In the late 1990's in the southside neighborhood of Durango, Colorado, the Mezcalero's for Changó Foundation held their weekly Thursday night meetings. What started out as an informal gathering of druken philosophical rantings rapidly grew into a microcosm of world culture spilling it's color and flavor in and out of a tiny two room house known affectionately as the Chupacabra Night Club. This ramshackle cement block dwelling hosted people from as far as Europe, Asia, the Carribbean and South America, and those as near as the Ute, Navajo and Hopi Reservations. Languages from every corner of the earth mixed freely among smoke, sweat and a wildly flowing river of live music.
Beneath the mural of a jaguar illuminated by candles and christmas lights a stage was constructed from two couches and scrap lumber. The music and dance would last all night, sometimes all day and all night, until exhaustion, inebriation. a sexual liasion or some combination of basic human need sent the world's children to bed. From the fertile womb of the Chupacabra, JuanaLaCapilla was conceived.
"Art imitates Life" it has been said. For longer than we may know, musicans and poets the world over have given their lives to be the voice of the people, laying the foundation for spiritual practices and social festivities, a mirror of ethical consience for leaders and peoples of their nations...and of course, their own artistic self expression. For music is...just as dance...the act of "Art in Motion". It has also been said...."there is no such thing as coincidence"...a community collective of artists, six in particular, had a dream that would find them all in the same experience. As similar as their vision, passion and influences were, they would find and unveil great diversity among them. Perhaps their greatest challenge and companion...unity through diversity...their only choice. Their commitment to see their vision through would become a tapestry of emotion, determination and many a sacrifice, as diverse and similar a tapestry as JuanaLaCapilla.