Matuto Ignites MIAC with Intercultural Flair

Thursday, April 7

Matuto may be the Brazilian word for "country bumpkin," but its namesake band is hardly ignorant. Founding fathers Clay Ross and Rob Curto are neither afraid to leave the homestead (they tour globally) nor are they loath to embrace foreigners – they've played alongside musicians from the world, jazz, and roots scenes and have incorporated elements of each into their eclectic sound. For an alleged rustic, this Matuto is suspiciously enlightened.

As they often do, they'll be pulling their oxcart into a place of higher education when they arrive at Mercyhurst University's Walker Recital Hall on April 7. The melodic interplay of Ross's guitar and Curto's accordion is the baling wire that ties the intercultural harvest together, a wholesome blend of Brazilian folk and American bluegrass spiced with Latin, Caribbean, progressive, and jazz fusion. A song like "Ivory Coast" sounds like something you might hear in a cabana, while "Maracatu Dos Anjos" sounds like it wouldn't be misplaced in a Kansas set list. Did I mention they also do a cover of Beyonce's "Drunk In Love?"

If you can have the stomach for all that, you shouldn't have to chew the cud much on this one. Go on, git your tickets while supplies last. – Matt Swanseger

7:30 p.m. // 501 E. 38th St. // miac.mercyhurst.edu/events/matuto // $15 adults, $12 seniors & military, $9 youth and students