Michael McSweeney founded Salsa del Norte in 2016 along with a handful of other musicians at Northern Illinois University, and since then he has acted as Bandleader and Manager of the band by overseeing marketing, communications, booking, finances, and other administrative responsibilities in addition to being the band’s drummer/timbalero.

Check out Salsa del Norte’s recently released album, Lienzos, and learn more about the band by visiting www.salsadelnorte.com.

BIO

Salsa del Norte is a Salsa & Latin Variety band with local bands in both Chicago, IL and Washington, DC. It was founded in August 2016 in DeKalb, Illinois by Michael McSweeney, at the time a Northern Illinois University by a group of graduate students with backgrounds in Afro-Cuban music and jazz. With its core trio of management including DC-based timbalero Michael McSweeney, Chicago-based bassist Jorge Brito, and SoCal-based vocalist Braden Astorga-Rollins, the band is most commonly seen in its signature 6-piece form including lead vocals, trombone, piano, bass, and two percussionists. In addition to this popular formation, they have also been seen as tight as a 3- and 4-piece band performing popular Son Cubano, Boleros, and Latin Jazz, commonly as large as an 8—piece performing classic and modern Salsa, Merengue, Bachata, and more, and as large as an 11-piece, high-octane party band.

To date, the band has taken influence from wide variety of Afro-Latin music and Latin American artists including Ray Barretto, Tito Puente, Hector Lavoe, Willie Colón, Celia Cruz, Marc Anthony, Pedrito Martinez, Alaín Perez, and more. In November 2016, they had their first public performance at the Rebel Music Conference at Northern Illinois University and then hosted Salsa Nights at The House Café in DeKalb, Illinois from January 2017 through the venue’s closing in May 2019, after which the event moved to Fatty’s Pub in DeKalb through the end of 2019. To date, the band has regularly been invited to play in venues in and around Chicago such as Two Brothers Roundhouse in Aurora, Honky Tonk BBQ in Pilsen, Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, local festivals, and more.

If you have anything from mild interest to a burning passion for the sounds of Afro-Cuban popular music, catch us at our next performance or book us for your next event!