As Spring finally breaks across South Africa, Mamelodi based troubadour VUSI MAHLASELA is joining his fellow Sony Music artists RAY LAMONTAGNE and BRANDI CARLILE for a US West Coast Summer Tour. Vusi is no stranger to the road and this will be his third US tour in 2011, a year he kicked off by touring there alongside up and coming singer/songwriter Amos Lee.
Vusi’s last studio album, the acclaimed ‘Say Africa’, was nominated for a 2011 SA Music Award and Vusi was one of the outstanding live performers at the ceremony in May earlier this year. The album was recorded in Dave Matthews’ studio in Charlottesville, and released in the US in January 2011, via Matthews’ ATO Records. (Vusi has been signed to ATO since 2003). The album featured a core recording band of US based ex-pat players Ian Herman (of Tananas fame), Bakithi Kumalo (of ‘Graceland’ fame) and Mongezi Ntaka (Lucky Dube’s former guitarist).
Vusi will soon be celebrating his 20th year as a recording artist in South Africa. He has released eight albums over the past two decades and is widely regarded as one of the superstars of South African – indeed African – contemporary music. Late 2011 and early 2012 will see Vusi embark on a run of South African theatre shows in celebration of this extraordinary landmark in his career.
Ray Lamontagne and The Pariah Dogs won a 2011 ‘Best Folk Album’ Grammy Award for their album ‘God Willin & The Creek Don’t Rise”. Lamontagne has released several solo albums (all on the RCA label via Sony Music) and is widely considered one of the shining stars of the massive US folk music scene. Brandi Carlile is another star of the US folk music scene, and has released four solo albums. She is best known locally for her song ‘The Story’, which is featured in a long-running TV commercial for Tracker. This track is off her brilliant album also entitled ’The Story’, now also proving a top seller across South Africa. Sony Music will soon be releasing her upcoming “live’ album on Columbia Records.
Ray Lamontagne and The Pariah Dogs (supported by Vusi Mahlasela and Brandi Carlile) Tour Dates:
Aug 30, EPCOR Centre, Calgary, Canada
Aug 31, Winspear Centre, Edmonton, Canada
Sep 2, The Orpheum, Vancouver, BC
Sep 3, Bumbershoot Music Festival, Seattle, WA
Sep 4, Edgefield, Portland, OR
Sep 6, Les Schwab Amphitheater, Bend, OR * With Brandi Carlile
Sep 9, The Greek Theatre, Berkeley, CA *
Sep 10, The Greek Theatre, Los Angeles, CA *
Sep 11, Santa Barbara Bowl, Santa Barbara, CA *
Sep 13, Copley Symphony Hall, San Diago, CA *
Sep 14, Comerica Theatre, Phoenix, Arizona *
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