I see that WW is back in town so soon after WebbFest '08! This is looking good! That's now 4 WW shows within 2 years in Asheville. I guess the WW seed has finally sprouted in Asheville soil! Is there anyone else local?

The Grey Eagle is a right friendly group of folks who seem to appreciate us Wilder-heads!

Well, The Grey Eagle management are right and proper to encourage WW shows in Asheville. It's an example of artist and venue in sync with each other's values. The only venues I ever end up seeing shows at in Asheville are The Orange Peel and The Grey Eagle; about 50/50. Both are great in my book.

I have attended about 20x times the shows I've seen in Asheville in Orlando, FL where I moved from in 2001. Although promoters there were more active in getting artists I liked to play (by far) the venues for these shows were completely hateful! I always felt abused seeing a show in Orlando that was booked by Figurehead Promotions. They may have had my taste in music covered but they treated me like dirt every time I went to a show they were booking.

The venues they owned always left me feeling abused. They thought nothing of cramming hundreds and hundreds of people into a tiny space like rats in a cage. They thought nothing of having 2-3 opening acts shoehorned onto the bill, meaning the headiners didn't hit the stage until midnight or thereabouts. And I was attending 2-3 shows a week on average! That's brutal on a weeknight if you're not on some form of subsidy. All in the name of making sure my bar tab was as high as possible! Well, I don't drink anyway!! Good riddance to that sort of bad rubbish!

In dramatic contrast, The Grey Eagle may only book 5-6 shows a year I want to attend, but every one feels like it's being held at a friend's house. The venue is comfortable and I never feel regret for wanting to see an act live there. The audience is treated with respect and professionalism. The same goes for The Orange Peel. A real class act. And both of these clubs are smoke free to boot! I spit on Orlando clubs!

You can say that again!

Revolt--ever seen Greasy Beans? They are at the GE on 4/15. Looks interesting.

Sprig: I have not seen Greasy Beans. I am not predisposed to like "down home" music. I've only dipped my toe in Asheville's local talent pool in the 8 years I've lived here. There's waaaaay too much bluegrass here and I hate it to start with. I prefer raunchy rock & roll and snotty garage punk for my live music outings. I once saw Donna The Buffalo eons ago on the recommendation of my wife's co-worker in a small club in Orlando and we had to get out of there that night! I also hate Zydeco - which I call Cajun Techno.