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“A Latin American plaza springs up in Chicago”
By Benjamin Ortiz, Special to the Tribune
Section: On the Town
Date: January 25, 2008


The Old Town School of Folk Music bustles daily with students carting instruments to classes and echoes of percussive flamenco stepping or drum circles piecing out African beats. But at midweek, the lobby of the main concert hall becomes a Latin American plaza, the traditional center of folk life and community commonplace.
If you missed its winter kickoff, the 12th season of La Peña continues every Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. through March 12, with free, ticketed shows consisting of two sets every night for a full-bodied showcase of music and dance spanning the trans-continental diversity of Latino culture.
Community projects director Matthew “Mateo” Mulcahy expects average turnout to reach near capacity of 400 people, so Latin music enthusiasts are encouraged to reserve tickets.
Music and dance go hand in hand at each show, along with the easygoing feel of a fiesta among friends, the true root of the Pena transplanted from Latin America to Chicago with sound and savor intact.
This season includes some notable firsts in the quest for true Latino variety, with rock-en-Español, Ecuadorian music and traditional Afro-Colombian culture in the mix. The menu as a whole jumps between salsa, bachata, son, samba and much more.
Four shows stand out.
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Maladicto (Feb. 6)
Metallic Mex-Rican rock probably isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Latino music, but these up-and-coming Spanish-language thrashers might leave ears ringing when they grind out some politically charged, Chicago-bred heavy anthems.
Paoli Mejías Quintet (Feb. 27)
Old Town’s Matthew “Mateo” Mulcahy cites this Puerto Rican artist as “one of the top Latin percussionists, period,” for his work with such trailblazers as Eddie Palmieri and Tito Puente plus his own Grammy-nominated work on blazing drum skins.
Sones de Mexico Ensemble (Feb. 20)
Our local proponents of traditional Mexican folkloric music celebrate a homecoming and recent Grammy nominations, as they demonstrate what some of them actually teach at the School, including former Peña curator Juan Díes.
Revolu (March 12)
The New York quintet delivers traditional rhythms and songs stretching across centuries of Afro-folklore from the Caribbean coast of Colombia, closing the Peña season with special guests Tierra Colombiana, a celebrated Midwestern dance troupe.

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