Orchestra Gold Live @ Bandcamp
Q&A on Music & Healing with Baba Greg Hodge
Live Music+Community Discussion

Bandcamp and Orchestra Gold (OG) are SO happy to bring you this unique evening where we pair the psychedelic, tropical, grooves of Orchestra Gold with intentional community discussion. This intimate evening will feature community leader, cultural artist and healing practitioner Baba Greg Hodge. He will discuss the role music can play in healing our local communities. Psych African-tinged Rock (by OG) to follow. The event will be filmed.

Friday June 3rd, 2022
8:PM: Music & Healing our Community w/ Baba Greg Hodge
8:45 – 9:30PM: Performance by Orchestra GOLD 🔅

BANDCAMP Record Store / Performance Space
1901 Broadway
Oakland, CA 94612
Ticket Suggested Price: $11-$Infinity {Sliding Scale}

•ORCHESTRA GOLD: PSYCHEDELIC AFRICAN ROCK

Orchestra Gold (OG) celebrates the musical crossroads between Mali and the US. It’s where rowdy, psychedelic rock meets the analog tape sounds of W. Africa. Leading the train is electric frontwoman Mariam Diakite. The raucous sound of her vocals transport you to a street ceremony on a sticky Sunday in Bamako. Their music draws deeply upon the canon of Malian tradition. But, it goes beyond that, forging a path into American rock and psychedelia, Afrobeat and Funk. OG is for the lovers of fat horns, heavy swinging rhythm sections, and spaced-out psychedelic guitar lines.

• GREGORY HODGE

Gregory Hodge is a social change activist and organizational development consultant with Khepera Consulting.  Working as a strategist, meeting designer, facilitator and coach, Gregory works with a range of groups from small nonprofits and foundations to public agencies, particularly school districts. As a leader in his community, Gregory served two four-year terms as a member of the Oakland Unified School District Board of Education beginning in January 2000. Hodge has also worked as an attorney in private practice handling a variety of civil litigation matters. His involvements include work with African American youth as a teacher and mentor; minister at the Wo’se Community; drummer with Bantaba Dance Ensemble.  He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Northwestern University and a law degree from Golden Gate University in San Francisco.  He is a proud father, active gardener and lives in Oakland.

Please Note:

*Proof of vaccination + ID verification required for entry
*As part of our studio audience, please expect to stay for the full duration of the performance and conversation

“Way of the World” demonstrations how Orchestra Gold is pushing the boundaries between Malian folklore and analog psychedelic rock. As Diakite recounts, “Erich walks into my room, he shows me this old song he really likes, ‘House of the Rising Sun.’ I never heard this song before, .but I took my time and listened to the recording, and then we started playing it together. I see the connections between old American music, and my Malian heritage. Seeing the connection is very magical. Erich and I just kind of looked at each other, and took in that moment.” “Way of the World” illustrates the unique connection points Orchestra Gold highlights: bridging Malian tradition and 60’s-era American psychedelia.

“The song talks about the importance of recognizing our limitations as humans,” says Diakite. “It says that “none of us can predict the future” and if we bring that humility to our actions, it inspires a deeper connection with the universe.” True to the song’s message, Mariam is a devotee of the Baye Fall Islamic tradition centered in Senegal. She practices strict observance of the code of beliefs. These include devotion, praise and a constant connection to the divine.

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