LOCOS POR JUANA

FRI JULY 19 / 8PM

Two-time Grammy nominated Locos Por Juana bring their acclaimed cross-cultural take on Afro-Caribbean Music and electrifying onstage dynamism to Artisphere on Friday, July 19 and will be joined by celebrated local Latin fusion band The Empresarios and DJ Mafe (Maracuyeah). This line-up will transport DC-area audiences to the beach for a hot and tropical dance party. The show begins at 8:00 PM at Artisphere in Arlington, VA.

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Locos Por Juana

Based in Miami, Locos Por Juana’s sound is a distinct one, drawing from the members’ diverse backgrounds. The heart and soul of their hybrid style emanates from Colombia. The nucleus of the band, vocalist Itagui Correa and drummer Javier Delgado were born in Colombia and guitarist Mark Kondrat is Miami-born of Colombian descent. “Music chooses you before you choose it,” says Kondrat. “One way or another, we chose this path or it chose us, and it’s a fire and it just makes sense for us. We really feel music is a powerful weapon…Like Bob Marley used to say, it’s a conscious party, we’re gonna make you dance, but give you some messages.” Correa, Delgado and Kondrat are joined by trombonist Lasim Richards and percussionist Carlos Palmet, and at times as many as five to seven guest musicians may join the band onstage.

Locos por Juana released their first two albums with independant Salsa Label, Musical Productions (MP) Records. The first album, self-titled, was released in 2003 and nominated to Los Premios Nuestros for “Best Urban Album.” Their second release, Musica p’al Pueblo, was nominated to the 2005 Latin Grammy Awards for “Best Rock/Alternative Album.” In 2007, Locos por Juana signed with Universal Musica and released the critically acclaimed, American Grammy Nominated album, La Verdad in 2008. The band went on an East and West coast American tour in support of the release which followed with a Summer European Festival Tour. In 2010, Locos por Juana returned with a new independently released EP titled, Evolucíon which took them to Bogota, Colombia when the album was nominated to Los Premios Shock for “Best Alternative Album.”

The Empresarios

Locos Por Juana will be joined by locally-based band, The Empresarios whose sound is best described as “Tropicaliente.” Each and every time the Empresarios take the stage, there is a lively party that forms on the dance floor. Mixing together the warm sounds of the Caribbean comes with ease for this group of talented musicians. Band leader Javier Miranda and lead singers Frankie Rosado and Felix Perez all hail from Puerto Rico, which comes through in the band’s unique blend of salsa, reggae, cumbia, dub and house. With several U.S. tours and numerous solid releases under their belts, the Empresarios’ global fan base is growing with the help of their album title track “Sabor Tropical” placed prominently on EA Sports’ FIFA 2012 video game.

DJ Mafe

Opening up the evening is DJ Mafe from the Maracuyeah DJ Collective. In an effort to support touring artists playing new, tropical music creations, Started by Mafe and rAt, Maracuyeah is a project that remixes cultures, with a “mixtape-style Pan-Latin-to-the-Future sound” that shakes crowds, and blends traditional and popular tropical rhythms they grew up with. Their sets feature everything from vintage chicha recordings, synth and rock en español, electro cumbia remixes and tropical bass bangers.