Bomba Estéreo Part Deux!

What can one possibly do on a Monday night to start off the week with a bang? Well, attend an awesome music show at an equally awesome venue.

On Monday, I rushed out of the office to meet up with a friend in Oakland and head to The New Parish to catch  Bomba Estéreo’s second time in the Bay this year. I attended as a mere spectator which happens rarely since every time I go to a show it’s all work no fun.

It has been about a month since I saw  Bomba Estéreo and this time around I was equally if not more excited than when I saw them in San Francisco. One of the reasons why I was so excited was because I would be stepping foot inside The New Parish for the first time. This venue is very special and dear to my heart because it is located in my beautiful town of Oakland, California - my town gets a bad rep among outsiders but the up-and-coming music scene, nightlife & dining is definitely worth checking out.

As soon as I arrived I was hooked, the ambiance of the place is inviting and although from outside it looks like a very small place, there is ample room to mingle with people, get drinks and even lounge around in the upstairs area surrounded with chairs and comfy couches, heck, even abundant space enough to dance (which is exactly what I did.)

As I was scoping the place, DJ Mexican Dubwiser was behind the turn tables, when his set was done, Oakland’s very own band Tokeson took center stage to pump up the crowd. I’ve heard so many great things about the band but unfortunately I had not been able to check them out live till that night. Tokeson’s set was excellent! The fuse of the accordion, the sax and Colombian cumbia brought me to my feet. They did so many excellent songs, one being a funky rendition of Colombia’s band Aterciopelados called Baracunata. After Monday night I declare myself a fan of Tokeson!

Once they left the stage, the people in attendance had to wait quite a while for  Bomba Estéreo to take the stage. I was getting a bit anxious but I knew that they were worth the wait. The band has been on tour non-stop playing at even the most random places around the Unites States like Iowa where you would not imagine that Spanish music is even being played.

When  Bomba Estéreo finally came on stage, the crowd was ready! You could hear the male fans shouting out Liliana’s name. At one point, Liliana even acknowledged one of them who shouted “Liliana, gracias por existir!” (which roughly translates to “Liliana, thanks for exisiting!” ) Liliana blew a kiss to the fan and I am pretty sure that was quite an epic moment for the lucky fan. Another fan gave him a bouquet of flowers which she happily accepted. Liliana interacted with the audience and addressed us all in English, her shy but powerful voice sounded humble and grateful.

In all, it was a fantastic night and although I only slept for about 4 hours and had to get up bright an early the next morning it was worth it!

If you have not checked out  Bomba Estéreo’s music, stop lagging! Get their album on itunes, just remember that next time they come to town it will be at a much bigger venue – the band is bound for music greatness!

Credits: Parish Entertainment Group

Rumbeando With Bomba Estéreo

Remember back in July when I told you about an up-and-coming band from Colombia called Bomba Estéreo? Well, since their performance at the Stern Grove last summer, the band has literally exploded onto the music scene. They are currently touring and fresh from their very successful performance at Coachella they stopped in San Francisco to perform at The Independent.
 
The eager fans did not mind staying up late on a Tuesday night in order to attend this spectacular show. Bomba Estéreo performed to a completely sold-out show and many people were turned away as they attempted to purchase tickets at the door the night of the event.
 
Before Bomba Estéreo took center stage, San Francisco’s very own Bayonics were in charge of opening the show, prior to this show I had known very little about this local band and needless to say I was very impressed with their hour-long set. The band members took over the entire stage and pump up the crowd with their music fuse of hip-hop, regaee & cumbia sounds. Not only was there singing but also a variety of instruments being played by the members of the band as well as choreographed moves from the rest of the guys, their contagious rhythm made you want to get up and dance.

 
In between the Bayonics performance & Bomba Estéreo’s, DJ Santero was behind the turn tables making sure people were having a great time as they sip their beers and cubas libres (a staple drink from The Independent.)

 
It was then time for Bomba Estéreo to take the stage; fans from all over the world were cheering anxious for the band to start their performance. Unlike their more earthy/outdoors performance from Stern Grove, this time the band brought in an interesting experimental sound to all of their songs. People were singing along to songs like Huepaje, Agua Sala’, Ponte Bomb & of course Fuego which made the fans go wild.
 
All throughout the show I was tweeting updates about the show and I was pleasantly surprised to receive a tweet from none other than Tomas Cookman founder of Nacional Records and who just happen to be the man who signed Bomba Estereo to Nacional Records.

 
If you were of those who missed Bomba Estereo’s show last night do not fret! The band will be coming back on May 23rd to the New Parish in Oakland.








 Credits: Nacional Records, Club Mercy

Italy & Colombia as one for a sunny-music filled afternoon

It doesn’t happen often that I get the opportunity to attend a music festival just as a spectator so whenever the chance occurs I jump right on it. This past Sunday I attended a music festival in San Francisco called Stern Grove. The festival is a yearly event which takes place every Sunday and it runs from July to the end of August, the performances from Sunday’s show completely blew my mind.

The opening act was a band from Bogota Colombia called Bomba Estéreo. They describe their sound as “electro-tropical con mucho sabor” and yes, lots of flavor is what they brought on stage, who would ever imagine that petite Liliana Saumet (the lead singer) could pump the crowd so much. Her way of freestylin’ is like something I’ve never heard before coming from a Spanish female singer.( Liliana’s style was also quite unique. I mean who rocks leggings and a bad-ass jacket with a Virgin of Guadalupe embroidered on the back.) Colombian music has always had a special place in my heart and Bomba Estéreo re-enforced my love for this country’s music. Let’s face it, even if you are not the greatest dancer, would your feet & hips not start moving if you heard:  “Que aquí viene Bomba Estéreo viene con too', chapeta, reggae music, cumbia y folklore ¡C'mon! que es un poder que es una bomba atómica, un poco de folklore con música electrónica.”  The band is currently promoting their 3rd CD titled “Blow Up” and it is a must! If you have the chance to see them live, do! You will not be disappointed.

Now, let’s move on to the headliner of the day. Let me start by saying that I think the Italian culture is one of the most captivating there is (it wasn’t in vain that I took 2 years of Italian in college.) I had never heard of Italian singer Jovanotti (Lorenzo Jovanotti Cherubini) and as he took center stage I really didn’t know what to expect, here comes this really tall-lean guy, wearing tailored black pants, a blue collared shirt and a blazer. 

Oh the surprise that was about to rejoice my ears. I have never heard a singer go from rapping, to singing in Spanish and then move on to a gorgeous love ballad called Baciami Ancora (Kiss Me Again.) I have been playing this song non-stop for the past two days. You did not have to speak Italian to just get into the groove of his music and if you were not in love, the song Baciami Ancora made you fall in love. Just look at some of the lyrics of the song: Voglio stare con te/ I wanna be with you inseguire con te/ chase with you tutte le onde del nostro destino./ all the waves of our destiny.

 

Towards the end of Jovanotti’s performance he was joined on stage by Liliana from Bomba Estéreo and the fusion of the cumbia in Spanish and the Italian sounds were simply fabulous, overall a very successful FREE festival.
I encourage you to take advantage of all the free music festivals going around the Bay Area, you just never know when you might find your next favorite band. Here’s Jovanotti’s official video for the song Baciami Ancora, ENJOY!










 

Credits: Bomba Estereo picture courtesy of Claudia Guzman
Video Credits:  Jovanotti's official youtube  http://www.youtube.com/user/lorenzojovanotti