Larry & Joe – A ‘Latingrass’ Concert Features Storytelling on Asylum-Seeking Journeys
March 1, 2024
6:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Latchis Theater
50 Main St., Brattleboro, VT 05301
Windham World Affairs Council (WWAC) will partner with the Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation’s ‘Welcoming Communities’ program and Brattleboro Union High School’s PeaceJam Club to present an inspiring evening of music and storytelling with “Larry & Joe”. In a harmonious blend of bluegrass and traditional Venezuelan music, these award-winning musicians and storytellers craft a unique “Latingrass” sound. Their work delves into Larry’s journey as an asylum seeker, shedding light on and humanizing the experiences of immigrants and refugees in the US today. exploring the two’s experience with asylum and immigration on Friday March 1, 2024 at 7:00 pm at NextStage Arts, 15 Kimball Hill, Putney, VT 05346
Larry & Joe were destined to make music together. Larry Bellorín hails from Monagas, Venezuela, and is a legend of Llanera music. Joe Troop is from Winston-Salem and is a Grammy-nominated bluegrass and old-time musician.
Larry was forced into exile and is an asylum seeker in North Carolina. Joe, after a decade in South America, got stranded back in his stomping grounds during the pandemic. Larry works construction to make ends meet. Joe’s acclaimed “latingrass” band Che Apalache was forced into hiatus, and he shifted into action working with asylum-seeking migrants. This Durham-based duo performs a fusion of Venezuelan and Appalachian folk music on the harp, banjo, cuatro, fiddle, guitar, maracas, and upright bass to inspire joy and unity.
A post concert Q & A on the current status of asylum seekers, refugees & immigration, in the US and Vermont, will be led by Liv Berelson, Executive Director of the Community Asylum Seekers Project (CASP).
