At the Legion on Commercial – Afrika Shrine
CATCH THE FREE CBC NOONER Teaser CONCERT, Friday July 11, 12noon, at CBC Studios!
Be prepared to be taken from Vancouver to the Caribbean to West Africa and then back again, featuring the original Trinidadian sounds of Kobo Town from Toronto, and the Fela Kuti-inspired grooves of Vancouver’s Kara-Kata Afrobeat. Add to this the warm ambiance of the Afrika Shrine, delicious African food on offer, full beverage bar, and you’re in for some serious Good Times!!
ABOUT KOBO TOWN – https://www.cumbancha.com/kobo-town
Founded by Trinidadian/Canadian songwriter Drew Gonsalves, Kobo Town is named after the historic neighborhood in Port-of-Spain where calypso was born amid the boastful, humorous and militant chants of roaming stick-fighters. Situated near the fishermen’s wharf, the area was a site of constant defiance and conflict, a place where sticks and stones, songs and verses clashed with the bayonets and batons of colonial rule. Gonsalves started writing his own calypsos and visiting calypso tents every time he visited Trinidad. In 2004, he put together Kobo Town with some fellow Trini expats in Toronto and some musicians from his first band, Outcry, a rock-reggae group with calypso and West Indian folk influences. Early 2007 saw the release of Kobo Town’s debut album Independence.
Drew describes his music in the following way: “It is calypso inspired and derived, but it’s a conscious departure from the way it developed back home. Calypso is the folk music of urban Trinidad, but it has always drawn on outside influences, from big band and jazz in the 30s and 40s, to funk and disco in the 70s and 80s. It’s hard to pin down pure calypso. For me, the calypsonian is a singing newspaperman commenting on the events of the day, with an attitude halfway between court jester and griot.”
ABOUT Kárà-Kátà Band – www.reverbnation.com/karakataafrobeatgroupcanadakagc
Vancouver-based Kárà-Kátà Band is the creation of Nigerian-born musician Toyin. The band is primarily inspired by Fela Kuti’s Afrobeat, but also mixes in Highlife, reggae Soca, Calypso, gospel, Modern funk, Jazz, Blues, Salsa, Psychedelic rock & Soul. Their musical spice is exotic and inspiring. They celebrate and share the beauty of African/Canadian multiculturalism with dance, music, fashion through their live performances. Truly a World Beat band that makes your heart warm and your feet move!