Weekend shows to see in Asheville: Pink Talking Fish, Moon Taxi, Keller Williams, more

Share

By Caleb Calhoun

As fall tours ramp up and festival season winds down the amount of good music coming through Asheville on a weekly basis becomes, honestly, a little overwhelming. The truth is that entire websites could be and are devoted to simply telling you who is playing where and when. With no real hope of covering the entire field I won’t even try. Instead I am ranking for you what I consider to be the three best shows happening each evening.

Friday, Nov. 11

Pink Talking Fish at New Mountain
Ultra-talented musicians playing interesting compositions mixing the music of Pink Floyd,
The Talking Heads, and Phish.

Guided by Voices at The Grey Eagle
After 30 years and literally 99 albums Robert Pollard is back at it again. With an all-star
band composed of several familiar faces and several new members Lo-fi has never
sounded so good. Always the consummate entertainers this promises to be one to
remember.

Moon Taxi at The Orange Peel

Moon Taxi/ photo by Don Van Cleaf

If you haven’t had the privilege of having your brain blown to splinters by these guys I
highly recommend that you correct that this weekend. With a sound that is nearly
impossible to pigeonhole and one of the highest energy shows on the circuit today
Moon Taxi brings it every single night. If you like moving your hips and shaking your ass
this is the place to be.

Saturday, Nov. 12

Miles Nielson and The Rusted Hearts with The Paper Crowns at Isis
After nearly a decade of making good, albeit underrated music it appears that Miles Nielson has found the sound he has been looking for all along. Drawing on influences
from Otis Redding to Jellyfish his pre-70’s rock and roll sound is sure to delight.
Opening for Nielson is Asheville power duo The Paper Crowns bringing their own spin
on folk-rock to warm the crowd up.

Keller Williams KWahtro at The Orange Peel
Keller describes the KWahtro project as his evolution of acoustic dance music. Featuring two acoustic guitars, a double bass, and drums this is one that no true Keller fan should miss.

Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad at Asheville Music Hall
Mixing elements of Reggae, traditional dub, americana, and funk Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad has made quite a name for themselves over the last ten years. Always a treat their live energy, sound, and musicianship make their shows one big,
sexy dance party.

I also heard there was this Bob Dylan fellow might be playing a few licks over at Thommy Wolfe, but you don’t need me to tell you that. And don’t forget Mavis Staples on Sunday at The Orange Peel.

By Caleb Calhoun

Caleb Calhoun studied writing at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and music at a plethora of clubs and bars across the southeast. He is the author and publisher of Rosman City Blues and currently resides outside of Asheville with his dog and best friend, Dr. Gonzo.
You can reach him at Caleb.calhoun@gmail.com and/or Facebook.com/GonzoNC.