Dance the Night Away with Saludos Compay

at ¡Que Noche!, WCOM's March 19 fundraiser

by Kamla Kasichainula

CARRBORO , N.C. ( March 7, 2005 ) – Latin dance lovers will come together Saturday, March 19 at the Carrboro Century Center when WCOM -FM 103.5 presents ¡Que Noche!, a dance party headlined by local Latin band Saludos Compay.

Saludos Compay, made up of Pablo Valencia, Erich Leith and Chuck Nolan, play traditional, contemporary and original Latin-American music with flavors from the Caribbean . Party-goers will groove to Afro-Cuban, Brazilian, and Central American sounds throughout the night.

“We play lots of songs from the people in Buena Vista Social Club, which is basically Cuban,” explains Erich Leith, keyboardist of the band. “However, the music we offer is really from all over Central and South America , and we also do many original songs and instrumental jams.”

Pablo Valencia, lead singer and guitarist from Chile , has a voice that flows easily through the band’s unique, upbeat style. He also wrote much of the band’s original music. Leith ’s improvisational keyboard enhances Valencia ’s voice with a strong Latin spice. Pulling everything together is Chuck Nolan’s percussion, which is sure to give dancers a lively Latin beat all night long.

The band is excited to help raise funds for WCOM , Leith says. “We hope that the station will make a priority of playing a lot of the great music by local musicians that doesn’t get any airplay on major stations.”

Founded in June 2004, WCOM is already doing just that. The station made a splash by playing local and underground music normally disregarded by most radio stations. Programmers plan to add nationally syndicated English and Spanish-language talk shows and produce an open-forum talk show where listeners can call the station with their input.

Funded completely by donations, WCOM is a non-profit radio station that runs on a fraction of the costs of most radio stations by getting rid of all the frills.

"We're entirely volunteer-run, and our annual budget is a tiny fraction of what most radio stations spend, but we still require funds to pay for equipment and other ongoing needs," says Bob Burtman, who serves on the programming committee and hosts a roots music show. "For us, every little bit of revenue goes a long way."

Tickets for ¡Que Noche! are $10 at the door (or $20 for a family). It will begin at 7:30 pm, offering Latin dance lessons until 8:00 pm at no additional charge, and continue until midnight . Snacks from local restaurants will be provided. Beer, water and raffle tickets will be sold. The drawing will be held during the evening. For more information, tune in to 103.5 FM, call (919) 929-9601 or visit WCOM -FM online at www.communityradio.coop.

For a preview of the ¡Que Noche! lineup and a listing of Saludos Compay’s future shows, visit the band’s webpage at http://www.saludoscompay.com.