Craft beer and music often go hand in hand, and a release party for North Carolina's own Steep Canyon Ranger’s 5th album has proven that once again. The event, which will be held at Black Mountain’s own Pisgah Brewing Company, will not only feature amazing music from this band, but also a special ale developed just to honor this phenomenal quintet – Steep Canyon Ale.

Steep Canyon Rangers’ 5th album, Nobody Knows You, was released by Rounder Records on April 10, and it’s the perfect follow-up to Rare Bird Alert, their Grammy-nominated collaboration with entertainment icon Steve Martin. With tracks that feature their ability to continually innovate within the genre while still honoring its roots, the album hits hard with a mold-breaking title track and adventurous follow-ups that help demonstrate the level of accomplishment this native North Carolina band has reached again and again.

The band has been featured on stages like Telluride, Bonnaroo, and A Prairie Home Companion as well as television shows like Late Night with David Letterman, The Colbert Report, and Austin City Limits. Named IBMA’s “Entertainer of the Year” in 2011, their fourth album debuted on the Billboard  charts at number one.

Steep Canyon Ale, a dryer pale ale, is one brew that not only serves as the ideal tribute to a band that has done so much for the bluegrass genre but also as one patrons will ask for again and again. "We've been talking about brewing a hoppy pale ale with the band for three years. Pairing one of the area's best bluegrass bands with WNC's best brewery makes sense," says Jason Caughman, owner Pisgah Brewing Company.

So, head on out to Pisgah Brewery on Saturday for a taste of Steep Canyon Ale, and the Steep Canyon Rangers. Gates at 6:30, show at 7:30. CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO.

On the heels of being named Beer City, USA, for the fourth straight year (this year, a tie with Grand Rapids), is the 3rd Annual Just Brew It Homebrew Competition and Festival. It takes place during BEER WEEK, on Saturday, May 26th, returning to its' roots, being held on the property of Wedge Brewery, where the first event took place.

The 3rd year of the event will also be my third year as judge. It's a tough job, but somebody has to do it. I gotta tell you, some of the best beer I have ever had has come from this festival. We all know that Asheville has some great breweries. Well, it also has some amazing homebrewers.

And not only is it a good time...but for a good cause, creating awareness for a living wage. 50+ different homebrewers will be serving their own beer to those in attendance. There will also be music and different contests and prizes for those in attendance, as well as for those brewing.  The awards range from “People’s Choice” “Best Belgian” and “Hops and Vines Award” to “Best Beer Name". Several local breweries will be picking a beer and brewing it commercially.  All while having an opportunity to learn more about the economic sustainability work of Just Economics.

It's 2-5pm, on May 26th. CLICK HERE for info on tickets. Cheers!

Are you in the market for a home? How about one that comes with a private airstrip, tucked into the beautiful Adirondack Mountain area of New York? Before you answer and submit a bid, I should mention that it used to a missle silo.

Following the emergence of space and missile technology in the beginning of the Cold War, the U.S.government began developing the Atlas missile system. In total there were six different kinds of Atlas missiles, designated A through F. Each were placed in several different missile bases throughout the country, including several in upstate New York.

In this Saranac, NY, the Atlas F missile was contained in an underground missile silo that was connected to the underground missile launch control center. Built out of concrete mixed with epoxy resin and 600 tons of steel re-bar, each Atlas F structure was considered to be one of the “strongest structures built by man.”

After the silos were decommissioned in 1965 and determined to be free of any nuclear radioactivity, much of the land was auctioned off by the government, including this missile home, which was purchased by the present owners about 20 years ago.

The two owners spent the next two decades transforming the silo into livable space, complete with a decoy house sitting on top of the control center and a private 2,050 paved airstrip right in front of the home.

“The home is a super structure,” said Mike Franklin, one of the three Sotheby agents that hold the listing. “You fly in, park your airplane, go into the house and into this closet. You go down the stairs and you come to a blast-proof, 2,000-pound steel door and you’re in the command center.”

While the home above contains 2,000-square-feet of living space with bedroom and kitchen, the main living area — about 3,000-square-feet — is within the command center, some 40 feet below ground.

The top level of the command center is the kitchen and living room, and the bottom levels contain bedrooms and bathrooms. From the bottom level and through a set of steel doors, you can access the 185-foot deep silo where the Atlas F missile was kept.

From the photos, some of the living areas look perfectly normal — if you ignore the lack of visibility to the outside. Franklin explains that there are “windows” underground with lighting to mimic outdoor light but what he thinks the truly unusual thing about the home is the lack of noise.

“It’s so quiet in there,” Franklin said. “It’s really bizarre.”

If you like the quiet — and perhaps don’t mind living underground — the home has many of the features any luxury home would have: a marble-tiled Jacuzzi shower, enormous master suite and gourmet kitchen.

The property includes a paved FAA-approved airstrip, with room for expansion, and 19 acres. The surrounding land is subdivided and also available for sale.

The price? $750,000...which sounds like a bargain! OK, now make a bid.

Story courtesy of FoxNews.Com.

A poll initiated by MLive! in Michigan has ordained rock 'n’ roll legend Ted Nugent -- a.k.a. "Motor City Madman"-- as Detroit’s greatest guitar player in history. Nugent won by a landslide, with 428 votes, or over 51 percent of the total vote. Jack White finished a distant second.