Help Save POPAsheville!

Annual North Carolina music fest/seminar needs a cash infusion.

By Fred Mills

Back in January we were telling you about the annual POPAsheville fest, a multi-day-event that brought a slew of NC, SC, TN and GA indie bands to various clubs in Asheville, NC, along with workshops and panels (this year featured keynote speaker Dave Allen, who was rousingly received). Kinda like a mini-SXSW or Mergefest, and indeed, a good time was had by all.

Now, according to a report in local newsweekly the Mountain Xpress, the event needs to preemptively raise about $15,000 if it's to continue operating into 2010. Founder Stephanie Morgan, frontwoman of BLURT faves stephaniesid (the band is one of our Best Kept Secrets; story here), is stepping down from her position as POPAsheville director in order to concentrate on her group, which is doing exceedingly well, nationally. Taking her place is Susanne Hackett, a longtime festival associate, so they need to get together the money in order to pay Hackett's salary along with other operating expenses. And they need to raise the funds by July 15.

"We know that it's a longshot to try raise the money so quickly," Morgan told the newspaper. "But there are so many people who care about it so much. We need a philanthropist or a business that's really looking to get its name out there."

Anybody willing to step up, or simply offer help, contact the organizers of POPAsheville:

www.popasheville.com

popasheville@gmail.com