Ali & Toumani documents the meeting of two supreme musicians, Malian guitar player Ali Farka Touré and kora master Toumani Diabaté. After winning a Grammy for their previous collaboration In the Heart of the Moon, the two were eager to join forces again. The album was not released before Touré’s death in 2006, but the result is still polished and complete.
The companionship between the two musicians is evident in the organic, symbiotic wholeness of their music. Usually at first Touré sets down a central and repetitive hook, and Diabaté flourishes over it…but any rules dictating their rapport quickly falls away. Each song is transcendent and expansive. Most of all, it rings with the maturity of an artist aware of the coming end to his long life.
This album is a worthy conclusion to Toumani’s influential and enduring career.

-DJ Space Cadet

Local legends Desperation Squad will play their first live show since 2007 this coming Saturday night at the Black Watch Pub — and opening the show will be the “ridiculously popular” Dude Mirror, featuring wildman/contortionist (and psst…KSPC DJ) Mr. Excitement! Don’t miss this show!

…the rock n roll circus begins at 10pm
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Black Watch Pub
497 N. Central Ave. Upland, CA

South China was born in 2002 as a marriage, musically and literally, of Jeremy and Jerusha Robinson. Their individual backgrounds in experimental rock and classical music produce a sound that feels sparse and improvised, evoking a slightly dark and dream-like state, like trying to recall something that is just beyond the edges of memory. They draw listeners into their intimate world of Maine winters, bittersweet moments, subtle humor, and the bizarre dream imagery.

While living on Washington Avenue in Portland during 2003-2004, they wrote constantly, and also began collaborations with their friend and former band mate David Lamb, forming the first trio version of Brown Bird. Over the following 6 years South China chipped away at their catalog, writing, re-writing, ditching, digging up, gestating. They moved six times. They landed in Biddeford and rented out a music studio on Washington Street. When coming up with a name for the album which they are finishing up with Ron Harrity at Peapod Recordings, the one that stuck was “Washingtons”.

They have been members of the dark Americana band Brown Bird for the better part of the last 6 years. They are also currently members of Plains and Tiny Fires (both Portland bands) and have been frequently collaborating with White Light, Tin Ceilings, Guy Capecelatro III and Sontiago. – LastFM