7/7 Summervale: The Battle of Santiago

By Brenna Lewis-Slammon, Summervale Music Intern Hailing from Toronto, The Battle of Santiago will be kicking off our Summervale music series! Self-described as “an epic soundclash taking place North of the Border”, the band offers a unique blend of Afro-Cuban rhythmicity and Canadian Post-Rock mentality that all but necessitates movement while simultaneously engaging the immigrant experience of transplant Torontonians.

The group interacts with a sound informed by jazzy, experimental instrumentals that skirt along the borders of numerous genres. In this, The Battle of Santiago has created a very modern, ambiguous, and fluid trans-national sound, which both borrows from and combines the ethnic and musical backgrounds of its members. The band has undergone a steady evolution since their formation in 2011, taking on more Cuban inspirations as the band has become more representative of the leading immigrant community in Toronto. Beginning with their first recorded album, Full Colour (2012) created and produced by the band under their own Made with Pencil Crayons label, The Battle of Santiago staked their claim as something fresh on the Canadian music scene. In this debut album, the group introduces its sound as something innovative and other - an instrumental whirlwind ofAfro-Cuban Post-Rock. The album promptly reached #1 on Canadian college rankings for International music, Jazz, and Top 30 charts. Following the success of their debut album, The Battle of Santiago quickly followed up with Followed by Thousands in 2013.

With their entrancing and evocative music, The Battle of Santiago has something to offer everyone - from our youngest attendees to our oldest, from the musically adventurous to the casual listener. So, come, enjoy, and get lost in the universal rhythms of a band aware of physical place, cultural roots, and the ways in which each has sway over our artful selves.

*Informed by The Battle of Santiago’s Official Webpage