Thu, Oct 13 - 8pm - $20

 Martyr's welcomes back Las Guitarras de España with friends Mehran Jalili and El Payo for a night of "world music" infused Flamenco Rock. All three ensembles have released critically acclaimed CDs in the last year and each group will present a unique take on the Spanish guitar influenced genre. Jazz, Rock, Ska, Reggae, Blues, along with Indian and African elements come togethe

El Payo is a popular Rumba Nuevo Flamenco-Fused group based in Chicago celebrating the release of their self-titled debut album.Their distinct sound is infused with elements of rock, salsa, ska, reggae and of course some Flamenco. El Payo is a popular Rumba/Nuevo Flamenco-Fused group based in Chicago celebrating the release of their self-titled debut album. Their members hail from diverse ethnic backrounds including Mexico, Ecuador, Venezuela, Argentina and the United States. Their distinct sound is infused with elements of rock, salsa, ska, and reggae with unmistakable overtones of the passionate raw energy that is flamenco.

Las Guitarras de España (The Guitars of Spain) is a "world music" ensemble, with a "Spanish guitar twist," that performs a fusion of Cuban son, rumba, R&B, Latin-jazz, blues, and African percussion with an underlying flamenco music and dance focus. “Tantas Cosas,” the fifth CD release by Las Guitarras de Espana, features compositions by longtime collaborator Patricia Ortega. “Tantas Cosas” (Many Things) continues to add more musical flavors to the Spanish-guitar based mix, borrowing influences from groups like Café Tacuba, Ojos de Brujo, Concha Buika and home- grown inspirations Rodrigo y Gabriela, Calexico and James Brown. African rhythms, soukous music, pop ballads, driving rock rhythms and jazz can be heard, all infused with traditional flamenco forms.Martyr's welcomes back Las Guitarras de España with friends Mehran Jalili and El Payo for a night of "world music" infused Flamenco Rock. All three ensembles have released critically acclaimed CDs in the last year and each group will present a unique take on the Spanish guitar influenced genre. Jazz, Rock, Ska, Reggae, Blues, along with Indian and African elements come together.

Mehran is an Iranian born Flamenco/Rock guitarist who resides in the states. His love for music started at the age 9 with the piano and keyboards and at age 14 he started to study the guitar. After performing with so many different Rock bands in Chicago including "No Romeo" which took him as far as performing in LA at the whisky Go Go, Roxy and Spice theatre, Mehran discovered Flamenco and his love affair with this music took him to Spain to study with several Maestros of Flamenco guitar. Originally he learned the traditional style but then he studied Jazz and transitioned into the modern Flamenco/Jazz. On his first solo CD "Angels of Persepolis" (2010), Mehran composed music with a unique sound that evokes a nostalgic blend of exotic worldliness. As he was composing this music he drew inspiration from the recent movement in Iran toward democracy and human rights. Following this release Mehran gained international attention from many music writers, music magazines and radio stations. "Angels of Persepolis" was reviewed and received high praises by likes of Barry Cleveland, editor of Guitar player magazine and so many other publications such as Vintage Guitar magazine (Jan 2011 issue), Progression Magazine, IO Pages of Holland and UK's Pipeline magazine to name a few. Mehran was featured as well in the Feb 2011 issue of Vintage guitar Magazine in a full page write up and later featured in the Worldview program of NPR-Wbez. "Angels of Persepolis" has been getting radio play in many World music, college and PBS Radio stations globally. Recently Mehran has formed a new group and released his new Cd "Subterranea" (2012) with a more progressive/psychedelic and space Rock sound. The lineup includes Sam Werk on drums, Krushanu Joseph on the bass and Carl Kennedy on the keyboard. The music is a lot more focused and the entire Cd is recorded with the same 4 musicians. The sound can be described as Pink Floyd meets Flamenco. Since its release, "Subterranea" has been getting the attention of many music critiques from Progressive Rock to World Music and Heavy Metal magazines, websites and blogs. Most of the coverage is from Europe and the cd is getting lots of spins on European and American radio and many college stations.