GAF 2012 Live Music Preview

I can’t even begin to tell you how excited I am about the musicians coming to this year’s Guest Appreciation Festival! If my boss would allow it, I would take the two days off, buy myself a pint of Noon Day IPA, (Nantahala Brewing is coming out for a beer-tasting on Friday from 5-8pm) and park myself at Slow Joe’s to enjoy the melodious bliss that will go long into the night. But since that's not an option, I wrote up the following preview to give you all a glimpse of the treats we've prepared for you.

Friday at 2pm, NOC welcomes Bryson City blue-grass legends, The Freight Hoppers. Bradley Adams and the band will treat you to hard-driving old-time music with an emotional, raw excitement that keeps one foot planted in the past and the other in the present. Looked at geographically, the Freight Hopper’s music can be said to span from Mississippi to West Virginia, and but it’s never more relevant than right here in the Smoky Mountains of Western North Carolina.

At 5pm, Vertigo Jazz Project will take the stage to help rid you of any outdated expectations you may have of what “jazz music” is or might be.  This Asheville band pulls its inspiration from many sources, including Latin, funk, and even pop music, and the result is an upbeat, original, yet studied sound that is truly 21st century. Be ready to dance!

Finally, Friday evening at about 8pm, don’t miss the Packway Handle Band from Athens, Georgia. To quote Splice Today, “The Packway Handle Band mixes dark themes and old-time religion with a uniquely modern folk aesthetic that pins down just what American music is all about.” PHB first won national acclaim as finalists at the Telluride bluegrass competition in 2002, and has been blowing away audiences around the country since 2006 with their thought-provoking lyrics and genuine sense of humor.

The Packway Handle Band, masters of alt-bluegrass, have been one of NOC's
most popular acts over the past two seasons. 

Saturday, when you come down from the Cascades, we’ve arranged to bring in Asheville’s Archrivals for your listening pleasure. Their jazz-rock fusion is made for chillin’ or for dancin’, so whether you’re looking to put your feet up and enjoy a cold brew, or ramp up your energy level for the long party ahead, you’ll enjoy this smooth, unique, groovy sound.

Then, at 8pm, the Secret B-Sides are back for an encore show from earlier this season. Old school R&B sensibilities coupled with a touch of funk and neu-soul make these guys are the reigning kings of soul in Western North Carolina. Juan Holliday and the band will fire up the tunes just as we light the bonfire to keep away the early-autumn chill.

The Secret B-Sides play their third GAF in 2012. The band's signature
funk sound always gets the celebration going strong.  

Both Friday and Saturday, after you’ve worn out the bands, stick around for NOC’s annual dance party, dj’ed by the good folks from Ride Garden. This September 28-29th, the music won’t stop till the first rays morning kiss the uppermost peaks of the towering smokies.