Kipper S.
Yelp
So I've been living in Asheville since 2009. I've often heard about the funk jam that is held at the Asheville Music Hall on Tuesday nights.
Tell me, what do you think of when you hear the word Funk Jam?
White dudes with dreds, probably a jazz flute, and maybe someone slapping a bass, right? Yeah. Me too. Essentially there's nothing about the phrase that piqued my interest, or made me want to know more.
A week or so ago I was entertaining friends from out of town on a Tuesday, and I bumped into a fellow DJ on the street that told me he was performing in the Funk Jam that evening. I was confused. I have the utmost respect for this fellow DJ, and I couldn't imagine him sharing the stage with an aging funk flautist. Sensing my confusion he jibed me... "You've never been to the Funk Jam, have you?"
I had to be honest and say I hadn't, and that until this point I really didn't care to. He invited my friends and I to accompany him through the downstairs One Stop bar upstairs to the Asheville music hall... where I found a crowd of 150+ people dancing like it was a Saturday night and beer was free.
The beer wasn't free, and it was a Tuesday evening at 11:30 pm. But wow, the energy and excitement was unreal. First off, I love to see people dancing, especially in large masses... but the music was actually GOOD. There was a trio banging out a groove heavy..... jam... Maybe I just hate the word jam? Maybe I should use the word improvisation? Maybe I should just get over it. Regardless, the music was so much better than I was expecting.
Once the trio's set had concluded the Tuesday Night regulars mounted the stage, which included some of the best talent in Asheville. I could name names, but unless you're familiar with their respective bands that wouldn't mean much.
If you're looking for something to do, or need to celebrate the approach of Wednesday, you owe it to yourself to check out The Asheville Music Hall and the Tuesday Night Funk Jam, even if the words Funk and Jam make you shudder a little bit.