Artist: Larry & Joe
Hometown: Durham, North Carolina
Song: “Linda Barinas”
In Their Words:Â â’Linda Barinas’ is a song so well known that most Venezuelans can sing along.
“Eladio RamĂłn Tarife composed ‘Linda Barinas’ to honor his homeland, Barinas. It’s part of the Llano region and where this style of music, llanera, originated.
“The typical mĂșsica llanera rendition would include harp, cuatro, maracas, bass and vocals, which makes our harp and banjo version quite unorthodox. Nonetheless, many Venezuelan traditional musicians have taken note of how seamlessly the five-string banjo melds with their instrumentation.
“Though Venezuela and Appalachia are thousands of miles apart, our folk traditions arenât so different, and the sounds of our strings come together like old friends. Who wouldâve thought?” â Joe Troop
Photo Credit: Billie Wheeler
