West Africa meets Appalachia at the Blind Tiger
They’ve been regarded as one of the most groundbreaking musical voices to come along in a long time, though it’s also possible that they’re simply picking up where famed African bluesman Ali Farka Tour left off. Their fusion of West African strings and polyrhythms with American mountain folk and traditional music seems a tad peculiar at first, but it doesn’t take long to become a believer upon actually hearing the hypnotic sounds of Toubab Krewe (www.myspace.com/toubabkrewe).
The two styles might be born thousands of miles apart, but their roots are so profoundly similar that it all coalesces beautifully. They’re coming to Greensboro, however, and will be appearing at the Blind Tiger on Friday as a part of their regional tour before jetting out to Colorado for a few dates. The band hails from the musical hotbed that is Asheville, their name derived from the Malian word for “foreigner” and a colloquial New Orleans spelling of the word “crew,” a nod to the raging musical pipeline that has developed between there and their home over the past decade. Tickets for the evening are $10 in advance and $12 at the door. The show starts around 10 p.m.
Rock Hall of Famer joins Winston-Salem guitarist at Greene St.
Friday looks like a good night for music in Greensboro, as the former drummer for Lynyrd Skynyrd, Artimus Pyle, is set to join local guitarist Sam Robinson (www.myspace.com/samrobinsonmusic) for a show at the Greene Street Club on Friday. Robinson is on the verge of releasing an album of blues-influenced rock and jazz cuts featuring several big names such as bassist Oteil Burbridge (Allman Brothers Band, Aquarium Rescue Unit), flautist and keyboardist Kofi Burbridge (Derek Trucks Band), drummer Calvin Napper (Bishop TD Jakes, Kirk Franklin) and Pyle himself. Pyle was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006 as a member of Lynryrd Skynyrd and is widely credited for the heroism he displayed during the band’s 1977 plane crash, which led to several other band member’s survival. Greene Street Club just loves to book wildly diverse acts to play the same bill, so it’s only natural that Boone indie-pop rockers the Michael Alvarado Band (www.myspace.com/michaelalvaradomusic) and hip-hop band Pic Squad (www.myspace.com/picsquad) will be joining Robinson. Doors for the evening open at 9 p.m. and cover is $8 at the door.
Another really good, free show at the Green Bean
Come on Winston-Salem; Greensboro is owning you in terms of local music quality this week. If any Dashers are so inclined, it might be a good idea to head east for a night to see any number of great bands that Greensboro has to offer this weekend, including the two aforementioned shows in this column. I’m not even going to go in depth about Cowboy Mouth at Greene Street on Saturday, not when there’s an even more interesting free show to be heard at the Green Bean the same night. Mother/Father (www.myspace.com/thisismotherfather) is bringing their intense, wildly eclectic synthpop-meets-post-punk-meets-classic-soul sound to what’s usually one of the chillest spots in all of downtown Greensboro.
The band is touring in support of a new EP that was produced and recorded by acclaimed studio cat Jacquire King, best known for his work with the likes of Kings of Leon, Modest Mouse and Tom Waits, and is a collection of songs recorded in the fall of 2008 to introduce fans to the band. The show is free and music will start around 8 pm.
