I had the privilege of attending my first ever CD launch party last week. Rene Hugo y sus Amigos kicked off their inagural CD launch with a festive mix of funky Latin American and Flamenco rhythms that had the crowd clapping and dancing by the end of the night. The compositions found in Fiesta en Vancouver translate into excellent live performances and listening to songs like Pito, Rio Apurimec and Baila Negra in person was a great experience.

“I know the guitarist”

My friend Sean plays guitar in the band—he’s the one reading Sartre on the right side of the inner booklet. I’ve never had any personal association with a performance of this quality before and it felt strangely cool to be able say “yeah, I know a member of the band.”

My momentary sense of coolness aside, it was a pleasure to see my amigo playing with Rene Hugo y sus Amigos. I’m extremely proud of Sean and seeing him succeed with the CD release and perform in his element made my night.

If you’re in Vancouver for the summer,you can catch Rene Hugo y sus Amigos performing during weekends at Granville Island.