On Saturday, January 31, 2004, the grounds of Lynchburg, Va. are covered with a glazy hard shell of snow that beautifully captures every light in town. A chilly breeze blows, and pedestrians hurry into the doors of The Ellington, a large, white, history building sitting in the heart of downtown. Inside The Ellington is a different world as Bio Ritmo plays its sizzling salsa and the dance floor fills with cheerful dancers who soon begin sweating and wishing they were wearing lighter clothing. But this is Virginia after all. This is Virginia in January. But who is this band called Bio Ritmo?

Formed in 1991, "just wanting to jam these rhythms," as lead singer and composer Rai Alvarez puts it, Bio Ritmo has explored different sounds within salsa, released four albums and shared the stage with top-notch artists such as Celia Cruz, Tito Puente, Albita, Cafe Tacuba, and the Dave Matthews Band.

In 1998 they signed a contract with a major record label and traveled to almost every state in the country. But as Bob Miller, trumpet, coros, arranger, says, "we had a completely different sound then...

You know, there was a major record label involved, and they had something in mind for us..."

This year, with their new, self-titled release, Bio Ritmo proudly returns to the band's original idea of salsa jamming to the classic salsa sounds they and their fans enjoy. "This recording," says Bob, "we did completely for ourselves. We knew from the beginning that we were going to put it out ourselves so we wouldn't have to answer to anybody."

The album's eight tracks, written and arranged by the band's members, as well as the CD artwork and design, also created by Bio Ritmo, speak clearly about the group's talent and originality.

Even in tonight's show, we can tell this sophisticated-looking band is different from any other salsa band out there. The main presence on stage, Rai Alvarez, wears dress pants, a blue shirt, tie, and a vest, as he performs his excellent compositions and plays the guiro. But "Justin" Riccio with shaved head, goatee, designer suit and dark sunglasses, almost steals the show dancing and hopping, banging the timbales, and totally enjoying himself. Pianist Marlysse Simmons (the only female in the group) with her delicate petite built brings out some heavy-duty notes. Conga player "Gabo" Tomasini, the president of Bio Ritmo inc., puts a lot of the Afro flavor into the mix. And then the horn section comprised of Bob Miller, Tim Lett, Tobias Whitaker, and Stefan Demetriades delivers an excellent performance as they move their bodies side to side, conjunctively, to the rhythms of the music.

Overall, the sense of camaraderie reins on the platform. One can tell how much they enjoy performing together. Throughout the show, Bio Ritmo's musical force pumps up the crowd, which keeps dancing all night. At the end of the show as we walk back into the desolate, cold streets of Lynchburg, Va. we experience culture shock. Bio Ritmo, with its modern approach to salsa is not only revolutionizing the traditional rhythm, but also raising the temperature in this part of the world.