Konono No1 - "Tradi-Modern" - This shit is unreal

btw: is there anyone who could .zip this thing (viz. - any one of their albums and/or Congotronic) up and YSI it? I tried SLSK and the local record store (or at least the one I checked) doesn't have it.

I don't have access to it at work, but if you blog search "paradiso konono" you'll find several of the songs floating around

..."blog search?"

maybe put "paradiso konono and blog" into google

I am pretty sure that the Kennedy Center will be showing the Konono No. 1 Tuesday November 22 6 p.m. Eastern time free Milennium Stage show live on their website, and then archiving it for later viewing.

http://www.kennedy-center.org/programs/millennium/

blogsearch.google.com

If you don't want to mess with parking near the K. Ctr. (or at the Center where it is $15!)..."The Foggy Bottom/George Washington Univ. Station (23rd and I) Metro stop in DC is the closest stop. From there it is a short walk via New Hampshire Avenue OR use the FREE Kennedy Center Shuttle (signs are towards the left as you exit the escalator). It departs every 15 minutes from 9:45 a.m.-midnight Monday-Friday..."

So I talked with the tour manager before the Kennedy Center show, and he told me that one of the megaphones got broken by the airline, and the other one was working during the early part of the tour till they blew it out. He also said they couldn't get visas for their dancers and some others, and that yes, they did not bring their home-made amps or mics, just their homemade pickups with the likembes, the congas, the rough-edged cymbal, and the cowbell like thing.

yeah i was wondering about that acutally. it didn't sound quite the way i was expecting though it was quite good. the whole kennedy center layout/vibe was wack as hell though.

The atmosphere left alot to be desired. You should have run up front and gotten the dancing started! Actually, the ushers would have probably shooed you away. There were lots of ILXers and local critic types doing the indie-rock head nod. I once saw a New York based Brazilian forro group leap off that stage and march past a sitting, pretty staid crowd for their final song, with a drummer pounding away on a marching band style held drum. About 10 people followed him as he continued down the halls and outside onto the plaza. Everyone else just stayed there in their seats wondering what happened.

That includes me much of the time last night.

oh yeah, three people in my row got up and tried to dance and were tut-tut'ed by the ushers. even after being told to show appreciation by dancing by the MC at the beginning. laaame. still, good show.

btw zach, if yr reading, sorry if i seemed rude when you introduced yourself--i was rushing back to catch a train back to b-more for another show i had to cover last night. (a train i still ended up missing.)

oh yeah, don't worry about it - nice to meet you and steve though. i too was part of the cadre of bearded bobbing boys in the back. sort of a bummer about the mics/speakers, and the venue robbed a bit of the impact, but still a good show.

The World Cafe Live! show wasn't bad! They took out the cafeteria tables! There was a small crowd, but it wasn't bad. The glowstick twirling ravers sucked. So did the Wilford Brimley character who insisted on jogging/dancing in front of me, regularly elbowing my chest to the beat! Exoticists/Orientalists = push since it was too cold for all cotton and sandals.

The band was great and v. charismatic. The NASCAR hats confused me.

Hey so, any other London ILM'ers going to their FREE gig tonight at Momo Bar off Regent Street tonight?

http://forum.resonancefm.com/viewtopic.php?t=1202

If I make it back from work in time etc. I will def. go to this.

I have black hair, a beard and black glasses and will be looking lonesome as I'll be on my own so any ILXors say hi. (Or email me beforehand.)

good times good times

Konno are gonna be touring the US again soon. They're playing indie-rock club Black Cat in DC soon. Hopefully the airline will be a little more gentle with their stuff this time.

BLACK CAT BLACK CAT

Is that guy still standing out in front of the club saying that? I love the way he says it...Wonderful intonation

Saw them last night at the Cedar Cultural Center here in Mpls...

really amazing. people like to throw around words like "joyful" and "life-affirming" but Konono really is.

Played pretty much 2 hours STRAIGHT...one endless groove that kept morphing back into itself, sort of like dance music where a melodic or rhythmic motif from like 5 minutes ago would reappear and then fade back.

I guess the sound was a little "cleaner" than usual because their sound system hadn't arrived from Europe yet, so they went through the regular PA.

Lineup was three thumb pianos, played by Awesome Happy Frontman, Man In Black Duster Who Kinda Looked Like Blues Legend Buddy Guy, and Grumpy Older Guy.

frontwoman did endless dancing and chipped in on vocals frequently, she can really move, wow i woulda been so tired!

three drummers...one on some wooden long african drums...one guys sitting down (who wore a soccer jersey and SCARF and tuxedo pants even though it was hell hot in there), and one (the youngest looking) on a number of metal cowbell type things and some homemade looking junkyard percussion stuff....

anyway, crowd was mix of usual hippies, college kids, noise scene dudes, and old dudes in beards and John Hiatt concert t-shirts - lots of dancing, clapping along...

the music is really rich rhythmically, was impossible even for stick in the mud me not to at least bounce around a little.

great band.

have they ever done anything w/The Ex? they should, that would be so awesome, this show kinda reminded me of the The Ex.

I feel like the ex covered them a while back, but I forget?

they did!

This was revealed to Alex In SF and myself by Jem Cohen at a screening of Jem Cohen's film of The Ex.

Yeah, but The Ex's cover (Theme From Konono on the second disc of Turn) is pretty goddamned bland and worthless. It's like, yeah, we like Konono too— let's make 'em sound really white!