“If My Spanish Was Better this Would Be a Cooler Headline”

I’ve always been taken by South American sounds. Whether it’s cha cha cha, bossanova, or a boleras, the chirpy voices, the sad strings, and the ever soulful boom of an upright bass brings me to the vacant farmland in Colombia that I’ve never visited but somehow ache for. Las Rubias Del Norte evokes a dreamy quality that, especially from the backroom at Barbes is Brooklyn, blurs any sense of the digital age. As Emily Hurst and Alyssa Lamb serenade in Spanish and French, as the warm guitar tone spreads, suddenly we all could be in Santa Marta, sipping canelazo, only thinking about where we might want to dance, and forgetful of our cellphones.

Tonight at Drom (Avenue A btw 5 & 6) they open for Chicha Libre, a similarly Latin-inspired band with a twangy, surfer sound. It’s their cd release show, so the energy level, and the crowd, will be all out. So, if you’re looking for a little respite from the bottle service lifestyle—or you’re just ready to expand your musical roots—let Panamericana seep into your soul for a while. You won’t be sorry.