Mal Maïz at Summervale!
August has arrived and another Vemont summer is slowly coming to a close. There’s a few weeks left to enjoy those creemees and take a dip in the sun-warmed waters of Lake Champlain, and two more Summervale dates left in the season! Sip in one of these last magical summer evenings with us and Mal Maïz this Thursday.
Mal Maïz is formed by Colin Henkel on drums, Graham Lambert on guitar, Stuart Paton on congas, Michael Hartigan on keys, and Maïz Vargas Sandoval on vocals and bass.
Mal Maïz is a band rooted in the cultural heritage of Central America, from which front man Maïz Vargas Sandoval hails. The rhythms of the music take listeners on a Latin American musical diaspora. This is accomplished by taking traditional music like salsa, cumbia, and merengue and mixing its with modern styles of similar rhythm. Influences like jazz, folk, and Black rock are infused into the mix by other bandmates.
“There is no real genre. We are building it as we keep playing together,” says Sandoval.
With one album out, Mal Maïz is preparing for their second coming with a project consisting of 12 songs of all original material. This next album was mostly written by Sandoval and lead guitarist Graham Lambert.
When Sandoval first immigrated to Burlington from Costa Rica, he had already dedicated his life to music. It is in his blood. Sandoval shares that he comes from generations of musicians from the Vargas side of his family. Growing up, he began playing the xylophone at age five and has learned a variety instruments since. This expansive list includes the diatonic accordion, hand drums, the Peruvian charango, the Venezuelan cuatro, the Cuban Tres, and more.
Sandoval has accomplished something that others could only dream of: he has built himself a career by studying all that music can offer. He always tries to place himself in the student position and sees music as a healing source.
“My grandmother used to say that music is medicine. So, I think that's like my path. It's my journey to provide that medicine to people, you know, make their body move, bring happiness to their souls. I think that's like Mal Maïz’s priority. That's our duty.”
Accessibility is another priority to Mal Maïz. The band writes lyrics that drip with culture and gratitude.
“We’re just enhancing the beauty of nature, the healing properties of plants, and a lot of the songs I write are based on that soul and recreation of mantras,” the front man states. Mal Maïz doesn’t care whether you know how to dance or not. Their goal is to make music that inspires others to take their musical medicine…and dance.
Join Mal Maïz at the second to last Summervale celebration this Thursday at 5:30 on the Intervale Center green. After a long, hot summer we could all use a bit of the medicine they’re prescribing. See you there!