Nuestro Cuento
While living in South America we spent much of our free time playing music with friends, learning local standards and sharing songs that we loved. We were fascinated by the variety and quality of music that came from there, inspiring us to weave the melodies into our own style. A few years after returning to the States and pursuing our musical career, the Argentine legend Mercedes Sosa passed away, prompting us to release this EP in honor of the talented musicians of the era who fought for social justice and created some of the most amazing music of the period. Some of the songs on this record we first heard while in South America years ago but they have been dormant, while others we have included in regular rotation at our performances. Each song independently represents the significance of Nueva Canción: altruism, solidarity and respect for humanity.
Track Listing
1. Si Somos Americanos 3:24
Victor Jara (Chile)
Written by Rolando Alarcón (Chile)
2. La Maza 4:54
Written by Silvio Rodríguez (Cuba)
3. Los Hermanos 2:53
Written by Atahualpa Yupanqui (Argentina)
4. Solo Le Pido A Dios 4:11
Written by León Gieco (Argentina)
5. Todo Cambia 4:42
Mercedes Sosa (Argentina)
Written by Julio Numhauser (Chile)
6. Gracias a la Vida 4:02
Written by Violeta Parra (Chile)
Nueva Canción was a musically driven social movement that emerged during the late 1950's. Originating in Chile and Argentina, the Nueva Canción movement combined traditional folk music with socially and politically charged lyrics. Nueva Canción arrived during a period of great upheaval in South America. Many people who had become disenfranchised throughout all of Latin America ardently adopted this new style of music as their own; and as the political situation in many of these countries worsened, the Nueva Canción movement came to define people's resistance to the increasingly despotic tendencies of their respective nations. At the height of unrest several coups were staged installing military dictatorships where there were previously democracies. With the outlawing of the Nueva Canción movement, many musicians and activists were arrested, murdered or forced into exile. In spite of the political oppression, the movement continued to grow and develop with new artists using Nueva Canción as a means of affecting social change.
Check back for more information about each track.
Musicians:
Vanessa Lively
vocals on all tracks, guitar & big drum on track 3
Jason Lively
guitar on tracks 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, charango on tracks 1, 5, 6, percussion on track 3, vocals on track 5
Mark Wochner
bass on all tracks, trumpet on tracks 3, 5
Jeanette Ladores
conga on track 1, cajón on track 2, djembe on track 5, percussion on track 6
Suzanna Choffel
backing vocals on tracks 2, 6
Adam Freeborg
drum kit on tracks 2, 4, 5
Mark Varelas
accordion on tracks 1, 2, 3, 6
Etan Sekons
lead guitar on track 2
Sick
fiddle on tracks 1, 4, 6
