Fun with barrels: a vineyard asked several artist friends to decorate some commemorative wooden barrels, and we had a chance to speak with the great painter Juan Carlos Villegas, a short montage of some of his paintings at the end here. Also had some barrel video-fun.
The music – first we hear the infamous “Beer Barrel Polka” Glahee Musette Orchestra version, just fooling around with the barrel idea. Interestingly, BANDA music, popular from Sinaloa to Los Angeles, has its origins in German polka. For me there´s nothin like banda to induce a serious pounding headache, but lots of people like it, the Banda bands are large – like 25 players – and popular bands make a fortune. Ferias & Fiestas here in Mexico are a good place to check it out before you hire a group for your backyard party. Here´s a popular older group http://www.last.fm/music/Banda+El+Recodo/_/Los+Dos+Jefes/+videos/+6-C0yyAMgSqUc
Then Savoir Faire, jazz violin (www.savoirfairejazzviolinist.com). Sav´s improv imagination seems to go well with Juan Carlos. He has worked quite a bit with Mexican jazz fusion artists including solo-ing on the “Huazzteco” album of the tremendous pianist-composer-jazzman Samuel Martinez Herrera (Centro de las Artes, San Luis Potosi).