Afropop is proud to present Feedel Band in concert on March 8, 2014 at DROM at 9:30 (doors open at 9). Pick up your tickets here. Feedel Band keeps the funky experimentation of 70s Ethiopia alive, with ties to the legendary Walias Band. Walias Band tied together the Ethiopian scene in the 70s, collaborating with some of the biggest stars of the time: Mahmoud Ahmed, Mulatu Astatke, and Tilahoun Gessesse, among them. In 1981, the group was one of first bands from Ethiopia to tour the US, where four members stayed rather than returning to live under Ethiopia’s dictatorship. One of those musicians, the group’s synth/organ player Hailu Mergia (we featured him in our "Afro-Tech" program) made a big comeback last year, with the reissue of his Classical Instrument record, and his first performances in decades. Like Mergia, Walias’s sax player, Moges Habte, stayed in DC, where he now plays in the jazz-infused Feedel Band. Feedel Band are signed to Electric Cowbell, whose releases are consistent proof of the diverse creativity in our nation’s capital.
Check out the smooth, flowing Ethio-jazz/funk grooves of their “Ethiopian Ocean (Ye Ethiopia Baher)” below. Don’t miss them at Drom!
