RSS
Maker Faire Austin 2007
Rattletree Marimba
Acoustic Stage
, Saturday 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Maker Music Stage
, Sunday 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
This Zimbabwean marimba band builds all its own marimbas--including the impressive six-foot tall bass one.
Web site: http://www.rattletree.com
Topic(s): Music
Tags: Homemade+marimba Zimbabwean
About the Maker(s)
Joel Laviolette Joel Laviolette grew up as a musical person and began playing the guitar at the age of 11. He heard a mbira for the first time at the age of 18, and instantly fell in love with the music. By the age of 20 had taught himself much of the mbira repertoire as well as how to build mbira. In 1998, Joel went to Zimbabwe for the first time. After returning to the US, Joel decided to buy mobile recording equipment and go in the field to find the music that he wanted so desperately to hear, revisiting Zimbabwe in October 1999. Joel and his mentor Newton Gwara formed a band, the "Nheravauya Mbira Group", and played several times a week in the ghetto bars of Chitungwiza and Chikwana. The group was a hit not just because of Gwaras genius on the mbira and vocals, but because of the novelty of "Joel from America" in the group. Often, audience members would jump on stage and look behind the gourd deze just to see if Joel was actually playing the instrument! The fruits of his recordings can be seen and heard on Mhumhi Records, Joel's non-profit record label, whose proceeds go back to the musicians involved. Joel has also done extensive teaching of Zimbabwean styles of guitar, mbira, matepe, and marimba for students of all ages. He is also the only North-American specialist of the Mozambiquen nyanga (panpipe ensemble).
