Program November 15, 2013

"I have a VW Bug and a guitar / I'm for Flamengo and I have a black girl named Tereza / I'm a boy of average intelligence, that's right / But even so I am very happy, content, I don't owe anything to anybody"
Jorge Ben Jor, "Pais Tropical," 1969

Jorge Ben Jor (pictured above) is Brazil's everyman-poet, a man who's beyond legendary in his home country.  He's on tour in the USA for the first time in eight years, and I'm looking forward to seeing him this Saturday at the Howard Theatre in DC.  To get warmed up for the event, this week I'll spin a set of his tunes and a medley of covers as well.

Charts November 10, 2013

WRIR's CMJ New World Top Ten
1 JUANA MOLINA | Wed 21 | Crammed Discs
2 MIGHTY DIAMONDS | Pass The Knowledge | 17 North Parade
3 TAMIKREST | Chatma | Glitterbeat
4 GUY BUTTERY | Live In KwaZulu | self-released
5 ALBOROSIE | Sound The System | VP
6 KAL | Romology | ARC
7 ALPAY | Yekte | Pharaway Sounds
8 BLACK BAZAR | Round 2 | Lusafrica
9 SYSTEMA SOLAR | La Revancha Del Burro | Sambumbia
10 ABELARDO CARBONO | El Maravilloso Mundo De Abelardo Carbono | Vampisoul

Program November 8, 2013

How about a set of Balkan blasters this week?  Como no!  I'll be spinning some tunes that will have you up and spinning, including a pre-release from Kal (pictured above), one of my favorite bands from ex-Yugoslavia, and new ones by the Boban & Marko Markovic Orchestra and from a pairing of France's Latcho Drom with Hungary's Parno Graszt.

I'll also have a ticket giveaway in which one lucky listener will win a pair of passes to see reggae legends Black Uhuru at the Southern in Charlottesville.  More info here:

http://www.thesoutherncville.com
https://www.facebook.com/events/537483306328944

Kal | Romology

ARTIST: Kal
TITLE: Romology
LABEL: ARC
The third album from the Belgrade-based combo Kal (“black” in Romani, a word often used by Europeans to describe the Roma, Europe’s fastest-growing ethnic group) continues and expands their “rock ‘n’ Roma” sound.

Juana Molina | Wed 21

ARTIST: Juana Molina
TITLE: Wed 21
LABEL: Crammed Discs
Her sixth album and another stellar, solid release. Whereas her previous albums have been mostly loops and layers of her guitar and voice, mixed with various electronic pings and pongs, this one has taken on more instruments, samples and musicians.

November 2013 Concert Calendar

November's Global A Go-Go picks:

1. VCUarts Music Department hosts a three-day festival of flamenco music and dance November 1-3 at the Singleton Center for the Performing Arts on VCU's campus
2. Klezmer and bluegrass virtuoso (no, that's not a typo) Andy Statman visits the University of Virginia's Old Cabell Hall on Tuesday November 5
3. Legendary Brazilian singer Jorge Ben Jor (pictured above) is on a rare USA tour which includes an appearance at DC's Howard Theatre on Saturday November 16
4. The Easy Star All-Stars celebrate the 10th anniversary of their album Dub Side Of The Moon (yes, an all-reggae Pink Floyd cover album) with a performance of the full album at the Hamilton in DC on Sunday November 24, featuring a live dub mix by Jesse (Dubmatix) King

Have an event you'd like me to include, or a suggestion for the concert calendar?  Just drop me a line at globalagogoradio [at] gmail [dot] com, or leave me a message right here.

Click "Read more" to see the entire November calendar.

Charts November 3, 2013

WRIR's CMJ New World Top Ten
1 OMAR SOULEYMAN | Wenu Wenu | Ribbon Music
2 ALPAY | Yekte | Pharaway Sounds
3 BLACK BAZAR | Round 2 | Lusafrica
4 ABELARDO CARBONO | El Maravilloso Mundo De Abelardo Carbono | Vampisoul
5 VARIOUS ARTISTS | Red Hot + Fela | Knitting Factory
6 ROKIA TRAORE | Beautiful Africa | Nonesuch
7 VARIOUS ARTISTS | Afrobeat Airways 2: Return Flight To Ghana | Analog Africa
8 SYSTEMA SOLAR | La Revancha Del Burro | Sambumbia
9 FREEDOM FAMILY | Ayentsoo | Academy LPs
10 VARIOUS ARTISTS | Qat, Coffee, And Qambus: Raw 45s From Yemen | Dust-To-Digital

Alpay | Yekte

ARTIST: Alpay
TITLE: Yekte
LABEL: Pharaway Sounds
Pharaway Sounds continues its excavation of 1970’s Turkish rock with this little gem of a compilation. Alpay is a singer from Ankara who was quite popular back then, mostly known for his pop and folk material. But the Anatolian psych-rock movement was so strong that it swept in artists from all styles.

Black Bazar | Round 2

ARTIST: Black Bazar
TITLE: Round 2
LABEL: Lusafrica
“Black Bazar” is a concept as well as the name of a band of contemporary Congolese musicians.  Like the concept, the band membership is not static.  It changes to illustrate an idea. The goal is to present great modern Congolese music that reflects the influences of the day.

Omar Souleyman | Wenu Wenu

ARTIST: Omar Souleyman
TITLE: Wenu Wenu
LABEL: Ribbon Music
Here’s the first studio album by one of the world’s most-recorded artists. Souleyman, a native of Syria currently living in Turkey, is the king of electronic dabke, a 21st century version of Syrian folk music where synthesizer replaces traditional instruments, beats are straightened out to four-on-the-floor, and tempos are frequently dialed up to 120 to 150 bpm’s.

Systema Solar | La Revancha Del Burro

ARTIST: Systema Solar
TITLE: La Revancha Del Burro
LABEL: Sambumbia
Systema Solar is a multimedia (film, performance and costume along with music) septet that gives Colombian roots music a neo-psychedelic injection and a hip hop/electronica pants-kick.

Program November 1, 2013

Thank you to the 506 people who donated more than $40,000 so far during WRIR's Fall '13 Fund Drive.  It's been a great success once again, thanks to you the listener -- you make this station possible, and we're so grateful for your support.

I said "so far" for a reason -- we're happy to continue accepting your donations, and providing you with some awesome donor premiums, even thought the drive is officially over.  You can help take us to $41,000 and beyond by clicking and donating here:

https://wrir.wufoo.com/forms/fund-drive-donation-wrirlp-973-fm

And a special thank-you goes out to the 47 donors who named Global A Go-Go as one of their favorite WRIR programs.  I'm flattered, and I owe all of you a great program this week -- hell, I owe you a great program every week.

Charts October 27, 2013

WRIR's CMJ New World Top Ten
1 MULATU ASTATKE | Sketches Of Ethiopia | Jazz Village
2 ABELARDO CARBONO | El Maravilloso Mundo De Abelardo Carbono | Vampisoul
3 AFRICANDO | Viva Africando | Sterns
4 FREEDOM FAMILY | Ayentsoo | Academy LPs
5 JOSEPH KABASELE | Le Grand Kalle: His Life, His Music | Sterns
6 BLACK BAZAR | Round 2 | Lusafrica
7 JIMMY CLIFF | The KCRW Session | Universal
8 FAT FREDDY'S DROP | Blackbird | The Drop
9 ORCHESTRE POLY-RYTHMO DE COTONOU | Volume 3: The Skeletal Essences Of Afro Funk 1969-1980 | Analog Africa
10 CORNELL CAMPBELL MEETS SOOTHSAYERS | Nothing Can Stop Us | Strut

Program October 25, 2013

WRIR's Fall '13 Fund Drive, now just past its midpoint, is shaping up as one of our most successful drives, both artistically and financially, to date.

On the financial side of things, we're well on our way toward raising the $40,000 we need in order to keep Richmond Independent Radio solvent and vibrant for the next six months.  On the artistic side, I'd say that the programming (always good IMHO) has reached a new, higher level during the fund drive.

Especially noteworthy has been the remarkable number, variety and quality of live bands that have played in our Live Room, a facility built with money that folks like you have donated in our previous fund drives.  And I'm going to raise the bar a notch with this week's show, which will feature a live performance by the band Rattlemouth (pictured above).

Charts October 20, 2013

WRIR's CMJ New World Top Ten
1 AZIZ SAHMAOUI | University Of Gnawa | General Pattern SARL
2 ABELARDO CARBONO | El Maravilloso Mundo De Abelardo Carbono | Vampisoul
3 AFRICANDO | Viva Africando | Sterns
4 MIGHTY DIAMONDS | Pass The Knowledge | 17 North Parade
5 GOGOL BORDELLO | Pura Vida Conspiracy | ATO
6 VARIOUS ARTISTS | Rough Guide To Psychedelic Bollywood | World Music Network
7 BLACK BAZAR | Round 2 | Lusafrica
8 CHRISTINE SALEM | Salem Tradition | Label Cobalt
9 VARIOUS ARTISTS | Peru Maravilloso | Tiger's Milk
10 BOOGARINS | As Plantas Que Curam | Other Music