Doing a show review on a friend's band is something I usually try to avoid. Aside from the conflict of interest issues, I'm always worried that if a show isn't up to par, than how can I not write about that?
Luckily, I didn't have that problem checking out my folks Somos perform Saturday night in Santa Cruz. And while I was there to support, I felt I should at least mention their solid show.
Performing Latin funk and blues, Chicano soul, or whatever ethno-categorization you want to stamp it with, Somos is fronted by my friends Emiliano and Kati Valdez, brother and sister from San Juan Bautista and second generation players with El Teatro Campesino (their father is Chicano folk artist/musician Daniel Valdez).
Their set was a rocking, raucus, liberating barrage of home cooked originals and seasoned, spicy Latin standards. Imagine El Chicano channeling Buddy Guy with some sexy R&B in the middle and you get the general idea.
The cool thing about Somos is they can switch back and forth between old school soul and Latin rock/funk. So whether Mino is wailing like a blind Alabama boy that he's "miles away" from his honey, or Kati is taking us back with "the roof is on fire," the musical mix is designed to keep the crowd moving.
For more info, check out their myspace page at www.myspace.com/somosmusic.
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