Renowned Pakistani band coming to Blacksburg

The Pakistani band Kyumariyaan will join the American group The Boston Boys for a performance and an artists workshop in Blacksburg on Sept. 18.

Kyumariyaan, based in Peshawar, specializes in Pushtun music, which features the rubab, a traditional long-bodied lute.

Between local well-educated families eschewing it as too low-brow and threats from those deeming all music and musicians suspect, Pushtun music has had it rough for a long time, according to a write-up for Center Stage, an exchange program of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs that is sponsoring the concert. "During a more recent radical turn in Pakistan, many traditional and popular musicians were killed or arrested, music shops burned, and instrument makers discouraged from their craft.

"But the music continues, whether at private celebrations or at friendly jam sessions fueled by MTV and later by the internet and mobile phones. At house parties or regular, small music societies, young players gather, create music on the fly, and draw on anything from Chuck Berry to WASP to Indian hits. Khumariyaan is a leader of this movement to revitalize the instrumental traditions and to bring them out of the shadows — taking risks to play live, encouraging other aspiring musicians to take up their ancestors’ instruments, and reinvigorating the live music experience for audiences throughout the region and across Pakistan."

The workshop featuring Khymariyaan and The Boston Boys will be at 4 p.m. at the Anne and Ellen Fife Theater at the Moss Center for the Arts. Tickets are free and can be reserved here.

The joint concert will be at 8 p.m. at 130 Jackson St. in Blacksburg. Tickets are $5. More information is available at monkeyhouseconcerts.net.