Larry & Joe
Sunday, January 15, 2023 7:30 pm at Zoetropolis in Lancaster
About This Event:
A surprising fusion of Venezuelan and Appalachian folk music promoting a message of unity between the two folk traditions — on harp, banjo, cuatro, fiddle, maracas, guitar, upright bass, and whatever else these two master musicians decide to throw in the van.
A surprising fusion of Venezuelan and Appalachian folk music promoting a message of unity between the two folk traditions — on harp, banjo, cuatro, fiddle, maracas, guitar, upright bass, and whatever else these two master musicians decide to throw in the van.
Larry & Joe were destined to make music together.
Larry Bellorín hails from Monagas, Venezuela and is a legend of Llanera music. Joe Troop is from North Carolina and is a GRAMMY-nominated bluegrass and oldtime musician. Larry was forced into exile and is an asylum seeker in North Carolina. Joe, after a decade in South America, got stranded back in his stomping grounds in the pandemic. Larry works construction to make ends meet. Joe's acclaimed "latingrass" band Che Apalache was forced into hiatus, and he shifted into action working with asylum seeking migrants.
Oriundo de Monagas, Venezuela, Larry es una leyenda de la música llanera. Proveniente de Carolina del Norte, Joe es un músico de bluegrass y oldtime que fue nominado para un GRAMMY. Larry tuvo que exiliarse a Carolina del Norte y es solicitante de asilo. Joe, después de una década en Sudamérica quedó varado en su tierra natal por la pandemia. Larry trabaja en construcción para llegar a fin de mes. Cuando el ascenso de su renombrada banda Che Apalache se detuvo, Joe pivotó para trabajar con migrantes solicitando asilo.
Currently based in the Triangle of North Carolina, both men are versatile multi-instrumentalists and singer-songwriters on a mission to show that music has no borders. As a duo they perform a fusion of Venezuelan and Appalachian folk music on harp, banjo, cuatro, fiddle, maracas, guitar, upright bass, and whatever else they decide to throw in the van. The program they offer features a distinct blend of their musical inheritances and traditions as well as storytelling about the ways that music and social movements coalesce.
Actualmente basados en el Triángulo de Carolina del Norte, ambos hombres son multi-instrumentistas versátiles con una misión de mostrar que la música no tiene fronteras. Como dueto tocan una fusión de folklore de Venezuela y de los montes Apalaches en arpa, banjo, cuatro, violín, maracas, guitarra, contrabajo y cualquier otra cosa que decidan subir a la camioneta. Como músicos su programa ofrece una mezcla única de sus diversas herencias y tradiciones, y cómo cuentacuentos demuestran cómo la música y los movimientos sociales interactúan.
This concept is baked into the Spanish word inquietude, Bellorín says. He and Troop spend several jocular minutes cycling through possible English translations—Ancientness? Longing? Concern? Reflection?—before accepting the lack of any perfect analog. “That’s the bridge we’re building,” Bellorín says. “We’re structurally dismantling barriers to our music. Language isn’t a barrier, since we play a bilingual set. Race and color aren’t barriers; in the end, all blood is red. We’re promoting a message of unity between our two folk traditions.”
—Nick McGregor, Indy Week
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