No Depression Sessions at Folk Alliance International 2024: Mireya Ramos, Gina Chavez, and Jorge Glem

The mission statement of the Folk Alliance International organization is to “connect folk music leaders aiming to sustain the community and genre worldwide,” and we took full advantage of those connections in this one-of-a-kind No Depression Session. Please enjoy the first (and hopefully not the last) performance of the trio featuring Flor de Toloache founder Mireya Ramos, queer Latinx Texan Gina Chavez, and Venezuelan cuatro player Jorge Glem. We had each worked together in various configurations over the years, so when audio engineer Juan Soria saw an opportunity to bring this group together in Kansas City, he texted everybody and the consensus was, “Hell yes, where and when?!”

The trio starts with “Nunca Te Voy a Olvidar,” the first song from Ramos’ 2022 debut solo album, Mireya. The album version features a masterclass from Glem on cuatro and includes contributions from Flor de Toloache and producer Román Rojas. In this ND session, watch Chavez blend her voice harmoniously with Ramos’ to give us this gem of an interpretation.

Next up is Chavez’s song “Ella” from her 2020 EP La Que Manda. The song honors survivors of domestic abuse, acknowledging the spiking levels of domestic violence across the globe during quarantine. The performance in this Kansas City hotel room drives home the pure musicianship on display from these three, who worked out the trio arrangement of “Ella” moments before we hit “record.”

Find previous No Depression Sessions at Folk Alliance International 2024 here, and look for more later this week.