Petros y los Hijos de Tío Sam

A transient tourist strolling the warmly lighted, cobblestone streets of Copan Ruinas on any given Saturday evening might expect to hear distant mariachi and ranchera tunes amid the conversations between street vendors and other tourists. However, this pleasant dappling of music was not to be found on the last weekend in January, for a burgeoning trio called “Petros y los Hijos de Tío Sam” (Pedro and the Son’s of Uncle Sam) were blasting music so loudly out of the bar on the corner that people moved outside just to listen comfortably.

(Yeah, I know I’m playing bass with a pick. )

After their debut, the group was invited to play at several other local venues. Throughout the month of February, the three played literally for their dinner. The rich, authentic platos tipícos flowed through their veins as they recreated the not-so-authentic Latino Pop music that has come to define their style. Behind the grungy belting of unrequited or lost love, the steady, high frequency crunch of the electric guitar strains for equal temperament. The capricious bass completes the lower sonic spectrum with ornaments and syncopation to complement the driving yet adventurous and delightful drumming. (Pedro plays through his iMac Pro, which also dubs as his lyrics cheat sheet. )

Maybe because of the Pedro's Copan connections or the scarcity of musicians in general (but not because of their originality or arrangements), the band has continually grown in popularity among the businesses and the locals to the point that they have been invited to play on the grand stage in el Parque Central during the Annual Fair (La Feria). The show will start around 8:00 PM HT (Honduran time, which means add 30 minutes to an hour) on March 21.

This performance will not only be a major step forward in the growing history of this nascent group but will also be crucial for its future. One person attending the show will be listening to see if PHTS should be offered a contract to play for parties and events sponsored by the National Beer Company all over the region. The group has also been given the green light to play at a relatively large university bar in Chiquimula, Guatemala, in early April without even having heard the band play!