No Van

Los Van Van's U.S. tour, which was scheduled to hit New York, Denver, San Francisco and L.A. in June, has been cancelled.

The cause is not diplomatic, reports say, but a snag in business negotiations. The band claims to have its issued U.S. visas in hand.


Los Van Van getting on their tour bus in Germany, 2008

Is this good news or bad news? I would love for a "do-over" tour schedule to include a few stops in other U.S. cities that are not so fortunate as to have Cuban artists performing there regularly. I bet Los Van Van would bring down the house in Greensboro and Atlanta. Don't forget about us.

It's like the cultural literacy clock didn't just stop during the Bush administration, but got set back decades. As if no one remembers that in the late 90s and early '00s, groups from Cuba toured through Triangle venues several times a year. The diplomatic barrier may be broken, but here in the Heartland/Dirty South, we are still waiting for the Cuban drought to be over.

Agua, solo queremos agua para vivir...

American Tobacco Goes Backporch Music

For the first time this season, the American Tobacco Campus' Music on the Lawn series has given over their programming entirely to WUNC's Backporch Music. The series of 10 free shows from April to October, sponsored by WholeFoods, will feature some great musicians I want to see--Chatham County Line, Josh Goforth, Kickin' Grass, The Gravy Boys--and is sure to be tremendously popular with the area's legion fans of traditional music. But, may we respectfully say, it's a little disappointing when any free, public concert programming grows less diverse?

As if to address this, the series ends on October 8 with a blues showcase by the MusicMaker foundation. But is this too little, too late? A prime outdoor venue in the enlivened downtown district has closed the door on funk, gospel, jazz, Latin and World music.

Maybe it's time for a dedicated Azucar y Candela Summer Salsa Concert Series.

As great as that would be, I love the rainbow. Take Shakori Hills Festival, where you can hear koras and banjos and congas and rhythm guitars, all in the same place. It's the community of sound that makes it beautiful. You achieve outreach to audiences and creative exchanges between musicians.

I don't begrudge Backporch their concert series, they deserve it. But there's no reason we can't get some corporate donor to back other music, even at the same venue, perhaps. I wonder what it would take? I guess this is something to brainstorm about, Latin music fans...