Tim Parsons / Tahoe Onstage
The music of Afrolicious is rooted in Latin and Caribbean percussion with R&B electric guitars and horns. But the band’s influence is more than what appears on the bandstand.
Band leader Joe-Cheo McGuire, aka Pleasuremaker, is inspired by acceptance, love, kindness, empathy and collective action for the good.
Afrolicous, which has played at Lake Tahoe’s North Shore on numerous occasions, will debut Thursday at Live at Lakeview, the weekly summertime celebration from 4:30 to 8:45 p.m. at Lakeview Commons. Brothers Prince will open the show. An Afrolicious performance is as energetic and danceable as any a concertgoer can experience.
“People can expect a great time, a positive experience and to dance their butts off,” Pleasuremaker said. “You can expect a blast of high energy coming from a very positive uplifting space through the lens of recognizing the work that needs to be done within our society.”
The large band captivated the Vaudeville Tent audience during one of the opening day performance this month at the High Sierra Music Festival.
It’s safe to say that the band will take the beach this week at South Lake Tahoe.
“We are looking at going out and battling this world’s insanity with a message of positivity and joy,” Pleasuremaker said. “We try to face it head-on with our music and our lyrics and our vibe. I don’t like to use battle terms but there is a lot of apathy and negativity energy, obviously with this decision the country made recently.”
Afrolicous formed out of a Thursday night Afrolicious party at the Elbo Room in the city’s Mission District. Its members are based in the Bay Area and Los Angeles. After several years, band members began to write original material. The size of the group varies and sometimes has as many as a dozen players. As he did at the High Sierra Music Festival, former North Shore guitarist Zebuel Early often joins in.
Brothers Prince are the Oakland-raised identical twin brothers Ambrose and Austin Prince. Indie soul-hop artists, they “mix the soulfulness of Musiq with the vibes of Jack Johnson, infuse the lyrical rap precision of J. Cole, then add a dash of indie rock.” Their new self-titled EP includes the song “So Musical,” which will be featured in the upcoming movie “Unleashed” starring Kate Micucci and Sean Aston.
Tim Parsons / Tahoe Onstage
