Ashville nc

[misterc]

I am going to be visiting Ashville NC the last weekend of October and the following week. Where might I find a good bluegrass jam?

Thanks,
Christian

[f5loar]

Hummm.... Me and Evan Reily are planning to get together in Black Mtn.(about 15 down I40 from Asheville)on Sunday Oct. 29 at the downtown pub Town PumpHouse. Will that work?
They have a Sunday night jam session there.

[evanreilly]

Jack in the Wood hosts a very good Blue Grass jam thursday nights.
Monday you can try Blue Ridge Music jam on Hendersonville Road.
Friday there is Old Fort; Saturday either the Lion's CLub in Leicester, or the Community Center in Woodfin.
The may be more.... i sleep a lot and miss out on stuff....

[Michael H Geimer]

I'll be in Asheville in just a few days, so the Mid-mo and I will probably make this Thursday night's jam at Jack of the Wood. I went to that pub last year and listened to a nice Irish session over lunch.

Sunday night I'll probably hit The Pump House in Black Mountain as I have a friend there to visit who lives in town.

I had such a great time in NC last year, but didn't get to spend nearly enough time up around the Blueridge Parkway, so I'm back this year to make good.

[f5loar]

Evan, Sounds like we are getting up a real jam at the Pumphouse on Sunday night Oct. 29. Practice up on your Monroe tunes!

[Michael H Geimer]

Sadly, I wont be there on the 29th. I'll be around *this* Sunday the 22nd.

Sorry I'm gonna miss what sounds to be a fun night. The Pump House is sure a neat spot!

[f5loar]

Looks like there is going to be some powerful mando pickin' at the Pumphouse in downtown Black Mtn. this Sunday night so any comandos drop by to check it out.
Evan and I should be getting there around 10PM to get the jam going strong.

[Michael H Geimer]

Doh! I do believe the place is called The Town Pump (I realized my naming error once I was there in town last weekend). But, hey ... there're only three bars in Black Mountain. One could probably find it without hassle.

Have a great time this Sunday! The colors were really in full force last weekend and hopefully will stick around at least couple more weeks. Other than on my cabin doorstep along the French Broad River, I didn't actually get to do much picking on my trip, but I sure had a great time.

I did catch a little bit of a band called Lo-Fi Bluegrass when they played at Jack of the Wood in Asheville. Brought back their disc, too.

No Mando Content: Biggest news from our trip ... she said "Yes!". http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[f5loar]

The Town Pump? Could be, I just know where it's at on Cherry Street. Didn't I see "Pumphouse" on the front glass?

[Michael H Geimer]

Town Pump Tavern (http://www.townpumpmusic.com/)

OK. Found their website ... that should help.

What do I know about Black Mountain? I first walked into The Watershed thinking that was the right place. Good thing, too as I happened to run into the one person I actually know in town.

FWIW: My Father's Pizza sure has good food!!

[f5loar]

Ah....that's where I got "house" from is "tavern" Same thing right? Pizza is very good there. Best in town as they say! I've not been to Watershed but hear there is a bluegrass/acoustic jam there on Thursday night?

[Russ Jordan]

If smoke is an issue for you, you may want to pass on the Watershed. I went there last year to see Emory Lester and the smoke was so bad we left halfway through the first set.

[Michael H Geimer]

The smoke is thick at the Town Pump, too ... but it is North Carolina, so I just leave it be and go outside if I need fresher air.

When I quit, I promised myself I'd never turn into one of those reformed smokers ... you know the type.

Edited to add ...

Jack of the Wood in Asheville also has a Thrusday night Bluegrass Jam, and their establishment is smoke free. The sign behind the bar reads,

If you're smoking in here, you'd better be ON FIRE!

[Michael H Geimer]

Last but not least ...

[Russ Jordan]

[QUOTE]"The smoke is thick at the Town Pump, too ... but it is North Carolina, so I just leave it be and go outside if I need fresher air."

Not sure what you mean about "but it is NC"--there are #plenty of smoke free places in here. # Not to say, of course, that we are as progressive as California (g)!

The Watershed might not have been so bad if there was adequate ventilation. Seemed to be almost no air movement.

[Bobbie Dier]

Benignus,

Where did you take that picture? Very nice. It looks like home to me.

Did you make it to LEAF festival this year?

[Michael H Geimer]

If everything works out, that will be my new home.

Didn't make to LEAF. I ran into my friend (and her friends) becuase they couldn't get in! Sold Out!

Plus, I just wasn't so interested in the Returning to World Music theme (I had a hard time even finding a jam last year ... nothing but drum circles as far as the ear could hear)

[Michael H Geimer]

Russ ... that comment is really a bit of an inside joke from something a waitress once said to my 'overly progressive' friend who found himself in a restuarant without a Non-Smoking section. "You'all in North Carolina where you can smoke anywhere you want!", she told him. So, we joke about that now.

You are correct of course, about there being many smoke-free venues if you just look around for them. I did.

[Bobbie Dier]

Benignus,
On making this area your new home GREAT. Welcome to the neighborhood! Once you are living here you can go to shindig on the green and other good festivals around here.

I know what you mean about the drum circles. They drive me insane. The music at LEAF was not too good this year. There was one good celtic band and a klezmer band that we saw. The rest seemed to be mostly percussion and that gets old after a while. Maybe I'm just old and can't take it. I'm surprised that LEAF was sold out.

There are good festivals here you'll be a couple hours from Mt. Airy , Merlefest, Galax, Denton and the list goes on. You're gonna love it here.

[f5loar]

What town was that photo taken from? Great view! Smoke is pretty much an issue at most any bar in NC and it's not because we are the tarheel tobbaco state. There are plenty of places with both smoking and non-smoking sections but bars have not caught on as it's harder to split up a bar. Some have gone totally smoke-free and hopefully in my lifetime I will see the day all public places are non-smoking. Not that I have anything against smokers, I just pick better when my eyes are not itching!

[Michael H Geimer]

The photo is taken from Mars Hill (north of Weaverville) looking South/East towards Swannanoa and Black Mountain.

We aren't rich. I certainly can't afford a house with that view, but I had enough sense to tromp around the property lines.

I found a small, overgrown footpath off the driveway and followed it through the thicket to the edge of the plot and that's what I saw.

Nice place for a pickin' bench.

I hiked further up the ridge and found an old abandoned camp, too.

[evanreilly]

The Town Pump is chokingly smoky; The Jack of the Wood has the smokers lined up outside.
I have found the smoker bars outnumber the smoke-free bars for jams; for shows, most places are smoke-free.

[evanreilly]

Okay...
Here is a view from my front porch...
I love sitting playing 'Smoky Mountain Schottische' on my porch!

[45ACP-GDLF5]

Here is the correct spelling. Asheville. You can tell who ain't one of ours. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

Briscoe Darling

[f5loar]

I had it spelled right in my first post. Hope to see a good turnout of non-smokers at the Town Pump Tavern in Black Mtn. this Sunday Oct. 29. Admission is FREE!

[Michael H Geimer]

Evan,
I like the look of that fog! I saw simliar stuff rolling down the French Broad River in the mornings (we stayed in a cabin along the bank).

Usually I'll get something screwed up by typing too fast, but it seems I did allright in this thread.

Hope everyone has a great time come Sunday. I'll be playing music with my group ... if a long ways away.

[45ACP-GDLF5]

Oh I know you did f5. I was referring to others here. We've got to learn 'em. I'm going to try and be there Sunday evening. I may need an oxygen tank though. I have asthma and if I'm around enough cigarette smoke, it may just kill me. Of course I'll die while pickin' so it may not be that bad. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/laugh.gif

[Bobbie Dier]

You don't have to be rich to have land with a view. Here is the view out of my kitchen window. I do a lot of my pickin there.