The Reason for the Benefit

Why is it important to keep places like White Horse Black Mountain alive and well?

White Horse Black Mountain makes a difference in the lives of people.

The venue has been a huge asset for the people of Black Mountain and the surrounding areas of Western North Carolina. The venue has been praised by musicians, audience members, and members of the community for it's quality peformances and it's warm and welcoming spirit.

But it goes beyond that. White Horse Black Mountain has demonstrated that it truly cares about people and desires to make a difference in the lives of people; locally, regionally, and around the world.

During early March, White Horse Black Mountain held it's 2nd Help Haiti Heal Benefit event. Asheville resident and friend of White Horse, Lorin Mallorie, was in Haiti at the time and helped arrange and remote Skype broadcast of Haitian musicians who once again had a stage to share their lives and music with the world. Their performance was shown live on the huge screen at White Horse and White Horse arranged to have the performance webcast live ..... so that anyone in the world could see and hear the voices and music of Haiti.

Lorin Mallorie describes the impact of that event as follows:

On Saturday evening we stage a "live" concert via satellite call to White Horse Black Mountain, which is hosting a Haiti benefit. James Vergenau (aka Rebel) of the Haitian reggae band Yizra'el sings an original tune called "Mother Nature"; Jagat accompanies him on the hand drums. The smaller venues here are still closed for reconstruction, and it's Rebel's first performance since the quake two months ago.

They tell me the White Horse audience was in tears. But what stays with me from that night in Kenscoff is the look in Rebel's eyes, alive and inspired to once again be playing the music he loves — this time for a little town in far off America.





Ol Hoopty

Ol' Hoopty
www.olhoopty.com/


From the Asheville Citizen-Times:"Ol’ Hoopty is an Asheville based band that, like its namesake, runs as smoothly as a slant-six engine with a crankcase full of 10W-30 right out of the can. With a style that’s reminiscent of Little Feat, Medeski Martin & Wood, and Delbert McClinton, Ol’ Hoopty rocks the house with organ-based soul grooves and surprisingly smart original songs.

They might throw in a cover by Louis Jordan or Jimmy Smith, just before speeding off onto their own “Dumpsta Funk” or “World’s Changing”. The individual band members have played all over the US and Europe, opening shows for The Police, Iggy Pop, The B-52s, and a zillion others, but they now they spend their time writing and recording, and fixing their wrecked ol’ cars with duck tape and Bondo."

From Ol Hoopty:"We call it Organ-ic Rock 'n Soul, but it's really just a big, spicy gumbo of all the things we all grew up listening to. We like to take our time and keep that groove cooking, inspired as we are by people like Jimmy Smith, Booker T. and the MG's and the Muscle Shoals crew."

Ol Hoopty is:
Bill Norlin
Steve Cohen
George Scott
Mike Berlin
Crystal Bray