Latin Roots: The Chamanas

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The Chamanas. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Courtesy of the artist

The Chamanas.

Courtesy of the artist

World Cafe's latest Latin Roots segment features music and conversation with The Chamanas, a "frontereza" band from the border-spanning cities of El Paso, Texas, and Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. The members we talk to today, Manuel Calderon and Hector Carreon, are the band's founders, who recently brought on a new lead singer, Paulina Reza.

Members of The Chamanas live in Juarez and work in El Paso, and vice versa. Even the name of the band — specifically using "The" instead of "Los" — emphasizes the band's border-straddling efforts. The music does the same, drawing from both U.S. and Mexican styles. Listen to the session above, and stream the complete new album on Spotify below.