For the preservation of song
A Tree With Roots Music is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that records, films, and shares traditional music from communities around the world, working alongside the musicians who carry it. We’ve documented music in Thailand, Nepal, the Solomon Islands, and Trinidad & Tobago.
The Hill Tribes Project
We’re raising $8,500 to return to the highlands around Chiang Mai, Thailand, and record the elders who carry the songs of the Karen, Hmong, Akha, Lahu, and other hill tribe communities.
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Here’s the 32-minute trip report from the Solomon Islands, a short film that recently made its U.S. premiere at the Rhode Island International Film Festival.
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Raul Landaeta & his daughter Vanessa performed for us in a quiet dining area at the popular fast food chain in Port-of-Spain! We had arranged for a meeting with cuatro maestro Raul Landaeta at the Venezuelan embassy in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad. The plan was to record…
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ATWR visited the cuatro maestro Robert Munro at his home in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad to meet him. While sipping on rum & cokes, his apprentice and friend Dominic Thompson arrived for an impromptu performance of several songs, the last of which Robert showed us the way…
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This screening took place on Friday, November 14, 2025, at Belcourt of Newport. Thank you to everyone who joined us! You can watch these films anytime on our Watch page. Reserve your seat here; https://3common.com/event/world-music-documentary-night/68e48dc8aadad7d129fca7ed About this event: a tree with roots music presents an evening…
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Congratulations to our friends Kaumaakonga as they have reached number #1 on the Pacific Top 20 with their new album TAOBA. https://www.top20pacifique.com/ KMK breathe new life into their Traditional Avaiki chants while combining traditional rhythms and percussion with panpipes, guitar and unique vocal harmonies. They…
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See the Silianifuto String Band perform, “Kadamanga Ba Goro Hafali Ruana” I first heard Swing With the Strings live broadcast on SIBC radio in Honiara while in a taxi heading home for the night.. I loved it so much I recorded what I heard through…
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Stages of Change is a project that aims to use community theatre as a vehicle for reducing violence against women and increasing women’s participation in civil society and peace-making in the Solomon Islands. We caught them in a rehearsal and they sang a beautiful song…
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We are thrilled to be presenting our documentary ‘TRIP REPORT SOLOMON ISLANDS’ at the 45th annual Ethnomusicologist conference in Bangkok, Thailand. If you happen to be at the conference this year, we hope to see you! This film will also have its USA premier at…
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Shooting 16mm film in Kathmandu Simply put, I am never going to travel abroad again without the Canon Scoopic in my bag. Sure, it’s by far the heaviest part of my gear, weighing in around 8 pounds, not including the strange battery charger. But it’s…
