Alma Azul mixes it up at Second Story

Second Story Night club offered a mix of music and dancing Saturday night, the sound courtesy of Bloomington's Alma Azul.\nOpening for Alma Azul was the Creatrix, a rocking sort of funk band with disco and Afro-Cuban undertones. While the music itself had quite a bit of groove, the eclectic appearance of the band captured my attention more than anything. The guitarist had hair like Slash (or possibly a mid-80s Dave Mustaine) and moved onstage like Axl Rose, but his style was pretty much straight on funk. The lead singer, sporting tights, legwarmers and a shirt stolen from the wardrobe of Ronnie James Dio, sounded very much like Debbie Harry. \nThe band had a lot of friendly energy (definitely no pretense of rock stardom here), but comparisons to Blondie are inevitable. Percussionist Bob Roy sat in with the group but did not lend a strong Latin element to the music. The Creatrix have a 1980s look and sound (the song "Freaks" could go on the "Footloose" soundtrack) but by and large provide a funky, danceable performance.\nNext up was Alma Azul, Bloomington's staple salsa band and the evening's featured act. Alma Azul lived up to or exceeded all expectations. The sound was tight in all respects (until they asked the soundman to bring up the horns, after which point the vocals were drowned out almost completely). The set list featured some Ricky Martin and Tito Puente's "Oye Como Va," which sounded more like the famous Santana version.\nBut the central theme of the evening was dancing, and the eight-piece salsa/guajira/bomba/fill-in-the-blank act really got the crowd moving.\nWhile most people did not seem to know how to salsa (the most common style was that funky shoulder-shrugging jive perfected by Shaggy from "Scooby Doo", but "out-of-control-hips guy" was there, too), there was one couple who came strapped for the affair. Remember the first episode of the new "Survivor"? If these two had gone to the outback, they would have had no problems starting a fire from the heat created by their feet. The woman especially had a hard role, being spun around in a rapid, oscillating fashion -- in heels. \nAlma Azul's show featured some dancers as well. While the group's two female vocalists were obviously capable dancers, they were joined onstage by a group of "Spanish Gypsies" of dubious authenticity. The Gypsy dancers imitated the Sevillanas dance style while Alma Azul brought the noise with reckless abandon.\nThe mix of cultures was very apparent in the group, in the music and in the crowd. People of all styles, ethnicities and cultures got up and danced (with varying skill level). It was beautiful, like something out of Jorge Luis Borges' "The Aleph." As a whole, Alma Azul and their music bring something desperately lacking in the Bloomington music scene -- a balance of diversity and harmony.