Of Mud & Music: Shakori Spring Fest, Friday Reviews

Dancing in mud boots, drinking from mason jars, running into old friends...these are classic memories of the Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival in April, when threats of tornados are par for the course. Trudging around in a rain poncho through the persistent damp, I forgot all about the manhunt transfixing the nation Friday night. Instead, I was hanging out at the Farm, catching a bit of John Howie, Greg Humphreys, Lizzy Ross, Joan Soriano, Preston Frank and The Beast + Big Band.

HEADS UP:  Two more days of the festival remain, with music on 4 stages through Sunday (4/21), including headliner Oliver Mtukudzi; FULL SHAKORI HILLS FESTIVAL SCHEDULE HERE.


Lizzy Ross fans

FRIDAY NIGHT HIGHLIGHTS: Lizzy Ross Band at Carson Grove Stage

Rocking singer-songwriter Lizzy Ross, that golden-haired dynamo, has one of the most expressive voices I've ever heard. She seems to favor badass electric guitarists as sidemen to her high-flying vocals and acoustic guitar, and I can't agree more.

Luis Rodriguez

I always enjoyed the work of Jock Pyle with her in the past, and nowadays, I am really digging the sound and fury of Graham guitarist Luis Rodriguez. Some worthy onlookers and myself think he deserves the stage handle "Rockriguez." But that's for cooler heads to decide. We were understandably caught up in the moment.



Here's what I'm talking about--Lizzy's version of Bill Withers' sexy tune "Use Me," with Tim Smith sitting in on saxophone and Rockriguez [sic] tearing up the guitar solo:




Waiting in the wings: Tim Smith

SABOR DOMINICANO: Joan Soriano in the Dance Tent


Joan Soriano

It got crazy in the Dance Tent with bachata guitarist and singer-songwriter Joan Soriano. There were brief power outtages (I counted at least three) which deterred no one. Caribbean percussion is transportable street music anyway, commanding attention without electricity. Welcome to my island.



Two new guys on tour with Joan since the Motorco appearance in Durham awhile back: one is bass player Junior "Zaa," I met the second guitarist as well but don't remember his name. I studied the güiro player again this time, but had a better view of his floor tom technique. Bum bum bum, accenting those hits in the solar plexus.


New bassist: Junior "Zaa"




Griselda's bling

Joan was whimsical in his lead guitar solos, still one cool dude with his playful, rustic charm. His brother didn't accompany this tour, but his dancing-and-singing sister Griselda poured gasolina all over it.


With an acquaintance in Joan's crew, I had the pleasure of dancing to my favorite of the tunes Griselda sings on the CD La Familia Soriano: "Hazme Tuya," a 90s pop hit for Mexican teenager Maricela. The undeniability of pop, in a punchy bachata wrapper: why resist?





WE DON'T WANT NO TROUBLE NOW: The Beast headlines Meadow Stage

The Beast + Big Band is an enjoyable, XL expansion of the jazz/hiphop quartet normally comprised of Stephen Coffman, Pierce Freelon, Eric Hirsh and Peter Kimosh.



With a string section borrowed from Lost in the Trees and a horn and added rhythm section borrowed largely from Orquesta GarDel, it felt like Earth Wind & Fire meets the Fania All Stars.


Al Strong, Andy Kleindienst (hidden), Tim Smith and Aaron Hill 



Among the special guests were trombonist Andy Kleindienst who drove in from New Jersey (where he's in music school at Rutgers), and Yomira John, a Panama City vocalist who flew in for this salsa-flavored collaboration:



The Beast "Plus" started even later than scheduled, but were still dominating the Meadow Stage when I left at 2 am.





This video capture was my favorite, a) because I am a sucker for Eric Hirsh's vocoder, and b) because it's one of those satirical songs about some crazy shit that happens on the way to a gig:



Enjoy!

Links:

SHAKORI HILLS GRASSROOTS FESTIVAL:  APRIL 18-21, 2013

LINKS: Joan Soriano Review & Interview

Bachatero Joan Soriano was at Motorco on 9/23--but rather then tell you all about it here, I'm going to save my breath and repost this live review I wrote for dP's blog, The Thread.


Photo by Lisa B.

There's this interview too, which I did by phone with Joan in the Dominican Republic.

Sierra Maestra on US Tour: DC Concert

It still feels close to miraculous to see Cuban bands touring again in the US. Sierra Maestra performed at the Artisphere ballroom (near Washington, DC) Tuesday night (7/19), with all the simple, rural majesty of the mountain range itself.


Los cantantes: Jesus Bello, Alberto Valdes, and Luis Barzaga

In person, they sound exactly like their records, which are also notable for a distinct, steadfast sound over the years. There are many son bands, but you would never mix up any other with Sierra Maestra. Due in part, I think, to their signature vocalists, but also their arrangements that feel both classic and fresh. With very little effort, they seem to be getting every ounce of vibration out of the ensemble, as if sounding all the seeds in the maraca. There's something about the amplified acoustic son band, vs. a salsa band or big band or timba band, that retains a very organic energy: skins, wood, gourd, seeds, strings, and a little metal; it's a very lively, pleasing texture. Instantly transcultural, maybe because we were all close to the land once, at some point in our history.



They played two beautiful sets, in this huge ballroom (4,000 sq. ft.) that feels intimate because of its wide orientation and low, thrust stage. There's also a viewing balcony; I'll bet the sound would have been great up there, but I stayed near the dancefloor. Nice crowd for a Tuesday night, a lot of couples and families as well as DC casineros, dancers and deejays representing.



I talked briefly to tresero Emilio Ramos, and happened to catch video of a couple of his solos. Cool style, and an interesting pickup on the instrument. In the background of these photos, you can see the two percussionists switching off on bongos; I didn't talk to them but I think they are founding member Alejandro Suarez (above) and Eduardo Rico (below). I don't know if hand drummers work harder in a son ensemble, or if you can just hear them better than you would in a salsa band, with all the horns and timbales. I wouldn't doubt it. These guys percolated hard all night, and traded hot solos on a few tunes.





After the show, Jesus Bello (above) and Luis Barzaga were nice enough to record WXDU station IDs for me on my audio recorder. Jesus was very friendly with fans and stayed in the hall during the break, and post-show, to chat and take pictures.



The youngest member, I'm sure, must be 28-year-old trompetista Yelfris Valdes. The band is known an incubator for Cuba's top trumpet talent, keeping the traditional style of son playing alive. Its former horn players include Jesus Alemañy and Julito Padron.



In back, in the rhythm section, there's a dedicated guiro player (I love that), Carlos Puisseaux, and leaning in close to the drummers, bass guitarist Eduardo Himely. Both are founding members who've been with the band since its founding in the 1970s.





The genres they played included son (fast); son (slow), which is not cha cha cha, but hardly recognized as such by dancers outside of Cuba anymore; sucu sucu ("Felipe Blanco"), a genre someone from La Isla de la Juventud once told me is native to that island; changui, from Guantanamo; and even a conga santiaguera (marking the first time in my life I actually joined in a conga line--and enjoyed it).

These rumberos, who are active in the Afro-Cuban cultural scene in DC, were taking advantage of the last exuberant song of the night. Dancers: Oscar Rousseaux (white pants), and Adrian Valdivia:



Note to local arts presenters: Sierra Maestra would be a fantastic Cuban band to build in to your next arts season, whenever they may be touring again. I guess we have to go back to Buena Vista and start from ground zero, in terms of building audience recognition for Cuban music again, but that is what makes this group a perfect segue. And, if possible, make it a DANCE and find a venue that will welcome those of us who love and honor this cultural tradition as our own, not just your high-end concert series subscribers.

For example:

COMING UP:

Duke Performances has booked Joan Soriano, "El Duque de la Bachata," into Motorco this coming September 23. Bachata, a Dominican folk form that is a direct spin-off of son, is best presented where it can be danced, as well as listened to, so kudos goes to Aaron Greenwald and his staff at DP for getting it right. Looking foward to that show.

Revolve This Thursday (9/10)

Goody! Some place new to dance in Durham: Cuban Revolution, recently opened in the American Tobacco District, across the street from the Durham Bulls Ballpark.

WHAT: Salsa Bachata Revolution (DJ'ed dance party)
WHEN: 9 pm Thursday, 9/10 - until 1 am
WHERE: Cuban Revolution Restaurant & Bar
American Tobacco Historic District
318 Blackwell Street, Durham, NC

Cost: FREE

The party is casual, there is a wood dance floor, and the kitchen will be open "all night."

Links:
July 9 Carpe Durham food blog review of Cuban Revolution

Fiesta del Pueblo, Day 2

Too much Fiesta for just one blog post. Here is some coverage from Sunday.



click on photos to see larger






The Piedmont-based Occoneechee Council of Boy Scouts of America has made it a priority to recruit more Latinos into scouting. To that end, "Scoutreach" coordinators Steve Wilson (pictured, above right), Ricardo Perez and Frank Castillo were on hand at La Fiesta to answer questions from parents and potential scouts. If you would like to volunteer, or would like to have a presentation on scouting at your next group/organization event, contact Ricardo Perez at perezr9@gmail.com or 919-990-2991, Steve Wilson at stevevickiwilson@mindspring.com or 919-606-0871, or Frank Castillo at tfcastillo@gmail.com or 919-621-3434.





As usual, La Fiesta was full of good things to eat and drink (empanadas, pupusas, tacos, and catering by places like Mami Nora's and Carmen's), and the Jim Graham Building took on a bazaar-like atmosphere full of vendors, cultural and outreach booths, artist galleries, youth activities and the Cafe Teatro stage. This is the second year for this new inside/outside space configuration, and I think it works well, offering shelter from the elements and less sprawl. There was a decent crowd watching soccer in the Dorton Arena, which is an interesting architectural space (for some reason, I'd never been inside it before beyond the lobby).

At the outside Main Stage, Sarengue got good reviews although few people were dancing in the early afternoon heat. Sarengue is from Fayetteville; some of their members are retired military. As the name suggests, their sound balances Puerto Rican and Dominican influences. Here's a video of them doing a Roberto Roena classic, "Mi Desengaño":



I spoke with guiro player Abel (handily, they all had their names embroidered on their band shirts) and he said he's rehearsing his own Dominican bachata band. Soon they are getting ready to play out under the name Bachata 01.

Sarengue & friends, please stay in touch!

Honduran headliners Kazzabe had a tropical mix of soca, reggae, punta, salsa...stage show enhanced by dancer "La Gata." Even some El Pueblo volunteers got on stage to demonstrate their punta moves, an example of the Caribbean's rich dance culture.

Here's Kazzabe performing, as "La Gata" demonstrates the value of a properly chosen white accessory:



For me, the best part of La Fiesta is seeing familiar folks and meeting new ones who are working toward common goals of cultural understanding here in the Triangle. I see many of the same volunteers working hard behind the scenes year after year. I couldn't document all the bands, dancers, artists and participants, but it was a rich field full of old friends and new discoveries.

For more information on El Pueblo's year round advocacy programs, visit their website, www.elpueblo.org.

Urban Bachata in NYT

It's an interesting phenomenon how Latino markets often run completely parallel to the mainstream Anglo music industry, united (and divided) by language demographics rather than geography.

Jody Rosen explores it in this recent New York Times profile of Anthony Santos, the Bronx-born urban bachata star of Aventura. I first heard his name about 10 years ago from my friend Milli, who said that all the jukeboxes in her Brooklyn neighborhood were playing Anthony Santos.

"As the hits have piled up, the band’s critics have been replaced by followers — American-based, pop-oriented bachata acts like Xtreme and Toby Love, a former Aventura backup singer."

[Source: "Crossover Dreams of a Bronx Bachatero," New York Times, 6/3/09]

Links:

Click here to see my coverage of Toby Love at the Lincoln Theatre this past February.

Dancing in the D.R.

Does anyone have tips on where to go dancing and/or hear live music in the Dominican Republic? This query has come in from a reader:

"We want our four days there to be very much centered around dancing and music. We're hoping to dance with the locals and experience the roots of merengue and bachata firsthand!"

Please share in the comments section!

Updates...

Ok, Salsonero suggests the "only disco grotto in the world"--with a website: Guácara Taína in Santo Domingo.

OC pal Steve seconds that recommendation ("how can you resist saying you danced in a cave?"), and adds two more:

1) La Sartén
Hostos 153
Santo Domingo
"Tiny hole in the wall salsa/merengue club where you can see mostly middle aged and up folks dancing old school. It's like going back in time 30 years. Bring hearing protection, it's loud, even out on the sidewalk, where a large part of the dancing takes place. When I was there, this place was strictly for locals, but I heard a rumor a while back that somebody was taking tourists there. Hard to imagine, but times change. This is in the old center (Zona Colonial)."

2) Kantabar Plaza Unicentro
Av. 27 de Febrero esq. Abraham Lincoln, Unicentro Plaza, Santo Domingo, Republica Dominicana
809-565-1484
"This is actually a Karaoke place, something that I'm typically not really into. Got dragged there, I thought I'd hate it, but ended up loving it. You can see ordinary folks letting their hair down and going through the classics. Looking on the web, it looks like they may have at least 2 locations now, so I hope this is the right one. Lots of dancing going on."

The many moods of Love

At the Toby Love show on Sunday, we saw both his softer and his "crunkier" side. Actually the term "crunkchata" seems a little hyped, as does calling this a "hiphop" blend. I would call it bachata romantica and draw a parallel to the commercialization of salsa romantica in the 90s. While it's true that Love's flygirls and b-boys inject "urban" Bronx-creole style and attitude, his singing comes straight from the annals of romantic R&B. Commercial bachata recordings are so smoothly tweaked nowadays that the live performance is a different experience entirely; the frenetic, in some ways mechanical, stage show devolved focus away from Love as a romantic persona, whose sexual energy onstage is more boy-band, more charming waif, than intensely hypnotic or commanding. By contrast, his rhythm section's mannish energy and muscularity is pure Dominicana, but there's nothing new about that.

This video of a bachata shows Love crafting his softer side. Without his dancers here, you can see how his band is put together and operates.


Softer side of Love from Santa Salsera on Vimeo.

Love was at his best when he dropped his romantic alter ego and turned the party crank, with some hyperactive merengue and rapidfire vocals:


Dame Agua from Santa Salsera on Vimeo.

The dance showcase that followed brought out another ancient piece of urban folklore: witty sexual hype. Here are three members of Love's crew "getting crazy":


Get Crazy #1 from Santa Salsera on Vimeo.


Get Crazy #2 from Santa Salsera on Vimeo.


Get Crazy #3 from Santa Salsera on Vimeo.

Links:

Read my concert review on the Indy online music blog SCAN
See photos from the live show posted earlier on Onda Carolina

Girlz Talk, Boys Cry

I'm not a big consumer of commercial bachata, but there is something exciting about seeing top Dominican performers and their bands live. They usually import the best guitarists and percussionists from the island. My plan tonight is to DVR the Oscars and see Toby Love at the Lincoln Theatre. There is an afterparty planned for Zydeco's.

Opening: Girlz Talk, with one of the former members of Aventura. They perform a bachata song with Love called "Tu y Yo."

Watch:
Toby Love video single, "Llorar Lloviendo"

Myspace:
Toby Love concert at Lincoln Theatre.




UPDATE: Some show photos





Links:

Read my concert review on the Indy online music blog SCAN
See videos from the show posted here on Onda Carolina

Bachata Blowout at Lincoln Theatre 2/22

Girlz Talk open for Latin Billboard award winner and "urban bachata" star Toby Love at this all ages show in Raleigh on Sunday, 2/22.

For more info, see this concert's myspace page.


LINKS UPDATE:

See recent Onda Carolina posts with my concert videos and photos

Read my concert review on Indy online music blog SCAN

Words on the Street

A little late for posting Mexican Independence Day celebrations, but Franco Gallardo y Los Charros de Mexico are at La Maraka tonight (see bottom half of poster, Monday, 9/15):



Also found this, when I was out cruising posters at the tiendas along Roxboro Road: very popular bachateros Monchy y Alexandra will be at Ambis 1 in Raleigh on Friday, 9/26:



Also, on the left there, merengue band Oro Solido, with Bachata Asurr, will be at Club Menage in Greensboro on 9/19.

If you've ever danced to bachata at all, you will have some passive recall of Monchy y Alexandra's hits. "Perdidos" and "Dos Locos" are two on YouTube that I can remember hearing in the past month. "Hoja en Blanco" (their first big hit as a duo in 1998) is the one you've probably danced to a thousand times.

A lot of Latin popular dance music is highly commercialized, which means it is both highly polished and highly recycled. It seems that, before it was a bachata, "Hoja en Blanco" was a Colombian vallenato hit for Esmeralda Orozco and Omar Geles, with Los Diablitos de Vallenato.



Finally, I saw this DIY ad for a live trio huasteco on an Oldsmobile. There were more of these number stickers in mysterious, symmetrically ordered patterns on other parts of the vehicle, as well as old AAA and Fraternal Order of Police stickers. As if a trio huasteco in Durham were not intriguing enough!