Hot Hot Salsa!

SoundTRACKS

Kemaya is the hot new Fresno-based Salsa band that everyone is raving about!  Although the group is newly formed, the musicians are among the most seasoned and vital musicians that the Central Valley has to offer:

Kemaya is building a following at a frenzied pace.  They’ve already opened up for Salsa legend Johnny Palanco at Fresno’s premier Wood Ward Park Amphitheater.  Now they make their South Valley debut performance on Saturday, February 7th at The Cellar Door!

Here is short interview that I conducted with a few members of Kemaya…

A.G.: What motivated you to form this all-star salsa band?

Richard Juarez: As a conguero (congo player), I have always had a love for salsa music, but unfortunately such groups are extremely scarey in the San Joaquin Valley.  That’s what drove me to start Kemaya, along with my passion and love for the music.

A.G.: How is Kemaya different than any other band you’ve played with in the past?

Aaron Wall.:  Kemaya is different because we play straight ahead salsa as opposed to Latin jazz.  People who come see the band perform should expect to dance to classic salsa songs as well as older traditional tunes.

Quesal Andredes:  All the members of Kemaya are friends and we’ve all played with each other in various groups, however, not in this particular line up. This line up was forged to be Fresno first homegrown salsa band.  So this is nothing like Fresno’s seen before.  Magic is definitely in the air!

A.G.: What can we expect from a live Kemaya show?

Richard Juarez: A good work out! Kemaya will keep you on the dance floor the whole night.  All of the musicians of Kemaya enjoy performing with each other, and that reflects in our music

Quesal Andredes: Visalians can expect a wall of sound that will make them want to dance! They can expect that everyone in Kemaya will be playing their hearts out on stage, which means there’s going to be a vibe everyone’s going to want to come back and experience again. They can expect nothing but salsa!

A.G.: Is there anything else Visalians should know about Kemaya?

Omar Nare: ¡Salsita de las más buena!

Quesal Andredes: Well besides being a group of talented musicians, we are all young and good looking! So ladies, come out and judge for your selves. Lastly, we love having fun on stage. You can guarantee that we’ll be smiling, moving, and having a good time playing for you!