Kobo Town, a calypso-inspired ensemble, performs at the Empress Theatre on April 8.
KIM BERRETH, GAZETTE CONTRIBUTOR
Calypso-inspired ensemble Kobo Town are coming to the Empress Theatre for the third concert in the Centre Stage Concert Series on Friday, April 8 at 7:30 p.m.
Founded and fronted by Trinidadian-born, Toronto-based songwriter Drew Gonsalves, Kobo Town’s music has been variously described as “an intoxicating blend of lilting calypsonian wit, dance hall reggae and trombone-heavy brass” and a “unique, transnational composite of rhythm, poetry and activist journalism.”
At once brooding and joyous, poetic and danceable, Gonsalves’ songs are deeply rooted in Caribbean folk music, while the band delivers them with an energy that has earned them a considerable following far beyond the niche of world music enthusiasts and calypso fans.
Gonsalves was born in Trinidad and moved to Ottawa when he was 13. He began writing his own calypsos and visiting calypso tents each time he visited Trinidad.
In 2004, he started Kobo Town with some fellow Trini expats in Toronto.
The band’s 2006 debut Independence received a warm reception and quickly made the band a crowd favourite on the festival circuit.
They have since released three more albums, including their JUNO and Polaris Prize-nominated album Jumbie in the Jukebox, and their most recent recording, Carnival of the Ghosts.
Kobo Town is named after the historic neighbourhood in Port-of-Spain where calypso was born amid the chants of roaming stick-fighters.
Situated near the fishermen’s wharf, the area was a site of constant defiance and conflict, a place where sticks and stones, songs and verses clashed with the bayonets and batons of colonial rule.
Kobo Town continues to redefine calypso music and push the boundaries of the Caribbean sound, touring their distinct music across the world, from Port-of-Spain to Paris and from Montreal to Malaysia.
Tickets for Kobo Town are available at www.macleodempress.com or by calling 403-553-4404 (toll-free at 1-800-540-9229), or at the Box Office on Main Street.
The final Centre Stage Series concert features The Ennis Sisters on April 29.
