Like a multi-ethnic gathering of friends, this seven member band has created a sound that evokes the early days of Latin Funk (Santana, War, etc.), while adding their own blend of Rock and Funk grooves. This addictive combination of Nuyorican Boogaloo, West Coast Funk and the ever present Cuban grooves engulfs the stage with monstrous horns and bass, funky breaks, polyrhythmic beats and furious lyrics in English and Spanish.
In 2001, Santa Lucia recorded their first five song EP with producer Darryl Nuedorf (Sarah McLachian, Neko Case).
2005 brought a Western Canada Music Awards nomination for Best Children’s Recording for the song “The Hero Inside” (2004) penned for the TV cartoon series Cackleberries.
In 2006, Santa Lucia released their first full length album, “The Streets/Las Calles” with legendary producer Larry Anschell (Nickleback, Pearl Jam) from Turtle Recording Studios in White Rock, BC, Canada. Santa Lucia successfully supported “The Streets/Las Calles” in 2007-2008 with countless west coast dates and major open air festivals including: Vancouver International Jazz Festival, Vancouver Dragon Boat Festival, as well as many out of town dates including The Ness Creek Music Festival in Saskatchewan, Folk on the Rocks Festival in Yellowknife NWT, Victoria Ska Festival and many more.
CBC Radio gave the first single “Lupita” heavy rotation, with the band performing a live show across Canada hosted by one of Canada’s best known news personalities Gloria Makarenko and “On the Coast” radio host Prya Ramu.
Recently, Santa Lucia LFR has refined its stage skills opening for many USA and international touring acts such as Ozomatli, Yerba Buena, Los Mococos, The Skatalites and Maxi Priest.
In 2011 Santa Lucia released their third full length album “Suppressed Anthems”, now available on iTunes. It is a spicy blend of horn-driven music with a social conscience and unique Latin sensibilities mixed with plenty of rock, a shot of salsa, a shed-load of funk, and some high-speed Colombian cumbia. Latin revolutionary sloganeering, environmental concerns, global politics and clenched-fist leftist anthems all bounce over the band's infectious grooves, bringing with it more tour dates with bigger audiences and a greater following of enthusiastic fans.
Santa Lucia is:
German Cantillo - Guitar and Vocals
Anthony "Chilko" Misomali - Drums
Juan Carlos "Chocolate" Gonzales - Latin Percussion
Ryan Conroy - Bass
Colin Maskell - Tenor Sax
Byron Russell - Alto Sax
Brad Muirhead - Trombone
Miguelito Valdes - Trumpet