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Latin Roots: La Vida Bohème

In this edition of Latin Roots we've got a session with La Vida Bohème. As our pal Rahsaan Lucas at AfroTaino Productions has said - think The Clash playing disco in Venezuela. La Vida Bohème makes anthemic rock and roll that exudes charisma. But at its center, you'll find political activism and hope in the face of extreme danger.

A few years ago La Vida Bohème was releasing its second album, the Latin Grammy-winning, Sera. The streets of Caracas where they lived were filled with social unrest, protests and violence. Lead singer Henry D'Arthenay has said if you speak with anyone from his country around his age they "all have had people kidnapped or killed or taken away from us." That includes La Vida Bohème's own tour manager, who was kidnapped, and their booking agent, who was killed. The members of La Vida Boheme decided to flee to Mexico City. That's where they wrote a new album called La Lucha ("The Struggle").

In the player above, you'll hear live performances from our Latin Roots concert showcase, Nuevofest. But first, Marisa Arbona-Ruiz, contributor to Alt.Latino, talks with the band backstage before their set.

Copyright 2021 XPN. To see more, visit XPN.

Talia Schlanger hosts World Cafe, which is distributed by NPR and produced by WXPN, the public radio service of the University of Pennsylvania. She got her start in broadcasting at the CBC, Canada's national public broadcaster. She hosted CBC Radio 2 Weekend Mornings on radio and was the on-camera host for two seasons of the television series CBC Music: Backstage, as well as several prime-time music TV specials for CBC, including the Quietest Concert Ever: On Fundy's Ocean Floor. Schlanger also guest hosted various flagship shows on CBC Radio One, including As It Happens, Day 6 and Because News. Schlanger also won a Canadian Screen Award as a producer for CBC Music Presents: The Beetle Roadtrip Sessions, a cross-country rock 'n' roll road trip.