La Chamba

Welcome to Domingos en Arte—a summer music and dance series presented by Melaza Music, AMP Concerts, and the National Hispanic Cultural Center. After two preview shows in June, the series will run weekly from July 1 to August 19 in the NHCC's charming Fountain Courtyard. We have invited a wide range of Latin artists for family-friendly summer Sundays that will feature live music, drinks and delicious Latin cuisine. The NHCC’s new restaurant—La Fonda del Bosque—will be offering unique themed dinners before each concert and providing a cash bar and tapas throughout the night.

Tickets are $13 in advance, $18 day of show (plus applicable service charges). Admission is free for children 12 and younger; tickets are available online as well as from the NHCC Box Office, in person or by phone at (505) 724-4771.

La Chamba is driven by electric guitar that fuses 60's psychedelic inspired surf-pop from Peru, with Afro-Latin rhythms. With roots in East and South Central Los Angeles, "Chamba" literally means "work," and is a word used throughout the barrios of Latin America to describe your hustle. Their sound pays homage to the melodies and grooves of Peruvian Chicha music popular among the working-classes of Lima and the Amazon. La Chamba encourages folks to let loose and release their grind on the dance floor!

"Chicha... is distinctly Peruvian, an obscure form that arose in the '70s from the shanties outside Lima. It was, in its earliest form, music played by working-class migrants from the jungles and mountains of Peru, banged out on cheap instruments at neighborhood parties. And, unexpectedly, the music has become one of the linchpins of L.A.'s thriving Latin alternative scene... 'What really called us to it was just the way that chicha was formed, the way it was treated in Peruvian society,' says Jason Zepeda, La Chamba's lead vocalist and conga player. 'It's the music of the lower class, of the working class. And we come from South Central and East L.A. We're first-generation college students, first-generation high school graduates. We come from marginalized communities, communities that have historically been socially disadvantaged. It made a lot of sense to us.'" (L.A. Weekly)

Jackie Zamora will kick off the night with a quintet full of familiar local musicians, playing songs in a mix of Peruvian and Andean styles.

New Mexico Culture Squared (NMC²) is a NM Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA) project to build and manage partnerships between DCA institutions and cultural organizations that will enhance the impact, effectiveness, attendance, and visitor experience of exhibits and programs of DCA entities. Under the management of AMP Concerts, NMC² will create programs in collaboration with State Historic Sites, DCA Museums and various cultural organizations with the goal of increasing public programs statewide and promoting New Mexico as a destination for arts and culture.