Screw Seattle's Bumbershoot â€" Hot time in Lakewood

By weeklyvolcano on September 2, 2007

Djmauroonereal Until very recently, the terms bachata and merengue weren’t a part of my general consciousness.

Then I learned about DJ Mauro and his Sweet Salsa Saturdays, and how he was helping to bring the band Nueva Era out to Oh! Gallagher's every Saturday night.

Djmauroneauvatwo Djmauroneuvaera Interest piqued, especially after listening to the sounds on the band’s MySpace, I had to go see the Dominican band from the East Coast for myself last night.

Djmauroone I not just saw for myself, I moved for myself, and had the time of my life as my hips and feet moved to merengue, bachata, salsa, and reggaeton beats.  More fun was watching the crowd, who well and truly knew how to shake it with all the proper steps and spins.

Djmauromiguelin While our initial service was a bit surly, the Oh! Gallaghers staff redeemed themselves as the evening wore on, with $5 Long Island Ice Teas that sustained my hip-shaking.

But surpassing my expectations were the performances themselvesâ€"Miguelin Miguelin brought his hip-hop vibe to the stage and beyond, creating a chill mix of poetry and beats that impressed me even though I hadn’t a clue what he was saying (note to self- learn Spanish.)

And then Nueva Era hit the stage, I remembered why I made the trek out to Lakewood.  The backbone of their sound is an intriguing rhythm that I can’t quite put a name to, with a melodic hook that I can’t quite get out of my mind. â€" Jessica Corey-Butler