It’s not your typical rock story.
When they formed about 25 years ago, members of Tinariwen — a Malian band of rebels from the southern Sahara Desert — faced war and exile from their native country in western Africa.
When lasting peace came to northern Mali under a new, democratic government, the members of Tinariwen (which means “desert” in their native language) decided to lay down their guns, pick up their guitars and become pioneers of Touareg music.
The band’s sound is loosely based on traditional Touareg music, but pop music critics have noted the influence of Western influences like blues and reggae.
Band members don’t speak English, so a telephone interview with the group proved futile. But band member Abdallah Ag al-Housseini recently told an international magazine said the blues connection is a direct result of the group’s lifestyle.
“Our music was created in some of the same conditions as the blues — exile, suffering, separation from relatives,” he said.
Tinariwen’s fame has spread: The band recently embarked on its first U.S. tour, hitting 11 cities including New York and San Francisco. The six-member group will play Friday at Cuesta College’s Blakeslee Auditorium in San Luis Obispo.
“My big thrill is just to be able to have them in the U.S. and in a small town like SLO,” said Pedro Arroyo, who is promoting the concert. “My goal is exposing people to music acts that they wouldn’t normally be able to see.”
Electric and acoustic guitars and hand drums form the foundation of their songs, while the Touareg flute accompanies more spiritual numbers.
In the 1980s and 1990s, some members of the group fought in a civil war in Mali that resulted in hundreds of deaths and forced thousands of others to flee the country. It was during that time, in 1991, that the group made their first studio recording in Abidjan (located in the Ivory Coast).
Eight years later, the French world music group Lo’jo found them and invited Tinariwen to perform at a festival in France. Their performance inspired “Festival in the Desert,” an annual celebration of the Touareg people. Led Zeppelin’s Robert Plant performed at the most recent festival, along with Tinariwen, Lo’jo and the Navajo rock band Blackfire, an event captured on the just-released “Festival in the Desert” DVD.
The band’s most recent album, “Amassakoul,” was recorded several years ago in Bamako, Mali, and captures the group’s hypnotic, emotional guitar rock and speaks of the struggles of desert life.
“The band is one of the most amazing musical groups you’ve heard in your life,” said Berta Benally of Blackfire, who is helping Tinariwen out on the tour. “They emote the passion of the desert. Their music is filled with passion and a blend of Touareg, blues and rock and roll.”
Opening for Tinariwen in San Luis Obispo is Ramatou Diakite, who grew up in the Wassoulou region of Southern Mali, which has produced funky, traditional pop music.
“They’re so happy,” said their French road manager, Bastien Gsell. “They’ve had a very good experience at the four concerts they’ve played so far.”
