According to the MySpace page for Vialka, a “turbo folk micro-orchestra” (their description, not mine), they’re playing at the Velvet Lounge in Washington, Delaware tonight. Let’s explain away this grave offense by saying “eh, they’re French” and move on.

Assuming the micro-orchestra—”micro” being the operative word here, since the band is really just a duo of baritone guitar and drums/vocals—shows up at the Velvet Lounge we all know and love, this will be the place to be tonight (well, ok, Nomo at R&R Hotel should be pretty sweet too). If “micro-orchestra” is a suspect turn of phrase, “turbo folk” describes Vialka perfectly, as their manic compositions draw equally from Eastern European folk, gypsy music, punk, noise and a touch of prog. Those familiar with the French avant-garde or so-called “rock in opposition” will draw immediate parallels to the zany Etron Fou Leloublan, but a more accessible comparison might be Ruins, crazy vocals and all, but more tuneful and with an enormous dose of Frenchness added to the mix.

Drummer Marylise Frecheville—a whirlwind behind the kit—was pregnant last year, but now that she’s had her baby the band is back on the grueling road schedule they seem to have been keeping up for the past several years. This included a stop at The Red & the Black a couple years ago, and if you missed that, don’t miss this.

Vialka plays second on a bill with Kohoutek, Wise Light Born and Ryan Jewell.

photo by Udi Koomran

In Sunday’s Washington Post, Jason Cherkis checks in again with Jack Carneal, the Malian music enthusiast and label owner of Baltimore’s Yaala Yaala.

Cherkis and I tackled Carneal’s first trio of recordings almost a year ago in City Paper (“Griot Grand” and “Interview with Jack Carneal”).

Now Carneal’s got a fourth Yaala Yaala disc, a self-titled release from Yoro Sidibe, a Malian hunter and musician who is “around 70.” The album came out last week.

According to Drag City, the Chicago label that distributes Yaala Yaala, “the grooves are as uplifting as any pep talk could be. They’re low and hypnotic — and after an hour of them shaking and rattling, you too will be loose and ready for what may.”

Given that there’s no music on Yaala Yaala’s MySpace page, we’ll just have to take their word for it.

In this week’s New Yorker, staff writer Burkhard Bilger has a good article about American folk music. It’s not online, but it’s worth seeking out.

Not only does he interview Frederick, MD’s Joe Bussard, a 78 collector who has been the subject of several Washington City Paper features (Eddie Dean’s and Andrew Beaujon’s), but he also makes some worthwhile points about American folk music and its pursuit (whether by collectors or those making field recordings).

Most interesting to me—especially having grown up around adults who, in the ‘70s and ‘80s, were still in the thrall of the fifties folk revival—is how many of those musicians, such as Robert Johnson, who—especially since the ‘60s—has been written about in mythical, almost god-like terms, owe their legend to serendipity.

Bilger writes:

“Fame in folk music can be less a matter of talent than of opportunity, [down-to-Earth folk revivalist Art Rosenbaum] said. People talk about the Delta blues because Charley Patton and Robert Johnson were from Mississippi. But if H.C. Speir hadn’t opened his music store in Jackson we might talk about Georgia Blues instead.”

And then there’s the whole issue of authenticity—finding artists untouched by the modern world. This is like manna for folk-hunters. (When Leadbelly came to New York, Bilger writes, noted folklorist John Lomax “told him to put on prison stripes.”) But Bilger notes that even some of ye olde biggies might not stand up to present-day standards:

“When John Lomax first recorded the blues, the genre was newer than hip-hop is today, and both Leadbelly and Robert Johnson learned songs from records.”

None of this invalidates a good song (and Johnson, especially, wrote quite a few), but it would seem to invalidate the collecting and compiling concept that anything that’s old and, um, folky is worth transferring and cleaning up. Some recordings you’ve never heard of because they just weren’t very good.

Yesterday afternoon, Pitchfork announced part of the lineup for its popular Pitchfork Music Festival, which returns to Chicago’s Union Park on July 18 - 20.

One of the bands included in this partial list is the semilocal Afropop quartet Extra Golden. This is especially welcome news, because the African portion of the band has been caught up in Kenya’s recent unrest.

When I enquired with the band’s label, Thrill Jockey, they told me that the PFMF is going to be just one part of an upcoming American tour, “likely including a DC date,” and more recording, too. Good news.

Here’s yours truly on the band’s most recent, Hera Ma Nono, which was released just prior to the post-election chaos in Kenya.

And here’s the band’s Web site, where you can make a donation to help the Kenyan members of Extra Golden.

Overheard yesterday at Orpheus Records in Arlington: the store might be closing within the next week. They have yet to hear from the landlord about an extension and they need time to pack up thousands of LPs and CDs (not to mention furniture and stereo gear).

Got some great deals yesterday on Mahavishnu Orchestra, Miles Davis, Joni Mitchell, Pentangle and Julian Priester LPs.

Sale aside, this place has been around 31 years–that’s longer than either 9:30 Club or Dischord or most D.C. rock institutions. I’ll be real sad to see Rick go. Drop by while you still have the chance.

Just brought to my attention by Austin American-Statesman’s Joe Gross:

Awesome Tapes From Africa

It is what it says. Enjoy.

D.C singer-songwriter Sean McArdle came by about a week ago to play a couple of songs at our offices. That’s him on the left. (On the right is Will Morton, who built the steel guitar you’ll see McArdle playing in the first video.) McArdle, a former CP staffer, has a new single out, “Still Working,” and another song of his, “I Go Shopping,” appears on Keep Singing!, a compliation on College Park’s Exotic Fever Records that benefits the local pro-vegan/vegetarian nonprofit Compassion Over Killing. He plays the Velvet Lounge tomorrow, Saturday, Feb. 23.

“Still Working”:

“56th Street”:

You know it’s a slow year when news of Godspeed You! Black Emperor’s continuing hiatus (going now since 2002) is considered newsworthy–much less news that gets repeated and repeated.

A band that isn’t broken up, GY!BE-related outfit Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra and Tra-La-La Band, will be appearing at the Black Cat on May 23rd. That is, if the Iraq war doesn’t stop them.

A not-so-well documented passion of mine is the British jazz scene of the late ’60s and early ’70s. Some of the most exciting music made there and then came from a bunch of South African expats. They showed up in London, jammed at Ronnie Scott’s, bedded a lot of birds (much to the chagrin of the locals), and made some of their best music under the aegis of Chris McGregor’s Brotherhood of Breath (which also included some non-expats).

For those who neither care about jazz, in general, or Brit-jazz, in particular, BoB has at least one kind-of-obscuro, but kind-of-semi-popular, claim to fame: It was one of the acts produced by Joe Boyd, the guy behind the boards for many a Fairport Convention, Incredible String Band, and Nick Drake session.

Anyway, back to the jazz. Silver Spring’s Cuneiform Records is responsible for a top-notch new BoB archival release, Eclipse at Dawn. The live disc, which was captured by German radio in 1971, is surprisingly well-recorded and features the 12-piece band in all of its freewheeling, Mingus-meets-the-townships glory. Great stuff.

According to an article in yesterday’s Washington Post, Orpheus Records is still closing, but it might get a brief extension on its lease. You can read about it here.

Also, one of Thrill Jockey’s most recent signings, Baltimore’s Human Bell, will play an in-store at Crooked Beat on Thursday, February 7, at 7 PM. (Crooked Beat is located at 2318 18th St. NW.)

You can hear Human Bell, which features folks from Arboretum and Lungfish, here. The post-rockin’ duo’s self-titled debut comes out tomorrow.