New Rhythms of Chuck Prophet

Searching For New Rhythms of Cumbia

Chuck Prophet & His Cumbia Shoes
Tractor Tavern, Seattle, WA
October 22, 2024

Seattle’s music scene is second to none, and every night of the week you are certain to find something interesting. On a Tuesday night, San Francisco’s Chuck Prophet brought his new rhythms and His Cumbia Shoes to the Tractor Tavern.

New Rhythms of Chuck Prophet — Chuck Prophet & His Cumbia Shoes

The history of Cumbia dates back to colonial times, when African slaves, Indigenous people and Spanish settlers all contributed to its creation. The music is a confluence of Indigenous, African, and Spanish elements. The Indigenous and melodic elements are provided by gaitas, traditional Columbian flutes and flautas de millo, small flutes played sideways; and two maracas, rattle instruments traditionally made of dried calabash gourds. The African elements are the drums, which carry the rhythm: tambora, a large drum placed on a stand; and two smaller upright drums called tambor alegre and llamador. The Spanish components are the lyrics.

Chuck Prophet & His Cumbia Shoes brought a vibrant energy that resonated with the audience all night. Percussion instruments such as bongos, the güira, the classic scraping sounds of the cabasa from Mario Cortez, and the 12-string acoustic from Alejandro “Flaco” Gomez were prominent this great night of Cumbia.

In March of 2022, Prophet had to call off a handful of shows. “I’m sorry we had to cancel some gigs,” Prophet said in a statement on Twitter on Tuesday, March 15. “But, we wanted to give our ‘family crisis’ immediate attention.”

The bad news was that Prophet was diagnosed with Stage 4 lymphoma. The good news was that he was told that it was treatable and that he had options for recovery. Two and a half years later, after surgery, chemotherapy and immunotherapy, Chuck is in full remission.

As part of his treatment and recovery, Prophet dove deeply into various forms of music, including Cumbia with its peppy, uplifting mix of flutes, maracas, drums and other instruments. “I’d never been afforded the time to soak in music as much as I did during those times,” said Prophet.

Prophet would drive down to Salinas between chemo treatments for private jam sessions with the band. Playing together led to a couple of gigs, and then Prophet brought ¿Qiensave? into the studio with some members of his band, the Mission Express, to make ‘Wake the Dead’, a collection of 11 songs.

On October 25, ‘Wake The Dead‘ was released. The album sees Prophet collaborating with ¿Qiensave?, a Cumbia Urbana band from Salinas, California with roots stretching back to Michoacán, Mexico whose sound enchanted Prophet when he first heard them back in 2022.

“C’mon Everybody” is a 1958 song by Eddie Cochran and Jerry Capehart, first covered in 1961 by the Spanish language by the Mexican Band Los Locos Del Ritmo.

Chuck Prophet and Cumbia Shoes performed this song for the very first time on October 6, 2024 at the ALIVE AND KICKING! Benefit Concert for Prader-Willi Homes of California (PWHC), a nonprofit dedicated to creating a state-of-the-art residential centers in the San Francisco Bay Area for people with Prader-Willi syndrome.

The special evening brought together a stellar lineup of Hardly Strictly Bluegrass favourites, including Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Bill Kirchen, Austin de Lone, and the legendary Lost Planet Airmen — five original members of Commander Cody and his Lost Planet Airmen.

Wearing brown matching outfits, Chuck Prophet & His Cumbia Shoes took the stage at 8:34 pm. With his back to the audience, Chuck moved around the stage from right to left, shaking hands with James DePrato (guitars), followed by Joaquin Zamudio Garcia (bass), Vicente Rodriguez (drums), Alejandro Gomez (keyboard, acoustic), and Mario Cortez (percussions).

And so how fitting it was to hear Mario and Alejandro yell out Avientese todos (Get ready everyone) in response to Chuck singing “C’mon Everybody” to open the show.

All but one song from ‘Wake The Dead’ were performed tonight including the new rhythms of the title track. Eight songs were co-written with klipschutz (pen name of Kurt Lipschutz), their relationship going back to the early 90s. Chuck Prophet and His Cumbia Shoes were having so much fun with this song. Holding the handle of his güira with his right hand, and using his dominant hand to lightly scrape off the instrument, Mario Cortez was all smiles.

Like a competent stage actor, Chuck Prophet has the ability to convey an array of emotions, especially with “Wish Me Luck” from 2014’s ‘Night Surfer’. Look out all you losers, here he comes.

Wish me luck
Even if you don’t mean it
Wish me luck
If it’s not too much to ask
Wish me luck
It’s not like I really need it
It just feels so good to hear it any way

Bringing the music and energy down near the end of the song, Chuck added, “Okay Ladies and gentlemen, it’s your old friend Chuck Prophet here. So great to be back at the Tractor Tavern. We’ve had an action-packed day. We paid a visit to KEXP,” as he took a bow to the approving and applauding audience.

“I just wanted to check in with you guys,” arms opened towards the audience, “and see if you’ve had enough time to get over that initial shyness. I’m not talking about you, sir,” smiling with his left hand extended and pointing. “Give me an army of these guys, you know. Our troubles in the Middle East, forget about it,” Chuck said, “anyway, it’s great to be here, this is the first day of our international tour.”

Chuck then turned to his right towards Mario Cortez, “Mario. Mario. Can I ask you a question?” Holding his melodica in his right hand, Mario replied “You can ask me anything, Chuck. I don’t know if I’ll answer.”

“How do you think the tour’s going so far?” Chuck continued.

“So far? Seattle, how are you doing? So far, so good” as Mario asked the audience before turning back to Chuck, “it’s going just as I planned. Although it wasn’t my plan.” joked Mario.

“Well, I think we don’t need much more to get us going here. I think all we need from the audience is to, right about now, just wish us luck. This is our first show. Oh yeah! You feel that? Oh yeah! I feel good” Chuck finished, playing his guitar to end this great song.

The new rhythms of cumbia included 1975’s “Sonido amazónico” and 1976’s “La Cumbia De Los Pajaritos”, two covers of Los Mirlos, a Peruvian musical group formed in the late 70s, who gained fame for blending cumbia, psychedelic and andean folk music.

Chuck Prophet and Alejandro Escovedo have known each other a long time. Alejandro Escovedo’s ‘Big Station’ album released in 2012 was written in large with Chuck. “Sally Was A Cop” examines Mexico’s drug violence through a series of disturbing images, including murdered bodies lying on a highway. Alejandro Escovedo performed the song last June at The Pearl in Vancouver, BC. The song made its way onto ‘Wake The Dead’ and made its way on tonight’s setlist.

The Ford Econoline made its debut September 21, 1960, marking the start of the first generation of the E-series.

When a 1985 two tone job pulls up to a music venue, you know it’s going to be a great night.

“Ladies and gentlemen, right about now I’d like to dedicate this next song to the memory of what I’d like to think of as the greatest feat of American ingenuity to have ever come out of Detroit, Michigan with the possible exception of Iggy Pop and the Stooges,” announced Prophet, “you know I’m talking about The Ford Motor Company’s recently discontinued Ford Econoline van. I expect some fuckin’ enthusiasm” shouted a smiling Chuck.

The Tractor Tavern erupted.

If you are a fan of Chuck Prophet, then you are familiar with “Who put the ram in the ram a lama ding dong?” lyrics. “You Did (Bomp Shooby Dooby Bomp)” is a staple at a Chuck Prophet show.

“Ladies and gentlemen, once again, we’ve come to that portion of the show where I need to warn everybody that each and every one of you here tonight has got a letter coming for you in the mail,” explained Chuck as he stepped back on the stage. Returning back to the microphone, “It might come in the morning, it might come in the evening, I don’t know your life, but it’s coming.” as he pointed his right index finger to the audience, “they’re going to ask you to come down and sign for it, each and every one of you. And I want to know, are you ready? Get ready!”

I got a letter this morning. The Tractor Tavern erupted, again.

And so, after a seven-year absence from the iconic Tractor Tavern in Seattle’s Ballard neighbourhood, music lovers, old and new welcomed Chuck Prophet’s new rhythms and His Cumbia Shoes. It sure was a good day to be alive.