Madison, Wisconsin!

A group picture with an adoring class at John Muir Elementary School in Madison. They sought us out after our performance in front of the whole school. The kids were so attentive that one of their questions about the Kazakh kui Akku was "What happened to the son after he killed the swan?" Another child wanted to know what kind of snake it was that bit Korkut Ata.

Our best show yet! The energy in the Memorial Union Great Hall was so powerful that none of us could get to sleep after our March 26 concert. We're in Chicago now and still a little worn out. We have three concerts in the Windy City. Don't miss them.

Nauryz Party in Ann Arbor, Michigan

We were honored to have a party thrown for us on Easter Eve - or the night of Nauryz, March 22 - at the home of some of our biggest Ann Arbor fans. The lamb was delicious and the turkey bigger than any we had ever seen. We loved the smoked salmon, the beer and the rum. The hospitality was downright Kazakh in its generosity. Thanks much to our good friends, our new family in Ann Arbor, Michigan. We hope you come to Kazakhstan soon so that we can have the chance to host you.

Link to Roksonaki music samples

To hear what Roksonaki sounds like check out http://www.myspace.com/roksonaki.

The day after Roksonaki played Bult Shakyru (Invitation to the Cloud or Call for Rain) in the University of Michigan's brand spanking new Penny Stamps Auditorium - shown below - it snowed 10 inches and the roads were covered with ice! The forecast was for flurries with a maximum possible accumulation of 4 inches... That's some powerful music!

And another photo....

Playing in the studios at WFMU. Program to be broadcast March 29, 2008. See www.wfmu.org for details.

Photo Bonanza!

We've been so busy playing and teaching that we haven't had a chance to work on the tour blog. So, here are some pictures worth thousands of words.

Jamming with Friar Ed at Stony Brook!

Riding the NYC subway









Lady Liberty in the background. Left to right: Axat Kara, Ruslan Kara, Dina Amirova - a nuclear family with many talents...



Galymzhan Sekeyev teaches a student at Ann Arbor's Community High School how to play the shankobyz.

Asia Society Concert a Big Success!

Roksonaki's reception thus far has been great! The people at Stony Brook were amazingly hospitable - special thanks to Sunita and Jennifer and to everyone else who looked after us there.

We had such a good time doing the show at the Asia Society on March 9. The audience was very enthusiastic and we really appreciated the reception and the delicious Burmese meal afterwards. In the picture you'll see Galymzhan, Ruslan, and Yerlan doing the encore - an acapella version of Eligai straight out of a Kazakh barbershop. Thanks to Nik Krastev at RFE/RL for sharing the photo.

Jam Session, Club DROM

Roksonaki will appear at Club DROM Thursday, March 13. Please come and watch them jam with the NY Gypsy All-Stars.

85 Avenue A, between 5th and 6th.

Check out www.dromnyc.com.