This year’s Juno Award Winner for World Music Album of the Year – Kobo Town, will perform at the St. John’s Arts and Culture Centre in the final performance of the season, and the first night of the Tombolo Multicultural Festival of Newfoundland and Labrador. Free show! Opening the show will be the amazing St. John’s based ensemble – Ouroboros!
Kobo Town is named after the historic neighborhood in Port-of-Spain where calypso was born amid the boastful, humorous and militant chants of roaming stick-fighters. Situated near the fishermen’s wharf, the area was a site of constant defiance and conflict, a place where sticks and stones, songs and verses clashed with the bayonets and batons of colonial rule.
Founded and fronted by émigré Trinidadian songwriter Drew Gonsalves, Kobo Town’s music has been variously described as “an intoxicating blend of lilting calypsonian wit, dancehall reggae and trombone-heavy brass” (Guardian), and a “unique, transnational composite of rhythm, poetry and activist journalism” (Exclaim!). From their home in Toronto, the JUNO award winning group has brought their distinct calypso-inspired sound to audiences across the world, from Port-of-Spain to Paris and from Montreal to Malaysia.
On his new release, Where the Galleon Sank (2017), Gonsalves continues to explore 500 years of history through his post-colonial, Trinidadian lens, armed with his trademark wit and gift for melody. Maverick producer Ivan Duran is once again manning the console, creating a warm, percolating, richly layered sound. As on Kobo Town’s two previous outings, “Galleon” is filled with buoyant music that stimulates both body and mind; propulsive, infectious grooves are juxtaposed with incisive lyrics that expose human folly and our tendency to repeat our mistakes. Part poet, part correspondent, Gonsalves delivers compelling dispatches from events both real and imaginary.
Ouroboros is a band with an unconventional make-up and an undeniable entertainment factor. With an arsenal of horns, drums and vocals, these award-winning musicians deliver a dynamic new spin on world and jazz traditions. From carnival-esque originals to Klezmer party jams, the band explores folk influences from West Africa, Eastern Europe and their home of St. John’s, Newfoundland, with a thrilling improvisational synergy.
To celebrate the end of our 2017-18 season and as a thank you to our patrons and supporters, TICKETS FOR KOBO TOWN ARE FREE. The show is July 6, 2018, and begins at 7:00 pm. Tickets can be picked up in advance at the St. John’s Arts & Culture Centre box office, by calling 709-729-3900, or online at www.artsandculturecentre.com.
*Press Release Courtesy of Arts and Culture Centre