Suburban Kids with Biblical Names

A break from Colombian music today. Yesterday was Pablo Mayor's birthday, and a whole slew of musicians and Colombians (and Colombian musicians, too) filled his Astoria apartment for a surprise party thrown by his wife, Anna. Today I'm a little tired, the New York sky is dreary, and the apartment has no hot water, so I need a pick-me-up...

Not everybody knows this, but my other big musical obsession is with Swedish music. This year has been full of Sambassadeur, Jens Lekman, Dungen, and El Perro del Mar, and I can tell you more about them later. But today I can't stop listening to the Suburban Kids with Biblical Names, whose new CD, #3, is sure to be a great antidote to the coming winter blues. They're kind of like Jens in their oddly clever lyrics ("Any old chance I get I'm gonna marry you... Any old chance I get I'm gonna buy you stuff..."), but younger and sillier. On the goofy electro-folk-funk of "Loop Duplicate my Heart," (mp3) a song devoted to making music on a computer, they sing, "The neighbors can't complain 'cause I got my headphones on," and the killer pick-up line, "So many interesting effects, I want to try them all on you." The aforementioned "Marry Me" and "Seems to Be on My Mind" show much more maturity in terms of songwriting, with well-placed minor chords and catchy choruses. And then there's the fun "Rent-a-Wreck,"(mp3) which is perfect for bedroom dancing. Oh, and "Little Boys in the Ghetto" is a perfect album-ender for Swedish indie-popsters raised on Warren G and Nate Dogg (on Hammer Hill?).

The thing I love most about Swedish music is something I love about Colombian music, too--the mastery of the music and the sophisticated songwriting combined with a great pop sensibility. Both Colombia and Sweden have a disproportionate number of international pop stars, and their music always sounds fresh and fun. In Sweden music education begins at a very early age, and even though the Colombian education system doesn't provide the same resources, many young Colombians learn to play instruments from childhood. It's something in the culture. Oh--and they love licorice-flavored drinks, too! Well, I still haven't been to Sweden, but something tells me they would love Colombia.

We have two new bands!

Chonta Records is thrilled to announce the signing of two bands, La Cumbiamba eNeYe and Coba, who are integral members of the flourishing Colombian music scene in New York. Chonta will release La Cumbiamba’s first CD, Marioneta, in December, and Coba’s second CD will be released in early 2006.

La Cumbiamba eNeYe is the greatest crowd-pleaser of the NYC Colombian scene, which includes fellow Chonta artist, Pablo Mayor – Folklore Urbano, as well as Chesky Records singer/songwriter Marta Gomez and harp virtuoso Edmar Castaneda. La Cumbiamba’s music, built on sophisticated compositions and an ebullient live show, draws from the rhythms of Colombian folkloric music, especially from the Afro-Colombian rhythms of the country’s Caribbean and Pacific coasts. This is the same area that has spawned such international stars as Toto la Momposina, Grupo Bahia, and Cabas.

Marioneta allows fans to experience the band’s highly praised live show at home. This live show, which has moved audiences in such prestigious venues as Symphony Space, Lincoln Center Out-of-Doors, and Central Park Summerstage in New York, has won them a following among many young fans of danceable Latin music. Each show is a party, but it is also an homage to the masters in Colombia who invented and wrote many of these rhythms and songs. La Cumbiamba’s frontman, Martin Vejerano, has recorded with master musicians such as Gaiteros de San Jacinto and Jose “Guajalo” Torres.

Coba is the brainchild of composing wunderkind and guitarist Sebastian Cruz, a Colombian from Bogotá who creates beautiful songs by combining Colombian sounds with modern elements. The lyrics tend towards the personal, which gives a unique depth for Colombian music. Cruz works extensively with giants of Colombian music, such as Ivan Benavides and Lucia Pulido, who both contributed to his self-titled first album.

With these signings, NYC-based Chonta Records cements itself as a leader of the promotion of a fresh and innovative music scene that stretches from New York to Bogotá and throughout Colombia.

For more information, please contact:

Robert Kelley
Chonta Records
{contact} (at) {chontarecords} [dot] {com}

What an encuentro!

Did you know that the Encuentro was chosen by the NYPost as a "Hotpick" for this past weekend? Maybe that explains why hundreds of people showed up, filling the place by 7 p.m. and leaving it packed and overcrowded (to the point of a fire hazard--really) by the time La Cumbiamba had the place rocking a few hours later. I'm not going to tell you about all the bands, but I will say that Lucia Pulido and Coba made a stunning combination, Marta Gomez completely controlled the room for her 30-minute set, and Folklore Urbano delivered as the final act of the night, bringing the whole crowd to its feet. But really, the stunner of the night was Edmar Castañeda, whose performance on the harp was spellbinding. People around me were crying. How can someone do so much with a harp? I mean, the guy has played Carnegie Hall, but I really didn't expect this. He has a record out in a week, I'll try to find some more info on it.

But the big news is that we've signed La Cumbiamba and Coba to Chonta Records! La Cumbiamba has a CD that they've self-released, but we're in the process of remixing and remastering it right now, and we're going to re-release it within a month. And Coba's first CD will be available on our store this week, when the store goes live. And also, Sebastian Cruz, the songwriting prodigy behind Coba, will be going back into the studio early next year to put together a new album with a stripped-down sound. I'll post the press release here later.

BTW, send any e-mail to contact [at] chontarecords {dot}com. No spam!

Scooped?

We were listed on a directory of record labels, but if you look closely, you'll see that there's some news there that we haven't announced yet. The plan is to make it public tonight, at the Encuentro, and I'll have a lot more to share about it this coming week.

Also we stayed in last night working on the new website and Chonta Records Store. Now Mia just has to finish the programming, and we should be able to offer you our music directly through the internets. And it looks so good! You'll see soon enough.

Chonta Recrods getting noticed on the net

worldmusiccentral.org has a brief article announcing Chonta Records! Also, the Chonta Records Store is about to go live, I'll let you know when it does. And we've been working all day on redesigning the full, "robust" site, which will enable us to post more info about our new artists and let people learn more about us.

Review for Baile/Dance!

Spanish speakers out there can read the new review of Folklore Urbano's Baile/Dance! at laconga.org. Non-Spanish-speakers can take our word that it is a great review, and he says that the songs, "with the proper radio and marketing campaign, could be Colombian dance hits at an international level," and he predicts big stardom for lead singer Ronald Polo. He also pays some props to Chonta Records--which only puts that much more pressure on us to provide that proper marketing support, try to get these songs on the radio and in people's ears. We're not looking to create the next reggaeton here, but this is definitely music that could be popularized on a wide, wide basis.

The Encuentro is this Sunday night, read below for more details.

Afro-Colombian Podcast

Back in June Seattle's best radio station, KEXP 90.3FM, broadcast a show focusing on Afro-Colombian music, which incuds some of the old legends as well as some of the "Nueva Colombia" scene. The show is narrated by a Colombian, Federico Ardila, of the Washington University Mathematics Department. The highlights for me include my favorite, Etelvina Maldonado, as well as Toto la Momposina, Batata, Carlos Vives, Aterciopelados, Sidestepper, and the Neuva Colombia sounds of Curupira and Mojarra Electrica.

You can download the parts and listen to them like a podcast.

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4

3rd Annual Encuentro

It's that time of year again when the best Colombian musicians in New York get together and show the City the collective talent of this group of artists. The event, the 3rd Annual "Encuentro" of Colombian Musicians, takes place this Sunday, November 20, at Satalla, 37 W. 26th St., at 6:00 p.m. The show will feature short sets from a variety of artists, ranging from new acts to established stars, like Marta Gomez.

Best of all, it will be a good showcase for Chonta bands. I hope that at the Encuentro we'll be able to officially announce the addition of two bands to our roster.

Here's the line-up:


6:00 Trinidad Guitar Trio
6:30 Samurindo
7:00 Johanna Castaneda
7:15 Andrea Tierra (pictured)
7:45 Sativasur
8:15 Kosta
8:45 Coba w/ Lucia Pulido
9:15 Harold Gutierrez
9:45 La Cumbiamba eNeYe
10:15 Marta Gomez
10:45 Folklore Urbano
11:15 Edmar Castaneda

Chonta Records

It has been a while, but so much has been going on, I've decided to start writing this thing again. The big news is that in NYC we've started a new record label, Chonta Records, dedicated to Colombian and other Latin music. One of the cornerstones of this label is the young scene of Colombian artists, both in Colombia and in the U.S., who are experimenting with new, exciting sounds while at the same time paying homage to the legendary musicians of several generations ago. These bands in New York include La Cumbiamba Eneye, Coba, and Pablo Mayor - Folklore Urbano, whose second album, Baile/Dance!, is our first release. The whole NYC Colombian scene is playing Satalla this weekend--come join us, and there will be lots more to come.