Interviews

The stand-up that Stephen Colbert once called his “favorite comedian on planet Earth” returns to town on Wednesday, May 10, to perform at The Orange Peel. In anticipation of the show, Maria Bamford spoke with Asheville Stages about connecting with fans and other comedians while on the road, her humorous role as Christian entrepreneur Amy Sleverson on the delightful Bonanas for Bonzanza podcast, and… 

For some people, music is just in their DNA. Brothers Nicholas and Peter Furgiuele of Atlanta-based garage rock quartet Gringo Star have been making music together since they were kids, which is no surprise considering that their grandfather Ed "Dr. Jive" Mendel was an influential disc jockey and music promoter during the early days of rock ‘n roll. Arriving as the garage rock revival of the aughts was still having its moment, Gringo Star released its promising debut, All Y’all, in 2008 to plenty of acclaim. In subsequent years, the hype for the subgenre has died down and many of the group’s contemporaries have called it quits, but the Furgiuele brothers and their bandmates have continued to evolve and improve upon their distinct take on the retro sounds that evoke their grandfather’s heyday.  Set for a Friday, June 2, release, the band’s sixth studio album, On And On And Gone,  may also be the quartet’s most adventurous. The record opens with the twangy “Stand and Turn Away” before giving way to the eerie psych pop tune “Told Me Once Before.” Later on, the hip-shaking “Get to Know You” combines dreamy vocals and strings with a catchy early rhythm & blues groove.  Over the

Asheville locals may recognize Bobby Sullivan as the general manager at the French Broad Food Co-Op, but in another time — the mid-late 1980s — he was the energetic frontman for legendary Washington, D.C.-based post-hardcore band Soulside.

In what still feels like a surreal fever dream, I recently had the opportunity to procure a brief phone chat with the “Pope of Trash” himself, the legendary John Waters.