WINTERRUPTION – Andino Suns / Dr. Henry / El Leon & The Strangers

Andino Suns

Andino Suns grew out of the desire for Andrés Davalos to recreate the music he’d grown up listening to at home. His parents were exiled to Canada when a fascist dictatorship took over their homeland, Chile, in the early 70s. Though they found peace in Canada, Andrés’ parents missed terribly the way of life from which they had been violently uprooted. They continued to surround themselves with their Chilean culture, passing it down to their children through stories, traditional Andean music and folk dances, and media. It’s no surprise then that a worldview of political activism, hope, and love, underpins the music of Andino Suns.

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Dr. Henry

Portage and Mainers are reknowned for treating their seasonal affective disorder by staying inside to rock and roll when it’s 40 below but here’s a new remedy: a house call from Dr. Henry, ready to treat your SAD with an exciting hit of groovy, hip-shaking, Afro-fusion jazz! Dr. Henry band’s three core musicians met in Winnipeg after moving from Nigeria for higher education pursuits. Their cool sound is shaped by their West African roots as well as familial influences, musical inspirations and collaborations with fellow Winnipeggers. In their vibrant and colourful musical mosaic, you can hear Afro-beat inspired by its master, Fela Kuti, as well as neo-soul and polyrhythmic jazz. It’s delightfully infectious and an instant cure-all. Call the Dr. Henry band for whatever ails you.

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El Leon & The Strangers

El Leon and The Strangers aims at making you rock, dance and think critically. They write and sing original songs that go from the whimsical and fun part of life to the thoughtful and sometimes unsettling lyrics about social realities. It is a band formed by South American rockers established in Winnipeg. Together they fusion Rock with folk elements from each of their cultures of origin, using a myriad of world instruments such as hand drums, charangos, quena, accordions, among other. During their first year the band played almost every venue at their local scene of Winnipeg. In 2019 the band released their first single called “Cumbia Baby” produced and engineered at Private Ear studios in Winnipeg. Promoting that single they played in various out of province venues including The Marquee, Calgary, AB, The 40 Brandon, MB, and Fiestaval Latin festival in Calgary. In that festival they opened for the Chilean Rock Legend “Los Prisioneros”. Other Winnipeg highlights include successful performances at Folklorama, Reggae and Socca Festival, collaborations with other groups at the Winnipeg Jazz Festival. The band is preparing to hit the road in a full swing western Canada tour in 2020 and the upcoming festival season, with the release of their new self-titled EP. Their ambitious schedule for the near future includes releasing 10 songs during 2020 and completing their first ever Western Canada Tour.

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COVID-19 Protocols

The West End Cultural Centre will continue to require that patrons wear facemasks and show proof of vaccination for all events in the venue.

We will continue to evaluate this policy as circumstances evolve.