SOUL of a THUNDERCHILD

There are some musicians you go to hear because you know the songs. Then there are musicians you go to hear because you want to spend an evening in the company of somebody who knows where the music comes from, why it matters, and how to make it feel alive right now.

That is what makes SOUL of a THUNDERCHILD such a special evening.

On Saturday, November 21, Wellfleet Preservation Hall welcomes The MWALIM TRIO for a night of Blues, Soul, Afro Grooves, stories, memories, humor and music that knows how to move.

Mwalim is a Blues Griot and I love that description because it places him in a much bigger tradition. The Blues Griot is a keeper of the Blues: somebody who carries songs, stories, histories, observations and lived experience from one generation to the next. And that tradition reaches deep into the Griot traditions of Africa and the African Diaspora, where music, poetry, oral history, humor, testimony and storytelling have always lived together.

Mwalim carries all of that with him.

He is an accomplished, multi award winning spoken word artist, playwright and author; a jazz pianist and composer; a singer, songwriter and guitarist; and the co founder and principal songwriter of The GroovaLottos, the six time Grammy nominated soul funk band. He is also part of WAMPTRONICA, bringing another branch of the African Diaspora’s rhythmic conversation into the mix.

And then there is that guitar.

About five years ago, Mwalim began seriously exploring the guitar, thinking about its relationship to the long history of plucked string instruments across Africa and the Diaspora. That exploration opened another door into music he has loved all his life: Blues, Calypso and Kaiso, Motown, jazz, soul, groove music and the great Black tradition of telling a story through a song.

**SOUL of a THUNDERCHILD** brings those threads together.

You’ll hear favorites from the critically acclaimed THUNDERCHILD music associated with The GroovaLottos and WAMPTRONICA, and a preview of music from Mwalim’s forthcoming spring release, SOUTHCOAST SOULThe program also includes compositions written for The GroovaLottos that have received Grammy nominations.

Mwalim was named Best Blues Artist at the 2026 Y.O.U.R. Music Awards, but honestly, the awards only tell one part of the story. The other part is what happens when somebody who has spent a lifetime listening, learning, remembering and making music gets onstage and starts telling you a story.

If you love Blues, Soul, Jazz, Calypso, Afro Caribbean music, Motown, spoken word, or simply good storytelling with a groove underneath it, come sit with us.

Supported in part by Wellfleet Cultural Council, Truro Cultural Council, Eastham Cultural Council, Osborne Trust Fellowship