The sub-Saharan nomadic culture known as Tuareg that spans several north African countries has a couple of rising stars in Mdou Moctar and Bombino but as far as I know it was Tinariwen who helped raise global awareness of this music form. Hailing from Mali, the outfit is known for their blues-based guitar rock that shares more than a little ancestry with the Hill Country blues of northern Mississippi first pioneered by “Mississippi” Fred McDowell and later popularized via key works from Junior Kimbrough and RL Burnside. The music is infectious and fun, and this sextet got the room moving and grooving.
Opening duties were handled by a band whose name makes their proclivities very clear, but in reality Garcia Peoples is how I feel the Grateful Dead should sound; they jam pretty hard and don’t get lost in some jugband bullshit like Jerry and Co did. Let’s hope they successfully steer clear of a Shakedown Street disco era. Photos of both bands below:
Tinariwen:
Garcia Peoples:
Primarily based in Boston, Massachusetts, Tim Bugbee is no stranger to traveling throughout the country or overseas to capture the best live music photos.
