The New Case of the African Folk Revival

This show is one of the rare occasions when I get to promote a terrific African band that will be playing in Portland!

The band in question is Songhoy Blues, hailing from Mali. This 4-man combo plays a gritty, rock-infused variation on the desert blues sound popularized by Ali Farka Toure. They join acts such as Tinariwen, Sidi Toure, and Bassekou Kouyate at the front edge of a powerful folk revival movement in today's Malian music scene.

Songhoy Blues will play on Monday April 4 at the Doug Fir. Additionally, there will be a screening of a new movie about Mali's music scene on Thursday April 7 at the Hollywood Theater ("They Will Have to Kill us First"). This documentary reveals the struggles of musicians in Northern Mali due to bans on music imposed by an occupying force of Islamic fundamentalists... Songhoy Blues is featured. Both events are highly recommended!!

I will play several songs today from the recently issued Songhoy Blues LP, along with other tracks from today's folk revival movement in and around Mali. This will be one of those rare shows where all featured music has been made in the past 10 years. Modern ancient sounds on this episode of the Adventures.