Miami Boheme: An American Musical Journey Live and on TV: Rhode Island PBS and Brown Collaborate

Rhode Island PBS and the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies (CLACS) at Brown University are pleased to announce a collaboration that will present a documentary film at The Avon Cinema and on WSBE Rhode Island PBS, as well as present a live musical performance by Latin GRAMMY Award nominee PALO!, a band featured in the film.

Miami Boheme: An American Musical Journey will make its New England debut on Rhode Island PBS on Sunday, October 5 at 10:00 p.m. The film will be shown by CLACS on Wednesday, October 8, 2014 at 6:30 p.m. at The Avon Cinema, 260 Thayer Street in Providence. The October 8 screening is free and open to the public.

“The Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies at Brown University is thrilled to collaborate with Rhode Island PBS to bring Miami to Providence in October,” said Richard Snyder, director of the CLACS and professor of political science at Brown. “The film Miami Boheme opens a window on the exciting Latin-fusion bands and culture in Miami today. And the live performance by PALO!, one of the top bands featured in the film, takes their unique blend of Afro-Cuban Funk from the screen onto the dance floor. We invite Rhode Islanders to sample Miami's vibrant Latin music and culture.”

“Rhode Island PBS congratulates the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies for bringing this exciting and relevant film to Rhode Island,” said David W. Piccerelli, president of WSBE Rhode Island PBS. “We welcome this opportunity to host the film’s New England premiere, sharing this story with our television audience and making it come to life in the community.”

Miami Boheme: An American Musical Journey is an hour-long documentary about Miami’s original Latin-fusion bands and the cutting-edge scene surrounding them. The film takes viewers to clubs where the beats of bands such as Spam Allstars, Locos Por Juana, Suénalo, PALO!, Elastic Bond, and Afrobeta get the room dancing. The film is a bilingual mash up of rhythms and cultures. It is a one-hour jam session like no other: a fusion of sights, sounds, and ideas that meld together to form the fabric of America’s most dynamic city, Miami.

The community screening event will feature a panel discussion with filmmakers Joe Cardona and Ralf Gonzalez and producer Steve Roitstein, as well as members of the Miami-based Afro-Cuban funk band PALO!, featured in the film. The screening will be followed by a performance by PALO! at 9 p.m. at The Spot Underground, 105 Richmond Street in Providence. Both the screening and the performance are free and open to the public.

On September 24, the Latin Recording Academy announced its 15th annual GRAMMY nominees. Among them are bands featured in Miami Boheme, including PALO!, the band whose members appear in the film, and includes one of Miami Boheme producers. PALO! received a nomination for Best Contemporary Tropical Album.

For more information about the community screening event, visit www.brown.edu/clacs. For more information about local public television programming, visit ripbs.org. For more information about Miami Boheme: An American Musical Journey, visit miamiboheme.com.