Miami’s own GRAMMY® and Latin GRAMMY® nominated
reggae fusion band Locos Por Juana is proud to announce Crazy for Jane their
6th studio album due out July 12th via Rock the Moon. The new release includes
the critically acclaimed hit singles, “Crazy for Jane” ft. Common Kings, “Don’t
Tell Me No” ft. Freddie McGuire, and “Children of the Light.” Crazy for Jane
will be available everywhere.
Taking Locos Por Juana back to their reggae and cumbia
roots, the new album embracing their bi-lingual heritage and is stack with
stellar songs. The title of the new album Crazy for Jane is also the first
track, the band wrote, lead single, and features the amazing reggae group
Common Kings. It has a special message for the fans as Mark Kondrat, Guitarist,
explains, “Locos por Juana translates directly to Crazy for Jane from Spanish
to English. It’s always a question we get from new fans and old fans, what does
Locos por Juana mean and why did you name the band locos por Juana? I think for
our English speaking fans it gives them a chance to feel more part of the music
and also gives an explanation or at least a translation for the band’s name.”
The band is comprised of Itawe Correa, the charismatic lead
vocalist, Mark Kondrat, talented guitarist, Javier Delgado, innovative drummer,
and David Pransky, electrifying bass player. For the new album, Crazy for Jane,
they found inspiration from everyday life.
Mark mentions, “We make music because music heals us and we use every
day and the experiences from those moments when we write.” He adds, “Life, our
family, Situations we find ourselves in, our life goals and mission as well as
our destiny is all the inspiration we needed for the new album, Crazy for
Jane.”
They recorded the majority of Crazy for Jane at the famous
and vibey Studio 26, in Miami, as well at guitarist/producer Mark Kondrat’s
studio, Blue Room Studios. The ten track album is stacked with collaborations
including Freddie McGregor, the Jamaican reggae legend, Common Kings, ¡MAYDAY!,
and Producer/Artist Maffio, (Akon, Farruko, Kymani Marley). And it hits deep
with outstanding songs featuring Locos Por Juana island swing. Standouts
include the lead single “Crazy for Jane” which Billboard hailed, “an amalgam of
Caribbean sounds with Common’s South Pacific and West Coast vibration
connecting effortlessly, the collaboration extols the virtues of reggae.”
“Don’t Tell Me No” Ft. Freddie McGregor first appeared on KCRW’s PanCliente
called it, “a 'lover’s rock', bilingual jam that combines McGregor’s vocals on
some sweet verses, with LPJ’s reggae groove.”
Creating the track for Freddie McGregor was an amazing
experience for the band. Mark reflects, “I knew I wanted to write in a Lovers
Rock style, which is essentially a reggae love song. I spent 3-4 days writing
an instrumental that just wasn’t coming to life so I decided to put that aside
and started writing something fresh and wrote the entire instrumental in one
session. The next day I presented the track to Itawe and he wrote the chorus
almost as soon as he heard the music.” He continues, “This song was inspired by
love and perseverance. The best things in life don’t come easy, and when
something feels right the only answer is yes!”
Additional hits include “Children of the Light” was a
collaboration with Locos Por Juana and Tony Gonzalez, founder of the tastemaker
imprint Rock the Moon. Tony recalls, “One day Itawe and I were sitting at his
house and I played Simply Red’s “Holding Back the Years” and shared the new
lyrics with Itawe – and it just worked – then Mark reggae’d the track up with
his musical talents. We presented the track to Simply Red and he immediately
jumped on board and gave us his blessing to release the song.”
Signed to the Rock the Moon, Locos Por Juana has always
written and produced their own music and, in a music industry that has
continuously been focused on urban genres, they represent an alternative genre
of Latin and Reggae Music that cannot be boxed in by labels. With their
signature, high-energy style, the band has amassed a cult following, Locos has
been touring non-stop throughout the United States, and is gearing up to
release their new reggae album, Crazy for Jane, dropping on July 12th.
Reflecting back, Locos Por Juana comments, “We want to take
a second to thank our familia and God for all the opportunities to make music
every day and to do what we love. We are happy with the collection of tracks we
are presenting to the world and can’t wait to share them.”
“Locos Por Juana has always impressed with how they have
absorbed the disparate influences of South Florida into a sound that could
almost be a regional soundtrack.” – NPR
Music
Follow Locos Por Juana:
Locos Por Juana is a GRAMMY® and
Latin GRAMMY® nominated bilingual band, most notably recognized for their high
energy live performances and unique fusion of reggae, funk, cumbia, salsa, and
rock. The band, featuring Itawe Correa as its charismatic lead vocalist,
talented guitarist Mark Kondrat, innovative drummer Javier Delgado, and
electrifying bass player David Pransky, write and produce all of their own
music. Voted Best Latin Band in 2017 by Miami New Times, LPJ’s sound is a
hybrid that incorporates the sounds of their heritage and upbringing. Correa
and Delgado were born in Colombia, Miami native, Kondrat, is of Colombian
descent and Pransky hails from Vermont. Colombian sounds such as Cumbia and
Champeta, along with the Afro-Colombian rhythms, Mapale and Chande are integral
to their sound, as are musical influences from Miami and the Caribbean islands
including Reggae, Raggamufin, Dub, Hip-Hop, Rock and Funk; all of these
influences have led to a fusion that Kondrat has coined as “that island swing.”
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