Chicha Libre Brings Amazonian Grooves To A Concrete Jungle Near You

Chicha Libre is a Brooklyn-based band that's revived a bewitching brew of psychedelic music, Amazonian soundscapes, and a kind of Cumbia called Chicha. This little-known hybrid was once popular in the Amazonian frontier towns of Peru and quickly spread to the capital of Lima where it became the music of choice for the mostly indigenous migrant population of the 1970s. Chicha Libra has transcended locality by stretching the limits of this rare Cumbia off-shoot. And why not? It's part of the original Chicha's DNA. On the band's debut Sonido Amazonico (Barbés Records), released March 25th, there's a cross-pollination of instruments that include wah-wah guitars, a rare Hohner Electravox which has a lo-fi sound similar to that of the Farfisa organs favored in the '70s, the ukulele-like Venezuelan cuatro, Brazilian percussion, and a "baby bass" -- the popular electric upright preferred by many Latin dance bands. It's the Amazonian jungle filtered through a NYC urban jungle and you can catch the latest metamorphosis live at DROM Nightclub on 8th Ave. A (b/w 5th and 6th) on April 4th. Other live dates will follow:

04/19/2008, Sat
Brooklyn, NY
Glasslands Gallery, 146 Kent bet 1st and 2d.
Tix: $10, Doors Open: 9 pm,
For more information please call 718 599-1450

04/25/2008, Fri
Washington DC
The Velvet Lounge, 915 U Street
Tix: $8.00, Doors Open: 9 pm, Show: 10 pm
Ages 21+ Call 202-462-3213 for more information

04/26/2008, Sat
Richmond, Virginia
Capital Ale House Music Hall, 623 East Main Street
Tix: $10.00 - 12.00, Doors Open: 9 pm, Show: 10:15 pm
Call 804-780-2537 for more information

05/23/2008, Fri
New York City, NY
Joe's Pub, 425 Lafayette St
Tix: $15.00, Show: 7 pm
Also performing Les Sans Culottes -For more information please call Joe's Pub at 212-539-8777.

07/02/2008, Wed
Montreal, Quebec
Montreal Jazz Festival
Check website for more information