Credit: Courtesy of Che Apalache
A four-man string band based in Buenos Aires, Che Apalache features members from Argentina, Mexico and the United States. A North Carolinian multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter and composer, founder Joe Troop formed the group after he moved to Argentina in 2010 and taught himself to play bluegrass and old-time music and started teaching others how to play the music.

Bandmates Pau Barjau (banjo), Franco Martino (guitar) and Martin Bobrik (mandolin) had originally been his students.

Though Che Apalache began as a bluegrass band, it has also incorporated Latin American styles into its repertoire. Last year, the foursome received grants from the North Carolina Humanities Council and the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities to tour the United States for five weeks. At the Appalachian String Band Music Festival in Clifftop, West Virginia, it won first place in the neo-traditional band competition.

The group has returned to the States for another tour and will perform at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 12, at G.A.R. Hall in Peninsula.

This article appears in Jul 11-17, 2018.

Jeff has been covering the Cleveland music scene for more than 25 years now. On a regular basis, he tries to talk to whatever big acts are coming through town. And if you're in a local band that he needs to hear, email him at jniesel@clevescene.com.