Sunday, Sep 25 - Front Room
Williamsburg Salsa Orchestra

Sunday, Sep 25
8:00 pm in the Front Room

$5 / 21+

The Williamsburg Salsa Orchestra is a thrilling 11-piece salsa group which forgoes the standard repertoire, instead playing dynamic, dura arrangements of indie rock tunes we love. No bananas in the hair; this is innovative, astonishing salsa with a new, vibrant aesthetic. With an ever-evolving set list that includes songs by Arcade Fire, Fucked Up, Yeaseayer, TV On The Radio, Animal Collective, Spoon and many more, the WSO has taken the typical salsa form and infused it with a completely modern identity. The explosive arrangements have established the band as an groundbreaking force in the New York underground and have led to a high-profile open-ended residency at The Brooklyn Bowl, bringing the big band sound back to Brooklyn after decades of absence.

With the attitude of a rock band, and the grooves of classic New York salsa, the Williamsburg Salsa Orchestra is resetting the boundaries of the art form and introducing this great music to a new audience. Having found a growing following of salsa dancers, indie music devotees and curious party people, the WSO is somehow uniting communities and making music for all.

Led by percussionist/arranger Gianni Mano, the WSO released a few home-studio demos in 2010. They immediately went viral and provoked a lot of head-scratching from the indie world and the salsa world. Is this for real? Can you really play Animal Collective as a Cuban yambu?

Well, yes you can, baby, yes you can. In one short year, the WSO has become known internationally through those early demos and has released its self-titled debut album in June 2011, already receiving critical acclaim and airplay throughout the world. A member of the Latin-funk pioneers Radio Mundial, Gianni Mano has had one foot in each camp - Latin and indie - for years. He took his knowledge and love of both forms and mind-melded them in the WSO. 'Salsa' is a genre with lots of rules, and 'Indie' has very few. The WSO brings them together, bending and even breaking a few rules as we chart new territory and bring this great style to a brand new audience.