Friday, September 28
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Ely Guerra is one of the most original and arresting musicians Mexico has produced since the late 80s, when Spanish-language rock bands began turning to native traditions for inspiration. Her most recent album, the gorgeous Lotofire (EMI, 1999), has inexplicably failed to see release in the U.S., even though it was recorded in New York with a raft of well-known musicians, including guitarists Marc Ribot and Chris Whitley, bassists Melvin Gibbs and Greg Cohen, and violinist Eyvind Kang. The fire of Mexican bolero flickers within Guerra’s cool, breathy singing, which reflects the rhythmically breezy Brazilian pop music she grew up with–her father was a professional soccer player and discovered the music through his teammates. Both on record and live (I saw her perform in March at South by Southwest) Guerra likes to keep things at a slow simmer. Beats both acoustic and programmed and subtle electric guitar filigree drop in and out of the mix, making the moments at which she chooses to raise the intensity all the more effective. But her sense of dynamics is far more sophisticated than the Nirvana-esque soft-loud game, with every piece of the instrumentation meticulously arranged to give the impression that the music emanates from her rising and falling emotions. Her songs are filled with surprises, like the way the phrase “lonely nights, lonely nights” appears out of the blue to ride the pretty, slow-drag funk on “Tengo frio” home, or the shift from big rock drumming to shuffling drum ‘n’ bass-like beats on “Abusar.” If an American record company ever gets smart enough to release her music, Guerra will have as much potential as anyone to test how big of a hurdle language really poses for the pop audience.
9 pm | Ilgi
Noon | Ilgi
Old Town School of Folk Music ($10)
8 PM | Funkadesi
Sunday, September 30
