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Volume 7 No. 48
Friday, December 2, 2016
Sharing Latin music
Andres Palma takes the floor to dance a traditional Chilean dance, which is based on the mating dance of a chicken, at the Andino Suns concert in Watrous on Nov. 26. Palma, along with band mates Andres Davalos, and Christian Moya were all born on the prairies but are sons of political Chilean exiles who escape a Fascist dictatorship so the band is a way for the members to honour their Latin American roots. See page 10 for the full story. photo by Becky Zimmer By Becky Zimmer Journal Editor Andres (Andy) Davalos lucked out when he was putting together Andino Suns. The group is currently on tour through Organizations of Saskatchewan Arts Councils and was in Watrous on Nov. 26 promoting their third album, Madera, and performed their traditional Latin American sound for a full house. The prairie born front man, who is also the son of a Chilean political exile, was looking to get back to his roots of Latin American music and he was lucky enough to find others who felt the same, especially members who could sing in Spanish, play traditional instruments and dance traditional dances. Culture and language is not a barrier between the band and the audience, says Davalos, but opens up a unique way of connecting with them. This uniqueness in sound brings something different to Saskatchewan. It is a niche that Davalos says means very little competition for them since not a lot of bands go the world music route. “We get to play a lot of shows because people are seeking
something different.” This uniqueness was also something that the Watrous Arts Council wanted to bring to Watrous when they saw Andino Suns at the OSAC Showcase, says Bobbi Crittenden. “It’s something we don’t have here but it’s so pure and so beautiful when you listen to the music.” A sound like Andino Suns is something you would hear on vacation, says Crittenden, so it is almost like it takes you away without actually leaving Watrous. “This is the perfect example of something we never hear and see on our radios and TVs.” Even though the band calls Saskatchewan home, this tour has been an adventure in small town Saskatchewan, says Davalos. “When you’re stuck in Regina, you think got to go to the gigs in Manitoba, we’ve played in Winnipeg, Calgary, Vancouver, we’ve been to the east coast and Kansas. But this tour, we’ve been dropped into small town Saskatchewan and we’ve found amazing gems.” Small town Saskatchewan shows are filled with attentive, gracious people who are so welcoming, says Davalos. “That part is an amazing experience connecting with Saskatchewan. We city folk don’t venture out much.” Davalos says they built the band from jamming in the
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living room to striving to be better. After every set, Davalos says that they have a 30 second talk about where they went wrong and how to get better. “That constant seeking of perfection makes me want to continue to do this.” The rhythms and the instrumentation with charango and the quena gives the Andino Suns that Latin American feel, specifically, says Davalos, Andean music from countries that run along the Andes Mountains, like Bolivia, Peru, Argentina, Chile, and Ecuador. Minus the drummer of the band, Justin Hauck, other members Andres Palma and Cristian Moya have one unfortunate commonality; they are sons of Chilean political exiles who escaped to Canada. Davalos’s nephew, Antonio, is also a member of the band so he has ties to Chile through his grandfather. Davalos’s father was imprisoned for 18 months for being a professor at a southern Chilean university who supported democracy in the times of a Fascist dictatorship in 1973. “People who were sympathizers of the (elected) government were in trouble, they were being sought after, especially intellectuals and teachers and people who could spread the message of democracy.” That is how they arrived on the prairies and they never left, says Davalos.
Music
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