Between Donald Trump’s gross statements about Mexican immigrants and Puerto Rico’s financial default, these days Hispanics living in the US are in the news for all the wrong reasons. In the meantime, here in the NYC scene, bands such as Empress of, Salt Cathedral and Buscabulla, led by talented musicians born in Colombia, Mexico, Puerto Rico and other wonderful Spanish speaking regions, are making music the old Trump should probably listen to – at least to correct on the notion that the Spanish speaking countries "don’t send their best people to the US." With members hailing from Colombia and Puerto Rico, Balancer is a rather recent addition to this platoon of Hispanic NYC based artists. Quite interestingly, all of the bands we mentioned here play music that’s imaginatively melodic and… well, yes: dreamy. Whether the dream that inspired them is the American Dream, the musicians’ dream of "making it," the "DREAMers" dream, or a simple musical influence, it’s hard to deny that that very concept seems to be central to the experience of immigrants and artists alike – no wonder it becomes crucial for these immigrant-artists. The new Balancer video we are premiering here for beautiful single ‘Re Minder’ re… minds us that the cacophony outside our heads is truly irrelevant, and happiness is a place we can learn to access at any time. An antidote to the Trump style ubris and ugliness can be found in the ability to open our minds to the therapeutic power of imagination, something children and artists naturally possess. This song and video are about the freedom nobody can take away from us, something the Trumps of the world likely lost for good, and something that doesn’t need guns to be protected. Don’t miss Balancer’s upcoming show at Cameo Gallery on July 9th.
