Newport's Waterfront Productions to Hold Latino Music Festival at India Point Park in Providence

NEWPORT, RI, September 2, 2015 – The 1st Annual Festival Latino de Providence/Latino Music Festival, held by Newport’s Waterfront Productions, promises to be a day filled with tropical, merengue and reggaeton music by headliners from throughout Latin America on Sunday, September 6th from 1:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. along the waterfront at India Point Park in Providence, Rhode Island. The line-up is anchored by international merengue singing sensation Sergio Vargas while Fefita la Grande, Jowell & Randy, Raul Acosta & Oro Solido, VENA, Prince Dynasty and Jhoni The Voice, as well as the sounds of DJ Kabeza of Latina 100.3FM between acts, will keep the energy turned up. The general admission tickets with no re-entry are $20 in advance and $30 the day of the Festival. Children under 12 are free with a paying adult. For the ultimate Latino music fan who is 21 or older, an exclusive VIP Dockside Lounge experience is available for $50 in limited quantities that offers one all-day admission to the Festival, a complimentary beverage and access to a reserved dockside seating lounge which includes an exclusive bar and cocktail service.

“Our recent Waterfront Reggae Festival at India Point Park was a huge success and we’re anticipating even more people enjoying the tropical, merengue and reggaeton vibes at Festival Latino,” said Michele Maker Palmieri, President and CEO of Waterfront Productions in Newport, Rhode Island. “We are featuring headliners from the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and right here in the United States so there will be something for everyone to enjoy.” Palmieri added that in addition to more than 6-hours of music, the multicultural experience will also serve up authentic Latino food options, libations, a waterfront VIP lounge and a full day of fun for all ages.

The Festival’s main headliner is famous Dominican merengue singer, Sergio Vargas, who first obtained fame in Latin America and Europe during the 1980s and early 1990s. He was the main vocalist for the band Los Hijos del Ray and released his first album in 1986 which included the hit, “La Quiero A Morir”. More records and international success followed. In 1988, Vargas earned Casandra awards from the Art Critics Association of the Dominican Republic for his self-titled concert, “Sergio” and a video for his song, “Vampiras”. He earned another Casandra award in 1991 for a television special entitled, “Este es mi Pais” (“This is my country”) and was a headliner at Madison Square Garden as part of New York City’s Carnival of Merengue. In 2006, Vargas was elected to the Chamber of Deputies of the Dominican Congress, representing his impoverished hometown of Villa Altagracia. He continues to record and tour around the world.

The other 2015 Festival Latino de Providence performers are:

Manuela Josefa Cabrera, also know as Fefita la Grande, is the most prolific and respected female merengue accordionists in the world. One of the most important figures in Dominican music for the past 40 years, she is also a talented singer-songwriter. In 1976, Fefita’s career took off when she toured with Rafael ‘El Maestro’ Solano. Her debut album, “Si Quieri Venir Que Venga’ was a huge success and multiple hits followed. Fefita captivates audiences with her fiery riffs and affable stage presence. Despite her virtuosity, she respects merengue tipico’s traditional roots saying she does merengue “the straight way, the way Tatico Henriquez did.” She plays tipico in the modern format that Henriquez pioneered: two saxophones, congas and an electric bass in addition to the traditional accordion, tambora and guira. Fefita has an uncanny ability to stay current with the times and continues to appeal to young audiences with the help of new tipico artists such as Krisspy and El Prodigio.

Jowell & Randy, a Puerto Rican duo featuring Joel Alexis Munoz Martinez and Randy Ariel Ortiz Acevedo, formed in the early-2000s and have become one of the most popular acts in reggaeton, a music genre which blends the influences of Jamaican dancehall and Trinidadian soca with those of Latin America such as salsa, bomba and electronica. Jowell & Randy first received mainstream attention for the song “No Te Veo” from its Casa de Leones album. The song reached the #3 position on the Billboard Latino charts and remained on the list for 35 weeks. The duo’s latest album release is the popular Sobredoxis which includes collaborations with Daddy Yankee, Arcangel, MTY, De La Ghetto, Farruko, Tony Tun Tun and Divino and debuted at #10 on the Billboard Latin Album charts and #1 on the Billboard Latin Rhythm Albums charts.

Born into a musical family in the Dominican Republic, Raul Acosta moved in his early teens to Union City, New Jersey. In 1994, Acosta formed the merengue band, Oro Solido and released its self-titled debut album. The band continued to release albums approximately every year, enjoying hits like “Ta Cache,” “La Tanguita Roja, ”Maria se Fue”, “El Baile del Beeper”, “una Nalgadita”, and “La Morena”. Acosta has been nominated for and won numerous awards throughout the years, including Premios Estrella, Premios ACE and Premios Lo Muestro. Oro Solido was also the first merengue band to perform on The Jerry Lewis Telethon, played numerous times in the renowned Madision Square Garden and shared the stage with artists such as 50 Cent, LeAnn Rimes, Celia Cruz, Marc Anthony, Fat Joe, Johnny Ventura, Wilfrido Vargas, Tito Puente, El Gran Combo and The Temptations.

What happens when three innovative stars of bachata unite and create a new sound? The answer is VENA, the supergroup formed several years ago by Lenny and Max Santos, founders of the group Aventura, and Steve Styles, ex-singer and composer of the group Xtreme. As co-creators of the group Aventura, Lenny and Max were part of the most successful bachata group in history and at the vanguard of the fusion of bachata, hip hop and R&B, now known as “Urban Bachata”. Styles took Extreme all the way to #1 on the Billboard Latin Tropical Airplay chart thanks to the song “Shorty Shorty”. As VENA, the “Kings of the Bachata” are bringing a new revolution to the urban Latin genre, offering a unique formula that continues to modernize the romantic bachata sound.

Reggae influenced Latin singer/songwriter Edward Veras, aka Prince Dynasty, was born in Puerto Rico and raised in Brooklyn, New York. He has collaborated with artists such as Don Omar and Plan B and in 2010 spent much of his time on tour while finishing his first mixtape called “It’s About Time” which was released in 2011. Prince Dynasty then collaborated on the popular song “Getting That Money” with the legendary Redman. In 2014, he returned to the stage mixing genres of dancehall and reggaeton. Currently, Prince Dynasty continues to tour supporting his new single “Sueltate” which was released in March of 2015.

Born in the Dominican Republic, Johnathan Ramos, aka Jhoni The Voice, moved to New York City at a young age. The singer/producer had a passion for music and by the age of 11 was composing original music and producing his own songs. He later studied production techniques with producers Dr. Dre, Timbaland, Ryan Leslie and Scott Storch. Jhoni is also one half of the popular duo, LD & Jhoni and has been associated with acts including Romeo Santos and “The King Stays King” tour, Thalia and super producers A&X. In 2013, he achieved worldwide recognition for his participation in the urban song “MAKINA” which was listed on the Billboard charts. Jhoni self-titled debut album was released earlier this year.

In addition to WKKB Latina 100.3FM, Festival Latino de Providence/Latino Music Festival partners include: Attorney Rob Levine & Associates, BENRUS, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Dunkin Donuts, GoProvidence.com (Providence CVB), Horizon Beverage Group, Metro Motor Group, Pepsi, RI Distributing Co., Telemundo Providence, Uber, City of Providence, City of Providence Department of Art, Culture + Tourism and Friends of India Point Park.

Tickets to the Festival Latino de Providence/Latino Music Festival can be purchased online at www.riwaterfrontevents.com or www.ticketmaster.com or by calling Ticketmaster at 800-745-3000. Tickets can also be purchased as walk ups at the El Nanito Record Shop at 1220 Broad Street in Providence (available thru Saturday, September 5th), at the Waterfront Festivals Box Office on 4 Commercial Wharf (on America’s Cup Avenue) in downtown Newport or at the India Point Park – RI Waterfront Events Ticket Office on Friday, September 4th from noon- 7 p.m.; Saturday, September 5th from noon to 10 p.m. and Sunday September 6th from 10 a.m. thru Festival hours.

For more information on Festival Latino de Providence/Latino Music Festival, please visit www.riwaterfrontevents.com or contact Michele Maker Palmieri, President and CEO of Waterfront Productions LLC via email at mmaker@newportwaterfrontevents.com or call (888) 900-8640, Ext. 709. To receive future Rhode Island Waterfront Events and Newport Waterfront Events announcements, presale opportunities or exclusive packages, sign up at riwaterfrontevents.com and become a fan on Facebook at facebook.com/waterfrontevents.

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