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Velu Ochoa – A Masterful Fusion

The Alchemist

Velu Ochoa is the lead vocalist for DeSanguashington, a Colombian American band from Washington D.C, that fuses traditional Colombian folk music with rock and pop. The band likes to create opportunities for fans to experience the music and learn more about the culture of Latin music. She talks about her transition from Colombia to the United States, joining DeSanguashington, and contributing to the continued growth of the band which would provide opportunities to perform at The Kennedy Center, Howard Theater, and with The Smithsonian. The band would also be the recipient of the 2021 Washington Area Music Award (or Wammie) for Best Latin Artist/Group.

Velu shares DeSanguashington’s collaborative songwriting process with fellow band members Richard and Dan, recording music at American University. She shares how the band prioritizes lyrics, melody, and percussion to achieve a modern vibe blended with sounds that are rooted in Salsa, Champeta, and Merengue. Velu joins Andy for another edition of “This or That” and why coffee is preferred over Red Bull, shares her personal musical influences, and what it means to her to be a musician representing the Washington DC, Maryland, and Virginia region.

Featured Song(s): “DeSanguashington (Viajero Official Reel)” by DeSanguashington

Hosted by Andy Reed
Produced by Daniel Warren Hill
Edited, Mixed, and Mastered by Daniel Warren Hill

For more about Alchemicast, visit www.alchemicalrecords.com/alchemicast
For more about Alchemical Records, visit www.alchemicalrecords.com

Intro/Outro Music: “Dreaming” by YellowTieGuy
(Hill/Schmitt. Endurance Match. ASCAP. 2016)

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Foghat Sonic Mojo 2024 Tour. Fillmore Silver Spring, MD March 9
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Foghat’s Roger Earl Refuses to Slow His Ride

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“Nearly all the doctors and surgeons I know, they all play something: trumpet, sax, violin, guitar,” Earl said recently. “There’s not too many drummers that are surgeons, there’s probably a good reason for that!”

Earl half-jokingly invites his surgeon-rockers to join him and the other members of Foghat onstage at the Fillmore in Silver Spring March 9, where they will be headlining the Rock and Roll for Children Foundation benefit for the Children’s Inn at NIH. Earl, the only original member of Foghat still in the band, will be banging the skins behind guitarist Bryan Bassett and other members Scott Holt and Rodney O’Quinn. “Slow Ride,” the band’s 1975 megahit, is all but assured to be on the setlist, along with tunes from Foghat’s most recent record, “Sonic Mojo.”

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