News article

Mono Verde, Denver's only Latin Reggae band to releases debut album 'Ensemblando Culturas'

The city's first and only Latin Reggae band Mono Verde will be releasing their long awaited debut album “Ensemblando Culturas” January 16, 2009 at 8PM at Herman's Hideaway ( 1578 S. Broadway 303-777-5840).

Over the years Denver has produced some red hot musicians. A good majority of them have played at Herman's Hideaway including Big Head Todd and the Monsters, Toad The Wet Sprocket, The Flobots, and the Robert Cray Band to name a few. From the sounds of it Denver and Herman's will add another feather to their cap but this one will be Chili Pepper smoken Mon!

Mono Verde is a Denver based band that is unique, fresh and passionate. Reggae music in general has gone beyond the phenomenal crossover success of that Bob Marley and The Whalers enjoyed in the 1970's.Since then Reggae has taken the world by storm and made its way into the popular musical expressions of every region on the planet. Mono Verde creates a magical blending of Jamaican jams and Latin beats. These young trailblazers will mesmerize traditional Reggae aficionados and and newcomers to the rock and reggae scenes.

Like their counterparts in Europe, Africa, and beyond, the musicians from Mono Verde have adopted the rhythms and philosophy of reggae, singing socially conscious lyrics in Spanish and English. To this they have added their own elements of regional styles gleaned from their multi-cultural back ground. The result is flexible reggae groove infused with infused with world beats, a twist of ska, flamenco, and salsa and afro-Cuban music. Mono Verde musicians come from varied musical disciplines including jazz, rock, reggae, heavy metal, and classical. Their songs are talk about society, revolution, struggle, and life in a most unique way.

This innovated band is under the direction of lead singer Rafa Torres a Mexico City native, an accomplished painter and song writer. He has written many of the bands original compositions. Other members include; Colorado native Asia and Capital Hill resident Fajardo-Wright alto saxophonist and composer for the Asia Jazz Project and hip-hop duo Molina Soleil and Aju, jazzman Randy Runyan also a Colorado native on trumpet ,classical bassist Joe Baker from Ohio, singer and guitarist Henry Torres from Venezuela, master conga player Aneudy Arias from the Domonican Republic, key boardist Elvis Dias from El Salvador and Luis Chaves who plays drums is from Mexico.

1st song on the C.D. 'Quisiera' starts out with emotional reaching horn lines and an up beat reggae groove. The flowing lyrics of Rafa Torres give way to the theme of the song, which is transformation. “As a society we need to gently step away from materialism” crones Torres as a salsa groove melds with the world beat to send out a flow of inspirational energy.

'Sigue tu camino' another song on the C.D. is packed with energy and a rhythmical drive that tells the listener to move forward with their lives. The powerful, yet smooth lyrics, are saying to stay on your path despite hardships. The punchy and fat horn lines, along with creative guitar melodies, help compliment the message of this song.

Mono Verde's music is is reminiscent of world renowned Latin Grammy award winner singer/guitarist Manu Chao. Just like Chao they draw on their multi-ethnic background to create a rich vibrant plethora of multi-lingual tunes that cross all language barriers.

Even if youre not multilingual you can still hear the urgency in Mono Verde's music. You can feel the passion and the commitment to making great music that is socially conscience.

For more information call Asia Fajardo-Wright at 303-884-6289 or visit www.myspace.com/monoverderoots