3 Things You Need to Know About Asheville's Unique Music Scene

Music lovers, listen closely! Asheville’s music scene is ramping up for the summer. We have music jams, concerts, and special performances to interest everybody, whether you like jazz, classical, pop, rock, or alternative. So come one, come all, and enjoy an incredible Asheville music vacation!

Since there are just too many wonderful events happening for us to cover them all for you right now, we will focus on three wonderful music events that are coming rapidly upon us this May. 

It began in Boulder, Colorado in 1989 when a couple local bands teamed up and formed Leftover Salmon, a true jam band. (A jam band, like The Grateful Dead, is a band that plays a fusion of genres, especially rock-related genres, in improvisational numbers, so each song is unique every time it is played.) Leftover Salmon relies heavily on Bluegrass rhythms, which makes this performance in the Blue Ridge Mountains - the birth place of Bluegrass - most appropriate. 

Keeping the tradition of jam bands alive, Leftover Salmon is hosting its first-ever Blue Ridge Jam in, you guessed it, Asheville! The event, which is happening May 20-22, will be held in multiple venues. Leftover Salmon will be playing at most all the events and venues. They will be joined by other bands and artists with such unique names as Sanctum Sully and Grandpa’s Cough Medicine. If you would like to read more about the event, or purchase tickets, you can check out this website here.

Baroque music. It was created in that golden age of classical music composition during which Johann Sebastian Bach, Antonio Vivaldi, and George Frideric Handel, amongst many others, penned their masterpieces. Baroque is known for being heavily ornamented, extremely intricate, and sometimes rather heavy to listen to if not played by a full orchestra. This is where Pan Harmonia comes in and lends its own twist to the genre. 

Pan Harmonia is a group of musicians who are passionate about their craft, as well as passionate about bringing the beauty of chamber music to the public in sometimes very non traditional programs. Their upcoming program, Baroque Vibes, will end the 2015-2016 season for them. With the harpsichord, percussion instruments, the flute, and the bassoon, this company of chamber musicians will open your eyes to the beauty of Baroque, or at least renew your love affair with it, with their unique arrangements. To purchase tickets for their May 22nd performance, please go to this website. 

Beginning on Friday, May 27th the annual Live After Five at the Biltmore is back! Every Friday and Saturday evening beginning at 5pm, from the end of May to the end of October, the Antler Hill Village on the Biltmore Estate is filled with lively strains of jazz and pop as patrons dance into the sunset. While listening to the lovely live music visitors can enjoy casual dining at several different delicious stations and bistros, including Cedrics Tavern and The Creamery. Beer and wine are also served throughout the village at this time for the adult patrons, delighting many a parent as they get to relax and enjoy the lovely music while they watch their children contentedly dance the evening away. The cost of admission to the estate also includes admission to the Antler Hill Village, so make sure you stop by sometime soon!

We have so much to offer both locals and visitors alike here in beautiful Asheville, NC. And when it comes to music-loving vacationers, this is the perfect spot. With something for everyone, we know that you and your family will have the best vacation ever here with us. So, book now and make your vacation dreams come true!