Mdou Moctar Plays Fredericton and Sackville Next Week

West African guitarist Mdou Moctar plays two New Brunswick shows next week in advance of appearances at the Halifax Jazz Festival, the Winnipeg Folk Festival, the Calgary Folk Festival and several others.

Matt Carter

Since Grimross Brewing Company began hosting live music performances just over four years ago, the uptown venue has welcomed a staggering amount of musicians and has grown to become one of Fredericton’s live music hotspots. From a who’s who of local and regional talent to numerous international touring musicians, the range of music that seems to happen continuously on the Grimross stage literally offers something for everyone’s musical interests.

If you are into singer-songwriter stuff, resident promoter Eddie Young (Roots & Soul Music Promo) has got you more than covered. How about the blues? If you are into the blues, there’s a good chance a fix is coming your way any day now. And if you happen to be into West African psych-rock, Eddie will have you on your feet with joy on Thursday July 9 when he presents a performance by Niger-based guitarist Mdou Moctar.

“Mdou Moctar has made the most insane psychedelic guitar album of the 21st century.”

– Bob Boilen, NPR Music

Moctar’s latest album Ilana was released in the spring of 2019 and has been hailed as “the most insane psychedelic guitar album of the 21st century” (NPR). That kind of praise doesn’t come along every day.

The story of how Moctar’s music made it all the way from the Sahara Desert to a modest brewpub in Fredericton, New Brunswick is a long an convoluted tale. In short, he was first discovered through a West African underground trading network of cell phones and memory cards. Through this network, his song, Tahoultine, ended up being released on a compilation called Music From Saharan Cellphones on the Sahel Sounds label out of Portland. Oregon. Label owner Christopher Kirkley was so taken by what he heard, he tracked Moctar down, bought him a new guitar and began releasing his music.

<a href="http://mdoumoctar.bandcamp.com/album/ilana-the-creator">Ilana: The Creator by Mdou Moctar</a>

Following the release of four solo albums, his 2019 release Ilana is Moctar’s first with a full band.

Moctar’s two New Brunswick stops (Fredericton July 9 and Sackville July 10) are sandwiched between appearances at the Montreal Jazz Festival, Festival d’été de Québec, the Halifax Jazz Festival, the Winnipeg Folk Festival, the Calgary Folk Festival and several others.

Tickets for Moctar’s Fredericton show are on sale now – $15 in advance and $20 at the door. Montreal jazz combo Backwater Township open the show.