WMNF’s 4th Annual Americana Fest at Skipper’s Smokehouse went off without a hitch this past Saturday, July 11, a hand clappin’, boot stompin’ good time that showcased the vast array of talent in Florida’s Americana scene.

Have Gun, Will Travel

Originally masterminded by Ted Lukas, Americana Fest is all grown up. This year featured ten outstanding Florida Americana bands: Ted Lukas & the Misled, Will Quinlan & the Diviners, Have Gun, Will Travel, Thomas Wynn & the Believers, Nervous Turkey, Black Finger, Roppongi’s Ace, Mike Dunn & the Kings of New England, Matt Butcher and The Nine Volts plus a national headliner: Blue Mountain.

Thomas Wynn & The Believers

As typical on summer days in the lighting capital of the world (Tampa really does mean “sticks of fire”), downpours threatened throughout the day. In spite of inclement weather, Americana Fest was packed with folks eager to see the array of homegrown talent with music lovers of all ages in attendance.

Kids building sandcastles at Skipper’s smokehouse

According to Wikipedia, Americana is the “amalgam of roots music fused by the confluence of the shared and varied traditions that make up the American musical ethos; specifically those sounds that are merged from folk, country, rhythm & blues, rock & roll and other external influential styles.” In the absence of individual set reviews, suffice to say that each of these alt country bands delivered inspired performances tapping into the full range of musical influences of the Americana genre. It was common to see band members making guest appearances during other sets to add a harmony here and there, or provide some necessary instrumentation. The sense of community among these musicians was inspiring.

Missed out on this show? Next up for Americana fans in Tampa: WMNF presents The Avett Brothers (with Matt Butcher and The Revolvers) at The Cuban Club on Saturday, July 18.

The Nine Volts

The Nine Volts are Larry Fulford (drums), James Mitchell (guitar/ mandolin), Adam Wheeler (bass) and Conrad Wilson (vocals/ guitar).

Matt Butcher

Black Finger

Black Finger is Greg Lovell, Andy McAusland, Sean Fernandez, and Jesse Dalton.

Mike Dunn & The Kings of New England

Mike Dunn and The Kings of New England is Mike Dunn (Vocals, Guitar, Piano) and depending on the performace an assortment of the following regal players: Jacob Kaplan (Bass Guitar), Joey Bradshaw (Rhythm Guitar, Vocals), Cannon Lee (Drums), Kyle Pierce (Guitar, Pedal Steel), Andy Simmonds (B3 Organ, Vocals), Chris Martin (Drums, Bass Guitar, Vocals), Daniel “Bones” Anderson (Drums, Smiles), C.J. Mask (Lead Guitar, Vocals), Jeff Snow (Drums, Metal History), Dean Lorenz (Shred) and Susan “Soon to be” Snow (Violin).

Roppongi’s Ace

Roppongi’s Ace is Alex Spoto (Vocals, Guitar, Fiddle), Max Norton (Drums, Hootin’), Jesse Norton (Bass, Harmonica, Hollerin’), and Rob Pastore (Pedal Steel).

Nervous Turkey

Nervous Turkey is Ernie Locke (Vocals, Harp, Guitar), Aaron Fowler (Drums), and Mark Cunningham (Organ).

Thomas Wynn & The Believers

Thomas Wynn & The Believers is Thomas Wynn (lead vocals/guitar), Olivia Wynn (vocals/organ-piano/tambo), Justin Beckler (guitar), John Hembree (bass), Thom Damon (drums) and Chris Bell (harmonica).

Have Gun, Will Travel

Have Gun, Will Travel is Scott Anderson (elec. guitar, lap steel), Jean-Paul Beaubien (drums), Matthew Burke (voice, accoustic guitar), Daniel Burke (bass guitar, voice) and Joshua Hernandez (viola)

Will Quinlan & The Diviners

For this performance, Will Quinlan & The Diviners was Will Quinlan (Vox/Guitar), Soraya Zaumeyer (vox/keys), Daniel Burke (upright bass), Scott Anderson (electric & lap steel guitars), Alex Spoto (Fiddle) and Jesse Martin (drums).

Ted Lukas & The Misled

Ted Lukas & The Misled is Ted Lukas (guitar/vocals), Mark Tinker (bass), Sonny John Sundstrom (guitar/vocals), and Sean Doyle (drums/vocals)

Blue Mountain

Blue Mountain is Cary Hudson (Guitar, vox), Laurie Stirratt (bass, vox) and Frank Coutch (drums,vox).

For more photos, please visit the following links:

A band of Florida traveling bards and minstrels aka the Citrus Circuit Tour made a stop at New World Brewery on Saturday, featuring Lake Worth’s Truckstop Coffee, Daytona’s Lauris Vidal, Gainesville’s The Takers and Bradento-based Have Gun, Will Travel.

Have Gun, Will Travel

With three new songs and a Tom Petty cover, Have Gun, Will Travel (HGWT) continues to innovate at each show. Accordingly, HGWT’s set had New World Brewery dancing up a storm and singing their hearts out to old favorites like “When We Were Kings” and “Blessing and a Curse” (affectionately know by fans as “Bop Ba Da” after the chorus that stays in your head all the way home).

I am really looking forward to hearing the recorded versions of these new songs, particularly “Salad Days.”

Have Gun, Will Travel is Scott Anderson (elec. guitar, lap steel), Jean-Paul Beaubien (drums), Matthew Burke (voice, acoustic guitar), Daniel Burke (bass guitar, voice) and Joshua Hernandez (viola)

The Takers

Gainesville’s The Takers bring a wholly hogtown porch-based twist to Americana that gets the audience tapping their toes in a hot second. Taker Easy (Suburban Home Records) is out now so you can take a bit of hogtown honky tonk home with you.

The Takers are Devon Stuart Vlasin, Chad Smith, Ronnie Holmes, Jerome “Romy” Goodman, Jon “P-Nut” Reinertsen and Mike Collins.

Lauris Vidal

This was my first time seeing Lauris Vidal and I have definitely been missing out! From the first note, Vidal and his bandmates had the audience foot tapping and head bobbing, unable to sit still while listening to his swampy, bluesy slice of auditory heaven. For more on Mr. Vidal take a peek at Leilani Polk’s interview.

Truckstop Coffee

I first saw Trucktop Coffee at NWB about a year ago and was taken by their modern yet authentic take on alt-county. Though missing the stomp box at this show, these guys from the Space Coast managed to take the audience to new heights, setting the tone for a night of amazing Americana/roots rock.

Truckstop Coffee is Pete Stein (Guitar/Vocals), Caleb James (Guitar/Vocals), Larry Fulford (Drums/Vocals) and Bob Hershberger (Bass)

Thanks to Joe and Thx Mgmt for bringing another amazing Americana show to Tampa! Also a shout out to Autopsy IV, a fellow CL blogger who is behind the splendid music blog http://ninebullets.net/ for being sweet enough to let me stand in front of him to snap a few of these shots.

In summary, if you missed this show and call yourself a fan of Americana and/or local music, shame on you. Don’t worry … you have a chance at redemption by attending WMNF’s 4th Annual Americana Fest at Skipper’s Smokehouse on July 11th to see an amazing array of Florida Americana/folk acts, including Nine Volts (Cape Canaveral), Matt Butcher (Orlando), Roppongi’s Ace (Tampa), Mike Dunn & the Kings of New England (Winter Park), Black Finger (Lake Worth), Nervous Turkey (Tampa), Thomas Wynn & the Believers (Orlando), Have Gun, Will Travel (Bradenton), Will Quinlan & the Diviners (Tampa), Ted Lukas & the Misled (Tampa), along with Oxford, Miss.-based headliner, Blue Mountain.

For more photos, please visit the following links:

Thx Mgmt brought an all-star Florida rock n’ roll show to New World Brewery last Friday, June 5, featuring Tampa darlings The Beauvilles, Orlando-based Thomas Wynn & The Believers and Jacksonville’s Shawn Fisher & The Jukebox Gypsies. The master plan was a mini-weekend tour with stops at each of the bands’ hometowns while rotating the headliner spot and introducing the out-of-town bands to new audiences. A grand idea!

The Beauvilles

The Beauvilles are Shawn Kyle Beauville (Guitars/Voices/Scotch), Craig Solomon Holmes (Drums/Curses&Clues), Christopher Tolan (Guitars/Harmonies/Trouble) and Johnny Barker (Bass/Gordon’s Gin/Stavros).

Thomas Wynn & The Believers

Thomas Wynn & The Believers is Thomas Wynn (lead vocals/guitar), Olivia Wynn (vocals/organ-piano/tambo), Justin Beckler (guitar), John Hembree (bass), Thom Damon (drums) and Chris Bell (harmonica).

Shawn Fisher & The Jukebox Gypsies

The next chance to see a great collection of 10 Florida americana/rock n’ roll bands (as well as Oxford, MS headliner Blue Mountain) is at WMNF’s Annual Americana Fest on July 11th at Skipper’s Smokehouse. See you there!

For more photos, please visit the following links:

WMNF’s 2009 Tropical Heatwave managed to be a scorcher in spite of torrential downpours. The best thing about Heatwave is the ability to see a wide variety of genres in one evening in close proximity. I managed to catch 10 bands this year on 5 stages: The Beauvilles, David Dondero, James Intveld, Johnny Cakes & The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypso, Kinobe & Soul Beat Africa, Magadog, Modern Skirts, Will Quinlan & The Diviners, Roppongi’s Ace and Thomas Wynn & The Believers.

The Beauvilles
Apparently The Beauvilles performance at the Cuban Club Cantina was a bit controversial. Of course, that is the point of rock n’ roll so I guess that would be a score for the band.

David Dondero
David’s set at The Orpheum was one of the best I have seen and the crowd was clearly enraptured. I look forward to seeing him again soon!

James Intveld
A straight up rockabilly performance had the Cuban Club Ballroom dancing up a storm in response to James Intveld and his band. Interesting tidbit according to Wikipedia, James Intveld was the singing voice in the movie Crybaby (played by Johnny Depp).

Johnny Cakes & The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypso
After 1 am it takes a special band to get people on their feet and dancing. Playing as the last band at New World Brewery, Johnny Cakes & The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypso literally brought the house down with their fresh take on ska. Equal parts punk, rock steady and mischief, this band is worth catching and since they hail from St. Pete, it shouldn’t be hard to do!

Kinobe & Soul Beat Africa
The band has an amazing story and a beautiful sound. I know lots of people were disappointed when the fire marshal wouldn’t allow any more people into the Cuban Club Cantina for their set. From up front by the stage, these musicians brought world music home to a Tampa Bay audience. Their instruments were exotic — both in sound and in appearance. Apparently some people had difficulty hearing the band in the venue which is a shame. I encourage you to check out their recordings.

Magadog
Disclosure: Magadog has been one of my favorite bands since I was in high school … they were even nice enough to play the Shanti Festival at the Lowry Park Bandshell (sometimes referred to as band hell) in 1994. Imagine my delight when they re-formed a couple years ago and put out a new album. I also found it especially interesting that their song “Monkey in the White House” was equally relevant in 1994 and 2007. During Magadog’s set practically the whole Cuban Club Bandshell was skanking it up!

Modern Skirts
I first saw Modern Skirts at New World Brewery in 2007 with David Dondero. In the intervening year and a half, the band seems to have grown into themselves, delivering more of a performance to go along with their alt-pop sound. They played to a packed and diverse crowd at The Orpheum. Special thanks to the nice people who let me up front to take these photos.

Will Quinlan & The Diviners
New World Brewery was positively packed for hometown heroes Will Quinlan & The Diviners. Frequent airplay of the band’s newest record, Navasotaon on WMNF led to a sing-along crowd.

Roppongi’s Ace
Roppongi’s Ace is also a Tampa Bay favorite. Sadly, college in points distant mean we are graced with their presence only on school breaks for the moment. Accordingly, New World Brewery was packed for their unique brand of bluesy rock n’ roll. These guys know just when to add a little blues or kick in the rock and the crowd couldn’t sit still to these tunes …

Thomas Wynn & The Believers
My evening started off right with Thomas Wynn & The Believers in the Cuban Club Cantina. Hailing from just down the I-4 corridor in Orlando, chances are if you like Americana music and go to shows, you have probably seen Thomas Wynn & The Believers. That’s OK, though, because they just keep getting better while incorporating new components each show to keep their audience engaged. Described as Southern Rock, Thomas Wynn & The Believers also have a healthy dose of soul tossed in with a dash of gospel and a bit of twang.

For more photos, please visit the following links:

Kinobe and Soul Beat Africa

Camera in hand, I gently elbowed my way to the front of the crowd as Kinobe and Soul Beat Africa were setting up in the Cuban Club Cantina. If it wasn’t for the camera I probably would not have made it that close to the stage ’cause so many had already staked out that prime real estate, for what one woman informed me was, “the most cultural,” band at this year’s Tropical Heatwave.

I will spare you dictonary.com’s definition of the word cultural. But the comment made me smile, after a few songs I headed upstairs to the ballroom to check out Blair Carman and the Bellview Boys. In less than two minutes, three flights of stairs, I had gone from the rapt attention of beautiful laid back African jams to piano pounding swing dancing rockabilly. That variety is why I love Heatwave, and why it cracks me up when one person will tell me that one band is more, “cultural,” than another.

More pics after the jump:

Blair Carmin and the Bellview Boys

I know that if I had packed my raincoat, umbrella, or at least a plastic bag for the camera, it would not have rained. So, be it fortunate or unfortunate, the shows I saw were limited to how dry I could keep the camera. But I can’t complain. Every performance was rockin’ with energy and inspiraton. And, don’t forget the protests. The ACLU is against the use of video cameras in Ybor city. Law enforcement believes these cameras will aid their efficiency, but the ACLU shows examples of other cities where authorities have misused the cameras at the expense of the citizens’ civil rights. If you are a voter who hangs out in Ybor, you might want to look into this.

dancin' to BeauSoleil

Big Brother is Watching you 2009 not 1984

Thomas Wynn & the Believers

Sarah Borges and the Broken Singles, before the rain

Thank you WMNF for another awesome heatwave

Big Sam's Funky Nation

BeauSoleil avec Micheal Doucet

Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue

The early evening monsoon that struck Saturday had the bands at New World Brewery running late. No worries, the music never really stopped, and though the rains would let up, the crowd would not. Packed in on the porch, those in attendance witnessed some of the best central Florida music.

The first set I caught was by the so-called “folk experimental” threesome of Lauris Vidal. The instruments may have been experimental and folk based — Vidal played everything from a homemade, wooden slide guitar to an electric banjo — but these guys are a crisp, blues-rock band. What sets them apart, though, is their use of dub & reggae influences to create a more syncopated sound.

Roppongi’s Ace rocked the mustaches off faces with their style of southern rock. I missed Ted Lukas and the Misled for some Cuban Club acts, but got back to catch the start of Will Quinlan and the Diviners’ set. These guys — simply put — are good shit. GreyMarket changed the pace, breaking out a light show & laptops to turn in a quite excellent guitar & drum driven electro rock set. (Pictured: GreyMarket guitarist Cave McCoy; photo by Phil Bardi, no glow added.)

The Sheiks played a solid, but ultimately unmemorable post-rock set giving way to a surprise late-night show featuring Johnny Cakes and the Four Horsemen of the Apacolypso. They opened up Heatwave at the Ballroom stage — I’m not sure how that set went over, but 1:30 a.m. at a still raging New World felt like a better time slot for the high-energy — and highly dirty — ska band.

Though the Orpheum offered complete cover from the rains, the club never got as packed — or spirited — as the rest of the Heatwave venues. I dipped in and out to catch a few acts, including seeing L.A.-based Sandbloom turn down the request of stage personnel to end his set so he could play his acoustic guitar, looped-based (a la Keller Williams) mash-up of an original song versus a Stevie Wonder cover.

It was interestingly mediocre. The Athens, Ga. foursome Modern Skirts played a tight, modern rock set that was — as modern rock can be — pretty boring. The gem of the night turned out to be fellow Athens artist The Visitations, who played a weird and fresh set to close of the night using guitars, good lyrics, laptops and accordions.  Check them out.

To hear from the all the bands at Heatwave visit WMNF’s Heatwave page: http://www.wmnf.org/heatwave/bands

So — right off the bat I wasn’t there on time to see the Mojo Gurus. Sorry gurus. Then, as the rain poured down, the next band went on. That band was Thomas Wynn & the Believers, and they had a real good time at Tropical Heatwave. I didn’t get to see them have that good time because the fire Marshall wouldn’t let me in.

Sigh. But Mr. Wynn said the folks at WMNF were nothing but nice, the crowd was responsive & “wonderful”, and that it was really great to be able to play in an environment that was so supportive of the occassional 7-minute-long version of a regularly 3-minute song. Sure wish I would have caught ‘em. Actually, this is the second time in as many months that I have accidentally missed them. Lucky for me they’ll be back on June 5 at New World Brewery with the Beauvilles & Shawn Fisher.

Very available artists at Tropical Heatwave

Next to appear was the Eilen Jewell Band — which was really pretty fun. She’s hard to categorize. She has this lovely little smooth, jazzy voice but the band has more of a toned-down rockabilly vibe with a little bit of country thrown in. Yeah. Anyway I liked them.

Jerry Miller on guitar was one of those guys who mouths the notes he plays on the guitar like he’s singing along, and he did make the guitar sing. Eilen herself was fun & sweet, and let us all know that our reluctance to dance was gonna drive her to drink. “WTF!” (At least she was ladylike and used an acronym.) I wish I had a decent pic of her but she was standing right in this pool of red light. Note to self: avoid red lights from overhead — not flattering.

Moving on to Kinobe & Soul Beat Africa. I’ll start with wow, but maybe not a wow in the best sense. They were introduced with instructions to the audience to quiet down so we could hear them properly. It was immediately apparent that they were not going to blow the roof off the joint. Right up front they sounded pretty good — the name does not deceive — they played African beats. And they sounded pretty good if you were right up front, though you could hear the sound guys having a hard time with their  world instruments.

Definitely a toned down performance

Basically, this wasn’t my kind of thing, but my favorite song was about a little fish. Actually, I’d really enjoy them at a place that was more friendly to their sound. They need to be playing in some kind of lush tropical setting where people know when to hush for a band & really listen. I don’t know any place like that. Maybe they can find one, though. At any rate they were clearly a very talented group.

Next up was The Pack A.D. We all know I dig these chicas because I blogged about them last week, but I’ll try not to over do it here. First of all, I felt kind of bad for the sound guys. I mean, aren’t the settings for an African band that is all soft strings & percussion going to be way different

Ms. Black before she got all sweaty- your welcome Becky

than the ones you are going to use for a garage rock duo? Maybe I don’t know what I am talking about. Anyway, The Pack said they couldn’t hear themselves, but we all heard them loud & clear. And they played a really energetic set that I think won over the crowd right from the start. When they were done I was already looking forward to listening to their CD in my car on the way home. And isn’t that kind of what Tropical Heatwave is all about? Discovering someone great, buying a signed copy of their CD & blasting it in the car all the way home? Yeah.

Closing the stage was The Beauvilles — hometown boys — but you probably knew that. I think they’re pretty popular in these here parts. I believe they’ve just come home from some touring. These guys are really tight, they couldn’t possibly have day jobs. The crowd was kind of thin at first, but it filled up pretty fast and really got into the show. Definitely some interesting dancing. I saw a girl in a loose-fitting dress really getting into it, and I saw quite a bit more of her than I would care to. Actually, I think next year someone should just cover the Heatwave “characters.” That would be an interesting blog.

Anyway. it was a great night & I am exhausted. I look forward to next year, and the year after that & so on & so on. Now off to the beach!

WMNF Tropical Heatwave, Saturday, May 16, 5 p.m. $30 adv./$30 door.

Cuban Club Bandshell on the Patio
This is the hallowed stage where so much Heatwave history has been made — including the mammoth Sun Ra orchestra’s landmark set in the late ’80s. I think of singer/songwriter Chuck Prophet (10:05), a WMNF and Heatwave (this is his fourth appearance) favorite, as making avant-roots music — he injects agreeable amounts of weirdness and wry humor into his grabby tunes.

Also rootsy, but more poppy, is Boston-based Sarah Borges and the Broken Singles (video below) (6:35). Her best stuff reminds me of Joan Jett with the slightest touch of twang. And if her photos are any indication, she’s easy on the eyes. Bluesman Michael Burks (8:10) hails from Little Rock and brings plenty of muscle and a wild hair. The bandshell is bookended by a couple of reggae/ska/Caribbean-style acts from Tampa Bay: Johukames Posse (5:10) and Magadog (11:55), which reconstituted not all that long ago and has greeted with open arms by the locals.  —Eric Snider

Cuban Club Ballroom
St. Petersburg’s worldly eight-piece Cold Joon (7:20) dubs its music as “culture pop” and offers the most eclectic sound on this stage, its appealing fusion of genres — West African percussion, ska reggae, soukous, pop, R&B and rock — marked by ironic, socially-conscious lyrics, plenty of lively horns, and the low, rumbling vocals of frontman Cold Jr.

Cincinnati’s Blair Carman and the Belleview Boys (video below) (8:40) do piano-pounding, rockabilly, with Carman singing in a Jerry Lee Lewis-meets-Elvis style. And Nashville-by-way-of-L.A. revivalist James Intveld (11:30) performs gospel-tinged, countrified roots-rock. Also performing: Johnny Cakes and the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypso (6 p.m.) and The Vodkanauts (10:10 p.m.). —Leilani Polk

Cuban Club Cantina
The biggest deals on the Cantina stage come from two bands with women behind the wheel and very different styles of rockin’ out. Boston-based Eileen Jewell Band (7:45) sets Jewell’s rich, haunting-husky vocals against country-rockin’ folk with trebly surf-rock and steel guitar, upright bass, and the occasional harmonica played by Jewell herself. The songstress just released her third and latest album, Sea of Tears.

The Pack A.D. (video below) (10:25) out of Vancouver is a two-grrrl duo made up of Becky Black (gritty vocals, raggedy guitar) and Maya Miller (hard-pounding drums), who turn out some truly sexy-raw garage blues-rock a la the Black Keys. Also performing: The Mojo Gurus (5:10), Thomas Wynn and the Believers (6:30), Kinobe and Soul Beat Africa (see feature story) (9:05) and The Beauvilles (11:45). —LP

El Pasaje Plaza
This courtyard venue is once again the Louisiana Stage. New Orleans is the focus, but WMNF has also added a long-standing Cajun band, Beausoleil avec Michael Doucet (7:40), which does the accordion-and-fiddle thing with great aplomb. Rising NOLA act Trombone Shorty’s livewire act (9:40) (video below) has made him an instant Heatwave legend. Watch him sing, watch him dance, rap, jump into the crowd, play some hellacious trombone, and some trumpet too.

Bonerama (11:30) balls up a legion trombonists (plus a rhythm section) and smashes you with a heavy dose of brassy, jammy funk. El Pasaje gets rolling with Big Sam’s Funky Nation (5:40), another Big Easy outfit that brings both the heavy urban funk and the second-line thing. Guess what ax Big Sam plays. Yup, trombone. —ES

New World Brewery
The courtyard hosts an all-local and each brings their own taste to the table. Birdstreet Players (video below) (6) does soulful funk and bluesy rock with a distinctive New Orleans feel. Singer/songwriter Lauris Vidal (7) follows with his slow-rolling brand of neo-folk in which he incorporates all manner of stringed instruments: ukulele, tenor banjo, lap steel, guitar and occasionally lap bass.

Expect more boisterous sets from Southern-fried rockers Roppongi’s Ace (8) and rootsy power-pop purveyors Ted Lukas & The Misled (9). Then WMNF favorite Will Quinlan & The Diviners perform some of their mournful alt-country (10) while GreyMarket (11) is set to change the mood completely with driving electro-rock. And The Sheaks round things out with some late ’60s-inspired garage rock (midnight). —LP

Orpheum
The dark and dank Ybor club boasts a rather diverse lineup of local and regional artists paired with a couple of noteworthy national acts: San Francisco singer/songwriter David Dondero (video below) (10:20), who comes to town rather regularly for being a West Coast artist, but is always welcome with his witty lyrics and upbeat neo-folk tunes; and The Visitations (11:40), possibly the most intriguing act on the bill.

The trio hails from Athens, Ga. and is the latest project of songsmith and longtime Elephant 6 collaborator Davey Wrathgaber, whose clever linear poetry goes well with his electrofied, psychedelic folk-pop. Also performing: Stolen Idols (6:30), Poetry Showcase: Sandbloom (7:50) and Modern Skirts (9:10).

Sarah Borges, “Do It For Free”

Blair Carman & the Belleair Boys

The Pack A.D., “Paper Bag”

Trombone Shorty raising the roof at Tipitina’s

David Dondero, “If You Break My Heart”

Birdstreet Players

As elusive as the concept of African unity may be, Kinobe Herbert is doing his part to realize it. The 25-year-old singer/multi-instrumentalist from Uganda rejects the fragmentation of the continent’s often tradition-bound musical landscape, and instead actively seeks to incorporate influences and instruments from throughout Africa and beyond. Kinobe his band, Soul Beat Africa, play the Cuban Club Cantina Stage at Tropical Heatwave, 9:05 p.m., Saturday. (Video clips below)

“Most people in Uganda know more about America than even countries next door to them in Africa,” Kinobe (pronounced Chi-no-BAY) says by phone from a tour stop in North Carolina. “It’s because that’s what they see on TV. Ugandan education does not teach about other African cultures. And not many of the musicians are into the pan-African thing.”

Uganda is a smallish, landlocked country in east central Africa probably best known to Westerners as the one time killing grounds for dictator Idi Amin, whose brutal regime lasted most of the 1970s. The country has been relatively stable since the mid ’80s, but has not established the musical identity of countries like Nigeria, Kenya and Mali. While Kinobe employs the traditional styles of his homeland, he is by no means a nationalist.

“When I was first in West Africa, I realized we didn’t have this music in Uganda,” he says. “If I hadn’t gone there, I would have missed the chance to play a beautiful instrument like the kora. I have come to love it. It doesn’t matter where it comes from.”

The kora is a harp-like instrument with 21 strings that showers wondrous cascades of sound. It’s just one of the six that Kinobe plays onstage — all of which he makes himself. They range from the okogo (thumb piano) to endere (Ugandan flute). In all, he and the four members of his group, Soul Beat Africa, bring a dozen exotic-sounding (and looking) instruments to the bandstand.

For this their first American tour, Soul Beat Africa has left the trap drummer and electronic keyboardist behind. “We want to make an impression with the traditional acoustic instruments,” Kinobe says.

The group’s music flows along on undulating beats built around the interlocking textures of hand drums, stringed and gourd instruments, acoustic guitars and the distinctive chime of thumb pianos. Kinobe sings the lilting melodies (with lyrics mostly in Luganda but also English and Swahili) in a relaxed, airy tenor and his bandmates counter with harmonies that call to mind South African choral music. In all, the music possesses a radiant beauty, a blissfulness that reflects Kinobe’s wide-openness and his quest for a universal musical language.

Despite growing up in the capital city of Kampala near Lake Victoria in what he describes as a “happy but poor family,” Kinobe was determined from a young age “to go all over the world.
“My parents had barely enough money to send me to school,” he says. “But I joined the school band and when I was 10 years we traveled to Europe.”

That’s where he met Toumani Diabate, a world-renowned kora player from Mali with whom he later studied. “When I went back to Uganda, I had opened up so much to world music,” he adds. “I went back to Europe, collected CDs from different musicians. By the time I was 11 years, I was listening to music almost no one Uganda knew about.”

That included a wide range of American artists, among them Dee Dee Bridgewater, Duke Ellington, Jimi Hendrix, Miles Davis, Ry Cooder and Bobby McFerrin. Kinobe started to see the connectivity between the music of Latin America, the Caribbean, North America and Africa. When he expanded his group from a duo to a quintet three years ago, he gave his electric bass player, Okia Allan, recordings of Victor Wooten to expand his horizons.

Performing has allowed Kinobe to realize his dream of seeing the world. He’s played and conducted workshops throughout Africa, along the Indian Ocean, in Central and South America and, by his estimation, almost every country in Europe. He’s shared bills with such legendary artists as Youssou N’dour, Salif Keita, Baaba Maal, Ismael Lo and Miriam Makeba.

“My mind gets so opened,” he says. “I appreciate it so much. All this beautiful music has been revealed to me. I don’t know why anyone would want to nationalize music. It feels so limited.”

Kinobe and Soul Beat Africa at WMNF Tropical Heatwave, Sat., May 16, 9:05-10:05, Cuban Club Cantina stage. Heatwave tickets: $30 advance, $35 door. wmnf.org

Video: Kinobe & Soul Beat Africa: “Abataka”

Kinobe & Soul Beat Africa, larger ensemble (with trap drummer): “Kuba”

If the answer to the headline is yes, but you’re referencing the feeling, and not the ’60s-era Los Angeles band, then you may want to head over to the Beach Theatre this Friday night for a special WMNF Film Series benefit screening of Love Story. The documentary tells the tale of the proto-psychedelic mixed-race cult rock band Love, led by legendary frontman/songwriter Arthur Lee. Love stood out from the rest because contrary to its name, the band had a dark musical vision very different from the Utopian ideals of the Flower Power generation. A portion of proceeds from the screening benefit ‘MNF. Fri., April 17, 7 p.m., Beach Theatre, St. Pete Beach, $7, 727-360-6697, beachtheatre.com.

Check out a preview for the flick:

Love Story promo