Tribal funk, Afro beat
bands to headline fair

By Jessica Edwards

Dancing under Payson’s Pavilion may seem a long way off, but planners have already signed headline acts for the 41^st Southeast Alaska State Fair.

Saturday’s dance will feature the Alaskan Inuit “tribal funk” group Pamyua and the 10-piece Afro beat ensemble Albino!.Washington blues diva Nicole Fournier and Canadian Celtic punk bank WhiskeyDicks will play Friday.

The fair runs July 30 to Aug. 2 at the fairgrounds.

Pamyua has toured worldwide, and was invited to represent Native American music at the 45^th Annual Grammy Awards. Its album “Caught in the Act” won record of the year at the 2003 Native American Music Awards.

The quartet mixes Inuit harmonies, didgeridoo, and African djembe, reflecting band members’ mixed Inuit and African heritage.

“Having one of the country’s premier world music groups, Alaska’s own Pamyua, is a huge treat,” said fair entertainment committee member Megan Sherman.

“Their music is an amazing confluence of the old and the new, ranging from traditional Inuit throat singing to hip hop, and they bring a real depth and fullness to their performances,” Sherman said. Dan Henry and Dan Fitzgerald also served on the entertainment committee.

Sherman said the committee was thrilled to book Albino!, an Afro-beat ensemble from San Francisco known for their spirited, visually appealing shows.

“They were completely committed to another performance, but when we started talking about the Southeast Alaska State Fair, they did not want to pass up the opportunity to go to Alaska,” Sherman said.

Albino!’s 10 band members wear funky, tribal garb and play drums, congas, keyboard, saxophone and tenor baritone sax, bass, trumpet, flute, and guitar with “over the top live energy” in the style of Nigerian musician Fela Kuti.

Sheldon Museum and Cultural Center exhibits coordinator Karen Meizner said fair music was selected to coordinate with the traveling Smithsonian exhibit, “New Harmonies: Celebrating American Roots Music,” in Haines from June 28 to Aug. 8.

The exhibit features photographs, recordings, instruments and artist profiles important to the history of American roots music in general. The exhibit will also look at roots music in Alaska and in the Chilkat Valley, and will tie in with local live performances during the fair.

To learn more about Pamyua, visit the website http://tribalfunk.wordpress.com. For more on Albino!, visit the website http://www.albinoband.com.

Award-winning Tacoma blues singer and guitarist Nicole Fournier will please Haines blues fans, Sherman said.

Fournier was encouraged to pursue a music career after jamming with Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones. She’s shared the stage with John Lee Hooker and some of the Northwest’s best musicians, including Duffy Bishop, Jerry Miller, Nick Vigarino, Dick Powell, “Little Bill Englehart,” Fat James, Jay Mabin and Charles White.

Visit Fournier’s website at http://nicoleblues.com for more information.

Canadian band WhiskeyDicks was a crowd-pleaser at the 2008 Alsek Music Festival. “They have a soulful, Celtic, folk-rock edge that makes you want to stomp around and swing your partner,” said Sherman.

WhiskeyDicks mixes violin, cello, guitar, drums and vocals in music that blends traditional and pop sounds. The band biography says the group has “spent the better part of a decade carving out a reputation for themselves as ‘one hell of a good time.’”

Sherman said although evening entertainment was geared toward adult audiences, the fair would have plenty of family-oriented music during the days and early evenings. “I would really encourage families to check out…Shaelaurel, a terrific, world-traveling family band with a bit of an Irish twist.”

She said the entertainment committee continues to pursue musicians for the fair with the aim of featuring regional Alaskan, Yukon, and Pacific Northwest performers as well as some local favorites.

Fair director Kelly Hostetler said the fair would be grateful for donations of airline miles or performer fees. Sponsors will be recognized on the fair website and a get a free ad in the fair exhibit book, among other publicity.

Sherman said anyone willing to house performers, cook for them, or take them fishing or adventuring should contact the fair at 766-2476.

“We really lean on the incredible beauty of our valley, and the generosity of our town hosts, to attract performers and provide them an exceptional experience while they are here,” she said.

 

    

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