It’s safe to say that the whirlwind sounds and vibrant tones of Town Mountain (now referred to as “Americana”) were ahead of their time when the band first came to fruition in 2005 in the mountains of Western North Carolina. 

Visitors to The North Carolina Arboretum can witness some of the most surprising animal behavior in the new National Geographic exhibition, “The Greatest Wildlife Photographs.” 

Sometimes when we talk about “local foods” we tend to think only of seasonal fruits and vegetables, but it’s great to know that you can support local farmers and food makers throughout the year.

Despite the hell Asheville and greater Western North Carolina have gone through since flooding caused by Hurricane Helene last fall, as well as the recent terror attacks on large crowds during New Year festivities around the country, passionate protestors showed out for the People’s March in Pack Square on Saturday, Jan. 18. 

It was quiet, so damn quiet. Wednesday evening. Myself flying solo, exiting Interstate 240, merging onto Patton Avenue and rolling into the heart of downtown Asheville. No traffic. No cars. No people. It was odd. 

Mary Garrison and her husband, Fairview Fire Department Battalion Chief Tony Garrison, awoke around 4 a.m. on Sept. 27 to a darkened home with no electricity, torrential rainfall pounding the ground and high winds from Hurricane Helene screaming through their tiny, isolated Craigtown community. 

Since its formation in 2004, The Wood Brothers have become one of the premier, marquee acts in the vast sonic realms of Americana and indie-folk in this ongoing whirlwind that is the topsy-turvy 21st century musical landscape. 

With North Carolina’s Republican-dominated General Assembly still dead-set on refusing to provide meaningful relief for mountain communities hit hard by Hurricane Helene on Sept. 27, Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper traveled to Washington, D.C., with a delegation of western leaders, appealing to higher authority for help.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, there has been numerous initiatives put forth by local Western North Carolina musicians to raise funds and provide aid to those in need in our backyard. 

With just days remaining before voters go to the polls on Nov. 5, Democratic Vice Presidential nominee and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz returned to speak in a very different Asheville than the one he last saw in mid-September.