World Village, the record label responsible for releasing Tinariwen’s Imidiwan Companions, begins its description of the band’s fourth album with the following:

“In December of 2008, Tinariwen gathered in the frontier Malian village of Tessalit to record a new album [Imidiwan Companions]. The recordings took place in a rented house, out in the bush, in nomad camps and other magical locations.”

This makes you wonder where these other magical locations are and just how magical they might be. It really wouldn’t be hard to top the magic of a “rented house,” but you really can’t imagine Gandalf manning the soundboard, either. And though all anyone wants to talk about with Tinariwen is their unique (and rather amazing) backstory, it is easy to forget just how good the music is.

Beginning February 15th, Tinariwen will bring their world music show to a few major American and Canadian cities, playing a diverse range of venues throughout. Notable stops include KCRW’s World Fest at the Hollywood Bowl, the Central Park Summerstage, and three dates at Millennium Park in Chicago. And Columbus, Ohio. Turns out, Tinariwen are Buckeye fans. Who knew!? Tickets are available through Ticketmaster.

Word on the street (via the CoS Festival Outlook page) is that a stop at Bonnaroo could also be in the works. If you can’t make it to Columbus, try to hit that one up.

Tinariwen 2010 North American Tour:
02/15 - Chapel Hill, NC @ University of North Carolina
02/16 - Columbus, OH @ Wexner Center for the Arts
02/18 - New York, NY @ Highline Ballroom
02/19 - Brooklyn, NY @ The Bell House
02/20 - Los Angeles, CA @ UCLA
02/21 - San Francisco, CA @ San Francisco Jazz Festival
02/23 - Seattle, WA @ Triple Door
02/25 - Vancouver, BC @ Orpheum
02/27 - Chicago, IL @ Old Town School of Folk Music
03/04 - Toronto, ON @ The  Phoenix
03/05 - Montreal, QC @ Club Soda
03/06 - Quebec City, QC @ Palais Montcalm
06/17 - Chicago, IL @ Millennium Park
06/18 - Chicago, IL @ Millennium Park
06/19 - Chicago, IL @ Millennium Park
06/20 - Los Angeles, CA @ KCRW World Fest at the Hollywood Bowl
06/26 - New York, NY @ Central Park Summerstage