While nearly impossible to put into any box, it takes only a few moments to realize that one is face-to-face with a true original who recognizes no borders and marches towards a vibrant, globally switched-on sound. Enter Toubab Krewe, a band who celebrates their sonic Pangaea of sound by masterfully intertwining rock, African traditions, jam sensibilities, and international folk strains with the traditional Appalachian strings of their Asheville, NC roots. “Toubab Krewe has such a visceral, ear-yanking quality that in the band’s capable hands you just might find your definitions of what is/is not rock n’ roll and worldbeat being completely rewritten,” says Blurt Magazine. “This is the sound of liberation.”
Bursting with free, questing, and overflowing life, childhood friends Justin Perkins (Kora, Kamelngoni, guitar, percussion), Drew Heller (guitar, piano, fiddle), and Luke Quaranta (Djembe, percussion), along with Justin Kimmel (bass), and Terrence Houston (drums) are carving out a new trail honoring the African originators they admire by making something alive and contemporary. The quintet has tenaciously honed their craft through heavy gigging and travels in Guinea, Ivory Coast and Mali. Their regular appearances at major U.S. festivals include Bonnaroo, High Sierra, Rothbury and Wakarusa, and abroad at such legendary gatherings as Festival In The Desert in Mali.