Brooklyn-based Las Rubias del Norte, fronted by vocalists Allyssa Lamb and Emily Hurst, take pride in their hybridity. Their borderless sense of musical wonderment and appropriation of sounds is comprised of a cross pollination of boleros, cha-cha-chas, cumbias, andean huaynos, Peruvian waltzes, and Cuban guajiras. On their new album 'Ziguala,' due out March 9 on Barbès Records, the band continues to build on its diverse repertoire and explores a thought-provoking premise: What would the world sound like if rock 'n' roll never existed? The album is, essentially, Las Rubias' take on the alternative--one in which a mutant type of Latin music is the dominant popular music around the world. 'Ziguala' is a fragment of what the new sonic world order would sound like. Lamb and Hurst, whom the New York Press has described as "classically-trained mezzo gringas," are backed by a lush seven-piece ensemble, providing layers of instrumentation that add depth to their global hopscotch. After two albums--'Rumba Internationale' (2004) and 'Panamericana' (2006)--that conjured a 1950s feel, Las Rubias add new hues to their palette and ramble further in a world where soundscapes often bleed into each other. The band parts with its signature glockenspiel and in its place injects some zesty Farfisa organ, hints of distortion, and some surf guitar brushstrokes. There's also marimba, vibraphone, Hammond B-3 organ, and the Parker String Quartet sitting in on two tracks.
Check out their short spring tour schedule after the jump.
Las Rubias del Norte Tour Dates:
3/12 - Joe's Pub - New York, NY (CD Release Party)
3/31 - University of Dayton - Dayton, OH
4/1 - Morseland - Chicago, IL
4/2 - Legion Arts - Cadar Rapids, IA
4/3 - Cedar Cultural Center - Minneapolis, MN
