Instead of attending Familiar Faces' performance at the Safari Steakhouse, I went with my friend Joe to see Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra.
Black Cat 1811 14th St NW, Washington, DC
As the name implies, they are an Afrobeat band. I had missed seeing them when they came by UNC in December, plus this was a record release party for their album to be released on June 8th, Who Is This America?. I counted 13 members of the band (1 trombone player, 2 saxophone players, 2 trumpet players, 2 guitar players, 1 bass player, 1 keyboardist, 2 drummers (drum kit & congas), 1 percussionist, and the lead vocalist/percussionist). They played 2 sets. They made a lot of political statements (which annoyed Joe), but surprisingly they never mentioned their new album. Their first song (don't remember the title), was really laid back, but the 2nd song "Security" and 3rd song really cranked. Joe said they reminded him of the Groove Collective and that "now he knows where the Dead Heads have gone..." (of which Joe is one). Another song in the 2nd set, led by one of the Sax players, really cranked as well. There was a nice girl (a tall curly brunette wearing a white shirt and black slacks) who in a friendly way encouraged me and other guys to dance more rigorously. The only real negative was twice being behind people dancing really vigorously who kept backing up, forcing me to keep backing up. I just listened to the album, which I copped at the performance - it's really good. I like their CDs, but those 3 crankin' tunes aside, I was bored at times - the other songs really didn't hold my attention. Their recordings sustain me more because I am doing other things while listening.
