Kobo Town combines classic calypso, roots reggae, and acoustic instrumentation with innovative production techniques, social commentary and indie rock attitude. Kobo Town’s second album Jumbie in the Jukebox will be released in May, 2013 by Stonetree Records and Cumbancha.
Kobo Town was founded in 2004 when Drew Gonsalves, a Trinidadian of Portuguese ancestry, joined other Trinidadian expats and musicians from the Caribbean diaspora living in Canada. Gonsalves was raised in a middle class suburban town outside Port-of-Spain but his family moved to Canada when he was 13 years old. Even though he was exposed to a lot of music growing up in the island, the local folklore tradition of calypso music wasn’t at the center of his interest back then. Like most of the youth of his socioeconomic background, he was mostly influenced by American and British rock music.
It wasn’t until he relocated to Canada that the sense of nostalgia and genuine interest in his country’s history led him to explore the rich traditions of calypso music, mostly by digging through bins of old records in second-hand stores. “Calypso is the English folk music of urban Trinidad,” explains Gonsalves, “And the calypsonian, or calypso singer, is like a singing newspaper that comments on the events of the time. His role is halfway between court jester and griot.”
With that goal, Gonsalves formed Kobo Town (the name references the neighborhood where calypso is said to have been born) and released an acclaimed debut album titled Independence in 2005. Jumbie in the Jukebox, the title of their upcoming second album, refers to the jumbie, a spirit in Trinidadian folklore. According to Gonsalves, “A jumbie fulfills many roles. It’s used to frighten children, sort of like boogie man. It evokes a sense of mystery about the world and all of the strange forces that influence its course.”
For Jumbie in the Jukebox, Kobo Town worked with Ivan Duran who produced the album and brought to the band a new perspective and inspiration. “Ivan introduced me to a vast array of new sounds, especially the vintage equipment that collects dust in his studio,” says Gonsalves. Ivan Duran is well known for his skillful work on the now classic album Wátina from Andy Palacio & the Garifuna Collective that earned a 2007 WOMEX Award. The result of the collaboration between Kobo Town and Ivan Duran is a remarkable recording that reflects their mutual commitment to revive the folkloric music of the West Indies by taking it in contemporary directions. The album was recorded in Montreal, Trinidad, Belize and Toronto, where Kobo Town is based.
Kobo Town at The Living Room
Saturday, January 12, 2013
154 Ludlow St, New York, NY 10002
10:40 pm – Free
More about the about the band at http://kobotown.com
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
