W♥M (Archive)

Minneapolis: July 15, 2016

Here are some shows taking place in the Minneapolis/St Paul area on July 15, 2016.

Read more Minneapolis Music Guide.

Read More Femi Kuti As usual, the Cedar does a great job putting together the lineup, showcasing some of the best current African musicians, schedule as follows: 06/26 Femi Kuti & the Positive Force …

FEMI KUTI
at Cedar Cultural Center
Friday, 07/15/16, 7pm ($50/$55)
thecedar.org

Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti’s eldest son Femi Kuti and his band The Positive Force will be headlining the Cedar Cultural Center this Friday, July 15th. Femi was last seen at the Cedar in 2013... although we did see his younger brother Seun Kuti at Rock the Garden 2015.

Zuluzuluu and Worldwide Discotheque DJs to open.

Tour dates:

07/10/16 Summerfest
07/11/16 Chicago, IL Millennium Park
07/14/16 Omaha, NE Slowdown
07/15/16 Minneapolis, MN Cedar Cultural Center
07/16/16 Madison, WI Majestic Theatre
07/17/16 Forecastle Festival
07/20/16 Grand Rapids, MI Frederik Meijer
07/21/16 Cleveland, OH Beachland Ballroom
07/22/16 Wayhome Music And Arts
07/24/16 XPoNential Music Festival
07/26/16 Boston, MA Brighton Music Hall
07/27/16 Brooklyn, NY Brooklyn Bowl
07/28/16 Pittsburgh, PA The Altar Bar
07/29/16 Washington, DC 9:30 Club
07/30/16 Floydfest

Read More Mississippi Hot Club Flour & Sawdust by Mississippi Hot Club "Flour & Sawdust" by Mississippi Hot Club features the music of Django Reinhardt and other classic gyspy jazz tunes. The album release will be celebrated at Eagles Club 34 Ballroom …

MISSISSIPPI HOT CLUB
at Eagles Club
Friday, 07/15/16, 8pm ($5)
minneapoliseagles34.org

Local band Mississippi Hot Club (guitarist Joshua Parlanti, violinist Alissa Jacobsen, rhythm guitarist Luke Zupan, rhythm guitarist Ian Stenlund, and upright bassist Joseph Downing) is having their CD release party for Flour & Sawdust, next Friday, July 15th at the Eagles 34 Ballroom. Expect Django Reinhardt and other traditional jazz standards.

The 21+ event is $5 and will also feature special guests for the evening are DJ Kelsey Burns and Jazzland Wonderband.

Mississippi Hot Club’s next gig after this will be at the Icehouse on August 11th.

Additional details:

It's time to celebrate!

We made a limited run of our new album "Flour & Sawdust" in the fall, and now we're ready to share it with the rest of the world!

The event will be held in the Eagles 34 Ballroom, a perfect space for dancing. Vintage fashion and costumes encouraged!

Our special guests Jazzland Wonderband will be gracing us with the sounds of Dixieland.

CDs will be available at the show, and then also available on iTunes and all other digial services shortly after.

$5
21+
8:00pm Doors
8:30pm DJ Kelsey and Swing Dance Lesson
9:30pm Music

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ facebook.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

Rock the Garden at Walker Art Center, Minneapolis (21 June 2015)

Photo Gallery GOASTT Sean Lennon JD McPherson Seun Kuti Okon Iyamba Babes in Toyland Isaac Brock Modest Mouse Modest Mouse Setlist World at Large Lampshades on Fire Pups to Dust Dashboard Out of Gas Dramamine This Devil’s Workday The Ground Walks Broke Black Cadillacs Float On Wicked Campaign Fire it Up A Different City -- Encore -- The Good Times are Killing Me Babes in Toyland Setlist Bruise Violet Right Now Swamp Pussy Won’t Tell Ripe Spit to See the Shine He's My Thing Bluebell Drivin' Spun Ariel Oh Yeah Handsome and Gretel Vomit Heart Sweet '69 Dust Cake Boy JD McPherson Setlist Bossy Fire Bug It Shook Me Up Abigail Blue You Must Have Met Little Caroline? Precious Head Over Heels Let the Good Times Roll North Side Gal Wolf Teeth GOASTT Setlist Too Deep Xanadu Animals Midnight Sun Golden Earrings Long Gone (Syd Barrett cover) Read More Rock the Garden Rock the Garden returns to the Walker Art Center as a two-day affair June 20/21, with acts to be announced on-air March 31st. Wishful thinking says Belle and Sebastian w/Courtney Barnett …

The second Rock the Garden music festival on Sunday saw a seemingly bigger crowd, particularly near the front of the stage.

Remember, if you missed Rock the Garden this year, you can tune into 89.3 The Current on Tuesday, June 30 and Wednesday, July 1 to hear the rebroadcasts in its entirety.

You'll find our recap for day two below. For more photos, head over to Photos: Rock the Garden (21 June 2015).

Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger

Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger

It's got to be tough to be first band on the bill... but not for Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger, who saw a large fan gathering near the front the stage to witness the Sean Lennon-led band. Like their last appearance in Athens, the band were dressed in 70’s vintage clothing.

Apparently the band was not used to playing short 30-minute set, and at the minus-five minute mark warning, the band had to cut their set short by dropping off ‘Devil You Know’ and choosing instead to close out their set with their Syd Barett cover song ‘Long Gone’. The latter song had Charlotte Kemp Muhl switch over to keys.

The song was a hit with the cheering crowd ... and as the band left the stage, Lennon promised that they will be back soon. One thing was for sure, since we last saw him (at 7th Street Entry in 2014, as Sean Lennon in 2006, and as bassist in Chibo Matto in 1999) that he’s grown so much as a talented musician. Can’t wait for GOASTT to come back, now that psychedelic rock is more popular than ever!

JD McPherson

JD McPherson

Broken Arrow, OK native JD McPherson lived up to his latest album’s title and Let the Good Times Roll (on Rounder Records) for his rollicking 40 min. set on a more crowded festival afternoon than the day before.  McPherson’s retro blend of garage, rockabilly, and vintage r & b, played it more than cool on this warm and humid day, with upright bassist Jimmy Sutton giving his instrument an ample workout as well.

“This is a pretty good thing you guys got going on here”, McPherson said, taking off his jacket to reveal a ‘Smith Fabrication’ t-shirt in bold letters.

Fans twisted and shouted in the midday heat to ‘Fire Bug’, the new album’s title track, and ‘North Side Gal’; the latter dedicated to us “Norlanders” and sounding direct from a ’50’s diner jukebox, before the band ended with a nearly ten-minute “Wolf Teeth” to crowd howling.

Seun Kuti and Egypt 80

Seun Kuti and Egypt 80

How fitting on Father’s Day that the heir to the Afrobeat throne, Seun Kuti , led his father Fela’s band, Egypt 80, playing undoubtedly the highest energy hour of the weekend.  The Nigerian group was the worldbeat entry to the festival and the first African band to grace its stage.  Kuti and his fifteen-plus cohorts made their short time worth it with the tribal, jazz, funk, and rhythmic hybrid that his father pioneered.

Bandleader emeritus Baba Ani spent the first several minutes introducing each member and preaching the spirit of togetherness before the band launched into its set.  Kuti emerged to take the lead a song in, for ‘Opposite People’, a Fela composition, and proceeded to infectiously shimmy and shake for the next hour; like being chased by a swarm of bees, or like his clothing was on fire.

Shekere (a dried gourd with beads) player Okon Iyamba looked like the band’s smiling, ever-relaxed Keith Richards, in a smooth hat and shades.  Bassist Kunle Justice kept things grounded and funky, while the full horn section added additional danceability to songs from their latest, last year’s A Long Way to the Beginning (Knitting Factory Records).

Prior to playing their last song, Kuti took a minute to talk about Tetrahydrocannabinol (or commonly referred to as THC) found in marijuana. He said as he ‘astral-traveled’, that he discovered the real meaning of those letters: ‘The higher consciousness’.

Babes in Toyland

Babes in Toyland

With only a dozen live shows since they reformed earlier this February, you can tell the punk rock trio Babes in Toyland was not quite ready for prime time, having mis-timed and having to restarting a few songs on their set. Of course, this is punk ... no one cared because they're too busy moshing, slam dancing, and body surfing.

Despite what Wikipedia said, the Babes last show was in November 2000, so it's been 15 years since they were seen together, and 18 years without the original bassist.

As for the band, even with the shaky start, they sounded fantastic live. Kat Bjelland's vocals never sounded better, despite all the years of banshee screaming.

It's good to finally get Babes back in Minneapolis, where they belong. The band announced late May that they will be doing their first North American tour in 20 years, kicking it all off at St Louis in Missouri on August 27th and ending at Pop Montreal International on September 19th. More details can be found on news.weheartmusic.com.

Modest Mouse

Modest Mouse

The long awaited set by the Sunday headliners, came with a mystery or two attached – The Washington state band had just released their first album in eight years, Strangers to Ourselves (Epic Records), so there was a question of being rusty or not, and singer Isaac Brock had revealed that he had somehow sprained his ankle at the hotel the night before.

Both mysteries were revealed (no, not rusty, and too tight sheets, apparently) and Modest Mouse played a crowd-pleasing 70 min. set to the faithful that had been waiting these many years to see them again live.

Starting with 2004’s ‘World at Large’ , the band’s truncated festival set played most of their radio favorites and selections from the new album, with the exception of ‘04’s ‘Ocean Breathes Salty’. Single ‘Lampshades on Fire’, played early on, got people moving, ‘Dramamine’ reached back to their 1996 debut, and ‘Float On’ appropriately had balloons being bopped around over audience members’ heads.

Encore ‘The Good Times are Killing Me’,  from Good News for People Who Love Bad News,  seemed appropriate from the somewhat awkward Brock and crew, playing to a still-excited but weather-beaten crowd, that had been under the sun for six hours.

NOTE: Thanks to Andrea at the Current for providing much of the set lists.

Modest Mouse at Rock the Garden, Minneapolis (21 June 2015)

vu + john ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

Minneapolis Music Guide: July 13 - July 19, 2014

Here is a guide of some Minneapolis (and St Paul) live concerts and events taking place next week: July 13 - July 19.

Read More You Blew It! Orlando's You Blew It! has a five-track all-Weezer covers EP called You Blue It. Singer/guitarist Tanner Jones explained their love for the Weezer, "We chose Surf Wax because it's a really great song, plain and simple. …

SUNDAY, JULY 13
VARSITY THEATER
Say Anything w/ the Front Bottoms, So So Glos, You Blew It!

The Front Bottoms are currently on tour with Say Anything. With the recent tour, singer/guitarist Brian Sella mentioned that they are releasing a new six-track EP because they are songs people were asking for. Give the people what they want, so the Rose EP was released last month via Bar/None Records.

"These are the songs that people ask for when we’re on tour, they're songs that we've either played live at shows or had kicking around that we couldn't let go of," said Sella.

Say Anything with The Front Bottoms
w/ The So So Glos + You Blew It!
** signifies The Front Bottoms headline dates

Jul 10 Columbia, MO @ The Blue Note
Jul 11 Chicago, IL @ Concord Music Hall
Jul 12 Milwaukee, WI @ The Rave
Jul 13 Minneapolis, MN @ Varsity Theater
Jul 15 Lincoln, NE @ Bourbon Theatre
Jul 16 Denver, CO @ Summit Music Hall
Jul 17 Salt Lake City, UT @ Club Sound
Jul 19 Seattle, WA @ Showbox at The Market
Jul 20 Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom
Jul 22 San Francisco, CA @ Regency Ballroom
Jul 24 Los Angeles, CA @ The Fonda Theatre
Jul 25 Pomona, CA @ Glass House
Jul 26 San Diego, CA @ House of Blues
Jul 27 Tempe, AZ @ The Marquee
Jul 29 Memphis, TN @ Hi-Tone Café **
Jul 31 Huntington, WV @ V-Club **

 

Read More Television H. Simon's reference was to Tom Verlaine: the song was Television's "See No Evil." Agreed that H.S. is best with folk music! …

MONDAY, JULY 14
7TH STREET ENTRY
Chris Forsyth and the Solar Motel Band

A student of Television's Richard Lloyd, guitarist Chris Forsyth creates his own brand music that he coins "Cosmic Americana."

Last year Forsyth released the Solar Motel LP, a four part psychedelic opus ... which you can hear live with his so-called The Solar Motel Band (members of War on Drugs and Spacin').

Tour dates below:

CHRIS FORSYTH & THE SOLAR MOTEL BAND
07/11 - CLEVELAND @ Happy Dog
07/12 - CHICAGO @ West Fest
07/13 - MADISON @ The Frequency
07/14 - MINNEAPOLIS @ 7th St Entry
07/15 - IOWA CITY @ Trumpet Blossom
07/16 - CHICAGO @ HQ
07/17 - ROCK ISLAND, IL @ Daytrotter Session
07/18 - LAFAYETTE, IN @ Spot Tavern
07/24 - PHILLY @ Spruce Street Harbor Park
07/25 - PHILLY @ Boot & Saddle

 

Read More The Fresh & Onlys I've previously mentioned this before, but I think of fresh onions when I think of The Fresh & Onlys. Remember how I said the F&O were finishing up their new LP earlier this year? It finally came out earlier this September on Mexican …

TUESDAY, JULY 15
TRIPLE ROCK SOCIAL CLUB
The Fresh & Onlys w/ The Shilohs

I missed The Fresh and Onlys the last time they played in Minnesota, due to scheduling conflicts, so I'm making it up by seeing them finally this Tuesday at the Triple Rock Social Club.

The Fresh & Onlys are currently touring in support of their latest LP House of Spirits, which is out now on Mexican Summer.

Opening up for the band is Vancouver's The Shilohs, who are touring in support of their self-titled sophomore album, out now on Light Organ Records.

NORTH AMERICAN TOUR DATES
July 10 Portland, OR – Mississippi Studios
July 11 Vancouver, BC – Electric Owl
July 12 Seattle, WA – Chop Suey
July 15 Minneapolis, MN – Triple Rock
July 16 Chicago, IL – Empty Bottle
July 17 Detroit, MI – The Loving Touch
July 18 Toronto, ON – Horseshoe Tavern
July 19 Montreal, QC – La Vitrola
July 20 Burlington VT - Monkey House
July 21 Boston, MA – Great Scott
July 22 Philadelphia, PA – Boot & Saddle
July 23 Brooklyn, NY – Glasslands
July 24 Washington, DC - DC9
July 25 Chapel Hill, NC – Local 506
July 26 Atlanta, GA – 529
July 28 St. Louis, MO - The Demo
July 29 Kansas City, MO – Czar Bar
July 31 Denver, CO – Hi Dive

Read More Sharon Van Etten Sharon Van Etten's songs are all very personal, from her ex's in "Kevin's," her family in "I Fold," to living in New York in "Give Out." Encore included "Ask" and "Don't Do It." …

WEDNESDAY, JULY 16
FIRST AVENUE
Sharon Van Etten w/ Jana Hunter

You're probably wondering if this was a Cedar Cultural Center show, what is she doing over at First Avenue? Well, that's because Seun Kuti & Egypt '80 are headlining over at the Cedar, while Sharon Van Etten will be taking the much bigger stage over at First Ave.

Sharon Van Etten is currently tour in support of her latest album Are We There, available now via Jagjaguwar.

SHARON VAN ETTEN TOUR DATES
07/10 - Saskataoon, SK @ Amigo's Cantina
07/12 - 07/13 Winnipeg Folk Festival
07/14 - Fargo, ND @ Aquarium
07/16 - Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue
07/17 - Madison, WI @ University of Wisconsin
07/18 - Chicago, IL @ Pitchfork Music Festival
07/20 - Louisville, KY @ Forecastle Festival
08/07 - 08/09 - Way Out West
08/09 - Olso, NO @ Øyafestivalen
08/10 - Zurich, CH @ Rote Fabrik
08/11 - Munich, DE @ Hauskonzerte
08/12 - Arena Wien Open Air
08/14 - Venlo, NL @ Zomerparkfeest
08/15 - Hasselt, BE @ Pukkelpop
08/16 - Green Man Festival
10/07 - Toronto, ON @ The Opera House
10/08 - Ferndale, MI @ The Loving Touch
10/09 - Columbus, OH @ Wexner Center
10/13 - Iowa City, IA @ Gabe's Oasis
10/14 - Champaign, IL @ Highdive
10/15 - St. Louis, MO @ The Luminary Center for the Arts
10/17 - Dallas, TX @ The Kessler Theatre
10/18 - Austin, TX @ The Mohawk
10/20 - Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
10/21 - Asheville, NC @ Grey Eagle
10/23 - Carrboro, NC @ Cat's Cradle
10/24 - Charlottesville, VA @ Jefferson Theater
10/25 - Baltimore, MD @ Ottobar

[ Full tour dates on news.weheartmusic.com ]

Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 at Cedar Cultural Center, Minneapolis (04/14/12)

Tour Dates 4/15 - Coachella - Indio, CA 4/16 - Campbell Hall - Santa Barbara, CA 4/18 - UC San Diego - San Diego, CA 4/19 - Zellerbach Hall - Berkeley, CA 4/20 - UCLA Royce Hall - Los Angeles, CA 4/22 - Coachella - Indio, CA 4/24 - KTAOS Solar Center - Taos, NM 4/25 - Albuquerque Museum Amp - Albuq, NM 4/27 - New Orleans Jazz Fest - LA 4/29 - Houston Internat'l Festival - TX 5/02 - House of Blues - New Orleans 5/13 - Lake Eden Arts Festival - NC Read More Seun Kuti Seun Kuti is the son of Nigerian musician Fela Kuti . Like his father before him, Kuti took up music and even leading his father's band Egypt 80!

It was a sold-out show at the Walker Art/Vita.MN/Best Buy/The Current presentation of Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 at the Cedar Cultural Center* in Minneapolis. The band is huge, fifteen players, including several sax, several trumpets, conga, two women dancers/backup singers, and a shekere (this is a dried gourd with beads) player.

Just to give you a little background, Seun Kuti is heavily influenced by his father's work. Even at the age of 14, Seun Kuti, took over as lead singer of Egypt 80, when his father, Fela, passed away in 1997. As I have previously written, Fela pioneered Afrobeat. Just as his father before him, Seun seems quite interested in human rights and political issues in his home country of Nigeria.

Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 at Cedar Cultural Center, Minneapolis (04/14/12)

Most of the current Egypt 80 band was in the original Fela lineup, so as you can guess, they're mostly at least in their fifties. As for the music, it's Afrobeat, basically lots of African rhythmic beat and funk. The trumpets and saxophones gave their music a big brass sound.

Before Seun came on stage, his band was warming up the crowd by introducing the band members and horsing around on stage. By the time Seun came on stage, two songs were already played. Officially they started with a Fela Kuti song, to pay for respect for the man.

He did a few songs from his new album, From Africa With Fury: Rise, including the title track, "Rise" (with a three minute rant about the banks and credit swap and money crisis).

Highlight of the show was "Plant and Grow", which Seun opened up a water bottle and proceeded to water the stage!

Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 will be performing at Coachella today, you can watch it live on youtube! From Africa With Fury: Rise and its companion EP, From Africa With Fury: Rise REMIXES are both out now on Knitting Factory Records.

* PS, The Cedar was the perfect venue to house this large band and historically, the venue has always supported world music (can't see this band playing at a dive bar or a tiny place like 7th Street Entry).

vu () ♥ www.knittingfactoryrecords.com/artists/seunkuti

World Beat 3

This is World Beat part 3, read other more World Music here. Yeah, this might be the 4/20 edition.

SEUN KUTI
knittingfactoryrecords.com

Seun Kuti is the son of Nigerian musician Fela Kuti . Like his father before him, Kuti took up music and even leading his father's band Egypt 80! Kuti and Egypt 80 are currently on tour in America.

I have previously mentioned that Kuti released his album, From Africa With Fury: Rise via Knitting Factory Records. If you liked the album, good news: some of those songs have been remixed in an EP that came out yesterday (4/10) called From Africa With Fury: Rises Remixes.

Tracks includes "The Good Leaf (Spoek Mathambo Remix)", "Slave Masters (Jacques Renault Remix)", "African Soldier (JD Twitch Remix)", and "You Can Run (Falty DL Remix)". The first track mentioned is available as a free download via thefader.com. I believe this is a digital-only release.

If it all goes well, I will be covering his Minneapolis show:

4/12 - UW Madison - Madison, WI 4/13 - Rhythm Foundation - Miami, FL 4/14 - The Cedar - Minneapolis, MN 4/15 - Coachella - Indio, CA 4/16 - Campbell Hall - Santa Barbara, CA 4/18 - UC San Diego - San Diego, CA 4/19 - Zellerbach Hall - Berkeley, CA 4/20 - UCLA Royce Hall - Los Angeles, CA

4/22 - Coachella - Indio, CA 4/24 - KTAOS Solar Center - Taos, NM 4/25 - Albuquerque Museum Amp - Albuq, NM 4/27 - New Orleans Jazz Fest - New Orleans, LA 4/29 - Houston Internat'l Festival - Houston, TX 5/2 - House of Blues - New Orleans, LA 5/13 - Lake Eden Arts Fest - Black Mountain, NC

THE BLACK SEEDS
theblackseeds.com

The Black Seeds are described as "New Zealand's reggae-soul heavyweights". Their album, Dust and Dirt, just came out yesterday (4/10), and to celebrate, their previous albums (Keep On Pushing, The Black Seeds Live Vol. 1, On The Sun and Into The Dojo) are also seeing a North American release.

The Black Seeds are currently on tour:

April 11 – Vancouver, BC – Fortune Sound
April 12 – Seattle, WA – The Crocodile
April 13 – Denver, CO – Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom
April 14 – Boulder, CO – Fox Theatre
April 15 – Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Bowl
April 17 – Ithaca, NY – Castaways

SECRET STASH RECORDS
secretstashrecords.com

We've mentioned Secret Stash Records a few times here. Not because they're based out of Minneapolis, but that we actually like them. They concentrate on collectable and cool looking vinyl as their main bread and butter. And no different, their latest release will be a compilation called Long Live Boogaloo. The double vinyl will be out April 17th, while the CD version will be out in May 8th.

The first 250 copies will come with an extra 7". Based on the fact that their limited T-Shirt are sold-out, I would recommend pre-ordering now for the 7".

Description from the label:

In the mid 1960s Latin teenagers in New York's Spanish Harlem neighborhood created a new style of music called Latin boogaloo. The sound was a mix of the Cuban music they grew up with and American R&B like James Brown and Hank Ballard. It quickly caught on and before long the young purveyors of this new sound were taking business from the likes of Tito Puente, Tito Rodriguez, and Eddie Palmieri. Soon the established acts reluctantly joined the craze and recorded a smattering of Boogloos. However, many of them were not happy about it. In general they felt it was beneath them. Eventually a small group of the most powerful people in the Latin music business conspired to kill off the Boogaloo and make way for the burgeoning Salsa craze. Concert promoters, DJs, and venues were bribed to turn away any and all Boogaloo business. As soon as it came, it left.

BRIEFLY:

SIMON RICHARDS simonrichardsmusic.com World musician, Simon Richards announced that he's officially signed with Fontana/Universal for his debut album Kaleidoscope Worlds. The album is so far in advance (to be released on September 2012) that I don't actually have a cover artwork for it. Look for his first single, "Bee Bopping to My Life", to be a reggae influenced song. Speaking about the single Richards stated, "This is just one of those fun songs where the idea is for you just to kick back and enjoy life! I wanted the single to be a fun, upbeat track that everyone can relate to."

BOB MARLEY bobmarley.com Universal Music Enterprises (UMe) will be releasing the official soundtrack from the documentary on Bob Marley, simply titled MARLEY, as a 2-CD collection and a special 3-LP vinyl set! The soundtrack will contain 24 tracks, hand-picked by the Marley family and Chris Blackwell, so expect hits like "Jammin", "One Live", and "Exodus". Academy Award-winning director Kevin Macdonald's MARLEY will open in US theaters on… 4/20, duh.

ZZK RECORDS simonrichardsmusic.com Nicole wrote about ZZK Records before, describing them as "as Cumbia, mixed with electronic beats, funk, tribal sounds, dancehall, tons of random neon objects, and hallucinogenic substances, boiled in a pot under extreme pressure, causing an awesome, danceable, music explosion known as ZZK". The Future Sounds of Buenos Aires is a new compilation record from ZZK, set for release on May 1st.

ELISA LUU elisaluu.com Italian ambient electronica artist Elisa Luu is releasing her second album Un giorno sospeso (which literally translate to "One day suspended") via Hidden Shoal Recordings on June 1st. Her music is described as a mix of digital manipulation and analogue tones with immersive drones. Listen for yourself, a free download of "Se fosse per me" at hiddenshoal.com.

ELIN FURUBOTN elinfurubotn.com Norwegian Elin Furubotn's International Debut Album, Heilt Nye Vei (New Path), just came out yesterday (April 10th) via Ozella Music. The singer-songwriter describe her music on the album as: "crosses lines between jazz and singer-songwriter stuff, between rock and folk, but I don't like to split my interests and passions up. And in scenes like in [sax player Karl] Stavanger, you get to know everyone very well. It's a more intimate scene, and it's easy for musicians from different backgrounds to work together."

THE HIGHEST PASS thehighestpass.com The Highest Pass is a full length documentary about a journey to the high mountain region of Ladakh. It is directed by Jon Fitzgerald, and will premiere in Los Angeles at Laemmle’s Monica 4-Plex and in Pasadena at Laemmle’s Playhouse 7, starting April 27, 2012. The singer from YES, Jon Anderson, wrote two original songs for the film including the title song, "The Highest Pass", with composer Michael Mollura. Mollura's work was influenced by his love of world music and yoga meditation.

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ podcast.weheartmusic.com

It began in Africa

CHEB I SABBAH
chebisabbah.org

Born in Constantine, Algeria, Cheb i Sabbah (which means "young of the morning") spent his time in Paris and eventually settled in San Francisco in the 80s. He's been spinning and mixing music for a while, and eventually started releasing albums in the 90s. His last album, Devotion was released in 2008.

Well, according to his website and notes I have received, Cheb i Sabbah was diagnosed with Stage 4 stomach cancer (stage 5 is the worst and final stage of cancer). Like most Americans, more common in performances/arts, he does not have health insurance. His weaken condition also means that he cannot perform to bring in a steady income.

Find out how you can help at chebisabbah.org, direct donation can be accepted here: indiegogo.com.

Seun Anikulapo Kuti: Rise

SEUN ANIKULAPO KUTI
myspace.com/seunkuti

From Africa With Fury: Rise is Seun Anikulapo Kuti's sophomore album. It is released today, under Knitting Factory Records.

If the name 'Kuti' sounds familiar, that's because he is the youngest son of afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti (who I previously mentioned here). Looks like the music gene still runs in the family.

He's doing a few selective dates this Summer:

07.13.11 - Belly Up - San Diego, CA
07.15.11 - Grand Performances - Los Angeles, CA
07.16.11 - Regency Ballroom - San Francisco, CA
07.17.11 - Reggae On The River - Garberville, CA
07.20.11 - Artown - Reno, NV
07.22.11 - Celebrate Brooklyn - Brooklyn, NY
07.23.11 - Grassroots Festival - Trumansburg, NY
07.24.11 - Hillside Festival - Guelph, ON
07.27.11 - SOB's - New York, NY
07.29.11 - Manuel Artime Theater - Miami, FL
07.30.11 - Floydfest - Floyd, VA

KHAIRA ARBY
myspace.com/khairaarby

Khaira Arby and Her Band is from Mali (West Africa), and have just received Mali's highest musical honor, 2011 Tamani D'Or Award. Khaira Arby and Her Band has been wowing audiences with their appearances at SXSW.

Khaira Arby is returning to the US, this July to tour for her latest album, Timbuktu Tarab, which was released in August 2010. Tour dates listed below.

07/04 Montreal, QC - Jazzfest 07/05 Cambridge, MA - Oberon 07/06 Brooklyn, NY - Brooklyn Bowl 07/07 New York - Poisson Rouge 07/08 Phila, PA - Johnny Brendas 07/09 Washington, DC - Red Palace 07/10 Pitts, PA - Thunderbird Cafe 07/12 Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle		07/13 Minneapolis, MN - Cedar 07/15 Grass Valley, CA - WorldFest 07/16 SF, CA - Grand Ballroom 07/20 Los Angeles, CA - The Echo 07/22 Tucson, AZ - Club Congress 07/24 Denver, CO - Underground 07/27 Co Springs, CO - Armstrong Quad

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ podcast.weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic