Review: Havana Bass adds Caribbean sounds to the Americana Joy night at the Bigfoot Lodge

A few months had passed since I last went to an Americana Joy night at the Bigfoot Lodge. For some reason, the Friday night events either snuck up on me or I had a scheduling conflict. On this particular night, I noticed that Harry Katz and the Pistachios was playing so I made extra sure that my calendar was cleared for that Friday night. What is always fun for me when going out to catch a particular favorite band is when I come across a band that isn't on my radar and I find their set rather enjoyable. That so happened on this particular night when Havana Bass hit the stage. 

Havana Bass at the Bigfoot Lodge

The band is fronted by David Gomez with help from Carlo Alfonso on saxophone / flute, Juan Moreno Flores on percussions, Whitney Hernandez on vocals, and Javier Moreno Piloto on keys. As per the band name, the music focuses on Cuban sounds. The members in the band (if I recall correctly) are a mix of individuals from both Cuba and Mexico. As per Gomez's bio, he started his music studies in Havana at the age of 10. If I'm doing my math correctly from the bio details, around the age of 21 "he decided to continue his musical career in the United States where he settled in the city of Los Angeles."

Though this might have been the first time (or a rare event) hearing Cuban music at an American Joy night, the crowd none the less embraced the band. After a minute or two, many in the crowd packed the front of the stage to show off their non two-step dance moves. 

Havana Bass at the Bigfoot Lodge

The band actually started their set before the sound guy was fully finished. Americana Joy runs a rather tight ship so they were off and running. 

Comment of the night: Do we have any Latinos in the house?!?!

After perfecting the sound, the sound guy went out to showcase his dance talents in response to the night's comment. 

Havana Bass at the Bigfoot Lodge

The band ended their set with a singalong chant of "See you soon. See you soon." Gomez and Hernandez also attempted a twirl on the tight stage of the Bigfoot Lodge. They laughed at their attempt. One suspects that they put on a stunning show when provided a larger stage. 

Before ending this review, I should also mention that the night was co-hosted by Whippoorwill Arts. Per their website, non-profit has the following mission, "to advocate for, invest in and uplift the work of roots musicians and nurture their creativity with a focus on collaboration, fair wages, equity, and social justice. We model equity booking and fair pay — and work to reimagine and transform the music ecosystem for all working musicians."

Side note: being that I live in Glendale, I walked to the Bigfoot Lodge. It is a 1.5 mile walk. A decent exercise. Of course, one problem with my decision was that on this particular night, fog rolled into Atwater and Glendale. I kept an extra close eye and focused on my hearing while walking back. Didn't want any cars / trucks / buses slamming into me. As I walked pass the local Vons at a little past midnight, I could hear someone saying to a friend, "I can't see a thing." Yeah, the fog was that thick.