La Santa Cecilia and Los Cenzontles Kick Off Stanford Live's Inaugural Summer Series, 7/20

Stanford Live will launch its first summer season on July 20 with an afternoon of Mexican American alternative and roots music. The Grammy Award-winning La Santa Cecilia, named "Best Alternative Band of the Year" by L.A. Weekly, and Bay Area favorites Los Cenzontles ("The Mockingbirds") will take the Bing Concert Hall stage starting at 3:00 p.m.

From its humble beginning performing on the streets of Los Angeles, La Santa Cecilia has evolved into the musical face of the country's young Latino population and was honored this year with a Grammy Award for best Latin rock or alternative recording. The band consists of accordionist and requintero Jose "Pepe" Carlos, bassist Alex Bendana, percussionist Miguel Ramirez, and lead vocalist La Marisoul, whose voice sings about love, loss, and heartbreak. Their influences range from Miles Davis to the Beatles, Led Zeppelin to Janis Joplin, and Mercedes Sosa to Ramón Ayala. In 2013, the band released its major-label debut, Treinta Dias (Thirty Days), which featured a collaboration with fan Elvis Costello on "Losing Game."

Los Cenzontles (Nahuatl for "The Mockingbirds") digs deep into Latino traditions to promote dignity, pride, and cultural understanding. The group has pioneered revivals of Mexican roots music in California, bringing traditions to new generations. Los Cenzontles creates a powerful, hybrid sound, creating a fresh Chicano voice for a new generation. The group's core members also operate Los Cenzontles Mexican Arts Center in San Pablo, California.

Stanford Live hopes to offer audiences a chance to experience Bing in a new way with this first foray into summer presenting. According to Executive Director Wiley Hausam, "It's an opportunity to reach out to audiences we don't customarily serve, with more-informal and lighter programming." Adding to the festival atmosphere will be food trucks courtesy of Off the Grid, the Bay Area's roaming mobile food extravaganza, parked right outside the Bing for all four of the headline performances this July and August.

Stanford Live's summer series will continue with a dance party in the Bing Concert Hall lobby with Lavay Smith and her Red Hot Skillet Lickers (July 26) and performances by singer Shawn Colvin (Aug. 2) and guitarist Miloš Karadaglic? (Aug. 6).

TICKETS AND INFORMATION
Tickets for La Santa Cecilia & Los Cenzontles, presented by Stanford Live on Sunday, July 20 at 3:00 p.m., range from $15-$35. Tickets are available in person at the Bing Concert Hall Ticket Office, by phone at 650-724-2464 (BING) or online at http://live.stanford.edu. The box office is located at 327 Lasuen Street. Regular operating hours are Tuesday-Friday from 12:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m.

ABOUT STANFORD LIVE
Stanford Live is Stanford University's performing?arts presenter and producer, committed to sharing, celebrating and advancing the art of live music, dance, theater, and opera. Stanford Live unites celebrated and emerging artists with the Stanford campus and greater Bay Area communities in a broad range of experiences that engage the senses and emotions, stimulate minds, and enrich lives. The organization values artistic vitality, learning and an inclusive community. In addition to its home in Bing Concert Hall, Stanford Live also presents performances at other campus venues including Memorial Auditorium, Memorial Church and Frost Amphitheater.
http://live.stanford.edu/calendar/july-2014/la-santa-cecilia-los-cenzontles

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