LAAFF’in in 2011– 10 Year Anniversary for this All Asheville Free Street Festival!

The 10th annual LAAFF is right around the corner in Downtown Asheville on Labor Day Weekend Sept 3-4th on Lexington Ave. 

A handful of Dreamspider bands and friends are performing at the Fest:

• Stephaniesid is doing their CD release at their show on Saturday Sept 3d at 7:30 on the main stage.
• Galen Kipar Project plays on Sunday 2:45-3:30 pm on the main stage
• Jonathan Scales Fourchestra on Sunday 5:45-6:30pm on the Mai Stage
• Spork! on Sunday 1:15-2pm on the Main stage

Also, be sure to check out 23 Skidoo & The Family Band (Sat 11am Main Stage), Santos (Sat. 1pm bobo stage) , Paper Tiger (Sat 3:15 Main Stage), Vertigo Jazz Project (Sat 4:15 Main Stage), The Secret B-Sides (Sun 6pm bobo stage), Lotion (Sun 2:30-3:10 Mountain Xpress Walnut Stage), GFE (Sun 8:15 MX WaLnut Stage), Ten Cent Poetry (Sun 11:45- 12:30 Main Stage), Jeff Santiago y Los Gatos Negros (Sun 1:45- 2:30 main stage), Zansa (Sun 6:30-7:15 Main Stage), Moses Atwood Band (Sun 4:45-5:30 main Stage) and lots of oither great stuff.

For the full schedule and lots more fantastic Asheville bands check out the Mountain Xpress: http://www.mountainx.com/ae/2011/083111laaff-bandsschedule#.Tl-jfWoglIE

The Xpress also did this wonderful interview with Stephaniesid about their album release:

The new Stephaniesid album, Starfruit — despite its name-association with things tropical and celestial — was conceived in a dark basement. “A universe leapt out of the grayness,” says front woman Stephanie Morgan.

An advance listen of the album reveals lush pop, layered vocals, rich horn parts and a certain velvety darkness (perhaps it’s the snarl of baritone sax or echoes of reverb ). But even through an edge of bitterness (despite dance beats and bells, the track “Starf—ker” is not without teeth), the record is backlit by undeniable sparkle.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE:http://www.mountainx.com/ae/2011/083111ripe-for-the-picking#.Tl-m_WoglIE

LAAFF is not only a music festival, it is also a arts and fun festival.. So be sure to wander around and stumble into many other fabulously freaky things that will happen both day! Here are some fantactic pics of last years LAAFF by local Photographer Lissy Whelan with Bright Life Photography:

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HATCH Music Panel: ‘What’s Working From Who’s Working’ Workshop on Thursday, April 14th at 5pm

Exciting news! I will be speaking on a HATCH Music Panel, What’s Working from Who’s Working,  in Asheville this Thursday! More info is posted below.

The HATCH Experience takes place in Asheville from April 14th to 17th.  HATCH is a great opportunity for creative professionals on a local and National level to network.  Join in on the Music panels and workshops for discussions on how technology is changing how we interact with music.   Meet thought and creative leaders in music to discuss the cultural trends, the future and you. Find out more about the various HATCH Music events at: http://www.hatchasheville.org/music/. Other creative areas within HATCH are film, photo, fashion, architecture, design/ technology, and journalism. More information is on the website.

Music Conversation: What’s Working From Who’s Working Workshop
Echo Mountain’s API  Recording Studio
Don’t miss this conversation with musicians, publicists, agents, club and festivals at Echo Mountain’s API Recording Studio Thursday, April 14th at 5 pm – 7 pm. Join local musicians and industry pros for a discussion about making money making music.  Real advice for musicians who are making a living performing music.  Network with your peers and learn tips from musicians and industry folks on how to make it in the new music business.

Justin Ray ~ Professional Musician (Michale Buble, Spork, Boathouse All Stars)
www.facebook.com/#!/Sporkband and www.facebook.com/#!/BoathouseAllStars

Justin Ray has spent the last 8 years touring as a trumpet soloist, composer, and
arranger for Warner Bros recording artist Michael Buble. In addition to his duties with
Buble, he also fronts two other ensembles: Spork, a jazz quintet comprised of Asheville-
area musicians; and the Boathouse All-Stars, an internationally recognized group that
performs his original compositions for big band.

Jay Sanders ~ Musician (Acoustic Syndicate, The E.Normus Trio) and Application Developer (Creative Allies)
http://mindtonic.net and www.creativeallies.com

Jay Sanders has been a successful musician in the Western North Carolina music scene for almost 20 years.  He is best know for his work with Acoustic Syndicate, Donna The Buffalo and The E.Normus Trio.  When not shaping low frequency sound waves into genre bending styles, he is an active participant in the local technology sector through his work with Creative Allies and many other community minded projects.

Jessica Tomasin ~ Studio Manager at Echo Mountain Recording, Band Manager
www.echomountain.net

Jessica Tomasin has been the studio manager at Echo Mountain Recording since it’s start five years ago and has assisted it’s growth to become a world renown recording studio working with acts such as Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers, The Avett Brothers, and Dierks Bentley amongst many other national and local acts. She was also the manager of the label, Echo Mountain Records. Jessica had been managing Aaron Wood for the past two years and launched the first successful Kickstarter campaign in the Asheville area to fund Wood’s self-titled album which was released this month.

Bowie van Ling ~ DJ / Producer / Percussionist, Graphic Designer, Event Producer
http://playlowmusic.com

Bowie van Ling of Playlow, the Asheville based DJ / Producer / Percussionist with complimentary expertise in multimedia design, event production and promotion. Has been observed in the wild wielding a multi-faceted multi-genre approach that empowers his career in the music industry. He’s seen great success with hundreds of shows at venues, spanning 3 continents from Amsterdam to the rainforests of Costa Rica. Locally he’s known as the four year consecutive hall of fame winner of best DJ/Turntablist in WNC.

Katherine “KP” Powell ~  founder / partner at Geniass Productions, partner at Tree Power & Sound, owner Asheville Music Hall / The One Stop Deli & Bar
www.geniassproductions.com and ww.treeleafmusic.com/treepower.html and

Katherine Powell has been working in the industry for the past 6 years with the intent of propelling music and musicians towards a place of business stability and financial security. She founded Geniass Productions in 2005 and shortly after teamed up with Laura Reed to form Deep Pocket which they quickly grew into a successful touring operation. Katherine also does solar-powered production, talent buying, publicity and is currently working on opening a music venue in Downtown Asheville.

Erin Scholze ~ owner of Dreamspider Publicity & Events
www.dreamspider.net

Erin Scholze has long been one of the greatest supporters of the Asheville music scene.  Her love of celebration has manifested itself through the work she has done for the community at large for such events and organizations as the Lexington Avenue Arts and Fun Festival, Music Video Asheville, the All Go West Festival, Community Choreography and more.  Her company, Dreamspider Publicity, raises international awareness of the amazing local, regional and national talent that she represents.  Her client list includes Donna the Buffalo, Larry Keel & Natural Bridge, Acoustic Syndicate, Galen Kipar Project, Dehlia Low, Jonathan Scales Fourchestra and Mad Tea Party.

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Murals to Beautify & Revitalize: AMP hired to paint a Mural on the Historic Cotton Mill Studios in Asheville

The Asheville Mural Project, a program of Arts 2 People, exists to beautify and diversify Asheville’s urban landscape, providing artists and local community members with the opportunity to implement their own public art. AMP believes that murals enhance quality of life and create an artful metropolitan experience through the transformation of conventional architecture. The murals are both the testimony and celebration of a lively local arts culture.

AMP is making Asheville a city where the mural arts are celebrated and has joined forces with local professional muralists to create the highest  quality art which will serve as lasting monuments. This is testified to in a recent article from Kent Ohio point directly to inspiration from AMP’s Lexington Gateway Mural for the making of their own city mural. Read below for more info a new mural that was just comissioned by The Cotton Mill Studios in Asheville!

A Case using Murals to Beautify and Revitalize: AMP hired to paint a Mural on the Historic Cotton Mill Studios:

The Historic Cotton Mill Studios, located in the River Arts District of Asheville, NC is what remains of the Cotton Mill Complex which was destroyed by a devastating fire in 1995. The building was purchased by potters Eileen & Marty Black (The Potter’s Mark Ltd.) in 2002 and is the home to nine artists.

The North side of the building indicates where the fire stopped, burning up to the wall.  The building was saved both by an operating sprinkler system and a shift in the winds away from the building.

pre-mural &post-fire view of the old Cotton Mill's north side

Unfortunately, this was the view [Left] of the River Arts District to passersby’s on the Smokey Park Bridge over the French Broad river. It made the River Arts District look like a burned out slum. After Purchasing the building Marty & Eileen began a facelift to improve the image and Identity of the River Arts District. They started by cleaning and painting the burned out side wall so the view from the bridge would be more appealing, hopefully attracting more visitors to the area.

Symbol for the River Arts District and view of the north side of the Cotton Mill now

The mural symbol they added to the building now identifies the River Arts District. [left].

.

The front of the building [below] also showed signs of the devastating fire and, after many years of looking at it, Eileen and Marty decided that it also needed a facelift.

Front of the Cotton Mill Studio now. Site for the new AMP Mural

Investigating many possibilities the Blacks decided on a mural, but not just any mural, they wanted a “Trompe l’oiel”. Trompe l’œil, (French for ‘deceive the eye’, pronounced [tʁɔ̃p lœj]) is an art technique involving extremely realistic imagery in order to create the impression that the depicted objects appear in three dimensions.

Ian Wilkinson the Mural Program Director of the Asheville Mural Project, a program of Asheville’s  non-profit Arts 2 People came up with the ideal solution. This mural [rendering shown below] should be completed  by mid-October 2010.

Projection of what the new AMP Mural will look like on the Cotton Mill Studio

Eileen and Marty hope that this will become a landmark and the beginning of many similar murals on the old buildings of the river Arts District (RAD), resulting in attracting many more tourists to Asheville and the RAD.

____________________________________________________________________

AMP Director Ian Wilkinson hard at work on the Lexington Gateway Mural

About AMP’s Director: Ian Wilkinson has been a professional muralist for fifteen years. He was the lead mural artist for the Holocaust Museum of Virginia. Ian painted murals depicting the Ipsen Family’s escape from the Holocaust, and worked directly with other Holocaust survivors to make detailed drawings that would be used to recreate key points in the museum.  Ian went on to earn his BFA in painting from Adams State College in Colorado. Ian shows his personal work in Santa Fe and private collections across the country. Ian specializes in portraits, realism, and large format work. He is currently the Director of the Asheville Mural Project (AMP), which is a program of Arts 2 People. Ian lives in Asheville with his wife Angeline, daughter Ella and son Augustus.

It is AMP’s goal to make murals an affordable and lasting solution for beautifying and revitalizing buildings, homes, and businesses. The AMP team works closely with clients in the proposal phase of the project. AMP works hard to meet budgetary requirements and navigate the permit processes. All works are created using state-of-the-art materials. The AMP team offers a number of different service agreements for clients to assure our works will stand the test of time and weather. AMP also specializes in child directed murals and offers free lectures and workshops. To find out more about AMP, please visit http://www.arts2people.org/amp.html or email Ian Wilkinson at info@ianthepainter.com.

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Archive: A couple great articles about LAAFF 2010!

Check out these couple articles about LAAFF in Bold Life and the Laurel of Asheville.

Arch-itects of Sound

AUGUST 25, 2010 www.boldlife.com

BY ROBIN TOLLESON

Bele Chere is bigger, but LAAFF may be better.

The Lexington Avenue Arts and Fun Fest, sponsored by Arts 2 People, is more distinctively Asheville. Local artists and artisans get to shine, and stages welcome the area’s more interesting musical acts, like The Archrivals, fronted by keyboardist/vocalist Chuck Lichtenberger. Lichtenberger delivers engaging, provocative pop in his alter-ego role as the party-leading Archrival, retro-hoopster sporting Afro and shades, 6th man off the bench for the Dominican Republic National Team.

Lichtenberger is best known from his work with indie-rockers Stephanie’s Id. The Archrivals’ self-titled debut CD will explain a lot about the Id’s sound. “It’s been brewing for a long time,” Lichtenberger says. “We focus a lot of our energy on Stephanie’s Id. When it’s time to do it, we do it. With The Archrivals, it’s like we do it when we can. It’s going to be a little different now, I think.”

READ the FULL ARTICLE HERE: http://www.boldlife.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A15650

and here is the Laurel of Asheville article:  Click here and go to page 25 to see it online:

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TedxAsheville hits the the town! Remote viewing available

http://tedxasheville.com/

Technology, Entertainment and Design

TEDx was created in the spirit of TED’s mission, “ideas worth spreading.” The program is designed to give communities, organizations and individuals the opportunity to stimulate dialogue through TED-like experiences at the local level.

At TEDx events, unique talks given by live speakers combine with TEDTalks videos to spark deep conversation and connections. TEDx events are fully planned and coordinated independently, on a community-by-community basis.

TEDx Asheville Tickets Are Sold Out.

But do not fret: There will be remote viewing stations set up around town. STAY TUNED…

FREE live webstream events: Offsite webstream viewing locations include Posana Café in downtown Asheville and the Doubletree Biltmore Hotel on Hendersonville Road. Seating is limited in both offsite viewing locations., and the conference will stream live on the TEDxAsheville website, via internet radio audiocast on Asheville FM, and other online outlets TBA. Check their website (TEDxAsheville.com) for news as plans develop.

You can stay up to date on TEDxAVL news at their twitter page: twitter.com/TEDxAVL and with the hashtag: #TEDxAVL and through Facebook: www.facebook.com/TEDxAsheville

2010 Asheville TEDx Presenters

8 talks, 3 performances, some really cool surprises and the opportunity to be inspired with and by like minded individuals in your community!

2010 Speaker Lineup
Breah Parker
“Drawing on the Spirit Within”
Eustace Conway
“Traditional Lifestyles of the 21st Century”
Jeff Schmitt
TBA
Angela Shelton
“Squish – the Heart of the Matter”
Doc Hendley
Hell or High Water
Laurey Masterton
Bees, Bikes and Cooking for Survival
James Nave’
The Imaginative Storm into Creative Form
River Guerguerian
Ancient Technology
Billy Jonas
The Art of War: A Neo-Opera in Three Parts
…. and much, much more

August 28th, 2010 from 3-7pm, a dynamic group of teens will present their ideas for the future to an audience ready to be inspired at the first ever TEDxNextGenerationAsheville (TEDxNGA). This interactive, multi-media event at The Orange Peel in downtown Asheville will be an opportunity for growth, learning and fun for our entire community and a springboard to action.

They are the next generation of thinkers, artists, scientists, social activists and entrepreneurs.

Applying their creativity, wisdom and innovative thinking, these young leaders are dreaming of new possibilities and putting their ground-breaking ideas into action.

Stay up to date on TEDxNGA through their twitter feed: twitter.com/tedxnextgenavl and on Facebook: www.facebook.com/TedxNextGenAVL

Teenagers around the world
are inspiring positive change.

It is time to learn from them.

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Announcing the 9th Annual Lexington Ave Arts and Fun Festival ~ Downtown Asheville ~ Sunday, Sept 5th, Free!

Sunday, September 5, 2010
Labor Day Weekend
All Local ~ All Original

11am – 9pm
~ FREE and Kid Friendly~
director@lexfestasheville.com
North Lexington Ave.
Asheville, NC 28801
www.arts2people.org
www.lexfestasheville.com

Join us in the annual FREE end-of-summer celebration of Asheville’s artistic and musical communities, The Lexington Ave Arts and Fun Festival. LAAFF is entering our 9th year of filling three blocks of N. Lexington Ave in downtown with all local art, food, beer, music, street performers, and random acts of creativity. LAAFF takes place on Sunday, September 5th, 2010.

LAAFF has become the showcase event for all types of talent on multiple stages and performance areas including rock and roll, indie pop, funk, folk, reggae, world beats, singer-songwriters, bluegrass, old time, African drummers, clowns, magicians, contortionists, belly dancers, modern dancers, vaudeville actors, break dancers, hula hoopers, and more. LAAFF has grown over the years to become known as Asheville’s largest independent street festival with upwards of 15,000 in attendance.

LAAFF is an experience the whole family can get into. Kids will love making art, dancing, getting their faces painted and having fun all day long. Kids are also in on the act showing off their breakdancing, parading, and making music. The big “kids” will enjoy the ever popular bicycle jousting, local brews provided by the Asheville Brewers Alliance, an eclectic culinary and artistic experience, as well as the new big people game: Big Wheels for Big Kids. There will be lots of fun new vendors as well as old favorites with a ton of variety.

Created specifically for LAAFF by Co-Founder Michael Mooney, LAAFF’s ever popular Bicycle Jousting is always a mainstay attraction! This is a fun and safe bike joust where contestants are armored up with foam and helmets. The sit upon bike with banana seats and wheel with elliptical hubs which make the bike bounce up and down like riding on a horse. Each contestant holds a long pole with a boxing glove on the end..If they can reach each other they try and joust the other off the bike. It is extremely fun to watch and a great activity that Michael created as an event at LAAFF. To see the gear in advance go to Pack Place’s Front Gallery… will you dare to ride?

LaZoom Tour Bus hosts a rolling LAAFF theatre for the day! If you just want to enjoy an easy going ride… LaZoom has traveling sideshows with a variety of acts (Including kids acts and adult only acts) throughout the day in 40 minute loops around Asheville. This is set up as an affordable way to fund-raise at LAAFF with extra entertainment to the festival.

Various arts schools and organizations have in the past teamed up to create the LAAFF Kids area. There is always face painting and a chill out zone for parents with babies who may need to sit down and relax, breastfeed, or change a diaper.

As part of an ongoing commitment to improve and expand the role of the Lexington Avenue Arts Festival in the community, greening efforts and more emphasis on environmental issues will continue to increase. The core principle of being an all local event has been a foundation of the festival’s efforts to support local artists, musicians, restaurants, and non-profits. For instance, using water sales as a way for local non-profits to raise funds and involving the Asheville On Bikes organization to host a bike corral, encouraging participants in the festival to ride bikes, use public transportation, and carpool to limit their impact. Reducing waste has always been an important goal, and last year composting was added to the recycling and reuse efforts. Many of the food and beverage vendors are now using compostable cups and utensils. The festival will continue to include local non-profits, especially environmental and arts organizations and hopefully will showcase renewable energy in LAAFF’s to come. For more info email greening@lexfestasheville.com.

LAAFF also has a great merchandise area with LAAFF T-shirts, water bottles, and performer merchandise. 100% of performer merch proceeds goes back to the bands themselves. There is also a silent auction to raise fund for Arts 2 People of which some donated items are available to see on our “silent auction” page of this website. We accepting items up through the morning of the festival each year. Email vending@lexfestasheville.com if you would like to donate or be a vendor at the event.

LAAFF relies on community support to ensure our success each year. LAAFF is a volunteer driven event, with a core staff, put on by and for the community. Your tax-deductible contribution ensures the ongoing successes of this much anticipated yearly Asheville celebration. LAAFF is a project of 501(c)3 non-profit Arts 2 People.

To get involved email director@lexfestasheville.com for info on how to plug in. For publicity inquiries please email dreamspider@gmail.com.

FIND LAAFF on the web:



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Mountain Xpress reports on the All Go West Festival in Asheville

Check out this great writeup of the inagural All Go West Festival in Asheville by the Mountain Xpress:

Let’s All Go West

The most fun part of town gets a new festival

by Alli Marshall in Vol. 16 / Iss. 39 on 04/21/2010 Mountain Xpress

When Jimmy Hunt relocated from Boone to West Asheville, he noticed a void. “That’s the part of town I live in. That’s where all my buddies live. That’s where I go out and have dinner and beer and walk my dog.” he says. “But there was no big festival.”

It’s a vacuum that comes and goes. West Asheville has been home to a number of music and arts street parties, such as the now-defunct West Fest, a short-lived turn with Fiesta Latina, and holidays-related gallery and boutique crawls. But Hunt — who started Music on the Mountaintop, an ecologically minded large-scale music festival in Boone three years ago — felt like what his new neighborhood needed was a local festival to call its own.

It was at Music on the Mountaintop that Hunt, who manages indie-rock band Do It To Julia, met Arieh Samson, who manages Yo Mama’s Big Fat Booty Band. Samson had been considering producing a funk festival in downtown Asheville; when he and Hunt brainstormed, All Go West Festival (to be held in West Asheville behind the Rocket Club and in front of Harvest Records) was born.

The event, which Hunt describes as “having multi-facets: music, art and beer” brings together some of the best of what the area has to offer. West Asheville, according to Hunt “is so friendly and has that hip scene. We’re going around to every business and saying, ‘This is what we have to offer. How can we pair up?'”

The result, for the inaugural year, is a collection of interactive nonprofit booths (plus, a portion of the proceeds from All Go West benefits the Dogwood Alliance), a Kidz Zone, food and a group of about 15 local artists, as well as music happening on two stages.

The bands, for this first festival, were hand-picked by Hunt and Samson. “We selected the bands based on what we’ve been digging the past couple of months,” says Samson. “I’ve been in the scene for five years now, and have fantasized about a festival. I knew what bands I’d start with.”

The culmination of playlists and fantasy rosters resulted in the Booty Band and Do It To Julia, of course, but also pop group stephaniesid, steel-pan fusion act Jonathan Scales Fourchestra, eclectic newgrass/rock outfit Brushfire Stankgrass, live-electronica bands RBTS WIN and Marley Carroll & The Melanaster Band, folk duo Underhill Rose, jazz/rock project The Archrivals, indie-folk groups Kovacs & The Polar Bear and Uncle Mountain, jazz-jam act Vertigo Jazz Project, indie-rockers If You Wannas, Voodoo Wedding and Open Windows, and Americana group Tennessee Jed Band.

“We really like this town so much that we just wanted to embrace it,” Samson says. “Instead of booking national acts, we’re giving back to the bands here that have been paying their dues.”

“We wanted to touch on every type of music that’s represented in Asheville,” Hunt says. Some genres (say, classical and world beat) aren’t on the list, but indie rock — often neglected at festivals in favor of crowd-pleasing funk and jam — makes its presence known. “One of our goals with this festival was to touch on the emerging music. There’s a new indie folk-rock scene coming out of Asheville right now,” Hunt points out.

…

And while festival-goers are sampling, there’s All Go West’s Asheville craft beer tasting from 12 to 3 p.m. While that particular aspect of the event is ticketed, it’s a great chance to pick favorites and check out new offerings. “The beer tasting was an idea I took from Blues & Brews,” Hunt says of the Telluride Festival. But — like the approach the All Go West organizers took with the bands — they decided to stay local in scope. “This event is all about staying local,” Hunt says

READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE: http://www.mountainx.com/ae/2010/042110lets_all_go_west

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