
DATE: Thursday, October 16, 1997            TAG: 9710160819

SECTION: DAILY BREAK             PAGE: E3   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY ERIC FEBER, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:   73 lines

LATIN RHYTHMS, WITH A RICHMOND BEAT

TRUMPETER BOB MILLER always hears it after Bio Ritmo performs. ``People assume we're from New York or some place with a huge Latino population,'' he says.

Bio Ritmo is not from the Big Apple or Miami or San Juan or Havana, which explains the incredulous looks when fans learn the band - proficient at salsa, merengue, bomba, charanga and cha-cha - hails from Richmond, former capital of the Confederacy.

``There's one Cuban in the group, one Puerto Rican - and the rest are good ol' boys from Richmond and beyond,'' Miller laughs.

Bio Ritmo - life rhythm in Spanish - has been around about five years. It released its debut disc, ``Que Siga La Musica,'' in 1995 and the follow-up, ``Salsa Galactica,'' this summer. They're no strangers to Hampton Roads, having played at several clubs and last spring at Town Point Park, where they opened, appropriately, for salsa king Tito Puente.

The group, which performs Friday night at Friar Tuck's in Norfolk, began as an exercise in rhythm.

``The band started as a percussion jam, Latin percussion,'' Miller said recently from his home in Richmond. ``The guys had been listening to salsa, and as they continued to play, they slowly began to recruit members until it became a band. We've had a lot of personnel changes since it began.''

The group today: lead singer/trombonist Rene Herrera, a former member of the Cuban Symphony; Puerto Rican Gabo Tomasini on congas; Giustino Riccio, a former boxer from New Jersey, on timbales/vocals; Richmond rock veteran Charlie Kilpatrick on piano; ex-GWAR member Jim Thomson on percussion/vocals; Richmond artist Shade Wilson on bass; and newest member Chris Moody, from Florida, on saxophone.

Miller, who moved to Richmond to continue his graduate studies in jazz trumpet at Virginia Commonwealth University, used to play in the Baltimore salsa group Rhumba Club.

``I was already exposed to salsa and Latin music when I joined. Some of the other members hadn't had much exposure prior to joining, but now we're totally salsa.''

In the past few months, Bio Ritmo has toured with the Squirrel Nut Zippers, the Chapel Hill, N.C., band that's caused a stir with its own brand of original 1920s- and '30s-style hot jazz.

``Touring with them has helped us break in new fans,'' Miller said. ``With their fans, we draw a good, open-minded crowd. They're the best band we could open for. They've helped us break into places like Atlanta and Athens (Ga.). We'd love to be the salsa band that breaks into the market the way the Zippers have broken their own style of music.''

Bio Ritmo has played as far north as Boston and as far south as Miami. A tour of the Midwest, with stops in Chicago, Detroit and Cleveland, begins next month. In February, the band hopes to tour the West Coast, again opening for the Zippers.

Miller said a few record companies have been sniffing around, including RykoDisc and a world music label associated with Mercury, which flew in a representative to one show.

``It's amazing the band's kept together through all the changes,'' Miller said. ``We've struggled for quite a while, but we feel we're on the verge. We love playing this music - there's nothing we'd rather do. It's a lot of fun, and there's so much energy in our music.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo

BECKY KIRKLAND

Bio Ritmo...

Graphic

WANT TO GO?

Who: Bio Ritmo

When: 10 p.m. Friday

Where: Friar Tuck's, 4408 Hampton Blvd., Norfolk

Cover: $5

Call: 440-9464