[lbo-talk] Controversial band Ozomatli tour Mid East ... funded by US State Dept.

[B.]

[Very weird. There is video on YouTube of a near-riot
that happened in Austin during an Ozomatli SXSW gig.
Police tried to shut down an Ozomatli show, so
Ozomatli moved it outside while the cops got upset and
flustered, sort of to outwit the cops, so that
Ozomatli would be playing in a public space instead of
a private venue, where apparently some regulation has
been broken, or something. Don't recall the details. -
B.]

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=12453898

Interviews
Ozomatli Back from Mideast Tour for State Dept.

Audio for this story will be available at approx. 7:00
p.m. ET

 
All Things Considered, August 2, 2007 · The L.A.-based
band Ozomatli has wrapped up a tour sponsored by the
State Department that took the group to Egypt, Jordan
and Tunisia. A side note: members of Ozomatli are
vocal opponents of the war in Iraq. Uli Bella,
saxophonist and keyboardist, tells Melissa Block about
the trip.

(Because of intense interest in the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict, NPR makes available free
transcripts of its coverage. The transcript for this
story will be available soon. Please check back later
today or tomorrow.)

[Audio of interview at URL above.]