Anderson .Paak: The Dreamer

Just one great song of many off an impressive album: Malibu.

alt-J: 3WW

New alt-J album coming out in June. If the first single, 3WW, is a good judge of character, it'll make for a great, laid-back summer soundtrack.

Andrew Bird: The New Saint Jude

Andrew Bird has such a range of raw talent, from songwriting to violin, it's not a surprise his newest album is another winner. This is my favorite track:

Paul Simon: Late in the Evening

In anticipation of the impending arrival of Thom, Chri, and Andrew in Bungoma tomorrow, I'm listening to this classic and thinking about how much of life is just what you learned playing music with friends in high school.

Hozier: NPR Tiny Desk Concert

Hozier's been on the radio for years, so I realize I'm a little late to this party, but it was only recently that I heard his full self-titled album after listening to this Tiny Desk Concert, and I was really impressed by both. It's one of those rare albums you can listen to all the way through, which I've been doing repeatedly since late last year. His talent and vocal range are especially striking watching him live.

Cold War Kids: First

They've put out a lot of good songs, but I think this has to be my favorite with its slow urgency and big, heavy drum hits.

Greensky Bluegrass: Windshield

Really enjoying this song by a great bluegrass band- driving bass line, slide guitar, big voice. Also recommend their album "Handguns".

Goat Rodeo: NPR Tiny Desk Concert

This band makes me pre-nostalgic for the fall I'm about to leave (and just as it's getting going too). The song "Attaboy" is one of my all-time favorite songs, and Yo-Yo Ma's face of joy throughout the performance makes it even more fun to watch. 

Courtney Barnett: A Take Away Show

Australian accent, a twangy guitar, and a great sense of humor; Avant Gardener is particularly good.

Johnnyswim: NPR Tiny Desk Concert

This band's got great harmonies, energy and stage presence; really enjoyed their live performance on NPR.

Bluegrass in Lusaka

One of the greatest things to happen since I've lived here was bringing together a group of people to play music way back in January 2012. We started by playing only bluegrass, eventually naming ourselves the Copper Spoon Bangers to capture that Zambian flair. We ranged in skill levels but were all amateurs, and that's the greatest thing about it. It's a chance to practice, learn, and just enjoy playing with other people. The second greatest thing is the way it's constantly changing. We're always having new people join us, while others eventually have to leave. We often get people just passing through for a couple weeks to sit in as well. In its current iteration, the group regularly features an upright bass, acoustic guitars, a singer, a violin, a keyboard, and a mandolin. In the past we've also had djembes, a twelve string guitar, and a banjo. While we've only recorded ourselves once, it was one of my favorite covers, and after finally having internet capable of uploading it I wanted to share.

(You Ain't Goin' Nowhere (Bob Dylan cover) featuring Julie's vocal talents)

Stars | A Take Away Show

One of my favorite Blogoteque videos featuring two very well-performed songs.

Happy Valentines Day!

(Stars: "Your Ex-Lover is Dead", "How Much More")

A Year in Music

In a few days I'll be leaving Zambia for a little while. Though I'll be back in August to start anew with FINCA, this still feels like the end of something. I've had a wonderful time wrapping it all up while orienting the incoming fellow, Jill, to KF. She's perfect for the position and already a hit with the kids; I'm excited for her and maybe a little jealous too. Since I expect the next few days to be as busy as the last, I'll rely on other people's words to summarize my year. So maybe this is a little lazy and self-indulgent; there are still some good songs in here.

July - September

(Young Blood, Ten over Ten)

October - December

(Skinny Love, Little Secret)

January - March

(Someone Great, Wait So Long)

April - June

(Chikawama, Blood) 

"Watch the Sun Come Up"

A year later and I still can't get enough of this song (or video)

"Still"

Elusive song: found. Happy Thanksgiving!

"Zambezi"

Check out this song by Tinashe, a British-Zimbabwean artist: