¡Viva el Arte de Santa Bárbara! (Viva) will open its new season with three free community performances by Las Cafeteras. The shows will be on the following dates:

• Friday, Sept. 6, 7 p.m. at Isla Vista School, 6875 El Colegio Road, Goleta.
• Saturday, Sept. 7, 7 p.m. at Guadalupe City Hall, 918 Obispo St., Guadalupe.
• Sunday, Sept. 8, 6 p.m. at the Marjorie Luke Theatre, 721 E. Cota St., Santa Barbara.

Members of Las Cafeteras, wearing eye-catching clothing in bright pink and black, pose for a group portrait. (Courtesy photo)
The music of Las Cafeteras strives to tell the story of the group’s roots. (Courtesy photo)

Born and raised East of the Los Angeles River, Las Cafeteras performs Afro-Mexican rhythms, electronic beats, and powerful rhymes that document stories of a community seeking to “build a world where many worlds fit.”

The group transcends genres from Afro-Mexican to Americana, Soul to Son Jarocho, Roots to Rock and Hip-Hop.

The use of traditional instrumentation like the eight string jarana, four string requinto, quijada (donkey jawbone), and tarima (wooden platform) produce their unique sound.

Las Cafeteras has performed with Mexican icons Café Tacuba, Natalia LaFourcade, Lila Downs, Gypsy Kings, Colombian superstar Juanes, hip-hop artist Common, Los Angeles legends Ozomatli and Los Lobos, and with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra.

Viva, a program highlighting Latin America’s cultural heritage, is a collaboration between the Marjorie Luke Theatre, Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes Center, Isla Vista School Parent Teacher Association, and UCSB Arts & Lectures.

It serves some 15,000 students and community members in Carpinteria, Santa Barbara, Goleta, Lompoc, Santa Maria, and Guadalupe.

For more about Las Cafeteras and Viva, visit https://artsandlectures.ucsb.edu/learn/viva-el-arte-de-santa-barbara/.