CANCELED: Mdou Moctar, Gunn-Truscinski Duo, Bill Nace

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Cem Misirlioglu

Mdou Moctar

press release: At the direction of state and local government, and in an abundance of caution we are working to reschedule/postpone all events through March 31 at The Sylvee, The Orpheum Theater, Majestic Theatre and High Noon Saloon. Sylvee box office hours will also be closed during this time. 

Further updates on rescheduled dates and cancellations are forthcoming. Patrons who purchased tickets during this time frame will be notified by email with additional information. Updates can also be found on the respective venue social media channels.

We appreciate your understanding and patience as we do our part to keep Madison healthy, and we look forward to seeing you in our venues again very soon.

Tuareg guitar hero Mdou Moctar is performing at High Noon Saloon on Thursday, April 2nd, in support of his breakthrough album Ilana: The Creator. Ilana: the Creator has received rave reviews from the likes of Pitchfork and The Guardian, and was called “the most insane psychedelic guitar album of the 21st century” by NPR’s Bob Boilen. You can stream or download Ilana: The Creator at https://s.disco.ac/dhpfmhkjjmpq and watch a clip of Mdou performing on KEXP at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pqvY9Oh0tQ

Mdou Moctar hails from a small village in central Niger in a remote region steeped in religious tradition. Growing up in an area where secular music was all but prohibited, he taught himself to play on a homemade guitar cobbled together out of wood. It was years before he found a “real” guitar and taught himself to play in secret. He immediately became a star amongst the village youth. In a surprising turn, his songs began to win over local religious leaders with their lyrics of respect, honor, and tradition.

In 2008, Mdou traveled to Nigeria to record his debut album of spacey autotune, drum machine, and synthesizer. The album became a viral hit on the mp3 networks of West Africa and appeared on the compilation Music from Saharan Cellphones. In 2013, he released Afelan, compiled from field recordings of his performances recorded in his village. Then he shifted gears, producing and starring in the first Tuareg language film, a remake of Prince’s Purple Rain (Rain the Color Blue with a Little Red in it). Finally, in 2017, he created a solo folk album, Sousoume Tamachek, a mellow blissed out recording evoking the calm desert soundscape.

Ilana: The Creator, Mdou’s first studio album with a live band, seems at home amongst some of the greats of classic rock, but Mdou disagrees with the classification. Mdou grew up listening to the Tuareg guitar greats, and it was only in the past few years on tour that he heard the genre. “I don’t know what rock is exactly. I have no idea,” he says, "I only know how to play in my style.”