Music review: Asheville takes its music scene for granted, and Stella Blue kicks

Jason Sandford

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

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From a JamBase review:

“When you hear North Carolina, you think, ‘Oh Great, it’s going to be all rusted pickup trucks and rednecks, but Asheville has this really nice feel, almost like home,” Ott tells JamBase. “It’s nice, this harmonic niche carved out right in the South. You wouldn’t expect it.”

It’s so nice, in fact, that Ashevillians often take their scene for granted. Seventy-five or so fans were present for Ott’s Friday night performance at Stella Blue. But complacency is its own punishment, as the handful of fans that did turn-up were treated to two hours of the most manic downtempo imaginable. Just as DJs like Benga and Eskmo have torn through Asheville as of late, thanks in major part to Joel Stout at Coma Gun Records, it seemed only fitting that Ott should scorch through his entire catalog, sampling both Blumenkraft and his 2008 bombshell Skylon.

In the ongoing battle to be the best under-sized venue in Asheville, contenders like Hookah Joe’s, The Garage and Nashwa spar continuously. But for now, Stella Blue wears the belt. And whether she’s packed to the brim or barren, when international electronic acts like Ott are in the house, Stella breathes like an iron lung cranked to 10.