Space Ballroom Weekly Roundup: 9 shows announced
This week Space Ballroom announced The Supersuckers with The Hooten Hallers, Tinder Live with Lane Moore, Dale Hollow, David Cross Band, Quarters of Change, GONG, Divine Sweater, The Giraffes with special guest Rock Academy Showband and Etran de L’Aïr.
The Supersuckers with The Hooten Hallers
Space Ballroom • 295 Treadwell Street, Hamden, CT 06514
October 2, 2024
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The Supersuckers
“You’ve heard our name, you’ve seen our records, our t-shirts and our stickers. We’re probably the favorite band of someone you know and yet maybe we’re still a mystery to you. Well my friend, that’s okay, you’re at the right place to get to know the greatest rock-n-roll band in the world, The Supersuckers.
And the next time you see the ‘Supersuckers’ name, whether it’s in the record store, online somewhere, or on the marquee at your local rock club, know that there are some quality, honest, ass-kicking, hard-working individuals behind it all trying to make your life a little better through the “Evil Powers Of Rock-n-Roll” (and the occasional detour into the country music, of course) and we’d love nothing better than to have you there with us as! Just remember to wear clean underwear, ‘cuz we’re gonna rock the pants right off of you!”– Eddie Spaghetti, The Supersuckers
The Hooten Hallers
For the past seventeen years, The Hooten Hallers have been crisscrossing the country as inveterate road warriors, bringing their peculiar vision of Americana: a fiery, bluesy, rock and roll fever dream birthed in Missouri’s fertile musical heartland. They’ve put so many miles into the road that they’ve burned through multiple tour vans and left twisted metal and frayed rubber strewn across the road behind them. The Hooten Hallers are known for their incendiary live shows that must be experienced to be believed, taking the listener on a dynamic journey from explosively raucous blues to expressive three-part vocal harmonies to danceable grooves.
The enduring hope and tinges of madness from this power trio are driven by the infernal vocal growl and swirling electric and lap steel guitars of John Randall, the powerful drumming and falsetto howl of Andy Rehm, and the burning baritone and bass saxophone lines of Kellie Everett. The Hooten Hallers have always been musical colliders, smashing together blues, garage rock, country, punk, and a hint of jazz into a refreshingly unique sound. It’s Morphine meets ZZ Top mixed with a dash of George Thorogood and Tom Waits. But anyone who has seen this band live knows that this group is unlike anything they’ve experienced before. When The Hooten Hallers come to town, you know it’s gonna be a party!
Tinder Live with Lane Moore
Space Ballroom • 295 Treadwell Street, Hamden, CT 06514
November 17, 2024
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Tinder Live with Lane Moore
Tinder Live! With Lane Moore is the critically acclaimed comedy show where Moore projects her dating app onto a screen, swipes through profiles live on stage, and the audience votes whether she swipes right or left, to cathartic, hilarious, and surprisingly kind results. Tinder Live has gone on to sell out hundreds of live shows each year across the U.S. and Canada, including SF Sketchfest, and has a beloved monthly residency in New York City. The show has been named a critics’ pick in The New York Times, The Atlantic, Spin Magazine, The Guardian, Paper Magazine, VICE, Paste Magazine, Fast Company, Cosmopolitan, The Washington Post, Entertainment Tonight, Good Morning America, New York Magazine, The New York Post, Time Out, Huffington Post, CBS, and New York Observer.
Tinder Live regularly features special guests like David Cross, Janeane Garofalo, Amber Tamblyn, Laura Benanti, Jon Glaser, Hari Kondabolu, Amanda Knox, Stacy London, Stephanie March, Ed Solomon, Jo Firestone, and many more.
Dale Hollow
Space Ballroom • 295 Treadwell Street, Hamden, CT 06514
October 15, 2024
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Dale Hollow
Dale Hollow Hack of the Year
“Stupid is as stupid does / does that make me the dumbest one of all time?” — Dale Hollow, “Hack of the Year”
A bit Andy Kaufman, a little Orville Peck, a hint of Father John Misty, Dale Hollow possesses “a fascinating combination of performance and purveyed authenticity,” as the lifestyle magazine Mundane once posited, while also noting that “no other country music artist has ever claimed to
be the best, except for Dale Hollow.”
Legend has it that Dale actually tried to trademark the phrase “The Country Music Superstar,” so every time someone like Luke Bryan, Loretta Lynn, Jessica Simpson or Darius Rucker attached that phrase to their names, Dale gets some cash.
And while Hollow can be purposely self-elevating, that seemingly tall tale is true. “I sent $150 to the copyright office…and I got denied instantly,” he says. “That’s why I use that parenthetical justification (trademark pending).”
A mysterious figure in the country music world, here’s what we do know: Hollow, who hails from Nashville and is named after the Kentucky reservoir, had an inauspicious start to his music career. The future country legend was just trying to pay off $35,000 in back taxes. “I was trying to get cash fast,” he admits. “One day, sitting in an internet cafe, I read this article that detailed how Luke Bryan was the most profitable artist in streaming. So I just thought, ‘I’ll do what he does.’”
Thankfully, that odd inspiration has led to some not-so-seriously good music. Dale’s new record, Hack of the Year, is a hoot, full of crooning, shuffling beats, yelps and plenty of self-effacing singalongs. “Don’t Wanna Do Anything” is a legit slacker anthem, while “I’m a Lover” serves as a rollickin’ love song with a hint of Roadhouse menace. Several moments here, including the title track and “Dead End Job,” possess a real sense of melancholy.
There’s also a stream of consciousness at work on the album, most notably with “Cowboys on TV,” a hootenanny take on listicle songs (akin to “It’s the End of the World As We Know It”). “It’s such a dumb idea,” says Hollow, almost proudly. “It started as a story about wanting to be a cowboy, and it ended up with me Google-ing performers who had played cowboys on screen and reading off the list. Maybe Google gets a co-write on that one.”
While there’s a bit of an arched eyebrow that comes along with some of Hollow’s work, the record itself and the live show are musically savvy. Credit there goes to Hollow’s partners in crime and backing band, The Long Con. “My best talent is finding more talented and capable musicians,” says Dale.
Which doesn’t mean Hollow isn’t the focal point when it comes to the live setting. “There’s a lot
of energy from me on stage — it’s a very kinetic show,” says Hollow. “There are a lot of jumps and kicks and unnecessary and unorthodox things. But it’s not frenetic that you can’t pay attention! Also, I’m 6’5” — throw on a cowboy boots and a cowboy hat, I’m pretty good at making myself look goofy. A tall guy with a hat on stage, that’s amusing.”
Dig a little deeper into Hack of the Year and you’ll find fun little details: The record features several verbal monologues (h/t to Ray Price’s honky tonk classic Night Life), some country music Easter eggs (including a Gary LaVox/Rascal Flatts shoutout) and even some influences from outside of the country music world. Including, surprise, Childish Gambino. Says Dale: “I love his sense of borderline unnecessary oversaturation of pop culture references” (and those are in abundance on Hack, be it Forrest Gump, Cincinnati Bengals QB Joe Burrow or NFTs).
Is it all an act? Hollow admits he’s appreciative of the genre while also taking “a bit of the piss out of the self-seriousness” of Americana and country music. That said, “We actually do have country music fans coming on board,” he says. “I’m just placing myself in the country music
world in an unorthodox way. But I think you could be anyone who likes music and enjoy our show, whether you prefer Luke Bryan or Beach House.”
If you’ve made it this far and noticed that we’ve mentioned Luke Bryan three times, that’s on purpose. “I have a somewhat vague personal vendetta against Luke,” says Hollow. “He’s my arch nemesis. I’m punching up.” (We won’t spoil it here, but Hollow has met the country music chart-topper — but you’ll have to hear the whole story at his shows.)
But is the album title a bit, well, too bashful?
“If you think the record is good, it’s clever,” argues Hollow. “And if you think it’s bad, well, I can say I knew it was!”
And then he adds, quickly: “But I would never say that about my own record.”
David Cross Band
Space Ballroom • 295 Treadwell Street, Hamden, CT 06514
October 16, 2024
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David Cross Band
DAVID CROSS is an English electric violinist and keyboardist best known for playing with progressive rock band King Crimson from 1972 to 1974. Cross appears on their studio albums Larks’ Tongues in Aspic (1973) and Starless and Bible Black (1974), as well as “Providence”, a live track on Red (1974), in addition to numerous concert recordings that have been released by Robert Fripp’s Discipline Global Mobile label in the decades since.
After leaving the band, David was a senior lecturer in Music Education at the London Metropolitan University and besides several projects and recording sessions, he kept alive his own band since 1994 releasing 10 albums. In recent years David Cross has toured all around Europe, Latin America and Japan with Stick Men (with other King Crimson alumni, Tony Levin and Pat Mastelotto, plus Markus Reuter), being featured on albums Midori and Panamerica; as well with David Jackson, the legendary sax player from Van Der Graaf Generator. In 2023 David toured with his band all around Europe celebrating the 50th anniversary of Larks’ Tongues In Aspic album. In 2024 and 2025, DAVID CROSS BAND will continue to tour all around the world in 2024 and 2025, adding some material from Starless And Bible Back and Red album to the band’s live repertoire. Recently, John Mitchell, member of several popular progressive rock acts such as Frost, It Bites and Arena, John Wetton Band and Martin Barre of Jethro Tull, – has joined the band as the lead vocalist and guitarist.
Quarters of Change
Space Ballroom • 295 Treadwell Street, Hamden, CT 06514
October 27, 2024
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Quarters of Change
Quarters of Change is the Lower-East-Side quartet leading the charge on New York City’s rock resurgence. Composed of Ben Acker, Attila Anrather, Jasper Harris, and Ben Roter, the band has made waves online (and on the road) with their authentic brand of alternative rock.
After receiving co-signs from stars like Joe Jonas, Lewis Capaldi, and Fred Durst — the band made their major label debut in July of 2022, and tapped Mikey Freedom Hart (Bleachers) and Tom Lord-Alge (U2, The Rolling Stones, Blink 182) for finishing touches on what was otherwise a self-produced project.
Quarters of Change then embarked on a full North American tour supporting Bad Suns (Epitaph Records), stopping at radio stations and gracing playlist covers along the way, and now prepares for their biggest year yet. Listen to Into The Rift (Deluxe) out now on Elektra Records (Warner Music Group).
ALDN
Twenty-year-old aldn has been prolific in the hyperpop community for his production skills, but it wasn’t until he started laying his own vocals to the self-produced beats that it took off for the Reston, VA artist. aldn’s music turns pop songwriting on its head and finds a way to get stuck with the listener for hours on end. With its glitchy production and saccharine like melodies, aldn’s dark world is inverted through his music. While growing up in the urban jungle of Reston, he was exposed to the work of The Smiths, Radiohead, Skrillex, and deadmau5 through his brother and father. At the age of 11, he taught himself how to use an Ableton launchpad and imitate lo-fi beats. From there, he began making lo-fi and rap beats and releasing them on Soundcloud while quarantining with friends at Virginia Commonwealth University. As the whole world transitioned to a virtual existence, he turned to Discord for a sense of community which is where his breakout hit “glittr” gained massive traction — the remastered version now racks up over three million plays on Spotify. In 2021, he dropped the greenhouse EP which saw collaborations with glaive (“what was the last thing u said”), midwxst (“happy ever after”) and renforshort (“dog eat dog”). Finding inspiration in filmmaker Gaspar Noé to shapeshifting artists like Crystal Castles, Yung Lean, and Bladee, aldn’s upcoming debut EP switches gears in favor of being even more experimental in a lane of his own.
GONG
Space Ballroom • 295 Treadwell Street, Hamden, CT 06514
October 14, 2024
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GONG
The ever-metamorphosing entity that is GONG launches, as ever, into unknown – and unknowing – territory with new tours destined to be talked about, discussed, and argued over, up and down the land.
From its beginnings in a French commune in 1967, through the Virgin Records years, mismanagement, court cases, break-ups and re-joining’s, deaths and rebirths – there has always been a continuous thread of beautiful, dangerous and extraordinary music.
The current holders of the flame have come together over the last eight years; sinuous bass player Dave Sturt joined just as the album 2032 was shown to the world; Ian East (Sax, Flute) was the next to blow in through the portal; Fabio Golfetti brought his guitars from Brazil (after working with Daevid Allen for many years); Kavus Torabi (lead vox and guitars) appeared to Daevid in a vision; Cheb Nettles (drums) just sort of turned up.
In 2015, Daevid Allen passed away. His influence and legacy were honoured on the band’s subsequent album, Rejoice! I’m Dead! (2016). In recent years GONG has performed with the Steve Hillage Band (himself a former member of the 1970s GONG line-up) and released the critically acclaimed album The Universe Also Collapses (2019) and a stunning new live album Pulsing Signals (2022) captures the band at a creative peak with tracks drawn from their 2019 tour. Their new studio album, Unending Ascending, was released in November 2023.
Gong’s musically diverse world includes shades of psychedelia, space rock, jazz, avant-garde, krautrock and surreal soundscapes.
Divine Sweater: Timing Is Everything Tour
Space Ballroom • 295 Treadwell Street, Hamden, CT 06514
September 29, 2024
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Divine Sweater
(Boston, MA) Divine Sweater is the cutest band in indie. Hailing from Boston, they makes dreamy and dynamic music powered by tight vocal harmonies and a healthy dose of groove. They self-released two albums – Human Love in 2019 and Divine Sweater Presents: The Ten Year Plan in 2021 – that have been streamed over ten million times. Their third album, the ominous, sci-fi inspired Down Deep (A Nautical Apocalypse) was released by Better Company Records in 2023. Their songs have been featured on several Spotify and Apple Music Editorial Playlists including “Chill Vibes,” “Undercurrents,” and “Radar US.” The band consistently garners 100k+ monthly listeners on Spotify, has 60k followers on TikTok, and 12k on Instagram. Recently voted Indie Artist of the Year by the Boston Music Awards, they have shared the stage live with Leon Bridges, Inhaler, David Kushner, DRAMA, Beach Weather, Tipling Rock, Melt, and Babehoven. Their 2023 headline tour included sellouts at The Sinclair in Boston, The Broadway in New York, and Comet Ping Pong in Washington, D.C.
Another Michael
Something very special happens in the moment when a listener truly connects to a song. It’s an intangible reaction that bridges science and emotion, turning firing synapses into something cosmically beautiful. Another Michael exists for that moment: when a song transforms the setting of a long walk home, or speaks to a past experience while simultaneously making a new one, or taps into something universal by relating details so specific and personal that they could only be revealed in music. In 2023 the band released Wishes To Fulfill, the first in a pair of albums dedicated to their love of song, and now they’re back already with the experimental next chapter, Pick Me Up, Turn Me Upside Down. Together, the dual LPs create and pay tribute to the power of transcendent musical moments.
Wishes To Fulfill and Pick Me Up, Turn Me Upside Down are contrasting but complimentary albums: musical siblings that are undeniably different entities but still share key sonic DNA. They each offer a plethora of dynamics, feelings, and moods to soundtrack the richness of life, and form Another Michael’s finest work to date. Where Wishes To Fulfill was a lean 29-minute set of single-worthy tracks, Pick Me Up, Turn Me Upside Down is more expansive, patiently unfolding to reveal an exploratory side that brings new hues into the band’s vibrant sound.
On Pick Me Up, Turn Me Upside Down, Another Michael’s core sound–ultra-catchy melodies delivered through inventive chord progressions, lush arrangements, and vocalist/guitarist Michael Doherty’s distinctive voice–is still present, but the record features new ingredients that push the music into unexpected directions. The songs often take the knack for hooks that defined Wishes To Fulfill and apply it to left turns like the hypnotic quasi-krautrock of “I’ve Come Around To That,” the sparse balladry of the title track, or the pulsating synth explorations of “The Diner’s Spoon.” The album’s world is weirder and more improvisational, like in the twisting ends of “Hub of Dreams” or the spontaneous performances of “Like I Won A Car”–but Doherty’s warm singing and conversational lyricism always keep things grounded.
Another Michael’s adoration for music allows for simple sonic satisfaction, but it also taps into something deeper, something connective. “Music is a medium of communication,” says bassist Nick Sebastiano, “It’s not a purposeful decision to talk about music in our songs but it just inherently means so much to us. If something makes your heart sing, the audience is going to hear it.” On Wishes To Fulfill and Pick Me Up, Turn Me Upside Down, the band didn’t set out to capture the all encompassing, existential value of music, but they did contribute to it–offering more songs to the world, and with them, chances to create one of those moments.
The Giraffes with special guest Rock Academy Showband
Space Ballroom • 295 Treadwell Street, Hamden, CT 06514
August 4, 2024
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The Giraffes
The Giraffes are a cult band from Brooklyn that plays a signature mixture of heavy rock, punk, metal, surf and whatever else they find interesting. Loud, agile, dangerous, funny, sick, complex and satisfying, the Giraffes have been thinking people’s hedonistic soundtrack of choice since 1996.
Lead singer Aaron Lazar and guitar wizard Damien Paris form the core focus of the band, with support from the locomotive rhythm section of maniac drummer Andrew Totolos and the latest Giraffe Hannah Moorhead on bass. The band has just completed recording their 8th full length album “Cigarette”
The Giraffes have a well earned reputation for mayhem. Trouble has seemed to follow the band from day one. Guitarist Damien Paris was shot in the leg outside of a White Castle late one night in Brooklyn by an off-duty fire marshal. The bullet is still lodged in his knee. Singer Aaron Lazar has suffered multiple Sudden Cardiac Death events. He has a defibrillator implanted in his chest. During a show at Chicago’s legendary Double Door It sent 700 volts directly into his heart 3 times in 30 seconds (he finished the set).
The Giraffes’ live shows are characterized as dangerous affairs. Combining fierce musicality and unbridled audience participation Giraffes performances have generated an intense and extremely dedicated fan base that often travels great distances to attend. They have toured alongside acts such as Local-H, Eagles of Death Metal, The Vacation and Skeleton Key, sharing the stage with Interpol, Fishbone, the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s, the Strokes. And have played festivals like Amsterjam, Voodofest, Monolith, SXSW, and Bonnaroo, SXSW, CMJ, Northside and more. Giraffes music can be found in video games like Guitar Hero and heard in movies like the 2017 Sundance Festival winner “I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore” and the Forthcoming Toxic Avenger remake by famed indie auteur Macon Blair.
The Giraffes were formed in 1996 by Damien Paris, Andrew Totolos, and bassist Tim Kent. The band cut its teeth playing in the NYC underground with contemporaries the Strokes, the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s and Interpol and more. In 1998, they released their debut album FRANKSQUILT, however it was not until singer Aaron Lazar joined in 2000 that the band found its true shape.
HELPING YOU HELP YOURSELF, released in 2002, is a raw testament to the explosive energy of the foursome, blending Paris’s ferocious riffage with the bellowing croons of Lazar’s tongue in cheek lyrics. It marked a period of activity where the band would stake its claim as the most unbridled and fun-loving Brooklyn live act. 2002 also saw the departure of Kent from the band and introduced John Rosenthal on bass. With Rosenthal, the band started touring nationally and released four studio albums in rapid succession. Starting with the spaghetti western E.P.: A GENTLEMAN NEVER TELLS in 2003, the band quickly signed to Razor and Tie records releasing their self-titled album THE GIRAFFES in 2005. Unfortunately, the record deal stalled as leadership at the label was in flux. In response the band quickly wrote and recorded a second E.P. PRETTY IN PUKE and 2007 was busier than ever. A formal exit from their contract allowed the band self-release the thunderous PRIME MOTIVATOR in 2008, touring extensively and growing their fan base nationally. By the end of 2008, Rosenthal had left the band and was replaced by Jens Carstensen on bass. More touring followed and 2009 saw the band release a live concert album and DVD combo entitled THE GIRAFFES: SHOW on Crustacean Records. Filmed at the Brooklyn institution Union Pool it also contains extensive interviews with the band and their cohort from this period. The following release, an epic concept album titled: RULED (2010) proved to be Lazars’ swan song as the road took its toll and band members began to explore other projects. Lazar played his ‘final’ show with the Giraffes in February of 2011 declaring: “If we don’t make it big by the end of this show, I’m fucking quitting.”
The Giraffes operated without Lazar by releasing an album of rarities and B-Sides: FAREWELL FAT ASTRONAUT (2012) and later the eclectic TALES OF THE BLACK WHISTLE (2013), which featured the vocal talents of Brianna Wanlass and Kimberly Paige Valor.
2014 brought reunion concerts with Lazar back at the helm of the band. Sold-out shows in Brooklyn and Denver reunited fans from across the continent and, bolstered by their support, the Giraffes began developing new material. Carstensen left the band in 2014 and was replaced with Candy Darlings and Beauty Supply alum Josh Taggart on bass. In 2015 the newly reconstituted band released its sixth full-length on Silver Sleeve Records entitled USURY to critical acclaim following it up with a handful of shows across North America.
2019 saw a new record FLOWER OF THE COSMOS nd a new lineup as bassist Joshua Taggart was replaced by the formidable Hannah Moorhead (Netherlands / Twenty Two’s) on bass guitar. FotC gained mythic status among the giraffe faithful containing several favorites including the angular and tumbling Fill up Glass which was remixed by the backpack rap and longtime friend Blockhead. Another remix sees the song Bubblescum reinterpreted by Adam Franklin of Swervedriver into something less rock and roll and more atmospheric and shoegaze.
2024 marks a transition to a new era of the band with Moorhead anchoring the bass position and contributing more in songwriting and backup vocal duties. The Giraffes have completed their 8th studio full length titled CIGARETTE which was recorded in their own studio and mixed at several locations including the legendary Studio G in Brooklyn. With the line up no longer in flux and the band members settling comfortably into the role of grizzled lifers of the Brooklyn scene the focus is now being placed squarely on songwriting. CIGARETTE is full of surprises and takes new risks in subject matter and composition all while maintaining the intensity and dexterity fans know and love.
Rock Academy Showband
Young musicians bring the past and the future of rock crashing into the present! Have your fears about the future put aside for the night when you see the students of Rock Academy bringing everything you love about music to the stage. Rock Academy’s Showband is an advanced touring group of young musicians between the ages of 12 and 18 who have been selected for their musical dedication, showmanship, love of performing, and ability to share the stage with professional musicians as they tour the world. Recent highlights include opening for Blondie and accompanying Violent Femmes onstage.
Etran de L’Aïr
Space Ballroom • 295 Treadwell Street, Hamden, CT 06514
September 21, 2024
Click here to purchase tickets
Etran de L’Aïr
Etran de L’Aïr (or “stars of the Aïr region”) welcomes you to Agadez, the capital city of Saharan rock. Playing for over 25 years, Etran has emerged as stars of the local wedding circuit. Beloved for their dynamic repertoire of hypnotic solos and sun schlazed melodies, Etran stakes out a place for Agadez guitar music. Playing a sound that invokes the desert metropolis, “Agadez” celebrates the sounds of all the dynamism of a hometown wedding.
Etran is a family band composed of brothers and cousins, all born and raised in the small neighborhood of Abalane, just in the shadow of the grand mosque. Sons of nomadic families that settled here in the 1970s fleeing the droughts, they all grew up in Agadez. The band was formed in 1995 when current band leader Moussa “Abindi” Ibra was only 9 years old. “We only had one acoustic guitar,” he explains, “and for percussion, we hit a calabash with a sandal.” Over the decades, the band painstakingly pieced together gear to form their band and built an audience by playing everywhere, for everyone. “It was difficult. We would walk to gigs by foot, lugging all our equipment, carrying a small PA and guitars on our backs, 25 kilometers into the bush, to play for free…there’s nowhere in Agadez we haven’t played.”
From the days of the Trans-Saharan caravan in the 14th century to a modern-day stopover for Europe-bound migrants, Agadez is a city that stands at the crossroads, where people and ideas come together. Understandably, it’s here where one of the most ambitious Tuareg guitar has taken hold. Agadez’s style is the fastest, with frenetic electric guitar solos, staccato crash of full drum kits, and flamboyant dancing guitarists. Agadez is the place where artists come to cut their teeth in a lucrative and competitive winner-take-all scene. Guitar bands are an integral part of the social fabric, playing in weddings, baptisms, and political rallies, as well as the occasional concert.
Whereas other Tuareg guitarists look to Western rock, Etran de L’Aïr play in a pan-African style that is emblematic of their hometown, citing a myriad of cultural influences, from Northern Malian blues, Hausa bar bands, to Congolese Soukous. It’s perhaps this quality that makes them so beloved in Agadez. “We play for the Tuareg, the Toubou, the Zarma, the Hausa,” Abindi explains. “When you invite us, we come and play.” Their music is rooted in celebration, and invokes the exuberance of an Agadez wedding, with an overwhelming abundance of guitars, as simultaneous solos playfully pass over one another with a restrained precision, forceful yet never overindulgent.
Recorded at home in Agadez with a mobile studio, their eponymous album stays close to the band’s roots. Over a handful of takes, in a rapid-fire recording session, “Agadez” retains all the energy of a party. Their message too is always close to home. Tchingolene (“Tradition”) recalls the nomad camps, with a modern take on traditional takamba rhythms transposed to guitars. The dreamy ballad Toubouk Ine Chihoussay (“The Flower of Beauty”) dives into call and response lyrics, and solos that dance effortlessly over the frets. On other tracks like Imouwizla (“Migrants”), Etran addresses immigration with the driving march parallels the nomads’ plight with travelers crossing the desert for Europe. Yet even at its most serious, Etran’s music is engaged and dynamic, reminding us that music can transmit a message while lighting up a celebration. This is music for dancing, after all.
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The HIRS Collective w/ Doom Beach, FaFa, en | Masse – July 14, 2024
Tim Kasher (of Cursive) w/ J. Russell, Willcody – July 17, 2024
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