JULY 5, 2012
Joan Soriano Announces Tour Dates
Dominican Bachata Master Hits U.S. Stages In July And August
by Tom PryorOne of our favorite performers, Dominican bachata wunderkind Joan Soriano is back - and this time he's bringing his whole family!
In a press statement released earlier today, Soriano's label, iASO records announced that Soriano would be returning to U.S. stages this summer for a two month tour in support of his most recent release, La Familia Soriano - and that his siblings Griselda, Nelly and Fernando will be rounding out his band!
We've reprinted the complete press release below, including Soriano's full touring schedule. Don't miss out!
With La Familia Soriano, released by iASO Records this spring, the internationally acclaimed bachata legend Joan Soriano has perfected his down-to-earth style of shantytown bachata. His band is composed of members of his musical family, including his two sisters Griselda and Nelly, and his brother Fernando. Together, they will be touring the US this summer and performing new songs from the album-and from Joan's debut, El Duque de la Bachata.
La Familia Soriano reached #3 on the Billboard Tropical chart this summer. The Chicago Reader called Soriano "a forward thinker as well as an old soul, playing crisp, seductive, high-velocity guitar patterns over coolly percolating percussion." East Bay Express says, "Joan Soriano is a bachatero with a royal touch. He plays guitar with a passion and finesse that will leave you speechless." Radio support has ranged from NPR to New York's La Mega 97.9 FM, one of the most popular Latin stations in the U.S.
Joan Soriano's music has always been a family affair. The seventh of fifteen brothers and sisters, half of whom are professional musicians, he grew up playing in a band led by his older brother Tatico, who helped him fashion his first guitar from a can of cooking oil and fishing wire when he was 5 years old. At 13, Joan left home and made his way to Villa Mella, a notorious Dominican shantytown that is the heartland of bachata. It wasn't long before he was playing with the legends of classic bachata. He was introduced by one of them to Benjamin de Menil, the New York-based founder of iASO Records, which specializes in traditional Dominican music. (iASO has produced Bachata Roja and Puerto Plata, among others) de Menil produced La Familia and El Duque, and iASO is organizing the upcoming U.S. tour, following Joan & Familia's acclaimed 13 city European tour this spring.
Also contributing to La Familia Soriano are Joan's sister Amparo (chorus) and her husband Julián Pacheco (bass guitar and choruses). The Sorianos' musical intimacy, derived from years of playing and living together, shines through the recording.
On the upcoming tour the band will include Griselda, Fernando and Julián, together with Roberto Santos (of Bachata Roja Legends) on drums and Carlos Lapaix (who played in El Duque) on güira.
At 40, Soriano has collaborated with many of the great bachata legends, and is on his way to becoming one himself. His compositions are more modern, but more traditional than that of young U.S.-based bachata stars like Aventura and Prince Royce. Soriano's songs embody the playful, unvarnished earthiness of Santo Domingo's streets and countryside.
La Familia Soriano U.S. Tour Dates
July 6 San Francisco, CA Café Cocomo
July 8 San Francisco, CA Hot Bachata Nights @ Impala
July 11 Denver, CO La Rumba
July 14 Butte, MT Montana Folk Festival National Council for the Traditional Arts
July 15 Butte, MT Montana Folk Festival National Council for the Traditional Arts
July 17 Fresno, CA The Starline
July 18 Los Angeles, CA Steven's Steak House
July 20 San Diego, CA Blue Agave Nightclub
July 26 New York, NY SOBs
July 27 Lowell, MA Lowell Folk Festival National Council for the Traditional Arts
July 28 Lowell, MA Lowell Folk Festival National Council for the Traditional Arts
July 29 Lowell, MA Lowell Folk Festival National Council for the Traditional Arts
August 1 North Bethesda, MD Strathmore
August 2 Chicago, Il Excalibur Nightclub
August 3 Cedar Rapids, IA CSPS Hall (Legion Arts)
August 4 Madison, WI Sugar Maple Festival
August 8 Bethlehem, PA Musikfest