Fortunato,

Sure wish your timing was a little different -- I've got a house in Montreat (2 miles north of Black Mountain), but we won't be there till mid October. You should be able to find a lot of pickers around there, though. Check out the Swannanoa Gathering at Warren Wilson College. Also check on the Sourwood Festival. Not sure if it's still on or, if so, when. There are bunches of music venues around and I'm sure Jeep man can give you some guidance, but you might want to check out a Web site maintained by the Mountain Acoustic Music Association at http://ncmama.org/.

Hope you find good picking.

cheers

david

Oh, BTW -- there's a place in Asheville called Jack of the Wood where there's usually good music. Also look up The Grey Eagle and check out what's going on in the Black Mountain Concert Hall (or whatever it's called now). It's just up the hill and around back from the Song of the Wood shop.