Fuse different genres of music and combine it with band members from different ethnicities and you get the popular Union City eight-piece band Sangha Tierra.
“We do not gravitate to one place,” said guitarist Peter Wallach of Union City in an interview last week. “We are pulled in different directions.”
The group – made up of two Union City musicians and several from New York City – was preparing to entertain the crowds at the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation’s Great Strides Walk on Sunday, May 22 at Battery Park. Cystic fibrosis is a life threatening genetic disease that affects the lungs and digestive system.
Aside from that, the band was honing its style, a mix of Latin American types of music.
Marcel Weisz, the group’s vocalist, said, “We all come from different … musical backgrounds and ethnicit[ies]. At the age of 10 I began my practice in musical theatre. I lived in Israel for 10 years and learned some of my craft from working with a salsa band. My greatest influences come from Middle Eastern and Latin music.”
“We want to unite the community with our music.” – Leslie Spalding
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He said the band plays some original music, and some favorites.
“We want to unite the community with our music,” said Spalding. “Whenever we have a gig. we work on new songs, but with cover songs we find ways to make it sound different.”
Elo Hernandez of Union City is the group’s bass player and main contact for events and bookings.
“My influences are heavy metal, rock, punk and Cuban music,” he said.
Living up to band standards
The group is glad to play at the cystic fibrosis fundraiser.
Spalding said, “We were looking for causes and a friend of ours suffers from cystic fibrosis, so we thought it was a good day to play music and raise money for finding a cure.”
They’re also looking for a cure for the musical doldrums. They will perform at a Metro Art Expo at the Good Life Restaurant & Lounge on 42nd and Park Avenue in Union City on May 28 at 9 p.m.
The expo will be a music, cultural, and art showcase for networking.
The group is looking to record more original music and uses social networking sites to promote themselves so they can play at more events.
“We are taking steps to making studio quality music,” Spalding said.
So what can one expect if they attend one of the two upcoming events?
They’ll likely perform the hit song “Evil Ways” by Santana, a cover song they perform in Spanish and English.
But they’ve got their own creations. “Ritmo Liberado,” one of their songs, translates to “Free rhythm.” It has an Afro-Cuban sound.
But “I Want to Know” has more of a rock sound. “Let’s Funk It Up” has more of an offbeat funk sound.
So even if the band has a Latino edge, don’t try to pin them down to one style.
Their website explains, “ ‘Sangha’ in Sanskrit means a community that is spiritually connected and ‘Tierra’ in Spanish means Earth. Our goal is to connect to create a world community that is spiritually connected through our music. To accomplish this, we play a variety of world genres, including AfroCuban, Samba, Flamenco, Funk, etc. We also express our positive message of love and unity in several languages, including English, Spanish, Portuguese, Hebrew.”
Read more about them at www.sanghatierra.com.
Santo Sanabria may be reached at SSanabria@hudsonreporter.com.