We here at GO! Magazine’s music desk love all the roots, rock, blues, folk and bluegrass you can see performed live inside Central Oregon’s clubs on a regular basis.
But sometimes, you just long for a different flavor, you know?
For years, Shireen Amini has been one of our local scene’s different flavors. An ethnomusicologist with a penchant for soulful world-beat pop, Amini has long sprinkled Latin covers into her solo sets to spice things up a bit.
But she had never developed that sound into a full band project until last summer, when she put together a quartet to play a Cinco de Mayo festival. It was to be a one-off thing, but the players found themselves having so much fun, they stuck with it.
The result is Chiringa, which means “kite" in Spanish. Besides Amini, the band features Johnny Riordan on congas, Tom Freedman on bass and Kyle Pickard on the drum kit. Together, they play Latin dance music (salsa, cumbia, etc.) and songs by well-known Latin artists such as Santana, Ozomatli, Celia Cruz and more.
They’ll do all of the above and more Saturday at The Belfry in Sisters. To help folks get loose (and to give newbies a booty-shaking foundation), local dance teacher Salsa Victoria will hold a dance lesson at 7 p.m., before the band starts. Barrio will be on hand to provide food that fits the night’s theme.
Chiringa; 8 p.m. Saturday, dance lesson at 7 p.m., doors open at 6 p.m.; $5-$10; The Belfry, 302 E. Main, Sisters; www.belfryevents.com.
