From the category archives:

World

Today’s Vegetable:
Beatbox Imaginary In The Show

August 19, 2009

While we’re on the subject of Africa, I was super pleased to find out that there’s a new 7-inch by The Very Best (Esau Mwamwaya & Radioclit’s project). And goddammit it’s catchy!
I was even more pleased when I found out that their label, Green Owl, is making both songs available for download for free! Thanksman!!!
So [...]

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This Just In: Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Is Totally Going To Blow Your Underwear Off

July 17, 2009

Full lineup at http://www.hardlystrictlybluegrass.com, but can I just say:
Amadou & Mariam
Ralph Stanley & the Clinch Mountain Boys
Mavis Staples
Okkervil River
The Chieftains
Gillian Welch
Nick Lowe
Doc Watson & David Holt
Emmylou Harris
Marianne Faithfull
Robyn Hitchcock
Hazel Dickens
Earl Scruggs
The Knitters
Elvis Perkins in Dearland
The Del McCoury Band
Neko Case
and of course, MC Hammer.
October 2-4, SF’s Golden Gate Park — and, as always, free. (Thanks, Warren!)
[photo [...]

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Sheffedeh Wah Lohh Mah (?)

July 10, 2009

It’s all the rage these days to hate on Pitchfork or those who read Pitchfork. If you hate hipsters, you take it out on Pitchfork. If you are a hipster, you take it out on Pitchfork.
Sure, the reviews are annoying sometimes, but hey, do what I do and don’t read them. Just go check out [...]

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LaLaLaLy!!! Je Ne Comprend Pas! Lalala

January 30, 2009

Rupa grew up all over, so she knows that there aren’t different kinds of music, there’s just music.
So play!
Dance!
(And what’s even more admirable in many ways but especially in the don’t-let-people-tell-you-what-you-can-and-can’t-do kind of way, when Rupa isn’t busy slaying crowds, she’s making them well again.)
April & The April Fishes – Une Americaine à Paris from [...]

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Hey Hey

January 7, 2009

Ho Ho. The flu is sucking the life out of me and so.
Luckily, there’s an easy remedy for life-suckage — you put the song in the coconut and mix it all together say DOCK-TAHHH
Esau Mwamwaya (a young Malawian singer now living in London) and Radioclit (a two-man European DJ/production/bootybouncer team) not only put together one [...]

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That’s Not Good Is Great

December 10, 2008

Welcome To Mali has gotten a fair amount of attention due to the fact that it was co-produced by Damon Albarn. Maybe Amadou & Mariam needed a PR boost?
They sold more than half a million copies of their previous album, recorded the official theme to the 2006 World Cup, and will be playing Obama’s inauguration, [...]

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Fellows And Friends:

June 19, 2008

Soooo hey yeah three years ago this guy Joe Tangari (whom you LOVE) wrote a piece for Pitchfork about Afrobeat that mentioned 100 songs. Then (and this is why you LOVE) he slapped together a torrent of 99 of the songs, plus liner notes (the text of his article). It’s called Africa 100, and if [...]

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Straight Outta Dakar

June 9, 2008

So Orchestra Baobab just came through town, and I read a review that was so over the moon about the show that I had to investigate. And hey guess what! Great band!
As you know, my chi is weak when it comes to non-Western music, but I’m starting to climb the ladder. The bottom rung [...]

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My Geography Teacher

October 29, 2007

This is a picture of the lady that taught me that a country called Cape Verde exists. It’s a group of islands off the western coast of Africa, first inhabited by those sailin’ Portuguese. Cape Verde is known primarily for its music, from traditional morna ballads to more upbeat sounds. I’m a babe [...]

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Tahuwai La A Tahuwai Wai La

August 10, 2007

This is my last full Vegetable day before turning tail and heading home, so please to be enjoying this last Hawaiian post (for a while). There’s some very interesting information on “Hawaiian War Chant” on Wikipedia. This version is from Haleoke, who performed with Arthur Godfrey. She put out one solo [...]

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