Larry & Joe is the duo of Joropo maestro Larry Bellorín (Monagas, Venezuela) & Grammy-nominated bluegrass & oldtime star Joe Troop (Winston-Salem, North Carolina). These two virtuosic multi-instrumentalists fuse their respective Venezuelan and Appalachian folk traditions on the harp, banjo, cuatro, fiddle, upright bass, guitar, and maracas to prove that music has no borders. Their engaging bilingual (esp / eng) program includes storytelling, humor, singalongs & dancing. Larry hails from Monagas, Venezuela and is a legend of Llanera music. Joe is from North Carolina and is a GRAMMY-nominated bluegrass and oldtime musician. Larry was forced into exile and is an asylum seeker in North Carolina. Joe, after a decade in South America, got stranded back in his stomping grounds in the pandemic. Larry worked construction to make ends meet. Joe’s acclaimed “latingrass” band Che Apalache was forced into hiatus, and he shifted into action working with asylum seeking migrants. Then Larry met Joe. Currently based in the Triangle of North Carolina, both men are versatile multi-instrumentalists and singer-songwriters on a mission to show that music has no borders. As a duo they perform a fusion of Venezuelan and Appalachian folk music on harp, banjo, cuatro, fiddle, maracas, guitar, upright bass, and whatever else they decide to throw in the van. The program they offer features a distinct blend of their musical inheritances and traditions as well as storytelling about the ways that music and social movements coalesce.
I had the chance to catch up with Joe Troop ahead of Larry & Joe heading into Madison on February 5th at Arts & Literature Laboratory. Joe and I spend some time defining what a Larry & Joe event will be like, from the history of the music to the even futuristic sounds of this unique duo. Joe and I discuss the creation of their brand new album ‘Manos Panamericanos‘ and how it went from idea to final product, but moreover, we talk about what goes into it and how it will translate into their live events. The very interesting part of this duo besides the sounds they create toGether, is how the two met and began their relationship, as artists but more importantly, as people. Finally, Joe gets a chance to build a setlist around one (or two) of their tunes and we do learn about some of the Wisconsin type experiences, including walleye, Supper clubs and of course, cheese they look forward to partaking in.