The Laurel of Asheville Magazine
January 2008
Homegrown Music: The Asheville Music Scene
By Kim Clark

The music of Laura Reed & Deep Pocket

In a city as musically exciting as Asheville, it can sometimes be tough for a new artist to stand out from the crowd. But the buzz surrounding Laura Reed and her band Deep Pocket has been building for nearly a year.
            The release of the band’s debut CD, Soul:Music, has proven the interest well-deserved. A deft mixture of urban and world grooves, classic R&B sensibilities, positive lyrics, and Laura’s Erykah Badu-meets-Aretha Franklin vocals, Soul:Music more than lives up to its name.
            Born in South Africa and raised in the American South, Laura Reed comes by the soul in her music honestly. But her work demonstrates “soul” of a different type. Although just barely in her twenties, Laura seems to be almost shamanistic in her compassion for, and understanding of, her fellow humans. The story of “Enlightenment,” the first song she wrote, is telling.
            “I was 14, and my family and I had taken a trip to Puerto Rico. On the way back, we stopped in Miami. I walked around a bit by myself, and I met this man who was living on the street and was making flowers out of palm leaves and such. I ended up striking up a three-hour conversation with him. This guy really opened my mind to music and alternative ways of living. He told me his story—he was a Vietnam vet—and I started thinking about how he had touched me. That became the first song I wrote.”
            When asked if she makes a habit of initiating conversations with people that others may shun, she replies, “I feel that every person has a piece of the puzzle, and every person I speak with has a different experience and is able to pass on different knowledge. I ride the bus every day in Asheville, and I always end up having these fascinating conversations with people. Sometimes the people are kind of rough, maybe people I shouldn’t talk to, but those are the most exciting ones because they bring a different perspective.”
            I live performance, Laura Reed & Deep Pocket have been brining down the house at numerous venues and festivals around the area, but she says the most memorable shows for her are the ones they do at prisons.
            “At the beginning of a show, there are hundreds of these very stoic gentlemen sitting there staring at us, not knowing what to think,” Laura says. “By the end of the show, everybody’s all smiles. It’s a very high vibe and beautiful.”
            The band carefully chooses the material for the prison shows. “We pull out our songs that center on the one-love philosophy—unconditional love for all humanity,” Laura says. She wants to convey the idea that, “I may be this little singer over here that’s living in Asheville, but I feel connected with your path and who you are as a human being.” She adds, “By doing these concerts, it’s a way of reconnecting with these individuals who feel they have been thrown away by society. So we share songs with them that will uplift their spirits and give them hope.”
            One spin of Soul:Music will uplift any spirit, and fill the listener with hope that there’s more where that came from.

Kim Clark is the host of Local Color, a regional music showcase on 88.7 WNCW-FM, Fridays 9-11 P.M. and Sundays 7-9 P.M. You can reach her at kim@wncw.org.