Mdou Moctar’s Transcendental, Psychedelic Blues, And Portland Connection Mdou Moctar‘s fiery guitar playing –an electrified, rarified, version of Tuareg traditional wedding music– made him popular in North Africa’s Sahel region. As a child in Northern Niger, he built his own guitar, and taught himself to play. After the release of his first album in 2008, […]

Pickathon is honored to welcome back Tuareg guitar group Tinariwen for two nights, as part of our 20th annual festival. Headlining both Thursday August 2nd & Friday August 3rd. Originally formed in 1979 in Algeria, then returning to Mali in the 1990’s, Tinariwen has more than once been called the greatest guitar group on earth. The […]