Saturday 22 April 2006
Somewhere between indie and pop, between the traditional and progressive falls the Latin rock group Palo Viejo. In three short years of existence, Palo Viejo has developed into one of the premier Latin rock bands in the southeastern United States. Playing a unique and eclectic style of music, Palo Viejo collides several traditionally separate genres to create something new and fresh. With songs that could be described as anything from ska-rengue to salsa-rock, Palo Viejo is forging new territory in the Latin music genre while at the same time remaining dedicated to making great music.
The uniqueness of Palo Viejo is due in large part to the diversity of its members. Front woman, Angelina de los Rosarios Lopez, is a native of the Dominican Republic along with drummer Raymundo Castillo and percussionist Hector Ortega. Guitarist Paul Catledge Vega hails from New Orleans while keyboardist Alex Olea Nasralla is from Chile and bassist Josué Ramirez is from Honduras. The musical influences of the band are wide ranging, including The Police, Los Fabulosos Cadillacs, Juan Luis Guerra, and Soda Stereo, among others.
Palo Viejo is continuing to garner positive reviews and feedback from industry insiders and general public alike. ¡Boom!, a nationally published magazine devoted to alternative Latin music, described Palo Viejo as the “sound you can’t describe but you know you dig it”. They were also voted the ‘#1 Must See’ band by the regional publication ‘The Legacy’. The bilingual newspaper ‘Vocero News’ of New Orleans, stated simply “…this band is the best latin sound in this area…”.
The Michael Foster Project has been a long standing group in the Baton Rouge area. The group, led by bassist Michael Foster, has featured some of the most talented musicians in and around the Baton Rouge area. Starting at Southern University in the late 80’s, Foster envisioned a group that would showcase the talent of Southern University Musicians. This group would last through the 90’s and would bring in talent such as Simon Lott, Chris “The Katt” Lee, Doug Gay, Emanuel “Smiley” Turnipseed, John Gray, Quamon Fowler, Maurice Brown, and a host of others.
D.J. Otto