So maybe you are not an Asheville local, born and raised in the mountains of Western North Carolina; but at least you know a good thing when you see it. That’s how it happened for many of us. We heard of Asheville, we visited the area, and the next thing you know… we were packing our bags and moving here! I wasn’t born in Asheville, but I got here as fast as I could!
We live in a wonderful community. Asheville North Carolina is known for many things including food, beer, mountains, and fun; but the community aspect pretty much encompasses them all. Sometimes when visiting you get a little taste of what it means, but you really have to be here for awhile to completely see and understand how strong it really is. It is not something that we drum up, or force to happen. First it comes naturally, and then people live, work and play together. From that, the synergy of community comes to fruition.
Silver Machine's Night of the Living Dead
Just in time for Halloween, Asheville space rock band Silver Machine are beaming their latest project back from outer space, and holy cats, it’s a good one. The band spent countless hours in their spaceship studio, painstakingly restoring George Romero’s classic film, Night of the Living Dead, to the highest quality ever seen on DVD. It hasn’t been colorized, there’s no new dialogue, just a sharper, clearer picture, unlike anything you’ve ever seen before in this film.
That wasn’t enough for this ambitious band, though. The original film had a soundtrack comprised of stock audio, and Silver Machine thought the movie deserved a soundtrack all its own, written and recorded just for the film. What they did to that end is nothing short of mind-blowing. They brought together a unique combination of instruments–including theremin and tabla–and created an album that brings to mind early Pink Floyd, while maintaining a deep, intense vibe from start to finish that’s perfect for the film. You know how some soundtracks are great while you’re watching the movie, but then you try and listen to the music without the film and it falls flat? Not this one. As amazing as Silver Machine’s first album was, as awesome as Symmetry was, this is by far their best release to date. From the eerie opening notes to the brooding final track, this is one of those albums that you’ll keep on repeat until you feel sorry for the rest of your music, only to pop it back in after a day, because nothing else is this good.
So now you want to know where you can hear it, right? Where can you see your favorite zombie classic, updated with this killer new soundtrack? Here you go, people–listen to the album for free, or order your own copy of the CD and DVD (I recommend both) here:
Night of the Living Dead by Silver Machine
The official premiere of Silver Machine’s Night of the Living Dead will be at the Fine Arts Theater in downtown Asheville on November 15 at 9:30 pm. Can’t wait that long? I don’t blame you. Head down to The Wedge Brewery in the river arts district for a free pre-screening of the film this Thursday, October 25, at 7 pm. It’s the perfect kick-off to Moogfest weekend, and you’ll hear plenty of Moog effects on the album.
Look for copies of the film and soundtrack in local stores soon.
It's here: Silver Machine's Night of the Living Dead
April Fox is a freelance writer from Asheville. Follow her on Facebook, read her blog or find out more here. She is not a zombie-yet.
There are so many reasons people from all over the world love Asheville North Carolina. Here are a few reasons in this video. What are your reasons? Post a comment below and let us know. Video made by G Social Media Interns Anne Louise, Emily and Leah from UNCA.
Friends & Fiberworks, a local business located in the Biltmore Square Mall, is sponsoring the first annual Asheville Yarn & Fiber Crawl May 14th – 15th.
A Yarn/Fiber crawl is a fun way to acquaint all fiber enthusiasts and artists with regional independent retailers and the companies that supply and distribute the yarns and accessories they carry. This is done by creating a self guided itinerary for the exploration of participating stores. The stores participate by creating special promotions, excitement and interest in various fiber mediums. Participating companies share in underwriting the event and contribute full sized samples of their marvelous products which are included in the raffle baskets that are on display at every store along the crawl. There is one raffle basket for every store. Everyone is eligible to enter the Raffle. There is never a charge to go on a crawl, and you go on your own time frame and at your own speed. Every participant on a yarn crawl is entitled to one FREE RAFFLE ticket from each store they visit.
Destinations included on the Yarn & Fiber Crawl itinerary are:
Support your local Western North Carolina fiber crafts community and stores by participating in this fun event! More information, itineraries, and maps of participating locations are at www.ashevilleyarncrawl.com
Friends & Fiberworks is a local Asheville business headquartered in the Biltmore Square Mall. They are a community yarn shoppe and learning center, and offer classes on everything from weaving, spinning, dying, knitting, crochet, and more. They have over 2,000 sq ft of yarn, fiber, and crafting supplies. If you enjoy fiber arts but don’t have time to take a class, come on down and sit in a comfortable chair and participate in one of the many ‘sit and knit’ nights they have throughout the month. If you are having a problem with a project, or just have a question to ask, one of the friendly staff will be sure to assist you. Looking for a yarn, set of needles, or something else that they don’t have? Ask, and they will gladly order it for you, and let you know when your order has arrived!
Grab your knitting needles, spinning wheel, weaving loom, or craft of your choice and head on down to check out Friends & Fiberworks at the Biltmore Square Mall!