Every region has its version of “traditional” music. Even when they’re separated by thousands of miles, bringing two of them together to create a cohesive sound is possible. Larry & Joe are proof.
Larry Bellorin is a Venezuelan legend of Música Llanera who has been seeking asylum in the United States for over 10 years. Joe Troop is a Grammy-nominated bluegrass musician from North Carolina. Together, they’ve created “Latingrass” — a fusion of traditional sounds from the Americas that explores heritage alongside stories of migration, social movements and friendship.
They brought their combined talents to Latino Arts in Milwaukee at the beginning of this month, and I had a chance to talk with them about their influences, folk music as a way to connect generations and how joy is an act of resistance. A quick note: Bellorin’s primary language is Spanish and Troop’s is English, so our interview was conducted bilingually.
