Exclusive Interview with Betances Headliner, Mambo and Swing
Festival Betances is only a few weeks away and we couldn’t be more excited! Every year we bring local and national bands to play our community’s music, and this time it is no different. Mambo and Swing, one of our Betances headliners, is a Merengue, Salsa and Bachata band based Boston. “Betances actually focuses on the community. It’s about the history, and bringing people together.” So you can get acquainted with this band before their live performance, we interviewed their music director and band member, Erick Stengel. This conversation will give you a personal peek into the band and their music. This group is originally from the Dominican Republic and have been playing together for the past ten years. Their name “Mambo and Swing” is not an indication of the type of music they play. “In D.R. we have a lot of sayings within the musical community,” explained Stengel. “Mambo is not the musical genre we play, we use the mambo rhythm in a specific part of the songs, where it breaks down, collapses, and explodes. The term Swing just means it’s tight.” [embed]http://youtu.be/anAieHT4-7g[/embed] “It could be a cover you’ve heard a million times, but we always give it our own little twist.” The band performs in clubs throughout the Greater Boston area and various other events with one goal in mind, to create a unique entertaining experience. “I try not to have boring music. I want people to go home and keep wanting more. That’s the idea behind the project,” said Stengel. To do this they play well known songs, with their unique style, “We can play a song that you’ve heard a million times, but we always give it our own little twist,” he said. Stengel shared a playlist to get you ready for Mambo and Swing’s upcoming performance. [embed]https://youtu.be/VaR0lX9tRjQ?list=PL8diaNApEYSBT4Ngph963f_6288s9ElK0[/embed] … A long history with Betances This band has played at Betances in the past and he emphasizes that Betances isn’t like other festivals. “The Festival caters to so many different ethnic groups and people come from everywhere,” he said. “They actually focus more on the community than other festivals. It’s about the history and bringing people together.”reaks down, collapses, and explodes. The term Swing just means it’s tight.” So come on down and join us the weekend of July 17th-19th to dance to Mambo and Swing’s renditions of their classic salsa and merengue favorites. For more information on this highly anticipated event click here....