A vibrant video chronicle of one of today's most notorious and revered live bands, the Gogol Bordello Non-Stop documentary follows Eugene Hütz's gypsy-punk brigade around the world as they spread their liberating libertine musical gospel. Filmmaker Margarita Jimeno tracks their raucous gigs from 2001 to 2006, from NYC to Italy, as the band rises from dingy basements to festival main-stages.

Glasgow’s Old Fruitmarket will host some top folk music over the next few months as part of the spring Fruitmarket Folk season, which features performances by singer-songwriter Kieran Goss, high octane all-star ensemble Blazin’ Fiddles, Irish raconteur Finbar Furey, Scottish fiddler Patsy Reid and acoustic roots duo Show of Hands.
 
 Northern Irish singer-songwriter Kieran Goss launches the season on Thursday 4th March when he visits the Old Fruitmarket as part of his I’ll Be Seeing You tour, which marks the release of his new album of the same name. As well as showcasing some of the beautifully crafted, reflective songs from his latest record, he’ll perform favorites from his popular back-catalog.

Kenyan funk master Sila Mutungi outshone such notable competition as Zap Mama and Omou Sangare at the 41st Annual NAACP Image Awards to take home the prize for Outstanding World Music Album. Sila and the Afrofunk Experience's second album Black President was recognized as the top entry in the genre for 2009, a notable achievement and something of a surprise for the San Francisco-based artist and Kenyan native, who released the album independently on his own Visalia label.

Sila joins other NAACP Image Award winners Wynton Marsalis, BeBe & CeCe Winans, Mary J. Blige, Whitney Houston, the Black Eyed Peas, Maxwell, and Keri Hilson for the music categories. The awards were announced on February 26, 2010.

Award winning musician, composer and philanthropist Peter Buffett has teamed up with UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and Grammy award-winning musician Angelique Kidjo, to release “A Song For Everyone.” 100% of proceeds from the sale of the song will benefit the Batonga Foundation, an organization founded by Angelique to advance education for girls in Africa. Writing in their respective native tongues, the uplifting, vibrant song has lyrics in both English and Yoruba.

Peter and Angelique encourage fans to share the music with friends and support the Batonga Foundation simultaneously, by using the “gift” function on iTunes or Peter’s online store at www.peterbuffett.com/store. Every cent helps: 2 downloads buys a girl a math set; 3 downloads buys a girl lunch during the school day; 5 downloads buys a girl a textbook; 10 downloads buys a girl a school bag or uniform; and 1,000 downloads pays school fees for an entire classroom of 45 girls to go to school for a year!

Julie Fowlis

Uam (Cadiz Music/Shoeshine Records; March 9, 2010)

Last year Julie Fowlis attracted the attention of Celtic and world music fans alike with her excellent album titled Cuilidh. She's back now with Uam, an exquisite recording of contemporary Scottish folk music and beyond. Julie Fowlis has one of the finest voices in the current Scottish music scene and she is comfortable singing in a group format and a cappella as well. Fowlis, who also plays whistle and oboe on the album, uses Scottish Gaelic and, to a lesser extent English,  to express herself with her impeccable voice.

Most of Fowlis' material is composed of traditional Scottish, Scottish diaspora and Breton songs with new arrangements by Fowlis and her collaborators. “We spend a lot of time in places like Brittany and Galicia,” explains Julie, “performing at Celtic and world music festivals. We have a real affinity with the people there. They have minority languages there which are struggling. It’s always an honor to go to parts of countries like that, where they have smaller pockets of a cultural identity that are still finding ways to thrive.”

Brooklyn-based Mexican songwriter Rana Santacruz debuts solo CD Chicavasco in New York City at Joe's Pub March 4th, 2010. He will also debut at Getty Museum in Los Angeles. CD mixes British and Celtic folk, American bluegrass and Mexican mariachi.
 
 Santacruz's solo debut Chicavasco - to be released March 9, 2010 -- is the product of a vibrant musical vision that was shaped by growing up in Mexico City and coming of age in a musical world informed by MTV, where all styles of music are accessible like never before.
 
 Santacruz writes and sings the songs, as well as playing accordion and a variety of stringed instruments. To flesh out his tunes, he enlisted a cast of a dozen versatile musicians who add a folk and neo-classical flare with violin, cello, sax and jaw harp as well as traditional Mexican mariachi instruments like guitarrón, vihuela, trumpet and tuba.

On May 4th, Rounder Records will release the DVD Rounder Records 40th Anniversary Concert, a celebration of the record company’s 40 years in the music industry. Filmed in October, 2009 at Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry, the concert will also be presented as a PBS television special that will begin airing on the network in March, 2010. The companion CD, Rounder Records 40th Anniversary Concert, will be released on March 2nd.
 
 The event is an exhibition of Rounder’s diverse roster, and features Grammy winning Rounder artists Alison Krauss & Union Station featuring Jerry Douglas, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Bela Fleck, and Irma Thomas along with musical host Minnie Driver, and special guests Nathan & The Zydeco Cha Chas and Jazz/R&B pianist, Henry Butler. The DVD will include performances by these artists as well as select performances from Steve Martin’s show at The Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, from Alison Krauss and Robert Plant’s 2008 CMT “Crossroads” special, and from Madeleine Peyroux’s 2009 concert in Los Angeles.