Quinto Sol Bio
Last Week I put up Upground's bio and pictures, and videos and whatnot, so this week I'm dedicating some blogspace to Quinto Sol, starting with their Bio. Seeing as their website is still down, if you want to find out information about them, you can check here, or at their myspace page, which is http://www.myspace.com/quintosol
Music can be contagious, inspiring, and poignant. Quinto Sol (QS), or Fifth Sun, caries that type of emotion and sound - deeply rooted in community and roots music - from the Americas, to the Caribbean and Africa. Having emerged from the artist/activist community of East Los Angeles in 1994, Quinto Sol is roots-reggae at its core, woven seamlessly with Latin rhythms like cumbia, rumba, and son. A six piece band, Quinto Sol is a collective of musicians, inspired to use music as a tool for awareness of socio-political and economic issues facing their community; they do this by translating their own urban realities in every day life and the struggles of indigenous communities in the world, through conscious lyrics and powerful live performances. Nine years after the band's inception, Quinto Sol releases their second independent album and first national release, Barrio Roots. Produced by and arranged by the QS band, and engineered by Johnny Alvarez and Mizraim Leal, the band's lead vocalist and guitar player, Barrio Roots documents music from a period that helped shape what is known today as the East L.A. arts "scene"; a contemporary Chicano-inspired arts movement where, incidentally bands like Quetzal and Ozomatli emerged and grew to international popularity. "It starts here," says Javier Villalobos, the drummer and backbone of the band. "Home, East L.A. or L.A. ... planting that seed that let's everyone know where they come from and where they are headed - don't forget your roots and culture….we're just trying to give something back that's positive." From the roots-reggae song, "Mexica Tiahui", to the up-tempo cumbia/salsa jam, "Tocani" and the reggae/cumbia/salsa mix "Sangre", Quinto Sol takes you on a world beat tour unlike any reggae band around in the music circuit. Having performed with artists, such as: The Wailers, Third World, Inner Circle, Steel Pulse, Eek-A-Mouse, Maldita Vecindad, Jaguares, Malo, Ozomatli, Poncho Sanchez, Puya, Todos Tus Muertos and others, QS's fan base is as diverse as the musical fusion they produce and the bands with whom they've shared the stage; from L.A. to Mexico City and even Japan.
Band Members:
MIZRAIM LEAL (lead vocals, guitar ,producer,ingeneer), Javier Villalobos (drums), Martin Perez (bass), Cesar Villalobos (keyboards), Abel Gonzalez (sax), Armando Padilla (lead guitar). MANDO GONZALES (CONGAS) BERNIE BRAN(PERCUSSIONS/toys)Sal magallon (timbales )aditional musicos Willie huitzil reyez(drums/perc)Mark Spiller(drums )Jeremy Park (keys)David Ortega(congas/bongo) TEZOZOMOC(POETRY/SPOKEN WORD)
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