Just announced! Donkilo! Afro Funk Orkestra will open up for reggae legends The Wailers, on March 31, 2012 at the Flying Monkey Performance Center in Plymouth NH.

Tickets are now on sale and can be purchased from this link.

About the Wailers

“The greatest living exponents of Jamaica’s reggae tradition” 

Bob Marley and the Wailers have sold over 250 million records worldwide. In the period since Bob Marley’s passing, in May 1981, one group has continued to carry the message. Year after year ‘The Wailers’, lead by Aston “Familyman” Barrett (the bass player and musical leader for the Wailers and was the musical director for Bob Marley), have toured the globe playing their special brand of music, enjoyed around the world by countless millions of fans. “Familyman” is the sole living musician who was with Bob Marley from the beginning of Bob’s career to his unfortunate death. 

The Wailers now consist of seven (7) original members who recorded and/or toured with ‘Bob Marley and the Wailers’. The Wailers “live” show consists of ‘Bob Marley and the Wailers’ songs such as: “Buffalo Soldier,” “Lively up Yourself,” “Is This Love,” “One Love,” “I Shot the Sheriff,” “Satisfy My Soul,” “Trench Town Rock,” “Get Up Stand Up,” “Jamming,” “Who the Cap Fit,” “Exodus,” “Roots Rock Reggae,” “Kinky Reggae,” “War,” “Redemption Song,” “Stir it Up,” “No Woman No Cry,” and “Could You Be Loved.” Plus many other old songs, written by members of the Wailers, that were performed live during the ‘Bob Marley and the Wailers’ tours, as well as new original Wailers songs.

Donkilo! Afro Funk Orkestra / Portsmouth NH / 23 Dec 2011 from Donkilo! Afro Funk Orkestra on Vimeo.

Celebration on June 23, 2011 at Verizon Arena to Benefit the New Hampshire Food Bank 

We are pleased to announce that Donkilo! Afro Funk Orkestra has been selected by the editors of New Hampshire Magazine as “Best of NH 2011”. The winners will be feted at a celebration that each year draws more than 1,500 people. It’s happening on Thursday, June 23, at Manchester’s Verizon Wireless Arena from 5:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m. Proceeds from the event’s ticket sales will benefit the New Hampshire Food Bank, a program of New Hampshire Catholic Charities.

It’s a special year — the 10th anniversary — and the party promises to be the best ever! With food and drink from more than 60 winners, non-stop entertainment and door prizes galore, including an all-inclusive seven-day trip to a luxury resort in Jamaica, courtesy of MilneTravel/American Express Vacation and Travel Impressions/American Express Vacations.

“This event was a hit from the very start,” says Rick Broussard, editor of New Hampshire Magazine. “And with 10 years of experience, I think we’ve proven that it has staying power. To celebrate our anniversary, we taking things up a notch.”

Months of discussion and planning will have gone into a fresh new atmosphere at the Verizon Wireless Arena and an even more dynamic line up of cuisine, music, talent and celebrity.  But just like every year, one ticket buys your way into the complete experience of food and fun.

To guarantee tickets, call (603) 868-7300, log on to www.ticketmaster.com or www.bestofnh.com. To ensure the best experience, only a limited number of tickets will be available to this grand celebration.

Presenting sponsor Southwest Airlines is the Official Airline of the Best of NH Party. Other sponsors include FairPoint Communications, AutoFair, Catholic Medical Center, Hannaford, Bacardi, CIGNA HealthCare of New Hampshire and Anheuser-Busch. Media sponsors are WMUR-TV, 95.7fm WZID and WXRV The River 92.5.

The Food Bank, the largest non-profit food distribution center in the state, obtains and distributes donated and purchased food to more than 400 registered agencies that in turn provide the food to hungry people in New Hampshire through soup kitchens, food pantries, homeless shelters, and elderly and children’s programs. 

New Hampshire Magazine is the state’s largest lifestyle magazine. It is part of McLean Communications of Manchester, a publishing company that also includes New Hampshire Business Review, New Hampshire Home, Parenting New Hampshire and BRIDE.

Mark your calendars for June 24, 2011!

We are pleased to announce that Donkilo! Afrofunk Orkestra will be performing live at the Capitol Center for the Art's Late Night at the Spotlight series on June 24, 2011, along with Jen Kearney and the Lost Onion.

More info and tickets can be found at the Capitol Center's website here.

About Jen Kearney and the Lost Onion

A smoke ring from a Cuban cigar wafts through a city kitchen as a soul singer croons on crackly vinyl; freshly diced onions sizzle as they hit the olive oil in Sunday’s mornings pan...With a pungent mix of soul, Latin, Funk, reggae, and good ol’rock ‘n roll, Jen Kearney and the Lost Onion will take you into the kitchen to find that sweetness in the soul food you crave.

“…Whatever you want to call it, Kearney and the Lost Onion provide a dense musical potpourri that is ever surprising…The Stevie Wonder comparisons that follow Kearney around are evident on tunes like “Pick Yourself Up,” while a more jazz/funk tune like “Amity” suggests Aretha Franklin joining Blood, Sweat, and Tears for a gig in Brazil.” (Jay Miller, Patriot-Ledger, 2/07)

jenkearney.com

Donkilo! Afro Funk Orkestra

Fusing elements of traditional Malinke music and rhythms, Fula flute, funk and jazz, Donkilo! Afro Funk Orkestra brings it back home. Influenced by Malinke drumming traditions, Fulani flute music, Wassoulou popular music from Mali, and the Nigerian Afro Funk movement of the 70s, the Donkilo! Afro Funk Orkestra creates a unique sound that is both familiar and new, fresh yet honoring and drawing from ancient traditions.Combining traditional Mande/African instruments like the Fula flute, the 10-string kamale ngoni, and djembe with electric bass, guitar, drums, and saxophone, Donkilo! Afro Funk Orkestra is your call to dance.

afrofunknh.com

Published in: The Clock Online | Student Newspaper of Plymouth State University

By Lauren Farnham
Assistant A&E Editor

Published: Friday, February 25, 2011

"The small eastern state of New Hampshire: long ago part of the African continental plate before its gradual drift away from the mother land millions of years ago...and now, home to the Donkilo! Afro Funk Orkestra," exclaims the newest band to play at the Lucky Dog Tavern & Grill next Fri. Feb. 25, at 10 p.m.

Donkilo! Afro Funk Orkestra hails from New Hampshire and features electric instruments such as the electric bass and grooving drums. Something unique about Donkilo! is that they use traditional Mande, or African instruments like the fula flute, djembe and the ten string kamale ngoni.

These unique instruments are generally not found in N.H., let alone the rest of the US. The fula flute originated in the Fouta Djalon highlands of Guinea. This flute is a little-known instrument outside West Africa "where it is revered for the profound effect it has on listeners, often bringing them to tears with its haunting sounds and melodies that reach deep inside one's soul," according to the band's wesbite. The fula is made from a vine, which features a rectangular mouth piece with two large wings on each side of it. There are three finger holes that produce a full diatonic scale of 1 1/2 octaves. 

The djembe is a large, skin covered hand drum which is shaped like a large goblet. The drum's name, according to the people of Mali, literally translates to "everyone gather together." The purpose of the drum has always been fundamentally based around bringing different  people together.

The ten string kamala ngoni or "young man's harp," was invented in the 1960s. Tuned a quarter higher than other instruments, the ngoni is made of calabash, a type of gourd, and has goat skin stretched over it. The instrument is used often in ceremonies and is used to play music really fast. 

Donkilo!'s members include Jared Steer on drums, Dave Kobrenski on the fula flute, djembi and kamale ngoni, Mike Rossi on bass, Jim Dozet on guitar and featuring Nick Mainella and Matt Lanley on the tenor sax. 

"Donkilo" literally means, "a call to dance", and that's exactly what this funk band plans to make you do. Donkilo! creates a unique and fresh sound that blends jazz, Wassolou music from Mali, Nigerian Afro Funk from the 70s and funk music, of course. If you want a preview before Friday night check out their website, Afrofunknh.com, where some of Donkilo!'s songs can be previewed and downloaded.

Tonight, let's get ready to dance!