La Casa del Ritmo: a film about Los Amigos Invisibles

I first saw Los Amigos Invisibles over 12 years ago in a little stadium in rural Ohio. It was a weird concert, and I'm not sure anybody really 'got' what they were trying to do. Since then, the Venezuelan band (now based out of NYC) has continued to push boundaries by amassing a unique body of work that defies easy categorization: it's rock, pop, funk, disco beats, verbal wordplay, sexy dance music...

But now, there is a documentary in the pipeline, La Casa del Ritmo,that will give an inside view of the band and their music. How does this connect to Charlotte? Well, the producer of the film, Juan Marin, was a member of Charlotte rock band La Rua. He became friends with Los Amigos Invisibles when they passed through Charlotte, and when he and his wife, Catalina, moved to NYC last year, the project took off.

However, the film needs help. To make it complete, the filmmakers are planning to record LAI live in concert on March 11 in New York. If you've ever seen the band play, you'll understand why- the tremedous energy of their live performances, the interaction with the audience, the way the funky bass and organ meld into the light show-all are part of telling the story of LAI. Filming this type of live show takes money, especially if you want to make it high quality (this won't be one of those shaky youtube videos with tinny sound where people keep wandering in front of the camera). So Juan is asking, and I'm passing on the word, for people to visit kickstarter, which is an online fundraising site, to check out the film preview and see if it is something you might want to support (monetarily).

Preview video



Kickstarter weblink:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/233082065/la-casa-del-ritmo-a-film-about-los-amigos-invisibl

Film Website
http://lacasadelritmo.net/

Bakalao Stars "Soundcocho"

On December 18 I returned for a whirlwind tour of Charlotte, mainly to witness the album release party for Bakalao Stars at the Neighborhood Theatre. Their new CD includes songs the band has been working on for several years; it also features two guest collaborations, 'Verde,' recorded with Itagui from Locos Por Juana while that band was in town playing the Latin American Festival in October, and 'Gitana,' with local reggae singer Ras-Congo. In the days leading up to the performance, Bakalao Stars received a heaping of local press coverage, including reviews in both Spanish and English papers.

After two months in New York spent writing up the first chapters of my dissertation, I flew down to Charlotte Friday afternoon and spent the evening catching up with friends on the latest news and gossip. On Saturday afternoon it snowed, but didn't really stick. Luckily, the bad weather didn't prevent several hundred people from coming out to see the show and celebrate with holiday cheer. I hung out for the soundcheck and then spent some time interviewing Bakalao Stars about their album.

Messing around during soundcheck.





Ultimanota, another local band that readers of this blog will be familiar with, opened up with some uptempo rock-infused tropical numbers. For the first time, I heard them cover the salsa classic 'Juanita Alemana' which had a nice groove.



Tony and Oscar jamming out.



Fans having fun.



Next Bakalao Stars took the stage dressed in red Santa costumes. After showing a promo video on the screen behind the stage, they started playing a mix of old stuff and songs from the new album.







Bakalao Stars played a full set, which intensified as the night went on. Dancers skipped around and fans sang along to songs they knew.



After a short break, the encore featured Ras-Congo, who, after prancing around the stage all night, finally took the mic and sang 'Gitana' to an attentive audience.



Many folks hung out afterwards to congratulate the band and say goodbye to Daniel, the lead vocalist, who is leaving the band after many years to study in Argentina.



Ras-Congo and Greñas show off their locks.