The Afrodelic Stegosaurchestra is an Afrobeat band based out of Tucson, Arizona. The band was originally formed by drummer Arthur Vint and saxophonist Mike Moynihan in the fall of 2004 after attending a concert by the Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra.
The original formation of the group had only five members, but by the summer of 2005 Afro Steg had grown in size to eight members. It was with this lineup that the group began playing festivals and parties in and around the Southwest. At the 2005 Fullerton Jazz Festival in Fullerton, California the band won 1st place in it's division and Mike, Arthur, and Andrew were recipients of individual awards for their solos. Other festivals that Afro Steg has regularly appeared at include the 4th Avenue Street Fair, the Arizona Jazzathon, the Tucson Family Arts Festival, and Filmstock.
In February of 2006, the band won 1st place in the John Lennon Songwriting Contest/Arizona Daily Star "Battle of the Bands." They were voted the best of seven bands that competed on the Rialto Theatre stage on February 10th.
Inspired by these successes, the band again grew in size and augmented their instrumentation with a full percussion section. They self-released their debut CD on January 3rd, 2007 at the Solar Culture club in Tucson, AZ, now fourteen members strong. Here are some shots from the show:
The Afrodelic Stegosaurchestra is currently available at the 17th Street Market in the warehouse district of Tucson. It can also be ordered online from CD Baby or downloaded from iTunes .
On June 12th 2008, Phoenix, Arizona based label Afro:Baile Records officially re-released The Afrodelic Stegosaurchestra at The Loft in downtown Tempe. With momentum once again building for the band, they are in the process of putting together new material for a follow up album.
For booking or more info, please email [email protected] .
