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East African retro pop music at the Wayne Theatre

Chris Graham

Alsarah & The NubatonesThe Wayne Theatre presents Alsarah & The Nubatones on Saturday, November 3, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets start at $23.

Alsarah is a singer, songwriter, and bandleader born in Sudan. Now based in Brooklyn, she is a self-proclaimed practitioner of East-African Retro-Pop music.

“The Wayne Theatre is delighted to bring world music to the stage,” said Tracy Straight, executive director of the Wayne Theatre. “Alsarah has such a unique sound, and we are excited to be the venue to introduce the community to this talented ensemble.”

With her main outfit, Alsarah & The Nubatones, she has released two full-length albums titled Silt and Manara with Wonderwheel Recordings.

Alsarah & the Nubatones were born out of many dinner conversations between Alsarah and Rami El Aasser about nubian ‘songs of return’, modern migration patterns and the cultural exchanges between Sudan and Egypt.

A common love for the richness of pentatonic sounds, and shared migration experiences, expanded the conversation to include armenian – american oud player Haig manoukian and french born togo raised bass player Mawuena Kodjovi. Under the leadership of Alsarah, the Brooklyn based group’s sound grew into what they have dubbed as ‘east – african retro-pop’.

Since their first show in October of 2011, the group has performed nationally in New York City, Chicago and California, and internationally at many prestigious festivals and venues in France, Belgium, Canada, Italy, Kenya, Columbia, Morocco, Lithuania, Norway, Portugal, Switzerland, Denmark, UK, Netherlands and Sweden.

With audiences varying in age and ethnicity, the Nubatones has proven over and over that soul crosses all cultural and linguistic barriers.

This program is sponsored in part by the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts.

The Wayne Theatre is located at 521 W. Main St. in downtown Waynesboro. Tickets and information is available at (540) 943-9999 or www.waynetheatre.org

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Chris Graham

Chris Graham

Chris Graham is the founder and editor of Augusta Free Press. A 1994 alum of the University of Virginia, Chris is the author and co-author of seven books, including Poverty of Imagination, a memoir published in 2019. For his commentaries on news, sports and politics, go to his YouTube page, TikTok, BlueSky, or subscribe to Substack or his Street Knowledge podcast. Email Chris at [email protected].

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