Join Los Lorcas for Poetry in Concert before they head off for a tour of Ireland!
LOS LORCAS: Poetry in Concert
One of the most versatile and adventurous bard bands touring today, Los Lorcas are making ground-breaking inroads where most poets and musicians fear to tread, conjuring rich lyrical and sonic tapestries that defy predictable niches while celebrating “the music of what happens.”
In the spirit of Federico Garcia Lorca—gifted musician, legendary poet/playwright and ebullient performer—poets Partridge Boswell and Peter Money, along with guitarist Nat Williams, fuse poetry and music in a passionate and surprising mash-up. Los Lorcas blur boundaries between spoken word and song, weaving poetry with Andalusian ballads, blues, rock, folk, reggae, hip hop, Americana and jazz in pursuit of the cante jondo (deep song) Lorca ardently championed.
The house band for the Grolier Poetry Book Shop, Los Lorcas explore common roots and synergies of poetry and music, celebrating the poetry of song lyrics and music of lyrical poetry. Inspired by artists diverse as Lorca, Yeats, Marley, Dylan, Dickinson, Springsteen, Kavanagh, Matisyahu, Morrison, Brooks, Cohen, Bowie, Lumineers, Heaney, REM, Merwin, Millay and others, the group’s timely and soulful compositions weave themes of love, loss, homelessness, empathy, activism and gratitude—all through a filter of the American dream. Veteran Vermont musician and producer Kristina Stykos has taken a shine to the new trio: “A lot of great musicians have come around here, but not with the poetry chops that this group has—in spades. A project sprouted from the literary side, their cross pollination blending poetry, personality, musicality, vitality of many colors and creative intensity is so satisfying!” After years of honing their distinctive genre-bending blend of music and poetry on stages across the state, country and internationally, Los Lorcas recently released their debut album LAST NIGHT IN AMERICA on Vermont’s Thunder Ridge Records label.
“… and then listened to Los Lorcas...WOW!!! the second time through I had tears on EVERY SINGLE Song...wow and double wow...and the third time through....Innisfree became cherished for its sweetness—a whole sound....The rest is SO powerful and Quirky and intensely wonderful...”—Chuck Cole, Cape Cod Community Radio
Troubadouring widely in the US and abroad (Ireland, Canada and Slovenia), Los Lorcas have performed everywhere from farmhouse kitchens to pubs, coffeehouses, schools, theaters and 1,000+ book and music festival crowds [e.g. Boston Book Festival, Poetry Center San Jose, San Francisco State University, Fable Farm Feast & Field, Massachusetts Poetry Festival, New Orleans Poetry Festival (w/ Cornelius Eady), Harvard Square Octoberfest, Burlington Book Festival, Levis Corner House (Ireland), Tucson Book Festival, Bookstock Literary Festival (w/ Robert Pinsky’s PoemJazz), Chandler Music Hall, Strokestown and Fingal Poetry Festivals (Ireland), Vermont College of Fine Arts, Salt Hill Pub, KGB Reading Series, Cantab Lounge, Bowery Poetry Club, Nuyorican Poetry Café and Caffe Lena]—attesting to the broad appeal of their liberating vision of how poetry and music are two sides of the same spinning coin which together render a mesmerizing symbiosis.
“Los Lorcas in unity is a marvel that would silence any creative individual to awe, inspiring the quietest observer to reach for each word as if they were Federico Lorca himself, meditating on song and poetry mid-stage, arms outstretched.”—Bianca Viñas
“Thank you and Los Lorcas for a wonderful gig - it was enjoyed immensely and talked about the following day. We could have had you a second night! it was such fun.”
—Joseph Woods, Director, Strokestown Poetry Festival and Poetry Ireland
“What a splendid conclusion to April! Today marked the grand celebration of Poetry Month in Limerick 2024, held at The People's Museum of Limerick. The event was graced by the captivating performances of US poet Partridge Boswell and the talented ensemble Los Lorcas, who seamlessly merged poetry and music to create an electrifying experience for all in attendance.
Their repertoire ranged from the poignant verses of Kavanagh's 'Raglan Road' to the soulful melodies of Bob Dylan's 'Kansas City,' each piece delivered with remarkable passion and energy. Notably, band member and poet Peter Money added a distinctive flavor to the performance with his evocative spoken word poetry, reminiscent of the spirit of the 'beats,' complemented by the delicate guitar accompaniment of Partridge and Nat, weaving a tapestry of sound and emotion that left a lasting impression on the audience.”
—Dominic Taylor, Limerick Writer’s Centre