LEAF Announces Their 37th Festival Lineup

Article Contributed by LEAF | Published on Friday, July 5, 2013

LEAF is proud to announce the lineup of performing artists for the Fall 2013 LEAF Festival, taking place October 17-20, 2013 in Black Mountain, NC. Headlining the 37th festival is the unique blend of voodoo mysticism, funk, rhythm & blues, psychedelic rock and Creole roots that is Dr. John & The Night Trippers; Belgian polyphonic Afrobeat queen Zap Mama; the voice of a country and the son of a legend, Mali’s Vieux Farka Toure; and Western North Carolina’s own folk rockers, Acoustic Syndicate, performing an official record release show for their first album in almost a decade.Take a sampling of folkloric flavors this Fall:  the roux of New Orleans [Soul Rebels Brass Band, 101 Runners] and Cajun Country [BeauSoleil avec Michael Doucet]; the spicy Latin heat of Grammy-winners Grupo Fantasma and salsa/cumbia/timba dance band Orquesta GarDel; nostalgic nuances of soul & vocal jazz from the James Hunter Six and Lake Street Dive; a hint of Hebrew with New York’s Metropolitan Klezmer; an essence of East Africa with Uganda’s Samite; and right back to the rootsy aura of Appalachia with some familiar favorites [John Cowan Band and Rising Appalachia].These artists and others provide a soundtrack that is only a portion of the LEAF experience. Combining a great diversity of names and faces with a myriad of dancing [Contra, Latin, Cajun, Bhangra], poetry and puppetry slams, healing arts workshops, folk art & handcraft exhibitions, camping/watersports/outdoor adventure, and the LEAFlet Kid’s Village [a festival in and of itself], LEAF never ceases to offer new and exciting cultural connections.The Fall LEAF 2013 Performing Arts Lineup:Dr. John & the Nite Trippers • Zap Mama • Vieux Farka Toure • Acoustic Syndicate [Album Release Show]Soul Rebels Brass Band • Grupo Fantasma • James Hunter Six • BeauSoleil avec Michael Doucet • John Cowan Band • Rising Appalachia • King Britt • Lake Street Dive • 101 Runners • The BlueBrass ProjectContra with Giant Robot Dance & Rodney Miller’s Rhythm Raptors, called by Sarah VanNorstrand & Maggie Jo Saylor • Late-Night Techno Contra with DJ Jor-D • LEAF International Bequia Youth with Steel Pans • Dirty Bourbon River Show • Robin & Linda Williams • Underhill Rose • Orquesta GarDel • Samite of Uganda • Richard Wood & Gordon Belsher of Prince Edward Island • Metropolitan Klezmer • The Moon and You • Hobey Ford’s Goldenrod Puppets • and SO MUCH MORE to be announced, including the full LEAFlet Kid’s Village lineup and the LEAF Schools & Streets Resident Teaching Artists programs!Tickets and volunteering opportunities are available through LEAF’s website or by calling the LEAF office at 828-686-8742. Tickets are sold in advance only, so get yours today!LEAF, a non-profit organization, builds community and enriches lives through the arts – locally and globally – with festivals, community events, and arts in education programs. LEAF’s mission is Connecting Cultures & Creating Community Through Music & Arts. LEAF’s three main branches include the twice-a-year festival, LEAF Schools & Streets, and LEAF International.