MEDIA CONTACTS:
Kurie Fitzgerald: [email protected], 202-994-6461
Maralee Csellar: [email protected], 202-994-7564
EVENT:
Nearly a month before Lila Downs comes to the GW Lisner Auditorium she will release her new album, “Balas y Chocolate” (“Bullets & Chocolate”). In her only Washington, D.C.-area performance, she will highlight songs that reflect the lively sound of the album, which centers on the danceable fusion of cumbia, klezmer-like norteña, hip-hop and pop music. The songs address some of Mexico’s social issues and Ms. Downs’ personal life. They address concerns about the erosion of civil rights and justice in her home country, escalating threats to the country’s journalists, excesses in modern life and the artist’s experience with the possibility of her partner’s death.
WHEN:
Friday, May 1, 2015; 8 p.m.
WHERE:
The George Washington University
Lisner Auditorium
730 21st St., NW
Washington, D.C.
Foggy Bottom-GWU Metro (Blue, Orange and Silver lines)
TICKETS:
Tickets range from $40 to $60 and may be purchased by calling GW Lisner’s box office at 202-994-6800, or by visiting www.lisner.gwu.edu. Tickets may also be purchased in person at the Lisner box office. Box office hours are Tuesday – Friday, noon – 6 p.m. The box office will also open one hour prior to the event.
RSVP:
Media interested in attending the concert must contact Kurie Fitzgerald at [email protected] or 202-994-6461 no later than 48 hours before the event. Photos and interviews are available upon request. Attention calendar editors: Please do not publish media contact information.
BACKGROUND:
Known for her smoky voice and magnetic performances, Ms. Downs defies categorization. Her border-blurring, multicultural upbringing infused her with an aesthetic vision that embraces cross-cultural pollination, drawing on a pan-Latin palette of music as well as American folk, jazz, blues and rock. As a result, Ms. Downs has become one of the most innovative exponents of Mesoamerican music on both sides of the border. Her lyrics and all-encompassing sound have won many accolades, including a Grammy for her album “Raíz,” and a devoted following of fans from all over the world.
-GW-