Asheville pulls comics who got tired of asking permission. The scene here operates outside the usual hierarchies—book yourself, build your crowd, skip the ladder entirely. River Arts District draws the experimental crowd, performers testing material that wouldn't fly in Charlotte. Downtown Asheville hosts the tourists, but South Slope keeps it local. West Asheville rooms fill with artists who moved here for the same reasons you did. Montford and Biltmore Village round out the circuit. The open mics here attract comics who'd rather be weird than wait.