Tag: Larry & Joe

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Larry & Joe is an acclaimed folk duo that performs a unique fusion of Venezuelan and Appalachian folk featuring harp, banjo, cuatro, fiddle, maracas, guitar, upright bass and whatever else they could fit in their tour van. The duo features:

  • Joe Troop, a North Carolina-based Grammy-nominated bluegrass and old-time musician, who spent over a decade in South America with his acclaimed “latingrass” band Che Apalache. With the pandemic, Troop got stranded in his old stomping grounds and as a result, his primary project was forced into hiatus. Troop shifted into action, working with asylum seeking migrants. 
  • Larry Bellorín, a Monagas, Venezuela-born, North Carolina-based Llanera music legend, and asylum-seeking migrant. Bellorín has worked various construction jobs to make ends meet, and writes and performs music in whatever spare time allowed.

Currently based in North Carolina’s Research Triangle, Troop and Bellorín are versatile multi-instrumentalists and singer/songwriters on a mission to prove that music has no borders and that music is the universal language. Their work is a distinct blend of their musical and cultural inheritances and traditions paired with storytelling about the ways that music and social movements coalesce. 

The duo’s latest single is an ebullient rendition of “Mi Burrito Sabanero,” one of the most beloved and oft-covered Latin holiday songs ever written. The duo’s rendition features a bilingual intro and break, and lyrics mostly sung in Spanish, as well as a playful and dexterous nod to “Here Comes Santa Claus” on the violin. The song also adds some instrumentation to the arrangement that aren’t on the most known versions — including banjo and others. “Mi Burrito Sabanero” further cements the duo’s boundary busting sound and approach rooted in a deep empathy, playfulness and a much-needed sweet, kindness, while offering something for everyone to enjoy.

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Video by William Ruben Helms

Live Footage: Larry & Joe Perform “Caballo Viejo”

https://youtu.be/FgWg67OUyJ8

Larry & Joe is a new duo that performs a fusion of Venezuelan and Appalachian folk music on harp, banjo, cautro, fiddle, maracas, guitar, upright bass and whatever else they decide to throw into the van. The duo features:

  • Joe Troop, a North Carolina-based Grammy-nominated bluegrass and old-time musician, who spent over a decade in South America with his acclaimed “latingrass” band Che Apalache. With the pandemic, Troop got stranded in his old stomping grounds and as a result, his primary project was forced into hiatus. Troop shifted into action, working with asylum seeking migrants.

  • Larry Bellorín, a Monagas, Venezuela-born, North Carolina-based Llanera music legend, and asylum seeking migrant. Bellorín works construction to makes ends meet, and writes and performs music in whatever spare time allowed.

Currently based in North Carolina’s Research Triangle, Troop and Bellorín are versatile multi-instrumentalists and singer/songwriters on a mission to prove that music has no borders, that music is the universal language. Their work is a distinct blend of their musical and cultural inheritances and traditions paired with storytelling about the ways that music and social movements coalesce.

The duo’s debut single is a subtle re-imagining of “Caaballo Viejo,” one of the most beloved and popular Venezuelan songs of all time. The song features the duo on their primary instruments: Bellorín on harp, Troop on banjo and vocals. While featuring a wildly different yet gorgeous arrangement, that gives the song a bluegrass twang, the Bellarín and Troop rendition is still centered around a timeless and deeply human heartache and longing that somehow effortlessly translates in every language.

The duo is playing a show at River Spirt Music, Hastings-on-Hudson, NY on January 28, 2023. For tickets and other information, check out the link: https://cliveshows.com/events/rsm-larry-joe/