Betsayda Machado & Parranda El Clavo (Venezuela)

 “The voice of Venezuela,”

as the singer Betsayda Machado is honorarily called, needs no frills, no hip crossover with other styles and genres, and definitely no studio engines interfering to make it all sound more “luscious.” Her voice sounds like it’s carved from tropical hardwood and seeped in tradition.

Machado grew up in El Clavo, a village in the jungle where the roots of her ancestors’ – slaves who had freed themselves – still resonate two centuries later in the music that is made there. This parranda typically features rhythmic, polyphonic vocals, usually in a question-and-answer form, accompanied by percussion so moving the dancers seem to float. The village’s inhabitants make the drums with wood from the lano tree, a symbol of the region.

La Parranda El Clavo, further consisting of Betsayda’s sister Nereida and six other village locals, including three coca farmers, has been together for thirty years. They carry their community’s stories, singing about everything that transpires in their lives – even the crisis afflicting their country right now.

Formation

Betsayda Machado – vocals
Adrian Gomez – vocals
Oscar Ruiz – vocals
Nereida Machado – vocals, dance
Youse Cardozo – percussion
Blanca Castillo – percussion
Asterio Betancourt – percussion
Nelson Gomez – percussion, dance