Program April 1, 2015

March 31, 2015, 8:51 pm

≫ Next: June 2015 Concert Calendar

≪ Previous: Charts March 30, 2015

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June 2015 Concert Calendar

April 1, 2015, 8:11 pm

≫ Next: The Very Best | Makes A King

≪ Previous: Program April 1, 2015

Have an event you'd like me to include, or a suggestion for the concert calendar? Just drop me a line at globalagogoradio [at] gmail [dot] com, or leave me a message right here.

Click "Read more" to see the entire June calendar.

Thursday Jun 4
Michael Franti & Spearhead at the Fillmore (Silver Spring)
http://www.fillmoresilverspring.com

Friday Jun 5
Bio Ritmo and Butcher Brown at the Broadberry (Richmond)
http://www.thebroadberry.com/calendar

Calexico at the 9:30 Club (DC)
http://www.930.com/concerts

Ottmar Liebert & Luna Negra at the Birchmere (Alexandria)
http://www.birchmere.com/calendar

Saturday Jun 6
Rattlemouth at Crossroads Coffee & Ice Cream (Richmond)
http://www.crossroadsrva.com/calendar.html

Stooges Brass Band and Black Masala at Artisphere (Arlington)
http://www.artisphere.com/calendar/music.aspx

Sunday Jun 7
Beenie Man at the Canal Club (Richmond)
http://www.thecanalclub.com

Thursday Jun 11
Paquito D'Rivera Quintet at the Hamilton (DC)
http://live.thehamiltondc.com/listing

Sunday Jun 14
Stephane Wrembel's Django-A-Go-Go at the Birchmere (Alexandria)
http://www.birchmere.com/calendar

Friday Jun 19
Hotel X at Crossroads Coffee & Ice Cream (Richmond)
http://www.crossroadsrva.com/calendar.html

Sunday Jun 21
DJ Spooky's Electric Imaginary: Compositions Inspired By Nam June Paik at Meyer Auditorium (DC)
http://www.asia.si.edu/events/performances.asp

Saturday Jun 27
King Sunny Ade & His African Beats at the Howard Theatre (DC)
http://thehowardtheatre.com/calendar

Sunday Jun 28
Amadou Kouyate at Hill Center (DC)
http://hillcenterdc.org/home/programs/2270

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The Very Best | Makes A King

April 5, 2015, 9:33 pm

≫ Next: Le Vent Du Nord | Tetu

≪ Previous: June 2015 Concert Calendar

ARTIST: The Very Best
TITLE: Makes A King
LABEL: Moshi Moshi
The Very Best is a London-based duo of Malawian singer Esau Mwamwaya and Swedish producer Johan Hugo; they recorded their third album (they also have two full-length mixtapes to their credit) on the shores of Lake Malawi. Hugo is so fluent that he could be Max Martin if he wanted to be; instead of working for Taylor Swift, he’d rather apply beats and hooks to Mwamwaya’s Chichewa-language lyrics and gospel-inflected singing. One of the pleasures of this project is that while their music is oriented toward first-world listeners and dance floors, their sound is always essentially southern African. Track 6, for example, isn’t just good old-fashioned deep house -- it’s kwaito, South Africa’s twist on the genre. 8 and 13 have kwaito elements as well, but Hugo adds so many hooks that they function more like pop than EDM. 2 is a spooky ballad with a gorgeous chorus and perhaps Mwamwaya’s best vocal performance. And 3 is an anthem, the kind of song you’d hear blasting out of cars and boom boxes all summer long if the universe were in better balance. This is first-rate global African pop that deserves a wide audience.
TOP TRACKS: 2 3 6 8 13
ALSO RECOMMENDED: 4 10 11

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Le Vent Du Nord | Tetu

April 5, 2015, 9:40 pm

≫ Next: Buena Vista Social Club | Lost And Found

≪ Previous: The Very Best | Makes A King

ARTIST: Le Vent Du Nord
TITLE: Tetu
LABEL: Borealis
Richmond music fans might be well acquainted with Le Vent Du Nord (The North Wind): the French-Canadian folk quartet has highlighted two editions of the Richmond Folk Festival, most recently last year’s. If you’ve heard them, you know that “folk” is an insufficient descriptor. This band digs deep into the dance grooves of Quebecois traditional music; even without a drummer (to be accurate, fiddler Olivier Demers provides stomp-box percussion), they rock like crazy. Exhibits A and B in that regard are tracks 2 and 5, original compositions by hurdy-gurdy player Nicolas Boulerice that are propulsive like the plugged-in folk-rock of Fairport Convention or The Byrds. They take traditional material in a similar direction: track 1 is simultaneously mournful and driving, with spare jaw harp accompaniment giving way to a powerful hurdy-gurdy drone. 3 and 8 highlight the Celtic elements that are a key building block of French-Canadian music. One of the secrets to this band’s success in its singing – all four players are excellent singers, switching effortlessly between the lead and the chorus. This exemplary album shows why Le Vent Du Nord is tops in its class.
TOP TRACKS: 1 2 3 5 8
ALSO RECOMMENDED: 4 6 7 9 10 12-13-14 (medley) 15

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Buena Vista Social Club | Lost And Found

April 5, 2015, 9:42 pm

≫ Next: Charts April 6, 2015

≪ Previous: Le Vent Du Nord | Tetu

ARTIST: Buena Vista Social Club
TITLE: Lost And Found
LABEL: World Circuit
Orquesta Buena Vista Social Club (BVSC) is on a farewell world tour, so World Circuit has gone to its archives to find previously unreleased tracks from the artists who made old-fashioned Cuban music an unexpected worldwide sensation. To no one’s surprise, there’s plenty of good stuff in the vaults. The best moments here, for me, belong to Omara Portuondo; her takes on “Tiene Sabor” (track 3) and “Lagrimas Negras” (12) are exemplary: simple, direct and without excessive ornament. 11 is Ibrahim Ferrer’s banda gigante breathing fire on an Arsenio Rodriguez classic, live in concert. Equally hot is 8, where the Cubans make their reply to New York’s Alegre All Stars’ urbanized version of guajira; they start out with a sedate reading, but when Miguelito Valdes launches into his trumpet solo, the band kicks it up a few notches. My favorite BVSC material has always been the son oriental : “Chan Chan” is the most famous example. 2 is a duet vocal by Compay Segundo and Eliades Ochoa that must have been left off the original 1997 album just because there was so much son already. This isn’t warmed-over leftovers – it’s a satisfying Cuban meal.
TOP TRACKS: 2 3 8 11 12
ALSO RECOMMENDED: 4 5 10

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Charts April 6, 2015

April 7, 2015, 9:02 am

≫ Next: Program April 8, 2015

≪ Previous: Buena Vista Social Club | Lost And Found

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Program April 8, 2015

April 7, 2015, 8:16 pm

≫ Next: Charts April 13, 2015

≪ Previous: Charts April 6, 2015

electricjive.blogspot.com

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Charts April 13, 2015

April 14, 2015, 12:22 pm

≫ Next: Program April 15, 2015

≪ Previous: Program April 8, 2015

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Program April 15, 2015

April 14, 2015, 12:51 pm

≫ Next: Charts April 27, 2015

≪ Previous: Charts April 13, 2015

Photo by Alyssa C. Salomon

Richmond Independent Radio's Spring 2015 Fund Drive is currently underway; it continues through Tuesday April 21. We're intending to raise $35,000 in this spring's drive, which will keep WRIR doing all the great things it does 24/7 for the next six months.

We'd really appreciate your support in keeping community radio radio strong in Richmond -- WRIR is celebrating its tenth anniversary this year, and we're building to make the next ten years even better. You can make a donation in one of three ways:

By visiting our secure online donation site at http://bitly.com/Donate2Wrir
By calling 804-622-9747
Or by visiting us in person at 1621-B W. Broad Street (2nd floor)

As always, I have something special lined up for my listeners during the fund drive. The Afro-Zen Allstars, one of Richmond's most exciting new bands, will be performing live on Global A Go-Go on Wednesday April 15; the band is scheduled to hit the airwaves at 3:15 PM.

Afro-Zen is an octet led by George Lowe, formerly of Rattlemouth; the band plays George's arrangements of classic African material by Mulatu Astatke, Thomas Mapfumo, Bembeya Jazz and others. And it's a true all star ensemble, featuring members of some of Richmond's most illustrious groups: Bio Rimo, No BS! Brass, Hotel X and many more.

As a special incentive to get you to donate, I will personally match the first $500 that is donated during my program, starting on Wednesday at 3 PM. So put my money where my mouth is -- donate during Global A Go-Go and your contribution will be doubled. And don't forget to tune in, on the airwaves at 97.3 FM or online at http://wrir.org/tunein.

Thank you for your support in the past, and thank you for considering making a donation during WRIR's Spring 2015 Fund Drive!

Follow me below the fold, if you'd like, for a little more inspiration ...

Last weekend, I told a story at Secretly Y'all's "Spin Richmond" event at Plan 9 Music. I talked about how difficult it was back in 1981 (the year I moved here, and coincidentally the year Plan 9 opened) to navigate Richmond's creative scene. It turned out there was plenty of cool stuff happening -- it was just hard to find out about it if you weren't already in the know.

Talk about a 180 -- in 2015 Richmond's creative community is seemingly at the center of every discussion. Whether it's food, music, visual arts, urban development, education or even history, Richmond's DIY (Do It Yourself) cultural creatives are now one of the first things you think of when you think RVA.

And Richmond has its own DIY radio station -- WRIR 97.3 FM, Richmond Independent Radio, the megaphone of the people (see photo above). Many communities now have low-power FM stations (and many more will get one in the next few years), but few of them are like WRIR: broadcasting 24/7/365, powered by 200 volunteers, creating 121 hours of original programming every week, open to participation from any community member, funded by a thousand individual donors each year.

DIY radio means DIY funding, of course: it wouldn't be Richmond Independent Radio if the bills were paid by the government, or by a hedge fund billionaire, or by ads from Proctor & Gamble -- it would be Richmond Wholly-Owned-Subsidiary Radio. That means you the listener, you the member of the creative community, you the person who benefits from a true media alternative -- you are the person we rely on to help us pay the bills.

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Charts April 27, 2015

April 27, 2015, 8:35 pm

≫ Next: Program April 29, 2015

≪ Previous: Program April 15, 2015

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Program April 29, 2015

April 28, 2015, 7:12 pm

≫ Next: Charts May 4, 2015

≪ Previous: Charts April 27, 2015

Photo at University of Richmond's Booker Hall by WRIR's own DJ Carlito

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Charts May 4, 2015

May 5, 2015, 9:13 am

≫ Next: Titi Robin & Mehdi Nassouli | Taziri

≪ Previous: Program April 29, 2015

Photo by John Bosch

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Titi Robin & Mehdi Nassouli | Taziri

May 11, 2015, 6:55 pm

≫ Next: Mazhar Ve Fuat | Turkuz Turku Cagiririz!

≪ Previous: Charts May 4, 2015

ARTIST: Titi Robin & Mehdi Nassouli
TITLE: Taziri
LABEL: World Village
French guitarist Thierry “Titi” Robin is virtually unknown in the USA; hopefully this new album will go a little way toward righting that injustice. Robin has been developing his unique pan-Mediterranean style for more than 30 years; elements of Indo-Pakistani, Roma, Amazigh (Berber), Turkish and Western European musical culture all figure in his playing (on guitar and bouzouki) and composing. He’s an inveterate collaborator, and for this project he’s brought in young Moroccan singer-sintir (bass lute) player Mehdi Nassouli to augment his working trio of accordionist Francis Varis and percussionist Ze Luis Nascimento. The results are stunning: the album is beautiful, tuneful and especially soulful all the way through. Track 1, a Robin-Nassouli duet, sets the stage with its lovely melody and sympathetic duo improvisation. 2 and 8 (the latter is built on the same bass riff as 1) feature the full quartet. The tracks with an expanded band (featuring the Berber ribab fiddle and a trio of Flamenco dancer-percussionists) are even better: 7 has a Celtic feel and 4 is the same kind of tuneful gnawa music that Aziz Sahmaoui has been making lately. Superb.
TOP TRACKS: 1 2 4 7 8
ALSO RECOMMENDED: 3 5 6 9

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Mazhar Ve Fuat | Turkuz Turku Cagiririz!

May 11, 2015, 7:00 pm

≫ Next: Thomas Mapfumo | Lion Songs: Essential Tracks In The Making Of Zimbabwe

≪ Previous: Titi Robin & Mehdi Nassouli | Taziri

ARTIST: Mazhar Ve Fuat
TITLE: Turkuz Turku Cagiririz!
LABEL: Shadoks Music
The continuing crate-dive into all things Turkish from the 1960s and 1970s has surfaced this folk-rock gem. Mazhar Alanson and Aziz Fuat Guner got together over a shared interest in the Beatles’ Rubber Soul; after working with Baris Manco they went out on their own (they would later add Ozcan Ugur to the group and rename themselves MFO; that combo is one of Turkey’s most enduring) and recorded their only duo album in 1973. By that point the Laurel Canyon sound and especially Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young had become a big influence on Mazhar & Fuat – check out 10, the only English-language song here. They were also clearly listening to British folk-rock bands like Fairport Convention, as you can tell from the introduction to 4. The influence is in the reverse direction on 5, whose introduction, verses and guitar bridge are so similar to Richard & Linda Thompson’s “Did She Jump Or Was She Pushed?” that it couldn't be a coincidence. There are two true classics here: 7 has an unbelievably gorgeous psych-folk melody, and the title track (1) is a fine a slice of Turkish folk-rock as anything Baris Manco or Erkin Koray ever recorded. Easily one of my favorite Turkish reissues of the current wave.
TOP TRACKS: 1 4 5 7
ALSO RECOMMENDED: 2 6 8 10 11

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Thomas Mapfumo | Lion Songs: Essential Tracks In The Making Of Zimbabwe

May 11, 2015, 7:04 pm

≫ Next: Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba | Ba Power

≪ Previous: Mazhar Ve Fuat | Turkuz Turku Cagiririz!

ARTIST: Thomas Mapfumo
TITLE: Lion Songs: Essential Tracks In The Making Of Zimbabwe
LABEL: Lion Songs
For his revolutionary music and importance to his nation’s culture and politics, Zimbabwe’s Thomas Mapfumo sits in the pantheon of modern African musical heroes. Afropop Worldwide’s Banning Eyre has written what will probably be Mapfumo’s definitive biography; this recording is that book’s audio companion. It includes 14 songs from across Mapfumo’s career (a career that continues today, from exile in Oregon) and nine brief excerpts of interviews Eyre has conducted with Mapfumo over the last 30 years. Every song here is a classic; here are a few suggestions to winnow them down. From the pre-Zimbabwe era, try track 3 by the Acid Band; 9 is from the brief, buoyant post-independence period. 11 and 14 document Mapfumo’s (and his nation’s) loss of innocence as he realizes the revolution is going horribly and inexorably wrong; for me, this is the most important and moving phase of his career. Track 16, recorded live at SOB’s in New York, captures the energy and excitement of the Blacks Unlimited at their height. And 23, from 2010, is one of the masterpieces of Mapfumo’s criminally neglected Oregon years. Long live Mukanya, the lion of Zimbabwe!
TOP TRACKS: 3 9 11 14 16 23
ALSO RECOMMENDED: all are recommended without reservation

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Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba | Ba Power

May 11, 2015, 7:08 pm

≫ Next: Khaira Arby | Gossip

≪ Previous: Thomas Mapfumo | Lion Songs: Essential Tracks In The Making Of Zimbabwe

ARTIST: Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba
TITLE: Ba Power
LABEL: Glitterbeat
If you’ve seen Mali’s Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba in concert (they’ve toured the USA extensively and have played in Richmond twice), you know they’re one of the most powerful, electric bands on any continent. Now they’ve made an album that captures the power of their live shows. Their fourth album is produced by Glitterbeat founder Chris Eckman, a rock musician in his own right (The Walkabouts) as well as an Afro-rock enthusiast; he helped Tamikrest achieve a new level of crackling intensity on 2013’s Chatma, and he’s done the same for Ngoni Ba here. Almost all the energy here is calabash-generated: the four ngoni, two percussionist lineup is augmented by trap drummer Dave Smith (of Robert Plant’s band) on four tracks and trumpeter Jon Hassell (Brian Eno) on one. The ngonis are pickup-miked and Bassekou routes his through a blizzard of effects; “the Hendrix of the [instrument name here]” tag is a cliché, but for once it’s apt. The album is short, sweet and to the point: start with track 1, certainly the most intense song Kouyate has yet waxed, it’s a blast of Malian punk rock. 2, 5 and especially 6 are close behind in intensity. Don’t miss this one.
TOP TRACKS: 1 2 5 6
ALSO RECOMMENDED: 3 4 7 8 9

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Khaira Arby | Gossip

May 11, 2015, 7:17 pm

≫ Next: Charts May 11, 2015

≪ Previous: Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba | Ba Power

ARTIST: Khaira Arby
TITLE: Gossip
LABEL: Clermont Music
This is the fifth album by Khaira Arby, Mali’s diva of the desert, and it’s a powerhouse. Arby is from the Songhai ethnic group, from the Timbuktu region, and she’s a cousin by marriage of the most famous Songhai musician, Ali Farka Toure. Arby’s music isn’t all that similar to Farka’s – where he explicitly channeled the blues with his stripped-down guitar and calabash combo, she’s fronting a hard rocking, fully electrified band including bass guitar and drum kit, plus organ and horn section (supplied by the Debo Band) on several tracks. Farka’s singing was usually quiet and intimate; Arby sings in the full-throated roar of Mali’s famous jelimusow, the female griots. Indeed, several of the best songs here are griot-style praise songs: 2 and 7 highlight Arby’s soaring voice and the complex interplay of her band, led by young guitarist Dramane Toure; 4 and 6 (the latter dedicated to label owner Chris Nolan) make excellent use of organ and horns. The showpiece here is the title track (10) – the stuttering rhythm suggests The Meters, the call-and-response vocals could be right out of church, and Toure’s guitar solo could have been authored by Marc Ribot. This is thoroughly modern, exhilarating traditional music.
TOP TRACKS: 2 4 6 7 10
ALSO RECOMMENDED: 1 3 5 8 9

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Charts May 11, 2015

May 11, 2015, 9:09 pm

≫ Next: Program May 13, 2015

≪ Previous: Khaira Arby | Gossip

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Program May 13, 2015

May 12, 2015, 9:18 pm

≫ Next: July 2015 Concert Calendar

≪ Previous: Charts May 11, 2015

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July 2015 Concert Calendar

May 1, 2015, 8:07 pm

≫ Next: Charts May 18, 2015

≪ Previous: Program May 13, 2015

Have an event you'd like me to include, or a suggestion for the concert calendar? Just drop me a line at globalagogoradio [at] gmail [dot] com, or leave me a message right here.

Click "Read more" to see the entire July calendar.

Thursday Jul 2
Freshlyground at the Howard Theatre (DC)
http://thehowardtheatre.com/calendar

Friday Jul 3
Los Wemblers De Iquitos at Millennium Stage (DC)
http://www.kennedy-center.org/programs/millennium/schedule.html

Saturday Jul 11
Los Autenticos Decadentes at the Howard Theatre (DC)
http://thehowardtheatre.com/calendar

Tuesday Jul 14
Bajofondo at the 9:30 Club (DC)
http://www.930.com/concerts

Wednesday Jul 15
Kenyatta "Jr. Culture" Hill and Christos DC at Tropicalia (DC)
http://tropicaliadc.com/index.php/calendar

Friday Jul 17
Hotel X at Crossroads Coffee & Ice Cream (Richmond)
http://www.crossroadsrva.com/calendar.html

Celtic Explorations at VCU Singleton Center (Richmond)
http://arts.vcu.edu/music/events

Saturday Jul 18
The Itals, Mighty Joshua, New Kingston, Buddha Council and Ricochet Red at the Broadberry (Richmond)
http://www.thebroadberry.com/calendar

Ottomania at Zeba Bar (DC)
https://www.facebook.com/OttomaniaDC

Chopteeth at AMP By Strathmore (Bethesda)
https://www.ampbystrathmore.com/live-shows

Wednesday Jul 22
No BS! Brass at Strathmore (Bethesda)
https://www.strathmore.org/events-and-tickets/upcoming-events

Friday Jul 24
Quatro Na Bossa at VCU Singleton Center (Richmond)
http://arts.vcu.edu/music/events

Saturday Jul 25
Bomba Estereo at the Howard Theatre (DC)
http://thehowardtheatre.com/calendar

Tuesday Jul 28
Beres Hammond at the Howard Theatre (DC)
http://thehowardtheatre.com/calendar

Wednesday Jul 29
Beres Hammond at the Howard Theatre (DC)
http://thehowardtheatre.com/calendar

Friday Jul 31
Bombino at the Hamilton (DC)
http://live.thehamiltondc.com/listing

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