Global Jams

Toubab Krewe grows their sound around the world

No one can argue that Asheville, N.C.'s Toubab Krewe is not a "jam band." But their almost exclusively instrumental songs don't frame themselves around a guitarist noodling to oblivion, nor do they meander along aimlessly.

Toubab's music plays out like a Peruvian campfire held on the streets of New Orleans, led by Dick Dale and a kora player from the western Sahara. Similar to the way Manu Chao brings together the languages of the world to fuse a global sound, Toubab Krewe wears their influences directly into their hands and instruments.

In the five years since they officially formed in 2005, after many trips to Mali by the group's five members to study the Manding musical style, kora player Justin Perkins has familiarized thousands of listeners around the nation with the giant gourd/harp instrument he plays.

In their first release since the- self-titled 2005 debut, however, the band says fans can expect to hear a new side of Toubab Krewe. Recorded over six full weeks in August and September at Echo Mountain's new downtown Asheville studio, the yet-untitled 11-track record is scheduled for a spring release.

"The first week, we just jammed for an hour at a time, then we'd go back and identify seeds of songs, distill those and take them through the creative process," explains percussionist Luke Quaranta, talking to Preview from the tour bus in Austin, Texas, last week.

"It was exciting to break it down to that level, to forget about touring, forget promotions, forget marketing and everything else except the fact that we're great friends and we love playing music together."

The "blank slate" studio time, combined with the band's travels, already has led to changes in their live show. Guitarist Drew Heller played with an old-school Baldwin "Fun Machine" that Echo Mountain had on hand (along with a mixing board from London's Abbey Road Studios), leading him to incorporate keys into Toubab's traveling act. A week spent in Jamaica last year culminated in renowned reggae artist Earl "Chinna" Smith traveling with the group this summer and the band's recording of a traditional reggae track, "Fire," available at www.myspace.com/toubabkrewe.

"I've been to Africa for long periods of time, but I've never had that kind of culture shock as I did from that short time in Kingston," recalls Quaranta. "Maybe it was the partaking in the medicine or eating nothing but Ital food -- waking up to porridge and the best smoothies and root vegetables, and playing music around the clock. It was really inspiring to be around Chinna and be totally immersed in that environment."

Toubab's recent jam sessions don't stop there. Quaranta and drummer Teal Brown were invited to sit in with The Dead at Rothbury, performing in front of 30,000 fans with Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann. Last year, they took their performances as far as Alaska, Timbuktu, and Portugal. That sort of awareness and appreciation of Toubab Krewe's music is a sign that with a new studio album under their belt, its reputation and sound will continue to expand.

"Hopefully, people will hear Toubab Krewe right now and they'll hear us experimenting and growing," says Quaranta. "We're always finding different spaces and ways to express ourselves."

If you go

Who: Toubab Krewe with Mad Tea Party

When: Tonight 9 p.m.

Where: The Pour House, 1977 Maybank Highway.

Cost: $12 at www.etix.com, all Cat's Music and Monster Music locations.

Hear The Music: www.toubabkrewe.com

Info: 571-4343 or www.charlestonpourhouse.com.