This Week in Asheville: Aug. 3-9
Asheville’s wealth of live music, theater, and comedy offerings can leave concertgoers feeling overwhelmed when it comes to picking which shows to attend. But have no fear! The Asheville Stages staff is here to help with insights on the week’s most appealing options.
AVL Sounds Fest
Starting on Thursday, AVL Sounds Fest will overtake most of Asheville’s venues. For a helpful look into the can’t miss sets, check out our guide to the festival. —Jonny Leather
at Multiple Venues
Thursday, Aug. 6 - Sunday, Aug. 9
more info
Obituary
Nearing its fourth decade as a band, the Tampa, FL quintet is well-regarded as one of the forefathers of the death metal genre. Aside from a hiatus in the late 1990s and early 2000s, the band has been consistently active since its 1984 formation under its original name, Executioner. —JL
w/ Harsh Realm + Attera
at Revival
Tuesday, Aug. 4
Doors: 7pm / Show: 8pm
[death metal]
more info
Green Jellÿ (fka Green Jellö)
Led by Bill Manspeaker since 1981, Green Jellÿ has gloriously dubbed themselves the world's worst band. For a brief blip during the band's 45-year run, this comedy/metal outfit was huge, thanks to the ridiculous claymation video for "Three Little Pigs," which completely ruled MTV for a time. Back then, they were still known as Green Jellö — a lawsuit from Kraft Foods put an end to that — and band members Maynard James Keenan and Danny Carey hadn't yet left to focus full-time on Tool. —JL
at Sly Grog
Thursday, Aug. 6
Doors: 7pm / Show: 8pm
[metal, grunge, punk]
more info
Just Penelope + Nathanael Jordan + Nawal
While AVL Sounds Fest boasts plenty of local talent, two of the best local acts playing this weekend might actually be on this unaffiliated bill — headlined by Just Penelope, a promising shoegaze group out of Bloomington, IN. —Jonny Leather
at Static Age Records
Friday, Aug. 7
Doors: 8pm / Show: 9pm
[shoegaze, indie rock, art pop, folk rock]
more info
John Mulaney: Mister Whatever
Over his career, the former SNL writer has risen through the ranks to become one of the greatest living stand-up comics alongside names like Chris Rock, Maria Bamford, Margaret Cho, and Wanda Sykes. He's a master of the cohesive set — perfect rhythm, wall-to-wall laughs. Remaining tickets are pricey, but worth every penny if you can swing it. —JL
at Thomas Wolfe Auditorium
Sunday, Aug. 9
Doors: 6pm / Show: 7pm
[stand-up comedy]
more info
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Bella Hayes (Photo courtesy of the artist)
🎤 = comedy; 🎭 = theater
Aug. 3: SUMO + Lung Burner + Weight Shift at Static Age Records
Aug. 4: Bill Kirchen at Grey Eagle Music Hall
Aug. 5: Rent at Flat Rock Playhouse 🎭
Aug. 5: Fine Mess + Paintfumes + Miranda and The Beat + D.Sablu + Dr.Fuzz at Fleetwood's
Aug. 5: Pivot + Grebe + Max's Fable + Convalescent at Static Age Records
Aug. 6: Rent at Flat Rock Playhouse 🎭
Aug. 6: Bella Hayes + OST + Infinitikiss at Static Age Records
Aug. 6: Asheville Comedy Festival at Wortham Center for the Performing Arts 🎤
Aug. 7: Rent at Flat Rock Playhouse 🎭
Aug. 7: Don't Tell Comedy — South Slope at Modelface Comedy - Secret Location 🎤
Aug. 7: Asheville Comedy Festival at Wortham Center for the Performing Arts 🎤
Aug. 8: Machine Gun Earl + Trash Rocket + Exaggerators + DDRB at 27 Club
Aug. 8: Rent at Flat Rock Playhouse 🎭
Aug. 8: Asheville Comedy Festival at Wortham Center for the Performing Arts 🎤
Aug. 9: Rent at Flat Rock Playhouse 🎭
AVL Fest
Aug. 6: Nerd Alert + Lavender Blue + McKinney + Jacoozy at Asheville Music Hall
Aug. 6: Thursday Night Funk House Band + The Feels + Commander Voodoo at Barley's
Aug. 6: Dylan Walshe + Blue Roses + Drunken Prayer + Adrianne Blanks & The Oracles at Eulogy
Aug. 6: Minorcan + Madder Max + Why, Why? + Teathyme at Fleetwood's
Aug. 6: The Greenliners + Red Clay Revival + Josh Blake's Acoustic Band + Sam Holt Band: Remembering Mikey at Grey Eagle Music Hall
Aug. 6: Maggie Valley Band + The 40, 20, 10s + Old Chevrolette Set at The Mule
Aug. 6: Jason Curtis & the Black Sheep + New Variants + Pleasure Chest + Dr. Bacon at One World Brewing - West
Aug. 6: A.V.A.S + New Dawn Starkestra + Improvement Movement + Karl Denson's Tiny Universe at The Orange Peel
Aug. 6: Songs from the Road Band + Cactus Kate & the Pricks + Magnolia Boulevard + Isaac Hadden at Revival Asheville
Aug. 6: Gabrielknowseverything + Beekeepers + Lactones + Cpt. HyperDrive at Third Room
Aug. 7: Fantomex + Pleasantly Wild + Peach Candy Nut Boys + Surfing for Daisy + JULIA. + Sugar Bomb + Marley Carroll at Asheville Music Hall
Aug. 7: Erick Baker (full band) + DJ Bobby Sparkles Works the Room + Caitlin Krisko & the Broadcast + Hot Bread Selectors + Grace Bowers + Toubab Krewe + Hot Bread Selectors + Big Freedia + Preservation Hall Jazz Band at Asheville Yards
Aug. 7: Tony Black + Nick Mac & the Noise + Shorty Can't Eat Books + Doss Church & the Unholy Noise + Rond at Barley's
Aug. 7: Paper Pills + Basement Healer + Detective Blind + Duunes + Designer + The Snozzberries + Healyside Trio at Eulogy
Aug. 7: Halfway to Mardi Gras w/ Meschiya Lake at Fitz and the Wolfe - Palm Room
Aug. 7: Dead Eggs + Cheeks + Monster Wave + Worm Trip + Khandroma + GoodGoat + Mana Meter at Fleetwood's
Aug. 7: Hearts Gone South + Sloans Grove + Jambulance + Andrew Thelston Band + Lower Peaks + The Late Shifters at French Broad River Brewery
Aug. 7: Rocky Collin + Slow Packer + Hannah Kaminer & the Wistfuls + Phantom Clutch + Alex Krug Combo + Santiago y Los Gatos at Funkatorium
Aug. 7: Gold Rose + Alien Music Club + Blues in the Night ft. Peggy Ratusz + MAMA + Tall Tall Trees + Lua Flora + Jon Stickley Trio at Grey Eagle Music Hall
Aug. 7: Kid Billy + Many a Ship + No Man's Band + Petah Iah & the Mind Renewers + Ovadya + Sal Landers’ Weirdly Woodstock! at Highland Brewing - Meadow
Aug. 7: Katie Dineen + Lo Wolf + CarolinAloha + 5j Barrow + Suns of Stars + The Dirty Badgers at The Mule
Aug. 7: Moon Water + 81 Drifters + The Marmeladies + The Cheeksters + Ben Balmer + Fresh Buzz + Pink Beds at One World Brewing - West
Aug. 7: The Dirty French Broads + Holler Choir + Amanda Anne Platt & the Honeycutters + The Hypos + Young Gun Silver Fox at The Orange Peel
Aug. 7: Virtuous + Eaze Dogg + Spaceman Jones & the Motherships + Ska City + Stephanie Morgan's Pink Mercury + Auspicious Golden Fish + Electro Lust at Revival Asheville
Aug. 8: Kaiora + Hype Machine + Boat Command + My Magnificent Nemesis + The Get Right Band + C.Shreve the Professor's Hip-Hop Showcase at Asheville Music Hall
Aug. 8: Josh Stack + Tallboys AVL + Eddie Dewey & Friends + Hope Griffin + The Big Sky at Barley's
Aug. 8: Slow Runner + Low Hawk + Shock Tea + Magenta Sunshine + Amelia Day + Awkward Ghosts + Phantom Overdrive at Eulogy
Aug. 8: Laron Huntley at Fitz & The Wolfe
Aug. 8: Vipers Jazz Quartet at Fitz and the Wolfe - Palm Room
Aug. 8: Fashion Bath + Joshua Carpenter + The Long Distance Relationship + We Have Ignition + Impending Joy + Hempire + soft talk only at Fleetwood's
Aug. 8: Christy Lynn Band + Miss Tess & Thomas Bryan Eaton + Burlap Circus + Shake the Dust + The Nature Boys + Ras Alan & the Lions + Mathis Hunter & the Rinse at French Broad River Brewery
Aug. 8: Nest of Singing Birds + Brew Davis & Adam Bachman + Resonant Rogues + Kevin Daniel + Blue Ridge Betty + Ashley Heath & Her Heathens at Funkatorium
Aug. 8: Chess Club + Smooth Goose + Random Animals + Doc Aquatic + Eric Slick + Deja Fuze + dd Toby Leaman Trio at Grey Eagle Music Hall
Aug. 8: Queen Bee & the Honeylovers + Chikomo Marimba + The John Keck Band + Company Swing + The Big Hungry + Planet Ruti at Highland Brewing - Meadow
Aug. 8: Planefolk + Asheville Sessions Reimagined + Golden Folk Sessions + Reasonably Priced Babies + AVL Sounds of Laughter at The Mule
Aug. 8: Shayla McDaniel + Day & Dream + Rahm & CaroMia + Julianna Jade + Melissa McKinney + Andrew Scotchie + Supatight at One World Brewing - West
Aug. 8: Black Twig Pickers + Tyler Ramsey & Carl Broemel (of My Morning Jacket) + JD Pinkus & Tall Tall Trees + River Whyless + Sir Woman at The Orange Peel
Aug. 8: Tanasi + David Earl + Pressley Laton + Abby Bryant + Michelle Malone + Fancy Gap + Florencia & the Feeling at Revival Asheville
Aug. 9: The Sun Sippers + Wrealist + Lando Moss at Asheville Music Hall
Aug. 9: Paprika + Safety Coffin + CAM GIRL at Eulogy
Aug. 9: George Trouble & the Zealots + Solar Hearts + Polly Panic at Fleetwood's
Aug. 9: Chalwa at French Broad River Brewery
Aug. 9: Elizabeth McCorvey & Her Band + Stetson's Stinkbug Bourbon Band + Fancy & the Gentlemen at Grey Eagle Music Hall
Aug. 9: Tyler Ramsey & Carl Broemel (of My Morning Jacket) + Floating Action + Dr. Dog at Hellbender
Aug. 9: Asheville Rock Academy + Carbon Harry + Billy Jonas (family show) + Secret Agent 23 Skidoo at Highland Brewing - Meadow
Aug. 9: Dave Desmelik + Pretty Little Goat + Firecracker Jazz Band at The Mule
Aug. 9: The Wilder Flower + Saylor Brothers + Lyric at One World Brewing - West
For full events listings check out AVL-Live.com
(Just Penelope photo by Isaac Sanchez)
