Description
Virada Studio presents
Samba Tonk
and
Michele Castro
Friday, May 29
Doors open at 7pm
Music starts at 7:30pm
Samba Tonk is both an ensemble and an emerging genre, blending elements of American folk and bluegrass with the rich rhythmic palette of Brazil. Just as Bossa Nova introduced Brazilian sounds to American audiences in the 1960s, Samba Tonk brings an American sound to a Brazilian beat, creating a vibrant, cross-cultural sound that connects with the audience in a new way.
Antonio Lopez is a quiet man with something to say. His music is like an onion, each layer revealing more. His adept guitar work and composition skills are never used in a showy way but rather like the spices in a home-cooked meal. The result is a feast of emotions that delight the listener. His sound is modern folk rock with marimba swells and swooning fingerstyle guitar over a rock-solid rhythm section. Through the lens of his indigenous Chicano roots, Lopez speaks many truths with gentle precision. Rather than tell the listener what to feel or think, Lopez invites you to see yourself reflected in the lyrical stories created by the music. He holds degrees in guitar performance and music composition from Adams State University. Antonio Lopez is a Colorado native from Alamosa and now resides in Longmont.
Ian Brighton is a versatile multi-instrumentalist with a range spanning jazz, funk, Americana, Country, Bossa Nova, and Samba. Specializing in woodwinds, keyboards, and Brazilian percussion, Ian has collaborated across genres and performed with numerous groups including DeVotchKa, The Motet, Samba Dende, Ginga, Fara Tolno, and Bonnie and Taylor Sims to name just a few. With roots immersed in the vibrant world and folk music scene of Boulder County, Colorado, Ian’s musical journey is informed by a cross-pollination of influences that create a one-of-a-kind sound. Currently, Ian performs with Michele Castro, the Antonio Lopez Band, and leads his own ensemble, Samba Tonk.
Michele Castro, Brazilian Singer and guitarist show is rich, powerful and expressive. She hails originally from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. As vocalist and guitarist, she began to play internationally when invited to perform two tours of Germany with a Choro/Samba band as lead singer. Michele draws inspiration from a number of artists, Elis Regina and Rosa Passos have influenced her work the most. She is a very accomplished singer, composer and instrumentalist and her vocal repertoire includes Samba, Bossa Nova, Brazilian Pop & Rock, MPB (Musica Popular Brasileira), Choro and Forró. She also plays a variety of Brazilian percussion instruments.
Raoul Rossiter began playing the drums in 1985 – some highlights in his musical life include: meeting and performing Brazilian with Mitchell Long (6 years); recording an album with Sonya Valet, and playing with Renée Marie in her band No Maintenance. Recently he has performed with Brazilian artists Casuarina, Moyseis Marques, Ronaldo Andrade, Paula Santoro, and Alessandro Penezzi and locally with Kenny Walker, Bill Kopper, Erik Deutsch, Marguerite Juenemann, Dexter Payne, Diane French, Tina Marx, Ligeia Mare, and many others.
Carl Dixon teaches percussion at the University of Colorado-Boulder, and is the Musical Director of the Boulder Samba School. Carl is the Principal Percussionist of the Central City Opera, percussionist with Opera Colorado, and has performed with the Colorado Symphony, Colorado Ballet, Boulder Philharmonic, and Colorado Springs Philharmonic orchestras, many musical theater productions, and several samba schools, blocos, and bands in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Carl founded Virada Studio, a music studio for rehearsal, teaching, and performance and operates Virada Drums, a company that imports and distributes authentic quality percussion instruments from Brazil.
