Baltic Christmas Day 4 - ImantaDimanta and Friends!

ImantaDimanta drops an exclusive Christmas track on Day 4 of 24 Days of a Baltic Christmas!

Just for 24 Days of a Baltic Christmas, I am thrilled to present, Kas pie Rīgas dumpējās,  by ImantaDimanta!!!

Even more exciting is the release of the 2018 ImantaDimanta CENTENNIAL TOUR dates! The band will be touring America, coming to a city near you to celebrate Latvia's 100 year anniversary, as reported to us by Marisa Gudrā, Project Coordinator for the American Latvian Association.

The Latvian “post-folk” group ImantaDimanta & Friends is embarking on a U.S. concert tour, with stops among various Latvian community centers, as well as other cultural centers and music clubs. Stops include (and will be updated in the coming weeks, so check back here):

WASHINGTON (ROCKVILLE, MD) on Friday, March 2

GREENVILLE, SC on Sunday, March 4

HOUSTON, TX on Wednesday, March 7

LOS ANGELES on Saturday, March 10

SAN FRANCISCO on Sunday, March 11

SEATTLE on Saturday, March 17

DENVER (LAKEWOOD, CO) on Friday, March 23

LINCOLN, NE on Saturday, March 24

MINNEAPOLIS (ST PAUL, MN) on Sunday, March 25 

MILWAUKEE on Tuesday, March 27

CHICAGO on Wednesday, March 28

KALAMAZOO on Saturday, March 31 

DETROIT on Sunday, April 1

CLEVELAND (LAKEWOOD, OH) on Monday, April 2

NEW YORK on Wednesday, April 4

BOSTON (BROOKLINE, MA) on Friday, April 6 

PHILADELPHIA, PA on Saturday, April 7

PRIEDAINE (Freehold, NJ) on Sunday April 8

The ImantaDimanta & Friends CENTENNIAL TOUR will be the largest national cultural event in the U.S. commemorating the year of the Latvian Centennial – other than Latvian Independence Day. With musicians from the U.S., Germany and three from Latvia, ImantaDimanta & Friends is a testament to the fact that Latvians all over the world can understand and collaborate. Together they produce great music that will carry Latvia’s name out into the world.

In  May  2017 the  band released their first album, Izauga  mātei  brīnuma  meita (“The mother raised  a  wonderful  daughter”), which features a range of songs: some interpretations of traditional  Latvian folk songs and others inspired by Latvian folk texts (dainas) and set to original music.

The new CD, Izauga mātei brīnuma meita

There is still time to give someone #imantadimanta music for the holidays this year! You can find the new CD Izauga  mātei  brīnuma  meita on Bandcamp, iTunes and Google Play. Be sure to check out their YouTube channel for an intro video and tracks not on the disc!

The ImantaDimanta & Friends CENTENNIAL TOUR is organized by the American Latvian Association (ALA) and sponsored by the ALA Centennial Fund. While the American Latvian Association is the largest umbrella organization for Latvians in the U.S., and frequently sponsors events and concerts with a Latvian focus, this marks the first time that the non-profit organization is coordinating a full-scale national concert tour of the U.S. In the past year, ALA has taken the lead in raising and distributing funds for Latvian Centennial events that will be held independently by a multitude of organizations and individuals in the U.S. Alongside these (typically community-based or regional) events, the details of which can be found on latvia100usa.org, ALA finds it important to offer the American public an event of its own, with an ambitious goal. ALA aims to spread Latvian folk music far and wide, as well as to bring together Latvians of different American cities with a shared experience in the year of the Centennial!

Traveling with the group in their national tour will be an exhibit sponsored by the Latvian Ministry of Culture called “Treasures of Latvia”, which illustrates some of the talents and exports that have made a name for Latvia in world markets.

We welcome indie folk music-lovers of all backgrounds (Latvian or non-Latvian) to the shows in March 2018! All of the group’s members speak English and have incorporated into their repertoire a vast array of adaptations of American classics. While performing, the band can communicate with the audience in numerous languages, such as - Latvian, English, German, French and Russian. Everyone will find something to love in ImantaDimanta’s energetic live performance and bluegrass-inspired sounds!

Thanks to ImantaDimanta and Friends for the exclusive track, Kas pie Rīgas dumpējās!!! I hope you’ll head over to their Facebook page to stay up-to-date on the most recent info on the U.S. tour and their Rīga shows, and of course pick up their Izauga mātei brīnuma meita disc – one for yourself, one for a friend!

IMANTADIMANTA & FRIENDS!

(left to right)

Imanta Nīgale – vocals, mandolin

Kristaps Strods – bass

Krišjānis Sils – guitar

Matīss Uškāns – drums

Katrīna Dimanta – vocals, violin

  

Thank you to ALA and Marisa Gudrā, Projects Coordinator for the American Latvian Association, for sharing the release of the 2018 ImantaDimanta & Friends CENTENNIAL TOUR dates!

Join us tomorrow on Day Five for the 24 Days of a Baltic Christmas gift guide!