Las Cafeteras
ESCONDIDO–The California Center for the Arts, Escondido will present Las Cafeteras February 19 in the Center Theater.
Las Cafeteras fuses the unique sound of East LA with Afro-Mexican rhythms, zapateado, and powerful lyrics. The group was born in the streets of Los Angeles’ concrete jungle and their songs tell stories of a community seeking love and fighting for justice. Las Cafeteras are available for interviews upon request.
Since 2008, Las Cafeteras’ singular music has been documenting the history of their Los Angeles neighborhoods. The group consists of seven musicians: Annette Torres (Marimbol, Zapateado), Daniel French (Vocals, Jarana, Zapateado, MC), David Flores (Requinto), Denise Carlos (Vocals, Jarana, Zapateado, Glockenspiel), Hector Flores (Vocals, Jarana, Zapateado), Jose Cano (Cajon, Flute, Requinto, Harmonica) and Leah Rose Gallegos (Vocals, Quijada, Zapateado). They started as students of the Eastside Café; a Zapatista inspired community space in East Los Angeles and it was there they found inspiration by the culture, storytelling and poetic music of San Jarocho, a traditional style of music from Veracruz, Mexico. Having a major impact on the group, the Eastside Café inspired their band name, and in honor of women, they challenged masculine language by feminizing their name by way of Las Cafeteras (instead of Los Cafeteros).
Las Cafeteras’ infectious live performances have taken the Los Angeles music scene by storm. They’ve crossed genre and musical borders while playing alongside Mexican icons Caifanes, Colombian superstar Juanes, Los Angeles legends Ozomatli, Lila Downs, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, and Talib Kweli. Their debut album, It’s Time, received national and international acclaim through features on BBC, NPR, KCRW and the Los Angeles Times.
The Center is located at 340 N. Escondido Blvd. in Escondido. Call the ticket office at (800) 988-4253. Tickets can also be purchased online at www.artcenter.org.
