Trio Balkan Strings will be appearing at a house concert in downtown Santa Cruz at 7:30pm on Thursday, May 25th, 2017. They're a virtuosic guitar trio from Belgrade, Serbia who perform a unique fusion of Balkan music, crossing various genres…
The Santa Cruz Percolators will be on the air at KZSC during the Backroads folk show on Sunday (5/24/15, between noon-2pm) for an interview and some live music. The Percolators play a variety of traditional dance music from around the world, featuring melodies from Appalachia,…
In a journey that began with selling their CDs on street corners, to becoming the most popular band in Niger, now Tal National is promoting their new album Zoy Zoy and on tour, playing Moe's Alley May 5th. Tal National's members represent…
Ukranian quartet, DakhaBrakha will be playing at Kuumbwa Jazz April 13th as part of their United States tour This Ukrainian “ethno-chaos” band creates a world of unexpected new music. Accompanied by Indian, Arabic, African, Russian and Australian traditional instrumentation, the quartet’s…
Next Monday, March 16, Santa Cruzians can start off their week with music by Diwan Saz who will be performing at Don Quixote's International Music Hall. Diwan Saz come promoting an intercultural, harmonious message of common roots/coexistence through middle eastern…
Spring is the season for shaking it. If you're looking for fantastic world music to get everybody's on the dance floor, may we suggest internationally acclaimed electro-acoustic artist Stellamara? In collaboration with Colleena Shakti, Stellamara will showcase Odissi, Indian classical and contemporary dance, along…
The 3rd annual Seabright Stringfest is a cavalcade of continuous acoustic music. This FREE event features 10 bands: Earl, Adrienne, Myles (oldtime rags); The Wakerobins (Americana/oldtimey); Theo and Dave (traditional Irish); Happy Chappies (traditional world music); The Percolators (Quebecois, oldtimey…
This talented 11th generation Sufi singer followed custom and tradition; he was trained at a young age by his father. After working with many different musicians while touring around the world, Ali Khan has skillfully blended Western influences into his traditional…
The last week of August's new world, yo! Chico Trujillo and Gogol Bordello getting the top spots, Femi Kuti still a fav! 1 CHICO TRUJILLO Gran Pecador Barbes 2 GOGOL BORDELLO Pura Vida Conspiracy ATO 3 FEMI KUTI No Place…
Fanfare Ciocarlia - whose name translates as "lark's song", are from the village of Zece Prajini in north eastern Romania. With humble beginnings as musicians performing at local weddings, this group is full of vigor and daring. They are known…
The Summer Equinox approaches. What better way to bring in the season than to make some music? Matthew Montfort of the world music group Ancient Future and author of "Ancient Traditions: Rhythmic Training Through the Traditions of Africa, Bali and…
Have you ever played the board game 'Risk'? It's actually pretty fun. This game, invented by French film director Albert Lamorisse, was originally released as La Conquête du Monde in 1957, and it is one of the longest board game you will ever play. Monopoly…
This and next month are full of African and African-influenced music events in Santa Cruz. Tuesday the 19th, world fusion band Toubab Krewe will perform at Moe's Alley. Toubab Krewe specializes in upbeat instrumentals that draw from African blues, rock,…
Yesterday, I had the privilege of interviewing Rupa Marya, lead vocalist of the world fusion group Rupa & the April Fishes. Formed in San Francisco, the band has a very distinct, jazz-influenced style of music, overlaid with Rupa's soothing vocals…
As I perused our station's labyrinth of a record collection in search for some "European" music a couple of days ago, I found a record from an artist with a name that rang a bell, but with a track-list that…
Take some dubstep-influenced beats, overlay them with Native American tribal vocals, and you get Pow Wow step, the genre A Tribe Called Red uses to describe their debut self-titled album. Hailing from Canada, the Native American DJ crew combines the…
Through ATO Records, Italian singer-songwriter and rapper Lorenzo Cherubini, better known as Jovanotti, has finally issued his first U.S. release after over two decades of being in the business. This compilation album that includes the greatest hits of his career so…
It is very common for contemporary World Music artists to remake popular American songs while still staying true to their culture. With YouTube, it's been easier than ever to find up-and-coming artists sharing their cultural talents in a more mainstream…
