Gil Scott-Heron was never able to cash in on the hyperbolic and lofty praise he received in the 70's ("The black Bob Dylan," anyone?), instead he faded into the abyss during the mid-'90s and beyond, only to occasionally resurface not onstage, but on a police blotter.
Scout Niblett recorded 100 different versions of The Calcination of Scout Niblett, the title track of her new album on Drag City. Not because she was looking for the perfect take—very near the opposite, in fact.
There are close to 2,000 registered bands at SXSW, although the impossible-to-determine unofficial number is probably twice that. If you perform, you will do so opposite hundreds of other bands from all over the world.
While hipster America's romance with West African music may not last long, a live look at the source is long overdue (in fairness, there aren't a lot of options). There's no better opportunity than with Malian Bassekou Kouyate.
In lieu of resting on the crutch of their regional association, the band turned the calendar pages of 2009 by recording a pair of albums—The Satanic Satanist, their most successful release to date, and American Ghetto, due out next spring.