Forced from their homes by Ansar Dine, a religious extremist group that prohibits rock music (among other conservative agendas), Garba Touré, Aliou Touré, and Oumar Touré—three guys with the same surname who are not actually related—started a guitar-lick-heavy project in Mali's capital city of Bamako. When their paths crossed Blur's Damon Albarn and Nick Zinner of Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Songhoy Blues became a fluid, energetic guitar band with a lot of star power in their pocket. The lyrics and vocals of Songhoy Blues are Malian, but their songs and jam-style have a very classic Western guitar tweedle. The documentary They Will Have to Kill Us First recounts their frightening but fortunate path, and will screen at the Hollywood Theatre on April 7. SUZETTE SMITH Also see our review of They Will Have to Kill Us First.