Feelin’ Extra Golden this morning

In 1995, Ian Eagleson was studying abroad in Kenya and first heard the sounds of benga guitar while attending a marriage celebration. As he writes in this fascinating Fretboard Journal article about the style of guitar-playing that can be heard in countless small Kenyan bars and across backroads, he was “struck by the sound that cut through the din.”

Eagleson returned to Africa many times while pursuing his (pretty rad-sounding) doctorate in ethnomusicology, and along the way formed Extra Golden, a fusion of members and sounds from his Washington D.C. rock band Golden and the Nairobi benga band Orchestra Extra Solar Africa. The joyously vibrant result sounds like this:

Anyango – Extra Golden

Their third album Thank You Very Quickly is available March 10th on Thrill Jockey.

And really, how good would this stuff feel live?

EXTRA GOLDEN Spring 2009 TOUR

AFRICAN SOUL REBELS 2009 UK Tour
(all dates with Baaba Maal and Oliver Mtukudzi)
Mar 3 2009 Gateshead – The Sage Gateshead
Mar 4 2009 Liverpool Philharmonic – Liverpool
Mar 6 2009 Bridgewater Hall – Manchester
Mar 7 2009 Lighthouse – Poole
Mar 8 2009 Brighton Dome – Brighton
Mar 9 2009 Roundhouse – London
Mar 11 2009 Royal & Derngate- Northampton
Mar 12 2009 The Anvil – Basingstoke
Mar 13 2009 De Montfort Hal – Leicester
Mar 14 2009 Warwick Arts Centre -Coventry

U.S. DATES
Apr 9 2009 Johnny Brenda’s – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Apr 10 2009 Floristree – Baltimore, Maryland
Apr 11 2009 Le Poisson Rouge – Manhattan, New York
Apr 12 2009 Middle East Upstairs – Cambridge, Massachusetts
Apr 14 2009 Comet Pizza – Washington DC
Apr 15 2009 B-Sides at Messiah College – Grantham, PA
Apr 16 2009 Kenyon College -Gambier, Ohio
Apr 17 2009 Ladies Literary Club – Grand Rapids, Michigan
Apr 18 2009 WIUX Culture Shock – Bloomington, Indiana
Apr 19 2009 Cactus Club – Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Apr 20 2009 Empty Bottle – Chicago, Illinois
Apr 22 2009 Waterfront Park – Louisville, Kentucky
Apr 23 2009 Northside Tavern -Cincinnati, Ohio
April 24 2009 Rumba Cafe Columbus, Ohio

BONUS: You may remember also hearing their thank-you song in their native Luo language to native-son Obama after he helped them secure the needed visas for a U.S. tour:

Obama – Extra Golden

[top photo credit Noel Kupersmith — and where is that Elvis print? I wanna see.]