Only those involved with local theater might be surprised Steven Samuels is back in action. In September of last year, Samuels was fired from Asheville's Magnetic Theatre , which Samuels co-founded and ran for eight seasons. He was still smarting, still angry, when he decided, in some respects, to pick up right where he left off, but with a fresh company. "My concern and caring for other artists is so strong that, even though I knew the best thing I could do was focus on myself and my family, I

Only those involved with local theater might be surprised Steven Samuels is back in action. In September of last year, Samuels was fired from Asheville's Magnetic Theatre , which Samuels co-founded and ran for eight seasons. He was still smarting, still angry, when he decided, in some respects, to pick up right where he left off, but with a fresh company. "My concern and caring for other artists is so strong that, even though I knew the best thing I could do was focus on myself and my family, I

Jamieson Ridenhour remembers himself as a 10-year-old, reading the original "Dracula" novel and staying awake with his mother well past midnight to watch classic horror movies. Nearly four decades later, Ridenhour has built a career from his early obsession. "Good horror writing works when it's more than just the horror, when it has some kind of psychological depth to it," he said. "There's a metaphor for something else going on."

Jamieson Ridenhour remembers himself as a 10-year-old, reading the original "Dracula" novel and staying awake with his mother well past midnight to watch classic horror movies. Nearly four decades later, Ridenhour has built a career from his early obsession. "Good horror writing works when it's more than just the horror, when it has some kind of psychological depth to it," he said. "There's a metaphor for something else going on."

Jamieson Ridenhour remembers himself as a 10-year-old, reading the original "Dracula" novel and staying awake with his mother well past midnight to watch classic horror movies. Nearly four decades later, Ridenhour has built a career from his early obsession. "Good horror writing works when it's more than just the horror, when it has some kind of psychological depth to it," he said. "There's a metaphor for something else going on."

Jamieson Ridenhour remembers himself as a 10-year-old, reading the original "Dracula" novel and staying awake with his mother well past midnight to watch classic horror movies. Nearly four decades later, Ridenhour has built a career from his early obsession. "Good horror writing works when it's more than just the horror, when it has some kind of psychological depth to it," he said. "There's a metaphor for something else going on."

Jamieson Ridenhour remembers himself as a 10-year-old, reading the original "Dracula" novel and staying awake with his mother well past midnight to watch classic horror movies. Nearly four decades later, Ridenhour has built a career from his early obsession. "Good horror writing works when it's more than just the horror, when it has some kind of psychological depth to it," he said. "There's a metaphor for something else going on."

Imagine you're in a band performing at a club or even if you're just a solo artist with a guitar in a coffeeshop. You want to sense people are listening. You want engagement. You want applause. That is, unless you're one of the members of the longtime Asheville trio Free Planet Radio . They recall a recent show at the Light Center in Black Mountain that was one continuous flow of music for nearly 90 minutes. "Everyone is lying on their backs with their eyes closed," said guitarist and composer Chris Rosser. "It's more like a meditative experience, definitely the opposite of a concert, really."

Imagine you're in a band performing at a club or even if you're just a solo artist with a guitar in a coffeeshop. You want to sense people are listening. You want engagement. You want applause. That is, unless you're one of the members of the longtime Asheville trio Free Planet Radio . They recall a recent show at the Light Center in Black Mountain that was one continuous flow of music for nearly 90 minutes. "Everyone is lying on their backs with their eyes closed," said guitarist and composer

Imagine you're in a band performing at a club or even if you're just a solo artist with a guitar in a coffeeshop. You want to sense people are listening. You want engagement. You want applause. That is, unless you're one of the members of the longtime Asheville trio Free Planet Radio . They recall a recent show at the Light Center in Black Mountain that was one continuous flow of music for nearly 90 minutes. "Everyone is lying on their backs with their eyes closed," said guitarist and composer