Womadelaide is coming!
Many people who know me well know that I have two main highlights in my year and these are two music festivals, the Black Stump Christian Music and Arts Festival and WomAdelaide World Music Festival. Womadelaide is only a few weeks away and I have started studying the line up for this year. I have only got to look at Friday evening program at the moment. It is looking to be fantastic once again.
Two years ago I was introduced to gypsy music through the band DOCH from Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, at Womadelaide 2005. The combination of what seemed to be a merging of Western European and Middle Eastern music and culture, which DOCH brilliantly achieved through their performances, ignited a flame in my soul. This year Womad is headlining another gypsy band who comes from Romania called Taraf de Haidouks. Listening to their music on the Womadelaide Taraf de Haidouks webpage and their MySpace, this is one band I won’t be missing out on – you will find me down the front for these!
There is about 40 minutes of Taraf de Haidouks' music to listen to on their MySpace - do yourself a favour and take a listen.
Doch are simply a Taraf de Haidouks rip-off outfit, so good for you for deciding to check out the real thing! Listening to Doch play gypsy music is like listening to Pavarotti singing the blues: it might be amusing once but in the end the lack of subtlety and understanding of the style will send you searching for the original.