http://virb.com/tinariwen Virb 2.0 (@tinariwen) en http://virb.com/tinariwen/posts/text/6260940 Tinariwen have won this years coveted Uncut Music Award. Tinariwen’s fourth album, Imidiwan: Companions, was unanimously chosen by a distinguished panel of key industry figures. It won over some very stiff competition, from Kings of Leon, Bob Dylan, Wilco, Animal Collective, Dirty Projectors, Grizzly Bear and The Low Anthem to be crowned the most inspirational and rewarding album of 2009. Now in its second year, the Uncut Music Award has already gained a reputation as the most credible award in music. Ibrahim Ag Alhabib of Tinariwen, said of winning the Uncut Music Award: "This makes us really really happy, all of us and I'm glad that this important magazine should recognize our music. It gives us the strength to carry on working and spreading the message about the peace of our desert home, and I’m glad that our music can cross the frontiers and talk to people around the world. Thanks very very much." TINARIWEN :: North American Tour 2010 Feb 15 Chapel Hill, NC - University of North Carolina Feb 16 Columbus OH - Wexner Center for the Arts Feb 18 New York NY - Highline Ballroom Feb 19 Brooklyn NY - The Bell House Feb 20 Los Angeles - UCLA Royce Hall Feb 21 San Francisco, CA - San Francisco Jazz Festival Feb 23 Seattle, WA - Triple Door Feb 25 Vancouver, BC - Orpheum Feb 27 Chicago, IL - Old Town School of Folk Music Mar 04 Toronto ON - The Phoenix Mar 05 Montreal, QC - Club Soda Mar 06 Quebec, QC - Palais Montcalm ]]> Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:36:10 -0800 http://virb.com/tinariwen/posts/text/6260940 http://virb.com/tinariwen/posts/text/5261884 Tinariwen continues to charm world music and rock fans alike with their latest album, Imidiwan: Companions. The album has received accolades across the board, with 4 Star reviews in The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Observer, The Independent and The Scotsman, as well The Eye Weekly, Metro Canada and Alternative Media. Recorded in their native Tessalit, and produced by Jean-Paul Romann, Imidiwan: Companions reveals "more depth, more emotion, many more peaks and valleys than anything they've previously released" (Huffington Post). Tinariwen will tour North America in February and March 2010, with dates in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Vancouver, among others.

"Imidiwan is classic Tinariwen—punishing grooves, buzzing, snaking guitars, handclaps, and lived-in voices." - PopMatters

"alternatively fiery and poignant...Imidiwan is its own force of nature." - World Music Central ]]> Fri, 02 Oct 2009 15:10:16 -0700 http://virb.com/tinariwen/posts/text/5261884 http://virb.com/tinariwen/photos/5261820 ]]> Fri, 02 Oct 2009 15:07:53 -0700 http://virb.com/tinariwen/photos/5261820 http://virb.com/tinariwen/photos/5261736 ]]> Fri, 02 Oct 2009 15:04:10 -0700 http://virb.com/tinariwen/photos/5261736 http://virb.com/tinariwen/photos/5261729 ]]> Fri, 02 Oct 2009 15:03:50 -0700 http://virb.com/tinariwen/photos/5261729 http://virb.com/tinariwen/photos/5261721 ]]> Fri, 02 Oct 2009 15:03:15 -0700 http://virb.com/tinariwen/photos/5261721 http://virb.com/tinariwen/audio/446761 Fri, 02 Oct 2009 14:53:08 -0700 http://virb.com/tinariwen/audio/446761 http://virb.com/tinariwen/audio/446758 Fri, 02 Oct 2009 14:46:49 -0700 http://virb.com/tinariwen/audio/446758 http://virb.com/tinariwen/posts/text/2746336 Tinariwen & Hassan Hakmoun @ Le Poisson Rouge - pics photos by Tim Griffin (Click images to see more!) ]]> Mon, 27 Apr 2009 13:40:12 -0700 http://virb.com/tinariwen/posts/text/2746336 http://virb.com/tinariwen/posts/text/2701193 ]]> Thu, 23 Apr 2009 13:22:06 -0700 http://virb.com/tinariwen/posts/text/2701193 http://virb.com/tinariwen/posts/text/2665723 Coachella Day 2: Tinariwen's Sunset Convergence is the Talk of the Festival Sunday, Apr. 19 2009 @ 11:56AM By Randall Roberts in coachella "the band got onto the stage and stepped on the Universal Treadmill of Groove, one that propels booties and brains regardless of language, religion, age or gender. Live, the band is inexplicably great...Maybe it's the rhythms, which don't abide by the western four/four time signature and beat in complicated and pleasing ways. Maybe it's the tones... Or Tinariwen's awesome hype man, who stood stage right and did some sort of beautiful ghost dance and harmonized along... Testimonials: Fleet Foxes' Robin Pecknold, onstage during its inaugural Coachella performance, said, "I hope you had a chance to check out Tinariwen." Ian MacKaye founder of Dischord Records, Fugazi, Minor Threat and the Evens, was watching with Henry Rollins and Shepard Fairey. After the show, while Rollins held MacKaye's newborn, Carmine, MacKaye told me the Tinariwen gig was his favorite set of the festival. Ditto. " - (full review) EAST BAY EXPRESS "When the six musicians took a bow together and the house lights came on, it was hard not to feel we'd witnessed something special. Tinariwen is at the very least among the finest African groups in the world today -- if not at the very top." (4/16 San Francisco Jazz Fest) stereogum "The band's Tishoumaren African gypsy blues drew an impressive crowd, continuing an extended crest for the band on the back of 2007's excellent Aman Iman LP. Their brand of modal melodies...acoustic and electric instruments, and hand drums were a perfect fit for the desert heat." (4/18 Coachella) "Whether by a master stroke of scheduling or happy accident, the juxtaposition of Afro-Arabic pop group Tinariwen in the Gobi Tent and Tucson-based spaghetti-western rock group Calexico on the Outdoor Theatre stage was one of those connective cultural moments that make...Coachella worth every wearying minute in the wilting desert heat." (4/18 Coachella)]]> Mon, 20 Apr 2009 17:13:24 -0700 http://virb.com/tinariwen/posts/text/2665723 http://virb.com/tinariwen/posts/text/2595264 Pop & Hiss The L.A. Times music blog Coachella preview: Tinariwen 11:26 AM PT, Apr 13 2009 Pop & Hiss will be covering the Coachella Music and Arts Festival in Indio, Calif., from April 17 to 19. There are more than 120 acts on the bill, and in the days leading up to the festival, we'll be selecting some of the best bets -- some on the radar, some flying below. Who: Tinariwen Why this African ensemble is your ticket to the real desert vibe: Let's face it. Coachella doesn't really feel like the desert. With green grass underfoot and giant beverages a mere five-to-10 bucks away, the fest is really more of a resort experience. Tinariwen's music, however, is made of dirty wind and hallucinatory heat. For two decades, the group has represented for the "ishumaren" -- itinerant Tuareg people of the Sahara who've encountered modernity as mercenaries, political rebels and reluctant city dwellers hearing rock on the radio that reminded them of the native music of the sands. Now a world-music institution, Tinariwen is renowned for its trance-inducing live sets, featuring great ensemble playing and the serene shredding of the band's leader, Ibrahim Ag Al Habib. (link) Music of Saharan Africa: Tinariwen plays SFJAZZ April 13, 11:47 PM It seems like music is literally bursting out of Mali onto American soil these days with Rokia Traore, Habib Koite and now Tinariwen. The music is all inspiring, but Tinariwen is also politically and historically important. This year, the San Francisco Jazz Festival brings the Bay Area a wide range of music, including the Saharan blues of Tinariwen. Having formed over two decades ago, Tinariwen represents the Touareg, a nomadic people of the Sahara, and their struggle for freedom from the Malian government. These Ancient melodies are fused with modern blues, rock'n'roll, Berber and Arabic genres. This music is born out of war, ethnic cleansing and exile of post-colonial Africa. After the political lyrics were banned by Mali and Algeria, Tinariwen was forced to play underground until moving to the Malian capitol Bamako in the late 90s. There the ten members of the band became musical revolutionaries, playing music called Tishoumaren, "music of the unemployed" or simply "guitar." I guarantee this music, despite its serious roots, will bring the audience to their dancing feet. - Jamie Freedman (link)]]> Tue, 14 Apr 2009 12:07:29 -0700 http://virb.com/tinariwen/posts/text/2595264 http://virb.com/tinariwen/audio/294708 Mon, 12 May 2008 18:42:22 -0700 http://virb.com/tinariwen/audio/294708 http://virb.com/tinariwen/audio/294704 Mon, 12 May 2008 18:28:24 -0700 http://virb.com/tinariwen/audio/294704 http://virb.com/tinariwen/audio/195592 Tue, 30 Oct 2007 17:35:18 -0700 http://virb.com/tinariwen/audio/195592 http://virb.com/tinariwen/audio/195590 Tue, 30 Oct 2007 17:33:12 -0700 http://virb.com/tinariwen/audio/195590 http://virb.com/tinariwen/audio/195589 Tue, 30 Oct 2007 17:31:48 -0700 http://virb.com/tinariwen/audio/195589 http://virb.com/tinariwen/audio/195482 Tue, 30 Oct 2007 13:43:01 -0700 http://virb.com/tinariwen/audio/195482 http://virb.com/tinariwen/audio/195478 Tue, 30 Oct 2007 13:37:39 -0700 http://virb.com/tinariwen/audio/195478 http://virb.com/tinariwen/photos/1466291 ]]> Tue, 30 Oct 2007 17:57:15 -0700 http://virb.com/tinariwen/photos/1466291