The music perseveres at the White Horse
Black Mountain music venue prepares to celebrate 12th anniversary in its most challenging year
Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
October 8, 2020
White Horse owner Bob Hinkle will celebrate the downtown Black Mountain music venue’s 12 anniversary, Oct. 10, in what has been the most challenging year yet for the listening room. Photo by Fred McCormick
There was little doubt there would be challenges in the future for White Horse Black Mountain in the fall of 2008 when the cozy indoor venue in the center of town opened its doors to the public. The world was in the midst of an economic crisis and years of global financial uncertainty would follow, but the music persevered.
With its high, curved wooden ceilings, the listening room evolved into a destination for music lovers to see a diverse array of acclaimed artists, many of whom will take the stage at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 10, as the White Horse celebrates its 12th anniversary in what has been the toughest of years.
The celebration is the latest installation in the White Horse Live series, which features livestreams of local, regional, national and international artists performing in an otherwise empty venue. The concept was inspired by a desire to support musicians and other stage performers as indoor concert halls throughout the state have been unable to open during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The virtual 12th anniversary show, which will be streamed on whitehorse.live and on the White Horse Facebook page, will include performances by Abby the Spoon Lady and the Tater Boys, BJ Leiderman, Jay Brown and Aditi Sethi, Robin Bullock and others.
The concert is free, but the White Horse invites viewers to pay what they can to support the venue and artists.
“We do an anniversary show every year, and it was especially important for us to have this concert this year,” said owner Bob Hinkle, who was forced to close his doors to the public in March. Under Phase 3 of the governor’s Safer at Home order, the 140-person venue is permitted to allow approximately 21 guests to attend the show. “The only alternative was not to hold it, and that would be sending the wrong message.”
‘What’s a White Horse Black Mountain?’
Hinkle and his then wife Kim Hughes weren’t originally planning to open a live music venue when they moved back from New York to his native mountains in 2007. However, a curious question posed by Hughes started them down an unlikely path.
“She asked, ‘what’s a white horse black mountain?’” said Hinkle. “She told me she had been mediating and it just popped into her head. I told her I had no idea.”
While Hinkle, who worked with performers like the J. Geils Band, Etta James, Kenny Rogers and a long list of others during his career in the music business, was not necessarily inclined to open a live venue, he decided to take a look at the old McMurray Chevrolet building near the intersection of Montreat Road and State Street with Bob McMurray, the son of the dealership’s original owner.
“It was a mess, but the ceilings were around 27 feet high in the middle, arched and all wood, which warms the sound up ” he said. “Those rolling bass waves that echo so much are mitigated, and it makes for a nice sounding room.”
Hughes, an opera singer, tested the acoustics from various locations in the building, and their assumption was correct.
“We walked to the other side of the room and she asked if I thought this was ‘white horse black mountain,’” Hinkle said. “I was about to again say I had no idea, and we turned toward the door and there was a poster of six white horses running through a meadow.”
As White Horse owner Bob Hinkle and then wife Kim Hughes pondered the question, “what is white horse black mountain,” they found a poster depicting a herd of white horses hanging on the walls of what is now a popular downtown Black Mountain music venue. Fred McCormick
A year later, the White Horse hosted its first concert, which featured Larry Keel and Natural Bridge in front of a capacity crowd.
While the next few years were filled with obstacles, Hinkle crafted an environment that focused exclusively on the performer while filling the stage with jazz, blues, classical music, bluegrass and a variety of other genres. As recently as early this year, the White Horse hosted several shows every week.
“I started to develop a sense of what the audience wanted to see, and I’ve watched the talent pool closely,” Hinkle said. “There is a wonderful crop of local artists around here, some of whom are every bit as good as the regional and national acts that pass through. They belong in here, and we’re proud to say we get them.”
A year like no other
Hinkle’s ability to book acts that catered to the local audience helped him navigate through a tumultuous first few years and establish the White Horse as a consistent destination for fans of live entertainment, but 2020 has been a year like no other.
“Who could’ve foreseen such a thing, even nine months ago?” he said. “We make money on tickets and beer and wine, and if there is nobody here to watch shows or buy anything at the bar, we’re screwed.”
Hinkle was able to access “a little bit” of grant money to get by to pay the rent.
“We realized it would run out pretty quick,” he said. “So we, along with just about everyone else in the music business, turned to livestreaming.”
Hinkle wasted little time finding a way to bring music to the masses, partnering with Asheville-based RadHaus studios to produce White Horse Live, a series of live performances streamed regularly throughout the week.
“The White Horse 12th Anniversary Show… Virtual Edition” will be the 33rd installment of the series.
“RadHaus does tremendous work and together we are putting out quality livestreams,” Hinkle said. “The intent is to make them look really good, sound really good and worthy of being broadcast in any number of ways, while keeping as many of our folks around as we can.”
The virtual shows haven’t been lucrative, according to Hinkle, but the support from White Horse faithful have “kept the wolves about 30 yards from the front door.”
“I think livestream is here to stay, even when people can go back and watch live music,” he said. “It gives you access to people you can’t otherwise access. If it’s a quality production then it’s got a place.”
A lot to celebrate
In an ideal situation, an anniversary would be something the White Horse would celebrate with a full house, but this year has been far from normal.
“Is it a little bit of a struggle to put this show on, and would I rather it be some other way? Absolutely,” Hinkle said. “But, this is a special event that features a bunch of artists that have a big following here in this community, and we have a lot to celebrate.”
As with past anniversary shows, featured artists will perform for free and all proceeds will benefit the White Horse. That support from musicians, and the community as a whole, has allowed the venue to overcome some of its toughest challenges.
“We have a close relationship with our customers and many of the artists who perform here, and they’ve come to know what they can expect from the White Horse,” Hinkle said. “We set our sights on creating an environment that allows the audience to focus on the music, and that’s what gives us our unique identity. I think that’s something that has helped us through the years.”