Asheville music scene hits the big time ...

Locals have always known what a treasure we have here in Asheville when it comes to live music. The variety of live music available in intimate settings is enough to satiate any passionate music lover.

Be it bluegrass, blues, jazz, mountain music, reggae, traditional rock 'n' roll, Asheville's got it all. No Britney Spears here, y'all. Just good ol' fashioned good-time, genuine artists.

Now, the secret is coming out and the world is beginning to learn about the magnetic appeal of Asheville's music scene.

In its next issue, Rolling Stone magazine is naming The Orange Peel as one of the top music venues in the country.

Yes, read that again.

In the country.

Not the east, not the southeast, not in North Carolina. In the country.

Last summer, The Orange Peel hosted a nine-show residency by the Smashing Pumpkins. The Pumpkins performed nine shows in Asheville from June 23 to July 5, followed up by 11 shows at the Fillmore in San Francisco.

Listen up, America. Asheville's got something going on you need to lend an ear to.

Read the Citizen-Times article about the announcement.