For centuries, music has been woven into the Appalachian Mountain lifestyle. Living in remote areas, families and neighbors played music and sang together for entertainment. Children were taught to play instruments at an early age and to sing songs inherited from European ancestors. Mountain music is folk music and its cousin is bluegrass. Banjos, violins, mandolins and harmonicas are some of the instruments used to play mountain music. Although this type of music is prolific, there are also many other popular types of music in the Asheville area. Other popular music genres include: singer / songwriter, dance music, 1970s or 1980s tunes, hip-hop, electronic music, and more.
Due to its heritage, Asheville is known among musicians and music lovers as a musical city. Residents and visitors support local musicians through venues like The Gray Eagle and White Horse Black Mountain. This article offers a broader look at music in Asheville. It will give readers an insight into venues like the Orange Peel and the Civic Center, where nationally renowned musicians perform. Three summer music festivals will be highlighted: Shindig on the Green, Downtown After Five and the Biltmore Concert Series.
Music Ticket Locations in Asheville, NC
Orange peel
In the 1950s and 1960s, The Orange Peel was known as a trendy R&B and soul club, and in the 1970s it was a famous funk and soul club. The Orange Peel reopened in 2002, after sitting vacant for more than 20 years. Six years later, it was named one of the top 5 rock clubs in the nation by Rolling Stone magazine. The Smashing Pumpkins, Beastie Boys, Ms. Lauryn Hill, and Ice Cube have performed on the The Orange Peel stage. Located right on the corner of Hilliard and Biltmore avenues, visitors can see The Orange Peel due to its luminous glow at night.
Civic Center
The Civic Center underwent renovations in 2011 and 2012. Today it is a meeting and performance facility with contemporary updates and more space to accommodate larger crowds and nationally known musicians. The Civic Center has hosted performances by Merle Haggard, Bonnie Raitt and Riverdance. The Civic Center is home to the Asheville Symphony and the Southern Highlands Craft Fair. The Civic Center is located in downtown Asheville, at 87 Haywood Street.
Biltmore Concert Series
The Biltmore Concert Series takes place on the South Terrace of the Biltmore House and begins in August of each year. Top national artists such as KC and Sunshine Band and Steve Miller Band perform every year.
Free music in Asheville
Shindig on the Green
The Folk Heritage Committee promotes and preserves the Southern Appalachian musical tradition and has sponsored Shindig on the Green since 1967. This free festival was designed to bring mountain music to the city of Asheville on summer nights, so that everyone enjoy it. The Shindig has always been held at City County Plaza in downtown Asheville. Since 2010, Shindig on the Green has a new setting: Roger McGuire Green from Pack Square Park. Visitors can listen to and dance to folk and bluegrass music, see authentic obstructions, and hear ballads and storytellers. Shindig on the Green starts on Saturday. June 30 “near sunset” and occurs every Saturday night until September 1.
Downtown after 5
Downtown After 5 is another free music festival in Asheville and a local favorite event that takes place every summer. This event now takes place at the bottom of Lexington Avenue near the Interstate 240 overpass. Listen to free music the third Friday of every month from May through September. Local Asheville breweries sell draft beer, there are dancing in the streets, and plenty of food is available at the area’s restaurants and street vendors.
The drum circle
Every Friday night from spring through fall around 6:00 pm, locals gather in Pritchard Park for Drum Circle. Anyone can participate in spontaneous drumming. Bring a percussion instrument or just borrow one. Join the dance. However, just watch the crowd, a show reminiscent of the sixties and seventies.
Great street festivals
Asheville hosts some of the top music and arts festivals each year that always include a mix of local and regional musicians. Learn more by visiting the Bele Chere and Lexington Avenue Arts Festival (LAAF) websites.
People visit downtown Asheville and other parts of the city to hang out in bars and pubs that support local and regional music. Many establishments offer excellent performance spaces and audiences for musicians in Asheville. Any visitor to Pack Square can see musicians playing and playing in the street in front of restaurants with outdoor seating. Visiting Asheville means partaking in the music on the streets and being part of the celebration of the Appalachian lifestyle.