Las Bomberas de la Bahía
Performance: Friday, December 4, 2009

Opening Friday night, Las Bomberas de la Bahía is the Bay Area’s first and only all-women bomba ensemble. Just entering its second year, the group is composed of Bay Area activists, educators and artists whose mission is to preserve the rich legacy of bomba. Described as a challenge between a drummer and a dancer, bomba is Puerto Rico’s oldest African-influenced music and dance tradition. Originally performed by slaves on the sugar cane plantations as a form of resistance, the dancer performs a series of gestures to which the drummer responds. Thus, it is the drummer who attempts to follow the dancer and not the other way around. Los Bomberas de la Bahía have performed their magic through the Bay Area.

http://www.myspace.com/bomberasdelabahia

Blanca Sandoval
Performance: Friday, December 4, 2009

Young singer/songwriter Blanca Sandoval will share her soulful voice and heartfelt lyrics, which have captivated audiences since her childhood. Spanning the musical horizon, Sandoval’s sound blends her bilingual roots with funk, jazz, rock, hip-hop, ska, cumbia, salsa, boleros and rancheras. You name it Sandoval does it. Born into a musical family, Sandoval’s childhood was spent singing at family shows and performing alongside such talent at Jagged Edge and Lola Beltran. When Sandoval joined forces with Roberto Zamora, the combination of her lyrics and melodies with his brilliant guitar style resulted in her first CD titled “Mi Musica” which includes “Latina y Orgullosa,” second place winner at the 2005 Festival de la Canción Latinoamericana de California and “Veneno” which won the Trofeo Univision in 2006. In addition to lead guitarist Zamora, Sandoval’s Encuentro performance will also feature drummer Mike Juarez, and bass
player Oscar Tablada.

http://blancasmusic.net/home.html

LoCura
Performance: Friday, December 4, 2009
Headliner

LoCura whose music is rooted in the flamenco styles they fell in love with during a stay in southern Spain. But LoCura doesn’t stop there as they weave a seductive mix of reggae, Cuban son and hip-hop carried by the powerful and soulful vocals of lead singer Kathy Miletich. She will be joined by Bob Sanders on guitar and vocals; Rachael Bouch-D on percussion, Isaac Weiser on Bass, Valentino on drums and dancer/singer Stephanie Narvaez. In Spain the expression ida y vuelta is used to describe the cultural influences within flamenco, which made a “round trip” from Spain to Latin America where it blended with the musical legacy of African slaves and local indigenous populations and then returned to the homeland. LoCura extends this road trip adding their unique touch with Califas Flamenkito. Moved by music that crosses borders and takes root in different lands, the LoCura sound evokes our rebel spirit.

http://www.myspace.com/locuramusica

BRWN BFLO
Performance: Saturday, December 5, 2009

The dynamic hip-hop trio known as BRWN BFLO will open Saturday night. In a world of black and white, they represent for brown — storytellers of the diverse Chicano experience and the struggles of indigenous peoples worldwide, Giant, Jacinto, Somos One and Big Dan are the perfect mix of old school and new school. The Oakland-based trio credit their community roots with keeping them grounded. When not creating change on the stage, these activist/artists are changing it up in the ‘hood through workshops on violence prevention, youth organizing, creating writing, visual arts and music production. Their highly anticipated self-titled debut album was released on Cinco de Mayo 2009.

http://www.brwnbflo.com/

Bang Data
Performance: Saturday, December 5, 2009

Saturday’s second act is the clamorous combination of Deuce Eclipse (vocals) and his new group, Bang Data, composed of Juan Caipo (drums and keys), Dave Lopez (guitar) and Marco Guzman (bass). Straight out of the Bay in early 2008, their mash-up of Latin, reggae, hip-hop and rock make the perfect canvas for Deuce Eclipse’s bilingual rhymes and melodies. With deep roots in the Bay Area’s music community, their musical journey travels from samba-ska- Cumbialandia to electro Bossanova- burg, and reaches the destination of synth bass-heavy stooges-infused beat. Bang Data is set to drop their much awaited debut CD “Maldito Carnaval” any minute now, featuring a new arrangment of Piero’s ‘70s Latin-american classic “Mi Viejo” — a tribute to all immigrant fathers. Their live performance will be edgy, energetic and contagious.

http://www.myspace.com/bangdata

Rico Pabon and De La Fé
Performance: Saturday, December 5, 2009
Headliner

Headliner Rico Pabón uses music to challenges injustices. A well-known figure in the local music scene, Pabón released his first two albums with Prophets of Rage in 1994 and 1997. Since then he has kept busy as a solo artist and as a vocalist for the Afro-Latin hip-hop band Agua Libre. His 2000 solo album, My Power, was dedicated to Puerto Rican freedom fighters. His 2003 song, Yo Naci, was featured on the acclaimed Hard Knock Records anti-war hip-hop album. No matter which musical configuration Pabón finds himself in, whether salsa or hip-hop or somewhere in between, his poetic lyrics are bound by the theme that struggle feeds beauty. Pabón is bringing his newest group, De La Fé, to the 2009 Encuentro. Boasting some of the Bay Area’s most talented young musicians, the members are Ayla Davila on bass; Camilo Landau on guitar, tres and vocals; Hector Lugo on percussion and vocals; Melecio Magdaluyo on sax and flute; Mike Olmos on trumpet; and David Flores on drums and timbales and Sandra Garcia Rivera, vocalist. Under Pabón’s direction, De La Fé draws the connections between the traditional music he heard growing up at home with the music he listened to and danced to on the streets of New York.

http://www.myspace.com/ricopabon

Encuentro del Canto Popular Emcees

Friday night’s emcee is Mission District homegirl Betty Pazmiño. This dedicated educator, with a life-long fascination for African-influenced dance and music, describes herself as "a teacher whose goal is to educate the community and teach youth about our rich cultural heritage." She is that and so much more. With nearly 30 years of teaching under her belt, most of them at César Chávez Elementary School, Pazmiño — the mother of two and the wife of none — is a newbie to stand-up comedy. Get ready to laugh with "Betty La Bella" and her tell-it-like-it-is humor about life in the Mission and beyond.

Saturday night emcees are two members — Rosa González and Luis “xago” Juarez — of headRush, the irrepressible trio of storytellers, comedians and educators. Self-defined as “a unique rush of psycho-political spoken word, teatro and popular education to ignite critical dialogue and social action” headRush is an unstoppable force.

http://www.headrushcrew.com/hR/

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