Latingrass

October 25, 2018 9:19 PM

Che Apalache is a bluegrass band from Buenos Aires.

They can cover the classics. They can harmonize the gospel and take on politics.

The real fun is their latingrass, a blend of bluegrass and Latin American folk styles: try María, Pa' Mi Pana Banu, Prisionero or jump in with both feet with a full Kennedy Center Millenium Stage performance.

posted by peeedro (6 comments total)

thanks for this lovely thing. if i had any feelings left, i would be feeling them now.
posted by wibari at 12:34 AM on October 26, 2018

I got to see these guys at a living room concert here in Atlanta. They were great! And nice people too.
posted by snwod at 4:41 AM on October 26, 2018

Back in August the were featured on All Things Considered on NPR. I was taken with their sound right away. Fantastic group, I love this kind of folk fusion.
posted by MrBobaFett at 8:24 AM on October 26, 2018

These guys are legit! Even their more Latin-influenced stuff still reminds me of modern newgrass bands like the Punch Brothers and some of David Grisman's weirder stuff. I think my expectations were a bit colored by Eddy Navia's Tiahuanaco Bluegrass. I'm really liking this!
posted by piedmont at 5:20 AM on October 27, 2018

Saw them at Clifftop this year. Great band.
posted by sonascope at 7:56 PM on October 27, 2018

They are technically impeccable. I still can't help be leery about how the bandleader wants the affinities between styles (which they navigate ably as musicians) to do political work that it can't quite do. At the end of the day, it's still the vision of a highly skilled musician who lived abroad, rather than a coming together of styles with broader cultural resonance.
posted by umbú at 8:40 AM on October 29, 2018