatollah and Kite Runner Trying to understand the Middle East? Here are two books — one non-fiction…
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Todd Snider looks at life, Nashville with a songwriter’s eye view
By Chris Cooper See, the primary difference between Todd Snider and Ryan Adams is that Snider didn’t get so caught…
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Carving his niche: Dennis Ruane’s career flows like his artwork
By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer Sitting at a workbench in the back of his gallery on Main Street in…
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Well, let’s just consider this a collection of things I would NOT recommend. But maybe reading this will constitute a…
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Cowboy Junkies reflect on the family dynamic
The Cowboy Junkies have this thing that only they can do, and as easy as it is to recognize that…
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Figuratively speaking
By Sarah Kucharski Entering figurative sculptor Wesley Wofford’s studio one is struck by the sheer size of his works.
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WCU reels in Half Frame Film Fest
Western Carolina University will launch the Half Frame Film Festival, a daylong celebration of documentary filmmaking, on Monday, April 9,…
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Good Friday & Easter Easter, of course, is more than dyed eggs, plastic straw, and strange bunnies.
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The magic of myth: HART opens main stage season with ‘Metamorphoses’
A king named Midas wishes for riches and ends up with a wealth that kills. A singer named Orpheus descends…
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Rebel Records Roundup, Part 2
By Chris Cooper Rebel Records, that esteemed purveyor of all that is and has been high and lonesome for the…
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Slam Poetry Poetry need not be lame. Two Tuesdays ago Western Carolina University’s Lectures, Concerts and Exhibitions series and Last…
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Mélange of the Mountains: Culinary event returns to temp the taste buds March 29
By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer Culinary connoisseurs will have a chance to sample the skills of a dozen local…
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Masters of their musical domains
By Chris Cooper Two very different artists and albums, but similar in the pursuit of uniqueness and mastery in their…
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Franklin carver hatches a unique idea
By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer The duck egg is just slightly larger than the chicken egg, its shell a…
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“300” OK, to be perfectly honest, this is a “qualified recommendation.” “300” is currently in the theatres, but the original…
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From Waynesville to the Big Apple
By Michael Beadle Nick Taylor’s career in journalism has spanned four decades and several cities, but it all began in…
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For a swinging sound, look no further than downtown
By Chris Cooper If you’ve wandered down Main Street in the early part of a summer evening over the years,…
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Honoring the lost voices
By Michael Beadle Iranian-born author Farnoosh Moshiri writes about people who are enemies of the state, those who have disappeared,…
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Lucinda Williams, West If you don’t already know her, go back to the beginning and catch up, because you’ve missed…
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Air skillfully paints a delicate soundscape
What exactly do you say about these guys? There’s certainly something nostalgic in just how painfully arty what they’re doing…
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Food of the Gods
By Michael Beadle Call it a Kiss. A sweet treat. A bonbon. A decadent delight.
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Chocolate sensation
By Michael Beadle Come March 24, sink your teeth into blueberry truffles, fudge cookies, and mocha cheesecake.
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Newly formed Balsam Range features some of the finest
By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer Balsam Range, a newly formed group of all-star pickers, will play a free concert…
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Y’all come back
By Michael Beadle The annual foot-stompin’, hand-clappin’, kick-up-your-heels music-and-dance show known as the Summit Country and Western Show at Tuscola…
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Battlestar Galactica Okay, I’ll admit it. I’m a Battlestar fanatic. A few weekends ago, my wife and I glued ourselves…
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Chapin channels something powerful in The Calling
In 1992 Mary Chapin Carpenter released Come On, Come On, and though it’s a little hazy as to how I…
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Nature Deficit Disorder Sometimes, you read an interview and it hits home, hard. Last month’s issue of The Sun, a…
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The Broken West nails vintage pop — in all the right ways
It’s the tambourine that gives it away. Those insistent eighth notes from the piano during the chorus, the sparkly harmonies…
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The Fine Art of Being Wrong (sort of...)
I spend a considerable amount of time being disappointed by music. It’s sad, because I also happen to love music,…
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Mountain Heart serves up musical surprise
By Chris Cooper To say that Mountain Heart isn’t exactly your “average” bluegrass band is more than a slight understatement.…
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Broadway comes to Cullowhee
By Michael Beadle He’s been a Beast. An alien bounty hunter. A Rum Tum Tugger and Inspector Javert. And now…
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“The Painted Veil” Kitty (Naomi Watts), a bored London socialite, marries Walter Fane (Edward Norton), a doctor and student of…
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As her craft evolves, Jones’ spirit remains true
By Chris Cooper When Norah Jones swept the 2003 Grammies, it was more than just a victory for a new…
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Peaceful sounds: Bryson City woman organizes local musicians for a cause
By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer Downtown Sylva will host a non-partisan stand for peace on Saturday, Feb. 17, with…
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Honeymoon Edition So my husband and I celebrated our three-month anniversary by finally going on our honeymoon this January. We…
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Stone Black aims high with a familiar formula
Expectations are tricky things. You can crack open a CD with basically one of two mindsets: “This is going to…
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The world according to glass
By Michael Beadle Glass dazzles. It bears no secrets. It illuminates the world around itself.
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Green gas heavy metal: Jackson’s County’s Green Energy Park offers methane-fired blacksmith forge
By Anna Fariello • Guest Writer William Rogers has been a professional metalsmith for more than 25 years, but nothing…
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The Grey Eagle Over the last four years I have had the great opportunity to work with David Holt in…
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As you probably know by now, we are on the verge of another “revolution in technology.” Specifically, your current DVD…
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Elana James: A fiery violinist takes it solo
By Chris Cooper Swing can take many forms. It can bop and bounce like Calloway and Ellington, or it can…
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Listening to the stone
By Michael Beadle A goddess rises through ribbons of translucent alabaster. A pair of doves flutters from bronzed hands. An old,…
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In putting together my annual list of the year’s best albums, I was reminded of what a terrific year 2006…
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Darren Nicholson: Darren Nicholson
By Chris Cooper Yeah, it’s a quip that’s terribly overused — the one about “... there must be something in the…
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In your Internet ear
Just before Christmas, singer/songwriter Ashley Chambliss of Sylva got an email from the online music site where her music is…
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World wide from Canton
By Sarah Kucharski — Staff Writer John Anderson’s boisterous voice streams out from the computer speakers.
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The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield Margaret Lea, the daughter of an antique book collector, receives a curious letter from…
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