Locos Por Juana, a Grammy-nominated Latin band from Miami, will perform Wednesday in Austin and Rochester, and Thursday on the First Avenue stage of Thursdays on First and Third in downtown Rochester.
The band's performances are part of the World Music Series sponsored by Riverside Concerts , the concert-promoting arm of Rochester Civic Music.
Locos Por Juana consists of Itagui Correa on vocals, Mark Kondrat on guitar, Javier Delgado on drums, and Jose Gonzalez and Lasim Richards on horns. Together, they play music that defies description — or leaves those trying to describe it tongue-tied.
The Miami Herald described the band's music as "Latin-reggae-hip-hop mashup," while the Los Angeles Times called it a "funky, pan-Latin amalgam."
The basis of this music is the connection the band's members have to Colombia. Both Correa and Delgado were born in Colombia and Kondrat, while born in Miami, is of Colombian descent. The sounds, rhythms and styles of Colombian music find their way in to much of what Locos Por Juana plays. Influences from the Caribbean, in particular Jamaica, are also important elements of the band's sound.
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Locos Por Juana released a self-titled debut album in 2002, and followed that up with 2005's "Musica Pa'l Pueblo," which received a Latin Grammy nomination for Best Album by a Group. Then came 2008's "La Verdad," which received a Grammy nomination for Best Latin Rock/Alternative Album.
An EP, "Evolucion," was released in 2010. Since then, Locos Por Juana has been working in a studio they built by themselves in an old South Miami house, recording what will be the next album.
Also coming up in the World Music Series at Thursdays on First & Third will be Cajun band Feufollet on July 19, and the Afro-pop of Oliver "Tuku" Mtukuzi on Aug. 9.
