FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Three consecutive days of free concerts at the Florida Keys Brewing Company featuring Electric Kif, Cortadito, Miamibloco, Nag Champayons with Johnny Dread, and Grupo Barro Abajo
Islamorada, FL – May 2, 2023 – One of SouthFlorida’s longest-running music festivals Afro Roots Fest will wrap its 25th anniversary season with a weekend of free concerts in Islamorada at the Florida Keys Brewing Company (81611 Old Hwy, Islamorada, FL 33036). The weekend kicks off at 6 p.m. in the beer garden on Friday, May 19, 2023, with a performance by Electric Kif, and continues with Cortadito and Miamibloco on Saturday, May 20, 6 p.m. Finally, the Nag Champayons and special guest Johnny Dread plus Grupo Barrio Abajo close things out on Sunday, May 21, 2 p.m. All performances are free and open to the public of all ages.
“We couldn’t think of a better way or place to end the season than with this amazingly diverse presentation of cultures at one of the finest breweries in all of Florida,” says Afro Roots Fest founder and Nag Champayons guitarist and bandleader Jose Elias. “I’m proud to continue to fulfill the mission of our nonprofit to bring African-influenced culture to underserved locations and invite everyone to come enjoy a full weekend’s worth of incredibly talented musical presentations.” Elias is also the executive director of the Miami nonprofit Community Arts and Culture (CAC), the organization behind Afro Roots Fest, as well as the bandleader and tres player in Cortadito..
The Nag Champayons are Frank Zappa and Serge Gainsbourg wrestling Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra. It’s Sonic Youth’s plane crashing into Fela Kuti’s boat in the Everglades on the hottest day of summer. “Afro-Floyd,” said one listener. The group began in the early 2000s as an improvisational collective whose name came from the burning of Nag Champa incense during early jams. The group is currently in the studio recording the follow up to the 2015 release Rising Sounds of a Sinking City and 2016 single “Brazilian LSD”. Johnny quite simply transcends reggae music into a unique blend of world beat rhythms. His musical influences are as diverse as his Rasta, Cuban-American background.
Electric Kif are a Miami-based power quartet that explore the boundaries between rock, jazz fusion and electronic drum & bass. Made up of bassist Rodrigo Zambrano, keyboardist Jason Matthews, drummer Armando Lopez, and guitarist Eric Escanes, the band has garnered attention of the live music scene for their eclectic take on groove and their own brand of ‘post-nuclear music’. Their most recent album Dreamlike is Electric Kif’s 4th full length LP and features international heavy hitters Aaron Parks and Chris Bullock of Snarky Puppy. In May they also released a special single collaboration with Adam Deitch.
Since their origin ten years ago, Cortadito has become torchbearers of a pop culture phenomenon that is two centuries strong. A traditional folk and acoustic band that focuses on performing one of the earliest styles of Cuban country music known as Son (pronounced sOwn), their sound can best be described as reminiscent of the famed Buena Vista Social Club. This dynamic ensemble lead by Elias and co-founder / guitarist / vocalist Julio Cesar Rodriguez Delet, leads audiences through “The Guajiro Triangle”, an audio experience spanning the three cities of Miami, Havana, and Santiago, representing the group’s origins.
Co-led by Brian Potts and suOm Francis, Miamibloco is a Samba percussion community nonprofit that turns Afro-Brazilian music and rhythms into the cultural glue that binds Miami’s unique diverse communities together. Their mission is to help people connect, learn, grow, and thrive for a more joyful and equitable Miami through performance and education. They host the seasonal Saideira Social at The Miami Beach Bandshell, where the Miamibloco performance group Bateria Saideira collaborates on stage with high caliber local, Brazilian, and international musicians including Samir Langus, Munir Hossn, Gilmar Gomes, Musiana, Magela Herrera, Oigo, and Mauricio Baia.
Group Barrio Abajo seeks to raise international awareness of the folkloric musical heritage of the Caribbean Colombia by presenting styles such as cumbia, bullerengue, porro, chandé, and more than 30 other unparalleled musical rhythms. Globally, their home country is known for cumbia and vallenato, but these are just two parts of their musically diverse heritage. Barrio Abajo has performed at various editions of Afro Roots Fest, and is a regular favorite at CAC events.
Originating in 1999 at the now defunct Tobacco Road bar in Miami, Afro Roots Fest has been named one of the “10 Best Music Festivals in Miami” by the Miami New Times and crowned the “Best Music Festival” in the 2019 “Best of Miami” issue. Past performers include Amadou & Mariam, Sun Ra Arkestra, Alsarah, Fatoumata Diawara, Fulu Miziki, Salif Keita, Vieux Farka Toure, Toubab Krewe, and Roberto Torres, among many others. Since 2018, the festival has become a nomadic affair that now includes separate events in markets such as Gainesville, North Miami, Doral, Hollywood, Islamorada, and Key West.
This year’s edition of the award-winning festival is generously supported by the Monroe County Tourist Development Council, the Morada Way Arts and Cultural District, and Keys ICE.
More information about the festival is available at AfroRootsFest.com.
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ABOUT COMMUNITY ARTS & CULTURE
Incorporated in September 2002, Community Arts and Culture, Inc. is a Miami-based nonprofit organization that fosters an appreciation and understanding of a vast assortment of arts and cultures through workshops, lectures, and artistic performances in local communities for individuals of all ages and social backgrounds. The organization is celebrating 20 years of serving the community in 2022. Their signature event, Afro Roots Fest, is embarking on its 25th season of programming. For more information, please visit CACMiami.org.
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