If you don’t know the band Tinariwen, you should check them out. They are a dope Tuareg band from North Africa, and they’re playing in my town tonight at the Ramkat. A couple of months ago when the venue posted a Facebook ad about the event, there were a bunch of racist, xenophobic, white nationalist hate comments on the post. These were people who live near me (because that’s where the ad was shown) and people who obviously don’t know anything about this band, what they stand for and what they’ve been through.
These guys have risen to international fame, despite starting out as musicians in a region where music and art are banned, guitars are burned, and suspected musicians and their families executed by an extremist regime. These guys live and breathe the ideals of rock n roll, rebelling against a malignant and oppressive authority and inspiring freedom through their music. These guys are my heroes. I am ashamed of my brothers and sisters from the south east US for being such ignorant, hate-filled dumbasses.
The owners of the Ramkat reached out to a bunch of musicians in our area to help overshadow the negativity surrounding this event with a positive message. By covering Tinariwen’s music, we can help not only promote the show, but share their vibe and their message. This is my meager contribution.
My regular band couldn’t get this recording done in time, so I reached out online to a bunch of players I knew could film and record themselves, and learn this music and crush on super short notice (24hrs). Justin Huack, Matt Bell and my local friend Ali Sakkal stepped up to the challenge, and CRUSHED IT. I can’t thank them enough for their support, hard work, and positive attitude.