Real World

Award winning afrobilly duo Justin Adams & Juldeh Camara are pleased to announce their support tour with Robert Plant & The Band of Joy throughout the autumn of 2010.

• Justin & Juldeh tour dates...

Paste Magazine recently revealed their 10 August Albums to check out, naming Portico Quartet's ISLA as one of them and rating it 8.6 / 10.

excerpt: "Considering their implementation of unconventional instruments like the hang (a slightly more temperate-sounding steel pan) and consistent but subtle electronic inducements, the four piece's genre-bending appeal is certainly warranted." Jennifer Ross

The critically acclaimed UK group Portico Quartet has confirmed its first ever U.S. shows supporting 'Isla'.

Realeased in the US on 31st August 2010.

The band are touring throughout Europe all summer and will make their U.S. debut with dates in Chicago, New York City and Philadelphia in September 2010.

• Portico Quartet tour dates...

Who would would have imagined that the sounds of Syriana could be heard drifting out of those august buildings on such a lovely day.

• More on Syriana

Peter recorded a session at Guitar Center when he was in Los Angeles for the recent 'New Blood' show at The Hollywood Bowl.

'Here Comes The Flood' is now available as a free download from the session - No orchestra, no drums, no guitars, just Peter at the piano.

If you have access to Direct TV you can see the session in full on channel 101 and in 3D on n\3d on August 21st, 9pm ET/PT.

• Download 'Here Comes The Flood' from the Guitar Center Session

Songlines magazine is delighted to announce that Peter Gabriel will be presenting Justin Adams & Juldeh Camara with their 2010 Songlines Music Award at WOMAD Charlton Park.

The presentation will take place at 7pm after their performance on the Siam tent on Saturday, July 24. Voted by Songlines readers and the general public, Justin Adams & Juldeh Camara have won the Cross-Cultural Collaboration category for their 2009 album release 'Tell No Lies' on Real World Records. The Songlines Music Awards were launched in 2008 to recognise outstanding talent in world music.

• WOMAD Festival

Tickets for the Weekend, early entry on Thursday, Saturday and Sunday are still available to purchase online, by telephone or in person at the on site Box Office.

If you have forgotten to order your Free Child Tickets then they may be collected from the Box Office on site provided that you have purchased an Adult Weekend Ticket. Please remember to bring proof of ID and order reference number when collecting tickets at the Box Office.

Tickets are available on-line, at the onsite box office which is located by the purple gate or by telephone on 0845 146 1735.

• Buy tickets on-line

Over the last decade, Echoes have been interviewing the Afro Celts about their past and future. Listen to Simon Emmerson, Iarla O'Lionaird, James McNally, Martin Russell & N'Faly Kouyate talk about thier journey in the Afro Celts.

James McNally decribes his feelings for the band "The Afro Celts have gone beyond a place in Ireland, or a place in Africa, to me, what the music means now is almost like a walk on any part of the world, and feeling as if i belong, it almost feels like im outside the cosmos looking back down on it."

• More on Afro Celt Sound System
• More from Echoes...

Whilst preparing for their for their Showcase Gig at Canada's Music Week The Black Swan Effect went to the local cafe to record thier version of Charlie Winstons, 'In Your Hands' for The Voice Project.

The Voice Project employs this same idea of using music to pass the message as each artist covers another artist' song creating a chain of melodies. The Voice Project is a song-driven effort inspired by the women of Uganda who are using their voices and songs as vehicles for change in the war-ravaged region of Northern Uganda, Southern Sudan, Eastern Congo and CAR which for the last 24 years has been marred by terrible atrocities and perpetual and ongoing violence. The Voice Project is an attempt to support these incredible women and the peace movement in the region, and an effort to see how far a voice can carry.

• Watch the video at The Voice Project.

Today sees the sixth of the double a-side reciprocal releases on iTunes in the 'Scratch My Back' and 'I'll Scratch Yours' series. David Byrne has recorded a fantastic version of 'I Don't Remember' in return of Peter's version of 'Listening Wind'.

Peter, Bob Ezrin and John Metcalfe talk about the recording of 'Listening Wind' in our video. Unfortunatly we didn't manage to get David Byrne in-front of a camera, although he did send us some thoughts:

Why did you choose to cover Don't Remember?

"I didn't. Peter suggested it. I was aiming for something more obscure, or a lesser known song that I could make unrecognizable or radically rework. That song is a favorite I'm sure, so a lot of fans will be somewhat attached to the original arrangement. But I did have an angle, an approach, and I guess that intrigued Peter."

How did you approach the cover - musically, technically etc etc?

"I realized that the tempo, the groove and the catchy chorus might be perfect for an uplifting clubby treatment- which would give a nice spin on the lyrics. In the original the vibe is quite dark, paranoid even....I thought the falsetto vocal and club groove would make the alienation and amnesia subject pleasant- almost desirable. I thought my version might imply a willing sublime surrender to memory loss."

Do you have any thoughts or response to Peter Gabriel's cover of Listening Wind?

"It's lovely- it brings out the incantation in the song. What a choice at this time politically though! One could get waterboarded for singing that song in the wrong place!"

all the best

David

Midtown

• Buy from iTunes

Apologies for the loss of service, we had a few gremlins in the servers which took us off the air for a few hours. We've had a team of elf fumigators at work and so as the air clears we are gradualy returning to normal service.