Leche de Tigre: Celebrating 10 Years of Dancing and Grooving

By Karen Rose

The Island of Hawai‘i is no stranger to those who love to wander. One trip to paradise can easily leave visitors yearning for a free and spirited life filled with palm trees and warm breezes. This bohemian lifestyle calls many believers of truth, love, and freedom to the island, which may explain why Kona’s own Leche de Tigre is one of Hawai‘i Island’s most popular dance and party bands.

Famous for their multifarious genre of music, Leche de Tigre blends together sounds of Spanish, gypsy, and rock-inspired funk to create a constantly evolving and unique sound. With strong percussion, soulful vocals, and jazzy grooves, the group entertains audiences with funky originals as well as traditional cover songs.

Leche de Tigre translates into tiger’s milk. Traditionally it refers to “the juices of ceviche,” a culinary and beguiling mix of ingredients infused together to create a unique flavor all its own. The band takes this Peruvian recipe to a rhythmic, melodic level by combining strings, brass, vocals, and various percussions to cook up a musical meal that leaves audiences wanting more.

Celebrating their 10th year of collaboration, members of Leche de Tigre have performed in venues from Kona, to Burning Man, to the University of California at Berkeley.

“We’re now in our 10th year of playing together,” said guitar player and lead vocalist, Dan Brauer. “It’s pretty cool and ironic that Ke Ola Magazine is celebrating their 10th year as well. Of course, it’s difficult to start any conversation about Leche De Tigre without talking about Ceviche Dave [David Weaver]. He’s where it all began. In fact, the name Leche de Tigre is a component of ceviche that is known in Peru as an aphrodisiac and hangover cure.”

The band formed in 2009 in Kona at the former restaurant called Ceviche Dave’s, where the owner, David Weaver, hosted weekly musical gatherings and jam sessions. A growing audience came out to enjoy their eclectic music and soon the band outgrew the venue.

“I was working at a guitar factory back then, and we used to eat lunch up at Ceviche Dave’s,” said Dan. “Dave wanted to learn how to play guitar, and I was just starting to teach again, so he became one of my first students. We would get together on Thursday at his restaurant and just jam. It turned into this fun weekly music night. We’d eat ceviche and drink tequila while learning new songs.”

Later the same year, a Battle of the Bands competition hosted by PonchoMan Kuanoni was held at the former Lulu’s Bar and Restaurant in Kona. Dan and his musician friends decided to compete in the competition just for fun. Once they had enough material to perform several sets, they booked their first full performance at the Blue Dragon in Kawaihae. They had so much fun, they have continued to play together ever since. Lactophilia, their debut album, was released in 2011.

“The majority of the group has stayed together this whole time,” said Dan proudly. “It’s an awesome musical family and we all get along really well. We’ve done lots of shows over the years both in Hawai‘i and on the mainland.”

The band’s unique blend of musical styles is known for its upbeat elements that bring audiences to their feet during every performance. “We’ve used the term Latin, gypsy funk to describe our music,” explained Dan. “We’ve traveled and toured successfully with this description. Being a gypsy is kind of a way of life in Hawai‘i. We refrain from calling ourselves gypsy jazz players, because you better be insanely talented like Django Reinhardt to pull that off!”

Born in upstate New York, Dan moved to Hawai‘i Island with his family in 2005. His mother is from Columbia, and most likely some of her cultural background is manifested in Dan’s musical tastes. Although the band formed to learn classic Spanish-flavored songs, they subsequently found inspiration from artists such as Rodrigo y Gabriela, Carlos Santana, and many Latin artists.

“It’s nice having a diversity in the music we write,” said Dan. “We will play rock and roll songs, then switch up the instrumentation to discover new pathways to creativity. It keeps us from getting stagnant. At this point, it’s fun to forge ahead and witness the progress within the group. We’re like a family. With so much happening in the world, it’s important we stay together.”

In July 2018, Leche de Tigre accepted an invitation to play in Alaska. Dan recalls feeling concern over the natural events occurring on Hawai‘i Island at the time. Volcanic eruptions, hurricanes, and floods were a catalyst for many of his friends to leave the island. Being asked to perform in Alaska came at just the right time for the band. It allowed them to escape what felt like looming disaster at home, and experience the joys and difficulties of surviving in a completely different environment.

“The Alaska performance was one of my favorites,” said Dan. “There was a huge amount of energy. Haines, Alaska is in the middle of nowhere and requires a four-hour ferry ride from Juneau to get there. It’s a little fishing village and the people were so excited to have entertainment. We learned a lot about Alaska and its residents. They are similar to people who live in Hawai‘i in that they are super friendly, yet are also in full survival mode. They are kind and giving, but at the same time have to fight off bears to make it to their car.” The band members returned home with great stories to share.

Leche de Tigreʻs members hope to tour Japan in the future and are seeking additional opportunities to share their music worldwide. They currently limit their off-island tours to once a year due to financial restraints, however they are available for year-round performances on the island. The band is always open to inviting new players and instrumentals into their fold as well.

“It’s nice having a diversity in the music we write,” said Dan. “Music is powerful, and the Big Island is on the upswing with venues and new talent. It’s exciting and wonderful to meet other musicians. It opens up new doors and creates opportunities for adding fresh instrumentation. For example, in the past we never had a keyboard player or additional horn players. Talented musicians are everywhere—all over the island.”

Last year, the band collaborated with several Hawai‘i Island musicians to create a tribute performance to the 70s band Pink Floyd. Their show, All That is Now, brings to life the progressive style of Pink Floyd’s wildly successful album, Dark Side of the Moon. Leche de Tigre debuted this musical tribute at Kahilu Theatre in November 2018 with two sold out shows, and performed it again on New Year’s Eve at Hilo’s Palace Theater.

The band’s fans are looking forward to more collaborative performances in 2019, including a new project which aims to recreate some of the music from 1969s legendary festival, Woodstock, in honor of its 50th anniversary.

Leche de Tigreʻs songwriting is a collaborative effort, beginning with a basic melody then adding various components of percussion and solo instrumentation along with a dash of improvisation.

Current band members include Dan Brauer on vocals and acoustic guitar, Lee Glennan on vocals, Michaeloha Elam on trumpet, Chris Wilson on drums, Robby Malovic on bass, and Luis Feliu on percussion. Hawaii Public Radio describes their blend of talent, “A potent musical brew.”

“Band members number between six and eight,” said Dan. “The fun thing about Latin music is you can always add more percussion. We love to have a timbale player and a conga player, along with the drummer. It’s a lot of fun. In fact, our former percussion player, Ruben Ruiz, who relocated to Seattle a few years ago, flew up to Alaska and sat in with us. Having the flexibility to add additional instruments at will is super cool.”

Band members encourage interactive participation during their live performances.

“It’s interesting to see how the Latin rhythms speak to people,” said Dan. “It connects people and makes them want to move around. We want to write music that people can move and dance to. It’s fun to see how a song we wrote connects with people. It’s just one of the beauties of writing music and performing—seeing that connection.”vLeche de Tigre attributes much of their success with putting in their time. “You just have to work your way through and keep learning when to say no and when to say yes,” said Dan. “It’s important to work with the connections you make. It just takes time to create opportunities and find the right people to help make things happen.”

With their commitment to music and to each other, Leche de Tigre is bound to be creating their unique style of music for years to come. Their strong mix of eclectic sounds creates a powerful magnetism with audiences who wish to get up and move, while enjoying the groovy rhythm of gypsy life. ❖

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Contact: lechedetigremusic.com