Photo Credit: Titilayo Ayangade

Biribá Union returns today with “Lamentations,” a reflective song about today’s polarized society. The latest single from the genre-melding trio’s upcoming debut album, Passing Go, due July 10 via Bright Shiny Things, the track kicks off with an ominous bass line and mournful cello, addressing societal conflicts and our inability to find common ground.

The song is a reimagined version of a solo-cello piece, originally written in 1973 by the African-American composer Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson. Based on the fourth movement, “Calvary Ostinato,” it frees GRAMMY-winning cellist and vocalist Mike Block to improvise over acclaimed bassist Patricia Ligia’s foreboding line. GRAMMY-nominated beatboxer and guitarist Christylez Bacon composed a meaningful and timely rap that brings the piece into the context of our modern world… “Blaming the opposition… can we ever see eye to eye when hatred got us blind…knowing our humanity’s more complex than ones and zeroes…both sides engaged in a zero-sum game.”

Pre-order Passing Go here.

Passing Go weaves together elements of Forró music from northeast Brazil, samba/Baiao rhythms, indie-pop songwriting, hip-hop and jazz improvisation to name a few. With Mike’s cello and vocals as the band’s primary melodic drivers, Patricia has free rein on the bass to explore different textures and rhythms while Christylez lets his beatbox magic and hip-hop stylings flow.

“In the studio when we’re collaborating, we’re in a deep state of flow where we don’t judge,” says Patricia, who has toured regularly with Karol G. “The three of us allow the music to happen because it’s so outside of the box, there are no rules.”

Each member brings their own musical identities and backgrounds to the mix to great effect. Mike – who grew up in Kansas with classical musician parents – studied classical music at The Julliard School, is a world-touring musician, music educator and earned a Grammy with Silk Road Ensemble. Christylez, who grew up in Washington, DC and taught himself to beatbox after hearing the hip-hop stylings of Doug E. Fresh, also brings his deep curiosity and experience performing with musicians from all over the world to Biribá Union. Meanwhile, Patricia’s unique background as a synchronized swimmer and her Uruguayan/Latina identity add another dimension.

The band members met at Silkroad’s Global Musician Workshop, a week-long training led by Mike and conceived by Yo-Yo Ma that brings together artists from different countries for cross-cultural musical collaborations. “In 2022, Christylez and Patricia participated in it,” Mike recalls. “I was so captivated by both of them it became clear that these were people I was excited by and wanted to work with.”

Now, the joy and connection the trio creates shines through in everything they do, from their live shows to the songs on their debut album.

The album’s lead single, “Pompano,” incorporates Forró rhythms of Brazil and features a cello melody with a Middle Eastern flavor. “We’re combining our influences explicitly there,” Mike says of the catchy tune with danceable grooves that draws on all of their backgrounds.

Patricia, Christylez and Mike note that their improvisational and non-judgmental style creates an open environment where anything is possible.

“It’s very fertile ground musically speaking to allow things to happen and create with no judgment,” Patricia says.

“There’s a specific vibe that comes from having two very unique collaborators and their balance of ingredients,” Christylez agrees.

“Unlike other cross-cultural collaborations, Biribá Union has such a contemporary feel and flavor,” Mike adds. “People can hear us from the first moment and enjoy it. I know our music connects to people no matter where they’re coming from.”

Biribá Union have been previewing the album live already this year from Boston and Bethesda to Wintergrass Festival in Washington to most recently on a tour of Alaska. The trio has select autumn dates already in the calendar, with more in the works.

About The Author

Dean Rogers

Editor-in-Chief/Entertainment Reporter

I knew early on that I wanted to take my place among the stars. One day, my mother saw me reading The Washington Post at a very young age. Who would have known that it would be the building blocks of my journey? Since that day, I dedicated my life to learn all that is learnable. I read everything from encyclopedias to books to dictionaries to magazines. I’m also an avid television viewer, with my favorite genre being game shows. If you’ve seen me on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire or Wheel of Fortune, then you know that this interest has served me well!

My unique style of reporting began back in junior high school, when I started to chronicle the events that shaped my life. Whether it was the annual family vacation or the local science fiction convention, I shot numerous pictures and recorded my thoughts so I could truly appreciate the history. During my senior year at Friendly High, I wrote what was to be my first masterpiece, “Advanced Space Academy – A One Week Journey.” I sent the eleven-page article back to the U.S. Space Camp staff. The article was highly praised for being “one of the best written articles in the history of U.S. Space Camp.” From then on, I knew what I wanted to do for rest of my life — to be a reporter.

Since then, I have trained in Broadcast Journalism at Bowie State University (2008) in Bowie, MD, earning a B.S. in Communications. I gained experience in news production and editing through field experiences with Bowie Community Media Corporation, Prince George’s Community Television, and Bowie State University Television. I also wrote scripts for a variety of quiz shows for over five years.

As a lifelong movie buff, I now see close to 100 films every year. I took this love of movies to the next step when I became a co-host for Eclipse Magazine TV in the fall of 2005. While at EMTV, I interviewed celebrities, worked on red carpets, and attended a wide variety of movie screenings. In January 2009, I took a leap of faith and started my own entertainment news magazine, The Rogers Revue. Shortly afterward, my lifelong journey of studying the silver screen and writing about what I learned finally earned me a place in the Washington Area Film Critics Association.

All of this has led me here, giving you the latest entertainment news for the DMV and the entire nation, and I am truly excited for whatever will come next.

See author's posts