Previous performance at the Falerina Garden, which this summer brings back a program of concerts with Belar Sounds. /
Belar Sounds
This Saturday, the group Moonshakers begins the fourth edition of the program of performances next to the Montehermoso palace
For those who stay in Vitoria while their neighbors go on vacation without being able to do anything but resign themselves, the cultural offer this summer is presented as one of the best ways to disconnect. The fourth edition of Belar Sounds, an open-air music program that is held in the Falerina Garden on summer weekends, kicks off this Saturday with a live performance by Moonshakers, the first of six performances by bands to which they are joined the passion for rock, although his repertoire wanders through soul, funk or blues.
The Moonshakers band, which drinks from Radio Birdman, The Stooges and nearby formations such as Submission City Blues, will play for the second consecutive week in the city, since it was one of the groups that performed last Thursday in the Plaza de la Virgen Blanca as part of the Osteguna Rock festival. This Saturday, June 25, the Bilbao band will take the stage again, this time in the old part of the city. Inge Isasi, singer; Nagore Jauregi, guitarist and backup singer; and Alba Granados, drums, make up this trio with a live show full of energy and references to classics. Entropy (July 2), Matt Horan & The CAF Band (August 20), Greg Izor Quartet (August 27), Memphis (September 3) and Mississippi Queen & The Wet Dogs (September 10) complete the lineup of this edition in which Basque and international formations alternate.
One of the closest groups with the most projection of psychedelic rock at a national level, Entropía, which debuted in 2018 with its very personal album ‘Invisible’, will almost exclusively present its second live album on July 2. In fact, the work has not yet been published and some details remain to be polished, as well as deciding whether to publish it independently or with a record label. “We like to present the songs that we are doing live and for the friends who come to see us to tell us what they think,” comments Andoni Penela, the group’s drummer, about this testing of an unpublished repertoire.
Another band from Alava to keep track of is Memphis, winners of the Gazte Talent contest two years ago. They released their album ‘Money Gods’ in May 2021 and that will be the cover letter in the garden near Montehermoso. “There are eleven songs and we can surely add something new”, says Javi Mateos, guitar and voice of the band formed together with Mikel Sánchez (guitar and voice), Gorka Quincoces (bass) and Eneko Ruiz (drums). The group was grateful for the opportunity to perform live at a time when theater agendas are almost full for the following months. «Music and the musician are undervalued and the necessary material, transport and practice are not taken into account. You can see the real fruit live,” they say.
One of the best-known artists on the bill is the American Matt Horan, known as the leader of the group Dead Bronco, who presents a more personal project, ‘You Ain’t Country’, in which country, blues and “redneck attitude” are mixed , stereotype of the southern white man without much income from areas like Alabama. Greg Izor, harmonica player and singer representative of the usual Tejano blues, has already left a good taste in the Basque Country circuit with previous performances in venues such as Urban Rock Concept. His return with a lively proposal will take place at the end of August backed by guitarist Iker Piris, bassist Abdell B. Pop and drummer Andy Martín. Another young band from Bilbao, Mississippi Queen & The Wet Dogs, will show off a repertoire that includes versions of soul greats and part of their own repertoire. With Inés Eleuteria as singer, the band has carved out a niche for itself in the most soulful and funky scene with performances inside and outside the Basque Country.
This program was born in 2018 and is in its fourth edition after the suspension of 2020 and the limitation of attendance by invitation to the concerts organized last year. Estíbaliz Canto, Councilor for Culture, pointed out that the Falerina garden is being recovered as a “leisure space”. The cycle aims to “bring quality music to the public”. The performances, free, will begin at 7:00 p.m.