Asheville-based singer-songwriter Como el MAR (formerly known as M A R) has released a new single, “Lamento del Desierto” (Lament of the Desert). The song is a chacarera-folk fusion, with Elizabeth McCorvey (vocals/violin), Mattick Frick (guitar), JP Furnas (bass/sousaphone), all of the US, and Argentine percussionist Tincho Casado joining Como el MAR, of Peru, for a collaboration of sounds from both South and North America that speaks to this time in history.
Also contributing to the cross-border teamwork on the single were musicians in Venezuela. “Yofran Tovar was in charge of the mixing and mastering of the song,” Como el MAR says, “and Eibram Rojas designed the cover art, a few weeks before the devastation of the terrible earthquakes.”
“‘Lamento del Desierto’ is a song that stands firm against injustice and the abuses of power that have been normalized for too long,” says Como el MAR. “It was born from rage and frustration, especially because of the inhumane violence towards our immigrant community. It tapped into our Latin American spirits and rhythms, emerging as a heartfelt chacarera, a genre from Northern Argentina that stole my heart as a teenager.”
A line in the song, “Despertar el corazón de los que aun no se despiertan” (to awaken the hearts of the ones that haven’t awakened yet) is one of the most significant for Como el MAR. “The courage of choosing hope and love every morning is the answer to violence, silence and erasure,” he says. “That is the real resistance. It is in love and collaboration where we excel as humans and bridge any gaps.”
Como el MAR (Mar Perez-Albela) is the CEO and founder of Óyelo Music Productions. His three bands are Las Montañitas, La Sonora Carolina and The Marmeladies.
Learn more at ComoelMAR.com. Upcoming appearances include: Las Montañitas at Third Room on Friday, September 4; La Sonora Carolina on Friday, September 11, at New Belgium; and The Marmeladies on Saturday, September 26, at The Crow & Quill.
