La Misa Negra at the Ritz

In Music July 24, 2019 by Metro Staff

MASSIVE SOUND: Oakland Afro-Latin powerhouse La Misa Negra play the Ritz this Friday.

Dance is one of humanity’s most cathartic outlets. La Misa Negra understands this primal drive and seeks to capitalize on our collective lust for movement. Hailing from Oakland, the seven-piece band excels at packing a world of sounds into every one of its tightly wound, hip-shaking numbers. Shimmying cumbia and Afro-Latin beats roil beneath skronky swing-revival horns and tremulous surf punk guitar flourishes on “Sancocho,” a track from their 2018 eponymous “red album.” The song’s title literally refers to a stew common to many Latin American countries. Urban Dictionary offers a second definition—awesomeness in liquid form.