Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Zulu Double Stops and Cape Town Grooves: Freshlyground Bursts With the Bright Sound of South Africa at the Iron Horse this Friday!

Zulu folk fiddle and Xhosa poetry. Rebel reggae bass and Afropop guitar. Thumb piano and vintage delay. And that’s just one track.

Beyond eclecticism for its own sake, the seven-piece, multi-generational, and multi-ethnic Freshlyground bring together easy-going hipsters and scene veterans, fiery singers and cool production. An unexpected sensation in South Africa, the unlikely pop stars landed on the charts out of the blue. They joined a shimmying Shakira on the 2010 FIFA World Cup theme, “Waka Waka (This Time for Africa).” 


Now, they explore the full, powerful possibilities of their collective pasts on their latest album, Radio Africa. And the group’s bountiful diversity will hit North America (including New York, San Francisco, DC, Philly, Montreal, Vancouver) for the first time, as the group tours in June and July, in a live show bursting with bold energy, wry humor, and skillful spontaneity. 
Freshlyground—whose name evokes the fresh mix of just-crushed herbs—fearlessly dives into crates of traditional instruments, pointed political critique, poetry notebooks, and well-loved Southern African pop forms. They channel the sunny openness of hip Cape Town and the intense energy of singing ancestors. The mix is catchy, driving, and refreshingly upbeat, even when songs take aim at social ills and the folly of misguided politicians. 

Tickets are available at Northampton Box Office, 76 Main Street, 413-586-8686 and online at IHEG.com.


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