One of the most amazing things I heard at this year’s Folk Alliance was a performance from Larry & Joe. Comprised of Larry Bellorin, a legendary Llanera musician from Venezuela, and Joe Troop, of Che Apalache fame, they created a new mashup of bluegrass and South American traditional folk music. Both currently residents of North Carolina, their musical paths intertwined through Bellorin’s status as an asylum-seeker. When Troop’s band went on hiatus due to the pandemic, Joe threw himself into immigration issues, in particular those seeking asylum, where he met Larry. Now, the duo has just released their first album, Nuevo South Train.
Some of the most striking songs on the record are the ones that stay a little closer to Llanera music (at least from what I can tell–I’m new to this genre). The CD opens with Caballo Viejo, about an old horse being rejuvenated love, and embodies the cross cultural influences with Joe on banjo and Larry on harp. La Tonada del Cabrestro is a slightly melancholy tale of a cattle herder lamenting that no one will remember him. Troop’s vocals are so dramatic, it brings to mind opera. Mi Querencia is more of a folk song, with each taking turns on vocals.
Although those Llanera style songs certainly stuck with me, the fun quotient picks up on a few that stick closer to the bluegrass vein. The title track has you almost signing along, like you know the verses except you don’t, and changing entire styles the way some songs change keys, it keeps you guessing all the way to the end. Border Wall would have been at home on the Che Apalache record, or Troop’s solo release. I think my favorite tune is Larry’s Cachapa, a tongue-in-cheek salute to one of Larry’s favorite foods, in a style I can really only describe as salsa-grass.
When I saw Larry & Joe at Folk Alliance they were like brothers from different mothers. Trading quips and insults, it seemed like they’d known each other their whole lives. That easy familiarity has also served the music well. Nuevo South Train is a magnificent blending of the duos multi-cultural experiences and I guarantee you’ve never heard anything like it. And if they play anywhere near you, get there.
About the author: I've actually driven from Tehatchapee to Tonopah. And I've seen Dallas from a DC-9 at night.