Femi Kuti

Saturday at Bonnaroo 2022 began bright and early with so many activities that it was nearly impossible for festival goes to absorb much of what was happening around them. Even before the music began early in the day, there were yoga lessons, marathons, workshops, group gatherings, and parades all about the campgrounds. By the time New Zealand pop singer Benee appeared on the giant Which stage just after 2 pm, a large crowd had already gathered in Centeroo.

Celebrating its 30th year in 2022, High Sierra Music Festival is continuing to add to its milestone-year party, returning to Quincy, CA, June 30th through July 3rd. Today’s lineup appeals to as broad a range of fans as ever before, all the while keeping true to High Sierra’s legacy; an environment that has kept fans and musicians thrilled to return year after year, for three decades.

The big news over the weekend at the 15th installment of Floydfest was the unfortunate hospitalization and subsequent cancellation of headliner Gregg Allman’s Saturday night set.  But in true Floydfest fashion, the excellent talent evaluators of this year’s five-day festival, dubbed “Dreamweavin’,” had just the type of jam-band superheroes onsite to put together a dream replacement set.

Femi Kuti and The Positive Force have blended Funk, Jazz, and African Folk throughout their 27 year career to create a colorful and distinctive sound in the music world.  The records tell their story: After a short spell at Motown, Femi Kuti took on the Afrobeat sound with his first international album in 1998 Shoki Shoki, before rubbing shoulders with the modern urban style of his American peers such as Mos Def and Common on the album, Fight To Win.  In 2004 he opened The Shrine, the club where he recorded the live album Africa Shrine.

On a quiet week night in Boulder, CO, the Positive Force, led by band and movement leader Femi Kuti, came to bring their traditional power and spirit through music.

The Kuti family has made some of my favorite music for a long time now, and I am constantly amazed by how many people are unaware of not only Femi’s music, but his legendary father Fela’s music as well.

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