The Baboons to kick off third day of Ball & Chain 80th Anniversary Festival
August 27, 2015
The Baboons to kick off third day of
Ball & Chain 80th Anniversary Festival
Miami’s percussive primates will debut at Ball & Chain on Sunday, September 6, 1:20-2:05 pm
Miami’s pioneering worldbeat band The Baboons will open the third day of the Ball & Chain Music Festival on Sunday, September 6th, 1:20-2:05 p.m. in celebration of the Little Havana venue’s 80th Anniversary. The Baboons’ first-ever performance at Ball & Chain will feature songs from the band’s upcoming release, Spanglish, a 15-song portrait of modern Miami. The Baboons will share the bill with many of South Florida’s finest acts on Labor Day Weekend, including the Spam All Stars, Elastic Bond, Suenalo, Electric Piquete and Conjunto Progreso. Ball & Chain is located at 1513 SW 8th Street in the heart of Little Havana.
The Baboons draw inspiration from the mix of worldly influences found on the streets of their hometown. Throughout the years, musicians with diverse backgrounds have added to the band’s palette, evolving into a rich global fusion that combines Latin American, Caribbean, African, Middle Eastern and American roots influences.
The seven-piece outfit features sultry singer Majica on lead vocals and founder Mano Pila on drums and vocals (the two also host the “Global Gumbo with Majica & Mano P.” radio show Sundays on WDNA, 4-6 p.m.), Miguel Rega on percussion, Ike Blues on guitar and vocals, Michael Mut on bass and vocals, and Dominick Cama and Paul Messina on saxophones and flutes.
“The Baboons are super-excited to be part of the Ball & Chain Music Festival,” said Majica. “We’re honored to share the bill with so many of our friends on this momentous occasion.”
Following the festival, The Baboons will be performing at Everglades Awareness Benefit on September 19 at Gramps in Wynwood.
Born at an In-Progress Art Festival at the now-defunct Ft. Lauderdale nightspot Squeeze on July 2, 1993, the amorphous early ensembles featured a rotating line-up of local musicians eager to explore the band’s culturally curious aesthetic. Throughout the years, the band has shared the bill with Jimmy Buffet, George Clinton’s P-Funk All-Stars, The Dirty Dozen Brass Band and The Radiators.
Since their inception, the group has received many honors, including a Florida Jammy Award for Best Worldbeat Band. The Baboons have released two full-length recordings – the award-winning Evolution, honored by New Times Miami as the “Best Album Of The Past Twelve Months” in 2000, and the critically acclaimed follow-up Global Gumbo in 2001. The band is currently working on the 15-track opus Spanglish at Miami’s Red Door Studio.
For more info, please call 305.510.3003 or email thebaboons@bellsouth.net. Check out http://thebaboons.com and join our community of friends on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/thebaboons, on Twitter at @thebaboons and on Instagram at @thebaboons305