Larry & Joe: ‘My life has a purpose’

Larry Bellorin and Joe Troop are asking audiences to hop on board the “Nuevo South Train” to travel across the Americas through music and storytelling.

The duo, who recently released their debut album “Nuevo South Train,” blend Bellorin’s Venezuelan heritage with Troop’s bluegrass tendencies.

Known as Larry & Joe, they’ll bring their “Latingrass” to Green Valley’s Community Performance and Art Center on Tuesday, July 25.

“Larry and I do a variety show, a multi-instrumental snapshot of the contemporary South through the lens of Venezuelan and Appalachian folk music,” Troop said. “Our shows produce a gamut of emotions: laughter, tears, hooting and hollering. But our overarching message is one of joy, the pure pleasure procured by polyculturalism.”

Produced by guitar virtuoso Charlie Hunter, “Nuevo South Train” features original songs and innovative interpretations of traditional folk tunes from Venezuela and the American South. Among the 12 tracks is the Llanera classic “Caballo Viejo” and bluegrass favorite “Roll in My Sweet Baby’s Arm.”

An original song, “Border Wall,” is sung in English and Spanish with a gospel-tinged refrain calling out for reflection.

“We want people to have a good time, to blow off some steam, to feel the same joy that the two of us experience every time we play,” Troop said.

“But we don’t shy away from the harsh realities we are facing. Larry is a migrant, an asylum seeker. And he has really been through it here in the United States. We share songs and stories that engage people and ask them to consider difficult situations. Nonetheless, our message is one of unity, and we make sure to show how exhilarating a world with no borders would be.”

The project was difficult for the two musicians. Bellorin was working full time in construction and sacrificed sleep to rehearse. Troop was juggling prior commitments, in and out of North Carolina, but his focus was on preparing of the recording and developing new techniques on his instruments to play this repertoire.

“Our greatest blessing was our producer, the legendary Charlie Hunter,” Troop said.

“I don’t even think he realizes how much influence he had on our music and this album, a testament to his humility. Thanks to his guidance and the work of our brilliant recording engineer Jason Richmond, we pulled it off with flying colors.”

Troop said he and Bellorin have lived parallel lives. They are both 40 and cut their teeth in their respective folk traditions 25 years ago. Troop studied banjo, fiddle and guitar while Bellorin was into harp, cuatro, bass and maracas.

“We have both lived holistically musical lives, completely immersed in folk traditions, multi-instrumentalists, singer-songwriters and session musicians,” he said.

“In other ways, we’re very different.”

Bellorin lived in Venezuela before coming to the United States, while Troop called himself a “nomad.” He lived 14 years outside of the United States, including in Spain and Japan. In the decade preceding the pandemic, he lived in Argentina.

“Larry’s life fell apart with the crisis in his country, and he and his family were forced into migration,” Troop recalled.

“His musical dreams were shattered, and he wound up lifting cinder blocks on a construction site in North Carolina for seven years.

“I formed an ensemble in Argentina called Che Apalache, and we were starting to enjoy great success in the United States. Our second album was Grammy nominated, and right when all the buzz was at its peak, the pandemic decimated our operation.”

Troop shifted into action, using his platform to address the need for social change. In 2021, he worked as a volunteer at a shelter for asylum seeking migrants in Mexico. That December, he was offered a residency in Durham, North Carolina, his home state.

While exploring potential collaborators, a friend told him there was a “brilliant, asylum-seeking Venezuelan migrant musician living and working construction in Raleigh.”

“When I saw the videos of Larry, I knew that we were meant for each other,” Troop said.

“I invited him to participate in my residency, sparks flew, the crowd gave us a resounding standing ovation, and Larry & Joe was born. As of January of this year, this duo has become both of our full-time jobs.”

It couldn’t be more fulfilling to Troop.

“I feel free, joyous. And I also feel like my life has a purpose,” he said.

Larry & Joe

WHEN: 7 p.m. Tuesday, July 25

WHERE: Community Performance & Art Center, 1250 W. Continental Road, Green Valley
COST: Tickets start at $15

INFO: 520-399-1750, performingartscenter.thundertix.com

This article appears in Jul 20-26, 2023.