Las Cafeteras Performance Brings Message of Building Bridges with Music to Joplin on April 2

(Joplin, MO) – Las Cafeteras will perform in the Joplin Empire Market Courtyard (931 E. 4th St, Joplin, MO  64801) on Saturday, April 2 at 7:00 pm (doors open at 5:30pm). This will be the sixth and final performance in Connect2Culture’s (C2C) 2021–2022 Curtains Up Series.

Formed in 2005, Las Cafeteras, which means “the coffee pots” in Spanish, began as a group of students who met while establishing the East Side Café in LA. The group was learning traditional Son Jarocho music, a style of folk music that originates from Veracruz, Mexico, and soon adapted the music to fit their realities. Since then, Las Cafeteras has evolved into a band that draws from multiple genres of music, infusing their unique sound with rich, meaningful lyrics.

“We can’t wait to see Las Cafeteras perform live again,” says Frankoski. “Their infectious, high-energy performances are something we want to share with the Joplin area.”

The band consists of six musicians and their eclectic instrumentation: Denise Carlos on vocals, the stringed jarana, and the tarima (a wooden platform used for Zapateado, a flamenco dance characterized by the rhythmic stomping of feet); Hector Paul Flores on vocals and the tarima; Jose Guadalupe Cruz Cano on drums and the cajón (a West African bass); Jesus Gonzalez Ramirez on keys and vocals; Jorge Pococ Mijangos on the stringed requinto jarocho, jarana, and vocals; and Moisés Baqueiro on bass. Singing in English, Spanish, and Spanglish, their music embodies a remix of sounds, from rock to hip-hop to rancheras.

“Another thing that really drew C2C to Las Cafeteras is their purpose,” explains Frankoski.

The group, says Frankoski, uses music as a vehicle to build bridges among different cultures and communities that have not always seen eye to eye. Their vibrant music presents modern-day stories of Latino and immigrant lives in order to create “a world where many worlds fit.” In a time where division and discord are increasingly prevalent, Las Cafeteras’ uplifting message of unity is vitally important.