Weekend Planner: Tune into music around Asheville
It’s a great weekend to enjoy live music indoors, outdoors and even in your friendly neighborhood record store.
Saturday is Record Store Day, and that means special releases and events at independent music outlets. Asheville has plenty of them, including Harvest Records, 415 Haywood Road in West Asheville, which promises hundreds of limited releases starting at 10 a.m.
Also visit A-1 Music Warehouse, 1048-B Patton Ave.; Voltage Records 90 N. Lexington Ave.; Static Age Records, 110 N. Lexington Ave.; and Karmasonics, 19 Biltmore Ave.
For live outdoor music, take your pick of two festivals. Highland Brewing, 12 Old Charlotte Highway in East Asheville, hosts its 20th anniversary Plaid Party from 2-9 p.m. Saturday. The band Love Cannon will do ’80s and ’90s hits bluegrass style. And Highland is releasing four new limited brews. Visit www.highlandbrewing.com.
Asheville’s Earth Day celebration is 12:30-10 p.m. Saturday on Lexington Avenue. Bands performing include Sanctum Sully, the Bela Fleck tribute group Blu Bop, the Jerry Garcia Cover Band, Acoustic Syndicate and the Dirty Dozen Brass Band. Visit www.avlearthday.org.
Indoor musical highlights Saturday include Yo Mama’s Big Fat Booty Band and Cherry Royale at the Orange Peel; Charlie Hunter and Scott Amendola at Pisgah Brewing in Black Mountain; and the Milk Carton Kids at the Grey Eagle.
On Sunday, look for Brooklyn folk singer Michaela Anne at 10 p.m. at Jack of the Wood, 95 Patton Ave. This is an act to watch.
The local playhouses are rocking this weekend too:
• “Animalia,” a new outdoor spectacular that includes elements of circus and dance, continues at 8 p.m. Saturday at the Hazel Robinson Amphitheatre in Montford. Get tickets at http://bit.ly/1noxbHW or at the gate.
• “Laughter on the 23rd Floor” wraps up at Flat Rock Playhouse’s main stage, 2661 Greenville Highway in Flat Rock. “The Fantasticks” is running at the company’s second stage, 125 S. Main St. in downtown Hendersonville. For either show, call 693-0731 or visit www.flatrockplayhouse.org.
• The comedy “Dearly Departed” continues at the Asheville Community Theater main stage at 7:30 Saturday and 2:30 p.m. Sunday. The drama “Women and Wallace” finishes at 7:30 p.m. Saturday and 2:30 p.m. Sunday at the downstairs 35below space. Both theaters are at 35 E. Walnut St. Call 254-1320 or visit www.ashevilletheatre.org.
• “Close Ties” plays at 7:30 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at Hendersonville Little Theatre, 229 S. Washington St. in Hendersonville. Call 692-1082 or visit http://bit.ly/QtdkMC.
• “Southern Hospitality” plays at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Brevard Little Theatre, 55 E. Jordan St. in Brevard. Call 884 2587 or visit www.brevardlittletheatre.net.
New at the movies
• “Transcendence” starring Johnny Depp, shows at the Biltmore Grande, Carolina Asheville and Carmike.
• “Heaven Is for Real” plays at Beaucatcher, Biltmore Grande and Carolina Asheville.
• “A Haunted House 2” shows at Beaucatcher, Biltmore Grande and Carolina Asheville.
• “Bears” plays at the Beaucatcher and Biltmore Grande.
• “The Lunchbox” is showing at the Fine Arts Theatre.
• “Under the Skin,” “13 Sins” and “Le Weekend” are all playing at the Carolina Asheville.
• “Cesar Chavez” is showing at the Beaucatcher.