POPAsheville won’t happen in 2010

Sad news for the local music community, from the POPAsheville Web site:

“Hello, fans of POPAsheville. Thanks for your support of the festival over the last several years. We’ve had a great time, haven’t we? And not only that … the countless gig-swaps (one band plays for another’s crowd in their town, and vice-versa) are still happening, Asheville is much more firmly planted in the circuit of touring indie pop/rock bands, folks who can help with the business of starving bands are beginning to give more attention into Asheville, and for the first time (to my knowledge), three of Asheville’s premiere music venues shared one cause for the weekend: Bringing great area indie pop/rock bands to the eyes and ears of the community, who might otherwise turn outside Asheville for their musical menu. And bands were (we hope fairly) paid for their performances.   

Alas, we knew the “Save POPA” campaign was a long shot; since so many in the community were interested in having the festival continue, I thought we’d put out a beacon to see if we could raise the needed funds (see below for explanation). We were unable to secure the funding needed, and so we will not put on the festival in 2010. This is not to say that the fest will not continue again at some point; only that we have determined that continuing it this year, and doing it well, would stress the resources of the organizers a little too much, and we always want to be providing something that we can be really happy about. So we’ll see about the future.

For now, feel free to follow us on Twitter or sign up for our email list and we’ll keep you posted with any updates. In “parting”, I’d like to encourage you to support and enjoy live, original music whenever possible. Believe it or not, musical artists don’t make a lot of money (even bands you’ve heard of, even some in big places), and fans mean everything to us. :) stephanie.”

Contacted by Xpress, founder Stephanie Morgan added: “Good original music will continue, as long as there is a thriving connection between bands and fans. POPA has been one of the “helpers” for that connection in our city/region. I think that POPA’s ripple effects will continue to be helpful. And if the festival is meant to happen in the future, and the resources appear, we’ll be happy to POP again.”

SHARE

Thanks for reading through to the end…

We share your inclination to get the whole story. For the past 25 years, Xpress has been committed to in-depth, balanced reporting about the greater Asheville area. We want everyone to have access to our stories. That’s a big part of why we've never charged for the paper or put up a paywall.

We’re pretty sure that you know journalism faces big challenges these days. Advertising no longer pays the whole cost. Media outlets around the country are asking their readers to chip in. Xpress needs help, too. We hope you’ll consider signing up to be a member of Xpress. For as little as $5 a month — the cost of a craft beer or kombucha — you can help keep local journalism strong. It only takes a moment.

Before you comment

The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.

12 thoughts on “POPAsheville won’t happen in 2010

  1. Gordon Smith

    Thanks, POPAsheville for a lot of great memories and all that hard work.

    I’ll never forget Speedsquare rocking Man In The Mirror at the Rocket Club last year.

  2. Mysterylogger

    looks like, people decided it was that great to not throw money at it.

  3. Let’s hope for an eventual return of POPAsheville.
    In the meantime, let’s support the other local music festivals, venues, and musicians who are also facing financial challenges.

  4. Gratuitous

    It was a blur of warmth and music alternating with freezing smoke breaks and smiles everywhere. I remember skipping stops while on the Lazoom shuttle because the music and drunk vibe was so fun (thanks to Jim & Jen Lazon at least that can still be experienced from time to time). We need more winter music festivals to brighten the long nights. Can it be done on the cheap?

  5. AshevilleObserver

    “…and the suicide watch for the Mtn X A&E department begins in earnest.”

    What does Rock Thunderballs mean by this?

  6. Piffy!

    AO-it was a ‘snarky’ comment in reference to certain members of the MX A&E team’s, er, appreciation for the event in question…

    i think the implication is, these writers hope to ride the coattails of a successful artistic endeavor…right on out of this town…

  7. djmrthebest

    at this point i’m done with festivals in asheville. maybe its cause i just closed the kitchen at mellow mushroom on the first night of bele chere….

    maybe a weekend festival at ONE venue would be easier, more reasonable and more financially doable. just an idea.

    also everyone should watch New Bom Turks on youtube. sheeeweee

  8. The Rocket Club

    djmrthebest,

    you are wrong.

    Everyone should watch the New Bomb Turks live.

    They could rip a room apart, and are also nice humble guys off stage. The show they did at Emo’s in Austin last year with the Quadrajets was fierce. Or so I was told.

  9. djmrthebest

    wrong about the one venue thing? or watch the Turks live instead of on you tube? i’ll take what i can get. i heard that show in austin was just a one off reunion or something like that. i would kill to see them live

Leave a Reply

To leave a reply you may Login with your Mountain Xpress account, connect socially or enter your name and e-mail. Your e-mail address will not be published. All fields are required.