Page 2
The Blue Banner
April 28
Features
Local music venues revealed: Part 1]
by Tim McGill
Staff Reporter
A little ways down South French
Broad Avenue is a building that
Justin Elrod, guitarist of
Asheville’s own Secret Lives of
the Freemasons, calls the best
venue he’s played in Asheville.
Elrod, an Asheville native, said
he prefers the Asheville Y.W.C.A.
as the best place his band has ever
played in Asheville. It doesn’t
have a bar that serves his favorite
beer, and it doesn’t have an excel
lent .sound System.
The look on his face said more
though, as he tried to name the
best venue in Asheville.
"There isn’t one,” said Elrod.
Elrod isn’t alone in his view, and
he’s not the only one to answer the
question of Asheville’s music
scene with disbelief or laughter.
For Sanctity’s drummer Jeremy
London, though, Elrod’s statement
is wrong.
London believes that a scene in
Asheville does exist, although it
varies with the band in question.
“It’s all about promoting,” said
London. “Up-and-coming bands
haven’t been together long enough
to realize what they need to be
doing. That’s the biggest thing,
just really working your band.”
Networking with other bands
helps to create a better atmosphere
for the local scene, according to
London.
One thing networking and col
laborating isn’t helping in the
Asheville area is The Orange Peel,
which many Asheville musicians
don’t favor, according to several
local artists.
“1 don’t like The Orange Peel,”
said Paul Golden, guitarist of Code
Adam. "It’s cool because they let
national acts come in, but they
really don’t support the local
music scene at all.”
forums, according to Maurer.
Users can access the Web site by
visiting
www.thiscitycanbum.com.
Other local fans have been mak
ing similar steps to create produc
tivity in the stmggling scene in
Asheville.
Patrick Tobin, undeclared fresh
man, and friend Joey Leccese
sought out an open space to hold a
show scheduled for March 25.
They were able to book the
Highsmith University Union, but
the show fell through, so Tobin
and Leccese
A lot of tension appears
when ■
TIM MCGILL/staff reporter
Local metal band Sanctity plays shows wherever they can including smali bars, resturants and
even basements.
The Orange Peel only supports
traveling bluegrass, old time, jazz
and other out-of-town acts, and
gives no support or even shows to
local bands such as Sanctity or
Secret Lives, according to
London.
London suggests that if The
Orange Peel opened its doors to
local bands, it would be a more
worthwhile venue.
Such a dramatic sentiment
towards The Orange Peel, as well
as other unavailability issues, has
caused some musicians to do
things their own way.
Andy Maurer, a student at UNC-
Charlotte, along with Elrod, creat
ed a Web-based forum called
“This City Can Burn,” which is
dedicated to enhancing the music
scene throughout the Western
North Carolina area.
Created in June 2004, the site
now caters to users spanning from
Johnson City, Tenn., to Charlotte,
N.C. Updates to the site in the next
were left with
willing bands
but no venue.
They gained
access to a half-
empty ware
house on
Riverside Drive
for the late-
March show
and called the
event “The
Warehouse
Show.”
“We’ve only
scene when two popular f
bands have shows in diffe,!
areas booked on the same date'
“YouVe got two good ba.
each with their own style of«
and normally most music see!
would try to support each ^
said Tobin.
The purpose of
Productions is to not only help
ate new venues in Asheville
also to support bands they beii'^
are driven to add positive gro.
to the music community, acco*
to Tobin.
“I don’t like The
Orange Peel . . . they
really don’t support the
loeal music scene at
aU.”
Paul Golden
guitarist, Code Adam
In
Itx
TIM MCGILUstaff reporter
Brandon Lowery, lead singer for Code Adam plays at Fred’s
Speakeasy.
six months will include additions
to the four fomms, such as an
interview section.
One goal of the site is to attract
bigger name bands to the area and
pendent artists by creating and dis
tributing compilation albums fea
turing their music.
They started the board after he
and many others became tired of
to further the careers of local inde- the state of other local chat
done one show there so far, and it’s
just sort of a guerrilla show, I
guess,” said Tobin. “It’s very do-it-
yourself style.”
Leccese and Tobin coined them
selves Airborne Productions and
came up with a plan to connect
bands with venues in the area.
They charge at the door in order to
fairly pay both bands and venues.
Airborne Productions also keeps a
very small portion of the earnings.
Even with these steps forward,
problems in the local music com
munity still emerge, according to
Tobin.
“I personally think, there is a lot
of division in the music scene up
here,” said Tobin.
The division is caused by local
bands vying for fan attendance at
shows, a sort of competition,
according to Tobin.
la
For Leccese, 1
mission is
the commu*
e 1 i m i na.
“cliques” as »f
as any errant ego
“You can’t b
an ego, especii
in a local scene
said Leccese.
Leccese, on«i
nally from GilrS le
Calif., brought i
vision for a i» lij
fied commuiii le
from his long-time love of niiiijh
and networking around music.
“People are trying to segiejJ
each other into smaller groups,®
that results in bigger egos,
whole ‘rock star’ mentality,” a
Leccese.
Although seeing a lot of hull!
to overcome, Leccese believes li i
the fate of the scene is in the ha ng
of those who interact within it, iD§k
they are responsible for where
goes.
Among the problems cuiTejll|oi
plaguing the music scene, Leccs
thinks drama and selfishness
the big issues.
“If we could all get along
stay positive, that’s going to mi is
for a constructive and fulfil !al
scene,” said Leccese. “It doea
matter where you come from,!
scene is a scene.”
Lucky Otter offers good food in a fun atmosphere
by Nicky Marshall
Stajff Reporter
If you’re feeling lucky and want a good
burrito, give the Lucky Otter a try. The
Lucky Otter, in West Asheville, serves up
an eclectic and healthy mix, which the
average college student can not only
enjoy, but afford.
“We aren't a strictly Mexican restau
rant,” said Carey West, front end manag
er of the Lucky Otter. “We have healthy
wraps, which incorporate different styles
like barbecue, satay and Thai. Also,
everything is made here fresh. The
recipes were also all created by the
owner. Roland Knoll.”
While the mascot of the restaurant
invokes memories of the old Nick-toon
“Cat-Dog” instead of an otter, the feeling
of the eatery is anything but confused.
The Lucky Otter presents an image of
itself as hip, but comfortable, with their
brightly colored lights and the up-beat,
base-heavy music pumping out of the
speakers.
The art decorating the walls is simplis
tic but well done, varying from colorful
paintings to black and white sketches.
“The owners have two dogs,” said
West. “Ones name is Lucky and the other
is Otto.”
That explains the strange two-headed
dog that serves as the restaurants mas
cot. Pictures of the real Lucky and Otto
can be found on the wall next to the cash
register.
■‘It was a nice atmosphere,” said
Monica Combs, senior art student. “The
giant blackboard added some creativity
there. 1 liked the big drawings and I
thought it was cute that they displayed
some student art. I give them points for
creativity in the decoration as well as the
burritos.”
The Lucky Otter also has a large dining
area, so there is less of a chance
of having to wait to be seated. |
“We never really have prob
lems seating everyone,” said West. “We
CHARLOTTE CLAYPOOLE/staff photographer
Nicole Foster digs into a burrito at Lucky Otter in West Asheviiie.
always manage to seat everybody, but it
can get pretty crowded.”
During the warmer weather, the patio
in front, of the restaurant is also used for
seating.
“They use a lot of tasty ingredients,”
said Bee Eakett, junior environmental
science student. “So many, in fact, that I
gave up on reading all the long burrito
descriptions and just got the nachos.
They were good, but the ‘Better Than
Sex Bar’ makes me want to go back
again.”
For those looking to get really lucky,
the Otter has the thing for you. They fea
ture “Better Than Sex” bars, which are
rich, brownie-like concoctions of choco
late, graham cracker, peanuts and butter
scotch. They have more calories than sex,
but who’s counting?
“The ‘Better Than Sex’ bar was better
than some other dessert bars, but not the
best,” said Nicole Foster, senior literature
student.
Maybe the bars are false advertising,
but they’re better than not getting any at
■ all.
“The ‘Better Than Sex’ bar
looked really yummy, but to
me it was too sweet,” said Combs.
“Maybe if it was served warm or some
thing. I thought it was just like any bar
you could get in a coffee shop.”
Looking for a place where everybody
knows your name? Cheers to the Lucky
Otter.
“We get a lot of people from West
Asheville in here,” said West. “Some
people come in two times a
day, others will come in —
every day. We try to learn
the regulars’ names.”
The owners also have a
restaurant in Boone.
“The Black Cat in Boone
was created first,” said
West. “The Lucky Otter
only celebrated its two-year
anniversary this December.
The differences between
the two is that the Lucky
Otter serves liquor and has
specials.”
Although the Lucky Otter
has liquor, the Black Cat offers about the
same atmosphere.
“I’ve been to their sister restaurant, the
Black Cat, in Boone, and it had the same
feel, a hole-in-the-wall type place with
cheesy art, and strange music, but very
welcoming,” said Katie Brown, senior
classics student.
Speaking of alcohol, the Otter has
seven different types of beer on tap. Beer
is currently part of a special for $2.75
while wine and margaritas are $3 a glass.
In an industry where bigger is always
better, the Otter aims to please.
The burritos are immense, and if you’re
tough enough to finish the whole thing,
be assured that there will be no late night
cravings.
But, while the Otter brings new mean
ing to the word “full,” be prepared to
wait. The service at the Lucky Otter is a
little slow.
“I thought their menu was very creative
and I would like to try some of their other
burritos because each one looks unique,"
said Combs. “But, I didn't like how it
was served because it was very difficult
to eat with a knife and fork. It was also
awkward to have the sauce on top. I
would have liked to eat it Urban Burito
style.”
Other noteworthy wraps include the
“Satay It To Me Softly” and the “White
Trash Barbecue.”
“My favorite wrap is ‘The Sage,’”said
West.
Still, not all critics were impressed with
the Lucky Otter.
“I wasn't that impressed because the
atmosphere was not really that enticing,”
said Foster. “My food was sort of lacklus
ter and it took a
. while get to the
table. There are bet
ter burrito places in
Asheville. The
prices were OK. I
sort of feel they
were a bit expen
sive, but the burrito
was huge.”
The Lucky Otter
does have a dessert
option for the few
persistent connois
seurs not satisfied
with burritos alone
aren’t afraid to loosen their
“I give them points
for ere atm ty in the
deeoration as 'well as
the burritos.”
Monica Combs
senior art student
and who
belts.
Getting something slightly less sensa
tional than sex, a large soda and an even
heftier burrito for $10 doesn’t seem too
bad.
So, you’ve got to ask yourself a ques
tion: Do I feel lucky?
Well, do ya, punk?
The Lucky Otter restaurant is located at
630 Haywood Rd. in West Asheville.
ENTERTAINMEN1
REPORT
Tops at die box oHin
weekend ot 4/22
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