Grey Eagle

From AshevilleRock.com

The Grey Eagle is a mid-sized music venue currently located at 185 Clingman Avenue, which is just outside of downtown. Capacity is 550 standing room only. The original Grey Eagle was founded in Black Mountain, but was moved closer to Asheville in the late 1990s after the loss of the space. Known primarily as a "listening room" for alt-country, folk, blues and Americana acts, the venue was at least partially responsible for helping Asheville become known as a musician-friendly town. The venue has often attracted talent that would be far more suited to larger venues, and has had a surprising number of internationally famous musicians grace its stage.

In 200(5?) the business was purchased by local musicians Jeff Whitworth (Wayne Robbins & The Hellsayers) and Brian Landrum (Black Eyed Dog). The new owners appear to be faithful to the original "listening room" vision of the venue, and have made many attempts to keep the environment as community-friendly as possible. It is one of the few local venues that allows minors, and even more suprisingly, dogs.

The Grey Eagle also hosts regular contra dance events, and often hosts fundraisers for local charitable groups. In recent years, they've also collaborated with other local businesses, such as Harvest Records and Orbit DVD to bring a number of eclectic acts to town.