Latin-Appalachian Band Appalatin to Perform Tuesday Night

COLUMBIA, Ky. -- Columbia-Adair County will get to hear one of Kentucky's more original homegrown bands Tuesday night at Lindsey Wilson College.

The fusion band Appalatin will perform at 7 p.m. CT on Tuesday at W.W. Slider Humanities Center Recital Hall. The concert -- which is part of the 2011-12 LWC Cultural Affairs Series -- is free and open to the public.

Appaltin blends Latino, Caribbean and Appalachian rhythms for a unique sound that is both swinging and cool.

Formed in 2006, Appaltin hails from Louisville, Ky., but its six members' sounds come from all over the world. Two of its members have Appalachian roots, although one of them was born to a Greek father; one is a native Louisvillian; and the other three members are natives of Ecuador, Mexico and Nicaragua, respectively.

The group was formed through band members' mutual love of the folk music sounds of Latin America and the Caribbean. Appalatin's original music is a fusion of Latin and Appalachian folk music from the band member's homelands in Central America, the Andes and Appalachia.

Instrumentation features the guitar, charango, mandolin, Andean flutes, bongos, congas, and cajón. The band's songs reflect messages of freedom, community, empowerment, human rights, spirituality and environmental stewardship.