Songs About Knives

Posts Tagged ‘Ladysmith Black Mambazo’

Paul Simon gets BAMed, Byrned

Wednesday, April 16th, 2008

As if the nine-man acapella harmonies of Ladysmith Black Mambazo (nice site, guys!) weren’t a mind-bending enough way to start last Friday’s Paul Simon celebration, David Byrne had to up the ante. Initially entering as a backing vocalist during one of the two-hour set’s previous songs, Bryne eventually took over the Under African Skies program, launching into a characteristic-nervous-energy rendition of “I Know What I Know” from the former &-Garfunkeler’s masterwork Graceland. Video!:

As was customary for the program when someone else took the lead vocal on a number and Paulie’s unobtrusively-competent acoustic guitar strum was unnecessary, Simon left the stage entirely to Bryne and the band, and the former Talking Head brought the Caucasian shuffle to previously unknown heights. Byrne’s second song detailed and YouTubed after the jump.

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