Live Concert Photography: Brownout with Mokoomba at Brooklyn Bowl 4/10/19
If my math is correct, I’ve personally be adhering to social distancing guidelines and quarantining for close to two full months. And without having many places to go, it’s created quite a bit of free time — and while it’s been profoundly lonely, monotonous and rather boring at points, I’ve managed to be productive. As you can imagine, throughout the course of this site’s ten year history, I’ve amassed a deep archive of unedited photos, and this period has allowed me to finally go through the tons of photos I’ve managed to somehow miss because I just didn’t have much time.
Of course, much of this work has managed to be an uncomfortably eerie reminder of the things we once had, and won’t have for the foreseeable future. And when it does come back, it won’t be in the exact same fashion as before. . .
Last year, the Austin-based JOVM mainstays Grupo Fantasma headlined a night of world music that also featured the rising and critically applauded Zimbabwean Afro pop act Mokoomba.
Grupo Fantasma
Formed in Chinotimba Township, Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, the rising Harare, Zimbabwe-based Afro-pop/Afro-fusion act Mokoomba — Mathias Muzaza (vocals, percussion) Trustworth Samende (guitar, vocals), Abundance Mutori (bass, backing vocals), Donald Moyo (keys, vocals), Ndaba Coster Moyo (drums, vocals) and Miti Mugande (percussion, vocals) — derive their name from a Tonga word that connotes a deep respect for the Zambezi River and the vibrant life along its banks. The members of the Zimbabwean collective have received national and international attention for a unique sound that meshes a number of pan-African and African Diasporic genres and styles, including soukous, funk and reggae. And while their material is centered around arrangements that employ the use of both traditional African and modern Western instrumentation, the collective continues the pan African vibes with lyrics sung in English, Luvale, Tonga, Nyanja, Ndebele and Shona. Since their formation, the band has recorded and released three albums — 2008’s Kweseka, 2012’s Manou Gallo-produced Rising Tide and 2017’s self-produced Luyando — which they’ve supported with international touring that has included stops at Music Crossroads InterRegional Festival, Colours of Ostrava, Couleur Cafe Festival, Meyouzik Festival, Pirineos Festival, Afrikafestival, Gnauoua World Music Festival, Paléo Festival, Roskilde Festival, Sziget Festival, WOMAD Festival, Africa Now! at The Apollo Theater, Jazz Fest, Førde Festival, Edmonton Folk Festival, and the Nuits d’Afrique Festival, Harare International Festival of the Arts and Lollapalooza Berlin among a growing list of others. 
For these photos and more, check out the Flickr set here: https://flic.kr/s/aHsmN3rWNa
