Fridays After Five: Baaba Seth (Downtown Mall 50th Birthday Party)

FRIDAYS AFTER FIVE | SPONSORED BY BUD LIGHT

Fridays After Five, the FREE Summer Concert Series presented by Bud Light, returns for the 38th Anniversary season of free live music, food trucks, vendors, drinks, and family fun!

5:30 - 8:30 PM • Ting Pavilion

Baaba Seth - Homegrown World Groove
Theocles & The Muses

Baaba Seth’s first incarnation was formed in 1991, but it was not until the mid-to-late nineties that the band gained the popularity and notoriety that has carried it forward to this day, becoming one of the most loved local bands in Charlottesville during that time, and touring all over the East Coast making them a regional favorite as well. Despite their popularity and the budding attention of some major label record companies, the band ceased regular activity in 2000, when lead singer/primary songwriter and rhythm guitarist Dirk Lind moved out of state. Since then, however, the band has continued to reunite periodically to bring back the musical magic that happens when these 8 musicians get together on one stage. For many years, that meant just about annual reunion shows starting back in the early 2000s, until a self-imposed hiatus starting in 2019 which then led into the 2020 COVID pandemic. Baaba Seth’s last show in Charlottesville was also at The Southern, in 2018. Following their pandemic-extended hiatus, the members of Baaba Seth last reunited for a sold-out show at the Southern in 2023.

Of course, the members of Baaba Seth did not stop being musicians during their time away, and have been quite active independent of each other. For example, Hope Clayburn, the band’s dynamic and ultra-talented saxophonist/multi-instrumentalist, is a well-known and loved musician in Memphis, Tennessee, playing almost every night of the week with several different ensembles, including stints with Grammy-nominated artist Valerie June, as well as her own group Hope Clayburn’s Soul Scrimmage and local favorites Frog Squad and Lucky 7 Brass Band. Dylan Locke, Baaba Seth’s bassist, is the owner of the Floyd Country Store and is a cornerstone of the music scene in southwestern Virginia, both as a promoter and as a manager of several accomplished artists. Drummer Jim Ralston, still living in Charlottesville, plays with local favorites The Gladstones, among others. Lead guitarist and backing vocalist Mike Chang spent the time away concentrating on producing and mixing music in his studio in Northern Virginia, and was the mix engineer on the debut album of Charlottesville roots musicians The Lua Project. Mike Chang also plays guitar in the local “supergroup,” Afro Asia.

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