ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: Nuevo Montuno

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NUEVO MONTUNO performs on the Eden Hall stage on Saturday May 10th @ 115AM EST. (See full schedule HERE)

THE STORY: NUEVO MONTUNO is a 9 piece Salsa Orchestra that draws inspiration from 1970's New York Salsa. Although based in Asheville NC, the group has Venezuelan, Puerto Rican, and American roots. Formed in 2005, Nuevo Montuno has been gigging around the Southeast, and pushing the Salsa movement forward wherever they go. Lush trombones, a superb rhythm section(conga, timbales, bongos, bass, piano), and clever improvisations by singer Manuela Soler give the group its infectious, tropical sound. Irresitably danceable!
* sonic bids


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ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: Akira Satake

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AKIRA SATAKE performs on the Lakeside stage on Saturday May 10th @ 1140pm EST. (See full schedule HERE)

THE STORY: AKIRA SATAKE first discovered the banjo through his older brother 's Flatt and Scruggs recordings while growing up in Osaka, Japan. After relocating to New York City in his early 20's he spent two decades honing his innovative banjo style in venues from Village clubs to Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall. He went on to master the shamisen (Japanese banjo) in his own original style, and has made it an important part of his repertory. Satake garnered international attention with his collection of original compositions, "Cooler Heads Prevail," and shared the 1998 German Music Critics ' Award for Best World Music Recording with Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. He has performed and/or recorded with such artists as Shawn Colvin, Jim Lauderdale, Hazel Dickens, Andy Statman, and Tony Trischka. He's produced award-winning CDs for Tim O 'Brien, Mamadou Diabate, Johnny Cunningham, and flamenco guitarist Gerardo Nunez. American banjo virtuoso Tony Trischka calls Satake "a brilliant banjoist with a split-level passion for the fiery breakdowns of southern Appalachia and the kaleidoscopic rhythms and melodies of World Music.


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ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: Big Sandy and his Fly-Rite Boys

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BIG SANDY & HIS FLY RIGHT BAND performs on the Eden Hall stage on Friday May 9th @ 1130pm EST. (See full schedule HERE)

THE STORY: Since forming in 1988, BIG SANDY AND HIS FLY RIGHT BOYS have emerged as one of the world's most respected practitioners of American roots music, western swing, rockabilly, and traditional country. They play it like they invented it. They've played the Grand Ole Opry and Late Night With Conan O'Brien and now we're excited that they'll be bringing their great old time rock and roll to LEAF. "I think of us as just a rock and roll band. A rock and roll band that's letting the roots show," says bandleader Big Sandy. The group ascribes to a vintage aesthetic from Kingsman's 1957 custom Magnatone guitar to Jeff West's stand up bass and Trimble's vintage kit, these guys play instruments that were used when this style of music was just coming into existence. Big Sandy & His Fly-Rite Boys transcend their genre the same way all iconic artists do by creating music so good, songs that are so well written, that the genre is simply a launching pad for the integrity of the art. This music is timeless.


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ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: Steep Canyon Rangers

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STEP CANYON RANGERS performs on the Lakeside stage on Sunday May 11th @ 245pm EST. (See full schedule HERE)

THE STORY: The STEP CANYON RANGERS have carved out a special spot in the world of bluegrass music, creating a sound that looks forward and backwards at the same time. First formed in the stairwells and kitchens of Chapel Hill, NC, the Rangers arrive from varied musical backgrounds. On stage and in the studio, Woody Platt, Mike Guggino, Charles Humphrey, Nicky Sanders, and Graham Sharp have perfected their ensemble approach using fierce dynamics and seamless harmonies. The Rangers base their sound around a stunning catalogue of original songs, drawing on the sounds of early bluegrass, honky tonk, and blues. In 2006 the International Bluegrass Music Association voted Steep Canyon Rangers the Emerging Artist of the Year.


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ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: Secret Agent 23 Skidoo

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SECRET AGENT 23 SKIDOO performs on the Lakeside stage on Friday May 9th @ 530pm EST. (See full schedule HERE)

THE STORY: "Secret Agent 23 Skidoo" is a seasoned musician who has performed nationally with a live hip hop band for over ten years. He has created a buzz amongst our LEAF staff and indeed with the Western North Carolina community for his fun vibe and positive message. His performances combine hip hop beats, reggae, bluegrass, funk, and blues with inventive word play aimed directly at a child's mind.


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ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: Latter Day Lizards

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LATER DAY LIZARDS performs on the Brookside stage on Friday May 9th @ 430pm EST. (See full schedule HERE)

THE STORY: The LATER DAY LIZARDS are a New England based dance band featuring a trio of musicians fervent with the desire and talent to ignite flames under dancing feet. With a wide ranging and hopelessly eclectic repertoire including everything from Irish and Scottish traditional jigs and reels to Balkan, blues and swing tunes (often juxtaposed next to each other) the Latter Day Lizards bring excellent musicianship, playfulness, drama and unrelentingly infectious rhythm to their dance performances. With Peter Barnes on piano, guitar and flute, Bill Tomczak on clarinet, sax and drum and Dave Langford on guitar and fiddle, they blend swing, rock-and-roll and jazz influences with traditional foot-stomping dance music to make an innovative, spontaneous and rhythmically inflammatory sound.


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PODCAST: Habib Koite Interview

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Scotty Why of WORLDSPACE channel WORLDZONE 100 recently had a chat with HABIB KOITE. They talked about Habib's 6 year hiatus from recording new music, his experience on the David Lettermen show, and his friendship with fellow LAKE EDEN ARTS FESTIVAL artist COREY HARRIS. You can hear the interview in this WORLDSPACE PODCAST...

WorldSpace Podcast: Habib Koite


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PODCAST:The Story of LEAF.

Today on his morning show, TED KELLY of WORLDSPACE channel UPOP 29 had as his guests the team from the LAKE EDEN ARTS FESTIVAL. They told him all about the event, the history, the performers and more. You can hear the interview in this WORLD MUSIC SPOTLIGHT...

World Music Spotlight: Lake Eden Arts Festival (LEAF)


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ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: The Great Bear Trio

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THE GREAT BEAR TRIO performs on the Brookside stage on Friday May 9th @ 10pm EST. (See full schedule HERE)

THE STORY: THE GREAT BEAR TRIO is quickly becoming one of the most exciting and talked about contra dance bands in the nation. With a strong and growing fan base in their native northeast, Great Bear is now bringing their unique brand of high-energy folk music to festival stages, concert halls and dance floors across the country. Brothers Andrew and Noah VanNorstrand are both still in their teens but display a mature and seasoned musicality beyond their years. The core of Great Bear's instrumentation has always been twin fiddles and piano (ably supplied by mother Kim) but the line up is frequently augmented by mandolins, guitars, banjo and an assortment of percussion including the African djembe and the Australian didgeridoo. Andrew and Noah compose and arrange the majority of Great Bear's material, drawing heavily on Celtic and Appalachian fiddling traditions for their melodies but with plenty of room for improvisation and an occasional alt-rock or world beat groove creeping into the rhythm section. There are also some new original songs in their repertoire now, a welcome addition to their well-known instrumental skills. Great Bear's distinctive sound has won them fans all over the continent and they are continuing to shape the face of contra dance music in the 21st century.


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ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: Nathan & The Zydeco Cha Chas

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NATHAN & THE ZYDECO CHA CHAS perform on the Eden Hall stage on Saturday May 10th @ 1130pm EST. (See full schedule HERE)

THE STORY: Nathan Williams plays zydeco, the fast and furious accordion-driven dance music of the Creole people of South Louisiana, a relatively modern style that emerged after the Second World War. With its trademark rubboard percussion, electric guitars and R&B influences, zydeco is distinct from the fiddle-driven music of neighboring Cajuns.

Zydeco is now a familiar sound to many, heard in commercials for mainstream companies such as Burger King and Toyota, and there are pockets of devoted zydeco dancers throughout the world. Yet, after its flush of national popularity in the late 1980s, which saw soaring sales of both zydeco and Cajun CDs, zydeco has in many ways faded from popular consciousness, retreating to the South Louisiana dance halls and festival gigs that sustained it all along.

If zydeco was a one-trick pony, that might be well and good. However, in the hands of a dedicated musician and songwriter such as Nathan Williams, zydeco is one of the most expressive sounds in roots music. Nathan’s down-home parables are delivered with surprising musical turns and a distinctive Caribbean lilt that reaches back to the very beginnings of Creole culture in Louisiana.


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ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: Charmaine Neville

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CHARMAINE NEVILLE performs on the Lakeside stage on Sunday May 11th @ 115pm EST. (See full schedule HERE)

THE STORY: Were CHARMAINE NEVILLE a baseball player, "triple threat" would be the phrase most bandied about. In this instance, multi-talented is an understatement. This brilliant singer, dancer, actress-comedienne is as sure to blaze a path to glory in the world of entertainment as the immortal Babe Ruth was to do in baseball.

Make no mistake, Charmaine will be long-remembered in her chosen world. From her cameo appearance in Taylor Hackford's Warner Brothers motion picture Everybody's All-American to Time Magazine's accolade as "best pair of lungs in New Orleans," to the PBS Lonesome Pine Special which featured her for the show's entire one hour duration, to a splashy photo layout in Vogue, to appearances in TV commercials ranging from Levi's 501 jeans to the crusty old New Orleans Times-Picayune, Charmaine is running all of the media bases.

Charmaine comes from one of those ubiquitous New Orleans musical families, in this instance the world-renowned Neville Brothers (her father is saxophonist Charles Neville.) But she is no mere flash in the genetic pan, for her world has included much study, careful thought, hard work and a dues card nearly ready to be stamped "Pain in Full."

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ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: David Wilcox

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DAVID WILCOX performs on the Eden Hall stage on Friday May 9th @ 9pm EST. (See full schedule HERE)

THE STORY: DAVID WILCOX's songs travel. Like a drive across America in an Airstream trailer; they offer up fascinating new places and ideas, along with time to drink in their meaning. That's no coincidence, by the way: the highly regarded singer-songwriter recently returned from two years of traveling with his wife and son in an Airstream trailer. "I thought, these songs were conceived and born in the trailer, why not record them there?" Wilcox said not long ago from his Asheville, N.C. home. Once we were home, we brought all the studio gear out into the Airstream and it sounded great.

At his personal half-century mark, Wilcox offers a thoughtful musical perspective informed by more than two decades of touring. Even during time spent traveling with wife Nance and son Nate in their shiny, vintage-appeal trailer, the in-demand performer broke off for periodic live shows. With this, his 13th album, he again delivers what his audiences want: music that connects with their hearts and souls, while opening new doors of experience.


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ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: Bambu Station

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BAMBU STATION performs on the Lakeside stage on Friday May 9th @ 1030pm EST. (See full schedule HERE)

THE STORY: BAMBU STATION says..."If you listen closely, you will hear the influence of everyone that has affected us positively. Our music is a vegetarian mix of us as individuals now bringing to the stage those ancestors and contemporaries that move us in many ways. Regardless of how much we own to doing tings our way, in our style, what comes out is a life's experience of listening, digesting and playing music. So who do we sound like?
We hope the world of the positive with a refreshing Bambu Station glow!"


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ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: Buille

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BUILLE performs on the Lakeside stage on Saturday May 10th @ 400pm EST. (See full schedule HERE)

THE STORY: BUILLE first came into being during the summer of 2004. It combines the unique talents of Niall Vallely on concertina, Paul Meehan on guitar and Caoimhín Vallely on piano. Their debut album was released on the Vertical label and consists mostly of new music composed by Niall Vallely. While based in traditional Irish forms, the music draws on a wide range of influences from the worlds of jazz and classical music in particular.


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ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: Javier Garcia

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JAVIER GARCIA performs on the Lakeside stage on Saturday May 10th @ 800pm EST. (See full schedule HERE)

THE STORY: The critically championed, multicultural musical style of JAVIER GARCIA may have a lot to do with his multicultural background. Born in Spain to a Cuban father and an Irish mother, García lived there until age 13, when he then moved to Ireland for two years before finally moving to Miami, where he stayed and made a nice home for himself amidst the city's thriving Latin music scene. While in high school, he formed a band with Jorge Moreno (winner of a Latin Grammy for Best New Artist in 2002) and Miami indie rock nightclub entrepreneur Aramis Lourie. García made a small splash in the Latin music scene with his self-titled debut album, released in 1997 by Fonovisa. The album spun off a pair of popular singles, "Tranquila" and "A Casa," and was successful enough to warrant a remix album a year later.

And that was it for a while. García didn't return to the recorded music arena until a long seven years later, in 2005. That year he returned with a new album (13) for a new label (Universal Music Latino). Before the album was even released, there was substantial buzz among critics, a great many of whom were raving about 13 and its kaleidoscope of generally tropical music styles: son, calypso, salsa, reggae, rock en español, rap, funk, and Latin pop, among others. And too, the album bore the stamp of super-producer Gustavo Santaolalla, who is very well known for his outstanding work with Café Tacuba, Juanes, and Julieta Venegas. Needless to say, 13 revived the long-quiet career of García, thrusting him again into the Latin music spotlight.


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ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: Big Sam's Funky Nation

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BIG SAM'S FUNKY NATION performs on the Lakeside stage on Saturday May 10th @ 1000pm EST. (See full schedule HERE)

THE STORY: Presiding over BIG SAM'S FUNKY NATION is Big Sam, formerly the trombonist for the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, who blows the funk out of his trombone and refuses to let the audience sit still. Between solos and trombone riffs, Big Sam second-lines (a uniquely New Orleans style of street-dance) and gets the crowd going both in movement and in replies to his call-and-response MC-style. A talented group of jazz-trained musicians makes up the Funky Nation, bringing with them the improv-style associated with jazz and the horn-heavy front section that's the hallmark of big band funk. Theirs, and Big Sam's, exuberant dancing and playing, afford them a rare opportunity to let loose. Big Sam's Funky Nation has undeniable personality, as well as masterful chops.


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ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: Corey Harris

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COREY HARRIS performs on the Lakeside stage on Friday May 9th @ 700pm EST. (See full schedule HERE)

THE STORY: Corey Harris has led the life of a musical explorer, traveling and listening all over the world. He’s performed at many of the world’s most well-known venues, including the Montreux Jazz Festival, London’s Royal Albert Hall, New York’s Lincoln Center, Washington, D.C.’s Kennedy Center, Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium and Tennessee’s Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival. As the star of Martin Scorsese’s segment of the PBS series, The Blues, Corey traveled to Mali to play with Ali Farka Toure, a voyage he repeated for his album of field recordings called Mississippi to Mali, in which he explored the connections between African music and the blues.

Born in Denver, Colorado in 1969, Corey Harris made two extended trips to Cameroon after graduating from college. He came home from West Africa determined to make his way as a musician, while he taught French at a rural Louisiana middle school. In the decade between 1995 and 2005, Corey released a string of critically acclaimed albums which firmly established this young lion as the most versatile blues and roots artist of his time. He has toured in Guinea and Mali, West Africa, as well as South America, the Caribbean, Europe, Japan, New Zealand and Australia. Most recently, Corey has released Zion Crossroads (Telarc, 2007), a celebration of roots reggae, Ras Tafari, Ethiopia, and the African continent. “…one of the most vibrant reggae albums to be released this year.” - Global Rhythm


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ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: Habib Koite

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HABIB KOITE performs on the Lakeside stage on Saturday May 10th @ 600pm EST. (See full schedule HERE)

THE STORY: Malian guitarist HABIB KOITE is one of Africa’s most popular and recognized musicians. Habib Koité was born in 1958 in Thiès, a Senegalese town situated on the railway line connecting Dakar to Niger, where his father worked on theconstruction of the tracks. Six months after his birth, the Koité family returned to the regional capital of west Mali, Kayes, and then to Bamako. Habib comes from a noble line of Khassonké griots, traditional troubadors who provide wit, wisdom and musical entertainment at social gatherings and special events. Habib grew up surrounded by seventeen brothers and sisters, and developed his unique guitar style accompanying his griot mother. He inherited his passion for music from his paternal grandfather who played the kamele n’goni, a traditional four-stringed instrument associated with hunters from theWassolou region of Mali. "Nobody really taught me to sing or to play the guitar," explains Habib, "I watched my parents, and it washed off on me."

Habib is a perfectionist, and spends a great deal of time composing and arranging his material. Recorded in Mali, Belgium and Vermont, his latest release...AFRIKA...finds Habib exploring new musical directions. The overarching theme of Afriki, which means “Africa” in the Malian Bambara language, is about the strengths and challenges of the African continent. “People here in Africa are willing to risk death trying to leave for Europe or the USA, but they are not willing to take that risk staying to develop something here in Africa,” says Habib. “Life can be really good or really bad wherever you live. People need to understand that. Even though Mali is poor, we still have good quality of life: You can walk outside and smile and someone will smile back. I have thought about it a lot, and I am not sure if poor countries have a worse quality of life.”


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JEB'S THOUGHTS: Bait Shop

Hey, it's JEB again.

Does anyone know of a good bait shop around Black Mountain? I really don't want to have to drive to Canton with the trout running because we didn't bring enough minnow plugs.

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: Nanci Griffith

Artist Website / Tour Dates / CD Store

NANCI GRIFFITH performs on the Lakeside stage on Sunday May 11th @ 415pm EST. (See full schedule HERE)

THE STORY: Whether performing her own poetically evocative material or the compositions of her influences, friends, and peers, NANCI GRIFFITH possesses a powerful gift for inhabiting the songs she sings - for communicating unspoken intimacy and heartache through her tender voice and lilting, delicate phrasing. At the outset of a career that has now spanned nearly three decades, Griffith first emerged as a writer of startling depth and subtlety, crafting sparse uncluttered vignettes that revealed a wealth of emotion in even the most humble of characters and settings. With her gifts as a songwriter lending invaluable insight, Griffith has also grown into a formidable interpreter of other people's songs, as demonstrated on such albums as the Grammy® Award-winning Other Voices, Other Rooms.

Her admirers are legion (Bob Dylan specifically requested that she sing “Boots of Spanish Leather” at his historic Madison Square Garden anniversary concert), and her awards appropriately numerous: five Grammy nominations, including a win for her gracious 1993 recording Other Voices, Other Rooms celebrating other songwriters, and two more for her dazzling performances on albums by The Chieftains. She has penned some of country music's most enduring compositions, including Emmylou Harris and Willie Nelson's “Gulf Coast Highway,” Kathy Mattea's “Love at the Five and Dime” and “Listen to the Radio,” and Suzy Bogguss's “Outbound Plane.” And Nanci was the first to record Julie Gold's Grammy®-winning classic, “From a Distance.”

Nanci Griffith travels well. Her musical journey has taken her from folk and country roots, to her own brand of "folkabilly"; from Austin’s Hole In The Wall bar to New York’s Carnegie Hall, Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry and London’s Royal Albert Hall; from an eight-year-old girl in Texas learning to play guitar from a television instructor to a woman of the world, visiting and performing in Vietnam, Cambodia and Kosovo in support of the abolition of landmines. Today, the journey of one of the most admired and acclaimed of singer-songwriters--a career marked by a beautiful voice, brilliant songwriting and uncommon emotional commitment--continues.


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JEB's THOUGHTS: Arrested Development

AMan, am I excited Arrested Development is back in my headphones. I vaguely recall a time (the early 1990s) in the not-so-seedy middle-belly of Montgomery County (located both geographically and morally in Gaithersburg) where I was the only kid my age I knew listening to rap (it was so lonely back then.) Of course, all I knew of rap was gangsta, mostly NWA and Onyx.
At the time, the guy who drove the bus to camp that summer, not unlike Otto from the Simpsons, was the coolest person I knew. He saw me switch from listening to what my parents were listening to (1950s rock 'n roll, folk and jazz) to hardcore rap, and he suggested there might be a middle ground, and even made me a tape. That tape? 3 Years, 5 Months & 2 Days in the Life Of... Listening to hip-hop that wasn't overtly violent and offensive, that proved the music could contain a message, it was like seeing in color for the first time.

I've never had the opportunity to see them live, but I cannot wait. We posted the video from "Tennessee" earlier, but I'm a bigger fan of "People Everyday". Whenever I listen to it, I can't help but think of other, more violent rap songs, and hearing a similar story but with the emotions behind the actions laid bare, and suddenly it all makes more sense. Enjoy.

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ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: Arrested Developement

Artist Website / MySpace / Tour Dates / CD Store

ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT performs on the Lakeside stage on Friday May 9th @ 830pm EST. (See full schedule HERE)

THE STORY: ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT Speaks thru music to the world. Speech, one of the vocalist for this collective says "Our people have been through so much turmoil and strife for hundreds of years now. We get on stage every night with the mission to broaden the perspectives and give inspiration to rise above the stereotypes and materialism." Unsurprisingly, then, the Grammy award winning group Arrested Development has been devoted to nudging folks in the direction of freedom and spiritual evolution for over 15 years.

The group describes their sound as "Life Music." A.D. respects women, and promotes family, spirituality and "male responsibility." They are about consciousness, the earth, African self determination and love. They define themselves as hip-hop artists but also just artists." They are dancers, vocalists, turntablist, drummers, and everything in between. Arrested Development is and has always been a communal music community with any number of talented members on board, picture your family reunion but more musical. Speech may be the most known member of the group, being the front man, but Dionne Farris, Eshe (Black Life), Rasa Don (Raz), Baba Oje (the elder), Nicha and many others have contributed much to this Kalidescope of image and sound.


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THIS IS JEB

(photo sent via mobile phone)


Jeb will be your WORLDSPACE BLOGGER. He will be updating this page with LEAF info, interview, photos, videos and more.

Leave a comment and say "hey" to JEB!

JEB'S EDIT: [insert maniacal laugh here.]

It has been my unfortunate experience that no amount of power is so small that it cannot be abused. Of course, I've never had autonomous power over anything, let alone something like a music and arts festival website, so I'm pretty excited to make Gomer Pyle-like gaffes on a global level. Feel free to follow along, as over the next month we'll (mostly I'll) discuss artists appearing at the festival, including our (my) personal favorites, vague recollections, my glowing opinion of their work, the occasional bit of LEAF news, and probably some very important information on how to buy their albums. Regardless, what's important is this is a place for you, the loyal (please?!) fans to discuss the festival, and heckle me mercilessly as I stand by the mountain, screaming out into the gaping maw of night. I'm just referring to the internet here, but it is an oddly apt metaphor for the hills of North Carolina.

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THE COUNTDOWN BEGINS

WorldSpace Satellite Radio officialy start our 30 day countdown to the 2008 LEAF festival.

Announcing MAY LEAF Featured Performing Artists: LEAF introduces you to culturally relevant entertaining acts from around the world that connect you to their specific “root” community and infuse the LEAF community with energy. Here is a sneak preview of the artists that will be creating the soundtrack for the LEAF weekend …drum roll please.... Nanci Griffith, Arrested Development, Habib Koite' & Bamada, Javier Garcia, David Wilcox, Charmaine Neville, Big Sandy & His Fly-Rite Boys, Buille of Ireland, Big Sam's Funky Nation, Corey Harris & The 5x5 Band, Contra with Great Bear Trio & Latter Day Lizards, Steep Canyon Rangers, Bambu Station of St. Croix, Nathan & The Zydeco Cha Chas, Rahim AlHaj of Iraq, Vincent Nsengiyumva of Rwanda, Kellin Watson, Ashley Chambliss, Agent 23: Skidoo, University North Florida Brass Ensemble, Akira Satake, Kumar Das and more listed on web. Schedule & full listing: www.theleaf.com/performers

LEAF is set apart from other festivals by the resplendent beauty of its location, dedication to community outreach, and a strong feeling of well-being bringing together all generations. Plus LEAF has over 50 different genres of arts to discover! LEAF highlights its global music line-up, however, the artistic and outdoor offerings of the festival is what truly makes it unforgettable. Come discover over 40 Healing Arts Workshops such as Yoga & Tai Chi, Folk Art, Juried Handcrafts, a National $1000 Poetry SLAM, Camping, an adventurous Zipline, Canoes, Kayaks, and Swimming, Talent Contest, Fiddle Contest, West African Mountain Drum Circles, over 30 Performers & Wacky Games in the Kids Village including Kids Bedtime Stories, Second Line Parades, Jam Sessions, Gourmet Food and more! Plus the Flying Trapeze, The Black Mountain College Barns have come to life as a venue, and LEAF has gone Solar with the Solar Sundance Stage. LEAF is full of suprises.

REACHING OUT locally & globally! LEAF in Schools & Streets has mentoring artists working in our local community to empower our youth through music & arts. LEAF International has collaborated to start music programs in Panama, Guatemala, Rwanda, Bequia, and Mexico teaching music to hundreds of indigenous youth weekly. For great stories about these enriching and powerful programs please contact Renee@theLEAF.com

LEAF is a non-profit organization established to build community and enrich lives through the Arts – locally & globally – with festivals, events, mentoring, and educational programs.
LEAF in Schools & Streets: Empowering Youth through Festive Arts.