Cira y Yo – Da Local Flava

Uncategorized — By admin on December 16, 2007 1:00 am

After seeing some solid big-name
American bands play here in Madrid,
I decided it was time to take in a local show. Escaping from the cold December
night, I ducked in to Sala Juglar to catch Cira y Yo, a laid back Spanish
folk/pop band originally from Badajoz, but now
also spending quite a bit of time in Madrid.
Turns out it was a good call.

As my fellow concert goers
steadily flowed into the cozy little venue, they were met with a smiling and
tambourine bearing Cira and Ulises, wedged onto the little stage in front of
their backing band. Once the crowd had finally filled in, the band kicked
into “Flores Secas” (dried flowers), and I realized right away what I
had been missing. Cira’s assertive alto
was joined at first only by rhythmic clapping and the flying fingers of lead
guitarist Juan Pedro Padilla who effortlessly summoned a roguish flamenco style
accompaniment. The band joined in for the chorus, and showed a chemistry that
would be present for the entire night.

The group played a few more
songs together, with Ulises trading his tambourine for a guitar, and Cira
compensating by at times double fisting small percussion. The band was clearly
into it, and at times they formed a circle, their backs to the audience, and
just jammed out. Then it was time to take it down a notch, and we were treated
to a few songs with just Cira and Ulises, and one, a lovely ranchera cover,
with just Cira and her acoustic guitar.

By the end of the night,
Cira y Yo had delivered an impressively diverse performance with songs
including but not limited to originals in English and Spanish, a reggae fusion
song, and covers of both Bob Marley and David Bowie. As the last notes were
played, the crowd begged for more, and although management initially said no,
the pleading crowd won the final appeal. After an encore just as good as the rest of
the show, the lights were turned on and we all filtered out. The band mingled
among the crowd, talking to those people they knew, or whoever wanted a word.
It was, in the end, everything you could want in a local show, and the slowly
fading strains of music kept me warm as I trudged back to the metro.

 

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