Written by Angel Romero for World Music Central
6.4.23

Nuevo South Train is an alluring collaboration […] skillfully combin[ing] engaging Venezuelan music traditions such as llanera music (music of the plains), orquidea, tonada, joropo oriental, and bambuco as well as salsa with American bluegrass.

Written by Grant Golden for CLTure
5.16.23

…a fascinating exploration of the two sounds. […] Larry & Joe give a nod to their respective country’s storied histories while blazing forward with roots music innovation.

Written and interviewed by Ken Templeton for Red Line Roots
5.5.23

One way to get people in the room is to play as well as Larry and Joe. From the first notes of the concert, their skill and respect for traditions was on display[…] the sound never gets predictable or tired.

Written by John Job for The Austin Chronicle
4.14.23

The hour with Larry & Joe was sort of like being in the eye of a hurricane. Beauty and order in the heart of chaos. There was considerable buzz about these guys, but I don’t think anyone anticipated their true impact, and the huge gathering […] had an explosive response.

Written by Shawn Underwood for Twangville
4.5.23

When I saw Larry & Joe […] it seemed like they’d known each other their whole lives. That easy familiarity has also served the music well. Nuevo South Train is a magnificent blending of the duos multi-cultural experiences and I guarantee you’ve never heard anything like it. And if they play anywhere near you, get there.

Written by Jennifer Duncan-Rankin for BLANK
3.28.23

Though their bios feature a bounty of bummers, the music they make together (self-described as Latingrass), is nothing short of delightful. Ever been curious to hear what a banjo and harp sound like together? A hoedown with maracas? By golly, make sure to make time for this pair and find out, as they make some of the sincerest, comforting, fun and welcoming music you’ll ever have the pleasure to hear. 

Written by Patricia Serrano for Enlace Latino NC
3.24.23

Saben cuáles son las bases fundamentales que comparten y, a partir de eso, buscan crear algo nuevo.

En este caso no dudan en llamarlo «Venezalachian», es decir la combinación o más bien la música que nace del cruce de un maestro de la música llanera y un maestro del Bluegrass.

Para los dos, la música folclórica de sus tierras es la música que llevan dentro y quieren compartir con el mundo. 

Written by Hilary Saunders for No Depression
3.22.23

[Nuevo South Train], in all its collaborative glory, is a reminder that roots music is about maintaining and sharing traditions, regardless of where the diasporas take them.

Written by Adison Nadler for Music Mecca
2.12.23

Larry & Joe transcend the barriers of language with songs that celebrate love, life, nature, and all the little details that come with the human experience, regardless of your latitude and longitude.

Written by Brian Slattery for New Haven Independent
12.18.23

For the final segment of their set…Troop invited the audience to dance, which fully half the crowd rose from their seats to do, dodging among the stools and chairs and laughing the entire time.

In the swirling rhythms and moving feet, with some people picking more traditional two-steps and others just doing what they felt, this final short dance party felt like another step in Larry & Joe’s musical mission, as borders melted away and past met present, and everyone was moving into the future together.

Recorded by Virginia Folklife with WMRA's Chris Boros and Pat Jarrett from Folklife
12.1.2022

The Nuevo South is that, highly impacted by Latinos who are here. That’s the largest growing demographic. It’s important that it be recognized what we are. That’s what we are.

Because we are a society. We the people. Neither of us care about politics, neither of us care about perpetuating our own myths. We both want to go in with an open heart, an open mind, and learn. But I think it’s time to rejoice in the diversity of where we live.

Written by Katei Cranford for Yes! Weekly
10.19.22

“Serving as a tangible example of the work they’re weaving, the album highlights the universal language of music in its production and its offering — with neither limited to the wax on a record for Larry & Joe — as people or as a duo. “

Written by Fran Daniel for the Winston-Salem Journal
8.13.22

Bellorín said, translated by Troop: “Working with Joe is a very unique experience — full of magic and musicality. The most important thing is that Joe’s music and Venezuelan music are being fused, but not forcibly. We can foresee in the future having our very own unique style of music through which future generations can identify themselves in this fusion of bluegrass and musica llanera.”

Escrito por Nick McGregor para Indy Week
Traducido a español por Caryl Espinoza Jaen
7.20.22

Este concepto esta fundado en la palabra española “inquietud,” Bellorín dice. Troop y él pasaron muchos minutes jocosos tratando de encontrar posibles traducciones en inglés—¿antigüedad?, ¿nostalgia?, ¿inquietud?, ¿reflexión?—antes de aceptar la falta de una perfecta definición. “Ese es el puente que estamos construyendo,” Bellorín dice. “Estamos culturalmente venciendo barreras a nuestra música. El lenguaje no es una barrera porque tocamos en un set bilingüe. Raza y color no son barreras; al final toda sangre es roja. Estamos promoviendo un mensaje de unidad entre las dos tradiciones folclóricas.”

Written by Nick McGregor for Indy Week
7.20.22

This concept is baked into the Spanish word inquietude, Bellorín says. He and Troop spend several jocular minutes cycling through possible English translations—Ancientness? Longing? Concern? Reflection?—before accepting the lack of any perfect analog. “That’s the bridge we’re building,” Bellorín says. “We’re structurally dismantling barriers to our music. Language isn’t a barrier, since we play a bilingual set. Race and color aren’t barriers; in the end, all blood is red. We’re promoting a message of unity between our two folk traditions.”

Written by David Menconi for Walter Magazine
6.1.22

“Joe is an impressive person and an impressive talent,” says banjo legend Béla Fleck, a regular collaborator. “He’s passionate, cares deeply about injustice in the world and he’s not afraid to take a stand. Combine that with his amazing abilities as a multi-instrumentalist, vocalist and composer, and you’ve got a powerhouse.”

Written by Dr. Sophia Enriquez for MusicMaker.org.
5.31.22

”Latino experiences in the South are diverse and complex, irreducible to a single voice, perspective, or musical tradition. In the Nuevo South, music remains at the center of how many communities understand their relationship to place and allows us to approach these various lived experiences and stories with greater care. Troop and Bellorín’s work is an important part of this larger musical project that brings previously overlooked stories to the fore through new musical friendships.”

Written by Lindsey Terrell for Folkworks.org
4.22.22

“It is my belief that music is one of the most powerful and effective buoys for hope.

It is also my belief that no one is doing this better than these two artists. They work together to weave a sonic tapestry that foretells a different future for our world, one of unity, love, prosperity, and mutual respect.”