That's right people do the math, Argentinian/Uruguayan musicians + an entrancing mix of Tango+Electronica+Trip Hop+Instrumental music with other latin sounds + Funky background graphics = the recipe for a sold out BajoFondo show at the 9:30 club this past Saturday, April 11th. We arrived early as the show was set to start at the sound check hour of 7:45pm with Natalia Clavier (an Argentinian transplant to DC who was in charge of opening up the show). I was greeted with a loooong line at the 9:30 Club ticket booth and with nervous faces of people asking in a loud voice "alguien tiene extra tickets?". I looked at the line and the large sign at the box office, "Tonight's show is completely Sold Out" (Is it me or does the word "completely sold out" stick the knife deeper for those without tickets? As if saying, "you should have completely gotten the tickets ahead of time dufus". I dunno I think a simple "Sold Out" sign does the trick?) Anyway I digress, I'm in line and I can already hear the sounds of Natalia Clavier's band.. I'm thinking shoot I should have left the get-to-together at my friends house sooner...I really wanted to see her full show...bummer. We finally get our tickets and get into the show... the crowd is mixed with young and old, latinos and adopted non-latinos, and unfortunately the place is only half full. I guess you can blame the stereotype that Latinos are fashionably late for that? Hmmmm... fortunately, the crowd does get there in time for BajoFondo, in time to see the smoke machine starting to work.. the lights dim.. the background screen coming down and the band coming out on stage looking sharp all dressed in black. If the upright bass, the bandoneon(the accordian looking instrument that gives Tango its definitive sound), the keyboard and electric guitars, paired with a mac laptop don't give you the idea that this will be an interesting show I don't know what will!
The crowd was littered with the Argentinian flag and fans who cheered at the band members by name. The music started and it was like a shock of electricity went through the crowd. They started jumping and cheering in unison. They didn't seem to mind that there were no lyrics and minimal singing on any of the songs (this is different from the MarDulce CD tracks which have several guest stars as mentioned in the previous BajoFondo blog) (okay I'll save you a short scroll down.. these include Julieta Venegas, Elvis Costello, Gustavo Cerati, Nelly Furtado and more...)
The band blasted the audience with their hits and each song hypnotized the audience with its uniqueness. At one point, Gustavo Santaolalla stops between songs and says.. "I'm very happy to be here and happy that you came to our show. We've been together a few years but still don't know what musical genre we fit into or what to call our music. Still I hope you enjoy it..." This seemed to sum up the whole concert.. we didn't need genres or definitive styles.. just good traditional sounds mixed in with contemporary beats that make you want to jump up and dance. On the last song before the encore the stage was filled with fans dancing to the sound of the music and ended in a feeling of complete appreciation for what BajoFondo brought to the DC area. We couldn't have asked for more!
Check out the pictures in the KestaDC Gallery! See you at the next show!
Contact: Rosario Garcia, djultrasonica@yahoo.com
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