Another Betances Reveal: Sunday's Main Act
The last day of Festival Betances, Sunday July 17th, we will be presenting a salsa band from New York, made up of 8 musicians, that live up to their name 8 y Más (8 and More), with their music they fill the stage and sound as if a full orchestra were playing. The band’s drummer, Bobby Allende, told us about their origins, music, and trajectory. 8 y Más was formed 10 years ago, but Allende has been making music for the past 43, 17 of which he played with Marc Antony, 9 with Rubén Blades and another 9 with Willy Colón. Salsa is his passion and feels a deep admiration for the young musicians of the genre. “All groups have their own style, as they say, I like to listen to everything,” he said. “Especially the young ones who are following our music and keeping it on the map. It brings me great joy to see that.” He also maintains that even though salsa is generally considered more for older generations, it is a movement that will never be replaced and it will keep on growing. “I look at the way everything does a 360, which is to say everything comes back in the end,” he explained. “In the 70s and 60s everyone was wearing big afros, then they cut their hair, and now in 2016 big afros are back. It’s the same thing I see with music.” [embed]https://youtu.be/OZLSQBlmQ3Y[/embed] 8 y Más has original songs born out of a shared composition process. “We sit together and start making the music and the lyrics. The lead singer, Erik, writes the songs, and we always share the process while we write the arrangement,” Allende said. The band was established among friendships made while on the stage of other great artists. “We always shared the stage in different situations. We were friends before anything else. Then we had the idea of creating a group of friends and make something of our own,” he said. This will be the first time that Allende plays at our festival, although other band members have taken part in previous years. This talented drummer is excited for this opportunity, his fellow musicians have shared their experiences with him, as he explained, “they told me it’s always a big part full of laughter and fun.” He also highlighted the importances of cultural activities in the community and what this means for our music. “We should try to maintain our culture in any way that we can and our music. We have lost many young audiences that have always been salsa enthusiasts, and it is from them that this music comes. In South America they are supporting the music more so than here in the United States. That’s why we have such a great need for these events here,” he said. Don’t miss the chance to hear and dance to Bobby Allende and the rest of 8 y Más on Sunday July 17th at our Festival Betances. Fore more information regarding the festival visit this page and let us know you’re coming! Confirm your attendance here....