POPAsheville began in 2003 as IdFest. Founder & Director Stephanie Morgan's band stephaniesid was trying to organize a way to host & showcase bands who had shown them so much hospitality during tours thru different cities. The first IdFest presented 5 bands and Steph made cookies and nice posters. It grew from there.
POPAsheville is now a 4-day, 30+ band indie pop music festival held at multiple centralized locations in Asheville, NC. Event locations include 3 prominent indoor music venues (The Grey Eagle, The Rocket Club, and Stella Blue), recording studios, and popular restaurants/bars. POPAsheville offers a unique entertainment shuttle bus on music performance evenings, hosts workshops, tours, and parties, and provides a well-rounded indie pop/rock experience for both musicians and music fans, all included in one wristband admission price.
POPAsheville is an original. Recently voted among Top Shows of 2008 in Mountain Xpress "Best Of" Poll (tied with the ever-popular Warren Haynes Christmas Jam), POPA pioneered the venue-based music festival trend in the musically-rich city of Asheville, NC. Over the last three years, POPA has grown from a modestly attended, 5-band evening (then called IdFest) to a ravaging feast of creative pop/rock. POP ‘A’ supported a very nearly sold out crowd in 2008; the festival expects a 2009 draw of nearly 1200 music fans, musicians, and industry reps.
POPAsheville supports a thriving scene for modern touring bands and recognizes the importance of community and information-sharing within this scene and within the surrounding region. In the midst of a highly transitional music industry, POPAsheville seeks to bolster partnerships between touring bands and to amplify Asheville's presence on the national modern music map.
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT POP Asheville
Mountain Xpress, POPA Workshops
Mountain Xpress, "This Weekend on a Shoestring"
Asheville Citizen-Times, Take 5
Listen to 105.9, The River and WNCW for more info on POP Asheville...and come hear for yourself!
