Friday 12.18.09: VERY BE CAREFUL / SERGIO MENDOZA Y LA ORKESTA @ echo

Very Be Careful || Listen

At first glance, Very Be Careful hardly lends itself to cross-generational accessibility. Its five Angelenos part ways with the music taste of most urbane thirtysomething musicians by playing a traditional form of Colombian folk music called vallenato. To the uninitiated, this music, the name of which literally translates to “born in the valley,” sounds like a sun-soaked, country cousin of Colombia’s popular dance music, cumbia. Since 1997, the group has independently released five albums, each filled mostly with cover songs, that channel the sound and texture of early vallenato recordings. Meanwhile, the quintet just finished Salad Buey, its sixth record and first of all original material. This output would make sense for traditional Colombian troubadours or nostalgic Latin Rock stars, but not really for a bunch of guys who are often mistaken for an indie-rock band. Yet, along the way, the group has made fans of artists like Joe Strummer and the Kronos Quartet.

Yet, considering that a fair amount of its audience does not understand Spanish, the attraction to VBC is clear—the beat is undeniable. Which perhaps explains why the proverbial dance floor accompanies each of the band’s performances, be it in a hotel basement or at a street festival, at a cramped club or an outdoor rock festival. Neither setting nor language can hinder Very Be Careful’s ability to set a sea of bodies and souls in motion. And really, what’s more universal than that? – Paste Magazine

with:
Sergio Mendoza Y La Orkesta

Plus DJs:
Patrick Miller
La Dukesa

Live Silkscreening by HIT + RUN

8:30pm / $10 / 18+