8/14/2019 Tuareg Rebel Rock, The Tinariwen Way

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/tuareg-rebel-rock-the-tinariwen-way 1/4

2/19/10 11:uareg rebel rock, the Tinariwen way

Page ttp://www.sfbg.com/print/noise/2010/02/18/tuareg-rebel-rock-tinariwen-way

Published on San Francisco Bay Guardian (http://www.sfbg.com)

SFBG > Noise > Printer-friendly

Tuareg rebel rock, the Tinariwen way

By marke Created 02/18/2010 - 3:54pm 

The awesome group of hypnotic rockers known as Tinariwen -- from "Kel Tinariwen," or "desertboys" -- dress in traditional costume for performances, have one of the most amazing politicaland social backstories [1] of any band, and write songs that seek to convey the sorrows, longing,and occasional joys of living in exile. (They'll be performing Sun/21 at the Palace of Fine Arts [2]

as part of the SF Jazz Festival.) That backstory story begins:

In 1963, an uprising of the nomadic Tuareg people began in the Adrar des Iforas desertregion against the new independent government of Mali. During the revolt, a mason andtrader by the name of Alhabib Ag Sidi was executed for aiding the rebels. The army thendestroyed his herd of camels, cattle, and goats while his four-year old son Ibrahim watched.Ibrahim and his family travelled into exile in Algeria with his family and their one remainingcow.

It goes on to incorporate a number of rebellions, several diasoporas, Muammar Gaddafi, andfounding member Ibrahim Ag Alhabib's love for American blues.

But there's something even more compelling going on about Tinariwen than any gonzo global-folk narrative, however remarkable, suggests.

8/14/2019 Tuareg Rebel Rock, The Tinariwen Way

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/tuareg-rebel-rock-the-tinariwen-way 2/4

2/19/10 11:uareg rebel rock, the Tinariwen way

Page ttp://www.sfbg.com/print/noise/2010/02/18/tuareg-rebel-rock-tinariwen-way

These savvy Saharans, whose numbers encompass two generations of musicians (lIbrahim AgAlhabib will make a rare appearance at the SF date), have a multi-tentacled [3] Web [4] presencethat just won't quit, enthusiastically embrace the psychedelic indie-god status bestowed [6] uponthem by Pitchfork and the Uncut Music Awards [8], and aren't afraid to defy exotic expectations bdressing down [9] a bit.

Those are the kinds of things that can still shock Westerners when it comes to "world music" --

we like our Putumayo [10] heroes to stay in their Starbucks-ready niche -- but Tinariwen plays itcool, walking a deliciously fine line between cutting-edge musicality and encapsulation of thepast. (Perhaps the pitch-perfect duality of their image is what's prevented their releases frombeing subjected to dance remixes -- a requirement for almost every other "world musician" toincrease Western accessibility. Or maybe we're just finally getting over all that.)

Enough image analysis -- what about the music? We're dealing with several bluesy electricguitars (no bass), some lovely and innovative percussion, a single woman's voice that cansometimes sound like several, and a throaty main vocal by Ibrahim Ag Alhabib that chant-croonsand sometimes soars. Grooves are shuffled into slowly, and then amped up to dynamic effect,although noisy catharsis is saved only for key moments. It's a heady, jam-band-sounding

combination that often enraptures, and even without the backstory trappings (live, the groupsometimes greets audiences with "Welcome to the desert") still tells a story rarely heard, one ofa new, unselfconscious fusion of global styles.

8/14/2019 Tuareg Rebel Rock, The Tinariwen Way

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/tuareg-rebel-rock-the-tinariwen-way 3/4

2/19/10 11:uareg rebel rock, the Tinariwen way

Page ttp://www.sfbg.com/print/noise/2010/02/18/tuareg-rebel-rock-tinariwen-way

For the group's fourth album, Imidiwan: Companions (World Village, 2009), Tinariwen took abreak from all the world travelling and got back to its roots, recording in its hometown of Tessalitin Mali and attempting to channel the desert blues on a more intimate scale. The result iscommunal and virtuosic, and although a bit less visceral than past releases, it exudes a sense ofrelief -- to be home, to have seen the world, perhaps to have reaped so much acclaim. Opener

"Imidiwan Afrik Temdam" is a chuffing sway that Neil Young could easily cover, and shoulder-shaker "Tahult In" is an earworm that could serve as an authentic riposte to Sade's desert-chic"Soldier of Love [11]." "Tenhert" is a handclapping dose of Tuareg rap.

Tinariwen's vast-yet-intimate sound translates equally well to venues as huge as theGlastonbury Festival and as cozy(ish) as Yoshi's and the Palace of Fine Arts, where they'veperformed several times before. Whether you're there to expand your sonic horizons, take sometechnical notes from riff-pros, or just whirl about to great tunes, you'll probably be surprised athow many parts of you the music takes hold of and transports, no anthropology course required

Tinariwen

Sun/21, 7 p.m., $25-$65

Palace of Fine Arts Theater

3301 Lyon, SF.

www.palaceoffinearts.org [12]

8/14/2019 Tuareg Rebel Rock, The Tinariwen Way

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/tuareg-rebel-rock-the-tinariwen-way 4/4

2/19/10 11:uareg rebel rock, the Tinariwen way

Page ttp://www.sfbg.com/print/noise/2010/02/18/tuareg-rebel-rock-tinariwen-way

Click here for more details and tickets [2]

 

Marke B.

Source URL: http://www.sfbg.com/noise/2010/02/18/tuareg-rebel-rock-tinariwen-way

Links:[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tinariwen[2] http://www.sfjazz.org/concerts/2010/spring/artists/tinariwen.php[3] http://www.tinariwen.com[4] http://www.myspace.com/tinariwen[5] http://www.youtube.com/user/tinariwen[6] http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/10055-aman-iman-water-is-life/ [7] http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/13549-imidiwan-companions/ [8] http://www.uncut.co.uk/news/tinariwen/news/13760[9] http://www.bbc.co.uk/6music/events/hub/galleries/5281/ [10] http://www.putumayo.com/ [11] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvDaJaU5My4[12] http://www.palaceoffinearts.org