Folklife Festival: Luci Murphy + Queztal perform today at 6:30
By hola | Published | No Comments
D.C. vocalist Luci Murphy and the Grammy Award winning rock band, Quetzal, will perform at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival on the National Mall this afternoon in a special concert paying tribute to legendary folk musician Pete Seeger.
Seeger, who passed away in January at the age of 94, had a long and storied career as an activist, as well as a performer. Each of this afternoon’s acts share that commitment to social justice, according to Sabrina Lynn Motley, the Festival’s director.
Quetzal, a “Chican@” band from East Los Angeles that believes in “the radical potential” of creativity, is known for its mixology of ranchera, cumbia and salsa, R&B, folk and international music. The Los Angeles Times called the group “relentlessly inventive” and “one of the brainiest bands around.”
“Their music is so rooted in social justice, deep community ties and living a passionate creative vision,” says Motley of Quetzal, which won a Grammy last year for its album, “Imaginaries,” produced by the Smithsonian Folkways Recordings.
Co-founder Quetzal Flores, says he and his band mates feel honored to pay tribute to Seeger.
“It means a lot to us because Pete Seeger’s music has been an inspiration,” Flores says. “His whole committment to humanity and human dignity really resonates with us.”
Today’s appearance is one of Queztal’s first stops in a tour promoting its new album, “Quetzanimales,” which comes out next month on the independent Artivist Entertainment label.
Including D.C. artist Luci Murphy in the line up, Motley says, was “a natural choice” too. “We also wanted an artist who spoke to some of these same issues as they played out in D.C.”
A Paul Robeson Award for Peace and Justice winner, Murphy is well-known locally both for her passionate voice and her commitment to social justice. Fluent in Spanish, she has deep ties to D.C.’s Latino artists and activists, as well.
The concert, which starts at 6:30 p.m., also honors festival co-founder, the late Ralph Rinzler, and will feature performances by banjo players Abigail Washburn and Tony Trischka, and Pete’s nephew, Tony Seeger.
From 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the Ngoma Stage.
(photos courtesy of Quetzal)
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