Langhorne Slim & The Law

There is nothing like the challenges and camaraderie of the road to inspire a songwriter who thrives upon the emotional energy and exhilaration only travel can deliver. Some singers are devoted to the pursuit of perpetual motion, and Langhorne Slim releases his wild soul in ways that come out of the discipline of live performance.

The 13 songs that compose Langhorne Slim & The Law's new The Way We Move are road-tested, rollicking and very rock 'n' rolling tunes that the songwriter perfected with his loyal band, and come out of the kind of good times and bad experiences that songwriters of Langhorne's lofty stature can turn into life-affirming rock 'n' roll. You could also call what Langhorne Slim does folk music, but then there's his sly, charming and open-hearted feel for pop music—those summertime melodies that nudge you into a grin even when the song is about something bad.

For Langhorne Slim—Pennsylvania-born self-taught guitarist who moves to Brooklyn at 18, begins feeling out his place in a burgeoning punk-folk scene, wends his way to the West Coast, and finds himself celebrated from Newport to Portland as one of today's most original singers and songwriters—The Way We Move represents the sound of a band devoted to living in the moment. Riding the success of his 2009 full-length Be Set Free, Langhorne went through some changes over the last three years—he lost his beloved grandfather, who is the subject of the new record's moving "Song for Sid," and moved on from a relationship that had lasted five years.

And there was the physical moving—the literal side of the record's title. Pulling up stakes from his home of two years, Portland, Ore., Langhorne also has been touring non-stop with The Law. As he says, "I'm in a bit of a transitional period—currently, the road will be home. That's just kind of my spirit, to be slightly restless." Perfecting their rangy sound out on the endless grey ribbon, Langhorne and The Law— bassist Jeff Ratner, drummer Malachi DeLorenzo and banjo player and keyboardist David Moore—went down to rural Texas in the summer of 2011 to work on new material. With some 30 tunes to consider, the quartet soaked up the Lone Star sunshine and developed arrangements and approaches for Langhorne's latest batch of songs.

Jeff Ratner had joined the group at the time of Be Set Free, and brought on multi-instrumentalist David Moore not long after. Moore and Ratner go way back, having moved to New York around the same time, and they've played together in what Jeff estimates are 15 bands. Langhorne's association with Malachi is equally deep. As the group played together through tours with the Drive-By Truckers and the Avett Brothers, and made appearances at the Newport Folk Festival and Bonnaroo, their bond became ever stronger, their music more confident. This is what you hear on The Way We Move—forward motion meeting deep cohesion, all in the service of Langhorne's amazing songs and compelling vocals.

"We wanted Langhorne's songs to shine, and be as raw as the creatures that we are," Jeff says of the recording process. The band set up in the Catskill, N.Y. Old Soul Studio, a 100-year-old Greek Revival house retooled for recording. With studio owner Kenny Siegal co-producing, Langhorne & The Law fearlessly ran through an astounding 26 songs in four days, with Langhorne putting finishing touches on new tunes as they recorded. Langhorne says it was an intimate affair in Old Soul, with Moore's "banjo room" in a coatroom and the piano in the living room.

It comes through on The Way We Move—the live feel of the sessions, which found Langhorne singing along with the band on every track. "Singing with the band that way, it's almost like I was performing on stage," he says. Cutting everything live to tape gave the band exactly what they'd been looking for: a super-charged evocation of their raucous, friendly stage performances. Langhorne and Jeff value in music for its rawness, and it doesn't matter whether that rawness—the insurgent spirit that unites the Clash and Charlie Poole—comes from in punk, country, soul or folk. Langhorne is a fan of Porter Wagoner, Jimmie Rodgers, Waylon Jennings, and early rock 'n' roll in general. But there's nothing referential or detached about the music Langhorne & The Law make. Langhorne writes songs that are yearning, sad, happy, defeated and optimistic, with hints of '50s rock 'n' roll balladry.

"We all love Wu-Tang Clan as much as we love Bowie, or Brazilian psychedelic pop," Langhorne says. On The Way We Move, David's probing piano often provides focus for Langhorne's tales of love and loss. "On the Attack" begins with a delicate, watercolor section that turns into an ingenious variation on a classic soul ballad—Solomon Burke meets punk blues in a smoky folk club. Langhorne addresses it to a current or past love. Similarly, "Past Lives" sports a piano introduction that gives way to a melancholy 6/8 ballad that perfectly supports lyrics about possible past lives and their interaction with the present.

It's a spirited, inspired slice of real rock 'n' roll—exuberance meets hard-won experience in an explosive combination. David's banjo and Malachi's walloping drums add up to a new kind of folk music. The music drives, but there's no loss of subtlety. And when the group lays into the garage-rocking "Fire," with its funky electric piano and supremely callow lyrics about first kisses and the hot-burning passions of adolescence, it's clear Langhorne is one of the great rock 'n' rollers of our or any time.

Road-tested as the band is, the new music also shows just how far Langhorne Slim has come as a singer. He croons, exults and sings the blues throughout The Way We Move. And there are his lyrics, which are about strange dreams featuring women who want him dead even as he desires them, the pressures of small-town life, ambition, and how much he appreciates his mother's love and support. That's all Langhorne and his life—his mother, he says, really was amazingly supportive of his ambitions to become a musician, as was the rest of his family.

It comes through as you listen to his virtuoso demonstration of a singing style that seems alive to every fleeting emotional shade of meaning. Langhorne puts you in mind of John Lennon's singing from time to time—it's nothing exact, and Slim doesn't do much music that is very Lennon- or Beatle-esque, but it's something in the timbre, and the openness of his vocals. It's worth repeating here that Langhorne learned Nirvana songs as he began to explore the guitar and songwriting, and Kurt Cobain's intense singing is another reference point.

But these guys don't play the reference game, and like to keep it raw. The new record moves in ways that are fresh for Langhorne Slim & The Law, and demonstrates all the ways we can go forward while keeping an eye on the mirror. They're laying down the law. It's very American, and when Langhorne Slim contemplates whether or not he fits in to any narrow-cast definition of this country's music, he replies with a perfect, laconic joke: "I think we fit in most places that would take us."

—Edd Hurt, 2012

Sol Driven Train

It's gotten to the point where it almost wouldn't be The French Broad Festival without these guys bringing their high-energy to our stage! Sol Driven Train's music weaves through genres like images in a Tom Robbins paragraph. The band's sonic schizophrenia absorbs songwriting influences like Jon Prine and Paul Simon, and afro-caribbean rhythmic explorations, into honest songs of life, love, loss, and long johns. The 5-piece band, based in Charleston, SC, features rotating lead vocalists, and multi-instrumental talent spread across horns, strings, and percussion. The band members share a musical history dating back to childhood, and their music and live shows are filled with a spirit of positivity and joy, even while traversing subjects of suffering and death.

Sol Driven Train is a band in motion. Perpetually piling on and off the bus, the momentum of their hard work and heart-felt music propels the group in front of growing crowds across the country. At shows, the band members bounce to the pulse of the music along with the crowd. Stylistically the band seamlessly mixes Allmanesque Southern rock, languid world-beat, swampy funk and downright catchy melodies as they swap lead singers and instruments. A punchy horn section adds an extra dimension of sweaty soul‚ (Atlanta Creative Loafing, 11/21/06). "Believe," the band's 8th independent release, is earning critical praise and quickly gaining the band many new fans through national radio airplay.

Since the fall of 2005, "the train" has been touring full-time, averaging 150 shows per year at festivals, theaters, and bars. In the spring of 2010, they celebrated their 1,000th live show and ten years together as a band. In those ten winding years they have shared stages and bills with a diverse array of artists including Micheal Franti, Richie Havens, Keller Williams, Arlo Guthrie, and Blues Traveler. Despite the pace, the band takes time on the road to enjoy outdoor activities such as whitewater rafting, surfing, rock climbing, and cloud gazing. The tour schedule has begun to resemble the nomadic wanderings of a raft guide, ski bum, and itinerant surfer racing between the mountains and the beach.

Yarn

Having appeared at both the French Broad River Festival, and at our Fall Festival in the past couple of years, it feels a little like a family reunion having these guys back to grace our stage and our ears with their unique style of soulful americana!  Since their start in 2007, Yarn's original Americana sound has developed into music that seekers of the unique see as the soundtrack to their lives. Yarn's first four albums were recognized by the AMA's and R&R radio charts, spending time in the top 5 at their highest point. Yarn has become one of the hardest-working and harder-touring bands for this generation's digital natives and new music folllowers.

Yarn's devoted followers, affectionately called the "Yarmy", answered the band's request for aid when they funded their new record through Kickstarter. Raising in excess of $5000 of the $15,000 needed, the "Yarmy" proved their allegiance to Yarn and their music being heard in 2012. That new album "Almost Home" has been receiving quite a bit of airplay, growing their popularity where ever it is heard.

Yarn is led by singer/songwriter and cult-master, Blake Christiana, who carries the torch for the fan-following that will transport Yarn into the promised land. "Our fans are like family. We are so grateful to people that love music and will help support us in creating it. It's just remarkable," Christiana says. "That's half of my love of the road; we've got what feels like family in tons of cities across America."

Yarn's devoted "family" has them following in the fine tradition of The Grateful Dead and Widespread Panic, whose fans will go to any length to see them live, and this year Yarn's fans will see them plenty. Their rigorous tour schedule has them out on the road for more than 150 dates per year since 2007 and they are not slowing down.

For Yarn, discussion of life on the road goes right back to the audience and the fan's benevolence. "They want us to survive and to keep creating music, so they will bring us into their homes, let us sleep in their beds, cook for us...the level of generosity is unbelievable," says Christiana. The Yarn sextet doesn't hold back when it comes to rewarding their followers for their loyalty. "We are so exposed to our fans...we don't sit on the bus or hide in the green room, we are hanging out, drinking beer with them, going out after the show...if anyone wants to get to know us on a more personal level, it's very easy," admits Christiana. They also make sure that all their live shows are recorded and online for fans freely. "We have been doing that for a few years, and the fans love it," says Christiana, "whatever it takes, we want to do for anybody that comes out to our shows."

Is there a mark of success for Yarn? Christiana states it well, "To live comfortably and make music for our fans. I just want to be able to do what I love and eat...so maybe I'm already there," he laughs, "we want to make good music and hopefully that makes someone else's life better."

Col. Bruce Hampton & the Realms of Ventilation

The first thing you'll need to understand about Georgia musician Col. Bruce Hampton (ret.) is that nobody understands Col. Bruce Hampton — not Phish's Mike Gordon, who collaborated with him on the cult film Outside Out; not John Bell of Widespread Panic, with whom Hampton has frequently shared the stage; and not Dave Matthews, who has even admitted to being afraid of Hampton at times. Though the Colonel is more than skilled with his instruments, perhaps his greatest gift is to keep everyone around him guessing. Over his four-decade-long career, Hampton has become the kooky old uncle in the jam band scene, but he's beloved all the more for it. His performances are marked by a lack of inhibition, which creates an atmosphere of soaring creativity for the ensemble behind him. It's an approach that has made Hampton somewhat of a musical shepherd to many great bands over the years, like the Late Bronze Age, the Aquarium Rescue Unit, and, most recently, the Realms of Venilation, who he'll be playing with at the Pour House on Saturday. The audience can expect his typical mix of jazz, blues, and funk, but they shouldn't be surprised if he starts speaking in tongues in between guitar riffs. Hampton delights in bringing a supernatural vibe to the stage, and though it may seem unusual at first, you'll be flying your freak flag just as high by the end of the night.

The Jeff Sipe Trio

Jeff Sipe was is a founding member of Aquarium Rescue Unit along with Col. Bruce Hampton. He also played with the self-applied Cajun Slamgrass Band Leftover Salmon and in the Zambiland Orchestra, an experimental big band featuring members of Phish, Widespread Panic and others.  Add to that his status as a go-to drummer for the likes of Jimmy Herring, Keller Williams and Phil Lesh, and you have a man who is legend in the music scene!

Living in Atlanta, Jeff was introduced to Bruce Hampton through Dan Wall, a keyboardist that he had been playing with.....and that's the rest of the story. It seemed too fitting that their first meeting took place at a wedding because not only was there a marriage there was a wedding of vast musical intention. Jeff then asked Oteil Burbridge and Jimmy Herring to sit in on this free willed musical band wagon and the Aquarium Rescue Unit was born.

In 1996, Jeff met up with Swedish-born bass extraordinaire Jonas Hellborg and the Memphis guitar monster Shawn Lane. This Trio did many Europoean tours as well as American tours. Jonas released 4 recordings of this band including "Temporal Analogues of Paradise", a classic.

Jeff's interest in bluegrass music led him to 3 years with "Leftover Salmon" where he gigged almost non stop! The recording "Nashville Sessions" was a high lite of that period having an opportunity to work with Randy and Earl Srcruggs, Bela Fleck, Waylon Jennings, Lucinda Williams, Taj Mahal, & Jerry Douglas among others.

Jeff took on his own creation known as the Zambiland Orchestra. This experimental big band featured Ricky Keller conducting members of Phish, Widespread Panic, Michael Ray and the Cosmic Crew, the Derek Trucks Band, the Fiji Mariners, MOE, Little Feat, Sam Bush, John Cowan, Warren Haynes, Stanton Moore, the Atlanta All-Stars, Little John, Sonny Emory Randy Honea, and many others.

The Zambiland Orchestra performed as a charity event for six years in a row every December just before Christmas at the Variety Playhouse as a benefit for Hospice and the food bank. By the 4th year into it there where 83 players on stage being conducted by the great spirit Ricky Keller and Jeff. One invited guest was Matt Butler who was so inspired by this spirited event that he began his own version called the" Everyone Orchestra".

Even more recently Jeff teamed up with long time friend and guitar maniac Jimmy Herring on a project known as Z, that's Project Z to most. Together with fellow Atlantian producer/musician Ricky Keller and mega organ/keyboardist Oliver Wells, Project Z recorded a self titled debut album filled with juicy fusionisk tunes that gathered praise from all realms. Since then a second Project Z has been released as well as Jeff's solo release "Timeless" featuring Paul Hanson, Derek Jones, Jason Crosby, Kofi Burbridge, Count 'M Butu and Derek Trucks.

Currently Jeff is touring with Mike Seal and Taylor Lee as the "Jeff Sipe Trio".

Mike Seal on guitar; Taylor Lee on bass.!

The Mosier Brothers

Scrugg's-style banjo picker "The Rev" Jeff Mosier, one of the earliest music pioneers who merged bluegrass instruments and traditional tunes with the magnetic energy of rock and roll, founded the jamgrass band Blueground Undergrass (BGUG) in 1998 after years of crafting his banjo skills in various bands, playing everything from bluegrass (Good Medicine) to experimental rock (Col. Bruce Hampton and the Aquarium Rescue Unit) to jazz-fusion (The Ear Reverents). BGUG, the band he fronted for more than a decade, recorded four albums and built a sizable national following by combining bluegrass purism with a jam band sensibility. As the jamband scene became more jam-tronica and less roots-driven, the formation of a more song-driven rock/bluegrass ensemble, The Mosier Brothers band, developed. They still jam, but the lyrics — and the sweet harmonies of the Mosier Brothers — now sit in the front seat.

At the helm is electric banjo frontman (and former Phish bluegrass coach) Jeff Mosier and his brother Johnny Mosier adeptly switch-hitting on both acoustic and electric guitar. Former BGUG fiddle and mandolin player Edward Hunter underpins the front line while an accomplished rhythm section combines the rock solid array of styles to fill in the eclectic genre-bending arrangements for which the Mosier Brothers are best known.

The Mosier Brothers band brings 30 years of experience to this latest project of alternative cosmic americana and bluegrass-laced roots rock. Veterans of the jamband and jamgrass scene, this undertaking draws even more from their influences, ranging from bluegrass and jazz to psychedelic folk-rock and alt-country. Always high energy and entertaining on every level, each show is like a musical journey. Their polished and uplifting CD "On My Way" sends the listener on an enjoyable foot-tapping jaunt out on the road and back home again..

Marley Carroll

Marley Carroll is a prodigious multi-instrumentalist, producer and DJ based in Asheville, North Carolina. His 2007 self-produced debut, Melanaster, is the result of meticulous bedroom alchemy, recalling a lost Radiohead LP submerged in ten feet of salt water. The albumʼs touchstones are found between the beautiful haze of early Nineties shoegaze rock (My Bloody Valentine) and early 2000ʼs IDM (Autechre, Squarepusher). The result is smeared, melancholy pop songs tethered to abstract electronic rhythms, what NPR called "gorgeously subdued glitch-pop".

In 2011, Marley developed his first solo PA set to bring a more raw and improvisatory vision of his music to live audiences, combining vocals, turntable, hardware controllers, Serato, and a custom Logic interface. Carrollʼs onstage performances are exercises in understated talent that mix live vocals with stunning and unorthodox turntablist skills over a bed of melancholy electronica. In 2012, he toured with forward-thinking producers like Shigeto, Dabrye, and Emancipator, and appeared at groundbreaking music festivals across the country (Moogfest, Decibel, Coachella). He continues to hone his unique style of propulsive, thoughtful electronic music in the studio, and his most recent EP (2012ʼs R&S / Cedars) was featured by XLR8R magazine.

As a DJ, Carroll fluently blends a carefully curated selection of emotive dance music, combining minimal house, experimental IDM, and the occasional world music gem. His sets feature masterful mixing, innovative glitch technique and the skillful scratching that earned him high praise and accolades from a young age. At 17 he became the youngest DJ to earn the title of best scratch DJ for his home state of North Carolina, and has never stopped progressing. He has developed a sixth-sense ability in reading his crowdʼs reaction to steer his sets in all the right directions. At a live show, expect to see both sides of Marley Carroll on display: the innovative electronic musician and the obsessively detailed DJ.

Snake Oil Medicine Show

These guys have been a part of the festival for many years in some form or fashion, and we are happy to have them back again this year! The Snake Oil Medicine show is an eclectic and fun mix of bluegrass, jazz, reggae, and dance grooves from all over the world. They sing songs of awareness presented in beautiful three part harmony. Being based in the NC mountains gives their music a hillbilly undertone, but travels to Europe and Jamaica have greatly influenced their music. National touring has shaped this band into a musical force. Not only does this band have virtuoso power, but they have a full Art Gallery on stage and a Painter to create colorful characters on canvas while they run the musical gamut with ease. Having recorded 6 international releases, The Snake Oil Medicine Show is proud to showcase their newest CD which was recorded at Atlanta's World Class Tree Sound Studios by grammy winning engineer Robert Hannon. They have also recorded two DVD projects including a sound track for a children's cartoon. They have shared the stage with others like Bruce Hornsby, Bela Fleck, Guy Clark, Vassar Clements, John Hartford, Yonder Mountain String Band, Sound Tribe Sector Nine, Larry Keel, Leftover Salmon, Michelle Shocked, David Grisman, and many, many more.

"One of the most exciting live bands I've seen in decades...as their hypnotic grooves erupt into ecstatic, joyful climaxes, colorful artworks of voluptuous beauty are created before your very eyes. A Snake Oil Medicine Show performance isn't a concert, it's a revelation." - Dr Demento – syndicated radio personality

Kovacs and the Polar Bear

The trend in music these days is compartmentalization, the constant pushing and packing and squeezing of bands into genres and sub-genres and sub-sub-genres. Sure, it's convenient up to a point, but in the end, what people want to know is if it's good or not, and really, beyond that, they want to know if you can tap your foot to it.

Which brings us to Asheville's own, Kovacs and the Polar Bear, four dudes brought together by music like music is wont to do. They're a conglomeration of disparate influences, of old and new. At base, they're playing folk music -- an acoustic guitar and tales of love, of life, of living. This is the old-fashioned foundation, and built around it is a modern sound constructed of electric guitar and bass and the occasional cropping up of synths, all tied together by catchy hooks and vocal harmonies.

Based on description alone, the simple action here might be to dismiss Kovacs and the Polar Bear as yet another quaint indie rock band, but adjectives are one thing and reality another. There's a sincerity there that never traipses over into self-seriousness and never becomes corny, all the while being played by a group of guys who just enjoy the hell out of playing music. And while all this is going on, they never treat rock 'n' roll like a taboo, never being afraid of adding a little punch (especially live) to their songs, meaning you get a little something to tap your foot along to in the bargain.

Brushfire Stankgrass

Mixing analog effects with bluegrass backbeats, the music of Brushfire Stankgrass is instantly unique. With influences ranging from Hip Hop to Duane Allman, the group has fused their bluegrass chops with pinches of jazz, jam, reggae, and rock. They call their musical creation Stankgrass. The band's debut album, "One for the Salamanders," which was released in July 2010, is a hybrid of crystal clear multi-track live recordings and polished studio tracks. The album was voted by WNCW listeners as one of the top 100 albums of 2010 and was voted the #9 regional release of the year. It is currently available from all major online music stores.

This Stankgrass sound has been called "quintessential modern mountain music," and "raging bluegrass...seamlessly meshed into some good dancing music." The band has indeed become a regional and local favorite on the Asheville, North Carolina music scene. The past year included several notable shows, including: Headlining downtown Asheville's 4th of July Celebration, Bele Chere, Durham World Beer Festival, Shakori Hills, Asheville Winter Warmer Festival, French Broad River Festival, The Getdown Festival, and stops at several other notable venues throughout the southeast. Brushfire looks forward to an exciting year ahead, with more festival stops and their second album underway.

Chalwa

Chalwa is based out of Asheville, NC and plays original High Country Reggae. The band consists of a diverse all-star line-up of local musicians from bands such as Ras Alan and The Lions, Asheville Horns,Hope Massive Josh Phillips Folk Festival, and Wiseapple. After hitting the scene in 2006, Chalwa toured throughout the southeast US and Jamaica. The band has shared the stage with reggae greats such as: Midnite, Groundation, The Meditations, Bambu Station, SOJA, Pato Banton, and many more. Chalwa released it's first CD in 2009 and was voted one of the top World Music, Reggae bands by the MountainXress in 2010. In support of their CD the band performed a live set on-air interview on WNCW, along with radio air play on Dubatomic Particles and Local Color. I

 

Hank West & The Smokin' Hots

Arriving at the Frenchbroad River Festival to supply you with the soundtrack to your pre-future! These guys made some seriously memorable, foot-stomping, butt-shaking music in our brew tent at this past Fall Festival. We just had to have them back! Self described as "An unstoppable Oldsmobile of music" Hank West & The Smoking Hots will be playing a fiery mix of jazz and goodtime music that will keep you hopping!

 

 

 

The Hermit Kings

The Hermit Kings are a rock band based in Asheville, North Carolina that formed in the winter of 2010/2011. Musician Zaq Suarez recruited members from several existing local bands for a new musical experiment, known as Big Hungry.

Zaq, as the lead singer and song writer, experimented with a range of sounds; from ragtime-inspired songs like "Yankee Whalers" to the soulful and lyrically-brilliant songs "A Day at the Races" and "Into the Ground." With six members, the band has an almost anthemic and orchestral quality with instrumental ingenuity and layered harmonies.

After several months of creative maturity, the band changed their name to The Hermit Kings. The Hermit Kings' sound is fundamental rock-n-roll, with soul and country under-tones. Thanks to the addition of Alex Finlay's sound design and audio engineering, the Hermit Kings also have electronic and atmospheric elements. 

The Swayback Sisters

The Swayback Sisters are an all-female, close harmony trio based out of Asheville, NC. We specialize in old-school country soul, Appalachian-style folk ballads, and dirty acoustic blues.

We draw heavily on the music that came before us, paying loving homage to musicians such as Memphis Minnie, Ola Belle Reed, and Bessie Smith to name a few. Our shows bridge the past with the future, with one foot firmly planted in the here and now.

 

 

The Mad Tea

Garage pop duo Mad Tea's high energy rock 'n' roll creates a freakout rock 'n' roll vibe everywhere they go. Listeners are drawn to the dance floor by one-man-band Jason's Krekel's driving drums and surf guitar licks and the punchy beat of Ami Worthen's guitar and tambourine. Tight harmonies and catchy songs tie the sound together. Mix in a playful sense of humor, and it makes complete sense that the band is a frequent opener for hillbilly rockers Southern Culture on the Skids.

As the Independent Weekly put it, "Retro rock can be divisive: If one decade is the pinnacle of pop, the next might be the end of days, and vice versa for the next listener. But multiple generations might agree on this Asheville duo."

 

Hillstomp

Portland Oregon junkbox blues duo HILLSTOMP is infamous for digging through the dumps and forgotten backwoods of American music, recycling traditional elements into a refreshing and distinctive brand of do-it-yourself hill country blues stomp. North Mississippi trance blues, a bit of Appalachia, and a dash of punkabilly come clanging and tumbling from assorted buckets, cans and BBQ lids, all drenched in rambunctious slide guitar. Somehow it works.

Despite their homemade instruments and novel approach, Hillstomp is no novelty act. Hillstomp's memorable live performances tap into a magic that cannot be rehearsed, converting outlaws and traditionalists alike from skeptics into preechers. This has been witnessed in most of the 50 states as well as England, Ireland and Italy. Denmark and Ireland, we're coming for you again soon!

After two widely-acclaimed studio albums, the band hopes to capture some of that live energy on a new album titled After Two but Before Five. The album was recorded live recently on two nights in the Northwest.

The Fritz

Infectious grooves, intoxicating guitar lines and a relentless drive of soul and passion describes one of the Southeast's newest sensations, The Fritz. Drawing inspiration from a variety of techniques and traditions, the group's vision is rooted within improvised Electronic Funk Rock. As schooled musicians, The Fritz rely on creating a canvas that is as much defined as it is colorful...leaving the audience entranced within their art.

Jamie Hendrickson's versatile guitar style and innate sense of melody first blended with Jake O'Connor's funky bass lines in 2007. From there, they met drummer Michael Tillis, who brings a strong driving energy to the ensemble. Jamar Woods' virtuosic keyboard solos and soulful vocal abilities propel the band into exciting musical journeys that are accented by his powerful stage presence. Rounding out the group is percussionist Mike Evans. His taste for world music, power funk and the occasional rap on the mic give the band a truly one-of-a-kind sound that is unmatched.

The Evergreen Multi-Cultural Beat Ensemble

The Evergreen Community Charter School Marimba Program was started in 2003 by musician and teacher Sue Ford. This afterschool program is designed to involve middle-school students in a collaborative performance community and to engage them with a range of musical techniques, traditions, rhythms, and repertoire from all over the world.

For years, the school's EMBE marimba band has been delighting audiences in the Asheville area. Band members, who serve as representatives of Evergreen in the Asheville community, work as responsibly as any professional musicians: they attend regular rehearsals, perform at prestigious venues, look after their instruments with care, participate in composing and arranging—and love the music they are producing.

The music played in the Marimba Program ranges from traditional songs of Zimbabwe, Guinea, and other African countries to rhythmically complex Latin tunes to Japanese folk songs, adaptations of classical pieces, popular rock 'n' roll standards, and original compositions by celebrity friends of the band or by the students themselves.

The Reckoning

Based in Charleston, SC, The Reckoning features a recreation of the Grateful Dead's 80's Acoustic shows followed by an electric set of Dead favorites and deep cuts.

 

 

 

 

The Paperhand Puppet Intervention

Since 1998, we have been using corn starch, bamboo, your old house paints, and other assorted junk to create giant puppets, masks, shadow plays, and performances for all ages.

We tell stories, beat drums, paint cardboard, sew cloth, get sweaty, push boundaries, and carry heavy things to help make the world a better place. Our parades, pageants, and shows are celebrations for everyone to enjoy; they are expressions of our love, for the earth and its creatures.

 

 

40 Fingers & A Missing Tooth

For the past 5 years, Asheville's renowned juggling troupe, Forty Fingers & A Missing Tooth, have been on a mission: find the missing tooth.

But this pursuit has come at a price. To cover the mounting expense of their search, they have resorted to wandering the kingdom of cubicles as its lowly peasants... temp workers. But every office whiteboard has its silver lining. (OK, it's probably just aluminum, but you get the idea)

They have produced a show chronicling their corporate adventures, with the hope of reviving the working dead, inspiring them to look at their surroundings in a new light (not the overhead florescent kind), and thus restoring balance to their lives.

Also Appearing:

The Pond Brothers, Sugar & Spice, Anita Lorraine Kinney, Jason Krekel, KY Junction, Dynamic ART Choral League, Eboo & Louis, The Ukulele Support Group Clinic, Andy Pond's Banjo Clinic, Joel Timmons Hand Drumming Clinic, & More!