[FA Worldmusic] Fourth Annual Afrofunk Festival Returns with Extra Funk (Correction)

[Ravann Rachelle]

Fourth Annual Afrofunk Festival Returns With Extra Funk

West Coast Multiculti Revue Plays July9-26, wraps up at 
San Francisco's Independent.

Afrobeat is dense, funky, intricately-layered, groove-heavy music with 
an intrinsic message - delivered throughpolyrhythmic beats, the 
sweat of the dancers,and the power of words. This July, that message 
will reverberate through California, when the Afrofunk Festival returns 
after three consecutive years of sold-out shows.

The Afrofunk Festival was born in 2005, when Kenyan singer Victor Sila
joined forces with Liberian DJ Jeremiah Kpoh. Cresting the wave of the
international Afrobeat revival, which shined a media spotlight on bands like
Antibalas and artists like Femi Kuti, the AFF tapped into the vibrancy of the
San Francisco Bay Area, the epicenter of the '80s World Beat craze and current
home to bands like Albino, Kotoja, Aphrodesia, and Sila's own outfit,
the Afro-Funk Experience. The result was a truly unique event with a righteous,
humanitarian cause benefiting at-risk youth in famine- and war-torn regions of
East Africa.

In the years since, Afrobeat has continued to grow in popularity, while the AFF
has become a cultural institution -- not just in the San Francisco Bay Area, but
along the West Coast. Now in its fourth year, the AFF (which runs July 9-26) has
expanded to venues in Eugene, Seattle, Portland, Ashland, San Luis Obispo, San
Diego, Los Angeles, and Santa Barbara. The AFF tour concludes with three
consecutive nights at San Francisco's premier live music club, the Independent.

"There's no way we can stop doing theAfrofunk Festival, as long as the
crisis facing children in Africa continues," says Sila, emphasizing that his
mission has always been to raise cultural and social awareness through music.

This year's lineup stretches the boundariesof Afrofunk, presenting
African, Afro-Brazilian and Afro-Latin variants, alongside nu-funk and classic
soul. Performers include Sila and the Afrofunk Experience, B-Side Players, Rocky
Dawuni, Darondo, Nino Moschella, Sambada, Afrobeat Down, Bayonics, Fuga,
Manicato, DJ Jeremiah and the Afrobeat Nation, DJ Vanka, and DJ Felina.
(Visit http://www.afrofunk.org for a complete list of performers, dates,
and venues.)

The Afrofunk Festival is still a party, so bring your dancing shoes, but this
is a party with a conscience; proceeds will benefit House of Hope, an orphanage
in Uganda that houses children ravaged by famine and disease. Despite
international media attention and critically-acclaimed documentaries like Peter
Jordan's Darfur Rising which have increased awarenessabout the plight of
African children, the situation remains grave.

Having spent time in a refugee camp as ayouth himself before coming to
America, DJ Jeremiah is particularly sympathetic to the struggles of Africa's
children. "This is the best way I know of to focus attention on this important
issue. The youth are the future. By helping them, we are giving them the hope
for a better life," he says, adding, "what better medium to get this message
across than Afrofunk?"

What: 4th Annual Afrofunk Festival. ABenefit for House of Hope, Uganda
When: Thursday, July 24 to Saturday,July 26th. Doors: 8:30PM
Where: The Independent, 628 DivisaderoStreet, SanFrancisco, CA 94117
Who: Sila and the Afrofunk Experience, B-Side Players, Rocky Dawuni, Darondo,
Nino Moschella, Sambada, Afrobeat Down, Bayonics,Fuga, Manicato, DJ Jeremiah 
and the Afrobeat Nation, DJ Vanka, and DJ Felina.
Tickets: $18ADV/$20DOOR/$35VIP. Available at TicketWeb.com.Box Office:
415.771.1421
Contact: Jeremiah Kpoh,Email: Jeremiah at maishaproductions.com,
Phone: 415-377-4879
More Information: http://Afrofunk.org,415-377-4879

TOUR DATES
4th ANNUAL AFROFUNK FESTIVAL b July 9-26, 2008 
WEDNESDAY, JULY 9 
COSMIC PIZZA
 199 W 8th Ave
 Eugene, Oregon
 (Downtown at 8th & Charnelton,
 2 blocks west of Willamette St)
 Phone 338-9333 
Sila and the Afrofunk Experience and Sambada 
 Plus Dj Jeremiah & The Afrobeat Nation 



THURSDAY, JULY 10 
NECTAR LOUNGE
 412 N 36th St
 Seattle, WA 98103
 (206) 632-2020
Sila and the Afrofunk Experience and Sambada 
Plus Dj Jeremiah & The Afrobeat Nation 


FRIDAY, JULY 11
SOMEDAY LOUNGE
 125 NW 5th Avenue
 Portland, OR 97209
Sila and the Afrofunk Experience and Sambada 
Plus Dj Jeremiah & The Afrobeat Nation 


SATURDAY, JULY 11
WELLSPRINGS
 2253 Highway 99 North
 Ashland, Oregon 97520 
Sila and the Afrofunk Experience and Sambada 
Plus Dj Jeremiah & The Afrobeat Nation 


WEDNESDAY, JULY 16
DOWTOWN BREWERY
 1119 Garden St
 San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
 (805) 543-1843
Sila and the Afrofunk Experience and Sambada 
Plus Dj Jeremiah & The Afrobeat Nation 


THURSDAY, JULY 17
WORLD BEAT CENTER
 2100 Park Blvd
 San Diego, CA 92101
Sila and the Afrofunk Experience and Sambada 
Plus Dj Jeremiah & The Afrobeat Nation 


FRIDAY, JULY 18
TEMPLE BAR
 1026 Wilshire Blvd
 Santa Monica, CA 90401
 (310) 393-6611
Sila and the Afrofunk Experience and Sambada 
Plus Dj Jeremiah & The Afrobeat Nation 


SATURDAY, JULY 19 
SOHO
 1221 State St # 205
 Santa Barbara, CA 93101
 (805) 962-7776
Sila and the Afrofunk Experience and Sambada 
Plus Dj Jeremiah & The Afrobeat Nation 



THURSDAY, JULY 24 
 The Independent, San Francisco
B-Side Players
 Darondo
 Nino Moschella
 Bayonics
 DJ Vanka 



FRIDAY, JULY 25
 The Independent, San Francisco
B-Side Payers
 Afrobeat Down
 DJ Jeremiah and Afrobeat Nation
 Fuga 



SATURDAY, JULY 26 The Independent, San Francisco
Sila and the Afrofunk Experience
 Rocky Dawuni
 Manicato
 DJ Felina 
Tickets: $18/ADV./$20 DOOR/$35VIP. http://ticketweb.com


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