Parandero promotes next big thing in music
He is not yet a household name in Belize–in fact he’s not even a Belizean. But with a new CD and a hotly promoted concert this weekend at the Bliss, Aurelio Martinez is betting that Paranda music will reach the popular pinnacle that punta rock has presided over for the last two decades.
Janelle Chanona, Reporting
Born into a family of musicians, twenty-seven year old Aurelio Martinez has been singing Paranda since he was a young boy. Already a star in his native Honduras, this weekend Martinez will take his latest release–Garifuna Soul–to the Belizean stage.
Aurelio Martinez, Parandero
“Playing my guitar and singing, it?s like going to a different world, another world. Even though I know the audience is there, I feel like I’m connecting with my ancestors; it’s a feeling I can’t describe. I’m happy making music, I feel was born for this art, and I will continue as long God and the public supports me.”
Martinez’s songs, although hauntingly beautiful, are grounded in everyday reality.
Aurelio Martinez
“One of my sources of inspiration is the Garifuna communities, which is where we have a lot of problems, at least in the communities in Honduras. I don’t know if it’s the same in Belize; drug addictions, AIDS, where people are dying in our communities, and in a way there’s very little information that is reaching those communities. And through music we can transmit the messages that are not getting through, Garifuna music in its context is very tragic and it deals with personal problems, community issues, love in sad moments, and that’s a main source of inspiration.”
“My artistic projects are not from Honduras, it’s not from any Garifuna community in particular, it’s for the whole world, and it?s a global contribution. Music is a universal language in which we all participate. I believe if someone doesn’t understand my Garifuna language, they will still feel what I am transmitting through my music. You can also feel the problems I am trying to express through my singing.”
The musician hopes the worldwide audience will eagerly embrace the new Garifuna sensation, Paranda: a refreshing change from mainstream punta vibes.
Aurelio Martinez
“The world expects more than just punta rock. They are tired of too much “Boom! Boom! Boom!” the noise, the traffic, everything. You need to reach home and listen to something sound, read a book with something that sounds soothing and that’s sentimental. There’s music for every occasion and Paranda is the type of music that you go home, you listen to it, and it makes you feel better.”
Aurelio Martinez will be performing live on Saturday May twenty-ninth at the Bliss Centre for the Performing Arts in what has been dubbed “the Paranda Concert”, featuring artists that include Adrian Martinez, Lugua Centeno, Andy Palacio, and Paul Nabor. The show starts at eight and tickets cost ten dollars general, twenty reserved, and twenty-five premier.
