George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic

This weekend brought with it several festivals that I didn’t attend - partially because George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic played the Salvage Station on May 11, 2018. Clinton has announced his retirement set for the end of this month and this may have been the last time that I could see him take the stage. Things have changed over the course of a lifetime of seeing this band - the one constant:  they bring the funk. 

I’m a sucker for costumes, performance and colorful people. I admit that I got so excited I found it hard to stop shooting - I overshot - and I had a ball doing so. Even though I had a hard time culling my images down to the shots I’m adding here, this was not the best shoot of my life, it was however, a whole lot of fun. Thank you to the Salvage Station for bringing the funk to Asheville. Most of all,  thank you George Clinton for devoting your life to making music that makes all of our lives more fun. 



Marco Benevento at Asheville Music Hall

Marco Benevento played the Asheville Music Hall on October 25, 2017. The band is made up of Andy Borger on drums, Karina Rykman on bass, and Marco Benevento on piano. Each member of this band is a badass in their own right. The music is poppy and danceable and I’ve never been disappointed by a show that they have played. 


Dogwater at the Mothlight, AVL NC 2/6/17 (review by Joshua Marc Levy)

Dogwater rolled into the The Mothlight Monday night with heavy hitting original songs that are instant classics. “On the 29th > Search for Something” are gold, reminiscing of great bands from the 90’s. Carter Sanders plays a Fuzzed out bass, occasional trumpet, and sings like a growling dog. Eli Raymer is a monster on the drums, looking like a combination of Kurt Cobain and Dave Grohl (if you can imagine that). We caught mad trails off Eli’s sticks, this kid is lightening! Jed Holmes, lead singer and guitar, is the shining light, leading the way. Fans of Pavement and Nirvana will enjoy them. Look out for their upcoming full length “Welcome To Turquoise City” Thank you! - Joshua Marc Levy, Asheville Art Family 


 Dogwater Set list 2/6/17     The Mothlight, AVL NC 

On the 29th> 
Search for Something 
Another Day> 
Crater
Writer’s Block 
I Ride


Eric Krasno & Marcus King at New Mountain Asheville 2017-02-01

“When you have other musicians show up to your gig and stay til 1:15 am, through multiple encores with an endless drum solo, a CCR “Proud Mary” cover and many Originals that are immediate classics, you can say you made it. I met Mathew Jennings, amazing keyboard player from Marcus King Band, after the show and he said they love playing Asheville because of the energy that the crowd brings… and AVL brought it! The heads showed up and the place was packed. Eric Krasno started off the night at 9:15 with a beautiful blues rock set, featuring both Eric on vocals and a new female singer, Mary Corso, so powerful a singer, that this could be her band that Eric plays in. My history seeing Krasno goes back about twenty years to my time in NYC at The Wetlands and Knitting Factory, seeing early Lettuce and many years of Soulive, and it is so nice to see him mature over the years. At times Eric’s vocals sound like John Mayer. Inside of Krasno’s set was “Sugaree” by Grateful Dead, a song so overplayed by countless Dead cover bands around Asheville, but they made it the best version of all-time! Marcus King is the new southern rock guitar legend in the making, with popularity climbing rapidly. A voice so soulful and guitar so sweet, you can’t miss another gig. Both Marcus and horns sat in with Krasno’s Crew and Eric, Mary and others joined King and Company along with some other local horn players. The interplay between these bands is priceless. The next time they play Asheville it won’t be at New Mountain, they will have already graduated to The Peel or even Thomas Wolfe! Look Out!” - Joshua Marc Levy, Asheville Art Family


Living - Out of the Box

My fascination with different lifestyles has moved me to photograph the people who live them. I am lucky to have met some beautiful souls of all ages and walks of life. The series will roll on for a while, here’s the collection so far. It all began with a young man who was exploring the US by hopping trains; two young women traveling by train,  hitchhiking the country together after they met on the road; a woman out on the Appalachian trail alone; and a man who lives in a 18’ tipi in a communal lifestyle. I have amazing respect for the amount of effort and shear fearlessness that each of these people exhibit in order to walk their chosen paths. They are an inspiration. 

from left to right: Matt, Emily & Ariety, Spirit, Matt 


Villans, Super-heroes, Witches and more at Hip*Wa*Zee

It has been my experience that photography is as much about the skill level of the photographer as it is about luck. My recent shoot in Columbia, SC with the hippest costume outfitters I know, HipWaZee, was a fantastic combination of skill and luck. We had a great location that I’d never seen before (luck). We had incredibly hot and harsh SC summertime light with very little shade - this is where the skill came in handy. I used one strobe and let the light of the bright day fill in our shadows. The knowledge of Leslie Minerd, owner of HipWaZee, combined with the styling and modeling of her amazing staff, made one of the most fun photo shoots that I’ve ever encountered. We didn’t know who was going to show up, or what anyone was going to wear when I arrived; we played it all by ear, and the music we made was delightful. As luck would have it, as Cruella DeVille took her place in front of the camera, a little white dog showed up on the sidewalk – we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to have this sweet pup in our photo. I’d personally like to thank everyone who participated in this photo shoot for contributing their style, personality, and generous attitude to the daylong event. If you are going to be shopping for costumes, shop local, and shop HipWaZee. 


“If you fake the funk, your nose will grow.” Bootsy Collins

Bootsy Collins’ Rubber Band came to Asheville courtesy of LEAF Downtown this weekend. My experience with LEAF staff, the people of Asheville, and the Rubber Band was memorably moving in all the right ways. I learned about giving of myself freely with no expectation of anything in return. As it turns out, my passion for music and love for creating portraits of working artists drives me. It has also been confirmed that music melts anxieties; dancing and photography go hand in hand; and love makes the funk funkier. This weekend, the funk was real. Thank you to all who made it happen. 

 



Carley Eisenberg – Iron Mountain Forge

Blacksmith, Carley Eisenberg, draws on her background in wood, glass, and fabrics, but metal is the main inspiration for her creations. An education in interior design pushed this artist into a career in woodworking and cabinetry. Unfulfilled by woodworking, she set her sights on a MFA in furniture design at the Rhode Island School of Design, where she fell in love with steel. Carley is inspired by working with metal itself, but finds that her love of fairy tales drives her creative force.

Eisenberg came to Asheville because she loves the culture of Western North Carolina — for her, Asheville offers an artistic community that she can both identify and collaborate with.
Carley’s work can be found on her website at http://www.carleyeisenberg.com, or on her Etsy site at https://www.etsy.com/shop/IronMountainForge. She is easily contacted by email at info@CarleyEisenberg.com. On January 26, 2015, Carley made her television debut on HGTV’s Ellen Degeneres’ Furniture Design Show. The show airs on Monday nights.

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