in ALBUQUERQUE: FRIDAY, MAY 2, 7-9PM: We play at the Old Town Gazebo as part of their free entertainment series. These shows, which happen Wed-Sun for the entire summer, are some of the best free entertainment around, put on by the City of Albuquerque Cultural Events. Come dance and lounge beneath the tall trees on Plaza Vieja. MONDAY, CINCO DE MAYO, 9:30pm-12:30: Wagogo's first time at The Blackbird Buvette (formerly Pearl's Dive) Downtown on Central between 5th and 6th streets. The Blackbird Buvette is relatively new in the space; a bar and restaurant, and music and art to boot. Check it out. in LAS VEGAS NM: SATURDAY, MAY 3, 7-11:30pm: Las Vegas Peace and Justice Rocks! Back for their semi-annual fundraiser, this all-ages event at Joe's Ringside Lounge is always a high energy dance night. if you're in the area, pass the word. Take the first exit (from the south) to Grand Ave, it's on the left within that first mile. in CERRILLOS, NM: Also, get ready for Bantu Camp and Camp Tumbuka, two annual learning centers for African music and dance, near Cerrillos NM... Bantu Camp brings West African Congolese dance and drum teachers (with a few extras — Haitian, Cuban Orisha, Zimbabwean) and Tumbuka is a mostly music camp for music and culture of Zimbabwe... including Zimbabwean dance. At Bantu Camp, we play Friday night, May 24, and at Camp Tumbuka, Wednesday night May 30; both are open to the public. If you are at all inclined to want to learn more about African Dance and drums and Zimbabwe music, these are high energy camps that attract INCREDIBLE talent from our teachers residing in the States. Included is one of the top mbira bands from Zimbabwe, Mawungira Enharira, are visiting us here in New Mexico, teaching and performing at Tumbuka Camp and in Albuquerque and Santa Fe. For more info: www.bantucamp.com. back in SANTA FE... SATURDAY, JUNE 7, 7:30-11: A huge treat and a must-see for everyone! From Zimbabwe, Mawungira Enharira will be playing at the Santa Fe Railyard with Wagogo. You can't miss this one. back in ALBUQUERQUE... SUNDAY, JUNE 8, 6-8: Wagogo hosts Mawungira Enharira at the VSA/North 4th Theater for a potluck and show. More info later. You can't miss this one either. Our latest release (fifth cd) "Love Music" continues the train of three languages over multiple styles, salutes the four directions, highlights mbira and kalimba and guitars in an acoustic feel. In addition, this record features a couple of very old traditional Mexican folk songs ("Cuatro Palomitas" & "Yo Me Vine de mi Tierra"). You can purchase "Love Music" online at www.cdbaby.com/wagogo3. You can also purchase "Love Music" locally at Peacecraft, Natural Sound and Bookworks, as well as at our shows from us, or email us to buy one. Two cd's from Wagogo, "Familia y Amor" (2001) and the self-titled "Wagogo" (2003) are now available to purchase on the internet, through CDbaby, as mailed cd's as well as digital downloads. You can also sample a full 2 minutes of each song! To purchase a Wagogo cd online, go to www.cdbaby.com/wagogo2 for self-titled "Wagogo", or www.cdbaby.com/wagogo1 for"Familia y Amor". (as of August 30th, 2005) However, at this point if you want "Kumuka/Despertarse/Waking Up" (1998) or "Baile Sosegador" (2000), or the other two, you can still do it the old-fashioned way, by emailing us at wagogotheband@hotmail.com and we will mail you a cd from Albuquerque, or just ask us at one of our shows. To buy Wagogo cd's Albuquerque, you can patronize your local independent businesses: Natural Sound, 3422 Central SE (255-8295) Bookworks, 4022 Rio Grande Blvd NW (344-8139) Peacecraft, 3215 Central Ave NE, (255-5229) Wagogo the bio Wagogo, born, raised and loved in Albuquerque, NM, is an ecclectic group of musicians that make a rhythmic cocktail out of their Chicano influences, Northern Mexico folk songs, warm calypso island grooves, and the captivating spirit music of Zimbabwe. Their lyrics possess an equally enriching quality, being composed mostly by lead singer Armando Ortega, in a blend of Spanish, English, and the Shona language of Zimbabwe. With such a diverse repertoire, Wagogo inspires a multigenerational crowd to dance and sing, and even gets the old folks weeping with its dedication to preserving the traditional roots of music, in addition to exploring new sounds. Broadcast on radio stations from New Mexico to New York, California, and Zimbabwe, they have been reinvited to the Zimbabwe Music Festival for three years, and will be appearing in many other world music festivals to come. With all the intrigue of the Land of Enchantment, they are definitely a band not to be missed. Wagogo is one of the longest-standing, most evolved local New Mexico bands of the past decade or so, having released 5 CD's (in three lanuages) "Waking Up" in 1999, "Baile Sosegador" in 2000, "Familia y Amor" in 2001, self-titled "Wagogo" (2003) and has most currently released "Love Music" (2007) on which their previous flirtations with African rhythms and indigenous melodies have coalesced into a stunning example of what a group of musicians can accomplish when their collective influences are simply allowed to flow freely. Currently consisting of Armando Ortega (vocals, guitar, mbira, banjo, seperewa, percussion); longtime musical partner Teles Sanchez (guitar, vocals) and Alyson Steinman (bass, vocals), plus many friends. Wagogo utilizes a host of guest musicians live and on their recordings which lends the band a unique familial quality that's instantly gratifying. Wagogo plays weddings, private parties, institutions and events, and we have a 45 minute music program for children from pre-school through mid-school. To schedule a party or wedding with us, please e-mail at wagogotheband@hotmail.com for booking (you can go to the contact page to link to us.) We are also available for these events in Colorado, Arizona, and are negotiable to travel, so give us a ring...[Please forward this to anyone who might be interested]