[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULeR-W5Y8uY[/youtube]

Summer is the favorite time for New Orleans musicians to go on tour, but for most artists that means heading to places like the Northeast, West Coast, or the European festival circuit. Shamarr Allen and the Underdawgs are going pretty far off that beaten path though, with a three-week tour scheduled in the Central Asian countries of Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan. Besides concerts, as official U.S. Embassy cultural ambassadors Allen and his band will also conduct presentations and workshops, including a special Fourth of July reception. It’s the group’s second time in Kazakhstan, where they played last year at the International Jazz Festival in Almaty, the country’s largest city and former capital.

Tonight, Shamarr Allen and the Underdawgs play at d.b.a. at 10 p.m., their last New Orleans show before heading to the ‘Stans. Here’s their most recent music video, “Typical Rock Star,” about refusing conformity.