Asheville is Von Bieker’s tale of post-lockdown travel and transformation channeling his visit to Asheville, North Carolina in the summer of 2022. On this first return to flying, the joy of travel was marred by countless delays, frustration and desperation in the eyes of fellow travelers.“The worst part is she’s getting more like your mother everyday”, he overheard a father tell his daughter. A long line of customers berated a single airline agent for their missed flights. Von Bieker’s faith in humanity may have cracked a little that day.He was hoping for a spiritual lift in Asheville, where he’d come for an art and spirituality retreat.
One afternoon after a long walk into town Von Bieker was scheduled to lead a group jam session back on campus when a surprise downpour trapped him in a bus shelter. He watched the rain rush down the gutter and felt a sudden urge to be washed away with it – to become someone new. Von Bieker started to pull at the frayed strands of his own faith, hope and purpose and by the time the rain stopped, he had the chorus for Asheville. Later at a poetry reading he heard his friend, poet Jen Grace Strewart, read her line that closes out the track; “love is not a fullness, but an ache.”
Von Bieker is no stranger to Adobe & Teardrops, and it’s a joy to hear him rock out a little bit on this track. “Asheville” demonstrates Von Bieker’s ability to transform diary entries into a moving song about losing hope and finding transformation in the most unexpected places.