RED HOT AND GROOVEY
Ten years of making funky, Latin-inspired music is cause to celebrate. The award-winning, Providence-based music group SantaMamba marks its 10-year anniversary with the release of its fifth album, "Sube," which came out earlier this month.

Frequently playing gigs in the Newport area, including last Friday's spring fund-raiser at the Hotel Viking for the Newport International Film Festival, the band has traveled from Pennsylvania to Maine making audiences get up and dance, which is what "sube" translates to in English. Combining rhythms from Africa, Latin America and America, this six-member ensemble compares its sound to the likes of Santana, Ozomatli and Mana.

Look no further than the relationships, places and events of Providence for the band's inspiration. The song, "Chica del Bar" on their latest album talks about first meeting a woman at a bar and the beginning of that courtship. The title track, "Sube Sube" is an infectious upbeat song with furious piano playing and electric guitar riffs that are sure to make you move your feet on the dance floor. With Nick Wade on bass and vocals, his brother Aaron Wade on keyboard and vocals, John Medeiros on guitar and vocals, El Salvador-born Jaime Hernandez on Latin percussion, Ajay Coletta on drums and Gio as lead vocalist, the group as a whole gets along despite and because of their differences. Six different personalities bring so much to the table so that collectively there is a mass fusion of ideas and musical expression. "There is a word that I've been using for the last five years and that word is fusion," says Gio, whose real name is J. Gregorio Murillo. "I'm just thinking about fusion (of) pretty much everything."

Besides the founders of the group, Coletta and Medeiros, the members have changed over the years and continued to grow in their sound and popularity. Coletta, who has been playing for 25 years, started the band by putting ads in the paper and networking with fellow musicians. All the original members were involved in different projects and wanted something fresh and new. As the members slowly got together, the chemistry was apparent and just like any good relationship, they grew together. Gio joined SantaMamba a year ago on New Year's Eve after performing with the band for the first time in front of an audience of 4,000 in Pennsylvania. He has changed the flavor of the sound much like a new ingredient in a sauce. Coletta and Medeiros comprise the base of SantaMamba while new members add their own flair; a sprinkle or a dash from each member's different background just adds to the pot. "I like unpredictable," Gio added.

But what you can count on is SantaMamba striving to keep the music fun and danceable for its live audience and listening fans while expanding its sound to broader depths. The band returns to Area Venue in Newport Friday night after having played there in February and is expected to return on a regular basis.