Mono Verde

Friday night at the Marquis Theater, I never left Denver but I felt like I took a high-energy trip around the world through music. The Marquis Theater hosted three great local bands all playing music styles that originated from outside this country. The night offered a little bit of everything; Latin infused reggae, fast paced afrobeat, and high-energy ska. The bands all did well to be true to their respective genres while also infusing a bit of their own modern uniqueness to the various styles they were performing.
Mono Verde opened up the night, and they brought a blend of reggae and Latin music with them to the Marquis Theater Friday night. They had a large band, a common theme on the night, with ten band members playing everything from guitar (electric and acoustic), trumpet, saxophone, bass, keyboards, drums, and various percussion. With those tools they created a fusion of slow tempo laid back reggae and spicy Latin rhythms. Mono Verde's music is what I like to call sexy hip-shaking reggae, as a lot of what they played was reggae mixed with sultry Latin rhythms such as salsa and samba. The crowd started out small and shy, but as Mono Verde's set went on, more people came to the floor and started to dance. By the last song, they had everyone dancing and singing along to a reggae-fied version of the Cuban classic, "Guantanamera".




- Concerted Effort