The new roots rock project LAS FENESTRAS is comprised of Simon Webster (vocals/songwriter), Pete Feenstra (lyricist/broadcaster), and Craig Marshall (producer/AUDIO 54).
A drummer, percussionist, singer-songwriter, and guitarist, Simon Webster is a multi-talented London pro who’s toured globally.
According to Pete, LAS FENESTRAS Cuban Son has a humorous storyline, shaped by Craig’s digital sounds, rooted in plentiful Latin rhythms.
“Sometimes a song can come to you quite quickly in its entirety. The building blocks were the words and the search for suitable rhythms to amplify the story.
a fine ideal was lost— and remains unrecoverable— in Cuba’s revolutionary, post-bolero, era…
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I’d met Simon at a live show he played in Dordogne (SW France) and was very impressed with his skills and above all his feel.
I mentioned I had a few song ideas, and he explored different percussion grooves including the Latino feel that we came to use.
He really locked into the song and came up with the chords and melody, including the dynamic falsetto phrasing on the middle eight.
Craig then built the track and added the wonderful sonic detail with samples and drop-ins such as the Cuban piano, Mariachi trumpets, a throbbing bass line and layered bv’s.”
Set to a fun, danceable beat, LAS FENESTRAS Cuban Son gives a lighthearted perspective on an interesting historical event.
Featuring contrasting rhythms and inventive melodies, the song narrates Castro’s tale, subtly suggesting a fine ideal was lost —and remains unrecoverable— in Cuba’s revolutionary, post-bolero, era.
Shiny brass accents and a perpetually socio-percussive feel complement this delicious blend of hot sauce and mustard creaminess. Zesty!
Pete summarises, “We finished working on the song in November last year, which coincidentally was the 8th anniversary of Fidel Castro’s passing. If nothing else, it serves to remind us of the joys of communal dancing, a theme nicely referenced in Dave Larder’s video.”
Check-out the video (below) by DAVE LARDER
Main image: Fidel Castro with Che Guevara (left) – photographed by Alberto Korda in 1961 (Public Domain)
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