By John D. Gonzalez
WKTV Contributing Writer
Ready to rock?
Better yet, ready to party?
The Kentwood Summer Concert Series goes all Latin on Thursday (July 21) as local seven-piece band Cabildo performs at the weekly, free community event on the lawn behind Kentwood City Hall.
“Our music creates an atmosphere of a big, tropical outdoor party,” said Joshua Dunigan, who sings and plays congas in the group.
“Cabildo plays a fun and energetic combination of rock and traditional musical styles with lyrics in Spanish.”
No strangers to the local music, Cabildo keeps busy by headlining their own shows and playing local festivals.
On Friday (July 22) it plays at City Built Brewery (Monroe Avenue near the Sixth Street Bridge in Grand Rapids). And on Aug. 3 the band performs at the Cow Pie Music Festival in Caledonia. Earlier this year the band played at the Local Spins Fest in downtown Grand Rapids.
Founded as a Latin rock collective that delivers a fusion of cumbia, ska, folk and other genres from Latin and South America, cabildo roughly means “Town Hall” in Spanish.
“Historically, cabildos were gathering places located throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. They doubled as locations where African slaves could play traditional chants and drum parts. These were passed on through generations during Spanish colonization and continue to live on in today’s modern music,” according to the band’s bio.
The band’s lineup includes:
Julio Cano-VillaLobos (acoustic guitar, charango, accordion, vocals),
Julio Cesar Viveros (electric guitar, vocals),
Jonathon Sgromo (bass guitar),
Dustin Miller (drums, vocals),
Michael Prokopchuk (violin, vocals),
Nate Bliton (viola, keyboard),
Joshua Dunigan (vocals, congas and percussion)
Forming in 2004 from members of Electric Latin Love Orchestra, Dunigan said the band’s influences include a wide range of music, including Chico Trujillo, Violeta Para, Los Lobos and Sepultura.
“While still occasionally playing covers, we play original songs at most events,” he said.
Most of all, he loves the band’s original music.
“Our songwriters, the Julios, have written music that weaves together complex Latin beats with Rock and Roll teeth,” he said. “It’s fun to play a lot of different instruments to create those textures.”
Learn more about the band and listen to its music at http://www.cabildomusic.com/.
The Kentwood show is from 7-8:30 p.m. on the lawn behind Kentwood City Hall, 4900 Breton Ave. SE. Admission is free. A variety of food trucks also will be on hand. You can also bring your own “adult beverages.” And don’t forget to bring your own blankets and lawn chairs.
Parking for shows will be limited at both City Hall and the Library. Additional parking is available at the Kentwood Justice Center (4740 Walma SE), Kentwood Public Works (5068 Breton SE), Kentwood Baptist Church (2875 52nd St), and there is street parking in nearby neighborhoods.
The Kentwood Farmers Market takes place next door from 4:30-7 p.m. in the parking lot behind City Hall.
Get more information at kentwood.us.
The remaining lineup includes:
- July 21 – Cabildo
- July 28 – Grand Rapids Jazz Orchestra
- August 4 – The Moxie Strings
- August 11 – Brena
All concerts will be live streamed by WKTV Community Media.
Watch the events live at: https://www.wktv.org/live25.html.
If you miss a show you can watch it here at WKTV On Demand.
John D. Gonzalez is a digital journalist with 30-plus years of experience as a food, travel, craft beer and arts & entertainment reporter based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He also co-hosts the radio show and Podcast “Behind the Mitten,” which airs at 6 p.m. Sundays on WOOD-AM and FM. Follow him on his journey to discover what’s next. You can find him on Twitter as @MichiganGonzo, on Instagram @MichiganGonzo and Facebook at @GRGonzo. He also relaunched his YouTube Channel. Email him story ideas and tips at michigangonzo@gmail.com.
