Busy season for Antibalas

Tonight, after an exhilerating but still somewhat grueling performance at the critically acclaimed Broadway production of Fela!, where Antibalas has been supplying the beats for the past few weeks and acting as house band (as audience members enter the theater, they're jamming on stage), the band will hop in a cab to Williamsburg, where they will play into the wee hours of the morning as part of their December residency at the Knitting Factory.

Then, it's back to Fela! the next night to do the show all over again.

Not that they're complaining. For any band playing in New York, two steady gigs ain't bad. Especially when it's playing music that you love - afrobeat.

Read more about Antibalas in our paper, and check out a live performance at the Knitting Factory earlier this month below.

Want more afrobeat? Knitting Factory hosts Fu-Meets-Broadway, a night of music from Amayo (of Antibalas) that blends traditional Chinese Lion rhythms and Nigerian Afro-beat, which will feature members of the band and cast members of Fela!. Coming up, there's also Akoya Afrobeat at Southpaw on January 8, and Budos Band at the Park Slope venue on January 16.

And, while you're at it, find out what all the Fela! fuss is about.