CUBA - BLACK ISLAND

There are multiple bands named Cuba. Described here: 1) Fronted by Jon DaCosta, based out of Terre Haute, Indiana. 2) Ashley Bates and Christopher Andrews Cuba is a stalwart of the unexpected music scene of Terre Haute, Indiana. Frontman Jon DaCosta first started playing with bassist Ryan Lammey in late 2005 during the recording of Sounds Like a Story. Drummer Evan Amies followed soon after, and the band acquired a devout local following. After recording their sophomore album Epilogue, Amies moved away to attend law school and the band acquired a few standard stand-ins for live shows. After Lammey also moved away, DaCosta assembled a new grouping of local musicians whose sound, as would be expected, continues to evolve. From incorporating bullhorns to mailboxes in their musical creations to passing out shakers for crowd favorites, DaCosta & co. bring a refreshing energy to live shows. The current lineup includes DaCosta, Michael Coffey, John Murray, Matt Hulett and Jimmy Rinhart. The individual members' multi-instrument sensibilities allow for a great variety of sound, and numerous additional local musicians make appearance both live and on Epilogue. Official web site is www.myspace.com/cubamusic 2: In the shadowy, uncultivated land between popular music, countless generic prisons operates Cuba, a musical entity which, like the country of the same name, thrives against all the odds, in spite of the beliefs of others, and stands as one very persuasive example of how we might proceed into the next millennium world. Cuba is the shared vision of two elusive, reclusive individuals, - Ashley Bates and Christopher Andrews, whose operations invade both domestic and public environments. Thus far, the pair have devised a series of three 12-inch discs - two self-financed projects, "Havana" b/w "Hot Shit" and "Fiery Cross" B/W "Foxy's Den", which were quickly followed by the more high-profile metropolitan concept piece, "Urban Light". Within these works lurk a hornet's nest full of ideas that stand in open defiance of their peers' regulation conceptual and musical stagnation. Where many are hamstrung by the very technology which should liberate them, for Cuba, old and new are inseparable. They work in harmony together.For them, the sampler, say, is not an escape route away from creativity, but just one tool in a creative process which also includes such arcane media as drum, bass and guitars. At root, they are concerned with the interaction between these elements and, initially, never thought to experiment with the human voice. Exactly what Cuba achieve with these tools is less easily defined. Their music encompasses moods that defy human articulacy. Often their music recalls the voiceless soundscapes of the cinema. It also signals a recognition of the tribal rituals of modern dance, with tempos decelerated in the interest of home consumption. Grooving in the twilight B.P.M. world between dancefloor and armchair, Cuba pick up where funkadelic left off - dark and drug-infested, but celebratory and worth introducing to your parents. To rob the words of George Clinton himself, who says a rock band can't play funk music? Indeed. If a more contemporary name is needed, try Primal Scream - somewhere between the caned celebration of "Screamadelica" and the red-eyeball menace of "Vanishing Point". In the immediate future, Cuban projects are focussed on the issue of "Cross The Line", their most prominent collaboration yet with the 4AD company. The tune also marks the premiere appearance of Mau, whose rap-style intonations were added not through some cold-blooded strategy of simplification, but because he entered the room and repeated "only together are we unstoppable" with a verve that couldn't be neglected. Thanks to their enlightened methods, Cuba are also able to represent their considerable achievements in the realm of actual public performance. For this purpose, Cuba becomes a sextet, featuring various displays of live musicianship, including drums, bass and anything up to three guitars. Reactions to four such ventures thus far have included enthusiasm, respect, plain babbling amazement. Some peripheral information about Cuba which may stimulate interest among the uninitiates: Ashley whiled a brief couple of years as drummer in the group Chapterhouse. On the other hand, Christopher grew up in Canada, following his Mother's move there from Cuba. Hence the name... Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.