there's something going on with music that i quite like
though most likely it's always been there and i am just waking up
it's about the energy and inventiveness of younger musicians
adding their modern take to a traditional style of music
you could say that is constantly happening with rock music
but for me rock just doesn't excite as much as it could
especially when the most popular bands on the planet
have been doing the same old thing for decades
(pushing for half a century in at least one case)
however pushing out past the rock boundaries
and there's some very exciting music being made
a couple of years ago it was local band cat empire
fusing all sorts of styles and mixing in rap and scratching
last year the gotan project delivered a mixed up tango style
this year clube do balanco from brazil laid on a great set
it was on a minor stage mid friday night that i saw them
a 9 piece band complete with trumpet and trombone
they played at one speed and laid down a compelling rhythm
the crowd was hooked from the first beat and didn't give up
according to the program they are the kings of samba-rock
and traditionally play in very large venues across brazil
you can sense a healthy respect for their musical genre
but seem also to be influenced by modern culture
while not exactly using rap-style vocals
or mixing in scratch sounds from turntables
there was a presence of a happy-go-lucky attitude
that mean they just had a lot of fun belting it out
if on stage is where they feel most comfortable
then showing up after a long flight to a foreign country
to be met by a wildly enthusiastic crowd must be infectious
of course i had no idea of what any of the tunes were
the program also mentioned that do some standard samba tracks
in their own style but me the ignorant west-ey boy there
all i know was that each and every tune was played expertly
each member of the band taking some time in the spotlight
i personally thought the stabbing brass section was a highlight
and the young guy on percussion demanded attention
the bass-player was rock-solid and very fluent
the guitarist/vocalist had no trouble centre-stage
and the female vocalist had a big voice and presence
i lost count of the number of encores they delivered
which probably upset the organisers and their schedule a bit
but at the time more was all that mattered
an excellent womadelaide show
