Friday, April 26, 2024

A night of rock & roll and honky tonk in English y Español.

Where have I heard that song before? If you answered a Quentin Tarantino or Robert Rodriguez movie, then you know the music of Shockoe Records recording artists, Los Hermanos Alacranes (The Scorpion Brothers)(f/k/a Los Alacranes de RVA) the newest band in Richmond, Virginia featuring Paulo Franco on guitar and vocals, Paul Pearce on lead guitar and vocals, Rob Lytle on drums and vocals and the newest member of the band, Turtle Zwadlo on bass. Turtle joins the band and reunites with Paulo from their days together in Paulo's first band showcasing his original music, The Rateros. Together, these musicians have decades of experience playing in venues throughout Virginia and the United States.

The band came together one night at a party where Paulo played some of his original songs in Spanish along with one of his favorites, La Malagueña Salerosa. Rob approached Paulo about putting a band together emphasizing songs in Spanish, and the seeds were planted. Just like that, a band was born. Rob had played in the Cashmere Jungle Lords, the Bopcats Crome Daddy Disco and the Bellevue Rhythmaires); Turtle plays with Pale Blue Dot and Rob Williams/Lighthouse Rodeo; Paul can be seen in his other projects Vexine, For Those About to Rock, and Blue Suede Sun; and Paulo with his solo acoustic project and most recently with his former band the Freightliners.

Los Hermanos Alacranes features Paulo's original songs in English and Spanish. Paulo is a first generation American whose parents were raised in Medellín, Colombia. The band also includes covers in its repertoire by artists like The Mavericks, Los Lobos, Chingon, Cruzados, Tito and Tarantula, Alejandro Escovedo and more!! The songs are up tempo and designed to get you grooving!! You'll hear these songs with an authentic voice (Paulo speaks and sings fluent Spanish), filled with the passion and energy that they convey musically and story wise. In fact, the band takes its name from the song Alacrán y Pistolero, one of the tracks on Chingon's 2010 eponymous release. Alacrán is the Spanish word for Scorpion! You'll be transported to towns in Mexico, wind swept evenings in Havana, the mountains of Medellín and the deserts of Texas and the American Southwest. Stories of love both actual and unrequited, tragedy and adventure - in English and in Spanish. Are you ready to get stung? Because Los Hermanos Alacranes are ready to rock!! LLENO DE VENENO!!

Opening the show are Ramona & The Holy Smokes, a Honky Tonk band from Charlottesville Virginia, whose original country music recalls classic country from the 1950s and 60s. The Holy Smokes are fronted by Ramona Martinez, a prolific singer-songwriter whose sincere and heartfelt music has been described as "incredibly relatable" and "earnest." She also pulls from her Mexican-American roots to perform and compose traditional Mariachi music in a Country Western style. The current line-up of the Holy Smokes includes: Kyle Lawton Kilduff (Electric guitar), Brooks Hefner (Pedal Steel), Jay Ouypron (Bass), and Porter Bralley (Drums.) After taking Central Virginia by storm, Ramona & the Holy Smokes are touring more extensively in the Mid-Atlantic, the South, & New England.

SHOW NOTES

LOCATION