Once actual warriors in the heavily turbulent homeland of the Tuareg – nomads in the southern Sahara – the members of Tinariwen first turned to music as a more profound weapon in 1982, but remained underground until 1999 when the group moved to Bamako, the capital of Mali. Tinariwen have since become a symbol for the plight of the Tuareg, a people plagued by ethnic cleansing, eternal warfare and merciless drought.
After opening for the Rolling Stones in August 2007, Tinariwen’s music began reaching ears across the world, and has recently been cited as an influence by such groups as Coldplay and Radiohead, and aired on the radio waves by the likes of Black Flag’s Henry Rollins. Their blues and psychedelic-tinged guitar rock has been featured in major music magazines and newspapers.
In addition to Live In London, 2009 brings a re-release on vinyl of Tinariwen’s latest album Aman Iman as well as a new six-part documentary The Music of Resistance, Al Jazeera’s in-depth exploration of artists around the world who fight against oppression and injustice. Presented by Asian Dub Foundation’s Steve Chandra Savale, the documentary highlights artists from locations like Mozambique, Cape Verde and Nigeria, with interviews and live concert footage.
2009 U.S. Tour:
April 16 – Palace of Fine Arts
San Francisco CA
April 17 – Rio Theatre
Santa Cruz CA
April 18 – Coachella
Indio CA
April 19 – Santa Fe Brewing Co
Santa Fe NM
April 21 – KTAOS Solar Center
Taos NM
April 22 – Old Town School
Chicago IL
April 24 – Le Poisson Rouge
New York NY
April 25 – Heineken TransAtlantic Fest
Miami FL
Buy the CDs and DVD:
- In North America: Aman Iman: Water is Life (CD), Radio Tisdas Sessions (CD), Amassakoul (CD), Live in London (DVD)
- In Europe: Aman Iman: Water Is Life (CD), Amassakoul (CD), Aman Iman: Water Is Life (Vinyl)
Author: World Music Central News Room
World music news from the editors at World Music Central
