The Band
Los Callejeros wants to take everybody on a musical journey to different worlds, inspired by intercultural encounters, both local and international. With their incomparable sound of the world-mestizo beat, these globetrotting artivists will swipe you off your feet in an overwhelming party.
Every callejero adds his own musical identity to the melting pot, freely experimenting with Afro-latin grooves, Etnic-folkmusic, reggaeskanks, jazz and rock, balkan gypsy stuff and a pinch of European tears.
Their urban slang poetry sings about the great clichés of life, social conscience and the great themes of our world in different languages. Los Callejeros has a reputation for being a heart-warming musical surprise.
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Callejero [ka-jee-chee-ro],
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street musician - encounter - street greaser - melting pot - confrontation - visions on life - mestizo malegria los locos del barrio world citizenship globe-trotter artivist _cc781905 -5cde-3194-bb3b-136bad5cf58d_ II adj - from the street - street - street life - stray dog - spontaneous - intercultural - authentic - from the world - voluntary - cross medial - personal - self-willed the road - to jam IV excl. · pata de perro – pura vida · chido · chevere · ubqumao!
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Los Callejeros is:
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'El Paquito' Frank Mercado Avalos : vocals, quena, gaita and accordion
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'El QT' Peter Morris : vocals, guitar
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'El Jéfé' Jef Gravez : double bass
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'Dr Chaos' Luis Valle Moya : guitar, jarana and quijada
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'El Diablo' Christophe Millet : congas and percussion
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'El Doeffe' David Vertongen : drums and percussion
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'El Dino' Sam Versweyveld : trumpet, concha, scrutie-box and vocals
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'Danito Morado' Daan Morris : trombone, keyboard and vocals
The Story
The band Los Callejeros has its roots in the musical documentary 'Caro o Moneda', shot in Cuba. This heart-warming and endearing culture-bridging documentary was selected for the Docville 2006 documentary festival. The project and its makers stirred enthusiasm among a number of professional musicians and gave birth to the band Los Callejeros.
Their first album, 'El Camino es el Destino', was released in 2008. Even Selah Sue, a beginning artist at that moment, contributed to the CD with a hidden track. Los Callejeros then went to Peru to shoot the docu-clip 'Mas Corazon'. This kick-started their tour of the same name, bringing their street-vibe to larger stages.
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Apart from playing traditional stages, the band decided to tour with a self-managed mobile stage. This allowed them to take their music to wherever their path led them and meet their audiences everywhere in an intimate setting.
2011 saw the release of their second album 'Presente!', including collaborations with the Portuguese band 'Terrakota', Belgian band 'Les Talons Gitans', and the local social-artistic project 'MurgaLova'. And the end of the same year, the band went to Barcelona to record a new music video, 'Amourouse'.
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During their travels through South-America, the band was inspired by all people and sounds they met on their road, of which the first two albums bear witness. Later, back in Belgium and taking full advantage of the Belgian melting-pot, new songs emerged, and they ended up on the third album, 'Ukamao!', released in February 2015.
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Los Callejeros continues to evolve and their musical journey is far from over. Their upcoming album "Fortuna" promises even more musical highlights. A collection of stories about love, hope and the search for happiness. Get ready for an adventure full of rhythm and emotion.
Los Callejeros played, among other festivals and venues, Colora Festival, Mondihalle, Rootstock, Patersholfeesten, Marktrock, Het Depot, De wereldfeesten, Fiesta Mundial, Soirée tropical, Route Du Soleil (France), Couleur Café, Polé Polé, Vijverfestival, Gitannekesfoor, Outremeuse. Their musical collaborations include artists like percussion band Lokomotiv, Xamanek, Alfredo Valiente, Buritaca, Kollasuyu-Ñan, Dirk Timmermans (The Internationals) , Ipiraña, Monterey from Cuba and Sanstilloh from Leuven.