Woman-fronted Chilean band has kicked off a tour of the United States and Europe with over 24 confirmed concerts, and on May 26, to premiere their first single with Warner Music Chile
The composer, singer, accordionist and pianist Pascuala Ilabaca – one of the most versatile musicians in Chile’s contemporary music scene – joins her band Fauna this summer for their 2022 La Curiosidad [The Curiosity] International Tour, with performances in New York, Chicago, Seattle, Portland and more.
June 16 – Real Art Ways – Hartford, CT
June 17 – Town Hall Theater – Middlebury, VT
June 18 – Bombyx Center for Arts & Equity – Northampton, MA
June 19 – Bossa Bistro & Lounge – Washington, DC
June 21 – Sultan Room – Brooklyn, NY
June 22 – The Stationary Factory – Dalton, MA
June 24 – Hopkins Center for the Arts at Dartmouth – Hanover, NH
June 25 – Martyrs’ – Chicago, IL
June 28 – Sinnissippi Gardens – Rockford, IL
June 30 – Vashon Center for the Arts – Vashon, WA
July 1 – Fremont Abbey – Seattle, WA
July 2 – Alberta Rose Theatre – Portland, OR
July 5 – Montreal Jazz Festival – Montreal, QC
July 7–9 – SunFest – London, ON
July 10 – Kultrun – Kitchener, ON
July 12 – Songs at Mirror Lake – Lake Placid, NY
Her new single is “Por que se fue la paloma.” Check it out here:
1. What do you think makes Chilean and Latin music in general so special?
One of the things that makes Chilean music special is that many people haven’t discovered it yet. During the Pinochet dictatorship in the 70’s and 80’s many artists had to go live abroad and I think that was the first time we were identified as a culture in the world. In the case of the music that we make with Pascuala Ilabaca and Fauna, we belong to another generation but coming from the singer-songwriter tradition, which has a strong narrative of the context of what is currently happening in South America, especially from the perspective of women. Our music also hopes to rescue the rhythms and energy of traditional festivities, which are very beautiful, and we believe that they do not get enough attention for their cultural value.
2. What is your favorite element of Chilean music?
The diversity. Chile is a country politically speaking, but it is made up of many different cultures. Our city, Valparaíso, was the main port in Chile from 1880 to 2000, and that made us a city where, on the one hand, many people from the countryside were received to work and, on the other, where there were many influences from English and North American ships, etc. that is savored in the music of our neighborhood, the other ports are savored, in fact the traditional rhythm of my city is the cueca (which came from the countryside), the Waltz that came from Peru together with the Andean festivities, boleros, tangos, cumbias and at the same time it is a very punk and indie city.
3. What artist first got you into music?
Violeta Parra (Chile), Emir Kusturika movies (with Goran Bregovic music), Chico Buarque, Janis Joplin, Bjork, Simón Díaz (Venezuela)
4. Tell us about what makes your music unique in your opinion?
The mixture of rhythms, the conviction of the themes that we put on stage, my voice. I am happy to be able to present our project to you because I feel that “what is Latin American” is very stereotyped and in our show you will surely discover another different way of being “Latin” to the stereotypical idea.
5. What excites you the most about this tour?
The possibility of traveling and presenting our music to diverse audiences, also filling ourselves with new creative styles and ideas, sharing with world artists in festivals that do not reach the southern hemisphere, also having a full professional life again after the hardships COVID placed on the music industry.
6. What do you want your audience to feel and experience when you play?
Freedom, discovery, dance, tenderness, group connection.
