The Macrotones w/ Zongo Junction

http://afrobeat.brownpapertickets.com

“Masters of the city's afrobeat movement” - MySecretBoston.com

"Rejects categorization within Afrobeat, reggae, and jam-band boundaries… Wayne Manor is a miraculous matrimony of funky preconceived ideals and effective spontaneity." - The Boston Phoenix

The Macrotones have been bringing tightly honed afrofunk to Boston, New England, and beyond since 2007. Whether they’re opening for national headliners like NOMO, the Budos Band, Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars, and Grupo Fantasma, splitting sold-out bills with regional favorites like Rubblebucket and Westbound Train, or playing all night themselves, The Macrotones’ taut rhythms keep the bodies m oving and heads nodding. Based initially in Allston, Mass, the earliest incarnation of the 10-piece Macrotones came together to play traditional afrobeat music. While this was a great introduction, it became apparent there were new, diverse directions the music was headed. Their sound quickly grew to incorporate elements of funk, soul, ethiojazz, and rock. The result is a dark and funky blend of persistent, interlaced rhythms, and powerfully dense horn lines. And with stimulating percussion percolating throughout, it's obvious the way to take in a Macrotones performance is on one’s feet and dancing. Their debut album, 2008’s Wayne Manor, has been described by the Boston Phoenix as “a miraculous matrimony of funky preconceived ideals and effective spontaneity.” Recorded almost entirely live in a converted barn in the woods of Maine, the record captures a heavy-grooving band finding their sound. Their 2011 Young Cub Records (The Aggrolites, The Superpowers) follow-up, First Signs of Danger, features that sound gig-refined and presented in a warm and gritty analog setting. Engineered and produced by Craig Welsch, impresario of John Brown’s Body recording spinoff roots/dub project 10 Foot Ganja Plant, the album has been compared to a soundtrack for a car chase film, or can be thought of as simply "music for spies."

Zongo Junction

Generating a well-deserved buzz in NYC's exploding afrobeat scene, Zongo Junction electrifies dance floors wherever they perform. The Village Voice describes their live show as "Sheer energy with the force of a tractor-trailer that roars with power and noise." With five horns, and a six-piece rhythm section, audiences can't help but move no matter where the band is playing.
ZongoJunction.net