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BIOGRAPHY

In the San Francisco Bay Area, bands that stay within the bounds of one genre are the exception rather than the rule... And so it is no surprise that Antioquia, an eclectic roller coaster of sound that dances from genre to genre as if there's no such thing, has chosen the Bay Area as its home. This socially conscious quartet of three men and a lady create churning cauldrons of groove...the driving pulse of the tamboras, the hard swish of the maracas, a screaming guitar and funky slap bass that would make Les Claypool perk his ear create the sound that can only be described as Antioquia.

While the atmosphere of SF is the perfect incubator for such a sound, Antioquia's conception took place much farther south in the department (province) of Colombia that gave the band its name...and where guitarist Adley Penner and drummer Craig Miller discovered their musical chemistry. The two northern transplants, Penner from Vancouver and Miller from Milwaukee, first met in 2003 playing music on a bus in Ecuador. They traveled together to Medellin Colombia where they became enthralled with Afro-Colombian folkloric music, taking lessons from accomplished percussionist Juan Guillermo. Two years later and with a newfound sense of self and purpose, Miller and Penner returned to Vancouver determined to flesh out the sound of their new band.

In June 2006, Miller and Penner moved to San Francisco and performed with three different bassists until they found Alabama native Paul Martin on Craigslist. With slap happy grooves and a pension for experimentation, Martin proved to be the perfect fit. Lead vocalist and fellow British Colombian Maddy Streicek completed the line-up in December 2006 when she moved to northern California. Streicek had been a loyal Antioquia comrade and designed the band’s fliers, a task she still does today. Streicek and Penner had been friends since their teens and were in a previous band (and one show wonder) called I Cream of Genie in which Maddy played the drums.

Their musical tastes are as eclectic as their on-stage outfits... pulling inspiration from an array of artists and visionaries ranging from Muddy Waters to Megadeth , Phish to Fela Kuti, Grace Slick to Gandhi, Toto la Momposina to Talking Heads! What distinguishes Antioquia from other genre bending acts are the traditional rhythms that permeate their sound, from the Afro-Colombian garabato and puya to an array of West African dunun rhythms.

That said, Antioquia emphasizes that their biggest influences are their families and each other. Each member was exposed to music early in their life and now pushes the others to explore their personal boundaries and to cross the borders of traditional rock music. The band describes their approach as "musical impressionism," expressing emotions and thoughts through sound and rhythm and using their voices and lyrics as additional instruments rather than the overbearing force. Each set is unpredictable and peppered with fits of structured improvisation. With over 40 songs in their arsenal, Antioquia offers listeners an experience that can’t be replicated or reproduced. The end result: a feeding frenzy of energy between the entertainers and the entertained.

Antioquia not only want to move your hips, they also want you to make you think... they aim to inspire personal change and bring people together with their message of non-violent action.

RECORDINGS

Antioquia released their debut LP "Gringolandia" in August 2008 at Ashkenaz in Berkeley! Gringolandia was recorded in Oakland & San Francisco and produced by Ben Yonas & Matt Brown. (Yonasty Productions & Yonas Media)