¡Viva el Arte de Santa Barbara! will present M.A.K.U. SoundSystem Feb. 20-22. Courtesy photo.
SANTA BARBARA — ¡Viva el Arte de Santa Barbara! will present M.A.K.U. SoundSystem at 7 p.m. Friday at Isla Vista School, 6875 El Colegio Road; at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Guadalupe City Hall, 918 Obispo St.; and at 7 p.m. Sunday at the Marjorie Luke Theater at Santa Barbara Jr. High, 721 E. Cota St., Santa Barbara.
M.A.K.U. SoundSystem is an immigrant band from New York City with most of its members coming from Colombia. Blending the Afro-Colombian rhythms of their homeland with the amplified kicks of synths, bass guitar, clarinet and trombone, M.A.K.U. SoundSystem combines traditional Colombian folklore with elements of hip-hop, funk, rock and jazz, and an urban and eclectic vibe.
Many of M.A.K.U.’s song lyrics delve into topics of poverty and injustice, creating a dialogue on social issues, Viva el Arte de Santa Barbara reported in a media release. Founder Camilo Rodriguez said the word Maku means ‘low-class person’ in the indigenous languages in the southern region of Colombia. ‘Sound System’ refers to the huge public parties thrown in the streets of Colombia and Jamaica in the ‘60s and ‘70s, so that M.A.K.U SoundSystem stands for a party for the people.
Visit http://luketheatre.org/calendar/ or https://www.facebook.com/VivaelArteSB for more information.