Win FREE Tickets to Oumar Konaté @ Sanctuary for Independent Media on Friday

A young, rising star from Mali, singer-songwriter-guitarist Oumar Konate is blazing the new wave of West African music on the contemporary world music stage, and he’s leading his band in their Nippertown concert debut at the Sanctuary for Independent Media in Troy on Friday night.

Although he has been playing with numerous well-known African artists in recent years – including Vieux Farka Toure, Kounkako Sata, Roberto Magic, Alpha Diakité, Sidi Touré, Khaira Arby, Leila Gobi – Konaté has just released his debut internationally distributed album as a bandleader, Addoh.

The new album was recorded during the historic 2012-2013 political crisis in Mali, it represents a transition in Konate’s musical journey, a sound treatise on the emotions and experiences of young Malians as they live through the rebellion and coup d’etat that was shattering their country and their dreams of a better future. The album features the contributions of several master African and American musicians, the blend of ancient and modern instruments revealing the surprising musical sophistication that surrounds Konate’s seriously shredding guitar work.

Oumar Konate and his band perform in concert at the Sanctuary for Independent Media in Troy at 7pm on Friday (May 30) in support of their new album, “Addoh.” Admission is $10.

BUT WAIT… Have we got a deal for you!?! We’re giving away a pair of FREE tickets to this concert. To enter the contest, just post a comment below. Please leave your email address, too. We won’t publish it, but we’ll use it to contact you if you win. Deadline to enter in 12noon on Friday (May 30), and the winner will be selected at random and notified on Friday afternoon. Good luck! Congratulatios to the winner, who has been notified via email.