The Garifuna Collective embarked on a major North American tour two weeks ago. Since then they have played shows in Minneapolis, Chicago, Toronto, Canada and, most recently, the prestigious Highland Ballroom in New York on July second. That's when the Collective launched it's new album, Ayo.
Now, as they enter the third week of the tour, they are in Vermont – where they've been making radio appearances, studio performances, and, of course, playing a pair of shows in Plainfield and South Burlington. Today via FACETIME, we spoke to Producer and Tour Coordinator Ivan Duran in Vermont. He told us how it's been going:..
Ivan Duran - Producer
"In a place like New York, Chicago - they are very supporting of the band and things like that have been impacting the band and the way they feel. We did a live session of at NYC at the same program where Andy Palacio 6 years ago with the Garifuna Collective also had a live performance when Watina was brought to the US. It was emotional moment because we remembered Andy 6 years ago and now coming here 6 years after with a new album with the same band and some fresh faces and for him to realize that the work continues and everybody has grown, it was a very emotional moment. So far all the shows have been sold out as you mentioned especially the Canadian shows have been which is the other album that we're releasing. He has a huge following in Canada so it makes it so much easier for them to attract the public to the shows. In the case of these two shows in Vermont only the collective is playing. We expect a good show - a lot of our records are playing in the local radio stations for many years. People who listen to these songs and this sound and want to see the band play then they come out. The band has been doing a lot of media apperances on radio, newspaper interviews and we expect the media here in the US and Canada to see us all the way around."
After Vermont, the tour heads to Washington DC and then back to Canada for some of the biggest folk festivals in the world – and then they finish up on the US west coast where they play the prestigious Reggae on the River festival.
We'll post a link on our website of an entire two hour performance that the Collective did in Toronto at the Luminato Festival.
