Hayley Benton

hbenton@citizen-times.com

1. The Honeycutters release "On the Ropes" at Isis Music Hall. The superstars in Asheville alt-country band The Honeycutters start off their newest album with the line, "I've been making something out of nothing for a long time now." But the release party for the band's fourth album, "On the Ropes," is sure to be something special — made from the musicians' wealth of talent (and not from nothing at all). Recently featured on NPR's World Cafe, The Honeycutters have made a name for themselves on more than just the local scene. Part one of the two-night extravaganza is already sold out, so don't miss Saturday night's encore performance, beginning at 9 p.m. at Isis Restaurant and Music Hall. Tickets are $12 in advance and $15 at the door and can be purchased at isisasheville.com. Head over to honeycutters.com for a sneak peak of the album.

2. Echo Mountain celebrates 10 years with a party at Salvage Station. That great album you've been not-so-subtley drumming on your steering wheel during your commute? Check the credits: It might just be a product of Asheville's own Echo Mountain Recording Studios. For 10 years, the studio has been producing locally born hits as well as attracting international attention from musicians of all backgrounds. On May 21, the public is invited to celebrate the last decade of hits — and the decades to come. The free party will start at 3 p.m. at Salvage Station on Riverside Drive and will feature DJ Molly Parti, with live music from Posh Hammer, Kat Williams and others starting at 5 p.m. The studio will raffle off five full days of studio time at the event. Raffle tickets cost $5 each or $20 for five. Party ends at 11 p.m. — which means there's plenty of time to come hang out with your favorite artists.

3. The Montford Arts and Music Festival.Nonstop music, arts and crafts booths, kids' entertainment and 18 food trucks and vendors. What more could you want on your Saturday? Before you pop in to Echo Mountain or dance your night away at Isis Music Hall, stop by the Montford Music and Arts Festival on — you guessed it — Montford Avenue, just north of downtown. The festival, in its 13th year, is put on by the residents of the historic neighborhood and will feature more than three blocks of arts and crafts booths, specialty stores and flowers and plants, along with food trucks and snack vendors (bringing you ice cream, kettle corn and deep-fried Oreos) and all-day music including Grammy-winner David Holt. The festivities begin at 10 a.m. and don't die out until 7 p.m.

4. Asheville Contemporary Dance Theatre presents "The Jungle Book." For the last two weekends in May, the Asheville Contemporary Dance Theatre and New Studio of Dance will be acting out Rudyard Kipling's story "The Jungle Book," using large puppets and masks, live music, colorful sets and vibrant costumes to bring the captivating performance to life. Join Mowgli, Baloo, Bagheera and Kaa's adventures through the jungle of The BeBe Theatre, 20 Commerce St., in downtown Asheville. Performances on Fridays and Saturdays will be at 7:30 p.m., with an additional 2 p.m. show on Saturdays, and Sunday shows will be at 2 p.m. only. Tickets cost $16 in advance and $18 at the box office. Purchase tickets at ACDT.org.

5. The Suitcase Junket rocks all new songs at Isis Music Hall. What a week for album releases. On top of "On the Ropes" and The Asheville Symphony's "Symphony Sessions" (more on that later), the one-man-band known as The Suitcase Junket will debut songs off his new album "Dying Star" at Isis Music Hall on May 25. Describing his sound as "swamp-Yankee music," Matt Lorenz borders the line between lo-fi blues-rock and dreamy, alternative folk with each song. On stage, Lorenz "sits alone on a suitcase, (amid) a complex construction of upcycled cook pots, saw blades and broken chairs, ... singing into the hollow of a dumpster guitar, slipping a broken bottleneck onto the slide finger, railing on a box of twisted forks and bones, rocking till every sound is ragged at its edges," reads a release. You may be thinking: What, exactly, is a dumpster guitar? It's a soggy, mold-ridden instrument pulled from a dorm-room dumpster on moving day. That's what. Don't miss this unique New England performer on Wednesday at 7 p.m. Tickets are limited for this seated show and cost $12 a piece. Head to isisasheville.com to grab them up before they're gone.