Hi, I'll be attempting to get to Gainesville via Asheville, North Carolina. If someone is riding down ANYWHERE near that area or just NC in general I would be very happy to get a seat. I'll pay some of the gas and I'm most certainly not a dangerous fellow. BUT if that doesn't work I am going to try and drive down myself and would be offering people rides just so I don't blow hundreds on gas and am not totally alone for an eight hour drive or whatever it is. So please just reply accordingly or if you have any NC travel questions.

I too am from Asheville! My friends are planning on going but haven't bought tickets yet so we have no confirmed plans, aside from staying with one friend's boyfriend. Even if all my friends bail, I'll be going. Who are you???

I'll actually be a freshman at UNCA, so I really don't know Asheville that well yet but I know i'll be living there during this time at least. If I have a car I'll drive people, but if I still have my truck I guess i'll be trying to hitch a ride. How many friends did you say you had going? I really want to go, I'll just be missing moogfest, which is no where near anything compared to the Fest but a lot of my friends are coming up from Boone for Halloween in Asheville. P.S. Is halloween in Asheville anything special?

Well, none of the others have actually bought a ticket yet, but supposedly at least four or five folks said they were going to. One of them has a big conversion van we took down last time that fits 7 semi-comfortably. Hopefully, HOPEFULLY it'll all pan out again like this.

Halloween in Asheville isn't really all that spectacular. Unless you're 21+ and can go bar hopping with a group of friends I guess. Is Moogfest happening that same weekend? I'm sure that'd be fun and would be the first festival in Asheville that I've heard of during Halloween since I've lived here.

The thing about Asheville is that, right now, entertainment/music is all set up for the 21+ crowd. Until you turn 21 you're pretty limited in what you can get into on a Friday/Saturday night. We're not Beer City for nothing. That's why it's best to just make a ton of friends while you're at UNCA and go to parties and socialize and such. People will make fun stuff happen, you just have to find out about it. Downtown is cool, the best part about it is all the great food. Asheville is very well-known for it's diverse and delicious restaurants. If you like outdoorsy type stuff, there are plenty of activities (biking, hiking, rafting, etc.) for you too.

The best part about Asheville right now is that my friends (all the potential Fest goers) all live in a house together right by UNCA and they put on some of the best punk and hardcore shows. Anyone from Touche Amore, Defeater, Lemuria, Spanish Gamble, VRGNS, How Dare You, Football Etc., Into It. Over It., My Hear to Joy...the list goes on. Most of them go pretty well too. This week Captain We're Sinking is playing. Next month is Riot Before and Iron Chic in the same week. So if you're into bands that play the Fest, you'll be stoked. Most of the guys at the house are juniors now though so we need help getting the new crowd of folks coming in to get into the shows! Definitely come out to some shows before Fest and get to know everyone.

Anyway, stoked you're coming to town man. We'll make this Fest journey work out once we actually start to make plans! Where are you from??

Hahahah, Conversions vans are all the rage of course! I haven't bought my ticket yet either. I figure I will when it gets closer to time (they can't sell out can they?) and I have traveling plans a little more nailed down. Moogfest is the same 29th, 30th, and 31st as the Fest but its all electronic type music and the only person I would even maybe want to see would be MGMT or maybe Big Boi (just for laughs). My friends are coming up from Appalachian but they probably won't if that festival is a lot and now that you say Halloween isn't that big a deal they probably won't.

Yeah, I think i've heard a few people say some things about the 21+ up crowd being ideal for Asheville. I've already got a good bunch of friends up there and I plan to make a lot more. The Orange Peel and the Grey Eagle normally have 18+ shows I think, and I have wanted to see some shows up there in the past, so hopefully that'll cover me for a while. And I also really look forward to trying out some new Asheville food. I've only been up 4-5 times and all but one was for school business. I came to Bele Cher a few weeks back and found lots of place I look forward to eating.

Are those friends in some type of Fraternity? I ALWAYS see shows on Punknews that are in Asheville and they say something about an Asheville frat. I REALLY wanted to come see Defeater play a while back up there. And you don't know how happy that makes me that your pals put on those shows. I love almost all those bands and The Riot Before is on the top of my list currently. (When is that show planned?) I saw them at Radfest and they were great. But yeah, I would be more than happy to try and get some of the young guns in there seeing the shows. Where I'm from no one at all likes any of the Fest type bands so just the fact that someone puts on those shows excites me. Do they let everyone in or is there some type of age limit?

P.S.

I'm from Chatham County, little rural area in the middle of the state, about an hour west from Durham or Chapel Hill, east from Greensboro.

Grey Eagle has great indie/folk bands and Orange Peel gets the bigger bands. There is usually at least one show a month there I'd like to go to and that's fine by me.

The dudes at Edge Frat are not a real fraternity. Just a joke from last year that carried over into their new living arrangement. Most of them are all straight edge but they allow people to drink and smoke (outside). As long as no one breaks shit, ya know? All shows are all ages. The Riot Before show is Sept 15th and Iron Chic is Sept 17th!!! These should be kick ass shows, just gotta get a good crowd out. Which shouldn't be too hard once school starts.

My best friend Matt Evans lives there and usually runs/books the shows. He also plays guitar in Just Die!, a melodic hardcore band. I think I have a link to them in my signature. Check 'em out!
When do you move into town for school? Are you living on campus? I commuted as a freshman...it sucked. Unless you live with people in an apartment complex with other college kids, commuting blows early on in your college career. Campus life or bust, young blood.

Hahha, I thought it was and I was just really confused as to why a fraternity would put on all these great shows. I can't wait to come out. I just got Iron Chics "Shitty Rambo" EP and I'm really excited to see them now. I have a feeling I'll be wanting to make my way down there a lot this year.

I creeped on your friends band and I really like what I'm hearing......a lot. I move in friday! I am pretty pumped to be in a whole new area, groups of people, everything. My hometown is quite a bit different than Asheville. I'm living on Campus most certainly. My roommate is all into all this dance music, trance, dubstep type stuff and I met a few kids at orientation who liked it too, I was wondering; is that some type of big deal in town or am I just meeting the wrong people?

Yes and yes. Asheville/UNCA is hippie central. It's like an infestation. But I swear there are rational human beings out there. We exist, I promise. Bring up dubstep at Edge Frat and you will hear several people go off on rants.

Yeah I knew it was just Woodstock everyday in a lot of areas but I didn't know the whole dance thing had blown up. Hahaha, I really think I might have to bring up the dubstep debate just to hear what I'm sure are well articulated great rants.

By the way, I found a girl from Buies Creek who wants to carpool to the Fest. She said she has friends in Asheville so she would have no problem riding up to ride with us if that plan works out. This is of course only if you guys have room for your own group first, though. I was just surprised to find another Fest-er so close to home. I mentioned to her the Edge Frat and she said she would love to come up for some shows.