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Bio Tirmo brings old-school salsa to new listeners
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Danville Register & Bee (Danville, VA), Bio Tirmo brings old-school salsa to new listeners >>
Inspired by BioRhythm music from the 1970s, Bio Ritmo hopes its new self-titled CD will 'strike an honest chord with Latin music lovers.’
Bio Ritmo, a new salsa clasica band, is coming to Floyd on Friday to play at the Sun Theater. Show times are 9:30 p.m. and 11 p.m. Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 the day of the show. Tickets may be purchased by calling (540) 745-6340. Bio Ritmo is about as far away as possible from the common perception of salsa music – the matching silk shirt and suits, the same cover tunes of the latest Latin pop hits, and a showy presence that sometimes over shadows the music. Bio Ritmo is Rei Alvarez on voice and guiro, Giustino “Justin” Riccio on timbales and coros, Gabriel “Gabo” Tomasini on congas, Marlysse Simmons on piano and wah-pedal, Cameron “Raul” Ralston on bass, Bob Miller on trumpet and coros, Tim Lett on trumpet, Tobias Whitaker on trombone and Stefan Demetriadis on bass trombone and beat-boxer. In addition, Alvarez and Riccio compose and write many of the lyrics for the band. The members of the band play Latin music for the pure joy of the sound. “They play the traditional Latin music,” said promoter Mike Hicks. “They find the popular Latin music a little cheesy.” “In fact, the Web site dedicated to Bio Ritmo has several comments from band members stating their philosophy. “We’re lactose intolerant,” Riccio said on Bio Ritmo’s Web site. “We are very averse to cheesy salsa. There is not a lot of new stuff we can stand. It’s all watered down.” The band members hope the music they play will strike an honest chord in Latin music lovers. “Turn on a Latin pop station and you hear the same kind of lyrics over and over – casual romance, inconsequential subject matter,” Alvarez wrote on the band’s Web site. “Anything just to make a hit that won’t make people think too hard. Most of the songs you hear now lack the individuality and sense of lyrical purpose that classic Latin music is know for. They’re just tunes for the apathetic masses to bob their heads to.” Bio Ritmo is promoting its new, self-titled, self-released CD as part of the tour. The musicians are hoping to produce a sound that encapsulates the general aesthetic concept of salsa clasica, with a modern twist. “Ever since the salsa romantica of the ‘80s, the pop-ifying and watering down of the music has just gotten worse,” Alvarez continued on the Web site. “The Golden Age is gone. We’re not pioneering a new music or anything amazing like that, but I think we’re doing a nice job at writing new, original material in the classic style we love so much.” Bio Ritmo was inspired for the Bio Rhythm musical influence of the 1970s. The group was formed by Jorge Negron of Richmond in 1990. When Negron approached Jim Thomson with the idea of building a drum band with a Latin sound, they began seeking out musicians. The group performs most of the songs in Spanish. Alvarez and Riccio said they write the songs using the Spanish language as poetry. Alvarez said, “…Spanish is such a poetic language that things come out poetically. I try to paint pictures within my songs, with the hope of creating something beautiful enough to be timeless.” Riccio added that much of the allure of salsa music is the word play. “Guaracha (probably the one Latin rhythm that salsa is closes to in song structure) has a real sarcasm and wit to it,” Riccio said on the Web site. “We try to do that in our songs. Rei uses a lot of double meanings and interesting sarcasm. This is not the case with modern salsa romantica – what you usually hear on Latin pop stations.” The salsa band will be touring the East coast this summer, including the sop in Floyd. CATHY KOPLEN 04/29/04
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