This week we shimmied our way around Trader Vic’s dance floor to the beats of Son a la Roca, before chatting to the fabulous foursome.
What does Son a la Roca mean?
‘Son’ is a traditional style of Cuban music, while ‘a la roca’ means rock music, so the name of our band indicates the blend between traditional and contemporary music.
What is the most common request you get?
The most requested song is Guantanamera. The tile means girl from Guantanamo; it is one of Cuba’s most famous songs and is hailed as being their greatest patriotic piece.
What is the most enjoyable aspect of your job?
We all have always wanted to be musicians and we really couldn’t imagine doing anything other than playing for people and seeing their reactions.
Describe your band in three words.
Feeling of fusion.
What can visitors to Trader Vic’s expect?
Latin music infused with rock accents and modern interpretations. Our music is a mixture of cultures – the Spanish guitar, different melodies, traditional lyrics with Afro-Cuban percussion and rhythm that will move you to a different world.
As you know Cuban music has its own distinctive style and history and is influenced mostly by African, European (especially Spanish) and to a lesser extent, Chinese music.
There are four band members; Rolando Vigou plays electric guitar, Juliet Cruz is our lead vocalist, Geman Zelada plays bass guitar and sings, and last but not the least we have Mailay Fernandez who plays a traditional Cuban instrument called the tres. We are all from Havana.
Catch Son a la Roca at the Beach Rotana every Sunday to Friday from 9:15pm to 1:00am.
