Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars head out on the road.
SIERRA LEONE’S REFUGEE ALL STARS BRING ANTI- DEBUT TO U.S. STAGES BAND COLLABORATES WITH AEROSMITH ON DARFUR BENEFIT DISC AWARD WINNING DOCUMENTARY SLATED FOR PBS JUNE 26TH
Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars celebrate their acclaimed Anti- debut Living Like A Refugee with an extensive run of U.S. tour dates, commencing June 8th and 9th with performances at Wyoming’s Jackson Hole Film Festival. The first in a number of festival appearances and headline dates planned this summer, SLRAS will canvas North America until September 8th.
The aforementioned film festival dates celebrate the group’s appearance in the widely- heralded, award-winning documentary film ‘Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars’. Tracing the troupe’s incredible three year journey, from its formation in a Guinean refugee camp – after fleeing their native Sierra Leone in West Africa during that country’s brutal ten year civil war – to recording in a proper studio, the Zach Niles/Banker White film will begin screening nationwide on PBS’ Independent Documentary Film Series, POV, June 26th. Netflix distribution of the critically praised film will follow in early August.
In related news, SLRAS will also appear alongside R.E.M., U2, Green Day and others on the upcoming double-disc benefit compilation of John Lennon songs. Collaborating with Aerosmith on “Give Peace A Chance,” Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur releases June 12th.
Diverse in age and character, from Reuben M. Koroma, the sage, 42-year old songwriter and guiding light of the group, to Black Nature, an orphaned teenage rapper, Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars have a common bond in the loss and displacement caused by their homeland’s civil war, and a shared belief in the transformative power of music. “As harrowing as these personal tales may be, the music buoying them is uplifting,” wrote New York Times critic Stephen Holden. “The cliché bears repeating: music heals and creates community.”
After leaping onto the world stage in 2006, SLRAS played high profile festivals including Bonnaroo, Montreal Jazz Fest and New York’s Summerstage, as well as Fuji Rock in Japan. Completing two tours of North America and another through Europe, the band also found time to appear on the Oprah Winfrey Show last December 8th, where they performed the title track from Living Like a Refugee.
Their music was featured in the film Blood Diamond featuring Leonardo DiCaprio, and Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars have appeared onstage with friends Joe Perry and Steven Tyler of Aerosmith, which spawned the “Give Peace A Chance” collaboration. And 2007 has already seen the band perform at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, and wrap up a successful tour of Australia.
Here are the upcoming tour dates for Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars:
date venue city with 6/8/2007 Jackson Hole Film Festival Jackson Hole WY Evening with 6/9/2007 Jackson Hole Film Festival Jackson Hole WY Evening with 6/10/2007 Detroit Festival of The Arts Detroit MI Multi act event 6/15/2007 Juneteenth Celebration at University of Alaska Anchorage - Wendy Williams Auditorium Anchorage AK Multi act event 6/16/2007 Hering Auditorium Fairbanks AK 6/17/2007 Sheldon Community Arts Hangar Talkeetna AK Multi act event 6/19/2007 Northwest Immigrant Rights Project Benefit @ The Triple Door Seattle WA Evening with 6/20/2007 Slum Doctor Programme Benefit @ The Nightlight Bellingham WA Evening with 6/21/2007 Rio Theatre Santa Cruz CA 6/22/2007 Great American Music Hall San Francisco CA 6/23/2007 Sierra Nevada World Music Festival Boonville CA Multi act event 6/24/2007 Hollywood Bowl Los Angeles CA DJ Shadow, Cut Chemist, Carlinhos Brown 6/25/2007 Belly Up Solana Beach CA 6/28/2007 Morrison Center for the Performing Arts Boise ID Evening with 6/29/2007 Summer Concert Series Hailey ID Multi act event 7/1/2007 Festival Couleur Cafe Brussels BELGIUM Multi act event 7/2/2007 Lux Theatre Nijmegan NETHERLANDS 7/4/2007 Musiques en Ete Geneva SWITZERLAND 7/6/02007 Jazz Cafe London ENGLAND 7/7/2007 T In The Park Balado SCOTLAND Multi act event 7/8/2007 Oxegen Festival Naas IRELAND Multi act event 7/27/2007 Stooras Festival Trondheim NORWAY Multi act event 7/28/2007 Storsjö Yran Östersund SWEDEN Multi act event 8/4/2007 Robert Z. Hawkins Amphitheater Reno NV 8/5/2007 Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre Salt Lake City UT 8/8/2007 Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom Denver CO 8/9/2007 Jazz Aspen Snowmass Snowmass Village CO Evening with 8/11/2007 Celebrate Brooklyn! Brooklyn NY 8/12/2007 Music Haven Schenectady NY 8/14/2007 Wiggins Park Camden NJ Evening with 8/17/2007 Nightfall Concert Series - Miller Plaza Chattanooga TN 8/18/2007 One World InnerNational Music Celebration Horse Shoe NC Multi act event 8/26/2007 Vermont Roots Reggae Festival Coventry VT Multi act event 8/29/2007 Minnesota State Fair St. Paul MN Evening with 8/30/2007 Minnesota State Fair St. Paul MN Evening with 9/1/2007 On The Waterfront Festival Rockford IL Multi act event 9/3/2007 African Festival of the Arts Chicago IL Multi act event 9/5/2007 Pabst Theater Milwaukee WI 9/6/2007 Lincoln Center New York NY Save The Children 9/7/2007 Roots, Blues and BBQ Festival Columbia MO Multi act event 9/8/2007 Black Swamp Arts Festival Bowling Green OH Multi act event