Toubab Krewe’s Connection to Bob & The Moog Legacy

Photo by Jon Leidel

Really excited that The Bob Moog Foundation has officially released the Moog/ Toubab Krewe Documentary. It is an amazing film, and received the award for “Best Documentary” at Music Video Asheville last winter. My dearly departed friend Margaret Lauzon took a  lead role in making this film happen along with Flying Pig Studio’s David Bragg; it was the last film the she worked on before she passed; and it is fantastic. Here is what the Moog Foundation has to say about the film:

Toubab Krewe’s One-of-a-Kind Connection to Bob Moog through the Network of Creativity

“They are such damn good musicians that I just wish I could dance with Ileana to their music” ~ Bob Moog speaking about Toubab Krewe in the month before his passing

On August 21, 2005, Bob Moog succumbed to an aggressive brain tumor. His passing touched legions of people around the world. In the month prior to his passing, Bob discovered the music of Toubab Krewe, an new, local african/rock fusion band who was, at the time, managed by Bob’s longtime friend Steven Heller. One sleepless night Bob listened to the band’s new self-titled CD over and over again, and was deeply moved by the quality of the musicianship. This beautiful video, which features Drew Heller, guitarist for Toubab Krewe and Michelle Moog-Koussa, Executive Director of the Bob Moog Foundation, explores Bob’s connection to the band and the reach of the Moog Legacy as it has touched Toubab Krewe and as it is manifested in the Bob Moog Foundation.

We owe a huge thanks to many people who helped make this video a reality. The video was shot in the studio of world-class Echo Mountain Recording in Asheville, North Carolina. The owner, Steve Wilmans and their manager, Jessica Tomasin, continue to be a wonderfully supportive to the Foundation’s mission. The exceptional filmmaking team that donated their services to make this video a possibility was a collaboration between David Bragg of Flying Pig Studio (located within Echo Mountain Recording) and the late Margaret Lauzon of Studio South, among other local talents.

Music photographer phenom Jon Leidel documented the making of the video. Visit the original post of this on the Moog Foundations website to see them: http://moogfoundation.org/2010/voices-toubab-krewes-connection-to-bob-the-moog-legacy/

The dedication at the end of the film has brought tears to me: “Dedicated to Margaret Lauzon (1975-2010). Whose passion & dedication to local music was the driving force for bringing this video and many others to life. Her legacy will continue to connect lives and inspire creativity” ♥ Love.

Bob Moog will live forever in the music that he has inspired across this world. Asheville just got a little taste of that in the hugely successful Moogfest this past Halloween weekend in Asheville.

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Celebrating the Life of Margaret Lauzon… or as she would have me say ~ Love RawkAss! ♥

My dear dear friend Margaret Lauzon passed away a couple of weeks ago. We had worked together on LAAFF and Music Video Asheville; and we hung out a lot talked about music, film, asheville, dogs, health, careers, men… you name it. She was always an inspiration to me in so many ways, and still is. Margaret is a true friend and I will always remember her dearly. She is already so missed by all that knew her… LOVE! Please visit her YouTube Channel and Check out some of her films http://www.youtube.com/user/meglauzon.

Also, please feel free to leave a comment and share your story of Margaret 🙂 She truly did bring a lot of people together, some of whom are just now starting to get to know each other…

Photo montage our friend Jenny Greer

Several of Meg’s friends including Jessica Thomasin, Jenny Greer, Michelle Moog, Christina Aurea, David Bragg, Steve Wilmans, Woody Wood, Ryan Grant, Jake Frankel amongst others got together in person, over the phone and via email to plan an Asheville memorial service for her. We asked a local writer and friend of Margaret’s, Rebecca Sulock, to help us write something up special to remember her. I know Rebecca had a difficult time with the writing of this, but it is absolutely beautiful and much appreciated!!!

In Loving Memory of Margaret Lauzon 1975-2010

“Just cause you’re not present, doesn’t mean you’re not here.”

Margaret wrote that in a November 2008 blog.

Margaret as "Butterfly Jones" with our good Friend Rhoni Sampson

Margaret Lauzon isn’t present here for her 35^th birthday, on September 18th, 2010, but she’s surely still here:  Laughing until the furniture falls over (as Dan Ingenthron put it), surprising passersby with the fart machine on downtown streets (as Jessica Tomasin recounts), dancing in a giant afro wig as Butterfly Jones. Radiating a 100-watt smile. Her spirit and flair and passion are too strong to not be here. To borrow from e.e. cummings, we carry her heart in our hearts.

She’s remembered not just as a passionate, driven woman with incredible talent, and not just as a woman who made things happen — a woman who was “assertive but eloquent,” according to her friend Erin Scholze. The girl worked hard.

She’ll be remembered as a clever wit, an effervescent, talkative spirit and a gal who had her own way of talking about the world. Her way happened to be wicked sharp and cracked people up.

Meg and Jessica Thomasin at Film Awards

“She was one of the funniest people I’ve ever met in my life,” says Tomasin.

She’ll be remembered, too, through the many projects she spearheaded: “Many were purely out of love for her work,” notes Jake Frankel, who watched Meg put in tireless effort on a short film for Toubab Krewe. She drove by herself to Florida and Chapel Hill, just to get the footage she needed for the project. The project had its share of challenges, and Margaret tackled and beat every one: The film turned out to be incredible.

Meg with Chusy, Bragg & Brandon at Sundance

Lauzon had been working on a documentary on the Asheville music scene for years called “My Life Rocks”. She lives in the hours of band footage she shot, in the Studio South sessions with local musicians, in the side-splitting “Tear of the Beest” and in the other work that she produced with Villasonica.

She’d also been filming pieces on her experience with cancer. She chronicled doctors and treatments, and worked to make use of that struggle, even while it weakened her. That’s how tough she was, and how industrious. And even in sickness, Margaret had the strength to be a support to others who were struggling.

And through it all, she still laughed.

Her laughter doesn’t stop, just because she’s not present. She’s still here, and always will be. A spirit that strong doesn’t fade.

“She inspired me so much,” says Scholze, and that’s true of a whole lot of people.

We are hosting memorial service and Meg’s 35th Birthday Throwdown for her friends and family this Saturday at the API studio of Echo Mountain. Here are some of the details:

Margaret Lauzon was a unique spirit. She was passionate about local music and film: She worked with events and musicians through her Villasonica production company, she helped found Music Video Asheville, she served on the LAAFF music committee for several years, her Studio South productions captured local musicians in action, and she was working on a full-length documentary on the Asheville music scene. She helped produce one of the best films to ever come out of Asheville’s 48 Hour Film Project: Tear of the Beest. That’s just to list a few.

Lauzon died recently after a two-year bout with cancer. On Saturday, people will gather at Echo Mountain’s API studio to celebrate her life. It’s open to the public — there were lots of people in town who she worked with, who she filmed, who she advocated for and who she made laugh. A lot. Woody Wood, Jenny Greer and others will play music at the event, and some of Lauzon’s films will be shown.

The Margaret Lauzon Memorial & Birthday Throwdown will be Saturday, Sept. 18, at Echo Mountain API studio (second floor), 175 Patton Avenue. 5-9 p.m. Info at 232-4314 ext. 300. Here’s a link to the event on Facebook. Here is a link to her obituary.

My alltime favorite photo of Margaret with my Gracie who passed away this January of canine cancer

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Music Video Asheville is Wednesday March 10th at the Cinebarre!

To check out who the award winners were and for a link to a YouTube playlist of avaiable interviews, click here.

Music Video Asheville is Wednesday March 10th at the Cinebarre! The show starts at 6pm. Plan to arrive early to get your seats and be there when the videos begins! There are  35 videos to check out with with a brief intermission to network. Cinebarre will also be selling food, sodas, beer and of course popcorn!  If you have not purchased a ticket yet, Cinebarre will be the only outlet that will have any the day of the event. Seating is limited.  Find out what musicians and filmmakers submitted here.

Here is a letter we just received from filmmaker Margaret Lauzon with Villasonica about Music Video Asheville and the Moog Documentary that they submitted…

Music Video Asheville, now in its third year, is a local music video screening held annually at Cinebarre behind the Biltmore Square Mall in Asheville, NC. The event showcases area musicians by screening a wide variety of music video submissions. MVA 2010 takes place at Cinebarre on Wednesday, March 10 at 6 PM.

Villasonica, along with other regional creative professionals including Jenny Greer (of Jen & the Juice and Sound Mind Media), Echo Mountain, The Asheville Area Arts Council, Cinebarre and POPA, among others, created this event several years ago in response to area artists’ interest in music as it relates to film. This collective operates under the name FoAM, Future of Asheville Music.

This FoAM event is special because it calls together many styles of music and many tiers of video experience all aimed at bringing the music and film community together for one night.

Villasonica and Studio South Co-produced a short movie with The Bob Moog Foundation and Flying Pig Studios. It features musicians, Toubab Krewe, and will be screened among the local music videos, as will pieces from POP Asheville 2009 Produced by Ellen Pfirrmann of Studio South and Eljapa Media with Stephanie Morgan, representing the Creative Commerce Commission.

We may also be seeing a submission from Hatch 2009 produced by Dave Bragg of Flying Pig Studios, The Daytrotter Blog and Villasonica featuring the Echo Mountain API Studio. HD camera work and production by Shane Peters, Jessica Tomasin and Ryan Grant.

Music Video Asheville is a great opportunity to network with other filmmakers and have fun, and there aren’t many grassroots opportunities to do that while people are traveling for festivals, tours and commercial work.

This is how we kick off Spring! If you are available this week, please come to Cinebarre and celebrate, that is if a damn blizzard doesn’t enter Stage Left 🙂

This event sells out so arrive early or purchase tickets in advance to reserve your spot.

Thanks!
Villasonica

http://www.villasonica.com/

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