Fri, Mar 25 - 9:30pm - $16

 Some music cannot be found on a map or within iTunes categories. Some music is so original it seems snatched from the great, invisible substrata that runs below all human activity, a sound aching to be born without a flag or fixed allegiance – free, questing, overflowing with immediate, tangible life. This is the music of Toubab Krewe, the vibrant Asheville, NC-based instrumental powerhouse that creates a sonic Pangaea that lustily swirls together rock, African traditions, jam sensibilities, international folk strains and more. While nearly impossible to put into any box, it takes only a few moments to realize in a very palpable way that one is face-to-face with a true original who recognizes no borders in a march towards a muscular, original, globally switched-on sound. Formed in 2005, Toubab Krewe has tenaciously honed their craft through relentless touring and a fierce dedication to carving out something they can truly call their own. The fruits of this hard work can be heard on their latest release, STYLO, (March 2nd, 2018). What Justin Perkins (kora, kamelngoni, guitar, percussion), Terrence Houston (drumset), Drew Heller (guitar, organ), Justin Kimmel (bass, keys), and Luke Quaranta (djembe, dunun, sangban, kenkeni, kryn, karenye) have wrought on STYLO reflects the many miles and musical journeys that have transpired since their last studio album, TK2. This is a band that actively draws inspiration from whatever source floats into their purview, something they've exhibited in their decade and a half of heavy gigging, including regular appearances at major U.S. festivals like Bonnaroo, High Sierra, Electric Forest, Wakarusa, Hulaween, and abroad at such legendary gatherings as the Festival In The Desert in Essakane, Mali, Shanghai World Music Festival, and Jam Cruise. Whether on their own or collaborating with luminaries like the Last Poets' Umar Bin Hassan, Uncle Earl's Rayna Gellert, or Weedie Braimah, Toubab Krewe has already earned the attention and respect of a broad musical community. Toubab carries echoes of African greats like Ali Farka Toure, Orchestra Baobab and Salif Keita, no doubt picked up during the group's travels to study and live in Guinea, Ivory Coast and Mali. But what truly differentiates Toubab Krewe from other Statesiders inspired by African music is how they innovate on what they've learned instead of simply recreating tradition. Toubab Krewe carves out a new trail honoring the African originators they admire by making something alive and contemporary. 

Rubblebucket sounds like a kaleidoscope looks -- a continually changing pattern of ebullient drum beats, harmonies and horn exclamations, led by the buoyant vocals and saxophone of Kalmia Traver and the hyperkinetic energy of trumpet player Alex Toth.The musical couple formed Rubblebucket in 2007 after finding like-minded players at an art opening in a defunct milk bottling plant in Burlington, VT. Discontent with playing the typical accompanying roles so often assumed by horn players, the two built an eight-piece band with a vision to create pop-friendly music that embraces skill, complexity and atypical arrangements. Of their sound, Kalmia says, "We're children of this noisy age, with access to so much music from across time and space. We soak up all the sounds... what comes out can be un-predictable, but it will be uniquely ours."After two years of non-stop touring, the group now calls Brooklyn home, even if it is just for short stints. Their inherently frenetic, communal performances are equal parts aural and visual. With often as many as ten people on stage including the usual guitar, bass, drums and keys plus trombone, trumpet, euphonium, sax, percussion and more, there is never a dull moment. The couple’s counterbalancing dynamic plays a big role. Kalmia rotates between hypnotic vocals and baritone sax while Alex indefatigably bounces from harmonies to a thundering floor tom to trumpet, which he often jumps into the crowd to play. By 2009 Rubblebucket had won a Boston Music Award for Best Live Act, while SPIN declared the group a "must-hear artist from the 2009 CMJs”. Meanwhile, their studio recordings show characteristics “of what’s been called the ‘Yes’ wave: an opposition to the ’90s ‘No’ wave, mainly consisting of people who are virtuosic on their instruments and focus on harmonious creations.” –Encore MagazineOn October 19, Rubblebucket continues this trend with the release of Triangular Daisies EP. The six-song set features a cover of the Beatle’s “Michelle” as well as the friendly, eponymous single, “Triangular Daisies”, written while the band took a brief time off from the road in the winter of 2010. Says Alex, “Love triangles occur on their own in nature. It’s sometimes sad, but it’s also true. Triangles are geometric and angular and pretty. We are triangular daisies. That is us: neurotic, deep feeling, love spirits filtered through trans-cosmic oblivion accumulators.” To coincide with the EP release, Rubblebucket have planned a “Triangular Tour” featuring a weekend in San Francisco, a two-night Halloween special in Burlington, and stops along the entire East Coast, from Maine to Bear Creek Music Festival in Live Oak, FL.