I was skeptical when Watcha Clan‘s “world & bass” sound first crossed my path and their first show left me unimpressed (Deciphering Watcha Clan). But there was something there that kept me coming back: the musical goals were ambitious and sometimes sometimes it really worked. Then the second time I saw them it all came [...]
Review: Watcha Clan, Live in San Francisco (@Afropop.org)
It took a little while to post (and it will move to Afropop.org’s front page later this week) but here is my review of Watcha Clan at the finale of the 2010 Jewish Music Festival in San Francisco. And be sure to check out the links to Charming Hostess, the opening band that was truly [...]
Watcha Clan at the Jewish Music Festival
I’m only posting this to add to my archive of published work (no matter how short). And, btw, it was a great show! From East Bay Express: Watcha Clan Sun., July 18, 8 p.m. 2010 $23, $25 The final night of this year’s Jewish Music Festival features performances by two groups that stretch the usual [...]
Watcha Clan performs at the Jewish Music Festival
From East Bay Express Watcha Clan Sun., July 18, 8 p.m. $23, $25 The final night of this year’s Jewish Music Festival features performances by two groups that stretch the usual definitions of diasporic music (Jewish or otherwise). French “world & bass” group Watcha Clan is dedicated to making music that advocates for nomadic peoples, for whom [...]
Deciphering Watcha Clan: Interview with Jeffrey Callen
As the year wound down, I found myself thinking a lot about my favorite albums of 2009. They’re not falling into an easy categorization but there is a thread that ties them together. They all are based on crossings of musical boundaries. My runaway favorite album of 2009 is Omar Sosa’s Across the Great Divide, [...]
Genre Boundaries: World Music & the Space between Artist Self-Identification and Music Industry Categorization
A recent conversation with “Northern Roots” singer Tim Eriksen set me to thinking about the strategic nature of genre identification. Eriksen is an exception in that he has created his own genre label to identify his quirky mix of American “roots” material. For him it’s hopefullly a way-station on the way to defining his work [...]
