Friday at the Black Cat
Black Cat, 1811 14th St. NW, Washington, DC 20009


I've heard some live recordings of Los Amigos Invisibles, so when I saw they were playing here, I immediately bought a ticket.

I didn't even realize there was going to be an opening act until I went upstairs and Bio Ritmo was performing.

The crowd was diverse, with a lot of couples, who danced together especially during Bio Ritmo's set.

Bio Ritmo - in progress at around 10:30 PM
The line up was: Rei Alvarez (vocals & percussion), bass player, Marlysse Simmons (keyboard), Saxophone player, Tobias Whitaker (trombone), Mambo Bob Miller (trumpet), Giustino "Inspector Clave" Riccio (drummer), Gabo "Presidente" Tomasini (percussion), cowbell player/percussionist.

They performed about 6 songs during the time I was there, the third one cranked. They were done at 11 PM. They are a salsa band; their music didn't really stand out to me.

I bought a copy of The Venezuelan Zinga Son, Vol. 1 and their live DVD (I didn't know it existed and I couldn't find it on the net afterwards either). I prefer them live to studio. I enjoyed the DVD, but wish it were longer.

Los Amigos Invisibles - 11:39 PM
The line up was: Julio "Chulius" Briceño (vocals), José "DJ Afro" Pardo (guitar), José "Catire" Torres (bass), Armando "Odnam" Figueredo (keyboard), Mauricio "Maurimix" Arcas (percussion & vocals), Juan "Mamel" Roura (drummer/percussion).

DJ Afro, Odnam, Chulius, Mamel, Catire, Maurimix
1) Instrumental - Odnam walked on stage first, then DJ Afro and Catire, then Maurimix and Mamel, there was big response from the crowd it cranked, Chulius walked onstage / Chulius-led Mi Linda - they got the audience to clap
2) Chulius-led Amor - it cranked -->
3) Chulius & Maurimix-led Caliente - it had a light crank -->
4) Chulius-led ? - it had a light crank -->
5) Chulius-led ? -->
6) Chulius-led Ease Your Mind - Catire soloed, Chulius said, "Make some noise!", Maurimix soloed, Odnam soloed, it rose to a full crank
7) Chulius-led ? - Mamel left the drum kit for the toms -->

All pictures (except flyer) taken by and Copyright - Jordan Rich
8) Maurimix-led ? - it was laid back, Mamel went back to the drum kit -->
9) Chulius-led ? "eya yo yo" - it was guitar-driven, the crowd responded, the band members jumped up and down, it rose to a full crank
10) Chulius-led ? - it was laid back -->
11) Chulius-led ? "se sa" (very familiar) - it was keyboard-driven, it had a light crank -->
12) Chulius-led ? - it had a light crank -->
13) Chulius-led ? - the band and the crowd jumped up and down -->
14) Chulius-led ? - it was guitar-driven, it was laid back -->
15) Chulius-led ? - it had a light crank, DJ Afro soloed, Chulius showed a Venezuelan flag and rapped it around his neck
16) Chulius-led Cuchi Cuchi - Chulius got the crowd to clap, it had a light crank, Maurimix soloed, Odnam soloed
17) Chulius-led Ponerte E Cuatro - it cranked, the band jumped up and down, they held their mics to the crowd, there was a lot of response by the crowd
18) Chulius-led ? - it had a light crank, Chulius thanked the audience for coming out, DJ Afro soloed, they left the stage / outtro
Encores:
19) Chulius-led Yo Soy Asi - a female fan went onstage and kissed Chulius
20) Chulius-led ? - it cranked
21) Chulius-led El Disco Anal - it had a light crank, Chulius said, "Everyone jump" / Maurimix tom solo
It ended at 1:40 AM. Because I don't know Spanish and because it was dark and I don't take notes as well when I can't see what I'm writing. I really enjoyed - it was really fun, light hearted music. While they performed, a screen to the right of the stage showed a video - it was bizarre (it was not their live DVD).