Sierra Leone Refugee All Stars Play Neumos June 15

There seems to be a lot of Afrocentric world music coming through Seattle these days. Cape Verdean singer Maria de Barros was just here a week and a half ago, Congolese/Belgian singer Marie Daulne of Zap Mama is coming next week, King Sunny Ade will be here the week after that, and Afrobeat warrior Femi Kuti,who we wrote about extensively in the current issue plays Seattle next Tuesday.

One of shows that I'm excited for the most, however, happens the day before Kuti and his Positive Force band transform the Showbox into a hot, mini version of Lagos at night. The Sierra Leone Refugee All Stars are playing Neumos next Monday and this crew of displaced musicians are amazing to watch live. For starters, they really are refugees -- there's nothing gimmicky about the name, but the best way for you to get a feel for what this band is all about is to watch the video above. It's a short, but compelling look into the way the All Stars are using music to not only share their experiences with the world, but to also heal. Tickets for the show are $17 and are still available.