Groupo Bohemio returns to town with Latin beats for dynamic dancing

Grupo Bohemio returns to the Idyllwild Summer Concert Series serving up a variety of Latin musical beats and styles, including Spanish rock, Cumbia, Reggaeton and Tejano.

Cumbia and Reggaeton have Caribbean and African roots, with Reggaeton taking a more contemporary form with hip-hop influences. Tejano was born fusing Mexican vocal traditions, and Czech and German dance tunes and rhythms. Selena, Laura Canales and David Lee Garza are exemplars of this Tex-Mex form. And Spanish rock is any rock tune sung in Spanish. But, whatever the musical pedigrees, Bohemio will mix them up to keep the rhythms pulsing and weaving.

Bohemio is a tight ensemble, with three of the five members having played music together since childhood. Bohemio is a band of brothers, having found their musical voices and learned their instruments from their father, Ruben Cancino Sr.

Mike Cancino, Bohemio drummer, remembered his father, “The music came from Dad. He sang, played the bass and accordion, and had a passion for music.” The brothers initially learned music from their father then chose their own instruments when they became older.

The brothers Cancino — Ruben on keyboards and vocals, Chad on bass and vocals, and Mike on drums — are joined by Manny Torres on guitar and Ricky Cano on percussion.

Said Chad, “We’ll be playing a broad mix of Latin music — a hot menu of salsa and other blends of Latin and rock.”

Bohemio takes the stage at 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 17, at the Idyllwild Community Center site. Opening at 6:15 p.m. are the Jac and Luca Jacaruso, and friends.

Thanks to the generosity of Idyllwild concert patrons, ISCS is less than $1,000 short of meeting its 2017 series budget with three concerts to go (Dixie Machine plays Thursday, Aug. 10). Any funds in excess of the budget are carried over to help fund the next season, according to ISCS Founder Ken Dahleen.

Concluding the season on Thursday, Aug. 24, are Dahleen and his Big Band Staff.