Lake Eden Arts Festival
Encyclopedia
Occurring twice a year since 1995, Lake Eden Arts Festival, based in Black Mountain, North Carolina
Black Mountain, North Carolina
Black Mountain is a town in Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 7,511 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Asheville Metropolitan Statistical Area. The town is named for the Black Mountain range of the Blue Ridge range in the Southern Appalachians.-History:Black...
has established a reputation as being one of the best festivals in the southeast. The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
recognized it in 2001 as, “The best cultural Mix and Match Festival in the nation”. The festival includes international and local music, handcrafts, dancing, cuisine, children's activities, outdoor adventures, drum circles, a zipline, canoeing, etc.
The next LEAF festival starts on May 12th 2011 and ends May 15th 2011
The home of LEAF, Camp Rockmont, has an intriguing history. Prior to becoming a camp, in the 1940s it was the site of the historic Black Mountain College
Black Mountain College
Black Mountain College, a school founded in 1933 in Black Mountain, North Carolina, was a new kind of college in the United States in which the study of art was seen to be central to a liberal arts education, and in which John Dewey's principles of education played a major role...
(BMC). Many of the century's most celebrated artists and thinkers attended the college as teachers or students: Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein was a German-born theoretical physicist who developed the theory of general relativity, effecting a revolution in physics. For this achievement, Einstein is often regarded as the father of modern physics and one of the most prolific intellects in human history...
, Robert Rauschenberg
Robert Rauschenberg
Robert Rauschenberg was an American artist who came to prominence in the 1950s transition from Abstract Expressionism to Pop Art. Rauschenberg is well-known for his "Combines" of the 1950s, in which non-traditional materials and objects were employed in innovative combinations...
, Anni Albers
Anni Albers
Annelise Albers was a German-American textile artist and printmaker. She is perhaps the best known textile artist of the 20th century.-Life:...
, Merce Cunningham
Merce Cunningham
Mercier "Merce" Philip Cunningham was an American dancer and choreographer who was at the forefront of the American avant-garde for more than 50 years. Throughout much of his life, Cunningham was considered one of the greatest creative forces in American dance...
, Rothko and Buckminster Fuller
Buckminster Fuller
Richard Buckminster “Bucky” Fuller was an American systems theorist, author, designer, inventor, futurist and second president of Mensa International, the high IQ society....
(who designed the first geodesic dome there). Prior to BMC, in the early 1900s, Edwin Wiley Grove
Edwin Wiley Grove
Edwin Wiley Grove was a self-made millionaire most famous for his "Grove's Tasteless Chill Tonic." In this chill tonic, which came out 1878, Grove found a way to bottle a quinine mixture that would eliminate the bitter taste...
(of the Grove Park Inn
Grove Park Inn
The Grove Park Inn is a historic resort hotel on the western-facing slope of Sunset Mountain within the Blue Ridge Mountains, in Asheville, North Carolina. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the hotel is an important example of the Arts and Crafts style...
and Grove Arcade) developed the land and constructed some buildings with his trademark native stone fireplaces. Prior to Grove, The Lake Eden Inn and Resort offered a getaway for people seeking its healing waters and rejuvenating air. The location also was home to the now defunct Black Mountain Music Festival, which was forced out of the venue when Jennifer Pickering, daughter of the then-owner of Camp Rockmont, organized LEAF, leading a number of people to the erroneous assumption that LEAF is the legitimate successor to the Black Mountain Music Festival.
LEAF in Schools & Streets is a non-profit collaborative outreach program bringing performing artists into schools and community centers for hands-on workshops, residencies, and interactive performances. The experience provides opportunities for youth to perform alongside resident artists on a national stage, with family members in the audience. The program provides participating youth with a diverse experience that includes workshops,performances, interactions with performing artists, and a festival adventure.
Past Performers
- Jeff OsterJeff OsterJeff Oster is an American brass instrument player who has recorded flugelhorn or trumpet with artists such as William Ackerman, founder of Windham Hill Records...
– Jazz HypnoGroove - Michael FrantiMichael FrantiMichael Franti is an American poet, musician, and composer. He is the creator and lead vocalist of Michael Franti & Spearhead, a band that blends hip hop with a variety of other styles including funk, reggae, jazz, folk, and rock...
– Hip Hop - Mamadou DiabatéMamadou DiabatéMamadou Diabaté is a kora player. He began playing quite early in his life, became known as a musician in the area of Mali in which he lived, and has since moved to the United States, recording several albums.-Life and career:...
- KoraKora (instrument)The kora is a 21-string bridge-harp used extensively in West Africa.-Description:A kora is built from a large calabash cut in half and covered with cow skin to make a resonator, and has a notched bridge. It does not fit well into any one category of western instruments and would have to be...
player - Mali - Llan de CubelLlan de CubelLlan de Cubel are a Celtic folk band from Asturias which specializes in researching, playing and recording Asturian folk music.Formed in 1984, the seven member group has been part of an overall revival and revitalization of Asturian traditional music...
- Spain - Los Amigos InvisiblesLos Amigos InvisiblesLos Amigos Invisibles is a multiple-Grammy nominated and Latin Grammy winning Venezuelan band that plays a blend of disco, acid jazz and funk mixed with Latin rhythms...
- Venezuela - Los Hombres CalientesLos Hombres CalientesLos Hombres Calientes is a New Orleans based jazz group. They are most associated with Latin jazz, especially Afro-Cuban jazz, and contemporary jazz...
– New Orleans - Havana Select - Cuba
- Inlakesh – Australia
- David WilcoxDavid Wilcox (American musician)David Patrick Wilcox is an American folk musician and singer-songwriter guitarist. He has been active in the music business since the late 1980s.-Career:...
- Folk - Inner Visions Reggae -Virgin Islands
- Jamuna - Russia
- Katuah Capoeira Angola - Brazill
- Kruger Brothers - Switzerland
- Les NubiansLes NubiansLes Nubians is an R&B Grammy-nominated duo composed of sisters Hélène and Célia Faussart from Paris, France. In 1985 the sisters moved with their parents to Chad. Seven years later, they returned to Bordeaux, France, and began singing a cappella, producing poetry slams in Bordeaux and Paris, and...
- France - FishboneFishboneFishbone is a U.S. alternative rock band formed in 1979 in Los Angeles, California, which plays a fusion of ska, punk rock, funk, hard rock and soul. Critics have noted of the band: "Fishbone was one of the most distinctive and eclectic alternative rock bands of the late '80s...
- punk - Mambo Brothers - Latin
- Marcia BallMarcia BallMarcia Ball is an American blues singer and pianist, born in Orange, Texas but who grew up in Vinton, Louisiana. She was described in USA Today as "a sensation, saucy singer and superb pianist.....
– Louisiana R& B - DervishDervishA Dervish or Darvesh is someone treading a Sufi Muslim ascetic path or "Tariqah", known for their extreme poverty and austerity, similar to mendicant friars in Christianity or Hindu/Buddhist/Jain sadhus.-Etymology:The Persian word darvīsh is of ancient origin and descends from a Proto-Iranian...
– Ireland - New Orleans Klezmer All Stars
- Ralph StanleyRalph StanleyRalph Stanley , also known as Dr. Ralph Stanley, is an American bluegrass artist, known for his distinctive singing and banjo playing.-Biography:...
& The Clinch Mountain Boys - Tim O’Brien - Folk
- The Holmes BrothersThe Holmes BrothersThe Holmes Brothers are a vocal and instrumental trio originally from Christchurch, Virginia. Mixing sounds from blues, soul, gospel, and rhythm & blues, they have released nine original albums, with two reaching the top 5 on the Billboard Blues Albums chart. They have gained a following by playing...
- Soul - Gokh-Bi System – Senegal
- The subdudes – New Orleans
- Le Vent du Nord – Canada
- Wild Magnolias – New Orleans
- Lonesome River Band - Bluegrass
- Richie HavensRichie HavensRichard P. "Richie" Havens is an African American folk singer and guitarist. He is best known for his intense, rhythmic guitar style , soulful covers of pop and folk songs, and his opening performance at the 1969 Woodstock Festival.-Career:Born in Brooklyn, Havens was the eldest of nine children...
– Folk Icon - Samba Ngo - Congo
- Samite of Uganda
- Shringara- Nepal
- Solazo – South America
- Tony TrischkaTony TrischkaTony Trischka is an American five-string banjo player.-Biography:Tony Trischka was born in Syracuse, New York, and graduated from Syracuse University with a B.A in Fine Arts, and was inspired to play the banjo in 1963, listening to the Kingston Trio's "Charlie and The MTA". Trischka was a...
Band - Bluegrass - Viva Quetzel – South America
- Wild Asparagus – Contra & Celtic
- Wild Mango - Latin
- Xumantra – Tibetan
- Lloyd Cannady & The Flying Clouds
- Foundation Stone - Reggae
- Freddie Branch and the Singing Stars
- Fuego Del Almo – Colombia
- New Orleans Klezmer All Stars
- Red Stick Ramblers- New Orleans
- Zulu Connection
- Toubab KreweToubab KreweToubab Krewe is an American instrumental band which fuses the music of Mali with American musical styles . The group's instrumentation includes kora , kamelengoni , soku , two electric guitars, electric bass guitar, drum set, and African percussion...
- The Mahotella Queens – South Africa
- Thomas MapfumoThomas MapfumoThomas Tafirenyika Mapfumo is a Zimbabwean musician known as "The Lion of Zimbabwe" and "Mukanya" for his immense popularity and for the political influence he wields through his music, including his sharp criticism of the government of President Robert Mugabe...
& The Blacks Unlimited – Zimbabwe - Yerba BuenaYerba BuenaYerba buena is a rambling aromatic herb of western and northwestern North America, ranging from maritime Alaska southwards to Baja California Sur...
- Cuba - Emeline Michele – Haiti
- BeausoleilBeausoleilBeauSoleil is an American musical group specializing in Cajun music. Based in Lafayette, Louisiana, the group members are brothers Michael Doucet and David Doucet , Jimmy Breaux , Billy Ware , Tommy Alesi , and Mitchell Reed .-Band history:Founded in 1975, BeauSoleil BeauSoleil (French, beautiful...
- Louisiana - Alex Torres y Orquesta Los Reyes Latinos – South America
- Maria MuldaurMaria MuldaurMaria Muldaur is a folk-blues singer who was part of the American folk music revival in the early 1960s...
& Blusiana Band - Folk - Jean-Paul SamputuJean-Paul SamputuJean-Paul Samputu is a singer, songwriter, and musician from Rwanda.Jean Paul Samputu has established himself as one of the most prominent African artists on the world stage...
& Ingeli - Rwanda - Odetta – Folk Icon
- Rebirth Brass Band – New Orleans
- Eileen Ivers & Immigrant Soul - Celtic
- Ricardo LemvoRicardo LemvoRicardo Lemvo is a DR Congolese singer of Angolan descent, based in Los Angeles. His music combines Cuban salsa with African rumba and soukous....
& Makina Loco – Congo/Cuba - Buckwheat ZydecoBuckwheat ZydecoBuckwheat Zydeco is the stage name of Stanley Dural, Jr. , an American accordionist and zydeco musician. He is one of the few zydeco artists to achieve mainstream success...
- Duckbutter w/ Sam BushSam BushSam Bush is an American bluegrass mandolin player considered an originator of the Newgrass style.- History :...
& John Cowan - Billy JonasBilly JonasBilly Jonas is a multi instrumentalist singer/songwriter best known for his brand of “funky folk music for the whole family”. He has produced concerts and recordings across North America since 1987. Jonas' original music is played on home-made "industrial re-percussion" instruments made from...
- Folk - Bernie WorrellBernie WorrellGeorge Bernard "Bernie" Worrell, Jr. is an American keyboardist and composer best known as a founding member of Parliament-Funkadelic and for his work with Talking Heads. He is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, inducted in 1997 with fifteen other members of Parliament-Funkadelic...
& The Woo Warriors - Carnavalito – Puerto Rico & El Salvador
- Robin & Linda Williams & Their Fine Group
- Linda Thompson - England
- Corey Harris - Blues
- Fairport Convention - England
- Chuck Beattie & Blues By Design
- Chuck Brodsky - Folk
- Enter The HaggisEnter the HaggisEnter the Haggis is a Canadian Indie/Celtic/Folk Rock world-fusion band based in Toronto, Canada. Commonly called ETH, the band has been playing and recording since 1996. Their latest studio album, "Whitelake" is the band's ninth album....
- Celtic - The Ghillies - Scotland
- Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown - Blues
- Cutumba - Cuba
- Dan Electro & the Silvertones
- Dan Hicks & the Hot Licks
- David Holt Band
- The Dead Poets
- Donna the BuffaloDonna the BuffaloDonna the Buffalo is a band from Trumansburg, New York. They play both originals and covers....
- File' – Louisiana
- Aaran Bebe Sukura – Ghana
- Deer Clan Singers w/ Pura FéPura FéPura Fé is a singer-songwriter, poet, musician, artist and social activist. She founded the first native women's a cappella trio, Ulali, and created a style and genre that blends traditional Native American music with contemporary musical styles...
– Native American - Ivan NevilleIvan NevilleIvan Neville is a multi-instrumentalist musician, singer, and songwriter. He is the son of Aaron Neville and nephew to members of The Neville Brothers....
’s Dumpstaphunk- New Orleans - Cyrill Neville’s Tribe 13- New Orleans
- Martha RedboneMartha RedboneMartha Redbone is a musician of part Shawnee, Choctaw and African-American descent. She has won awards for her contemporary Native American music. Her music is a mix of rhythm and blues, and soul music influences, fused with elements of traditional Native American music...
- Bohola- Irish
- Bela FleckBéla FleckBéla Anton Leoš Fleck is an American banjo player. Widely acknowledged as one of the world's most innovative and technically proficient banjo players, he is best known for his work with the bands New Grass Revival and Béla Fleck and the Flecktones.-Early life and career details:Fleck was born in...
- The Greencards- Bluegrass
- ScythianScythian (band)Scythian is a Celtic/Celtic rock band based in the DC Metro Area that formed in 2002 and went full-time in 2004. Their latest studio album, "American Shanty," is the band's fourth album...
- Celtic Rock with Gypsy flavor - Rising Appalachia- World Music/Spoken Word/Bluegrass
- Ben SolleeBen SolleeBen Sollee is a cellist and vocalist known for his percussive playing style, genre hopping songwriting, wide appeal, and political activism. His music incorporates banjo, guitar, percussion and unusual cello techniques to create a unique mix of folk, bluegrass, jazz and R&B.-Musical career:Raised...
- genre-bending percussive cellist - ChirgilchinChirgilchinChirgilchin, meaning "dance of the air in the heat of the day" or "miracle" in Tuvan, is a group of Tuvan musicians performing traditional Tuvan music. It was established in 1996....
- Throat Singers - TuvaTuvaThe Tyva Republic , or Tuva , is a federal subject of Russia . It lies in the geographical center of Asia, in southern Siberia. The republic borders with the Altai Republic, the Republic of Khakassia, Krasnoyarsk Krai, Irkutsk Oblast, and the Republic of Buryatia in Russia and with Mongolia to the...