What is House on Fire? A unique musical venue, unlike anything else in the world, that I can't really describe. So I'm posting some photos. This indoor/outdoor stage has hosted a variety of performers over the past year, giving us at least an event a month to look forward to. Everyone I bring there has not been disappointed.
What is Bush Fire? A weekend in winter, when there is supposed to be no rain, when musicians are lined up to play for an hour or so during the weekend, with the proceeds going to help a group of young orphans in Swaziland. The performers came from all over Africa, as did the concert goers. We drove the 30 minutes 3 days in a row, spending the entire day and evening at the venue, trying to ignore the rain (which only affected a bit of the late night on Saturday as well as Sunday morning). We also rescued our friends whose road washed out from the rain, getting them to the concert on time when they were stranded at their homes in Pine Valley with no road out.
Who did we hear? The headliner was Johnny Clegg, a dynamic South African who has united crowds for years. My favorite group was Acoustic Africa, actually made up of 4 artists who rarely actually play together: Habib Koite from Mali, Vusi Mahlasela and Aly Keita from South Africa and Dobet Gnahore from Ivory Coast. They do not have a CD together but I'm hoping for one soon. Busi Mhlongo from South Africa was another great entertainer. My favorite though was Bholoja, a young Swazi who has played at House on Fire before, but I had not seen him on the large stage. He too does not have a CD out, but does have some downloads on his website. I can't wait for his CD, he will sell TONS! Although I hadn't heard of many of these names before this past weekend, they are all now on my radar screen and I'm anxious for more music to come my way!
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