Hello Thursday.
April 25 2024
Beneath the busy and beery surface of downtown, there’s an eclectic, innovative, and often grungy history of how Asheville’s celebrated music scene found itself in the first place.
In the newly launched Music History Walking Tour, award-winning author + music historian Alli Marshall invites locals and tourists alike to explore that story on foot.
Alli leads us through Chicken Alley, a place where artists once flocked wildly. | Gif via AVLtoday
Over the course of 1.5 miles and 90 minutes, the multimedia tour covers Asheville’s musical roots, from Scots-Irish and Appalachian traditions to today’s heady blend of rock, jazz, blues, electronic, hip-hop, and experimental sounds.
The tour begins outside of Harrah’s Cherokee Center - Asheville, which is also the "Appalachian Stage“ station on Asheville’s urban trail. From there, you weave through several historic sections of downtown, including Lexington Ave. (formerly known as Water Street), Chicken Alley, and The Block, plus stops at modern musical haunts including Moogseum, Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center, and The Orange Peel.
The city’s architecture — and the juxtaposition between its past and present uses — serves as a poignant illustration of how much Asheville has grown over the decades. For instance: we were reminded that behind what’s now Water Street Diner, there was a punk rock coffee house + listening room named Vincent’s Ear that hosted legends such as The White Stripes and former Band of Horses lead guitarist Tyler Ramsey.
Did you know that The Orange Peel used to be a roller skate rink? | Photo via @the_orange_peel
We also learned about the 120+ year-old pipe organ at Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church on The Block, and how the LEAF Global Arts building used to be a Black-owned jazz club that hosted greats like James Brown, Percy Sledge, and legendary local funk band Innersouls.
Another one of our favorite parts? The tour has its own Spotify playlist — so you can tune into Asheville's aural delights whenever you please.
Here’s what to know if you go:
Who needs time travel when you have Alli? Use the buttons below to share this story with all your fellow music freaks so you can adventure together.
What year did The Orange Peel reopen to the public?
In the 1960s and 70s, the building hosted a series of R&B and soul clubs before closing and briefly becoming an auto parts warehouse (the horror!).
Friday
- Your Dog Here | Fri., Nov. 19 | 5-8 p.m. | Down Dog, 51 Sweeten Creek Rd. | Donation | Come with your pup, enjoy refreshing drinks, and enter the raffle to win amazing prizes. 🐶
- Silent Disco: Glowstick Party | Fri., Nov. 19 | 7 p.m. | Rabbit Rabbit, 75 Coxe Ave. | $5 | Glow sticks and dancing — what more could you want?
- We Hate Movies | Fri., Nov. 19 | 6:30 p.m. | The Orange Peel | $25+ | Hosts Andrew Jupin, Stephen Sajdak, Chris Cabin, and Eric Szyszka bring their uproarious takes on bad movies to the stage. 🎬
Saturday
- Asheville FM’s 2nd Annual Record Fair | Sat., Nov. 20 | 11 a.m.- 5 p.m. | Harrah’s Cherokee Center - Asheville, 87 Haywood St. | $5+ | The event features rare + vintage vinyl collections, along with beer and concessions. 💿
- Oyster Pop Up with Mera Brothers Oysters | Sat., Nov. 20 | 4-6 p.m. | Botanist & Barrel Asheville, 32 Broadway St. | Come meet the Mera Brothers and try their family’s recipe for “ceviche on a shell.” 🦪
- Holiday Pop Up Market | Sat., Nov. 20 | 10 a.m.-5 p.m. | Open Hearts Art Center, 217 Coxe Ave. | Free | Shop from local artists at this outdoor market. 🛍️
- Mountain Pet Rescue Adoption Event | Sat., Nov. 20 | 1-4 p.m. | Archetype Brewing, 265 Haywood Rd. | Free | Find your new furry companion here. 🐾
- Atelier Maison & Co. Monthly Warehouse Sale | Sat., Nov. 20 | 10 a.m.-6 p.m. | 121 Sweeten Creek Rd. | Free | Featuring overstock and clearance inventory at up to 40%, Bear's Smokehouse food truck (11:30 a.m.-3 p.m.) + live music from Ben Phantom (3-6 p.m.). Ⓟ
Sunday
- Min Xiao-Fen and River Guerguerian | Sun., Nov. 21 | 7:30 p.m. | Isis Music Hall | $20 | An evening of genre-blurring duets, cross-cultural expression + exotic new sounds. 🎵
- Homemade Holiday Gifts | Sun., Nov. 21 | 2 p.m. | Virtual | $20 | Learn how to make infused vinegars, chocolate mint patties, Irish cream, and more from local chef + author Ashley English. 💝
- Blue Note Junction Funk$hun | Sun., Nov. 21 | 3-6 p.m. | Peace Gardens, 47 Bryant St. | Sliding scale | Celebrate and toast the vision of an exciting new community health + business incubator.
We have a monthly guide filled with events + activities you can plan for in advance. Click the button below to bookmark ideas for upcoming date nights, family outings, and time with friends.
Get your tailgate or pregame on at one of the local breweries near the stadium or set up shop right on the lawn | Photo by Forrest Clonts
Headed to Columbia, SC to attend the Clemson/Carolina game on Nov. 27? Or just need a quick fall getaway? Make a weekend of it with this game day itinerary:
- Roll in on Friday and stack up on tailgate staples (read: Cromer’s boiled peanuts + local craft brews)
- Check in to your home-away-from-home at Graduate Columbia or Holiday Inn Downtown
- Kick off the weekend with some (friendly) competitive cornhole with a beer or snack in-hand
- Catch some live music at an energetic spot like The Senate at Tin Roof or Main Course
- On Saturday morning, fuel up with a biscuit + coffee from Rambo’s Fat Cat Biscuits and gear up for gameday. Ⓟ
Weather
- 51º | Sunny | 0% chance of rain
Civic
- Applications for the city’s Community Reparations Commission are open through Wed., Dec. 22. The stated goal of the 25-person commission is to develop recommendations for City Council that will repair harm done by racial discrimination + systemic oppression. Want more info? Join virtual sessions on Dec. 1 or Dec. 15. (Mountain Xpress)
Outdoors
- 40+ miles of new trails are coming to Pisgah National Forest around Old Fort, and the first six miles may be open as soon as next August. This has been made possible by the Old Fort Trails Project. 🏞️ (Asheville Citizen-Times)
- Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy has purchased 150 acres adjoining Roan Mountain State Park. The org’s goal is to protect its biodiverse habitat, which includes mountain wetland areas and five species of state-listed rare plants. 🌱
Eat
- Chestnuts roasting on an open fire can be yours at Sakshi Gantenbein’s chestnut stand. Through the holiday season, it’s stationed outside of French Broad Food Co-op (90 Biltmore Ave.) daily from 11 a.m.-5p.m. (besides on Tuesdays and Thursdays). Get a preview of the cart. 🌰
Shop
- Find local gifts with Mountain BizWorks’ new Handmade for the Holidays Gift Guide, which features 90 makers of jewelry, ceramics, fiber, glass, sculpture, and body products. You can also check out Explore Asheville’s Holiday Gift Guide, which features 80+ artisan food makers, outdoor goods, arts + crafts, and beyond. 🛍️
- Today, SylvanSport is hosting a pre-Black Friday sale from 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. at its factory store (21 Welcome St., Brevard), and all gear will be on sale for 35% off. You can also get $500 off their GO Easy kayak trailer. 🚣
Number
- $29.2 million. That’s how much the NC General Assembly will dedicate to new trail funding. The majority of the capital will go towards the completion of NC’s 12 official state trails, including the Mountain to Sea Trail. 💰
Coronavirus
- Buncombe County is experiencing a “high-level plateau” of COVID-19 cases ahead of Thanksgiving, with the rate per 100,000 cases increasing from 113 to 121 between Nov. 8-15. The positivity rate is at 4.7%, and 65% of Buncombe residents have received at least one dose of the vaccine. (Asheville Citizen-Times)
Correction
- In Thursday’s newsletter, we said the Asheville Humane Society’s Your Dog Here event series kicked off last night, when in reality, it takes place tonight at Down Dog Yoga Studio & Bar from 5-8 p.m.
- In the same newsletter, we said that the upcoming US Billie Jean King Cup Qualifier — which will take place at Harrah’s Cherokee Center - Asheville April 15-16, 2022 — will feature Ukraine and a TBD finalist. The qualifier will actually feature the USA vs. Ukraine.
Opening
- Calling all independent chefs, restaurants, food trucks + caterers: If you’re looking to grow + expand your audience, local chef-to-table delivery service Din Din is now accepting partners. Here’s how it works: Din Din coordinates orders, packaging + delivery, and you keep the entire price of the meal. 🍳Ⓟ
Stat
- 55%. The discount that the No. 1 language learning app, Babbel, is offering for a limited time, so subscribers can discover new worlds through language in as little as 3 weeks. Snag the deal. 🌏 Ⓟ
We’ve got moon madness this week. Early this morning — 4 a.m, to be precise — the longest partial eclipse in 580 years graced Asheville’s dusky skies.
According to the scientists, the penumbral eclipse continues through 7 a.m., so if you’re one of our 6 a.m. sharp readers, we recommend running outside and taking a peek right away. And if you blinked and missed it, you can also check out the live stream footage.
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Answered: If you picked B. 2002, then you're correct. Now let's take a moment to appreciate that The Orange Peel is no longer an auto parts center. 😅
Also, we’re so glad we’re not the only ones whose mouths struggle to say some local words. It turns out, almost 59% of you find “Bhramari” of Bhramari Brewing Company hard to say correctly. Don’t sweat it, y’all, we have to remind ourselves how to pronounce Moog on the regular.
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