Larry & Joe

Larry & Joe - June 19th
Currently based in the Triangle of North Carolina, Larry & Joe 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 traditions, drawing from their diverse musical roots. Their performances feature harp, banjo, cuatro, fiddle, maracas, guitar, upright bass, and whatever else they decide to throw in the van. Their program is a compelling blend of their respective musical inheritances, woven together with storytelling that highlights the intersections of music and social movements.

Larry Bellorín
Larry was born and raised in Punta de Mata, in the state of Monagas, Venezuela. Raised by his mother, a farmworker with limited means, Larry began working at the age of six as a shoe shiner. He developed a loyal clientele by singing as he polished, taking requests for popular Vallenatos of the day. His musical talent soon caught the attention of a local music educator, who invited him to study at the city’s premiere music school.

Larry’s first instrument was the cuatro, a four-string guitar with deep Spanish roots and central to Venezuelan folk music. In Venezuela, it’s typically the first instrument young folk musicians learn, and cuatristas are known for their fast, rhythmically complex strumming. Larry quickly stood out, and by age 11, he was supporting himself entirely through music. He soon became proficient on guitar, electric bass, mandolin, and maracas, and by age 13, he had mastered a wide range of traditional Venezuelan styles—including valse, pasaje, joropo, and música oriental—earning the distinction of first cuatrista at the local Casa de Cultura.

One evening, after stepping in on cuatro at a pizzeria gig, Larry met master llanera harpist Urbino Ruiz, who immediately took him on as an apprentice. After just a month of intensive study, Larry had learned 40 songs. “I played so much, I would wake up hunched over my harp,” he recalls.

In 1999, Urbino invited Larry to perform with him and Venezuelan cultural icon Renaldo Armas at Punta de Mata’s Parque Ferial. Armas—a GRAMMY winner and the country’s most prominent ambassador of Llanera music—was so impressed that after their performance, he introduced Larry to the crowd of over 8,000 people as “el maestro Larry Bellorín.” From that moment on, Larry was respected and known as a master of his craft.

Joe Troop
Joe Troop is a multi-instrumentalist, singer, and songwriter originally from Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Best known as the founder of the GRAMMY-nominated string band Che Apalache, Joe’s musical vision has been deeply shaped by a decade spent living in Buenos Aires and traveling across Latin America. His sound bridges continents, blending Appalachian roots with a wide range of Latin American traditions.

When the pandemic brought him back to North Carolina in 2020, Joe turned his attention to social activism, learning directly from grassroots organizers. That experience helped inspire his 2021 solo album Borrowed Time, co-produced with Jason Richmond (The Avett Brothers, Branford Marsalis). The album features collaborations with Béla Fleck (who also produced Che Apalache’s GRAMMY-nominated record), Abigail Washburn, Tim O’Brien, and Charlie Hunter. Yet it’s Joe’s incisive songwriting and masterful musicianship that truly shine, offering a heartfelt reflection of his time abroad and his roots in the North Carolina Piedmont.

Now based in Durham, Joe leads a variety of ensembles that bring his original music to life, continuing his mission to use music as a bridge between cultures and a force for social change.

General Admission: 25.00
Bar area opens at 7pm
Concert Hall doors open at 7:30pm
Music at 8pm

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