Zap Mama & Antibalas On The Road

“Every time I do a tour, I want the show to have its own unique story arc which, even if it’s not explicitly expressed, still gives a certain flow or cohesiveness to the presentation,” Zap Mama founder Marie Daulne says. “I’m very excited to explore the intersections between our globally influenced vocal harmonies and the polyrhythmic rhythms of Antibalas.  I’m sure it will be an exciting and fun journey.”

This is the first tour for Zap Mama since 2009. The European-based act fronted by Daulne mixes afropop with American and European urban music via ethnic polyphonic vocal structures.

Antibalas’ unique sound takes inspiration from West African and Afro-Caribbean music of the ‘70s along with jazz and improv from their native New York. Even if you’ve never been to one of Antibalas’ shows, you may have caught one of the members on stage at another gig. The session and touring musicians have recorded and performed with artists including The Roots, TV On The Radio, Arcade Fire, David Byrne and St. Vincent and Bettye LaVette.

“I’ve been a fan of Zap Mama for twenty years,” Antibalas’ Martín Perna said. “We’ve never had the chance to collaborate before, nor with any other group on this scale. This is a thrill and a privilege for us to be working together. I think the energies and talents of each group are complementary and really exciting things will happen when we get to perform.”

Here’s the plan for the tour:

Jan. 21 – Gainesville, Fla., Univ. Of FL Phillips Center       
Jan. 22 – Tampa, Fla., Ferguson Hall 
Jan. 23 – West Palm Beach, Fla., Gosman Amphitheatre     
Jan. 24 – Cutler Bay, Fla., South Miami Dade Cultural Arts Center
Jan. 25 – Lake Buena Vista, Fla., House Of Blues   
Jan. 27 – Atlanta, Ga., Variety Playhouse     
Jan. 28 – Richmond, Va., Carpenter Theatre 
Jan. 29 – Newport News, Va., Ferguson Center For The Arts
Jan. 30 – Washington, D.C., Lisner Auditorium
Jan. 31 – Union, N.J., Wilkins Theatre          
Feb. 3 – University Park, Pa., Eisenhower Auditorium         
Feb. 4 – Pittsburgh, Pa., Byham Theater       
Feb. 5 – Buffalo, N.Y., UB Center For The Arts
Feb. 6 – Detroit, Mich., Music Hall Ctr. For The Perf. Arts 
Feb. 7 – Toronto, Ontario, Koerner Hall
Feb. 9 – Brattleboro, Vt., Latchis Theatre     
Feb. 10 – Saint Johnsbury, Vt., Fuller Hall   
Feb. 11 – New York, N.Y., HighLine Ballroom       
Feb. 12 – Storrs, Conn., Jorgensen Ctr. for Perf. Arts          
Feb. 14 – Chicago, Ill., Park West    
Feb. 15 – Madison, Wis., Wisconsin Union Theater 
Feb. 18 – Chico, Calif., Laxson Auditorium
Feb. 19 – Arcata, Calif., John Van Duzer Theatre    
Feb. 20 – San Francisco, Calif., The Fillmore
Feb. 21 – Santa Monica, Calif., The Eli & Edythe Broad Stage
Feb. 22 – Solana Beach, Calif., Belly Up Tavern
Feb. 24 – Phoenix, Ariz., Piper Theater         
Feb. 25 – Tucson, Ariz., Fox Tucson Theatre
Feb. 27 – El Paso, Texas, UTEP Don Haskins Center

Tickets are on sale now.

For more information visit ZapMama.com and Antibalas.com.