It doesn’t seem to be a coincidence. In recent weeks, we have announced the different avant-garde cumbiera groups that have been visiting Southern California, which seems to indicate the existence of a renewal movement that is not limited to a single Latin American country.
And although Son Rompe Pera -who performed at Alex’s Bar in Long Beach after passing through Coachella-, Black Rooster Sound -which was presented at the same Alex’s on December 31- and Karen and The Remedies -which was at the Lodge Room on January 18- came to our shores representing Mexico City, what is coming from the same musical side tips the balance towards the original territory of the genre, that is, the Colombian nation.
The most immediate corresponds to the show that will be offered on March 9 at The Echo (1822 W Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90026), and which will be headed by La Perla, a Bogota combo made up of Karen Forero, Giovanna Mogollón and Diana Sanmiguel who, despite respecting traditions, has chosen to combine them with modern contributions that reflect her own identity.
Placing themselves within the topic of “new Colombian music,” the members of the combo claim to have been in contact for a long period of time with the teachers of the school they practice through the informal folklore meetings that take place in their city, and which are usually called “wheels”.
After winning the prize for the amateur category at the National Bagpipe Festival that takes place on the Colombian coast thanks to the interpretation of classical pieces, and having thus become the second all-female band to triumph in the prestigious contest, Forero , Mogollon and Sanmiguel began to create their own songs, maintaining the percussion format (using drums and seeds) and adding elements of hip-hop and beatboxing.
The preparation was long, but finally, in 2022, after publishing several singles, they managed to release their first album, “Callejera”, which also includes contributions from merengue and champeta, and which, unlike cuts of rural origin, cater to urban themes that, in many cases, are connected to social interests worthy of consideration.
Another photo of the band.
(Maria Alejandra Villamizar)
That is the case of “Bruja”, which achieved notoriety after being included in the Netflix original series “Siempre Bruja” (“Always a Witch”), and which seems to speak of the unfair persecution suffered by women who have decided challenge conventional norms; from “El Sol”, which is dedicated to the farmers who are experiencing hardships in our countries, and from “La Selva”, which demands the respect that the Amazon deserves.
It is, in the end, a proposal that is as vibrant on the rhythmic and vocal level as it is combative on the level of messages, and that you will be able to appreciate live if you attend the aforementioned concert by The Echo, where the three Bogota natives will share the stage with Susobrino, an electronic artist and DJ of Bolivian descent who appeals to the sounds of his ancestors in order to generate a unique style.
The next visit to the coffee country that is going down similar paths is that of Los Piranas, the celebrated instrumental supergroup made up of Eblis Alvarez (from Meridian Brothers), Mario Galeano (from Frente Cumbiero and Ondatrópica) and Pedro Ojeda (from Romperayo and Sidestepper). This presentation will take place on April 11 at The Lodge Room (104 N Ave 56, 2nd floor, Los Angeles, CA 90042), and there will be an opportunity to talk about it in more detail.