Locos Por Juana Delivers Infectious Latin Beats at Taste of Durham

 

Locos Por Juana, one of the hottest Latin alternative rock bands in the United States visited Durham (North Carolina) to perform at the Taste of Durham festival on Saturday, May 23rd. There has been a lot of talk about the multinational Miami-based band and they did not disappoint the multiethnic crowd in Durham.

Locos Por Juana combines infectious energy rock with infectious Latin rhythms from the Caribbean and South America, as well as reggae, hip hop and American funk. In December of 2008, the band was nominated for “Best Latín Rock Or Alternative Album” for their album titled “La Verdad”.

 

The musical instruments used by Locos por Juana includes the traditional rock band instrumentation of electric guitar, bass and drums. What characterizes the band’s sound are the addition of trumpet and Afro-Latin percussion. The line-up that performed at Taste of Durham included lead vocalist Itagui (Medellín, Colombia); Javier Delgado “Lakambra” on drums (Barranquilla, Colombia); Guillermo Cabral “El Chamo” on bass (Venezuela); percussionist Alan Reyna (Venezuela); Emiliano Torres “Che Funk” (Argentina) on trumpet; and Miami-born Colombian-American Mark Kondrat on electric guitar.

 

 

 

 

 

In addition to Locos por Juana, the festival included Nashville band Elmwood, local funk masters John Brown and the Groove Shop Band, and veteran bluesman Cool John Ferguson. Taste of Durham brings together great music, delicious food and wine and beer tastings. On the food side, the festival included a sampling of global food provided by local restaurants.

The food vendors included Baba Ghannouj Mediterranean Bistro, Bocci Trattoria & Pizzeria, Don Rio’s Southwest Catering, the popular Carmen’s Cuban Cafe & Lounge, Catering: Abrams’ BBQ & Seafood, Cold Stone Creamery, Joe Van Gogh, Inc., The Mad Popper, The Melting Pot, Moe’s Southwest Grill, Niko’s Taverna, Noodles & Company, Pomodoro Italian Kitchen, Rita’s, Serena Restaurant & Bar, Tamarind India Bistro, and Vita.

Buy recordings by the artists:

• In North America: La Verdad, Musica Pa’l Pueblo by Locos por Juana; Guitar Heaven and With These Hands by Cool John Ferguson