Los Amigos Invisibles

The Independent is a great venue for live music. I've been living in this neighborhood for going on three years, and I'm ashamed to say that last night was the first time I ever managed to walk four blocks down the street to see a gig there.

I lost my Independent virginity to Los Amigos Invisibles, a Latin-infused dance band with dashes of jazz, hip-hop, pop and house.

The music wasn't the kind of infectious dance music that makes me want to jump up and down. I was more in a swaying mood anyway. But what I really liked about the concert was the playfulness of the band members and how radically different they all looked.

The two white, balding percussionists at the back of the stage were clones of each other. They wouldn't have looked out of place in a German techno band. The lead singer resembled a clean-cut version of Julio Iglesias. The scrawny, Beatle-mopped keyboard player was like something right out of a British Indie band. The bassist, with his goatee and 70s haircut (who looked a bit like a thinner, bearded Jack Black) might have played bass for The Beach Boys or some other old surf band. And the lead guitarist, with his slight paunch and massive afro could have been a session musician for Hendrix.

Despite their very eclectic appearances of the individual members, Los Amigos is a very tight operation. Every note was precise, yet there were so much fun in the group's playing. Even though the music didn't make me pogo like other people around me, it still put a smile on my face.