QUITAPENAS, one word – all caps, four syllables – all claps, gives you a taste of their rhythmic contagion. This tropical Afro-Latin combo was born under the warm California sun. They borrow aesthetics from the radical 60s, 70s and 80s. Each song echoes a remix of history and invites one to engage in the liberating evenings of Angola, Peru, Colombia, Brazil and beyond. The name means “to remove worries.” Everybody has a “pena” and the mission of QUITAPENAS is simple: to make you dance and leave you without a worry.

Founded in 2011, the band was formed around their shared love of dance rhythms from the Tropical Afro Latin diaspora. They assembled a group of like minded friends to share the vision that went on to be QUITAPENAS. The group is made up of first generation son’s of immigrant parents from Guatemala and Mexico.