Sierra Leone's Refugee All-Stars in Barre UPDATE

A soundtrack to a documentary whose focus is the making of the soundtrack? Sounds a bit circular, but well worth the trip.

It's the remarkable story of a group of six Sierra Leonean musicians who came together to form a band, not creatively titled, but to the point Sierra Leone's Refugee All-Stars) while living as refugees in the Republic of Guinea. Through music they find a place of refuge, a sense of purpose and a source of power. The film follows the band over the course of three years as they make the difficult decision to return to their war-torn country and realize their dream of recording an album of their original music. The award winning documentary (preview below) is touring the film festival circuit and will be making a stop in Burlington this week for the 17th Annual Vermont International Film Festival, with Q&A on the 15th.

After viewing the film you can wait 12 days and check out the live show at the Barre Opera House on October 27th. Their debut album was released last month on ANTI-records.

Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars - October 27 - Barre Opera House

The Barre Opera House is a pretty spectacular Neoclassical building (which also houses City Hall). When opened in 1899, it was considered the finest theatre in VT. Reconstructed in the late 90's, it's still a great historic place to see a show.



All-Stars at Myspace
All-Stars on NPR

Sierra Leone's Refugee All-Stars - Living Like A Refugee.mp3
Sierra Leone's Refugee All-Stars - Big Lesson.mp3

UPDATE
According to the All-Stars booking agency, Rosebuds, and our local weekly paper, The World, the documentary will be shown at Monpelier City Hall this Saturday, October 20th, as a benefit for the Vermont Refugee Assistance non-profit.