Los Pinguos

The new collection of songs captures the band’s dynamic genre-bending musical range, showcasing a stunning ability to integrate traditional Latin rhythms into thoroughly modern compositions.

Longtime listeners will recognize the band’s trademark infectious sound. The addition of a string quartet on four songs, lends a distinctive cinematic feel to those tracks, and the album as a whole. Many songs on “1111” have been road-tested over the last two to three years. In concert, the band reproduces their sound with precision, yet they retain that elusive raw energy live audiences have come to expect from Los Pinguos.

Hailing from cosmopolitan Buenos Aries, Argentina, Los Pinguos united in 1999, immediately winning over fans with their passionate live shows in clubs, bars and private parties throughout the capital. Making a leap of faith, the band journeyed to Los Angeles in 2001, intent on taking their career to the next level.

Consistent performances for excited audiences at clubs like The Latin Lounge, The Knitting Factory, Key Club and others culminated in impressive gigs at Santa Mónica’s 3rd Street Promenade. These shows convinced the band of their ability to reach a wide and diverse audience. Spotted by a talent scout on the promenade, Los Pinguos soon found themselves winning the Grand Prize on the show “The Next Big Star” and were finally exposed to a national audience.

Since then, the band has recorded five albums and have played with such acts as Ozomatli, Taj Mahal, The Skatalites, The Neville Brothers, Pablo Montero, Paul Anka, Plácido Domingo, Yerba Buena, Charly Garcia and famed Argentinean rockers Bersuit Vergarabat. The band has been touring throughout the U.S. since their arrival in 2001 and in the recent years they have also played Mexico in 2008, Canada in 2008 & 2010, and Switzerland in 2008.

Ticket Info: Purchase Tickets Online. All Ages: $15 – $35 Student Nights tickets are available.

The Lensic is located at 211 West San Francisco Street, in downtown Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan – Mustt Mustt

“There are some wonderful albums in the catalog that still haven’t gone out as far in the world as we’d like them to,” says Real World Records founder Peter Gabriel. “I think there’s a different generation being exposed to world music now. We hope this will be an opportunity for the older listener to check out this music – rediscover old gems – and maybe first time discoveries for the younger folk!”

First set of releases:

Afro Celt Sound System – ‘Volume 1: Sound Magic‘ (CDRWG61)
Afro Celt Sound System – ‘Volume 2: Release‘ (CDRWG76)
The Blind Boys Of Alabama – ‘Higher Ground‘ (CDRWG107)
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan – ‘Mustt Mustt‘ (CDRWG15)
Sheila Chandra – ‘Moonsung: A Real World Retrospective‘ (CDRWG77)
Papa Wemba – ‘Emotion‘ (CDRWG52)
Geoffrey Oryema – ‘Exile’ (CDRWG14)
Lama Gyurme & Jean-Philippe Rykiel – ‘Rain Of Blessings: Vajra Chants‘ (CDRWG85)
The Drummers of Burundi – ‘Live at Real World‘ (RWMGI)
The Imagined Village – ‘The Imagined Village‘ (CDRWG147)

Frigg

The municipality of Kaustinen in Ostrobothnia, the hub of Finnish-Ugric culture, and Helsinki’s Sibelius Academy, located some 500 km to the south, are the major centers of stringed instrument and box playing excellence and music education in far-flung northern Europe. And so it is no surprise to discover that Finland’s fearless young fiddle-driven champions of folk, Frigg, and the country’s daredevil solo accordion king, Kimmo Pohjonen, who both toured Australia in March during the festival season, are among those institutions’ brightest graduates.

Led by acts like Värttinä, Lepistö & Lehti, JPP and Maria Kalaniemi, Finnish folk music has undergone something of a roots revival in recent decades. Frigg is the latest flag bearer.

Formed in 2001, the band centers on three members of the Järvelä family, which has been synonymous with four generations of fiddle players in Kaustinen, in the country’s pristine central west region, where there is also a village of the same name. Brother and sister Esko and Alina Järvelä are in Frigg’s fabulous front line, along with Tero Hyväluoma and Tommi Asplund. Their nephew Antti Järvelä is also a fiddler — in fact, he’s regarded as one of the finest in Finland — but largely forsakes his violin to play upright bass in the band. “Someone has to play it,” he says drolly.

While their frontline of fiddlers provide the melodious and rhythmic wall of sound that defines Frigg, the band’s music is boosted by the presence of several multi-instrumentalists. Petri Prauda and Tuomas Logrén cover the sonic area between violins and bass. Prauda, from southern Finland, plays mandolin, cittern and Estonian bagpipes, the last-named an unusual addition offering a wide range of sound from lower register drone to banshee wail. Logrén, from Karelia near Finland’s eastern border with Russia, plays guitar and also dobro, which weaves effectively among the four and sometimes five fiddles. He was a member of Värttinä, Finland’s best-known band, in his teens.

Your correspondent was fortunate enough to catch Frigg in concert during their early days, at the 2003 Kaustinen Folk Festival. They were brilliant then, but even more dynamic when I saw them again at last year’s Rainforest World Music Festival in Borneo. During the intervening years, the band has wowed audiences around Europe, Asia and North America, where they even got to perform on the USA’s long-running national country music radio show A Prairie Home Companion.

There’s an element of hoedown in Frigg’s beautifully crafted, inventively orchestrated and executed instrumentals, a la the great American composer Aaron Copland. While Celtic and Scandinavian influences also pervade their music, the central strand is based on traditional Finnish folk dance melodies and rhythms.

The band, which is named after the Scandinavian goddess of fertility, collectively refers to its hybrid style as “nordgrass”. Antti Järvelä describes this prosaically as: “Nordic flavored, original, happy and energetic roots music that has the drive of an unstoppable train.” Enlarging on that, he adds: “The most important thing for us is to connect with the energy and the pulse because our music is meant for dancing. We grew up in an environment where there was dancing. That’s why we work very hard, so the audience can connect with the energy and the grooves. When there’s a hall full of people dancing to a good band, there’s something really magical in the air and in the energy.”

Frigg - Photo by Angel Romero

Frigg’s flamboyance and flair flies in the face of the widely held notion that Finnish folk music is predominantly melancholic and played in minor keys. “If you look at our country’s tunes from before World War II, seventy percent are in a major key,” says Antti J pointing out the fallacy. “Frigg plays happy music,” he emphasizes again.

All the band’s members have performed in orchestras and studied classical and folk music composition at the aforementioned Sibelius Academy, an enlightened state institution that encourages invention beyond conventional limits. Advanced musical training shows in the band’s intricate arrangements of a combination of traditional and original instrumentals on their fifth album, Grannen, which they’ll be showcasing on their maiden Australian tour.

Several members of Frigg have enjoyed past associations with compatriot Kimmo Pohjonen, who were also on the bill at this year’s WOMADelaide. “He’s an interesting musical character,” offers Antti Järvelä, adding, “every time he does something, it’s very unusual and interesting.” Pohjonen is equally complimentary about Frigg: “They are brilliant — one of the best bands in Finland.”

Kimmo, as he’s widely known, is something of a one-man-band, an exceptional musician and showman whose gigs are a mixture of musical brilliance, élan and razzle-dazzle. He has, however, collaborated with the likes of America’s revered Kronos Quartet and he is a member of the band KTU, along with former members of UK jazz-rockers King Crimson.

Pohjonen has been dubbed “the Jimi Hendrix of the accordion”, a tag he is not especially fond of, although he was happy enough to participate in a Hendrix tribute at Patti Smith’s Meltdown festival in London a few years ago. He recalls: “Yes, that was great fun. I performed with drummer Sami Kuoppamäki. We did ‘Burning of the Midnight Lamp’ and the live instrumental improvisation piece called ‘Drivin’ South’, but we changed the name to ‘Drivin’ North’ because we envisioned we were driving north to Lapland and because Pohjonen means ‘north’. We had a great response.”

Kimmo Pohjonen

Pohjonen plays a custom made accordion based on his own specs, with electronics added, also to his own specification, which allows him to push the sound to extremes. His swashbuckling, freewheeling musical exploration ranges from Zappa-esque technical epics to folk, classical and rock-based pieces. “I have a MIDI system built into my accordion,” he explains. “Also an effects rack with control pedals at my feet and more odds and ends. I can sample and loop my playing and voice and then reproduce them back through my instrument or through my electronic gear.” He stresses that all the sounds he makes originate from his accordion and voice, except for what he calls “Earth Machine Music pieces”, which also feature farm machines and animals.

In Kimmo’s hands, the instrument can sound like a pipe organ or a full orchestra, with a little electronic assistance adding an octave of diaphragm-shuddering bass. “The fun part is that I’m still discovering new sounds from the accordion, thanks to these electronics,” he says.

Family tradition dictated that Pohjonen took up accordion as a kid, even though the instrument was considered somewhat uncool at the time. Like Frigg, he was weaned on Finnish folk dances and classical music. Then he got into Tex-Mex and Cajun players like Flaco Jimenez and Queen Ida, before discovering the Argentinean bandoneon maestro Astor Piazzolla. “I even went to Buenos Aires to learn how to play his tango nuevo,” Kimmo reveals. “It took me many years before I realized there is accordion life beyond classical and folk music. Due to a series of events and experiences, I found my own voice in the instrument, my own way of playing that was unrelated to everything I previously did with accordion. Fortunately, accordion is now respected much more than 10 or 20 years ago. I am happy to see so many players take it up and try to create new things. Maybe now accordion is considered cool!”

One of Pohjonen’s greatest inspirations has been the Tanzanian musician Hukwe Zawose. “I saw a concert of his in Helsinki and was totally knocked out. I went to Tanzania to study with him, learning thumb piano and more. He was one of the great musicians of all time, I think, and his music, his friendship and his character affected me greatly.”

Another major influence was Heikki Laitinen, former director of the Sibelius Academy’s Folk Music Department. “He helped to open my mind to new ways of thinking about music, composing, improvisation, performance, voice and attitude,” says Kimmo. “For a long time I thought I could not sing, but Heikki overturned all that and showed me how I could find my own voice. I use it in my music as another instrument; the larynx and lungs, like the reeds and bellows of accordion. I use effects also on my voice to enhance and make it sound new and different, like I do with accordion. I try to use my whole body in my performances, even beyond voice. It is a very physical experience and voice is one important part of the overall expression.”

On his only previous visit to Australia in 2009, Kimmo Pohjonen toured the Outback as part of the Queensland Music Festival. “We did three performances in different locations. One was on a farm, another in a vineyard and the other was at a camel racetrack. The farm and vineyard shows were especially fun because the settings were more intimate. It was a great joy to collaborate with the local farmers and their machines. Audiences seemed to really enjoy it because it was something they had never seen before — it was a big surprise for them. The last show was at a club in Brisbane. We surprised the audience with one Earth Machine Music piece featuring a live chainsaw.”

• The above interview first appeared in Rhythms, Australia’s only dedicated roots music magazine, for which the author is World/Folk correspondent.

Everyone Orchestra - Brooklyn Sessions

Alon Yavnai & The NDR Bigband – Shir Ahava (NDR, 2012)

The difference between an orchestra and a big band? I don’t know. But one thing’s for sure- when there are multiple players involved in a musical endeavor, everyone had better be on the same page.

Such is certainly the case with Everyone Orchestra, which developed out of open mic nights organized by drummer/conductor Matt Butler and now gives us Brooklyn Sessions, a “collection of songs created from two days of conducted improvisation” (as Butler notes on the back cover).

If this is truly music made up as things went along, then I have a newfound respect for spontaneity. The track “Explore Space” pretty much describes what EO does on each of the 8 selections here: they come up with a sound or riff to build upon, find a groove and then decorate it accordingly with solo passages, traded leads, singing, scatting, alternated sections of sparseness and layering and a seeming sixth sense of when to play and when to lay out. You can call this experimental music, jazz or any number of things, but it always comes across fully formed, not just a jumble of unresolved ideas.

A lineup of drums, guitars, bass, trumpet, keyboards, “vintage toys,” sax, percussion, vocals and mandolin (often the melodic wild card) glides joyfully through bouncing numbers like “Funk Explosion,” the tightly wound asides of “Pensive” and “Bass Blanket,” an invitation to “Take Off Your Clothes” and bluesy closer “Talk to Me,” each an expertly eclectic slice of impromptu music made for the serious fun of it. Impressive.

Alon Yavnai and the NDR Bigband - Shir Ahava

The 17-piece band is heavy on the horns, which prominently compliment Yavnai’s inspired piano turns. But most of the lengthy tracks are more suites than songs, veering off into territory like the Balkan asides on “Travel Notes” and Arabic sizzle of “Bitter Roots.”

At times almost classical in its sophistication, at other times whimsical and at all times rich with melodic colors and inspirations, the music on Shir Ahava is stunningly poetic without a word spoken.

Ozomatli

The New York Pops is the largest independent pops orchestra in the United States, and the only professional symphonic orchestra in New York City specializing in popular music. Led by Music Director Steven Reineke, the orchestra performs an annual subscription series and birthday gala at Carnegie Hall.

The New York Pops was founded by Skitch Henderson in 1983 with a mission to create greater public awareness and appreciation of America’s rich musical heritage. The New York Pops’ extensive education programs allow thousands of public schoolchildren to participate in concert and music-making experiences throughout the five boroughs of New York City.

Ozomatli celebrates the multitude of cultures in Los Angeles with their music – a notorious urban-Latino-and-beyond collision of salsa, dancehall, cumbia, samba and funk, merengue, comparsa, East Los Angeles R&B, hip-hop, Jamaican ragga and Indian raga.

For 15 years, they have entertained audiences around the world with their unique sound of horns, percussion, strings and vocals while promoting a positive message of peace. The seven multi-racial members of Ozomatli are committed to addressing social issues of local, national, and international importance through fun, yet inspirational entertainment.

High-quality papers (in English) covering all areas are welcome – in particular those that relate to one of the following major areas: the ongoing world & jazz focus at WOMEX, or insights into the musical traditions, history and state of the industry of the new Southeastern European host region.

Successful papers will be published in October in the prestigious WOMEX Guide – a vital source of information used all year round by the international world music industry, which is also available online as a PDF document.

If your paper is published, you will be given a free registration to WOMEX 2012 in Thessaloniki from Wednesday, 17 to Sunday, 21 October 2012. You will also receive special promotional treatment through all WOMEX’s online communication channels, including newsletter, homepage news and social media mentions.

The WOMEX Guide essay will be 2000-2200 words in length. To apply, send a 500-word synopsis of your essay in English to media@womex.com, plus links to other articles you may have written. Please include ‘Guide essay’ in the subject line. Deadline: Friday, May 22nd, 2012.

http://www.womex.com

Jun-Lin Yeoh

Jun Lin works as a consultant in the performing arts field in the Southeast Asian region. In addition to her re-appointment as Artistic and Production Director for the Rainforest World Music Festival 2012, she is also the Artist Director for Borneo Jazz 2012.

World Music Central’s Angel Romero interviewed Jun-Lin to discuss this year’s program.

You are the new Rainforest World Music Festival artistic director. What’s your vision for the festival?

Theoretically, I’m the new old Rainforest World Music Festival artistic director! I was with the Rainforest World Music Festival when it was started and formed and became the first Artistic Director for it (the first 3 years, it was a committee decision on bands selected) from 4th to 10th edition.

After that, Antares was the Artistic Director…and then Randy…and then this year, I came back again.

I would want to keep the festival very focused on its theme on “world” music. It has to appeal to the purists who prefer the traditional roots music, as well as to the ones that like a more contemporary fusion. You will see from the program that I swing from completely left to completely right. But in every band, the ethnic identity is powerful and dominant, and I like it like that.

So, flexible but definite borders! And quality, quality, quality.

And the festival has two halves that make a whole – the workshops as well as the main stage shows. I try to make the workshops a mix of interactive as well as informative as well as entertaining.

How has the festival evolved?

Artistically, the festival will reflect the personality of the artistic director. It can’t be helped!

Size wise – of course it’s grown tremendously. You should have seen our first year! Less than 300 in the audience, and that was also counting volunteers!

But that’s how all festivals start. And then we grow it. And because a lot of us built it from the ground, we had to deal with every aspect of it from the shows down to how to sort out the shuttles to how to tie wristbands securely. From hindsight, all that “growing pains” just made us stronger.

We have gone from 1 stage, to 1 big stage and 1 filler stage, and then to 2 main stages alternating with each other.

There are also now inroads into more “fringe” events – the Talent Search, the pre-festival Opening show, the preview shows in Kuala Lumpur, the Craft Bazaar.

Every year, the festival presents top international musicians. How was the selection process this year?

Same way I usually do it. I draw out a first list which is usually about 80 – 100 bands. Then I whittle it down to about 40. Then I write to the bands to find out current costs and availability. Then the list comes down to about 30. And then it’s trying to think out the best balance of acts for the year.

A lot of factors to think about – to get as contrasting cultures as possible, to try and cover as many continents as possible, the bands must have enough individual “exotic” instruments so I can structure the workshops, the budget, the airfares, the size of the band, the appeal to a wide spectrum in the audience….etc. etc. etc.

What can festivalgoers expect from the Rainforest World Music Festival in 2012?

Entertainment, stimulation, something unknown, something familiar…

A very well-known BBC presenter John Walters once said “It is not for us just to give the people what they think they want. We are going to give them what they don’t know they want.”

Oreka TX, one of the artists scheduled to perform at the 2012 edition of the Rainforest World Music Festival

In addition to concerts, the musicians participating in the festival also take part in workshops open to the public during the day at Sarawak Cultural Village. What is the importance of the workshops?

They are informal, more intimate as one sees the individual musicians as opposed to the “unit” when they go on stage as a band. Sometimes informative, sometimes interactive, sometimes educational, always entertaining.

What’s most enjoyable about organizing the artistic side of the Rainforest World Music Festival?

Traveling the world looking for bands!

Starting with a blank piece of paper and agonizing about how to build yet another program….

And seeing it gel together…

And then putting the shows on stage and (hopefully) when it’s over, be able to think “Yes!” and then the agony of the blank paper starts all over again

If I were to visit Sarawak for the first time, which places would you recommend that I visit?

Mulu Caves!!!!

Aside from festivals, are there any other opportunities to watch live performances by local traditional and contemporary folk music artists?

A lot of smaller community performances who (in my opinion) sometimes don’t publicize it enough. I sometimes learn of it after the fact.

But in the bigger cities, theaters and auditoriums are now putting on more “world” music bands as a main show.

Logistics and costs play a big part in decision and policy making, I would think.

Are there any shops or locations where one can purchase traditional musical instruments or recordings by local artists?

Too few. In Kuching, try going down the Main Bazaar.

Websites:

Festival site: rwmf.net

For travel and accommodation: sarawaktourism.com

Mulu Caves: mulucaves.org

Tab Benoit - Photo by Jerry Moran

“It’s such an honor to win the B.B. King Entertainer of the Year award,” Benoit says. “They gave this award to B.B. so many times, it’s named after him. I had a friend who once met B.B. and asked him, ‘Who should I listen to when I first get into the blues?’ B.B. King could have named almost anyone, but instead he said, ‘Tab Benoit.’ That’s why the B.B. King Entertainer of the Year award means so much to me.”

Medicine was released April 26, 2011, on Telarc. The 11-track album features seven Benoit originals co-written with ace songwriter Anders Osborne. “Anders and I have been friends for years, and we have a very comfortable relationship,” says Benoit, a singer-songwriter and guitarist with a repertoire that ranges from swamp-pop classics to gritty blues and rootsy jams. “Songwriting needs to feel natural. It needs to flow easily. When he and I went out on the bayou, we came back with seven songs! Anders also played most of the rhythm parts on the album. He does a good job of not stepping on what I’m doing and making it fit the song.”

The album was recorded at Louisiana’s legendary Dockside Studio (B.B. King, Dr. John, Keb’ Mo’, Taj Mahal, Buckwheat Zydeco), located on a 12 acre estate in the heart of Cajun country on the banks of the Vermilion Bayou, and engineered by David Z (Prince, Jonny Lang, Buddy Guy, Gov’t Mule). The award-winning music producer/engineer worked with Benoit on three earlier releases (Fever for the Bayou, Power of the Pontchartrain and Night Train to Nashville). “When David’s in the booth, I don’t have to worry,” says Benoit. “He’s always comfortable with the way I work. We have a lot of fun and like to joke around.”

Medicine highlights the work of keyboardist Ivan Neville, drummer Brady Blade and bassist Corey Duplechin. Fiddler/singer Michael Doucet of BeauSoleil makes a special appearance on three tracks.

“‘Medicine’ captures what this album is all about,” he says. “Let music be the medicine. Like John Lee Hooker once said, ‘Blues is the healer.’”

Benoit is a determined conservation advocate. Benoit is a driving force behind Voice of the Wetlands, an organization working to save Louisiana’s wetlands. In 2010, he received the Governor’s Award for Conservationist of the Year from the Louisiana Wildlife Federation. Benoit also starred in the iMax motion picture Hurricane on the Bayou, a documentary of Hurricane Katrina’s effects and a call to restore the wetlands.

In 2007, Benoit won the dual awards of B.B. King Entertainer of the Year and Best Contemporary Male Performer at the Blues Music Awards in Memphis (formerly the W.C. Handy Awards). In 2006, he received a GRAMMY nomination for Best Traditional Blues Album for Brother to the Blues, a collaboration with Louisiana’s LeRoux. LeRoux joined Benoit on Power of the Pontchartrain in 2007 and the live Night Train to Nashville in 2008.

Legacy: The Best of Tab Benoit, a 14-song compilation of recordings from Benoit’s years, so far, on the Telarc label, was released April 3, 2012.

For more information and a complete list of 2012 BMA winners: www.blues.org

Brownout

Brownout has been called the alter ego of Grupo Fantasma. How did the band come about?

Brownout formed out of Grupo Fantasma originally and was an attempt to play funk music that had always appealed to us. Previous to Grupo Fantasma we honed our skills playing funk jams at college parties and such, vamping on funk grooves and developing our sound. Over time we’ve recorded three albums and toured on our own and as a result our sound has developed to become its own entity with different personnel and its own unique musical identity apart from Grupo Fantasma.

How would you differentiate the sounds of Brownout and Grupo Fantasma?

Brownout originally was an instrumental band and we played a funkier more uptempo style of music with more improvisation. The blend of uptempo percussion heavy funk and musical improvisation appealed to bboys as well as pure music enthusiasts. Over time we’ve developed that sound with less emphasis on Latin music and more emphasis on funk, psychedelia and a gang vocal style we affectionately refer to as “brocals”. We’ve expanded our musical palette to include slow jams, Afro-Latin segues and cinematic funk soundtracks.

How do the musicians balance their participation in two bands?

It’s a big band and we all play in a lot of bands in addition to these two. Austin (Texas) features a lively music community and we’ve been fortunate to work with many talented artists. Sometimes there’s some juggling involved and it definitely requires flexibility and the ability to wear a lot of different hats, sometimes simultaneously.

Why do you think there is a renewed interest in Latin funk music?

I think the internet has allowed people to access music that previously they wouldn’t have been aware of. This access has given people the freedom to browse and discover music based upon the recommendations of friends and tastemakers rather than the corporate interests of mass media outlets. Now people can experience a huge volume and variety of music with immediacy. The public’s listening patterns and musical palettes are becoming more refined.

Where is Brownout more popular?

Wherever people appreciate good music. Our albums have been well received nationally and internationally we’ve gotten positive responses from fans as far away as Japan and Poland. We haven’t toured very much but we intend to do more in the future.

Brownout is known for its psychedelic sound effects. Are you emulating these sounds with modern instruments or are you also using vintage equipment?

We’re not dogmatically attached to any one technique. We’ve used everything from vintage gear to computer emulations and programming. If it sounds good it’s valid.

Who can you cite as your main musical influences?

War, James brown, The Meters, Juan Pablo Torres, Beastie Boys, The Black Birds, the JBs, Funkadelic, Mongo Santamaria, Prince, the list goes on…

How does the composition process work?

Brownout - Oozy

Where do you get your inspiration from?

Life. Family. The music of our influences, inspirations and peers. Having bills to pay.

How’s the Latin music scene in Austin now?

There’s a lot of great new bands and a great Latin music festival called Pachanga. It’s definitely changed with many long tenured local clubs closing down or relocating all over town. It remains to be seen how this fragmenting of the entertainment district will affect the Latin music scene.

If you could gather any musicians or musical groups to collaborate with whom would that be?

There’s so many great artists we’d love to collaborate with. We have very diverse tastes and influences.

What was the first big lesson you learned about the music business?

You gotta diversify your bonds to survive in the music business.

Do you have any tours planned?

We just finished a West Coast tour and are planning a return out there this summer. We’re also going to be backing up the GZA in Brooklyn and at Bonaroo. Hopefully we’ll get up to the East Coast this year as well.

Are you working on new projects?

We all work on a lot of different projects individually and in other configurations or with other bands. In spite of this busy schedule, we intend to hit the studio again to try and start recording some material for our next release. Hopefully at some point well get to make another video and last, but definitely not least, we’ll be backing up the legendary GZA of Wutang clan at Bonaroo this summer!

Locos Por Juana

Locos Por Juana is known for its energetic live performances and fusion of Latin, Caribbean, and American rhythms. The band was formed in Miami, Florida in 2000. The band consists of vocalist Itagui Correa, guitarist Mark Kondrat and drummer Javier Delgado, who form the core of the group, joined by trombonist Lasim Richards and percussionist Carlos Palmet. At times Locos Por Juana includes as many as five to seven guest musicians that join the band onstage for shows and tours.

Locos por Juana released its first two albums with independent label Musical Productions (MP) Records. Their self-titled debut album Locos Por Juana was released in 2003. That same year they were nominated for a Premio Lo Nuestro for Best Urban Artist. Their second album, Música P’al Pueblo (Music for the Town), was nominated for a Latin Grammy in 2005 for Best Rock or Alternative Album.

In 2007, Locos por Juana signed with Universal Music and released the highly acclaimed album La Verdad (The Truth), which was nominated for a Grammy for Best Rock or Alternative Album in 2008. The band toured the United States from coast to coast to support the album followed by a European tour in the summer.

In 2010 Locos por Juana released the EP titled Evolución (Evolution), which was nominated for a Shock Award for Best Alternative Album in Bogota, Colombia.

Locos Por Juana’s hybrid sound draws from the band members’ diverse backgrounds and also from various musical styles as well. Correa and Delgado were born in Colombia, and Kondrat is a Miami native of Colombian descent. They Colombian genres such as cumbia, champeta and Afro-Colombian rhythms such as mapale and chande, reshaping and breathing new life into them in order to give them a new identity altogether.

Also integral to Locos Por Juana’s style are musical influences from Miami and the Caribbean islands including reggae, raggamuffin, and dub from Jamaica along with rock, and funk leading to a fusion that Kondrat calls “that island swing“.