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It’s The Bomb: Stuart’s Hosting High-Energy Evening Of Latin Music
By: Mark Hellenberg
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Two highly lauded bands in the world of Latin music will be performing at Stuart's Opera House on Tuesday, April 16.
Bomba Estereo (or "Stereo Bomb," a Colombian expression for a super-cool party) is a quintet formed in Bogota in 2005 that blends hip-hop, psychedelia and electronica with traditional Colombian cumbia and champeta.
Since their American debut at South by Southwest in 2009, the band has toured the globe and headlined dance stages from Bonnaroo to the Nelsonville Music Festival. Since then, they have garnered both rave reviews and a die-hard fanbase.
"These guys have a high-energy live show," said Brian Koscho, marketing director for Stuart's Opera House. "They played an incredible late night set at the 2011 Nelsonville Music Festival and floored the audience. I'm very interested to see them play in the Opera House. I think it will be a great show."
Grupo Fantasma is another band playing Latin music that fuses the traditional with the new. The Grammy Award-winning 10-piece unit was formed in 2000 and, like Bomba Estereo, have since played major venues and festivals, from Bonnaroo and the North Sea Jazz Festival to the Kennedy Center and London's O2 Arena.
This year, the band will be releasing a DVD/CD package featuring a live performance in their hometown of Austin, Texas, as well as a studio project produced by Steve Berlin of Los Lobos.
"Grupo Fantasma is the real deal," said Koscho. "They've been called 'Latin funk masters' by USA Today and I think that's a good description."
Opening Tuesday's show will be DJ Self Help. Self Help (aka Danny Johnson) got his start as a DJ in Athens and now resides in Cleveland, where he regularly draws large crowds with his multi-genre mix of dance music.
The concert will be free of charge for OU students, thanks to help from Ohio University's Performing Arts Series.
"We're excited to partner with OU on this show and offer a limited number of free tickets to students," said Koscho. "Students can call to reserve their tickets at 740-753-1924, then bring a student ID to the show. It's a great way to get OU students out to Stuart's and Nelsonville."
As an added bonus, Stuart's is offering up 50 free tickets for Nelsonville Music Festival ticket holders. Once those tickets are gone, remaining tickets will be reduced to $10 for NMF ticket holders. Those interested should also call in advance.
Tuesday's show time is 8 p.m. Visit www.stuartsoperahouse.org for more information.