Flash of the Spirit Worldwide Sound Festival 2018 - Full Schedule
The current schedule for Multiflora Productions Flash of the Spirit Worldwide Sound Festival in October 2018. Keep checking as we will be adding more shows! Venue addresses at the bottom.
Flash of the Spirit is Multiflora Productions annual month-long DIY global music festival that happens across multiple venues in Washington DC during the month of October. Its mission is to present emerging and remarkable international musicians from abroad as well as local musicians from our diverse immigrant communities to celebrate their stories, heritage, and cultures through their music. This project is supported by the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, which receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts.
How you can help HERE
Wednesday Sept. 12: Fundraiser For Flash of the Spirit Worldwide Sound Festival at Local 16 6PM $10
Help Multiflora make its annual global music festival in October a reality by joining us at Local 16 DC for a fundraising dinner with delicious traditional Afghan food, libations, raffles and music with Analog Soul Club DC and La Marvela! Flash of the Spirit is Multiflora Productions annual month-long DIY global music festival that happens across multiple venues in Washington DC during the month of October. Its mission is to present emerging and remarkable international musicians from abroad as well as local musicians from our diverse immigrant communities to celebrate their stories, heritage, and cultures through their music. $10 gets you dinner and a drink but of course you can donate more if you wish!
Tuesday Oct. 2: Fendika (Ethiopia) at Hill Center at Old Naval Hospital 7PM $15
Fendika is an Ethiopian music and dance group based in Addis Ababa. Led by dancer/choreographer Melaku this troup draw deeply from the well of Ethiopia’s bardic tradition while adding creative movements and sounds that revitalize their ancient artistic forms. Tickets HERE
Wednesday Oct. 3: Staring Into the Sun at Suns Cinema 7:30PM $10
An ethno-folk cinema classic from the Sublime Frequencies label. Ethiopia is known to be one of the oldest areas inhabited by humans and presently has over 80 diverse ethnic groups. Photographer/filmmaker Olivia Owens Wyatt explores 13 different tribes throughout Ethiopia in this visually stunning film. Tickets HERE
Wednesday Oct. 3: Fendika and Anbessa Orchestra (Ethiopia) at Bossa Bistro 8:30PM $10
Anbessa Orchestra is a 7-piece band comprised of mostly Israeli musicians based in Brooklyn NY that draws its inspiration from the diverse musical culture of Ethiopia, combining these unique sounds with the more western sounds of Funk, Jazz, R&B and Rock. Fendika is an Ethiopian music and dance group based in Addis Ababa. Fendika is an Ethiopian music and dance group based in Addis Ababa. Led by dancer/choreographer Melaku this troup draw deeply from the well of Ethiopia’s bardic tradition while adding creative movements and sounds that revitalize their ancient artistic forms..
Thursday Oct. 4: Mamadou Kelly from Mali and Tributary Project at Tropicalia 8PM $20
Mamadou Kelly is from the heartland of Mali’s Niger River Delta. A guitar genius with a wry charm, Kelly has an encyclopedic knowledge of Malian music having accompanied for many years two of the greats, Ali Farka Toure and Afel Bocoum. Opening act The Tributary Project is led by Bossa Bistro owner Rob Coltun of Cheick Hamala Diabate’s band. Tickets HERE
Thursday Oct. 4: Feedel Band (DC/Ethiopia) at Bossa Bistro 9:30PM $10
DC-based Ethio-jazz combo Feedel Band is best known for evoking the funky, minor-chord, ’70s-era East African music collected on the infamous Ethiopiques compilation series. The hold down a monthly residency at DC’s premier global music venue Bossa Bistro in Adams Morgan the first Thursday of every month.
Friday Oct. 5: La Marvela at Market SW outdoors 6PM FREE
La Marvela are an all-women music band that plays and highlights the richness of Colombian Afro and Indigenous -rhythms. The group was formed in an effort to provide a space for learning and to be engaged in Colombian ancestral music.
Friday Oct. 5: Kino Musica and La Colombopercutiva at Tropicalia 8PM FREE
La Colombopercutiva orchestra came together right here in DC. Local faves, they always bring the party and the love, blending cumbia and an all-you-can-eat buffet of Colombian rhythms. Kino Musica is a group based in Washington DC that draws inspiration from across Africa and its Diaspora to create danceable and soulful music.
Sunday Oct. 7: Septeto Santiaguero from Santiago, Cuba at Tropicalia 7:30PM $25
Now direct from the famous Casa de la Trova club in their hometown Santiago de Cuba, the cradle of son and bolero, Multiflora presents Septeto Santiaguero, the foremost son music ensemble on the current Cuban scene. Free salsa dance class included at 8PM. Tickets HERE
Sunday Oct. 7: Bossa/Afro-Brazilian with Sessa and Flor de Maracujá at Bossa 8:30PM $10
A long-time fixture of both North American and Brazilian music scenes, either as a collaborator with NY guitar legend Yonatan Gat, or as co-founder of São Paulo psych-funk combo Garotas Suecas, Sessa will debut solo work for the first time ever in 2018. His songs are sung in Portuguese, with visceral, sexual lyrics in the vain of Caetano Veloso and melodic flourishes not unlike those of Arthur Verocai and Tom Jobim. However, the music gets a deliberately minimalist treatment rarely found in contemporary Brazilian music and more reminiscent of the understated directness of Leonard Cohen or Devendra Banhart’s early work. Flor de Maracujá is a Brazilian music band based in the Washington D.C. area. Brazilian vocalist Bebel Delgado fronts the group that includes guitarist José Henrique Alves, bassist Erik Turkman, and drummer and percussionist Bruce Bond. Flor de Maracujá (“passionfruit flower,” in Portuguese) performs classic and contemporary Brazilian music including bossa nova, samba, and forró. Just like the passionflower has a rare, striking shape and remarkable color pattern, Flor de Maracujá delivers a colorful blend of Brazilian rhythms inspired by artists of past and present.
Wednesday Oct. 10: Global Music Showcase featuring Orquesta el Macabeo (Puerto Rico) and Zhou Family Band (China) at Tropicalia 7:30PM $20
Epic global music showcase featuring Orquesta el Macabeo from Puerto Rico with the the Zhou Family Band from the Anhui Province in China. The Zhou family have been musicians for seven generations, and are bearers of a tradition that represents the very best of Chinese folk music. Puerto Rican punk musicians turned hardcore salsa masters, Orquesta el Macabeo, have hit a nerve within their community, connecting an old-school sound and message with a modern edge. Tickets HERE
Oct. 11: Orquesta el Macabeo (Puerto Rico) at Millennium Stage at the Kennedy Center 6PM FREE
Puerto Rican punk musicians turned hardcore salsa masters, Orquesta el Macabeo, have hit a nerve within their community, connecting an old-school sound and message with a modern edge. Their music is gritty, and more socially conscious than many other groups out there. In the face of recent hurricane destruction of their home island, their music is also the soundtrack of the resilience of a people, rebuilding and staying strong in the face of adversity.
Thursday Oct. 11: Rio Mira (Ecuador/Colombia) at Tropicalia 7:30PM $20
Fronted by singer Karla Kanora, Rio Mira is a musical collaboration guided by the distinctive percussive tones of the marimba. The marimba music of South Pacific Colombia and Esmeraldas Province, Ecuador, traces back to the maroon community, enslaved Africans who escaped in the Americas and formed independent communities with indigenous peoples. In 2015, UNESCO recognized their marimba music as Intangible Cultural Heritage. Tickets HERE
Thursday Oct 11 Mashriq Maghreb Jam Sessions at Bossa Bistro 8PM $5
This monthly improvisational session led by artist Huda Asfour delves into the repertoire of the Arab region and neighboring cultures. Bring your instruments, your voices, and song requests!
Friday Oct. 12: Syria to Egypt Featuring Takht Al-Nagham and Lubana Al-Quntar at Millennium Stage at the Kennedy Center 6PM FREE
Join us at the Millennium Stage at the Kennedy Center for this journey from Syria to Egypt on land and through time of the formative years of Arabic music. The program will feature the five most important classical composers of the region presented in a chronological order as interpreted by Takht Al-Nagham led by Samer Ali with very special guest Lubana Al Quntar.
Friday Oct 12: Syria to Egypt Concert Kennedy Center Reception with 1,001 Syrian Nights: A New Photographic Exhibition by Jason Hamacher at Lost Origins Gallery 7:30PM $20
1,001 Syrian Nights is an exhibition of previously unpublished images from Jason Hamacher’s collection of pre-war Syria photographs recently taken into the permanent collection of the Library of Congress. Hamacher has chosen ten large format photographs to showcase Aleppo’s skyline before it was destroyed and it’s beauty after dark. Traditional Syrian food provided by Foodhini which was founded on the idea that food can be used to create new opportunities for our immigrant and refugee communities, and also satisfy the appetites of hungry foodies in search of authentic multicultural meals. Meet and greet the Syrian musicians Lubana Al-Quntar and Takht Al-Nagham who are performing earlier at the Millennium Stage the Kennedy Center earlier at 6PM.
Friday Oct 12: Flamenco Duo Julia Patinella & Andreas Arnold with La Magdalena at Bossa Bistro 7PM $10
NYC based Flamenco Duo Julia Patinella and Andreas Arnold are joined by dancer Magdalena for an evening of Arte. Bossa Bistro is a great intimate space to experience flamenco with the crucial elements that make flamenco unique — namely, spontaneity, grit, and passion.
Saturday Oct. 13: LatinX showcase featuring Stefa, Antonia, and Conquista at Bossa Bistro 7PM $10
Stefa is a NYC based artist working in diasporic compositions and performance. Antonia is the solo electronic pop-confessional project of Adriana-Lucia Cotes. Conquista is a LatinX electronic production and performance duo from New York.
Saturday Oct. 13: Neguinho da Beija-Flor from Brazil at MilkBoy Arthouse 8PM $35
With the help of local Brazilian promoters Samba Jig Productions, Neguinho da Beija-Flor is bringing the energy of Rio’s samba carnival festivities to the USA! Neguinho is perhaps the most iconic and charismatic samba parade singers from Rio de Janeiro. He is the official singer of one of Rio’s most popular samba associations, Beija-Flor de Nilópolis, and he led the group to win this year’s 2018 carnival in Rio de Janeiro, with the song “Monstro é aquele que não sabe amar.” This song was a social commentary that compared several of Brazil’s recent social and economic woes with the Mary Shelley novel Frankenstein. On this tour, he will be singing some of his samba classics as well as more recent hits. Get tickets HERE
Sunday Oct. 14: Night of the Living Shred (solo and duo guitar works from local guitarists) at Bossa Bistro 7:30PM $10 featuring Anthony Pirog, Ben Harbert, Rob Coltun, Dennis Kane, and more.
Tuesday Oct 16: Burkina Rising at Suns Cinema with Q&A Paul Sankara 8PM $10
Burkinabè Rising, a new documentary from Cultures of Resistance Films, showcases creative nonviolent resistance in Burkina Faso. A small, landlocked country in West Africa, Burkina Faso is home to a vibrant community of artists and engaged citizens, who provide an example of the type of political change that can be achieved when people come together. We are fortunate to have guest Paul Sankara to conduct a Q&A after the screening. He’s the brother of the revolutionary leader Thomas Sankara, who, after assuming the presidency in 1983, was killed in a 1987 coup d’état led by his friend and close advisor Blaise Compaoré, who subsequently ruled the country as an autocrat for twenty-seven years. Tickets HERE
Wednesday Oct. 17: Latcho Drom at Suns Cinema 7PM $10
Latcho Drom (safe journey), is a French documentary film that follows the Romany (also known as Gypsy) people’s journey, beginning from the Thar Desert in Northern India. It gives viewers an insight into the nomadic culture of Romany, solely through music and dance rather than dialogue. Tickets HERE
Wednesday Oct. 17: Balkan Beltway: A Balkan Music Showcase at Bossa Bistro 8:30PM $10
This showcase will feature local groups in the Washington DC area whose music evokes the spirit of the Danube and Eastern European music traditions with Orchester Prazevica, DMV Balkan Brass and Orfeia Vocal Ensemble.
Oct 18: Money Chicha with Leon City Sounds at Bossa Bistro 9:30PM $10
Money Chicha is an Austin, Texas based group featuring members of the Grammy-award winning Latin orchestra Grupo Fantasma and its offshoot funk outfit Brownout which performs a fuzzed-out, reverb-drenched and percussion-heavy style of music inspired by the sounds of Peru and Colombia in the 60s and 70s. This style of music, sometimes called “chicha” music, is known for its infectious Latin beat, its psychedelic, surf guitar pyrotechnics and its melodies influenced by the indigenous culture of the Andes mountains.
Friday Oct. 19: Turning Jewels Into Water at McNeir Auditorium at Georgetown University 1:00PM FREE
Turning Jewels Into Water is a beat-and-ritual-based project from percussionist Ravish Momin in collaboration with Haitian experimental electronic artist Val Jeanty (Val-Inc)
Friday Oct. 19: Colombian Music Showcase featuring Kombilesa Mi (Colombia) and La Marvela at Tropicalia 8PM $20
Hailing from Palenque, the first free black town in the Americas, the hip-hop group Kombilesa Mi overlays traditional Colombian rhythms and instruments with lyrics in both Spanish and the local language, Palenquero. The result is an electrifying fusion of Palenquero music and urban rap. Proud of their heritage and passionate about music, Kombilesa Mi (Palenquero for My Friends) represents the voice of a new generation of Colombian musicians. The band’s Tropicalia performance is part of their U.S. debut tour. Tickets HERE
Saturday Oct. 20: Anacostia Arts Center Showcase Matinee at Anacostia Arts Center 2PM $10 suggested donation
Featuring Turning Jewels Into Water, No Plans, Kamyar Arsani, Elmapi, Warm Sun, Light Beams, Flamers, Panini Girlfriend, and special guests
Tuesday Oct 23: Zerzura: A Saharan Acid Western at Suns Cinema 8PM $10
“Zerzura” is a feature length film shot in the Sahara desert by Sahel Sounds and the nascent Imouhar Studio. Mixing folktales and documentary, the film follows a young man from in Niger who leaves home in search of an enchanted oasis. His journey leads him into a surreal vision of the Sahara, crossing paths with djinn, bandits, gold seekers, and migrants. A folktale transposed onto an acid western, the film is a collaborative fiction, written and developed with a Tuareg cast, and shot in and around Agadez, Niger. Tickets HERE
Thursday Oct. 25: Kurbasy (Ukraine) at Hill Center 7PM $15
From the Carpathian Mountains, Kurbasy traces contemporary connections to an archaic past. The idea of culture as a cosmic living organism is central to Kurbasy, whose folk-based multimedia performances vibrate in tight vocal harmonies, resonant lyrics, culturally unique instruments, and phantasmagoric visual imagery. Conceived and directed by the band’s three actress-singers, Kurbasy’s sonic-theatrical explorations of Ukraine’s rich trove of calendar song cycles, lullabies, and legends, conjure the natural world, beliefs, and rituals, tracing contemporary connections to an archaic past. Tickets HERE
Friday Oct. 26: Quatro na Bossa at Bossa Bistro 7:30PM $10
Quatro na Bossa plays Brazilian music from the 50s, 60s and 70s with a party vibe. You’ll hears sounds of Samba, bossa nova, MPB, and forro. Adaptable music for dancing, lounging, drinking, thinking, celebrating or suffering. This lovely group from Richmond, Virginia pulls songs from the great Brazilian songbook: Jobim, Djavan, Jorge Ben, Donato, Chico, Edu, Tropicalismo and more.
Saturday October 27: Los Gallos Negros with Radio Jarocho at Tropicalia 7:30PM $20
A Mexican and Latin American music showcase to remember! Radio Jarocho from NYC join forces with DC’s Los Gallos Negros to take the audience on a sonic journey of musical genres from Mexican and Latin American culture! Tickets HERE
Saturday October 27: Transcendental Showcase at Rhizome with Falsa, Rumput Band, Kamyar Arsani (Iran) at Rhizome 7:30PM $10 suggested
Rumput plays kroncong (a string-band tradition from Indonesia) and explores parallel threads with other traditions, especially old-time string-band music of the United States and British Isles, and Indonesian gamelan. Falsa performs 14th century Sufi music, described as ” the cure for alienation” and “music that’s not about means to ends but about meaning and transcendence. Kamyar Arsani is a multi-instrumentalist, singer and songwriter born and raised in Tehran, Iran. Kamyar’s musical mission is to spread cultural awareness and unity by mixing contemporary musical trends with traditional Persian folk music.
Sunday October 28: Yeni Nostalji, Time Is Fire, and MatizeWave at Rhizome 7:30PM $10 suggested
Matizwave is a band that mixes Latin American rythms with alternative and modern music (pop, hip hop, electronic and rock). Instruments include guitar, bass, drums, keyboards, maracas, guacharaca and congas. Time Is Fire is a band that could only come out of Washington DC. Rooted in DC’s post-punk scene but reaching out to embrace rhythms from across the world, the group summons a kaleidoscopic sound that knows no borders- a sonic blast of radio distortion from a country that doesn’t exist.
Yeni Nostalji play original Turkish Pop / Özgün Türkçe Pop. Their sound is often described as a mashup of Bossa Nova, 60’s French pop, and modern indie pop ballads.
Wednesday October 31: District of Raga at Bossa Bistro 8:30PM $10
District of Raga is a monthly event for Indian classical music practitioners and lovers. Featured artists perform at 9 PM + jam session at 10:30 PM. Every last Wed of the month at Bossa Bistro.
Festival venues:
Local 16, 1602 U Street, NW, Washington DC 20009
Hill Center, 921 Pennsylvania Ave SE, Washington, District of Columbia 20003
Tropicalia, 2001 14th St, NW, Lower Level - Corner of U & 14th (Enter From U St, downstairs)
Anacostia Arts Center, 1231 Good Hope Rd SE, Washington, District of Columbia 20020
Rhizome, 6950 Maple St NW, Washington, District of Columbia 20012
Bossa Bistro, 2463 18th St NW Washington, District of Columbia 20009
Market SW, 425 M St SW Washington, District of Columbia 20024
Lost Origins Gallery, 3110 Mt Pleasant St. NW, Washington, District of Columbia 20010
McNeir Auditorium Georgetown University 37th and O St., N.W., Washington, 20007
MilkBoy ArtHouse, 7416 Baltimore Avenue , College Park, MD 20740
