Lotus preview

The Lotus World Music and Arts Festival celebrates its 20th year this weekend.  Here's a preview of just some of the bands set to take the stage.

Nomadic Massive
Hip Hop

Nomadic Massive embodies global hip-hop. Hailing from Montreal, Nomadic Massive is a diverse composition of emcees, singers and musicians. They perform energetic, culturally conscious international music through the use of live instruments, assorted vocal styles and multilingual verses.

The group’s cultural diversity and open-mindedness has earned them international recognition. As a result, they have performed all over the world, including performances at many world-class festivals.

Their performances will captivate you, and you’ll be hard-pressed not to connect with their music. Their energy is undeniable. They are in constant motion. This energy, combined with their lyrical and multi-instrumental power, results in a cathartic experience.

Nomadic Massive creates music that will diversify and enhance your musical arsenal. Their style and diversity are incomparable to any of their hip-hop contemporaries. If you’re desperate for a comparison, their musical style slightly resembles that of the Fugees. Nomadic Massive will undoubtedly rock the crowd and enthuse the souls of all in attendance.

David Wax Museum
Mexican-American

Performing in what they like to call a “Mexo-Americana” style, David Wax and Suz Slezak, along with an interchangeable group of players since 2009 are an energetic, rambunctious group with Mexican-inspired tunes.

Often switching up their instruments, Slezak plays the fiddle as well as the quijada, their secondary production instrument made from a donkey’s jawbone. Wax plays a Mexican guitar called the jarana.

Together, the two sing two-part harmonies with fun and quirky lyrics. Their songs “Will You Be Sleeping?” and “Harder Before It Gets Easier” sound like something you might come across in a rundown bar in rural Mexico where a bunch of American travelers have gathered to jam together.

The mix of Mexican quickness and American quirk really meshes with David Wax Museum, and their live performances are great for dancing and singing along.

Kardemimmit
Finnish folk

All four female members of Kardemimmit play the same instrument. It’s the kantele, the national instrument of Finland, their home country.

The kantele is a member of the zither family and can have up to 40 strings. One of the members of Kardemimmit plays a lower-pitched one, which serves as the bass for the group.

The kantele is similar to the Japanese koto and the Chinese gu zheng, so the resonating strings sound oddly oriental, but the quaint four-part harmonies are anything but oriental.

The ladies of Kardemimmit share vocal qualities with Olivia Merilahti of the Dø, another Finnish vocalist. Their slightly nasal voices are light, and the four of them are never overbearing.

The Finnish language in which they sing might be off-putting for some, but the women glide over the words with whimsical ease.

If you’re in the mood for accessible and exotic at this year’s Lotus World Music and Arts Festival, the charming and cheerful music of Kardemimmit is the way to go.

The Once
Newfoundland, Canada

Providing a traditional acoustic sound with powerful, lovely voices, this trio comes out of Newfoundland with music to fall in love with on the first listen. Members Geraldine Hollett (lead singer), Phil Churchill and Andrew Dale (harmonies, acoustic guitar) met as actors who enjoyed singing together. They made the wise decision to form a band.

They are a sweet and intimate contrast to Newfoundland’s noisier Irish-based, sailor-song music scene, sometimes stripped down to just their vocals (as with their gorgeous cover of Leonard Cohen’s “Coming Back To You”), or crooning to a couple of choice acoustic instruments. They have an immense power that can quiet a room.

Whether they choose a melancholy love song or an upbeat folk song, the Once knows their strength and their understated three-part harmony. Their album “Row Upon Row of the People They Know” is a must-have for an evening at home.

DakhaBrakha
Ukrainian folk

DakhaBrakha takes some patience. Its music, which is derived from traditional folk songs combined with Indian, Russian and Australian instruments, requires long compositions.

It might compare to Icelandic post-rock group Sigur Rós in the way its songs dance and meander. But the band uses instruments sparingly, often only a cello or accordion or a lone human voice.

Vocalists Iryna Kovalenko and Olena Tsibulska have haunting and angelic voices. Their melodies float and waver above the accompanying cellos and accordions.

On its website, DakhaBrakha describes its music as “ethnic chaos.” Although it began with traditional Ukrainian folk songs, the band has experimented further with them. DakhaBrakha combines the songs with the rhythms of the Indian tabla and the African djembe. The vocalists even experiment with their voices in the way of Mongolian throat singers.

The songs are long, but they are rewarding. This challenging and fascinating group will surely deliver a harrowing performance at Lotus.

Edmar Castaneda and Andrea Tierra
Colombian jazz/folk

Edmar Castaneda plays the arpa llanera, a Colombian folk harp, with virtuosic energy. But he doesn’t play it the traditional Colombian folk way.

The arpa llanera has a lower, more resonant bass range than the concert harp. Castaneda uses his left hand on the low strings to accompany himself, which is similar to the way a bass player might accompany a piano player in a Latin jazz band.

And Castaneda can certainly riff like a virtuosic piano player. He uses his right hand to furiously finger-pick the upper strings to create frantic melodies and improvise fast phrases.

He also experiments with the sound of the arpa llanera, palm muting and using other effects to change the tone of the instrument.

He will appear on stage with his wife, jazz vocalist Andrea Tierra, who will combine her fluid vocal style with Castaneda’s furious harp.

This guy will blow your mind. He’s sure to be one of the surprises of the festival this year.

Pacific Curls
Oceanic folk/pop

Pacific Curls combines traditional Oceanic music traditions with modern pop soundscapes.

Members Kim Halliday, Ora Barlow and Jessie Hindin use instruments like the ukulele, fiddle and guitar. They also use traditional Maori percussion instruments, as well as the nguru, a Maori nose flute.

They also switch between styles of music at a moment’s notice. Since Halliday is Scottish, Pacific Curls also plays Scottish fiddle tunes frequently. It combines this with vocals sung in the Maori language.

They use many Maori instruments, but the percussion instrument of choice for Pacific Curls is the cajon. Originally from Peru, the cajon resembles a large box, which the player sits on and strikes with his or her hand, producing a subtle bass tone.

Halliday also frequently uses effects to make her violin sound like a bass guitar. All these elements produce a striking combination of exotic music from Pacific Curls. They play with energy and will provide some fun for festival-goers.

Debo Band
Ethiopian-American

Debo Band, a band of 11 musicians led by Ethiopian-American Danny Mekonnen (saxophone), has received praise from National Public Radio and the New York Times. They’ve performed at a number of international music festivals such as the Montreal Jazz Fest and the Ethiopian Music Festival.

Debo Band boasts the essentials of a jazz band (trumpet, saxophones, drums and bass), but the twanged color of their sound comes from two violins (electric, five-string) and an accordion.

A diverse group in age, color and gender, Debo Band offers a robust sound that can turn from a bluesy Sousamarch to a polka in one phrase.

The eclectic group pulls from many international genres to form their distinct grooves, so you’re sure to hear at least one piece you’ll love and something new that will inspire you to broaden your tastes.

Srinivas Krishnan and friends
Asian classical music

It’s common at Lotus World Music and Arts Festival to see musicians from different backgrounds play together who normally wouldn’t join one another on stage.

That’s no different this year, as Indian percussionist Srinivas Krishnan, Uzbek frame drummer Abbos Kosimov and Afghan rubab player Homayun Sakhi will play together.

Krishnan is a versatile percussionist. He plays the Indian tabla, the Middle Eastern dombek and the Irish bodhran, and others. He has worked with musicians from all over the globe.

Kosimov is a renowned musician in Uzbekistan. His dexterous fingers dance across the skin of his dayereh, a frame drum popular in central Asia. He is a nationally recognized Uzbek musician, as well as an active ambassador of his country’s culture.

Sakhi plays the Afghan instrument rubab, a type of lute that has 11 or 12 strings. Afghan music draws influence from India, central Asia and Persia, and Sakhi’s playing reflects those diverse origins.

Performances like these reflect the festival’s emphasis on diversity.